Information overload is pattern recognition...
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
October 12, 2008
- Top Stories:Overshoot, Bailout Blues, YACCC, Grumbine, World Bank, Late Comments
- Melting Arctic, Geopolitics, Permafrost
- Food Crisis, Food vs. Biofuel, Food Production
- Hurricanes, GHGs, Temperatures, Carbon Cycle, Paleoclimate, ENSO, Glaciers, Sea Levels, Satellites
- Impacts, Forests, Corals, Wildfires, Floods & Droughts
- Mitigation: Transportation, Buildings, Sequestration, Geoengineering, Adaptation
- Journals, Misc. Science
- Kyoto, Kyoto-2, UN, Carbon Tax, Optimal Carbon Reduction Strategy
- Politics: America, Britain, Europe, Australia, India, Brazil, China, Canada
- Ecological Economics, IPAT, Apocalypso, Media, Books
- Energy, Hurricane & Cost Impacts, Solar, Coal, Biofuel, Nukes, Efficiency, Cars, Business, Greenwashing
- Carbon Lobby, The Usual, Useful Links
- Shameless Self Promotion, .sig
Happy Canadian Thanksgiving!
- 2008/10/11: TI:CF: (cartoon - Roberts) Panic in Detroit
- 2008/10/07: TI:CF: (cartoon - Roberts) Peak-All
September 23rd was Earth Overshoot Day:
- 2008/09/23: FPN: September 23 is Earth Overshoot Day
The credit crunch, the bailout and the energy - climate struggle implications:
- 2008/10/12: ABC(Au): Climate change more threatening than credit crisis: Greens
- 2008/10/12: PhysOrg: Economic woes chill effort to stop global warming
- 2008/10/12: inel: Silver green lining: global financial fuel food crises need natural systems solutions
- 2008/10/11: Yahoo: Financial crisis clouds EU's climate change plans
- 2008/10/10: GristMill: What would you do with $700 billion?
- 2008/10/10: NewScientist: US climate fix could help solve financial crisis
- 2008/10/10: GristMill: First against the wall -- Economic downturn and falling oil push green off the priority list, yet again
- 2008/10/09: Google:AP: UN: Financial chills are ill wind for climate
- 2008/10/09: EnergyBulletin: Economic Meltdown in America Saves the World from Peak Oil
- 2008/10/09: ENN: U.S. focus on climate could ease financial crisis
- 2008/10/09: NEN: Wall Street and new energy
- 2008/10/09: WSJ:EnvCap: Green Meltdown: Credit Crunch Whacks Renewable Energy, Too
- 2008/10/07: OilDrum: Herman Daly on the Credit Crisis, Financial Assets, and Real Wealth
- 2008/10/08: EnergyBulletin: When faith in the dollar runs out
- 2008/10/08: BCLSB: Market Meltdown As An 100% Capitalist Green Plan
- 2008/10/07: Forbes:AP: Sell-off continues in solar sector
- 2008/10/07: Reuters: Economic woes may give planet a breather
[...] Slower economic growth worldwide could help slow growth of carbon dioxide emissions and trigger more careful use of energy resources, though the global economic turmoil may also divert focus from efforts to counter climate change, said [Paul J] Crutzen... - 2008/10/07: TreeHugger: Market Carnage Killing Solar And Everything Else That's Green
- 2008/10/06: ClimateP: A Green Path out of the Red
- 2008/10/05: Google:AFP: Financial crisis darkens outlook for climate talks
- 2008/10/06: Reuters: Tighter credit threatens Asia CO2 credit pipeline
- 2008/10/06: FTimes: Financial crisis tests industry's green priorities
- 2008/10/05: TerraDaily: Financial crisis darkens outlook for climate talks
The UN & China are setting up yet another climate change conference (I have heard no further news) [YACCC: Yet Another Climate Change Conference]:
- 2008/10/04: Xinhuanet: UN, China to co-organize high-level event on climate change
The United Nations and China will co-organize a high-level meeting on climate change early next month, with a special focus on technology development and transfer, the world body announced Friday. - 2008/10/12: MGS: Question Place 3
- 2008/10/07: MGS: Radiative Heating
Someone at the World Bank doesn't get it:
- 2008/10/08: Guardian(UK): Environmentalists criticise World Bank on climate ahead of annual meeting
- 2008/10/08: OilChange: World Bank lending for coal up 256%...
Late coverage of sunspots:
- 2008/10/07: SciDaily: Spotless Sun: Blankest Year Of The Space Age
Late coverage of the methane burp:
- 2008/10/07: TreeHugger: Methane Burps and "Chimneys" From Quickly Warming Arctic
The Arctic melt continues to get a lot of attention:
- 2008/10/10: Stoat: Sea ice: vapourware
- 2008/10/09: NatureCF: Has Arctic summer sea ice tipped?
- 2008/10/08: PhysOrg: Satellite data reveals extreme summer snowmelt in northern Greenland
- 2008/10/09: TerraDaily: NASA Study Finds Rising Arctic Storm Activity Sways Sea Ice And Climate
- 2008/10/07: KSJT: Discovery Channel, LiveScience: Winter's already hitting the Arctic, but worries over the ice pack haven't cooled off
- 2008/10/07: PhysOrg: NASA study finds rising Arctic storm activity sways sea ice, climate
- 2008/08/19: BPRC: Petermann Glacier front breakup, July-August 2008
- 2008/08/27: BPRC: Sermeq Avannarleq retreats
- 2008/08/19: BPRC: Jakobshavn Glacier Retreats to New Minimum
- 2008/10/07: RealClimate: What links the retreat of Jakobshavn Isbrae, Wilkins Ice Shelf and the Petermann Glacier?
- 2008/10/07: DeSmogBlog: Arctic Sea Ice Mimics Stock Market
- 2008/10/07: Eureka: NASA study finds rising Arctic storm activity sways sea ice, climate
A new NASA study shows that the rising frequency and intensity of arctic storms over the last half century, attributed to progressively warmer waters, directly provoked acceleration of the rate of arctic sea ice drift, long considered by scientists as a bellwether of climate change. - 2008/10/10: EUO: MEPs endorse exploitation of Arctic resources
- 2008/10/10: ENN: Global Warming Triggers an International Race for the Arctic
And the always favourite permafrost carbon store:
- 2008/10/08: SciDaily: Arctic Soil May Contain Nearly Twice Greenhouse-Gas Producing Material Than Previously Estimated
- 2008/10/07: UAF: Arctic soil reveals climate change clues
Frozen arctic soil contains nearly twice the greenhouse-gas-producing organic material as was previously estimated, according to recently published research by University of Alaska Fairbanks scientists. - 2008/10/11: WSWS: Ethiopian famine significantly worsens as Western powers fail to respond
- 2008/10/09: AllAfrica: Africa: Global Food and Fuel Crisis Will Increase Malnourished by 44 Million
- 2008/10/07: LA Times: Prices for 16 basic food items shoot up in third quarter -- Flour, potatoes, cheddar cheese and apples show the largest increases
- 2008/10/06: Telegraph(UK): First council since Second World War set up to look at food security
- 2008/10/07: AllAfrica: ZimIndependent: Zimbabwe: Southern Region Faces Starvation
The conflict between biofuel and food persists:
- 2008/10/07: EarthTimes: UN: Urgent need to review biofuels to protect food production
- 2008/10/07: TreeHugger: Increasing Biofuel Use Will Continue to Increase Food Prices, Drive People into Poverty: United Nations
- 2008/10/05: IHT: Another inconvenient truth
At last, many of the world's political leaders have begun to realize that diverting land and food crops to produce biofuels leads to higher food prices. But an equally important consequence of this policy folly is being largely ignored in the public and political debate: Producing biofuels will further deplete the world's already overtaxed water supply. - 2008/10/12: PeakEnergy: Rice Farmers Go Walkabout
- 2008/10/12: PeakEnergy: Depression-era gardening
- 2008/10/11: SMH: Grain drain boils over in the outback dust bowl
Supplies of rice are drying up as farmers face a third wipe-out year in a row. Rice, the backbone of the Murrumbidgee Irrigation Area for more than 40 years, is in danger of collapsing after the third near-wipeout crop in a row and the loss of $1.5 billion in economic benefits to the region. With next to no water available for irrigation, only 10 per cent of the 400,000 tonnes of rice needed each year for domestic consumption is expected from this month's plantings in the Murrumbidgee and Murray valleys. - 2008/10/09: OilDrum: Peak phosphorus: Quoted reserves vs. production history
- 2008/10/09: CBC: 'Local farming is unravelling,' says Maritime research group
The number of people working in farming has dropped dramatically in Nova Scotia and P.E.I. says a new report from GPI Atlantic. A new report paints a bleak picture of the farm economies of Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island. The report released Thursday by GPI Atlantic says the jobs and wages that farms provide to rural communities are in danger of drying up. The Nova Scotia-based research group adds that local farmers are going deeper into debt as their income no longer covers expenses. - 2008/10/07: TerraDaily: China warns locusts threaten grain harvest
- 2008/10/06: GristMill: Sustaining what, and for whom? Christine MacDonald on Big Green NGOs and soy expansion in Brazil
- 2008/10/07: TerraDaily: Topsoil's Limited Turnover: A Crisis In Time
- 2008/10/06: EnergyBulletin: In defense of the family farm by Wendell Berry
- 2008/10/06: NatureN: Ground-level ozone on the rise -- Increasing pollutant levels could cause major food crisis, says Royal Society.
- 2008/10/07: Guardian(UK): Rural communities best equipped to cope with climate change: UN report
- 2008/10/06: NatureTGB: Climate may change Australian eating
- 2008/10/05: NGEB: On-farm energy conservation, production can't decline, but emissions must
The Atlantic and Western Pacific were mainly quiet, while Norbert & Odile blew around the East Pacific:
- 2008/10/11: EarthTimes: Hurricane Norbert causes considerable damage in Mexico
- 2008/10/11: Wunderground: Norbert pounds Baja
- 2008/10/11: BBC: Hurricane Norbert has struck Mexico's Baja California Sur peninsula with heavy rains and 103mph (165km/h) winds
- 2008/10/11: CBC: Hurricane Norbert lashes Mexico's Baja peninsula [Cat 2]
- 2008/10/11: WpgFP: Category 2 hurricane Norbert slams into Mexico
- 2008/10/10: Wunderground: Norbert re-strengthens; Odile dumping heavy rains; Atlantic getting more active
- 2008/10/10: CBC: Hurricane warning issued for Mexico's Baja California peninsula [Norbert]
- 2008/10/08: TerraDaily: Norbert now a category-three hurricane as it aims for Mexico
- 2008/10/09: Wunderground: Powerful Norbert takes aim at Mexico's Baja
- 2008/10/09: CBC: Hurricane Norbert downgraded [to Cat 3] but still dangerous, officials say -- Tropical storm Odile also moving toward Mexico
- 2008/10/07: TerraDaily: Tropical storm Marco hits Mexico
- 2008/10/08: Wunderground: Norbert threatens Baja; midget Marco a record-breaker
- 2008/10/08: CBC: Hurricane Norbert on track to hit Mexico
- 2008/10/08: WpgFP: Hurricane Norbert strengthens in Pacific [Cat 3]
- 2008/10/06: Wunderground: Marco is born
- 2008/10/07: Wunderground: Midget Marco makes landfall
- 2008/10/07: BBerg: Mexico Braces for Wind, Rain as Marco Moves Closer
- 2008/10/06: CBC: Hurricane watch issued for Mexico's Gulf Coast -- Hurricane Norbert forms far off Mexico's Pacific coast
- 2008/10/07: CBC: Tropical Storm Marco blows into Mexico
While elsewhere in the hurricane wars:
- 2008/10/12: SciDaily: Future Risk Of Hurricanes: The Role Of Climate Change
- 2008/10/10: HousingWire: Freddie Suspends Foreclosures for Ike Victims
- 2008/10/08: PhysOrg: Future risk of hurricanes: The role of climate change
- 2008/10/08: NSF: Future Risk of Hurricanes: The Role of Climate Change
Scientists focus on hurricane-prone Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean Sea to assess likely changes -- Zooming in on future climate, scientists are "nesting" regional and global models. - 2008/10/07: BBC: Cubans struggling weeks after storms
A month after two hurricanes inflicted the worst storm damage in Cuba's history, parts of the Caribbean island remain devastated. - 2008/10/06: KSJT: AP: A careful look at Hurricane Ike's pollution toll
As for GHGs:
- 2008/10/09: AutoBG: CO2 emissions down by 3.8% so far this year in UK
- 2008/10/08: Guardian(UK): Nearly half of FTSE-250 companies keep their carbon footprints hidden
105 firms fail to respond to Carbon Disclosure Project - Shell reaches 743m tonnes of carbon a year and rising - 2008/10/07: TerraDaily: Emissions Rising Faster This Decade Than Last
- 2008/10/06: WaPo: Earth Aboil -- A new [GCP] study raises the imperative to get serious about reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
While in the carbon cycle:
- 2008/10/10: PhysOrg: NASA Maps Shed Light on Carbon Dioxide's Global Nature
- 2008/10/08: OSU: Tropical wetlands hold more carbon than temperate marshes
- 2008/10/06: KSJT: Wall St. Journal: Carbon footprints of everyday goods, a primer (and a higher-level education)
As for the temperature record:
- 2008/10/10: NOAANews: NOAA: Above Average Precipitation in U.S. for September; South Much Cooler than Average, West Much Drier
- 2008/10/07: QuarkSoup: September Temperature Anomaly
The ozone layer seems not to be under control:
- 2008/10/07: PhysOrg: 2008 ozone hole larger than last year
- 2008/10/07: ESA: 2008 ozone hole larger than last year
While in the paleoclimate:
- 2008/10/08: TerraDaily: Measuring The Weight Of Ancient Air
While on the el Niño/la Niña [ENSO] front:
- 2008/10/09: NOAA:NCEP: El Niño/Southern Oscillation (ENSO) Diagnostic Discussion
Synopsis: ENSO-neutral conditions are expected to continue into early 2009. - 2008/10/10: TerraDaily: Most Alaskan Glaciers Retreating, Thinning, And Stagnating
- 2008/10/10: SciDaily: An Accurate Picture Of Ice Loss In Greenland
- 2008/10/07: People's Daily: Report: most Alaskan glaciers retreating
- 2008/10/06: PhysOrg: Most Alaskan glaciers retreating, thinning, and stagnating
- 2008/10/06: USGS: Most Alaskan Glaciers Retreating, Thinning, and Stagnating, Says Major USGS Report
Sea levels are rising:
- 2008/10/10: PhysOrg: Researchers Study Coastal Hazards of Increasing Wave Heights, Rising Sea Levels
- 2008/10/09: PhysOrg: Sea levels could rise one metre by 2100: German institute
- 2008/10/09: EarthTimes: One-metre sea-level rise this century, scientists say
- 2008/10/09: ENN: Sea-level to rise by one-metre this century: scientists
Meanwhile in near earth orbit:
- 2008/10/09: PhysOrg: Satellites collect data on sea temperatures, reefs
- 2008/10/08: CUNY: Satellite data reveals extreme summer snowmelt, record melting days in Northern Greenland, CCNY professor says
More GW impacts are being seen:
- 2008/10/09: CBC: Climate change means 'trouble' for tropical species, researchers warn -- Slight temperature increase expected to harm 53% of tropical species studied
- 2008/10/10: KSJT: Wires, SFChronicle, Sci. Am ; etc: Ever see a jungle climb a mountain? Global warming to hit tropics hard, too.
- 2008/10/10: ABC(Au): Report predicts more coastal floods, fires
- 2008/10/10: ABC(Au): Rising ocean acidity threatens oyster industry: report
- 2008/10/08: Reuters: Climate change could force millions from homes
- 2008/10/10: TreeHugger: Planet's Retirement Account Loses $2-5 Trillion Every Year: Natural Capital Loss 'Dwarfs Bank Crisis'
- 2008/10/10: DeSmogBlog: And we thought the foreclosure crisis was bad! [impacts]
- 2008/10/10: BBC: Nature loss 'dwarfs bank crisis'
The global economy is losing more money from the disappearance of forests than through the current banking crisis, according to an EU-commissioned study. It puts the annual cost of forest loss at between $2 trillion and $5 trillion. - 2008/10/10: ENN: Cutting air pollution in cities may raise global temps, says scientist
- 2008/10/09: Reuters: Climate change could force millions from homes
- 2008/10/09: Thaindian: Climate change pushes birds, amphibians, corals to the brink
- 2008/10/09: PTINews: WHO meet to study the impact of climate change on human health
- 2008/10/09: TreeHugger: Kiss Penguins Goodbye if the Planet Warms 2 Degrees Celsius: WWF
- 2008/10/09: ENN: Climate change could force millions from homes
- 2008/10/09: Eureka: Warming in Yosemite National Park sends small mammals packing to higher, cooler elevations
- 2008/10/08: UN: Experts devise action plan to examine impact of climate change on health - UN
- 2008/10/08: MongaBay: 52% of amphibians, 35% of birds at risk from climate change
- 2008/10/08: NewScientist: Map reveals species most at risk from climate change
- 2008/10/08: PhysOrg: Waterborne disease risk upped in Great Lakes
- 2008/10/08: Eureka: Waterborne disease risk upped in Great Lakes
- 2008/10/07: Eureka: Climate change will affect public health -- a call to action
- 2008/10/07: CanWest: "Deadly dozen" diseases likely to bloom due to climate change
- 2008/10/07: SciDaily: 'Deadly Dozen' Reports Diseases Worsened By Climate Change
Health experts from the Wildlife Conservation Society have released a report that lists 12 pathogens that could spread into new regions as a result of climate change, with potential impacts to both human and wildlife health and global economies. Called The Deadly Dozen: Wildlife Diseases in the Age of Climate Change, the new report provides examples of diseases that could spread as a result of changes in temperatures and precipitation levels. - 2008/10/07: BBC: Disease warning on climate change -- Climate change may hasten the spread of diseases that can move from wild animals to humans, warns the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) in a report
- 2008/10/06: DeSmogBlog: Oregon Bracing for Climate Refugees
- 2008/10/06: BBC: Mammals facing extinction threat
At least 25% of the world's mammal species are at risk of extinction, according to the first assessment of their status for a decade. The Red List of Threatened Species says populations of more than half of mammalian species are falling, with Asian primates particularly at risk. The biggest threat to mammals is loss of habitat, including deforestation. - 2008/10/06: CBC: 1 in 4 mammals threatened with extinction: report
The first review of the world's mammals in more than a decade paints a bleak picture, with close to a quarter of species threatened with extinction, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature. The main threats are habitat loss and overexploitation for terrestrial mammals, and pollution, global warming and overexploitation for marine mammals, according to the authors of a study to be published Friday in the journal Science. - 2008/10/10: EurActiv: 'Landmark consensus' on forests' pivotal climate role
- 2008/10/11: ABC(Au): Land clearing ruining Papua's pristine forests
Land clearing for palm oil is a major source of deforestation in Indonesia, where the clearing of forests has pushed the country into the position of the world's third-highest carbon emitter. - 2008/10/10: WorldChanging: Coalition Releases REDD [Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation] Advice
- 2008/10/10: DerSpiegel: Deforestation Costs More than Financial Crisis
- 2008/10/09: MongaBay: Rainforest biodiversity at risk from global warming
- 2008/10/09: DotEarth: Agreement Reached to Save Sumatran Forests
- 2008/10/08: TerraDaily: Rainforest dwellers caught between business, green groups
- 2008/10/09: ENN: Focus sharpens on forests for climate fix
- 2008/10/09: Eureka: Tropical rainforest and mountain species may be threatened by global warming
- 2008/10/09: GristMill: Pay or we drill! Pay-to-protect plan for Ecuadorian rainforest on the brink
- 2008/10/09: BBC: Pledge to protect Sumatran forest
Indonesian authorities have pledged to stop the loss of forests and species in Sumatra, one of the world's most ecologically important islands. Representatives of the island's 10 provinces, national government and the environment group WWF launched the deal at the World Conservation Congress. Sumatra has lost about half of its forest cover in the last 20 years. - 2008/10/07: Yahoo: Rainforest dwellers demand more say in climate change efforts
As for the corals:
- 2008/10/09: NOAANews: NOAA Coral Bleaching Monitoring Network Now Global
And wild fires:
- 2008/10/10: NewScientist: US wildfires pushed ozone past legal limits
While in the hydrological cycle, floods & droughts:
- 2008/10/10: ClimateP: Drought in southern Australia declared 'worst on record'
- 2008/10/11: SMH: Murray-Darling starved
The Murray-Darling is so starved of water that it may not be possible to save South Australia's parched Coorong wetlands and lower lakes, says a Senate committee report. The drought, climate change and overallocation to farmers higher up the river meant that not enough was available to allow sufficient flows, said the committee's majority report, endorsed by Labor senators and released late yesterday. But a dissenting minority report produced by the committee argued that lakes Albert and Alexandrina could be saved if less water was allocated to irrigators in NSW and Victoria. The minority report, written by Greens senators with the South Australian independent Nick Xenophon, said keeping back 60 gigalitres from irrigators over the next year would stop the lakes drying out and becoming acidic. The majority report said the extra water was not available. - 2008/10/02: NOAA:CPC: United States Seasonal Drought Outlook
- 2008/10/09: TreeHugger: Change Coming To Water Politics - Twelve US States Face Extended Drought Conditions
- 2008/10/07: PhysOrg: As Colorado Heats Up, Water Supply Expected to Be at Risk, Says New Study
- 2008/10/06: People's Daily: Hundreds forced out by floods in South Somalia
On the mitigation front, consider transportation & GHG production:
- 2008/10/10: TreeHugger: How GPS Can Save The Airline Industry Time and Fuel
- 2008/10/08: TerraDaily: First-Ever Global Sustainable Tourism Criteria
- 2008/10/08: AutoBG: Public transportation ridership up in 2008; next year should be higher
- 2008/10/07: RAvent: Carbon Prices and Driving
- 2008/10/07: ClimateP: July sees another sharp drop in US driving
- 2008/10/06: CBO:DB: Climate change and gas prices: Less impact than you might think
- 2008/10/06: EconView: Climate Change and Gas Prices
- 2008/10/06: BBC: New UK car registrations fell 21% in September, the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) has announced
- 2008/10/06: Guardian(UK): New charges on shipping could help climate
While in the endless quest for sustainable building codes:
- 2008/10/07: CrossCut: 'Zero net energy' homes: an experiment in Issaquah
As for carbon sequestration:
- 2008/10/08: EurActiv: Climate votes offer missing piece in Chinese coal puzzle
MEPs have voted in support of a multi-billion euro fund to drive the construction of CO2 capture and storage demonstration plants. Coal-dependent China is said to be waiting for Europe to move on the issue, but EU governments are yet to formally back the financing plan. The Parliament's environment (ENVI) committee yesterday (7 October) supported two separate reports that contain landmark amendments related to the financing and commercial development of CCS technology - 2008/10/07: Reuters: Norway earmarks $309 mln for carbon storage in '09
Large scale geo-engineering keeps popping up:
- 2008/10/12: CyprusMail: Extraordinary ideas for extraordinary circumstances [Crutzen & sulfate aerosols]
- 2008/10/08: C411: Geo-Engineering: Methadone for Carbon Addiction
And on the adaptation front:
- 2008/10/09: CSW: Climate disruption can't be avoided, will require adaptation, says new study published by NAS [National Academy of Sciences]
- 2008/10/09: RealClimate: Adapting in Amsterdam
- 2008/10/06: NewScientist: Early birds get to survive changing climate
Meanwhile in the journals:
- 2008/10/10: ACP: Size distributions of elemental carbon in the atmosphere of a coastal urban area in South China: characteristics, evolution processes, and implications for the mixing state by X.-F. Huang & J. Z. Yu1
- 2008/10/07: CPD: Millennium-long summer temperature variations in the European Alps as reconstructed from tree rings by C. Corona et al.
- 2008/10/06: CPD: How did Marine Isotope Stage 3 and Last Glacial Maximum climates differ? Perspectives from equilibrium simulations by C. J. Van Meerbeeck et al.
- 2008/10/08: ACP: Validation of NO2 and NO from the Atmospheric Chemistry Experiment (ACE) by T. Kerzenmacher et multi al.
- 2008/10/07: ACP: Mesospheric N2O enhancements as observed by MIPAS on Envisat during the polar winters in 2002-2004 by B. Funke et al.
- 2008/10/06: ACPD: A case study on biomass burning aerosols: effects on solar UV irradiance, retrieval of aerosol single scattering albedo by A. Bagheri et al.
- 2008/10/07: PNAS: Thresholds of hypoxia for marine biodiversity by Raquel Vaquer-Sunyer & Carlos M. Duarte
- 2008/10/07: PNAS: International migration beyond gravity: A statistical model for use in population projections by Joel E. Cohen et al.
- 2008/10/07: PNAS: Temperature increase of 21st century mitigation scenarios by D. P. Van Vuurena et al.
- 2008/03/31: Science: Fracture Propagation to the Base of the Greenland Ice Sheet During Supraglacial Lake Drainage by Sarah B. Das et al.
Before we get into politics, there was some science done:
- 2008/10/10: PhysOrg: Scientists resolve long-standing puzzle in climate science [the differences between simulated and observed temperature trends in the tropics]
- 2008/10/10: SciDaily: Claim That Simulated Temperature Trends For Tropics Inconsistent With Observations Is Flawed, Experts Argue
- 2008/10/06: BNL: Brookhaven Scientists Take Off for Southeastern Pacific Climate Study -- Measurements taken by air, land, and sea will improve climate modeling
Meanwhile on the Kyoto front:
- 2008/10/09: PhysOrg: Some countries sidestep Kyoto rules with land 'donations'
And on the Kyoto-2 front:
- 2008/10/07: GristMill: Send the prez-elect to Poland! McCain or Obama should attend global climate talks in December
- 2008/10/06: Reuters: China grim on prospects for climate pact
- 2008/10/06: NewScientist: West putting climate treaty in jeopardy, China warns
While at the UN:
- 2008/10/07: UN: Climate change poses 'defining challenge' of our time, Ban says
- 2008/10/06: Reuters: U.N. sees risks mounting for global warming fight
- 2008/10/07: CarbonPositive: Time running out for CDM forestry
The idea of a carbon tax is still bouncing around:
- 2008/10/12: MWatkins: George Soros: Tax Carbon
- 2008/10/09: GristMill: A price too low -- A price on carbon will not tackle transportation pollution
- 2008/10/10: TreeHugger: Carbon Tax, Not More Financial Engineering, Best Way to Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions: Jeffrey Sachs
- 2008/10/10: ENN: Carbon tax seen as best way to slow global warming
- 2008/10/07: TPR: Putting a Price on Carbon the Best Approach : Economists
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:
- 2008/10/10: EnvEco: Cap v tax, round 2
- 2008/10/10: GristMill: Environmental economics 101 -- Why current cap-and-trade proposals are more tax than trade
- 2008/10/07: GristMill: Pricing carbon -- How current GHG policy distorts capital allocation
- 2008/10/06: ClimateP: Is the Chicago Climate Exchange selling "rip-offsets"?
- 2008/10/06: GristMill: What price, carbon? Economics of GHG reduction, part bazillion
- 2008/10/06: WaPo: There's a Gold Mine In Environmental Guilt -- Carbon-Offset Sales Brisk Despite Financial Crisis
And on the American political front:
- 2008/10/07: ClimateP: Is 450 ppm (or less) politically possible? Part 7: The harsh lessons of the financial bailout
- 2008/10/07: PhysOrg: Deadlines set for designating polar bear habitat
- 2008/10/06: CSW: Environmental groups force "critical habitat" designation for polar bears, despite Palin's lawuit
- 2008/10/04: BSD: A reluctant No to Cal. Prop. 7 and to James Hansen
- 2008/10/06: TP:WonkRoom: It's Time To Build The Green Collar Economy
Maneuvers in the interminable energy debate:
- 2008/10/08: BioEnergyBiz: US action plan pushes cellulosic ethanol development
- 2008/10/09: EnvFin: US renewables industry welcomes fought-over tax break
- 2008/10/09: GristMill: Local leadership making renewables happen -- Municipal property assessment financing for solar and energy efficiency
- 2008/10/07: ADN: More setbacks shackle [coal-bed] methane drilling plans -- Proposal pushed back again because of possible money problems.
- 2008/10/08: TreeHugger: Biofuel Sustainability Embraced by US Department of Energy: National Biofuels Action Plan Unveiled
- 2008/10/08: TreeHugger: California Leads the Energy Efficiency Race: American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy Releases 2008 Scorecard
- 2008/10/07: UPI: U.S. announces 'Biofuels Action Plan' [to accelerate development of a sustainable biofuels industry]
- 2008/10/07: AutoBG: DOE will invest $26 million in Mascoma's cellulosic ethanol plant in Michigan
- 2008/10/07: AutoBG: U.S. DOE pays for half of Ford's $20m plug-in Escape hybrid program
- 2008/10/05: ClimateP: The energy tax credits in the bailout bill, Part 1: Solar power and plug in hybrids win big
So, how come they talk about 'clean coal', but no one is acting to make it happen? Could it be a PR gimmick?
- 2008/10/02: SGM: 'Clean coal' policies absent, GAO finds
Federal policy-makers have taken few of the steps necessary if greenhouse emissions from coal-fired power plants are to be captured and stored underground, according to a new government report. Coal industry backers are banking that "carbon capture and storage" will allow the industry to survive efforts to control global climate change. But the U.S. Government Accountability Office report, released this week, adds to growing concerns that the technology isn't ready now - and might not be for a long time. - 2008/10/08: TP:WonkRoom: Dingell Offers Climate Draft With Options: Polluter Bailout Or Green Recovery
- 2008/10/07: Yahoo: House Democrats unveil draft climate change bill
- 2008/10/07: ClimateP: Other reactions to the Dingell-Boucher
- 2008/10/07: ClimateP: Dingell and Boucher draft climate bill: Likely no CO2 cut until near 2030
- 2008/10/07: NatureTGB: Another day, another draft climate bill
- 2008/10/07: GristMill: Commerce clause -- The House Energy and Commerce Committee releases draft of potential climate legislation
- 2008/10/07: Google:AP: House Democrats unveil draft climate change bill [Dingell]
One hears a lot about the campaigns, not much about their climate & energy policies:
- 2008/10/11: GristMill: Has the 'maverick' turned tail on farm and ethanol subsidies? McCain's 'Farm and Ranch Team' is chock full of agribiz heavies
- 2008/10/10: GristMill: 'Congress is pretty strict on, um, export bans of oil and gas especially' -- Palin again mangles facts on energy
- 2008/10/11: TreeHugger: Electoral College Of Energy Efficiency: Another Way To Consider Mccain v.s. Obama
- 2008/10/11: TP:WonkRoom: McCain: 'Nuclear Power Is Safe' Because The Navy Uses It
- 2008/10/10: ClimateP: Palin does not even know basics of Alaska energy
- 2008/10/09: GristMill: Projecting over his head -- Town hall again reveals just an anti-science, out-of-touch McCain
- 2008/10/09: GristMill: A bird in the Hannity -- McCain and Palin talk energy on with Fox's Sean Hannity
- 2008/10/08: GristMill: Let's talk about caps, baby -- Enviros cheer debate talk about climate and energy, but want more details
- 2008/10/07: WaInd: No Friend of Solar Power -- McCain's Words and Votes Don't Match
- 2008/10/08: ClimateP: Swinging for the fences
- 2008/10/08: ClimateP: Pickens suckered by Palin: "She gets this energy situation"
- 2008/10/08: ClimateP: Clean energy, climate, Manhattan projects, green jobs, and even sacrifice star in Nashville debate
- 2008/10/07: ClimateP: Note to John McCain: Uncommitted Ohio voters just aren't into nuclear power
- 2008/10/08: DotEarth: Debating the Facts on Oil, Nukes and Climate
- 2008/10/08: GristMill: A summary of the role of energy efficiency in last night's debate
- 2008/10/08: GristMill: One swing voter, swung -- Ingrid Jackson's question about climate change put candidates on the spot
- 2008/10/07: GristMill: 'Safe or disposable or something like that' -- McCain mystified by Obama's concerns over nuclear
- 2008/10/07: GristMill: Energy first -- Obama names energy as first administration priority
- 2008/10/07: GristMill: Climate's brief turn in the spotlight -- Obama and McCain asked directly about climate change at debate
- 2008/10/07: GristMill: Above average -- Savvy citizen asks the right question about climate change at debate
- 2008/10/08: WorldChanging: The Candidates and Climate: A Persistant Air of Surreality
- 2008/10/07: TP:WonkRoom: Sierra Club Helps Promote Pickens Plan On Debate Night
- 2008/10/06: GristMill: Debate and switch -- Enviros suggest questions for Tuesday's townhall-style debate
- 2008/10/06: GristMill: She's got Obama's ear -- Obama adviser Heather Zichal talks to Grist about energy and climate
- 2008/10/07: WSJ:EnvCap: Presidential Power: Watch What McCain and Obama Say Tonight About Coal
- 2008/10/06: TP:WonkRoom: Palin's 'Safe' And 'Environmentally Friendly' Drilling: Millions Of Gallons Of Oil Spills
- 2008/10/06: Guardian(UK): Palin on global warming
- 2008/10/06: ClimateP: Why did McCain sell out to Big Oil? Ask Charles Keating
- 2008/10/06: ClimateP: Bob Lutz does a Sarah Palin on global warming
- 2008/10/06: GristMill: October surprises -- Enviro news from the presidential campaign trail
- 2008/10/05: RealClimate: Palin on Global Warming
- 2008/10/06: DeSmogBlog: Biden - Palin: Finally, A Real Debate about Climate Change and Energy
While in the UK:
- 2008/10/12: Guardian(UK): Westminster protester prepared to risk jail in cause of climate change
On the eve of another demo against airport expansion, would-be priest Tamsin Omond is resigned to breaching her bail terms - 2008/10/10: Guardian(UK): A good time to cause trouble -- As the markets crash and the world goes to hell in a handcart, we need to get active, not just hide under the sofa
- 2008/10/09: Guardian(UK): This expansion deserves a forced landing
The government is pushing through plans to expand Stansted --- doesn't it read its own climate change reports? - 2008/10/08: SMH: Climate-change advisers set huge target for Britons
- 2008/10/07: Guardian(UK): Global carbon reduction targets -- how such climate goals are set, and why they may not be enough
- 2008/10/07: Guardian(UK): The new low carbon diet
- 2008/10/07: Guardian(UK): Reaction: Climate watchdog's tough target welcomed
- 2008/10/07: OilChange: UK: 80% CO2 Cut Needed by 2050
- 2008/10/07: Guardian(UK): End use of fossil fuels in 20 years, UK warned
- 2008/10/07: BBC: UK 'needs tougher climate target'
The UK government's official climate change advisers have raised the bar on ambitions to cut emissions. The Committee on Climate Change (CCC) said a cut in greenhouse gas emissions of at least 80% by 2050 should include international aviation and shipping. It said other industries would have to make up any shortfall in those areas. - 2008/10/06: Guardian(UK): Climate change and energy policies lack cohesion, says Oxfam report
New energy and climate change secretary faces calls to unify government approach to environmental problems - 2008/10/06: Guardian(UK): A brave new target: cut greenhouse emissions by 122%
A new approach to tackling climate change advocates setting emission reduction targets - of sometimes greater than 100% - according a country's responsibility and capacity to contribute to a solution. - 2008/10/06: Guardian(UK): Young Commons stars set to debate climate change [Ed Miliband & Greg Clark]
- 2008/10/07: Guardian(UK): Stern: Financial crisis could promote clean energy -- Global financial turmoil must not block creation of low-carbon economy, warns leading economist
- 2008/10/07: Guardian(UK): Now is the time to tackle global warming - Stern
And in Europe:
- 2008/10/10: EurActiv: Barroso urges summit not to lose sight of climate crisis
The main focus of the European Council next week will "rightly" be on the financial crisis, but "decisive progress" must also be made on the climate change and energy package and on the Lisbon Treaty, Commission President José Manuel Barroso stressed ahead of the summit. - 2008/10/10: EurActiv: MEPs push for efficiency in long-term EU energy strategy
- 2008/10/10: EUO: Sarkozy wants new EU state aid rules for car makers
- 2008/10/08: CarbonFinance: [EU] Parliament takes tough line on emissions vote
- 2008/10/11: DerSpiegel: Greenpeace Fumes at German Carmakers
Greenpeace is pointing its finger at auto giants like Audi, Porsche and Volkswagen, saying their new cars emit more carbon dioxide than earlier models. The new findings blacken the environmental report cards of the German firms -- and undermine an industry trend of flaunting green credentials. - 2008/10/10: ENN: Green alarm as EU ministers mull climate opt-outs
- 2008/10/10: BBC: Call to maintain climate targets
Ed Miliband, the new energy and climate secretary, has urged Europe's leaders to withstand recession fears and maintain climate change ambitions. It was still possible to cut greenhouse gases in Europe 20% by 2020, he said. - 2008/10/10: Guardian(UK): Fears rise that EU may drop climate pledge
- 2008/10/09: Guardian(UK): EU countries may use economic crisis to ditch climate change commitments
Papers seen by the Guardian suggest the EU council will water down measures to tackle global warming - 2008/10/09: EurActiv: France pushes for energy savings as 'security' issue
- 2008/10/09: EUO: Poland gears up for battle over CO2 emissions
- 2008/10/09: EarthTimes: France to subsidize the development of 'green' cars
- 2008/10/09: EarthTimes: Lithuania threatens to block EU climate-change program
- 2008/10/03: Telegraph(UK): EU climate change cuts: Poland leads revolt over Russia fears
- 2008/10/08: EurActiv: EU climate plans get the nod from MEPs
- 2008/10/08: NatureCF: EU Parliament backs climate plan
- 2008/10/08: EUO: Industry gains slight reprieve on 'Green Super Tuesday'
EU lawmakers have voted to give a break to industries that use large amounts of energy to make their products by letting them receive most of their carbon emissions permits for free, instead of having to purchase them like other sectors of the European economy - 2008/10/07: DerSpiegel: Setback for Warsaw -- EU Parliament Says Energy Utilities Should Pay for Emissions
In a key vote on Tuesday, the European Parliament's environment committee affirmed plans for an emissions trading system. Brussels' only elected body says utility companies who pollute with coal should pay the full price for certificates, but gives other industries a break as recession approaches. - 2008/10/07: Guardian(UK): Dirty coal power hit by Euro vote
Plans for new heavily polluting coal-fired power stations were dealt a blow when MEPs voted for tough regulations which would force companies to fit expensive equipment to trap the emissions - 2008/10/06: NYT:GI: Poland Leads Charge to Delay European Climate Reforms
- 2008/10/06: SpaceMart: European carmakers seek 40 bln in loans for green vehicles
- 2008/10/07: BBC: European MPs have refused to dilute pollution reduction targets despite widespread concern about the cost to business in an era of low growth
- 2008/10/06: EurActiv: Carmakers plead for EU subsidies
- 2008/10/06: EurActiv: Brussels readies for 'Super Tuesday' climate vote
- 2008/10/06: EUO: Car makers want EU money to pay for CO2 law
- 2008/10/06: NatureCF: Super Tuesday for the EU [climate policy]
- 2008/10/06: BBC: EU's climate package 'in crisis'
The EU's attempts to lead the world to a new deal on climate change will crumble unless its current policy crisis is resolved, a study has warned. As economic turmoil continues, there are widespread fears about the effects of the EU's climate package. A group of states led by Poland has assembled a blocking minority to protect their industries from having to buy permits to pollute. Poland, which relies on coal for more than 90% of its electricity, says the scheme will reduce the nation's energy independence and put up prices. But a report from policy network Climate Strategies warns that if the group succeeds, the EU will lose its most powerful weapon in the fight for a new climate treaty. Climate Strategies says that the existence of carbon pricing in the EU puts up electricity prices anyway - so it's important that polluters all pay into a fund that could be used to cushion the poor from the price rises. - 2008/10/10: ABC(Au): Govt's emissions scheme flawed, says OECD
- 2008/10/09: ABC(Au): Fears carbon scheme may force industries offshore
The operators of the Port Pirie smelter in South Australia say emission-intensive industries may consider moving to China under the current form of the Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme. - 2008/10/09: ABC(Au): Emissions trading scheme risks jobs: Oppn
The Federal Opposition says Labor's emissions trading scheme poses a greater risk of job losses given the current economic climate. - 2008/10/08: KSJT: Canberra Times, The Australian: Climate Politics down under same as everywhere. Left v. Right, Biz v. Eco-science, etc.
- 2008/10/08: ABC(Au): Business urges renewed nuclear debate
South Australia's business lobby is warning against Australia going it alone on a carbon trading scheme in 2010. It has taken a swipe at the SA Government over nuclear power, which it says must be considered as part of the solution on climate change. - 2008/10/08: ABC(Au): Climate change grants on offer for manufacturers -- Local manufacturing industries could get Federal Government help to reduce their carbon footprint
- 2008/10/08: ABC(Au): Eden fishers not rushing climate change response
- 2008/10/08: ABC(Au): Lobster industry takes climate change action
- 2008/10/07: ABC(Au): Emissions trading scheme to be debated
The pros and cons of a carbon emissions trading scheme will be debated at a conference in Adelaide today. - 2008/10/07: ABC(Au): Fishing industry fobs off climate change concerns...Tasmania's fishing industry say it is too early to be alarmed
- 2008/10/07: ABC(Au): Report warns of lobster industry climate change impact
- 2008/10/07: ABC(Au): Hunter farmers urged to prepare for climate change
- 2008/10/07: ABC(Au): Aquaculture may pay for climate change impacts
- 2008/10/07: ABC(Au): Australian Industry Group calls for more emissions trading help
- 2008/10/07: ABC(Au): Prawn farmers expected to cope with climate change
- 2008/10/07: ABC(Au): 'Flexible' seafood industry needed to tackle climate change
- 2008/10/06: ABC(Au): Salmon industry prepares for climate change -- Tasmania's salmon industry says it is already preparing for climate change.
- 2008/10/06: ABC(Au): Fishing industry questions CSIRO climate findings
The Amateur Fishermen's Association of the Northern Territory (AFANT) says it doubts climate change will prompt a mass migration of tropical fish. A CSIRO assessment released today predicts some tropical species will shift southward. - 2008/10/06: ABC(Au): Planning underway for big revegetation projects
Greening Australia says it is in the early planning stages for two massive revegetation projects in Queensland to help combat global warming - 2008/10/06: ABC(Au): Fishing industry urged to prepare for climate change
- 2008/10/05: ABC(Au): Science first, economy second in climate change fight: chief scientist [Penny Sackett]
Australia's new chief scientist has refused to be drawn on whether she agrees with the emissions cuts proposed in Professor Ross Garnaut's final report on climate change. Professor Penny Sackett was appointed to the role last week and says one of her first tasks will be to carefully examine the economist's full report. But she has told ABC Local Radio's Sunday Profile her job is to recommend a climate change strategy based on scientific merit, rather than economic consequences. - 2008/10/06: SMH: Fish stock at risk in climate change
While in India:
- 2008/10/10: IndiaTimes: India refuses World Bank aid to fight climate change
And in Brazil:
- 2008/10/08: Guardian(UK): Brazil's climate change plan 'ready for public scrutiny'
And China:
- 2008/10/09: ClimateP: Is it the end of the line for coal-to-oil in China?
- 2008/10/07: ChinaDaily: Tibet moving on climate change threat
- 2008/10/06: MIT: MIT report debunks China energy myth -- The problem isn't in the technology, it's the operations
In Canada, it's all election, all the time:
- 2008/10/12: MWatkins: Scientists: May, Make A Difference
- 2008/10/09: CTV: Dion put on defence as Harper renews attacks
- 2008/10/09: Maribo: The real choice in next week's election
- 2008/10/09: DeSmogBlog: Stephen Harper: the only leader in North America advocating inaction on climate change
- 2008/10/08: CanWest: Scientists urge Canadians to 'vote strategically' for the environment
- 2008/10/08: Maribo: Canadian scientists and economists plead with voters
- 2008/10/08: CanEast: Vote for the environment
The following is an open letter signed by 124 Canadian climate scientists, including New Brunswickers William Ward and Colin Laroque. - 2008/10/07: CBC: Top scientists urge Canadians to vote for the environment
- 2008/10/06: WCI: An open letter to the leaders of Canada's federal political parties from economists teaching in Canadian colleges and universities
A carbon tax and the Liberal Green Shift plan are getting last minute support:
- 2008/10/09: Straight: The case for carbon taxes
Based on poll results to date, this federal election will bring a humiliating defeat to the Liberals. There are sensible reasons to vote for the other parties, but many Canadians might do so based on the Liberal "Green Shift" proposals for taxing carbon emissions. This is not a sensible reason. It says something deeply depressing about Canadians' unwillingness to grapple with a major international problem. For two decades, Canadians have been all talk, no action. We signed the Kyoto Accord and gave ourselves ambitious targets for lower emissions. Since we signed, our emissions have risen faster than those of the Americans -- who didn't sign -- and no one expects Canada to meet its Kyoto targets. - 2008/10/09: Rabble: Breathe life into carbon tax
With this election, environmental politics have grown from infancy, when they were mostly ignored by political caretakers (think Kyoto under Paul Martin), into a somewhat troubled and as yet politically unruly childhood. - 2008/10/08: KSJT: Toronto Star, Canadian Press: Swedes and Danes have a carbon tax - should we try it too?
- 2008/10/07: CanWest: Back carbon tax, leading economists tell politicians -- More than 200 experts say policy is best way to fight climate change
- 2008/10/06: Guardian(PEI): Carbon tax will hike electricity: utility CEO
The tricky & difficult question of the tar sands looms yet:
- 2008/10/09: Reuters: Proposed Canada oil sales ban may backfire-Alberta
- 2008/10/08: OilChange: Oil Sands: From Boom to Bust
- 2008/10/06: OilChange: Oxfam Criticises Shell for "burying its head in the (tar) sands"
The movement toward a long term ecologically viable economics is glacial:
- 2008/10/06: TNI: The Schumacher lecture by Susan George -- Transforming the Global Economy: Solutions for a Sustainable World
- 2008/10/09: EnergyBulletin: The end of growth
- 2008/10/08: Guardian(UK): Who's the man with the plan now?
The disintegration of the markets brings the end of neoliberalism; now the paradigm's shifted, a new kind of politics is needed [...] There are more storms brewing on the horizon -- global warming, peak oil, water scarcity, food insecurity are rolling towards us. These are momentous, frightening times. The fundamentals of our economy, the sustainability of human life are under threat. - 2008/10/03: AlterNet: The Age of Unbridled Consumption Just Ended
IPAT [Impact = Population * Affluence * Technology] raised its head once again:
- 2008/10/08: Guardian(UK): The Bush sex ed doctrine
Even in its final months, the Bush administration is working hard to deny women around the world access to contraception - 2008/10/08: PhysOrg: Population growth puts dent in natural resources
- 2008/10/07: WUStL: Population growth puts dent in natural resources
Apocalypso anyone?
- 2008/10/12: IOL(Za): End of the world as we know it
It is not as bad as you might imagine - it's worse, and before you bury your heads in the sands of collective denial, please consider how it is coming about. The truth will set you free, but first it will probably make you ill. We have had it too easy with cheap energy for a century and the cheap part is going to disappear. Quickly. Energy is the ubiquitous part of everything we consume, and liquid fuel is getting scarce. - 2008/10/11: ClimateP: Signs of the Apocalypse, Part 10: "Drill Here, Drill Now" by Aaron Tippin
As for how the media handles the science of climatology:
- 2008/10/07: CJR: From Green to Greenbacks -- More journalists investigate clean energy as a solution to (or victim of) the economic crisis
- 2008/10/06: AllAfrica: CNIS: Africa: Journalists Reflect On Coverage of Food And Fuel Crisis
ABC got itself into an advertising wrangle:
- 2008/10/10: CJR: ABC Declines Renewable Power Ad -- Gore's Alliance for Climate Protection launches petition
- 2008/10/12: ClimateP: ABC relies on the inanity defense to reject Gore's-truth telling ad
- 2008/10/12: PeakEnergy: ABC News Sides with Oil and Coal Lobby
- 2008/10/10: Guardian(UK): ABC deems Gore climate change advert too 'controversial' for TV
- 2008/10/10: GristMill: Ad lib -- The Alliance for Climate Protection says ABC barred ad calling out Big Oil
- 2008/10/09: Biz&Media: ABC Won't Air Gore's Global Warming Ad
'We Campaign' petition has 79,000 signatures; claims oil and coal industry ads as reason for not airing 'Repower America' TV spot. - 2008/10/09: TP:WonkRoom: Repower America? ABC Says No
Here is something for your library:
- 2008/10/07: C411: An Engaging, Eye-Pleasing Summary of Global Warming Science [Book Review] _Dire Predictions_ by Michael Mann and Lee Kump
Developing a new energy infrastructure is a fundamental challenge of the current generation:
- 2008/10/11: NBF: New Improved Thermoelectric Materials and ImprovingThermoelectric science
- 2008/10/10: NYT: Indian Tribes See Profit in Harnessing the Wind for Power
- 2008/10/11: TreeHugger: Denmark To Get Another Offshore Wind Farm: 207 Megawatts by 2010
- 2008/10/11: APANews: Tanzania-Energy-Rationing -- Tanzania national utility firm restores power rationing countrywide
- 2008/10/11: PeakEnergy: Forecasting the Future of Ocean Power
- 2008/10/10: CleanBrk: Ballard: a sliver of sunshine on another stormy day
- 2008/10/10: GristMill: The cheapest sources of new electricity are also the cleanest
- 2008/10/10: TreeHugger: Largest Wind Farm in Sub-Saharan Africa Planned for Ethiopia
- 2008/10/10: CNN: Oil sheds more than $9 to hit 13-month low [US$77.00]
- 2008/10/10: WSJ:EnvCap: Cheap Oil: Crude Dips Below $80; How Low Can It Go?
- 2008/10/10: BBC: A hydrogen energy research centre, described as the first of its kind in the UK, has opened near Swansea
- 2008/10/10: CBC: Oil prices plummet below $80 US for first time in a year
- 2008/10/09: GristMill: Climate vs. independence -- New [RAND] report finds unconventional liquid fuels [tar sands & C2L] will boost CO2
- 2008/10/07: CNN: Geothermal energy development gathers steam -- Industry, government experts: Conditions perfect for development of geothermal energy
- 2008/10/09: NEN: GE and its turbines getting bigger
- 2008/10/09: PeakEnergy: The Geothermal Giant Is Stirring
- 2008/10/09: AutoBG: First European wave energy farms open
- 2008/10/08: TreeHugger: 100 Megawatts of Wind Turbines Planned for British Canals
- 2008/10/08: SciDaily: Alternative Fossil Fuels [tar sands & coal-to-liquids] Have Economic Potential, [RAND] Study Shows
- 2008/10/07: Guardian(UK):Reuters: US oil production at lowest level since 1946-gov't
- 2008/10/07: AfterGutenberg: The Google Plan
- 2008/10/08: NEN: Big wind off the Jersey shore
- 2008/10/08: NEN: The first wave farm in the world [The Agucadoura I project, 3 Pelamis wave energy generators 3 miles off the Portuguese coast]
- 2008/10/03: MWatch: America's Gasoline Shortage is a Bigger Threat Than Wall Street Crisis, and Much Harder to Bail Out, Matt Simmons Tells World Energy
- 2008/10/06: ClimateP: Google's ambitious energy and climate plan
- 2008/10/07: PhysOrg: New knowledge about thermoelectric materials could give better energy efficiency
- 2008/10/07: Eureka: Electricity supply: Sustainable sources remain expensive
- 2008/10/07: NEN: The Google Plan
- 2008/10/07: NEN: New energy comes rolling in on tides
- 2008/10/07: PeakEnergy: Coal Seam Gas Producers - The New Masters Of The Universe?
- 2008/10/07: WaPo: Studies Lift Hopes for Great Lakes Wind Turbine Farms
- 2008/10/06: People's Daily: Greece's first biogas plant inaugurated in [Kavala] Northern city
- 2008/10/07: BBC: Europe follows fusion twin track [ITER & now HiPER]
An alternative fusion project has been kicked off in Europe that would seek abundant clean energy using a colossal laser the size of a football stadium. The laser would tap the energy by squeezing together atoms of hydrogen - a process very similar to the one that powers the Sun. Europe is already engaged in the Iter fusion venture that aims for the same outcome but via magnetic compression. The HiPER programme is seen as a necessary complementary route. "We have two approaches because of the prize that is out there; fusion energy is the holy grail of energy sources," said HiPER project leader Professor Mike Dunne. "It offers energy security because the fuel comes from seawater; it offers abundant supply, it's clean and it's safe. So the prize is huge and we believe we need as many approaches as possible to make that prize a reality," he told BBC News. - 2008/10/06: TreeHugger: 321 Gigawatts of Wind Power Awaits Exploitation Off Michigan's Shores
- 2008/10/06: TreeHugger: Enhanced Geothermal Systems Research Awarded $43.1 Million by US Department of Energy
- 2008/10/06: CBC: Oil prices hit 8-month low [below $90 US a barrel]
Recovery from Gustav and Ike is slow:
- 2008/10/08: RigZone: 54 Production Platforms Destroyed in GOM [Gulf of Mexico]
MMS [Minerals Management Service] estimates that from September 13, 2008 through September 14, 2008, approximately 1,450 oil and gas production platforms in the Gulf of Mexico were exposed to hurricane conditions, winds greater than 74 miles per hour. As of August 2008, there were more than 3,800 production platforms in the Gulf of Mexico; these structures range in size from single well caissons in water depths of ten feet to a large complex facility in water depth greater than 7,000 feet. - 2008/10/08: IdahoStatesman: Idahoans struggle to pay utility bills
Idaho Power is seeing a big increase in uncollectible accounts, and the rising cost of energy could mean a long, cold winter for many. But help is available. - 2008/10/05: FuturePundit: Thin Rollable Photovoltaics Developed
- 2008/10/11: TreeHugger: Introducing the World's Largest Solar Powered Winery
- 2008/10/10: PeakEnergy: Konarka Opens 1 GW Solar Thin-film Manufacturing Facility
- 2008/10/09: PeakEnergy: US Army To Build Solar Thermal Power Plant
- 2008/10/09: FresnoBee: Gap installs solar panels -- System at Fresno distribution center uses latest technology.
- 2008/10/08: TreeHugger: Sacramento Hospital Goes 50% Solar with 736-Kilowatt Array
- 2008/10/08: PeakEnergy: Solyndra: Cylindrical thin film solar cells
- 2008/10/07: ABC(Au): Queanbeyan heralds opening of new solar panel factory
- 2008/10/07: TreeHugger: A New Shape For Solar Power? Modular Rooftop Thin-Film Solar PV Panels Could Revolutionize Market [Solyndra]
- 2008/10/07: TreeHugger: US Army Goes Solar: 500 MW Solar Thermal Power Plant to be Built at Fort Irwin
- 2008/10/07: SF Gate: California company [Solyndra] has new approach to solar
- 2008/10/06: WiredSci: Solar Goes From Gardens to Gigabucks
- 2008/10/07: SlashDot: Solyndra's Thin-Film Solar Cells Draw $1.2 Billion In Orders
The arithmetic of coal carbon is striking home:
- 2008/10/10: NEN: EU to big coal -- "clean" coal or no coal by 2015
- 2008/10/08: GristMill: Bitchin' chimera -- Various and sundry smart people debunk the 'clean coal' nonsense
- 2008/10/07: DemNow: Can Coal Be Clean? A Debate Between Michael Brune of Rainforest Action Network and Joe Lucas of American Coalition for Clean Coal Electricity
- 2008/10/07: Reuters: US coal exports seen as target in climate fix
Biofuel bickering abounds:
- 2008/10/10: GristMill: Has the ag bubble burst? Tough times for agribiz giants -- and likely soon for farmers
- 2008/10/09: BBC: In bloom: growing algae for biofuel
- 2008/10/09: SciDaily: Using Algae To Convert Sunlight Into Biofuel
The nuclear energy controversy continues:
- 2008/10/10: BBerg: E.ON Foe Sees `End of World' in Coal as Germany Shuns Reactors
And then there is the matter of efficiency & conservation:
- 2008/10/09: GristMill: Talking more about using less -- Ignoring efficiency, conventional wisdom holds that climate action will raise energy costs
- 2008/10/09: BBC: UV light fear over 'green' bulbs
Being too close to energy-saving light bulbs could cause skin reddening because of ultraviolet light emissions, health experts have warned. - 2008/10/06: NGEB: Conservation: The biggest challenge of all
- 2008/10/06: StatesmanJournal: Why energy efficiency doesn't always reduce greenhouse gases
Automakers & lawyers, engineers & activists argue over the future of the car:
- 2008/10/11: GEA: GM, Ford Death Watch
- 2008/10/09: PeakEnergy: Renault Bets on Electric Vehicles
- 2008/10/07: Guardian(UK): This green subsidy for car makers is just a disguised corporate bail-out
Having long sabotaged eco-innovations, the motor industry is now demanding billions to cut its carbon emissions - 2008/10/07: PeakEnergy: Ultracapacitors For Electric Bikes
- 2008/10/07: PeakEnergy: Paris [auto show] Goes Electric
- 2008/10/07: WSJ:EnvCap: Electric Avenue: Will Electric Cars Ever Be Mass-Market?
- 2008/10/06: NEN: Buffett buys Chinese electric car company
The reaction of business to climate change will be critical:
- 2008/10/08: FTimes: Climate groups' revenue hits $300bn
Companies providing goods and services that tackle climate change now form a bigger industry grouping than the global software and biotechnology sectors combined, according to new research. Global annual revenues from such businesses - which include renewable energy companies, nuclear power and energy management specialists - have surpassed $300bn for the first time, HSBC's global banking and markets research team have found. HSBC said that 390 companies around the world could now be classed as providing goods or services that tackle climate change, up from 300 companies a year ago and about 166 in early 2004. - 2008/10/06: ENN: Rio Tinto says innovation to help with climate
- 2008/10/05: NYT: Capitalism to the Rescue -- How Green Was the Valley
- 2008/10/06: BBC: Companies 'need green directors' -- Businesses must change their attitude to environmental issues if the tide of ecological decline is to be halted
Meanwhile in the greenwashing chronicles:
- 2008/10/11: PRWatch: Slow Learners [nuke greenwash]
The carbon lobby are up to the usual:
- 2008/10/11: PRWatch: 'Carbon Messaging' [at COP15]
- 2008/10/09: ThinkP: Inhofe Defends 'Global Warming Is The Greatest Hoax' Comment: 'I Think I Was Right'
- 2008/10/07: BSD: Volokh Correction #23: RealClimate v. Volokhs on climate change - guess who wins
- 2008/10/07: QuarkSoup: Polar Bears, Noise, and Stress
- 2008/10/07: NatureCF: The great global cooling myth
- 2008/10/07: GristMill: Coal smokin' -- Two new pieces delve into the denial industry
- 2008/10/05: inel: Spectator and Forbes still host wholly confused climate commentators!
- 2008/10/05: Deltoid: The Australian's War on Science XX
- 2008/10/06: ThinkP: GM exec Bob Lutz won't back away from denial of global warming
Then there was the usual news and commentary:
- 2008/10/07: CCD: STOP talking about the environment!
- 2008/10/10: WorldChanging: It's Not about Polar Bears Anymore
- 2008/10/10: CCurrents: The Methane Time Bomb And The Triple Meltdown [Triple stands for: (1) ice sheets; (2) global economy; (3) trust in governments.]
- 2008/10/10: NatureTGB: 'Climate escalator' still going up
- 2008/10/10: NewScientist: The greenhouse effect that may be cooling the climate
- 2008/10/09: NatureCF: Pocket IPCC
- 2008/10/08: QuarkSoup: Climate change illustrated
- 2008/10/07: NOAANews: NOAA Awards $3.8 Million to Louisiana, Oklahoma Universities for Climate, Drought Assessment, Planning Tools
- 2008/10/07: NewScientist: Still time to save the planet... just
- 2008/10/05: ClimateP: Must read: How Green Was the Valley
- 2008/10/05: DotEarth: Wildlife Group Presses Poor Nat