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
June 29, 2008
- Top Stories: Melting Arctic, Antarctica, Resource Conflict, Rapid Climate Change, Ozone/Methane, Stern
- Food Crisis, Food vs. Biofuel, Food Production
- Hurricanes, Myanmar, GHGs, Temperatures, ENSO, Glaciers, Sea Levels, Satellites
- Impacts, Forests, Wacky Weather, Tornadoes, Wildfires, Floods & Droughts
- Mitigation, Transportation, Sequestration, Geoengineering, Adaptation
- Journals, Misc. Science, Lorenz
- UNFCCC, Carbon Trade, Carbon Tax, Optimal Carbon Reduction Strategy
- Politics:International, Climate Justice, G8, Security, America, Britain, Europe, Australia, China, Canada
- Ecological Economics, Apocalypso, Media
- Energy, Cost Impacts, Solar, Biofuel, Nukes, Peak Oil, Cars, Business, Greenwashing
- Carbon Lobby, The Usual, Useful Links
- Shameless Self Promotion, .sig
- 2008/06/29: uComics: (cartoon - Toles) The Colour Issue
- 2008/06/25: uComics: (cartoon - Toles) Paul Revere 2008 [not Hansen]
The first big story of the week is James Hansen testifying before Congress:
- 2008/06/27: GWWatch: Put big fossil fuel on the dock
- 2008/06/25: GWWatch: Stop now. Or we're toast: Hansen tells Congress - Well, they didn't get it when he explained the science, the first time.
- 2008/06/27: MTobis: Hansen's Inflammatory Language
- 2008/06/26: DotEarth: Big Coal Fires Back Over James Hansen's Criminal Complaint
- 2008/06/26: DeSmogBlog: Choice Words for James Hansen From Big Coal Exec
- 2008/06/23: Register(UK): Veteran climate scientist says 'lock up the oil men' - Nasa's Hansen goes DC
- 2008/06/25: ClimateP: [link to pdf] Hansen's famous 1988 testimony
- 2008/06/25: GristMill: We must tax carbon - Hansen's message to the planet
- 2008/06/25: ENN: Earth Near Tipping Point, Climatologist Warns
- 2008/06/25: CSW: Dr. James Hansen calls for fossil industry disinformants to be tried for "high crimes"
- 2008/06/25: CCurrents: Twenty Years Later: Tipping Points Near On Global Warming by James Hansen
- 2008/06/25: InformedComment: Hansen: Try CEOs of Big Oil for Fraud
- 2008/06/24: NatureCF: Hansen's twentieth anniversary testimony
- 2008/06/25: TStar: Timely warning on climate change [Hansen]
- 2008/06/24: Guardian(UK): Confusing politics with science - James Hansen's scientific expertise has sparked action on climate change, but his demagoguery is hurting his own cause [BBeutler]
- 2008/06/24: KSJT: Wires, some dailies: Hansen to Press Club, Congress - It's hotter, can the coal, and you're still fools (plus, a few CEOs are criminal)
- 2008/06/23: DotEarth: NASA's Hansen: Humans Still Loading Climate Dice
- 2008/06/24: PhysOrg: NASA warming scientist: 'This is the last chance'
- 2008/06/23: GristMill: Twenty years later - The new testimony before Congress by James Hansen
- 2008/06/23: GristMill: A modern-day Cassandra - Thoughts on the 20th anniversary of James Hansen's historic Congressional testimony by Representative Ed Markey [D-Mass]
- 2008/06/23: GristMill: Paul Revere rides again - Hansen marks 20th anniversary of landmark testimony to Congress with renewed call to action
- 2008/06/24: MTobis: Hansen's 20th Anniversary Speech
- 2008/06/24: DeSmogBlog: Oil Execs to the Big House Over Climate Change?
- 2008/06/24: DeSmogBlog: Hansen: Exxon, Peabody are committing "crimes against humanity"
- 2008/06/24: ENN: 1988 and 2008: Climate Change Turning Points
- 2008/06/24: ENN: Scientist [James Hansen] urges carbon tax to help climate
- 2008/06/23: ClimateP: Drilling off-shore is a "crazy thing" says Hansen on 20th anniversary of his famous testimony
- 2008/06/23: DotEarth: Are Big Oil and Big Coal Climate Criminals?
- 2008/06/23: DotEarth: 1988-2008: Climate Then and Now
- 2008/06/23: USAToday: NASA warming scientist: 'This is the last chance'
Exactly 20 years after warning America about global warming, a top NASA scientist said the situation has gotten so bad that the world's only hope is drastic action. James Hansen told Congress on Monday that the world has long passed the "dangerous level" for greenhouse gases in the atmosphere and needs to get back to 1988 levels. He said Earth's atmosphere can only stay this loaded with man-made carbon dioxide for a couple more decades without changes such as mass extinction, ecosystem collapse and dramatic sea level rises. "We're toast if we don't get on a very different path," Hansen, director of the Goddard Institute of Space Sciences who is sometimes called the godfather of global warming science, told The Associated Press. "This is the last chance." - 2008/06/23: Guardian(UK): A voice in the wilderness - James Hansen's testimony on climate change has made him a celebrity, but it sadly hasn't done much to influence Congress
- 2008/06/23: Guardian(UK): Big oil's big lie
James Hansen is right about lobbyists sponsoring the junk science of climate change denial. But prosecuting energy executives is not the answer - 2008/06/23: Guardian(UK): Twenty years later: tipping points near on global warming
- 2008/06/23: Guardian(UK): The time to act is now by James Hansen
- 2008/06/23: Telegraph(UK): James Hansen: Prosecute oil companies, top scientist says
- 2008/06/23: OilChange: Its time to put the oil barons on trial...
- 2008/06/23: NYT: Years Later, Climatologist [James E. Hansen] Renews His Call for Action
- 2008/06/23: Guardian(UK): Put oil firm chiefs on trial, says leading climate change scientist
The Arctic melt continues to get a lot of attention:
- 2008/06/28: TreeHugger: Study Predicts Amount of CO2 Emissions that Could Lead to Greenland Melting
- 2008/06/29: SMH: Polar ice cap on the brink
- 2008/06/28: ABC(Au): North Pole may have ice-free period this summer: US expert
- 2008/06/28: PhysOrg: This summer may see first ice-free North Pole
- 2008/06/28: Stoat: Sea ice update
- 2008/06/26: RealClimate: More PR related confusion - tropospheric ozone chemistry
- 2008/06/27: RealClimate: North Pole notes
- 2008/06/28: GWWatch: Impacts of a Warming Arctic
- 2008/06/28: PeakEnergy: North Pole could be ice-free this summer
- 2008/06/27: CCurrents: No Ice At The North Pole
- 2008/06/27: CBC: 50-50 chance of first iceless summer for North Pole: scientist
A leading American ice scientist says there's a 50-50 chance that the North Pole will be ice-free this summer, which would be a first in recorded history. Mark Serreze, senior researcher at the National Snow and Ice Data Center at the University of Colorado in Boulder, said the weather and ocean conditions in the next couple of weeks will determine how much of the sea ice will melt, and early signs are not good. - 2008/06/28: NatGeo: North Pole May Be Ice Free for First Time This Summer
- 2008/06/27: CNN: North Pole could be ice-free this summer, scientists say
Ice retreated to a record level last fall when the Northwest Passage opened briefly - Weather patterns will determine whether the ice cover melts completely this summer - Scientists say the Arctic meltdown is not part of a historic cycle - 2008/06/27: ClimateP: What drove the dramatic retreat of arctic sea ice during summer 2007?
- 2008/06/27: DotEarth: What's Really Up With North Pole Sea Ice?
- 2008/06/27: TreeHugger: 50/50 Bet North Pole Melts Away This Summer
- 2008/06/27: DeSmogBlog: Ice Loss Makes Permafrost Not So Perma!
- 2008/06/27: OilChange: The Ice-Free North Pole
- 2008/06/26: Independent(UK): No ice at the North Pole - Polar scientists reveal dramatic new evidence of climate change
- 2008/06/25: BBC: Ice diary: Science in the fast-changing Arctic
Liz Kalaugher reports from the High Arctic as she travels aboard the Amundsen, a Canadian Coast Guard vessel. She has joined an expedition investigating the effects of climate change off Banks Island. - 2008/06/24: CanWest: Scientists brace for ice-free summer at North Pole - 'This is a very dramatic change'
And Antartica:
- 2008/06/24: NewScientist: Antarctic sticks out huge annual ice 'tongue'
While the geopolitical conflicts over the potential resources looms in the background:
- 2008/06/28: CTV: Experts warn of 'no-holds-barred' Arctic fight
- 2008/06/25: CanWest: Russian general fires Arctic warning
- 2008/06/24: BBerg: Russian Army Trains for Arctic Combat to Defend Resource Claim
Late coverage of that rapid climate change evidenced in Greenland ice cores story:
- 2008/06/26: TerraDaily: Greenland Ice Core Analysis Shows Drastic Climate Change Near End Of Last Ice Age
- 2008/06/25: DeSmogBlog: Could Nature Be Planning a Sudden 'Surprise Party'?
- 2008/06/25: People's Daily: Atmospheric circulation shifts linked to last ice age [Greenland ice core - temperature spikes]
- 2008/06/24: TerraDaily: Ice Cores Map Dynamics Of Sudden Climate Changes
A report on ozone/methane chemistry in the tropical mid-Atlantic seemed a bit of good news:
- 2008/06/27: NatureCF: Ozone again
- 2008/06/26: Guardian(UK): Oceans clearing greenhouse gases faster than expected
- 2008/06/26: NewScientist: Tropical ocean sucks up vast amounts of ozone
- 2008/06/25: PhysOrg: Destruction of greenhouse gases over tropical Atlantic
- 2008/06/25: Eureka: Destruction of greenhouse gases over tropical Atlantic
Nicholas Stern is back with more warnings:
- 2008/06/27: HillHeat: Sir Nicholas Stern Warns Congress To Act; Dingell: "How Many People Will Lose Homes And Farms To Flooding?"
- 2008/06/26: Guardian(UK): A Stern warning on climate change
Nicholas Stern says the cost of climate change is likely to be double his original estimate. The reality could be even worse - 2008/06/26: GristMill: A Stern talking to - U.K. economist testifies to House subcommittee on the costs of inaction on climate change
- 2008/06/26: Guardian(UK): Cost of tackling global climate change has doubled, warns [Nicholas] Stern
The food crisis remains a top story:
- 2008/06/27: CSM: As famine looms in Ethiopia, only the neediest get food aid
- 2008/06/25: WorldChanging: Seeing the African Challenge in a Single Graph
- 2008/06/23: LA Times: The price of hunger - We know the cost to end world hunger. What's the cost of neglect?
What would it really cost to end global hunger? The United Nations estimates that it would take at least $30billion per year to solve the food crisis, mainly by boosting agricultural productivity in the developing world. Over the decade that it would take to make sustainable improvements in the lives of the 862 million undernourished people, that amounts to $300 billion. - 2008/06/29: TStar: Global Food Crisis - Ill-conceived rush to ethanol - Price of corn doubles in three years as more of crop is diverted to satisfy questionable biofuels policy
- 2008/06/28: AngryBear: Ethanol and food prices
- 2008/06/27: TSun: Who will end food for fuel?
- 2008/06/25: ABC(Au): Biofuel farming accused of driving up food prices [by Oxfham]
- 2008/06/25: TreeHugger: Biofuels Have Pushed Thirty Million People Into Poverty: Oxfam
- 2008/06/25: OilChange: Biofuels Forcing 30 Million into Poverty
- 2008/06/25: BBC: The replacement of traditional fuels with biofuels has dragged more than 30 million people worldwide into poverty, an aid agency report says.
And how are we going to feed 9 billion?
- 2008/06/29: AFP: Ride high food prices to cut subsidies, boost production: OECD
- 2008/06/28: NewScientist: Drought-resistant wheat beats Australian heat
- 2008/06/26: CCurrents: Will The World Survive GM Cultures And The Damage To The Earth's Eco-Systems?
- 2008/06/27: CSM: California water shortages to boost some crop prices
- 2008/06/26: TreeHugger: Biofuels, Food, and Sustainability Examined: Michael Pollan Interviewed by Yale Univ.
- 2008/06/26: Times(UK): We can feed the world: look at all the space - It's no wonder food prices are rising. We are exploiting less of the planet for agriculture than we were only a few years ago
- 2008/06/26: BBC: Fertiliser shortage hits India's farms
- 2008/06/25: EnergyBulletin: The era of peak phosphorus is coming
- 2008/06/25: GristMill: Nitrogen madness - The costs of unsustainable agriculture
- 2008/06/25: TreeHugger: Future Food Production Could Be Severely Constrained by a Lack of Phosphorus
- 2008/06/24: Australian: Phosphorus food danger
Battered by soaring fertiliser prices and rioting rice farmers, the global food industry may also have to deal with a potentially catastrophic future shortage of phosphorus, scientists say. - 2008/06/24: CBC: High prices led to big increase in canola, wheat plantings
Boris & Cristina churned up the NE Pacific, while Fengshen left the Philippines and soaked China:
- 2008/06/25: TerraDaily: Tropical storm soaks flood-weary southern China
- 2008/06/25: Google:AFP: Tropical storm [Fengshen] soaks flood-weary southern China
- 2008/06/24: Wunderground: Fengshen: deadliest Western Pacific storm in 17 years
- 2008/06/23: Wunderground: Typhoon Fengshen one of the deadliest ever for the Philippines
- 2008/06/23: AFP: Desperate hunt for Philippine ferry survivors
Still not much news from Myanmar:
- 2008/06/25: BBC: Burma blocks emergency telecoms - Two teams of foreign aid workers dedicated to delivering emergency telecoms in disaster areas have been forced to leave cyclone-hit Burma.
- 2008/06/24: CBC: Burma cyclone deaths rise to 84,500
As for GHGs:
- 2008/06/25: Maribo: Are emissions growing faster than the models say?
And the temperature:
- 2008/06/25: ABC(Au): Qld average temps could rise 5 degrees [C by 2070]: report
While on the ENSO front:
- 2008/06/24: PhysOrg: World weather expert [WMO official Rupa Kumar Kroll] says El Nino, La Nina outlook mild
Glaciers are melting:
- 2008/06/27: Eureka: Unravelling the 'inconvenient truth' of glacier movement
- 2008/06/23: TM: "Mountains of the Moon" Glacier Melting
Sea levels are rising:
- 2008/06/24: MongaBay: 69% of Floridians believe coast threatened by rising sea levels
Meanwhile in near earth orbit:
- 2008/06/27: ESA: ESA satellite assesses damage of Norway's largest fire
- 2008/06/23: KSJT: BBC, AP, Santa Maria Times, etc: Jason-2 satellite reaches orbit, sea level changes in its sights
- 2008/06/24: SpaceMart: GAO Report Reveals Continuing Problems With NPOESS [National Polar-Orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite System]
More GW impacts are being seen:
- 2008/06/29: SciDaily: Elevated Carbon Dioxide Boosts Invasive Nutsedge Plants
- 2008/06/28: CBC: California fire deals blow to Big Sur tourism
- 2008/06/27: KSJT: European, Calif press, and more: Global warming driving plants north and uphill, many won't make it
- 2008/06/27: PhysOrg: Climate change causing significant shift in the species composition of coastal fish communities
- 2008/06/26: TerraDaily: Global warming causing plant migration in Europe: study
- 2008/06/27: Eureka: Climate change causing significant shift in composition of coastal fish communities - Invertebrates and warm-water species increase, bottom feeders decrease
- 2008/06/27: BBC: Warming world sends plants uphill - Climate change has caused plants to seek cooler conditions at higher altitudes, scientists suggest.
- 2008/06/26: NewScientist: Climate race separates the weeds from the trees
- 2008/06/26: PhysOrg: Spotting the killer hot spots
Killer hotspots of over-heated ocean water which destroy huge areas of coral and bring starvation to birds, fish and other sea creatures can now be pinpointed, thanks to a major advance in the use of satellite technology by Australian and American researchers working under the Marine and Tropical Sciences Research Facility (MTSRF) program. - 2008/06/26: TerraDaily: Birds Migrate Earlier, But Some May Be Left Behind As The Climate Warms Rapidly
- 2008/06/26: TreeHugger: Climate Change Could Extinguish Two-Thirds of California's Plant Species
- 2008/06/26: Eureka: Higher temperatures helped new strain of West Nile virus spread - Findings help explain spread of virus strain responsible for largest US epidemics
- 2008/06/26: CBC: Climate change forces plants to higher ground: study
- 2008/06/25: SF Gate: Study: Hotter weather will shrink Calif. plant habitat
- 2008/06/25: PhysOrg: Extreme weather events can unleash a 'perfect storm' of infectious diseases, research study says
- 2008/06/25: NatureTGB: Californian plants can't take the heat
- 2008/06/25: SciDaily: Climate Change Could Severely Impact California's Unique Native Plants
- 2008/06/25: Yahoo: Warming May Make 'Perfect Storm' of Disease
- 2008/06/25: McClatchyDC: Some wildlife managers say global warming, wildlife don't mix
- 2008/06/24: Guardian(UK): After the deluge - There were valuable parallels between the flooding in Iowa and Hurricane Katrina. But the media looked in the wrong places
- 2008/06/24: PhysOrg: Atlantic trees will be affected the most by climate change on the Iberian Peninsula
- 2008/06/23: TerraDaily: Midwest floodwaters could linger for weeks
- 2008/06/24: SciDaily: Reducing Impact Of Climate Change On Estuaries, Forests, Wetlands And Coral Reefs
- 2008/06/24: Eureka: Floridians believe global warming will have dangerous impacts on the state
- 2008/06/23: CBC: Polar bears could survive -- as brown bears: scientist [Christian Sonne]
And then there are the world's forests:
- 2008/06/28: SciDaily: Ancient Oak Trees Help Reduce Global Warming
- 2008/06/27: MUNews: Ancient Oak Trees Help Reduce Global Warming, MU Study Finds
- 2008/06/25: PhysOrg: Looming tropical disaster needs urgent action
- 2008/06/25: UAdelaide: Looming tropical disaster needs urgent action
Yes we have no wacky weather, except:
- 2008/06/28: DerSpiegel: Huge Hail - Storm Damages Up to 30,000 New Volkswagens
Meanwhile in tornado alley:
- 2008/06/28: CTV: Five tornadoes strike southern Manitoba
As for wild fires:
- 2008/06/25: Wunderground: California fires could reach record levels in 2008
- 2008/06/26: AP: California forest fire moving closer to Big Sur
- 2008/06/25: NakedCapitalism: You Can Now Track California Burning
- 2008/06/25: CNN: Firefighters battle hundreds of blazes in California
Growing fire in Monterey County forces new evacuations in Carmel Valley - Hundreds of wildfires started by weekend storm that packed 8,000 lightning strikes - Firefighters from neighboring states on hand to help with California blazes - Fires have scorched thousands of acres, forced hundreds to evacuate - 2008/06/24: CBC: Lightning sparks more than 840 forest fires in California
- 2008/06/23: CBS: Wildfire Threatens Homes, Blankets City In Smoke - Lightning Starts More Than 800 Fires In Northern California
And speaking of floods & droughts:
- 2008/06/25: ClimateP: Sorry, delayers & enablers, Part 2: Climate change means worse droughts for SW and world
- 2008/06/25: McClatchyDC: Drought returns to Texas
- 2008/06/24: BBC: Somali catastrophe 'largely unnoticed' - Drought in the Horn of Africa is deepening after the failure of annual rains, and the UN estimates that more than 14.5 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance.
The US Midwest is still flooding:
- 2008/06/29: DailyIndia: Missouri copes with river, flash flooding
- 2008/06/28: AP: As river rushes into [Winfield] Missouri town, residents file out
- 2008/06/27: CNN: Muskrats blamed for levee breach on Mississippi
Muskrat holes weaken levee north of St. Louis, Missouri, officials say - Late-night rains prove too much for levee to handle - Mississippi River being held back by sandbags - Latest breach threatens 100 homes - 2008/06/27: Wunderground: Midwest flood price tag $8 billion; Extreme Weather magazine review
- 2008/06/27: CBC: Homes threatened after Missouri levee bursts
- 2008/06/26: CBC: Rain brings new worries to flooded Midwest
- 2008/06/25: Yahoo: Waterlogged levee under pressure from Mississippi
- 2008/06/25: ZNet: "Man" Versus "Nature?" The Politics of the Iowa Floods
- 2008/06/24: AP: Residents keep fighting rising Mississippi River
- 2008/06/23: CBC: End to flooding in sight as Mississippi crests in central U.S.
As for mitigation, consider transportation & GHG production:
- 2008/06/27: EUO: Aviation industry attacks mandatory 'polluter pays' principle
- 2008/06/25: MYglesias: How It's Done
- 2008/06/23: ERabett: Comparative advantage
As for carbon sequestration:
- 2008/06/27: TreeHugger: Wallace Broecker vs. Greenpeace: Climate Scientist Argues in Favor of Ocean CO2 Storage
- 2008/06/26: NEN: Try CO2 release to deep ocean, see how bad it can be: prof [Wallace Broecker]
Large scale geo-engineering keeps popping up:
- 2008/06/23: Intersection:CCM: My Wired Feature on Geoengineering
- 2008/06/23: LA Times: Resetting Earth's thermostat - In the race to respond to climate change, it's time to invest in an alternative solution -- geo-engineering.
While on the adaptation front:
- 2008/06/27: SMH: Moving north not such a hot idea
Shifting irrigation agriculture from the parched Murray-Darling Basin to Australia's wet tropical north would be a "risky business", the co-author of a new CSIRO climate change report warned yesterday. Hotter temperatures in the tropical warm-season wet zone would leave crops and livestock almost constantly heat stressed, said Mark Howden from the CSIRO's Climate Adaptation Flagship. - 2008/06/26: CSIRO: Report - adapting farming to climate change
CSIRO today released a national overview of climate change impacts and adaptation options for Australian agriculture. - 2008/06/26: CP: East Asian Monsoon and paleoclimatic data analysis: a vegetation point of view by J. Guiot et al.
- 2008/06/25: CP: Modeling variations of marine reservoir ages during the last 45 000 years by J. Franke et al.
- 2008/06/28: CPD: Revisiting the absolute calibration of the Greenland ice-core age-scales by L. Skinner
- 2008/06/27: ACP: Can we reconcile differences in estimates of carbon fluxes from land-use change and forestry for the 1990s? by A. Ito et al.
- 2008/06/26: ACP: Transport pathways of CO in the African upper troposphere during the monsoon season: a study based upon the assimilation of spaceborne observations by B. Barret et al.
- 2008/06/24: ACP: Validation of stratospheric water vapour measurements from the airborne microwave radiometer AMSOS by S. C. Müller et al.
- 2008/06/23: ACP: Long-term solar UV radiation reconstructed by ANN modelling with emphasis on spatial characteristics of input data by U. Feister et al.
The Pielke fan clubbe:
- 2008/06/22: ERabett: The Honest Broker works the Boiler Room
Edward Lorenz obit:
- 2008/06/27: Guardian(UK): Edward Lorenz - Meteorologist behind the chaos theory of weather systems
Meanwhile at the UNFCCC:
- 2008/06/25: Reuters: Climate change fund needs major boost - UN official [Yvo de Boer]
And on the carbon trading front:
- 2008/06/25: NEN: U.S. can learn from EU emissions trading and pay it forward
The idea of a carbon tax is still bouncing around:
- 2008/06/24: BBC: Taxing time to stabilise climate
We cannot continue using the atmosphere as a rubbish dump for greenhouse gas emissions, argues Matt Prescott. In this week's Green Room, he sets out the case why a carbon tax will make it cheaper to protect the environment than harm it. "A global carbon tax cannot single-handedly stop us from using our atmosphere as a rubbish dump; but it could represent a fair and affordable step forward." - 2008/06/27: ABC(Au): Investors warned against carbon sink forests scheme
Meanwhile on the international political front:
- 2008/06/29: ABC(Au): China calls for rich countries help on climate change
- 2008/06/25: HWWD: India worried about carbon tariffs from the European Union
Kofi Annan called for climate justice at the first meeting of the Global Humanitarian Forum:
- 2008/06/26: SwissInfo: Forum launches global climate justice alliance - Former United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan has launched a global alliance for climate justice at the first meeting of the Global Humanitarian Forum
- 2008/06/24: Yahoo: Former UN sec-gen Annan calls for 'climate justice'
The G8 got a lot of attention, did nothing:
- 2008/06/29: AFP: Major G8 tech investment to fight global warming, report says
- 2008/06/28: PhysOrg: No move on climate expected at G8 summit: US experts
US environmentalists said Friday they expect no breakthroughs in climate change talks from international players attending the Group of Eight (G8) July 7-9 summit in Hokkaido, Japan. - 2008/06/26: TerraDaily: UN to press G8 on food crisis, climate change, poverty
- 2008/06/26: TerraDaily: British climate envoy [John Ashton] grim on G8 prospects
- 2008/06/26: Forbes:Reuters: U.S. not on board for 2050 emissions cut goal - [G8]source
- 2008/06/24: UN: Ban will focus on global food crisis as a key issue at upcoming G8 summit
- 2008/06/24: Yomiuri: Main CO2 emitters fail to set target / Seoul meeting lowers G-8 expectations
- 2008/06/23: Google:AFP: UN climate chief asks G8 summit to agree on 2020 emission targets
- 2008/06/23: ENN: No major deal in Seoul on G8 climate draft: sources
As for GW & security:
- 2008/06/26: ABC(Au): Report finds security implications of global warming
- 2008/06/26: SciDaily: Climate Change May Challenge National Security, Classified Report Warns
- 2008/06/26: WaPo: Climate Issues Tied to U.S. Security
U.S. intelligence agencies have concluded that global climate change will worsen food shortages and disease exposure in sub-Saharan Africa over the next two decades, creating operational problems for the Pentagon's newest overseas military command. - 2008/06/25: ThinkP: Report: Global warming expected to increase terrorism
- 2008/06/24: Eureka: Climate change may challenge national security, classified report warns - Sea level, water scarcity, refugees might affect military, diplomacy
And on the American political front:
- 2008/06/29: ClimateP: Is 450 ppm politically possible? Part 6: What the Boxer-Lieberman-Warner bill debate tells us
- 2008/06/29: DailyIndia: U.S. government delays solar projects
- 2008/06/28: ClimateP: [US] State News Update
- 2008/06/27: HillHeat: Virginia Approves Major New Coal Plant and Electricity Rate Hikes
- 2008/06/27: TreeHugger: Renewable Energy Feed-In Tariff Legislation Introduced in U.S. Congress
- 2008/06/27: AtlanticFP: We "Deserve" What?
- 2008/06/27: Reuters: Senators ask for Congress-White House energy summit
- 2008/06/27: IR^2: The Fault of the Government
I have long maintained that the root of our energy problems in the U.S. stems from our failure to enact a consistent, long-term energy policy. - 2008/06/27: ArsTechnica: Louisiana passes first antievolution "academic freedom" law
[...] The text of the LSEA [Louisiana Science Education Act] suggests that it's intended to foster critical thinking, calling on the state Board of Education to "assist teachers, principals, and other school administrators to create and foster an environment within public elementary and secondary schools that promotes critical thinking skills, logical analysis, and open and objective discussion of scientific theories." Unfortunately, it's remarkably selective in its suggestion of topics that need critical thinking, as it cites scientific subjects "including, but not limited to, evolution, the origins of life, global warming, and human cloning." - 2008/06/27: GristMill: Reps. for renewables - New bill to support renewables offered in House
- 2008/06/26: Grist: The Suits Are Picking on the Bill - Auto industry loses suit to sink California vehicle emissions standards
- 2008/06/26: ClimateP: The CAFE we could have had
- 2008/06/26: GristMill: Landmark solar bill in Hawaii - All new homes to sport solar hot water
- 2008/06/26: GristMill: Virginia is for coal lovers - State illegally approves new coal-fired power plant
- 2008/06/26: Yahoo: Ex-EPA official critical on climate change
- 2008/06/26: NEN: A call for new energy - Apollo Alliance
- 2008/06/26: AutoBG: 2009 model cars in California to get greenhouse gas stickers
- 2008/06/24: GristMill: House rules - Select Committee acquires documents related to EPA's proposals for rulemaking on auto emissions
- 2008/06/25: CSW: Flawed communications in U.S. Climate Change Science Program
- 2008/06/25: DOE:EIA: International Energy Outlook 2008
- 2008/06/23: GristMill: Maximum impact - Will California's climate change regulations mandate maximum emission reductions?
- 2008/06/23: HillHeat: House to Debate Several Energy Proposals
- 2008/06/24: CSM: Biofuels put bucks over ducks - After the Midwest floods, the corn-ethanol lobby wants conserved land plowed up.
California has unveiled a major plan to cut emissions:
- 2008/06/27: Guardian(UK): Climate change: California unveils plan to sharply cut carbon emissions
- 2008/06/27: AutoBG: California unveils major plan to cut emissions
- 2008/06/26: ClimateP: California leads the way toward climate sanity
- 2008/06/26: TreeHugger: California Agency Outlines Plan to Fight Global Warming
- 2008/06/26: Yahoo: California unveils ambitious climate plan
- 2008/06/26: LA Times: California air board announces plan for carbon-credit trading - The agency's proposal would slash greenhouse emissions to 1990 levels. But it has a long way to go.
The Bush administration Bureau of Land Management has put a two year moratorium on solar projects on federal lands:
- 2008/06/28: PeakEnergy: The Empire Strikes Back: Killing Solar Power In The US
- 2008/06/27: ClimateP: Bush BLM: We don't need no stinkin' solar on federal lands
- 2008/06/27: TreeHugger: New Solar Power Projects on U.S. Public Lands Placed on Hold
- 2008/06/27: DeSmogBlog: Bush: Solar Plants Threaten Precious Desert Lands
- 2008/06/27: NYT: Citing Need for Assessments, U.S. Freezes Solar Energy Projects
- 2008/06/27: SlashDot: US Halts Applications For Solar Energy Projects
The Bush WhiteHouse has entered the realm of farce by refusing to open EPA email:
- 2008/06/26: WaPo: White House Tried to Silence EPA Proposal on Car Emissions - Agency Was Responding to Ruling About Clean Air Act
- 2008/06/26: TP:WonkRoom: White House Pretended EPA Email Outlining 'Unequivocal' Global Warming Threat Was Spam
- 2008/06/26: ScruffyDan: The White House treats EPA email like spam...
- 2008/06/25: NatureTGB: White House takes the ostrich approach
- 2008/06/25: DotEarth: Return to Sender: EPA E-Mail on CO2 Refused by Administration. Old Pattern Back?
- 2008/06/25: GristMill: Return to sender - White House refuses to open email about regulating greenhouse gases
- 2008/06/25: TreeHugger: Bush Administration Puts Hands Over Eyes, Chants LaLaLa I Can't Hear You!
- 2008/06/25: TPMM: The Bush Administration's newest tactic for policymaking is to ignore emails
- 2008/06/25: NYT: White House Refused to Open Pollutants E-Mail
The White House in December refused to accept the Environmental Protection Agency's conclusion that greenhouse gases are pollutants that must be controlled, telling agency officials that an e-mail message containing the document would not be opened, senior E.P.A. officials said last week - 2008/06/27: PhysOrg: Court says no deadline for EPA on global warming
A federal appeals court refused Thursday to make a resistant Bush administration speed up a decision on whether greenhouse gases and global warming threaten public health and welfare. - 2008/06/27: HillHeat: Appeals Court Rejects Petition to Order EPA to Make Global Warming Endangerment Finding
- 2008/06/27: C411: Court Denies [Mandamus] Petition to Compel EPA Compliance with Supreme Court
One hears a lot about the campaigns, not much about their climate & energy policies:
- 2008/06/29: GristMill: Ethanol with your coal, anyone? Billionaires for Obama
- 2008/06/28: OilDrum: McCain's Energy Plan: Correct Diagnosis, Killer Prescription
- 2008/06/28: DailyIndia: Richardson criticizes McCain proposals
GOP presidential candidate John McCain's ideas to curb rising U.S. energy prices are simply "gimmicks," New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson said Saturday. - 2008/06/28: TP:WonkRoom: Nancy Pfotenhauer, McCain's Dirty Energy Spokeswoman
- 2008/06/28: DerSpiegel: McCain Sides with Big Oil
- 2008/06/26: GristMill: Prez briefing - A smattering of presidential campaign news
- 2008/06/25: GristMill: [Dessler] What the next president should say
- 2008/06/25: ClimateP: McCain energy gimmick, Part 2 -- The ill-defined, impractical "Clean Car Challenge"
- 2008/06/25: GristMill: 'It is now' - Obama lays out an energy vision that's economics and security first
- 2008/06/24: ClimateP: Even the Wall Street Journal is baffled by McCain's "all over the map" energy policies
- 2008/06/23: ClimateP: McCain proposes another energy gimmick, Part 1 -- pointless battery prize. Is this another $300M to ExxonMobil?
- 2008/06/23: NYT: Obama Camp Closely Linked With Ethanol
- 2008/06/23: FPB: Obama and McCain's energy incoherence
- 2008/06/21: TP:WonkRoom: Global Boiling: Rush Versus Reality
- 2008/06/23: TP:WonkRoom: Questions Raised About McCain's New Energy Proposals
While in the UK:
- 2008/06/29: Guardian(UK): Emission curbs could close new coal plants
- 2008/06/29: Guardian(UK): [Letters] Stop complaining and start saving the planet [UK]
- 2008/06/27: Guardian(UK): Who needs another green consultation? The time for policy documents is over. The government needs to act, and act now to make the shift to renewable energy a reality
- 2008/06/28: Guardian(UK): The nuclear option - Gordon Brown has committed Britain to a nuclear future, but can a new generation of reactors shed their murky, costly image in time to solve the looming energy crisis? [nukes]
- 2008/06/26: Guardian(UK): Renewable optimism
- 2008/06/26: TreeHugger: 40% of Britons Fear the Carbon Police
- 2008/06/26: BBC: UK plans big wind power expansion - Thousands of new wind turbines could be built across the UK over the coming decade as part of a £100bn plan to boost renewable energy.
- 2008/06/25: Guardian(UK): A renewed effort on green energy - Not another consultation document! It's action we need on renewables, not vague promises of future measures
- 2008/06/26: Guardian(UK): [UK industry secretary, John] Hutton tells power grid to clear barriers to wind
- 2008/06/25: AutoBG: London declares free parking for electric cars a success, cancels program
- 2008/06/24: PeakEnergy: UK blueprint for a green revolution
- 2008/06/24: BBC: Big increases in [UK] gas and electricity bills are likely this year, leading energy suppliers have confirmed.
And in Europe:
- 2008/06/27: PhysOrg: European airlines angered by EU 'CO2 tax'
Meanwhile in Australia:
- 2008/06/28: JQuiggin: The nuclear option
- 2008/06/28: SMH: Carbon scheming will be neither free nor easy
In a taste of things to come, the political fight brewing over emissions trading crept up a few notches this week. The Opposition unearthed arguments of the economic havoc the Government's plans would wreak, Kevin Rudd hit back with charges of climate change scepticism. But alongside the political squabble, another tussle - with equally important consequences - is shaping up between business interests over the depth of greenhouse gas cuts. No one disputes an emissions trading scheme will cause big changes for business, particularly the energy sector. And with D-day for the scheme looming - legislation will be unveiled early next year - some of Australia's biggest companies are clamouring to get the Government's ear. Many of their arguments have more than a whiff of self-interest and shaky economic reasoning. - 2008/06/28: ABC(Au): Rudd 'running out of time' to show climate leadership - Former Labor Party pollster Rod Cameron says time is running out for Prime Minister Kevin Rudd to provide real national leadership on climate change.
- 2008/06/27: ABC(Au): ACCC to crack down on bogus carbon offsets
- 2008/06/27: ABC(Au): Climate change fight needs political ardour: Greenpeace
- 2008/06/27: TreeHugger: Greenhouse Gas Emissions Reporting to Begin for Australian Corporations
- 2008/06/26: SMH: Climate change comes before petrol prices: Rudd
Kevin Rudd said it was obvious energy costs would increase under an emissions trading scheme as he called on the Opposition to rise above partisan politics on climate change and do what was right for the future. With soaring petrol prices making emissions trading a hot-button political issue, the Prime Minister said all energy sources - including petrol - that were subject to a carbon tax would increase in price. "If you adopt a position of acting on climate change, it does have an impact on energy prices. That's just the truth," Mr Rudd told Parliament. - 2008/06/25: ABC(Au): Govt fuming over lack of cooperation for emissions scheme
- 2008/06/25: ABC(Au): [Federal Transport Minister, Anthony] Albanese tight-lipped on emissions trading scheme design
- 2008/06/24: ABC(Au): Rudd brands Opposition as climate change sceptics
- 2008/06/25: ABC(Au): Carbon sink tax bill labelled 'seriously flawed'
There were extraordinary scenes in the Senate last night as the Greens combined with the Nationals and the Liberal Senator Bill Heffernan to attack part of a tax bill. It was originally drafted by the previous Coalition government and has been reintroduced by Labor. It gives a full tax deduction for the cost of planting forests as carbon sinks. - 2008/06/24: ABC(Au): Liberals 'committed' to climate change action - The Federal Opposition says it is committed to action on climate change, but it will not spell out what that means.
- 2008/06/24: ABC(Au): Scientist warns of water catastrophe
Leading water experts have urged the Federal Government to tackle the country's water shortages at next week's Council of Australian Governments (COAG) meeting. - 2008/06/24: ABC(Au): Govt hiding emission cuts modelling: Hunt
The Federal Opposition is calling on the Government to release modelling about the best way to cut carbon emissions under a trading scheme. - 2008/06/23: ABC(Au): Coalition running climate change scare campaign: Rudd
- 2008/06/23: ABC(Au): Opposition predicts emissions scheme cost blowout
The Federal Opposition says the cost of introducing an emissions trading scheme in 2010 will be much more than that predicted in a new study from the Climate Institute. - 2008/06/23: ABC(Au): Households may be worse off with carbon trading: report
- 2008/06/24: SMH: Coalition baulks at carbon copy
Bipartisan support for an emissions trading scheme to combat climate change is beginning to fracture with the Coalition raising concerns about its effect on petrol prices and jobs. Kevin Rudd declared "day one of their orchestrated campaign against an emissions trading regime" yesterday. "That's what it is and they know it," he said. - 2008/06/28: DailyIndia: [Chinese President] Hu [Jintao] calls on party to fight climate change
In Canada, minority neocon PM Harper, continues his do-nothing policy:
- 2008/06/28: Impolitical: Former TransAlta executive gets enviromental appointment by Harper government
- 2008/06/24: TStar: PM confuses bullying and leadership
The Liberals "Green Shift" carbon tax plan has grown legs and stomped all over the Canadian political scene:
- The Green Shift
- 2008/06/29: CBC: Northern premiers reject carbon tax plan
- 2008/06/29: CanWest: Academics get behind carbon tax - Experts say putting a price on emissions will reduce consumption
- 2008/06/29: CTV: Northern premiers give thumbs down to carbon tax
Canada's northern premiers emerged from two days of meetings in Yellowknife giving the thumbs down to Liberal Leader Stephane Dion's carbon tax proposal. Northwest Territories Premier Floyd Roland, Yukon Premier Dennis Fentie and Nunavut Premier Paul Okalik said the plan would not be fair to their residents. - 2008/06/29: CanWest: Dion's carbon tax plan is brilliant
- 2008/06/29: CanWest: Dion carbon tax would shaft West again - Alberta, Saskatchewan would pay disproportionate price as big oil, gas producers
- 2008/06/27: Yahoo: North America's 1st carbon tax rolls out under fire
- 2008/06/26: Econ: Green Party of Canada - Carbon Tax Plan
- 2008/06/26: Econ: Liberal Party of Canada - Carbon Tax Plan
- 2008/06/27: EnvEcon: Carbon taxes in Canada
- 2008/06/28: ScottsDiatribe: More examples/evidence of climate change in North America, & why policies like "Green Shift" need to be implemented.
- 2008/06/28: G&M: Dion faces carbon-tax backlash in West
- 2008/06/28: G&M: Energy crisis supplants environment as top concern - Poll reveals a shift in attitudes that could prove fatal to Dion's proposed carbon tax
- 2008/06/25: Far-n-Wide: New Green Shift Poll
- 2008/06/26: BCLSB: First Fruits Of The Green Shift?
- 2008/06/27: ScottsDiatribe: Harmonizing more then just carbon taxes [BC & Dion]
- 2008/06/27: G&M: Liberals start sales push on carbon tax - While discussions on tax heat up before July 1 start, a new poll says voters are most worried about fuel prices
- 2008/06/27: TStar: Dion gung-ho on carbon tax - Liberal leader, hinting at a possible fall election, defends his complex, environmentally friendly plan
- 2008/06/27: G&M: Environment: Green Shift Initiative - One drop in a leaky bucket won't cool the planet
- 2008/06/27: TStar: The ambitions of Dion's plan
- 2008/06/27: TStar: Dion's national program brings hope
- 2008/06/27: OSun: Green shaft not so simple - Middle-class voters will get the green shaft as surely as your heating bill will rise this winter.
- 2008/06/27: G&M: Dion's plan targets oil-rich provinces - Tax to hit Alberta, Saskatchewan hard
- 2008/06/26: BaDH: Dion admits it again: Liberal carbon tax "won't get it done"
- 2008/06/26: LFPress: McGuinty cheers carbon tax plan - The federal Liberal's proposal could cost Ontario $1 billion for emissions from its coal-fired generators
- 2008/06/26: TSun: Dion gets his shift together - Maintains stance that green plan's tax scheme will be revenue neutral and appealing to Canadians
- 2008/06/25: Far-n-Wide: Canadians Welcome [Green Shift] Debate
- 2008/06/25: JBowie: Canadians Want Dion Doctrine Debate
- 2008/06/25: CanWest: Carbon tax no NEP: analyst - C.D. Howe chief [Bill Robson] says Dion's plan is a strong dose of economic medicine, and may not go down well
- 2008/06/25: CanWest: Liberals stand fast on shift to green - 'Sellout' criticism concerns company with same name
- 2008/06/25: TStar: Canadians want TV debate on Liberals' carbon tax, poll finds - 70% keen to see Dion, Harper discuss policy
- 2008/06/25: CanWest: Green Dion: refreshing but flawed
- 2008/06/25: NatPo: The Green Shift is good for Canada
- 2008/06/25: TStar: Dion's green anti-poverty plan
- 2008/06/25: TSun: Canada deserves green debate
- 2008/06/25: WpgFP: Dion's carbon tax the fairest option for Canada
- 2008/06/24: Rabble: The real green shift - The Liberals, the Greens and everybody else who thinks that market signals will save the planet need to think again
- 2008/06/24: TStar: Carbon tax could win Dion votes - Bloc, NDP supporters also like his green plan
- 2008/06/24: G&M: Dion's Green Shift - Speak to the merits, or be silent
- 2008/06/24: CanWest: Dion's carbon debate challenge
- 2008/06/24: TSun: Dion's carbon shock - Liberal plan would ding Ontario's top 5 power plants for $1.1 billion
- 2008/06/22: WCI: More reactions to the Liberals' carbon tax proposal
- 2008/06/23: CBC: Carbon plan would hurt people and industries: Alberta premier
- 2008/06/23: WtBG: is "the green shift " a trademark violation?
- 2008/06/23: TPR: Ed Doesn't Like Green Shift - Who Cares?
- 2008/06/23: BaDH: Dion admits carbon tax "won't get it done"
- 2008/06/23: G&M: Dion challenges PM to 'green' debate
- 2008/06/23: HillTimes: Liberals to push hard for fall election on environment, carbon tax
- 2008/06/23: CTV: Carbon tax has potential to 'shift' voters: poll
- 2008/06/23: TStar: Carbon tax: Who wins, who loses?
- 2008/06/23: G&M: C'mon, Mr. Harper, if Mr. Dion wants a green debate, let's do it
The possibility of a trademark suit over the name 'Green Shift' fired some imaginations:
- 2008/06/24: CBC: Toronto firm taking legal action to stop Liberal use of Green Shift
- 2008/06/24: Impolitical: Pesky trademark law [Green Shift]
BC solidified its carbon plan this week:
- 2008/06/26: BCGovt: [link to 4,7 meg pdf] Climate Action Plan - Climate plan takes B.C 73 per cent towards 2020 target
- 2008/06/29: TStar: B.C. motorists seeing green - Despite $100 cheques, opposition is mounting to new levy on fuel
- 2008/06/28: G&M: Carbon tax could be reversed, [Mark Jaccard] special adviser to Campbell fears - Political pressure might doom it, he says
- 2008/06/27: TreeHugger: British Columbia Carbon Tax Criticized on Eve of Implementation
- 2008/06/27: ENN: North America's 1st carbon tax rolls out under fire [BC]
- 2008/06/27: CanWest: B.C. prefers NDP's carbon tax plan - Tax industrial polluters, not consumers, 82% tell pollster
- 2008/06/27: G&M: B.C. Liberals start sales push on carbon tax
While discussions on tax heat up before July 1 start, a new poll says voters are most worried about fuel prices - 2008/06/27: CanWest: B.C. closes in on climate goals: report
- 2008/06/26: CBC: Carbon tax opposition heats up in rural B.C.
- 2008/06/26: CBC: B.C. premier unveils fine print of climate action plan
The tricky & difficult question of the tar sands looms:
- 2008/06/28: ACR: Come! Vacation in the Tar sands! Book Today!
- 2008/06/29: ChronicleHerald: It's a dirty country, but it's our country [tar sands]
- 2008/06/27: AutoBG: U.S. mayors call for oil sands boycott
- 2008/06/27: Reuters: Oil sands: Canada's next vacation wonderland?
- 2008/06/26: G&M: Obama adds to oil sands pressure
- 2008/06/26: WpgFP: Alberta responds to U.S. politicians' take on 'dirty' oil
- 2008/06/25: G&M: OK, Alberta oil producers, start thinking carbon taxes
- 2008/06/24: CanWest: U.S. mayors point fingers at Alberta oilsands - Conference resolution urges cities to stop using tarsands oil
- 2008/06/20: OilChange: All is not well in Alberta...
- 2008/06/23: CBC: U.S. mayors join call for ban on oilsands-based gasoline
And then there is the miscellaneous Canadiana:
- 2008/06/25: DeSmogBlog: Blue Chip Canadian Science Group Calls for Urgent Action on Climate Change
- 2008/06/26: CBC: Arctic research station belongs in Northwest Passage: polar commission
- 2008/06/25: CanWest: Scientists urge PM to speed up global warming fight
More than 100 leading climate scientists have launched a new offensive challenging the federal government's climate change plan and urging Prime Minister Stephen Harper, along with other Canadian politicians, to accelerate efforts to crack down on human activity linked to global warming. - 2008/06/24: CanWest: U.S. 'hypocritical' on polar bear hunt, northern official says - Import ban hurts Canadian hunting industry, but does little to affect climate change, Northwest Territories minister argues
The movement toward a long term ecologically viable economics is glacial:
- 2008/06/16: FPIF: How to Enter the Global Green Economy
Apocalypso anyone?
- 2008/06/28: CanWest: Civilization's golden era is teetering on collapse - New millennium has brought a turning point in history, yet we ignore meltdown
- 2008/06/26: CCurrents: Humanity's Melt Down
- 2008/06/26: GristMill: Humanity's meltdown - Living on the ice shelf
- 2008/06/26: PeakEnergy: Out of control
- 2008/06/24: CCurrents: Climate Chaos Is Inevitable. We Can Only Avert Oblivion
As for how the media handles the science of climatology:
- 2008/06/28: MTobis: National Academies Get Iota of Press Coverage
- 2008/06/26: CJR: Five Inconvenient Truths...Of environmental journalism
- 2008/06/27: QuarkSoup: Ice free North Pole Overhyped
- 2008/06/26: ClimateP: Chance of ice-free North Pole wows Drudge
- 2008/06/24: ClimateP: Wired magazine jumps the shark once too often and is eaten alive (along with Chris Mooney and geo-engineering)
Developing a new energy infrastructure is a fundamental challenge of the current generation:
- 2008/06/29: PhysOrg: Chinese-funded hydro-dams bring hope and fear to Cambodia
- 2008/06/28: OilDrum: Countdown to $200 oil: $140 oil and speculation
- 2008/06/27: GWWatch: California goes down hydrogen highway
- 2008/06/24: GWWatch: Wind power blowing nuclear away
- 2008/06/28: SciDaily: Algae From The Ocean May Offer A Sustainable Energy Source Of The Future
- 2008/06/27: IR^2: Oil Cracked $140 Today
- 2008/06/28: BBerg: OPEC Leader [Chakib] Khelil Says Dollar Will Drive Oil to $170
- 2008/06/28: EconView: "The Blame for High Gas prices"
- 2008/06/27: ClimateP: Must read McKinsey report shatters myths on cost of curbing climate change
- 2008/06/27: NEN: New energy finds home in solar New Mexico
- 2008/06/27: CBC: Oil hits record $142 US
- 2008/06/27: Yahoo: Oil reaches $142 on view dollar will keep falling
- 2008/06/26: ClimateP: Must read CIBC report: $7 gas by 2010, 10 million cars off the road, 1970s style GDP growth
- 2008/06/26: TreeHugger: US Department of Energy to Invest $90 Million in Advanced Geothermal Research
- 2008/06/26: BBC: The price of oil has surged to a fresh high passing the $140 a barrel level.
- 2008/06/26: AFP: Oil crosses 140 dollars for first time
- 2008/06/26: CalcRisk: Oil hits $140, Dow Off 300
- 2008/06/25: G&M: Fossil fuel use to surge: U.S. [EIA report]
- 2008/06/26: CanWest: California utility looks to B.C. for green power - PG&E predicts province will have a huge electricity surplus
- 2008/06/24: ClimateP: Just-in-Time Energy Revolution
- 2008/06/25: DotEarth: Reports: Energy Thirst Still Topping Climate Risks
- 2008/06/25: EnergyDaily: Growth Of Global Wind Energy Generation Outpaced Total Global Energy Generation
- 2008/06/25: TreeHugger: Offshore Wind Farm Goliath [3 to 3.5 GW] to Be Built in Sweden
- 2008/06/24: ClimateP: EIA says offshore drilling will have "insignificant" impact on prices. Saudis just proved EIA's point.
- 2008/06/24: C411: Electric Waves: Power from the Ocean
- 2008/06/24: C411: Arctic Heat: Power from the Earth
- 2008/06/24: Eureka: Major progress in technology needed for 25 percent renewable energy use to be affordable [RAND study]
- 2008/06/23: NEN: Money spent on new energy incentives pays for itself: study
As for the impacts of high energy costs:
- 2008/06/29: Scotsman: On the brink: Fuel price hike plunges Scottish fishing industry into crisis as one in five boats in Peterhead ties up and cost of food soars
- 2008/06/28: AutoBG: Shipping cost may cut into overseas outsourcing at GM
- 2008/06/25: FuturePundit: Exurbs Fall Out Of Favor Due To High Fuel Costs
- 2008/06/28: CalcRisk: The Impact of $200 Oil
- 2008/06/26: BBerg: World Economy Would Collapse If Oil Hit $200, Deutsche [Bank] Says
- 2008/06/25: Guardian(UK): A world less flat
If the price of oil remains high, we may see drastic changes to America's cities, economy and way of life - 2008/06/25: NYT: Rethinking the Country Life as Energy Costs Rise
- 2008/06/24: IHT: Life on the fringes of U.S. suburbia becomes untenable with rising gas costs
- 2008/06/25: CalcRisk: More on the Decline of the Exurban Lifestyle
Meanwhile among the solar aficionados:
- 2008/06/29: GEA: Promising Solar Power Technologies [CSP]
- 2008/06/26: PeakEnergy: Nanosolar Achieves 1GW CIGS Deposition Throughput
- 2008/06/24: GristMill: McKinsey on the economics of solar - Business consulting firm projects robust growth for solar and grid parity in many locations by 2020
- 2008/06/25: PeakEnergy: McKinsey On The economics of solar power
- 2008/06/24: TreeHugger: Investment in Solar Cells to Equal Semiconductors by 2010
- 2008/06/23: Guardian(UK): German town forces homes to fix solar tiles
Biofuel bickering abounds:
- 2008/06/24: IR^2: Updated Corn Ethanol Economics
- 2008/06/24: TreeHugger: Ethanol Death Watch As Corn Prices Rocket
The nuclear energy controversy continues:
- 2008/06/23: METimes: Analysis: Middle East nuclear renaissance?
Yes we have a peak oil sighting:
- 2008/06/29: Guardian(UK): The era of oil wars - Growing competition for oil may escalate to something as hot and dangerous as nuclear proliferation [Meacher]
- 2008/06/28: HoustonChronicle: The challenges of peak oil - We may not be doomed, but we also may not be ready for all of its effects
- 2008/06/28: PeakEnergy: Gordon Brown: North Sea Oil and Gas Production Has Peaked
- 2008/06/26: CCurrents: After The Oil Crunch? by Mark Lynas
- 2008/06/26: OilDrum: Peak Oil Overview - June 2008
Automakers & lawyers, engineers & activists argue over the future of the car:
- 2008/06/28: ClimateP: VW to join Toyota, GM with 2010 plug-in Hybrid
- 2008/06/23: FuturePundit: GM Volt Pluggable Hybrid To Start At Low Production Volumes
- 2008/06/28: AutoBG: Veteran journalist John McElroy calls for EV1 revival; too bad it's not that simple
- 2008/06/23: TPM: Shocked, Shocked ... Chevy Volt
The reaction of business to climate change will be critical:
- 2008/06/25: GristMill: Business sense - BP, Shell, Airbus, and other multinationals call for 50 percent emission cuts by 2050
Meanwhile in the greenwashing chronicles:
- 2008/06/27: SMH: Green tyre all hogwash
Goodyear Tyres is the latest culprit identified in a government crusade against misleading and overinflated environmental claims made by manufacturers and retailers. Goodyear's marketing for more than a year had said the Eagle LS2000 was "a revolutionary environmentally friendly tyre" designed for minimal environmental impact, while the production process of the tyre resulted in "reduced carbon dioxide emissions" and improved fuel economy, thereby reducing the impact on the environment. Yesterday the company admitted to the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission that it was unable to substantiate such environmental benefits. It agreed to pull its advertising campaign and website claims. Goodyear also apologised publicly to its customers, offered a partial refund on tyres bought as being more environmentally friendly than competitors', and pledged not to make such claims in the future. - 2008/06/29: GWWatch: Pell's bells toll for thee, AGW denier
- 2008/06/28: ERabett: GIGO
- 2008/06/28: ScruffyDan: Conservative think tanks and environmental scepticism
- 2008/06/28: GWWatch: Climate Resistence is futile
- 2008/06/24: GWWatch: AGW quake link not all it's cracked up to be [Chalko]
- 2008/06/24: GWWatch: Just Bolt? Or wingnut too?
- 2008/06/27: ThinkP: National Review Falsely Accuses NASA Scientist James Hansen Of Violating The Hatch Act
- 2008/06/27: TCP: Dubious Cap-and-Trade Skepticism [Lomborg]
- 2008/06/27: ERabett: OISM meets Mike Powell. OISM loses
- 2008/06/25: ERabett: Rabett Power [OISM]
- 2008/06/26: Deltoid: Nigel Lawson in need of climate science 101
- 2008/06/26: GristMill: [Dessler] Bjorn again - His argument is still bogus
- 2008/06/26: CanWest: No proof global warming linked to burning fuels: author [Lawrence Solomon]
- 2008/06/23: ClimateP: Sorry deniers & delayers, Part 1: Even U.S gov says human emissions are changing the climate
- 2008/06/23: Atmoz: Warming on 11 Year Hiatus? Et al.
- 2008/06/24: G&M: Carbon cuts are just a fantasy
- 2008/06/23: EnergyBulletin: Clever and deceptive: API's [American Petroleum Institute's] new ads
Then there was the usual news and commentary:
- 2008/06/28: TreeHugger: Greenpeace Sneaks In, Addresses Coal Conference
- 2008/06/25: CJR: Consider the "Carbon Footprint" - Thinking through a metaphor
- 2008/06/27: WorldChanging: U.S. Ecosystem Report Indicates Trouble
- 2008/06/27: TerraDaily: Most Russians Believe Global Warming Is Real
- 2008/06/27: TerraDaily: New NASA Website Focuses On Global Climate Change
- 2008/06/27: DeSmogBlog: Forget the Planet: Save the "Arbitrage Junkies"!
- 2008/06/25: GristMill: Climate change ideas for On Day One - Day three of the UN Dispatch-Grist collaboration
- 2008/06/21: CBC:Q&Q: [Sustainable Living] Part 1 - The Geography of Hope -- Part 2 - The Future of Hope
- 2008/06/24: Straight: David Suzuki reflects on 50 years of the planet's destruction
- 2008/06/24: NatureCF: Neither cool nor rational
- 2008/06/23: NatureCF: When warming met technology: a Romm Comm
- 2008/06/23: KSJT: CBC Quirks and Quarks, KQED's blog: A journey among communities living light and green
- 2008/06/24: GristMill: Achieving the climate goal - Short-term targets key to long-term stabilization
- 2008/06/23: C411: U.S. Government Scientists Chime In
- 2008/06/24: BBC: Carbon standard 'to renew trust'
A scheme highlighting businesses which have made genuine cuts in emissions is being launched to rebuild public trust in the green claims made by firms. - 2008/06/23: Guardian(UK): It's no longer populist to put jobs ahead of the climate
And here are a couple of sites you may find interesting and/or useful:
- NSIDC: Arctic Sea Ice News & Analysis
- Cryosphere Today
- NGHERF: Australia's National Greenhouse and Energy Reporting Framework
- 2008/06/25: DOE:EIA: International Energy Outlook 2008
- 2008/06/19: US CCSP: Weather and Climate Extremes in a Changing Climate - Final Report, Synthesis and Assessment Product 3.3
- The Green Shift
- NOAA: Carbon Tracker
- CO2 Quota
- LCV: League of Conservation Voters - News
- EarthJustice: Environmental Law
- WL: Warming Law - Changing the Climate in the Courts
- ENN: Environmental News Network
- MongaBay
- MTobis: Only In It For The Gold
- CCD: Climate Change Denial
- Solar Electricity Action SOLAREC
- PVGIS: Geographical Assessment of Solar Energy Resource and Photovoltaic Technology
It's always nice to start with a smile:
The conflict between biofuel and food persists:
Meanwhile in the journals:
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:
And an appeals court refused to make the Bush administration EPA apply the law:
While in China:
The carbon lobby are up to the usual:
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.
"It is not a time to celebrate." -James Hansen