Another week of GW News, April 18, 2010

Logging the Onset of The Bottleneck Years

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Another week of Climate Instability News

Sipping from the internet firehose...

April 18, 2010

• Chuckles, Copenhagen, COP16, Bonn, Cochabamba, MEF, WHCEM, Missing Heat, Volcano, Lockwood, Endangerment
• Bottom Line, Carbon Tariffs, Subsidies, Medupi, Krugman, QUB, CRU, Oxburgh
• Melting Arctic, Geopolitics, Antarctica
• Food Crisis, Land Grabs, Food Production
• Hurricanes, Monsoon, GHGs, Carbon Cycle, Temperatures, Aerosols, Paleoclimate, ENSO, Solar, Satellites
• Impacts, Forests, Climate Refugees, Wacky Weather, Wildfires, Corals, Acidification, Glaciers, Sea Levels, Floods & Droughts
• Mitigation, Transportation, Buildings, Geoengineering, Adaptation
• Journals, Other Docs , Misc. Science, Mclean
• Kyoto, UN, Carbon Trade, Carbon Tax, Optimal Carbon Reduction Strategy
• International Politics: Security, Law & Activism, Activism, Religioso, Polls, Farming, Water Politics & Business
• National Politics: America, US Coal, Obama, USAdmin, Bonn Leak, Nuke Summit, Congress, Climate Bill, Lobbyists
• Britain, Europe, Australia, China, Japan, Asia, Africa, South America
• Canada, EcoEnergy, MVP, Abortion, BC, Tar Sands, Alberta, Ontario, North, Canadiana
• Ecological Economics, IPAT, Apocalypso, Media, Books, Video, Courts
• Energy, Fracking, Wind, Solar, Coal, Biofuel, Nukes, Peak Oil, Grid, Efficiency, Cars, Energy Storage
• Business, Joe's List, Carbon Lobby, Shell & BP AGMs, Miscellaneous Climate, Useful Links
• Shameless Self Promotion, .sig

It's always nice to start with a laugh:

1. 2010/04/15: MRC: (cartoon - Roberts) Many a slip...
2. 2010/04/17: TreeHugger: Protesting Orangutans Invade Nestle Shareholders' Meeting
3. 2010/04/15: ClimateP: (cartoon - Toles) Toles on adaptation
4. 2010/04/14: uComics: (cartoon - Toles) The Ark
5. 2010/04/14: uComics: (cartoon - Auth) Europe Finds Clean Fuel...
6. 2010/04/11: ClimateP: (cartoon - Toles) Toles on the coal disaster

   More post Copenhagen:

7. 2010/04/14: UCSUSA: The Scientists' Letter on the Copenhagen Commitment for Tropical Forests
8. 2010/04/13: PlanetArk: New U.N. Battles Loom Over Copenhagen Climate Accord
9. 2010/04/12: Guardian(UK): Copenhagen destroyed by Danish draft leak, says India's environment minister
   Jairam Ramesh claims Connie Hedegaard admitted leak of text was 'death blow from which summit never recovered'

Looking ahead to COP16 and future international climate negotiations:

10. 2010/04/16: EurActiv: De Boer: EU 2020 climate targets 'a piece of cake'
    Yvo de Boer, executive secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), said the EU has failed to convince the developing world that it is serious about global warming.
11. 2010/04/15: BDL: 2010 Peder Sather Symposium: After Copenhagen: What Can Be Done to Meet the Economic and Environmental Challenges?
12. 2010/04/15: BBerg: UN Sees Climate Architecture, Not Binding Deal, as Cancun Goal
13. 2010/04/14: ChinaDaily: Stick to Kyoto Protocol targets, China tells West
14. 2010/04/13: WaPo: Climate treaty realities push leaders to trim priority lists
    As prospects for a binding global climate treaty this year have evaporated, leaders and environmental advocates have focused their efforts on reaching agreement on a few top priorities, including preserving tropical forests and helping developing countries cope with climate change. The U.N.-sponsored climate talks in Cancun, Mexico, in December are increasingly viewed as an interim step to a final deal. Many heads of state and activists had hoped that they could produce a successor agreement to the 1997 Kyoto Protocol. The climate pact's first period ends in 2012. Instead, negotiators have begun to focus on what U.N. Foundation President Timothy E. Wirth calls "the building blocks" of a global climate strategy.
15. 2010/04/12: Reuters: UN pact doubt curbs S.Africa clean energy investment
    Uncertainty over a global treaty to cut carbon emissions has slowed investment in clean energy in South Africa, where only a handful of such projects have started compared to other emerging markets. A senior official from South Africa's agency for assessing domestic clean-energy projects told an African conference on biofuels on Monday the country, the continent's worst emitter, has lagged global trends in launching such projects.
16. 2010/04/12: Grist: Bonn to Cancun ... negotiators agree to continue efforts on international global warming
17. 2010/04/12: People's Daily: Issue of climate financing far from being resolved [COP16]
    UN climate chief Yvo de Boer on Saturday questioned the will of the developed countries to act to fund climate change. Climate financing, a issue first mentioned decades ago, has fallen into the category of "far from resolution" in his to-do list, Boer said in Bonn, where negotiators from more than 180 countries gathered for the first round of UN climate change talks since the Copenhagen conference last year. The outgoing executive secretary of the UN climate change secretariat told Xinhua that he divided climate change issues into three categories: the one near finalization; the one with big difference but perhaps being resolved; and the third, which is "still very far from resolution," that is, the question of climate finance.
18. 2010/04/11: Guardian(UK): The fight against eco-imperialism
    It is not acceptable to use climate change as an excuse to limit growth in poor countries as the west's carbon emissions rise
19. 2010/04/12: BBC: Prospects of finalising a new binding agreement on climate change by the end of the year are "slim", according to UN climate convention chief Yvo de Boer

    The Bonn bonbon:

20. 2010/04/14: TerraDaily: New conflicts derail U.N. climate talks [Bonn]
21. 2010/04/12: TerraDaily: Sick climate: Wounds of Copenhagen still fester [Bonn]
22. 2010/04/13: Guardian(UK): The Bonn talks were a healing process -- but stormy meetings lie ahead
23. 2010/04/12: RTT: Differences Continue To Plague Follow-up Climate Talks [Bonn]
24. 2010/04/12: Guardian(UK): Bonn climate talks: picking up the pieces after Copenhagen
25. 2010/04/12: EurActiv: Extra climate meetings agreed as treaty remains elusive
    The first UN climate meeting since Copenhagen agreed to hold extra talks before the high-level conference in Cancún at the end of the year, but hopes for a new climate treaty ran low. Delegates from 175 countries met in Bonn over the weekend (9-11 April) to draw up a plan for a new legally-binding global climate treaty. They agreed to beef up the negotiating calendar with two additional meetings. The new gatherings will both last at least a week and will be held during the second half of the year. They also gave the chair of the talks, Margaret Mukahanana-Sangarwe of Zimbabwe, a mandate to draw up a draft text for the next round of negotiations in Bonn between 31 May and 11 June. But while the negotiators spent hours agreeing on the relatively simple matter of the number of meetings, they failed to draw up a timetable for achieving a final agreement and the milestones to get there. The Bonn meeting brought to the surface underlying disagreements between developed and developing countries, which have become evident in the debate surrounding the role of the non-binding Copenhagen Accord agreed at the close of the Copenhagen climate conference in December. The US would like to see the Copenhagen Accord, endorsed by two-thirds of the countries that attended the talks, form the basis for the new negotiations. But many developing countries, headed by China and India, argue that the negotiations need to be kept under the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).
26. 2010/04/12: UN: UN agrees to host two more rounds of climate change talks before summit in Mexico
27. 2010/04/12: SolveClimate: Confusion About Copenhagen Accord Casts Cloud Over UN Climate Treaty -- Hopes for Trust Building, Fast-Start Financing Dashed at Bonn
28. 2010/04/11: Google:AP: Skirmishes renewed at UN climate conference
29. 2010/04/12: Xinhuanet: New round of UN climate change talks ends with two extra meetings planned
30. 2010/04/12: TerraDaily: UN climate talks wrap up after fresh rows
31. 2010/04/12: Reuters: New U.N. battles loom over Copenhagen climate accord
    Delegates from 175-nations agreed on two extra sessions of U.N. climate control talks this year at the end of a tortuous meeting in Bonn that presaged big battles ahead over the non-binding Copenhagen Accord.
32. 2010/04/11: Guardian(UK): Climate change talks yield small chance of global treaty
    Head of UN environmental agency says talks divided between the west and developing nations over emissions targets

The Obama strategy. More PR than mitigation:

33. 2010/04/12: Guardian(UK): Confidential document reveals Obama's hardline US climate talk strategy
    Document outlines key messages the Obama administration wants to convey in the run-up to UN climate talks in Mexico in November
34. 2010/04/12: TreeHugger: Leaked Confidential Document Reveals Obama's Climate Strategy

    The Cochabamba conference begins tomorrow:

35. 2010/04/16: IPSNews: Climate Change-Bolivia: In Defence of Pachamama
    Through their ancestral knowledge and traditions, indigenous peoples will make a unique and invaluable contribution to the World People's Conference on Climate Change and the Rights of Mother Earth, which begins Monday, Apr. 19 in the central Bolivian city of Cochabamba.
36. 2010/04/16: ICT: Climate change and the rights of Mother Earth by Bolivian president Evo Morales
37. 2010/04/16: CCurrents: People's Memorandum To The Government Of India On The Cochabamba Climate Conference
38. 2010/04/14: CCurrents: Only 'Global Democracy' Can Prevent 'Climate Tragedy', Says Bolivian Ambassador
39. 2010/04/14: CCurrents: Can Cochabamba Pick Up Where Copenhagen Failed?
40. 2010/04/13: Guardian(UK): Hollywood stars join politicians at Bolivia's 'cool' global warming summit
41. 2010/04/12: Grist: Bolivia's alternative climate conference to kick off next week
42. 2010/04/13: Independent(UK): 7,500 due for alternate climate conference in Bolivia
43. 2010/04/11: MongaBay: Cochabamba Climate Conference: the Coca Contradiction

    The US is hosting the Major Emitters Forum again:

44. 2010/04/18: TerraDaily: Major economies to delve into climate impasse
45. 2010/04/16: TerraDaily: US, China to see if climate gap can be bridged [at MEF]

    And yet another meeting:

46. 2010/04/14: PlanetArk: U.S. To Host Western Hemisphere Clean Energy Meet [Energy and Climate Partnership of the Americas]
47. 2010/04/13: Reuters: U.S. to host Western Hemisphere clean energy meet
    Government ministers from more than 30 countries in the Americas will meet in Washington this week for a two-day conference as part of an Obama administration effort to boost cooperation on energy security and climate change.

This paper on heat caught some attention:

48. 2010/04/18: SkeptiSci: Tracking the energy from global warming
49. 2010/04/15: Eureka: 'Missing' heat may affect future climate change -- Satellite instruments and ocean sensors are limited
50. 2010/04/15: UCAR: "Missing" heat may affect future climate change
51. 2010/04/15: Guardian(UK): Global warming monitoring needs to find 'missing heat', say scientists
52. 2010/04/15: Eureka: 'Missing' heat may affect future climate change
    Current observational tools cannot account for roughly half of the heat that is believed to have built up on Earth in recent years, according to a "Perspectives" article in this week's issue of Science. Scientists at the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) warn in the new study that satellite sensors, ocean floats, and other instruments are inadequate to track this "missing" heat, which may be building up in the deep oceans or elsewhere in the climate system. "The heat will come back to haunt us sooner or later," says NCAR scientist Kevin Trenberth, the lead author. "The reprieve we've had from warming temperatures in the last few years will not continue. It is critical to track the build-up of energy in our climate system so we can understand what is happening and predict our future climate." The authors suggest that last year's rapid onset of El Niño, the periodic event in which upper ocean waters across much of the tropical Pacific Ocean become significantly warmer, may be one way in which the solar energy has reappeared.

The Iceland Volcano got a lot of press mainly because of air travel disruption, but some wonder about the climate:

53. 2010/04/17: QuarkSoup: Eyjafjallajökull Won't Influence Climate
54. 2010/04/17: AFTIC: Can you say "Eyjafjallajokull"? Neither can I...
55. 2010/04/17: EnergyBulletin: Aviation halt -- good for the environment?
    [...]
    "This is a huge experiment with the environment that we could never afford to do otherwise. From a climate viewpoint it is very important that we take this opportunity to investigate", says Kjell Aleklett, professor in global energy systems at Uppsala University.
56. 2010/04/14: NewScientist: Supervolcano [Toba]: How humanity survived its darkest hour
57. 2010/04/17: OilDrum: The Possible Impact of the Icelandic Volcanoes on Energy Production
58. 2010/04/16: NASA:JPL: PIA13046: NASA Satellite Images Provide Insights Into Iceland Volcanic Plume
59. 2010/04/16: MoD: Planes vs. volcanoes
60. 2010/04/16: ABC(Au): The volcanic ash cloud that exploded from an Icelandic volcano this week is not expected to have an impact on global temperatures, says an Australian climatologist
61. 2010/04/16: NewScientist: Get ready for decades of Icelandic fireworks
62. 2010/04/16: PlanetArk: Iceland Volcano: Not Yet A Global Cooling Eruption
63. 2010/04/16: MTobis: Infographic -- Is Ejafjallajoekull the Joe Cool of volcanoes or what?
64. 2010/04/16: UCSUSA: Iceland Volcano Eruption Too Small to Have Significant Climate Effect, Science Group Says
65. 2010/04/15: Eureka: Volcanic eruption in Iceland unlikely to have global effects, says CU-Boulder scientist
66. 2010/04/16: BBC: The eruption that changed Iceland forever [in 1783]
    A volcanic eruption in Iceland is continuing to ground flights in the UK and Europe, but 227 years ago a far more devastating eruption occurred wiping out a fifth of the island's population - as well as tens of thousands across Europe.
67. 2010/04/16: BBC: Team monitors volcanic ash plume
    An atmospheric research team from Gloucestershire has been monitoring the volcanic ash cloud which has grounded UK flights for a second day. The team, part of the Swindon-based National Environment Research Council (NERC), took off from Gloucestershire Airport at Staverton on Thursday. Accompanied by scientists from Oxford, it flew north to the edge of the plume, to collect speed and direction data.
68. 2010/04/16: HotTopic: An eyeful of Eyjafjallajökull: no cooling threat (yet)
69. 2010/04/15: Guardian(UK): Volcanic eruptions and ash clouds explained
70. 2010/04/15: Guardian(UK): How an Icelandic volcano helped spark the French Revolution -- Profound effects of eight-month eruption in 1783 caused chaos from US to Egypt, say experts
71. 2010/04/15: DWWSJ: True Colour MODIS image of Icelandic Ash Cloud
72. 2010/04/15: CCentral: Icelandic Volcano Chills Travel Plans -- But What About the Climate?
73. 2010/04/15: Wunderground: Eyjafjallajökull volcano on Iceland erupts
74. 2010/04/15: ESA: New satellite image of volcanic ash cloud
75. 2010/04/15: BBC: Volcano ash hits UK flight plans
    UK airline passengers are facing disruption as an ash cloud from an Icelandic volcanic eruption drifts towards the country. The Air Traffic Control Service, NATS, said the decision had been made after advice from the Met Office as volcanic ash can damage aircraft engines.

I can see how the Lockwood et al. paper which is going to be twisted every which way:

76. 2010/04/14: ERL: Are cold winters in Europe associated with low solar activity? by M Lockwood et al.
77. 2010/02/14: RSPA: Solar change and climate: an update in the light of the current exceptional solar minimum by Mike Lockwood
78. 2010/04/15: NatureN: Ebbing sunspot activity makes Europe freeze -- 350 years of data link low solar activity to cold winters
79. 2010/04/15: SciNow: Calm Sun Is Bringing a Chill to England
80. 2010/04/14: Eureka: Link between solar activity and the UK's cold winters
81. 2010/04/14: BBC: Sun activity link to cold winters
    The UK and continental Europe could be gripped by more frequent cold winters in the future as a result of low solar activity, say researchers. They identified a link between fewer sunspots and atmospheric conditions that "block" warm, westerly winds reaching Europe during winter months. But they added that the phenomenon only affected a limited region and would not alter the overall global warming trend.
82. 2010/04/14: ERW: Sun blamed for Europe's colder winters
83. 2010/04/14: NewScientist: Quiet sun puts Europe on ice [Lockwood]

    Tongue firmly in cheek, Eli continues his EPA endangerment exposition:

84. 2010/04/15: ERabett: Eli can retire Part IX - PPP, MER, GDP AEIOU
85. 2010/04/12: ERabett: Eli can retire Part VIII - The EPA reads Rabett Run

    And on the Bottom Line:

86. 2010/04/14: EurActiv: Brussels gets cold feet on financial transactions tax
    The idea of introducing a global financial transaction tax to combat speculation is losing momentum in the European Union ahead of a key G20 meeting in Washington. In an internal paper, the European Commission says a tax would be costly for business and government alike and would be ineffective in fighting speculators. Despite several announcements that it favours a wider version of a global Tobin Tax (see 'Background'), the European Union seems unlikely to agree a common position to take to an upcoming meeting of G20 finance ministers set to take place in Washington at the end of April.
87. 2010/04/10: RHSerlin: Come on! You don't give the same discount rate to insurance as stock, and that includes global warming insurance!

    Carbon Tariffs still have people on edge:

88. 2010/04/16: EurActiv: Italy joins French calls for EU carbon tariff
    France and Italy urged the European Union on Thursday (15 April) to impose carbon tariffs on countries that are not part of a global agreement to curb greenhouse gases, an idea opposed by the European Commission and other EU members.
89. 2010/04/15: EarthTimes: Sarkozy, Berlusconi push EU for border climate levy

    Who's getting the subsidies?

90. 2010/04/13: ClimateP: America's hidden power bill [subsidies]
91. 2010/04/13: Grist: Taxpayer dollars subsidizing destruction

    After the World Bank's Medupi vote:

92. 2010/04/15: Guardian(UK): Obama administration will 'hold South Africa to account for Eskom plant CO2'
93. 2010/04/15: CSM: Africa's carbon conundrum: CO2 from coal or no lights?
94. 2010/04/11: TEC: World Bank nixes nuclear energy

    Late Comment on Krugman:

95. 2010/04/14: Grist: Dear Paul Krugman: This is what I really meant to say. I'll stop now. -- Why aren't more economists backing win-win climate solutions?
96. 2010/04/13: EnergyBulletin: It can't possibly be that easy [Krugman]
97. 2010/04/13: Grist: Hey Paul Krugman: How about less econ theory and more econ mechanics?
98. 2010/04/11: RealClimate: Krugman weighs in

    Queen's University in Belfast has been FOI'ed for 40 years of tree ring data:

99. 2010/04/16: BBC: Queen's University in Belfast told to hand over data
    Queen's University in Belfast has been told by the Information Commissioner to hand over 40 years of research data on tree rings, used for climate research. Douglas Keenan, from London, had asked for the information in 2007 under the Freedom of Information Act. Mr Keenan is well-known for his questioning of scientists who propose a human cause for climate change. Queen's University refused his request saying it was too expensive, but it is now considering its position. The university claimed that as the information was unfinished, had intellectual property rights and was commercially confidential information, it did not have to pass it on. After a series of counter claims from Mr Keenan and the intervention of the Information Commissioner, Queen's have now been told that they could be in contempt of court if they do not hand the data over.
100. 2010/04/15: NatureCF: Queen's University Belfast (QUB) told to hand over tree ring data
     The UK's information watchdog has told a university it has to release the tree ring data at the centre of a long running freedom of information fight.

The CRU email theft:

101. 2010/04/17: CSW: Debunking 'Climategate'
102. 2010/04/16: IoD: It's like shooting ducks in a barrel
103. 2010/04/16: ClimateShifts: Climategate: Russian secret service blamed for hack
104. 2010/04/15: ClimateP: The CRU is not pleased with Steve McIntyre

     The Oxburgh report has exonerated UEA and Phil Jones:

105. 2010/04/16: JEB: Phil Jones exonerated part 2
106. 2010/04/16: CCP: Richard Black of the BBC: Comeback for climate and caveats -- Oxburgh report
107. 2010/04/15: MoD: Climategate: the scandal that wasn't, Part 2
108. 2010/04/15: DawgsBlawg: Review Policies of the IPCC - a pass with distinction
109. 2010/04/15: KSJT: Brit Press: Second sensible shoe drops -- Climategate rubbished again. Emailers were snide, but no crooks
110. 2010/04/15: MongaBay: Climatologists cleared of any "scientific malpractice"
111. 2010/04/14: ClimateShifts: Second CRU enquiry clears researchers of any wrong-doing
112. 2010/04/15: Independent(UK): Climate row: backing for scientists
     Panel finds no evidence of impropriety in East Anglia unit after integrity of researchers was questioned
113. 2010/04/15: LA Times: Panel clears researchers in 'Climategate' controversy
114. 2010/04/14: TerraDaily: 'No deliberate malpractice' in British climate row: review
115. 2010/04/15: DeSmogBlog: Second expert panel shows "ClimateGate" was a ClimateSham
116. 2010/04/15: PeakEnergy: UK Inquiry Clears Climate Scientists in Email Row
117. 2010/04/15: WaPo: Academic experts clear scientists in 'climate-gate'
     In the second of three investigations of the scandal known as "climate-gate," a panel of academic experts said Wednesday that several prominent climate scientists did not engage in deliberate malpractice but did not use the best statistical tools available to produce their findings.
118. 2010/04/15: Guardian(UK): Climate science: The dark side of the light
     Telling the truth does not offer sufficient protection from the limelight's unforgiving glare
119. 2010/04/14: CBC: 'Climategate' researchers cleared
     The University of East Anglia's climatic research unit did not engage in "scientific malpractice," concluded an independent panel convened to delve into charges of data tampering.
120. 2010/04/14: TPL: The Oxburgh Report
121. 2010/04/14: SolveClimate: Climate Scientists Cleared of Malpractice Accusations in Hacked Email Case
122. 2010/04/14: ClimateP: Climatic Research Unit scientists cleared (again)
123. 2010/04/15: ABC(Au): Second inquiry clears Climategate scientists
     Another inquiry has cleared British climate researchers of wrongdoing after their emails were hacked, leaked and held up by sceptics as evidence they had exaggerated the case for man-made global warming. Former government adviser Ronald Oxburgh, who chaired the panel, said he had found no evidence of scientific malpractice or attempts to distort the facts to support the mainstream view that man-made CO2 emissions contribute to rising temperatures.
124. 2010/04/14: NewScientist: Climategate scientists chastised over statistics
125. 2010/04/14: NatureCF: CRU inquiry: science solid despite lack of statistical know-how
126. 2010/04/14: ScienceInsider: Oxburgh Report Clears Controversial Climate Research Unit
127. 2010/04/14: HotTopic: CRU cleared of scientific malpractice -- so much for "climategate"
128. 2010/04/14: Stoat: IOP: we were hopelessly wrong
129. 2010/04/14: ERabett: Denialists denied again
130. 2010/04/14: UEA: Response by the University of East Anglia to the Report by Lord Oxburgh's Science Assessment Panel
131. 2010/04/14: MTobis: Still Bupkis
     Of course, the scientific investigation of CRU turned up, what do you know, nothing but scientists doing science.
132. 2010/04/14: Deltoid: Phil Jones vindicated some more
133. 2010/04/14: RealClimate: Second CRU inquiry reports
134. 2010/04/14: EarthTimes: British 'climategate' scientists cleared of wrongdoing
135. 2010/04/14: Guardian(UK): Scientists cleared of malpractice in UEA's hacked emails inquiry
     Researchers 'dedicated if slightly disorganised', but basic science was fair, finds inquiry commissioned by university
136. 2010/04/14: BCLSB: CRU Cleared Again [Oxburgh inquiry]
137. 2010/04/14: BBC: 'No malpractice' by climate unit
     There was no scientific malpractice at the University of East Anglia's Climatic Research Unit, which was at the centre of the "Climategate" affair. This is according to an independent panel chaired by Lord Oxburgh, which was convened to examine the research published by the unit. It began its review after e-mails from CRU scientists were published online.
138. 2010/04/13: BBC: 'Climategate' panel [chaired by Lord Oxburgh] set to report
     The second of three reviews into hacked climate e-mails from the University of East Anglia (UEA) is set to be released later. It has examined scientific papers published over 20 years by the Climatic Research Unit (CRU) at the heart of the e-mail controversy. The panel was nominated by the Royal Society, and climate sceptics forecast it would defend establishment science. But the BBC understands the panel has taken a hard look at CRU methodology. It is thought to have focued on statistical methods used by the CRU and the way uncertainties inherent in climate science may have been down-played by government bodies.

The Arctic melt continues to garner a lot of attention:

139. 2010/04/17: CBC:Q&Q: [mp3] Devon Ice Cap Loses its Cool & The Anthropocene - the Epoch of Humans
140. 2010/04/12: GreenGrok: Much Ado About Arctic Sea Ice?
141. 2010/04/13: CCP: CO2 at 400 ppm may be enough to push the collapse of Greenland's ice sheet past its tipping point
142. 2010/04/13: SciDaily: Massive Arctic Ice Cap Is Shrinking, Study Shows; Rate Accelerating Since 1985
     Close to 50 years of data show the Devon Island ice cap, one of the largest ice masses in the Canadian High Arctic, is thinning and shrinking.
143. 2010/04/13: CanWest: Warm summers chipping away at Canada's largest ice cap
     Canada's largest ice cap has been shrinking steadily since 1985, say scientists studying the remote icy dome at the top of the planet. They say there has been a decline in the volume and area of the Devon Ice Cap in the High Arctic over the past 25 years, largely because of warm summers.
144. 2010/04/12: CCP: Tschudi, Maslanik, Fowler, Stroeve, Kwok: Trends and patterns in sea ice age distributions within the Arctic Basin and their implications for changes in ice thickness and albedo
145. 2010/04/12: SkeptiSci: Arctic Sea Ice (Part 1): Is the Arctic Sea Ice recovering? A reality check
146. 2010/04/12: Eureka: Decades of research show massive Arctic ice cap is shrinking -- Rate of ice-cap melt has been accelerating since 1985

     As for the geopolitics of Arctic resources:

147. 2010/04/12: PlanetArk: Shell Gets Key Alaska Permit For Beaufort Drilling

     While in Antarctica:

148. 2010/04/13: PhysOrg: Exploring Beneath Antarctic Ice -- the NASA-funded ENDURANCE project
149. 2010/04/12: CCP: Fragments of Larsen B Ice Shelf lingered until 2005; new albedo causing changes to sea floor's ecosystem
150. 2010/04/12: OSU: Deepest core drilled from Antarctic peninsula; may contain glacial stage ice

     The food crisis is ongoing:

151. 2010/04/14: NatureN: What it will take to feed the world -- Nature talks to the chief executive of France's national agricultural institute
152. 2010/04/13: WFP: Sudan: Ten Hunger Facts
153. 2010/04/15: EarthTimes: Drought, flood - now locusts plague Australian farmers
154. 2010/04/14: Hindu: Starvation claims five lives in drought-hit Bihar districts
155. 2010/04/14: PhysOrg: Locust plague hits eastern Australia
     Swarms of locusts have infested a huge area of eastern Australia roughly the size of Spain after recent floods, ravaging farmland, a top official said Wednesday.
156. 2010/04/11: ACR: Barren seeds

     So, are these land grabs Colonialism V2.0?

157. 2010/04/14: G&M: China's 'African land grab' -- What if Beijing's 'invasion' could be a major development opportunity for farmers in Africa?
158. 2010/04/14: ACR: Rose coloured glasses of capitalism

     And how are we going to feed 9 billion?

159. 2010/04/16: CDreams: The Vast Potential of City Agriculture
160. 2010/04/16: PhysOrg: Peak P? Phosphorus, food supply spurs Southwest initiative
     The mineral phosphorus (P) is critical to the creation of bones, teeth and DNA. "P" is also a key component of the fertilizers used to produce our food, as critical to agriculture as water. But is P, like oil, peaking? Natural and social scientists in Europe, Australia, the United States and elsewhere see growing evidence that the answer is yes. But when? That is the question.
161. 2010/04/09: CSIRO: New CSIRO soybean a hit in Japan
     A new soybean variety from CSIRO is gaining popularity in Japan due to its enhanced suitability as an ingredient in traditional Japanese dishes.
162. 2010/04/08: FreeP: Hoophouse ventures prove crops can thrive year-around in Michigan
163. 2010/04/15: EnergyBulletin: US Regulation of GMOs Called into Question in Reuters Report
164. 2010/04/15: PhysOrg: Researchers develop highest yielding salt tolerant wheat
     In a major breakthrough for wheat farmers in salt-affected areas, CSIRO researchers have developed a salt tolerant durum wheat that yields 25 per cent more grain than the parent variety in saline soils.
165. 2010/04/14: OilDrum: Fish--A Sustainable Food Source or a Tragedy of the Commons?
166. 2010/04/13: Eureka: Calculating agriculture's phosphorus footprint
     Balancing phosphorus levels in crop lands is a key factor that is often overlooked in discussions of global food security, according to a paper published in the International Journal of Agricultural Resources, Governance and Ecology. Current global issues include carbon footprints, water resources and climate change. However, the non-renewable element phosphorus for plant growth is often overlooked in the global context.
167. 2010/04/12: UN: UN agency explores potential benefits of organic agriculture in Eastern Europe
168. 2010/04/12: PhysOrg: New CSIRO soybean a hit in Japan
169. 2010/04/09: AlterNet: Turning Capitalism on Its Head by Cooperating for Sustainable Food

     Compare the headlines for the same NRC report:

170. 2010/04/14: NatureTGB: GE crops yield many benefits, says [NRC] panel
171. 2010/04/13: PhysOrg: Genetically engineered crops benefit many farmers, but the technology needs proper management to remain effective
172. 2010/04/13: ScienceInsider: Biotech Crops Found to Offer Substantial Benefits for Farmers [NRC report]
173. 2010/04/13: TreeHugger: GE Crops Provide Short-Term Gain to U.S. Farmers But Long-Term Sustainability in Doubt, Says [NRC] Report

     It was quiet on the oceans, but an unnamed storm of cyclone intensity struck NorthEast India:

174. 2010/04/16: PlanetArk: Thousands Need Aid After Deadly Indian Storm Strikes
175. 2010/04/15: NYT:Reuters: Thousands Need Aid After Deadly Indian Storm Strikes
176. 2010/04/15: CNN: Storm kills 122 in eastern India
177. 2010/04/14: Guardian(UK): Deadly cyclone hits north-east India -- At least 89 villagers dead and thousands of homes destroyed after cyclone strikes Bihar and West Bengal
178. 2010/04/14: EarthTimes: Death toll in India storm tops 100
179. 2010/04/14: BBC: At least 80 people have died in a powerful storm that hit a district on the border of the Indian state of West Bengal and Bangladesh...
180. 2010/04/14: CBC: Storm in northeastern India kills 89
181. 2010/04/14: WpgSun: Deadly cyclone hits India
     A cyclone packing winds of more than 100 mph (160 kph) demolished tens of thousands of mud huts in northeastern India, killing at least 76 people, officials said Wednesday.

While elsewhere in the hurricane wars:

182. 2010/04/12: Wunderground: Record Atlantic SSTs continue; very active hurricane season foreseen by CSU and TSR

     And on the Monsoon front:

183. 2010/04/17: EarthTimes: Monsoons will be normal in India and other south Asian nations this year, say weathermen

     As for GHGs:

184. 2010/04/12: QuarkSoup: Carbon Emissions in 2050?
185. 2010/04/16: MoD: Planes vs. volcanoes
186. 2010/04/16: PeakEnergy: Natural Gas Worse for the Planet than Coal? [cuz of CH4 leaks]
187. 2010/04/15: EPA: [links to pdf sections] 2010 U.S. Greenhouse Gas Inventory Report -- Inventory of U.S. Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Sinks: 1990-2008
188. 2010/04/14: Independent(Mt): Average US citizen produces more than double emissions of European
189. 2010/04/14: TStar: Canada reports drop in greenhouse gas emissions
     The federal government is reporting to the United Nations that Canada's greenhouse gas emissions were down in 2008 because of slower economic activity and less reliance on coal-fired power. Canada's total greenhouse gas emissions in 2008 were about 734 megatonnes, which represents a decrease of 16 megatonnes or 2.1 per cent from the updated 2007 total of 750 megatonnes, the government will report to the UN on Thursday.

And in the carbon cycle:

190. 2010/04/15: TreeHugger: New Study Shows Eukaryotic Phytoplankton Accounts for Almost 50% of Ocean's Carbon Fixation
191. 2010/04/15: Eureka: 'Black box' [eukaryotic] plankton found to have huge role in ocean carbon fixation

     Regarding the temperature record:

192. 2010/04/17: Maribo: Record warmth continues in March
193. 2010/04/17: CCP: NOAA's NCDC's State of the Climate, Global Analysis for March 2010: Hottest March ever recorded
194. 2010/04/12: QuarkSoup: Wow: GISS March Temperature
195. 2010/04/13: QuarkSoup: 12-month Temperature Record
196. 2010/04/15: PhysOrg: And the heat goes on: warmest March on record
197. 2010/04/16: TerraDaily: Global temperatures hit hottest March on record: US agency
198. 2010/04/16: Wunderground: Globe has 1st or 2nd warmest March on record; El Niño fades to weak category
199. 2010/04/15: DWWSJ: Global Temps in March- Warmest on Record
200. 2010/04/15: NOAANews: Global Temps Push Last Month to Hottest March on Record
201. 2010/04/13: ClimateShifts: Hottest March and hottest Jan-Feb-March on record: "To talk about global cooling at the end of the hottest decade the planet has experienced in many thousands of years is ridiculous"
202. 2010/04/13: BSD: We have a record - hottest 12 months since modern record-keeping began in 1880
203. 2010/04/13: TCoE: Yep, it's still warming out there
204. 2010/04/12: ClimateP: Bye-bye, global cooling myth: Hottest March and hottest Jan-Feb-March on record

     Aerosols are making their presence felt:

205. 2010/04/16: PhysOrg: Aerosols: From Ash in the Wind to Smoke from the Stack
206. 2010/04/12: PhysOrg: When the air turns brown: Scientists discover reactions that create climate-changing brown carbon aerosol

     While in the paleoclimate:

207. 2010/04/15: Guardian(UK): How an Icelandic volcano helped spark the French Revolution -- Profound effects of eight-month eruption in 1783 caused chaos from US to Egypt, say experts
208. 2010/04/14: NewScientist: Supervolcano [Toba]: How humanity survived its darkest hour
209. 2010/04/15: OhioU: Stalagmite reveals carbon footprint of early Native Americans -- Study finds new evidence of pre-colonial land use patterns
210. 2010/04/15: TreeHugger: Pre-Columbian Farming Helped Increase Amazon Biodiversity
211. 2010/04/12: Springer: Ancient Americans took cold snap in their stride

     While on the ENSO front:

212. 2010/04/12: CCP: El Nino renewed by Kelvin waves

     Regarding the solar hypothesis:

213. 2010/04/16: MGS: Solar Science and Solar Cycle 24

     Meanwhile in near earth orbit:

214. 2010/04/15: NOAANews: NOAA's New "Hurricane Eye in the Sky" and Key Weather Satellite [GOES-13 aka GOES-East] Gets into Position
215. 2010/04/13: ESA: ESA's [CryoSat-2] ice mission delivers first data
216. 2010/04/12: BBC: [Cryosat-2] Ice mission turns on instrument
     The radar instrument on Europe's Cryosat-2 spacecraft has been switched on and is reported to be working well. The satellite, which was launched last Thursday from Kazakhstan, will use the equipment to map the thickness and shape of the Earth's polar ice cover. Controllers must now check all of Cryosat's systems while a calibration team fine-tunes the radar. The science phase of the mission is expected to start in a few months' time and continue through to at least 2013. Cryosat is the latest Earth observation venture to be flown by the European Space Agency (ESA).

Not quite in orbit -- a UAV:

217. 2010/04/14: BBC: NASA drone begins science flights
     An unmanned aircraft, operated by NASA, has successfully started flying scientific research missions over the Pacific Ocean. The Global Hawk drone is a robotic plane that is designed to stay up in the air at very high altitudes for an extended period of time. NASA has acquired three of the aircraft from the United States Air Force...

More GW impacts are being seen:

218. 2010/04/16: VoxEU: Temperature and exports by Benjamin Jones & Benjamin Olken
     What are the likely economic effects of climate change? This column examines the impact of changes in climate on detailed export data. If a poor country is one degree Celsius warmer in a given year, its exports are lower, by as much as 5.7%. While there is no effect on rich countries' exports, their consumers will still suffer from reduced imports at higher prices.
219. 2010/04/15: TEC: Economic Destruction on the Scale of the Two World Wars and Great Depression Combined
220. 2010/04/14: DerSpiegel: Extreme Winter or Climate Change? Experts Baffled by Mass Seal Pup Deaths
     A rash of deaths among young seals along the North Sea coast has puzzled German marine biologists, who wonder whether the deaths represent a worrying trend for the local ecosystem. In Schleswig-Holstein, most of the seal pups born in 2009 have perished.
221. 2010/04/13: Yale360: The Natural World Vanishes: How Species Cease To Matter
     Once, on both sides of the Atlantic, fish such as salmon, eels, and, shad were abundant and played an important role in society, feeding millions and providing a livelihood for tens of thousands. But as these fish have steadily dwindled, humans have lost sight of their significance, with each generation accepting a diminished environment as the new norm.
222. 2010/04/13: SkeptiSci: Flowers blooming earlier now than any time in last 250 years

     And then there are the world's forests:

223. 2010/04/17: TreeHugger: Amazon Deforestation Down 51 Percent From This Time Last Year: So, What's Working?
224. 2010/04/16: Reuters: Rush for REDD could undermine local forest rights
225. 2010/04/15: SeattlePI: Fighting forest fires in Washington state
226. 2010/04/14: ABC(Au): Rancher gets 30 years for US nun's murder
227. 2010/04/13: NewScientist: How interfering humans helped Amazon diversity
228. 2010/04/12: PhysOrg: Traumatized trees: Bug them enough, they get fired up
     Whether forests are dying back, or just drying out, projections for warming show the Pacific Northwest is becoming primed for more wildfires.

Climate refugees are becoming an issue:

229. 2010/04/12: PDInquirer: RP [Philippines] has 1M 'climate refugees,' and count is rising

     Yes we have no wacky weather, except:

230. 2010/04/17: TerraDaily: Tokyo records rare mid-April snow

     As for heatwaves and wild fires:

231. 2010/04/15: CBC: Forest fire season starts early in B.C.
     It's only mid-April, but already, the wildfire season in the B.C. Interior has begun, with six forest fires spotted between Prince George, the Cariboo and the Kootenays. The largest fire burning northwest of Prince George on Eckel Lake Road is already spread over 150 hectares.
232. 2010/04/14: TelegraphIndia: Heat wave claims seven
233. 2010/04/15: ZeeNews: Heat wave sweeps northern and eastern regions; 5 dead
234. 2010/04/13: MySinchew: Heatwave roasts Rio, kills 32 in southern Brazil
235. 2010/04/12: EarthTimes: India reels under searing heat wave
     New Delhi - A severe heat wave has hit India with temperatures across many states hovering between 40 and 45 degrees Celsius, officials said Monday. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) said the temperatures across many cities in the northern, eastern and southern parts ranged from five to seven degrees above normal and people could expect more days of scorching heat and dry winds.
236. 2010/04/12: BBC: An severe heat wave has hit northern and eastern India with temperatures reaching more than 40C (104F). -- Jharsuguda in Orissa state recorded 45C (113F).

     Corals are dying:

237. 2010/04/13: ABC(Au): Coral damage worse than thought: reef authority
     The Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority (GBRMPA) says the coral damage caused by the grounding of the Shen Neng 1 is worse than initially thought. The Chinese coal carrier struck Douglas Shoal off central Queensland more than a week ago and was refloated on Monday night and moved to a safe anchorage near Great Keppel Island. GBRMPA spokesman David Wachenfeld says the ship has left a scar on the reef about three kilometres long and 250 metres wide.

Acidification is changing the oceans:

238. 2010/04/16: TSP: CO2 is tagged as culprit; Shellfish may be latest victims [acidif]

     Glaciers are melting:

239. 2010/04/13: Guardian(UK): Peruvian glacier split triggers deadly tsunami
240. 2010/04/12: Reuters: Glacier breaks in Peru, causing tsunami in Andes
     A huge glacier broke off and plunged into a lake in Peru, causing a 75-foot (23-meter) tsunami wave that swept away at least three people and destroyed a water processing plant serving 60,000 local residents, government officials said on Monday.
241. 2010/04/13: CO2Art: Huge piece of glacier breaks off in Peru - tsunami breaches 75-ft. levees
242. 2010/04/12: WWFCB: Glacier National Park continues to lose its glaciers
243. 2010/04/12: DM:BA: Dramatic glacial retreat caught by NASA satellite
244. 2010/04/11: SpaceDaily: Peru glacier collapses, injures 50

     Sea levels are rising:

245. 2010/04/15: NatureCF: Sea level rise: defence and development
246. 2010/04/13: PhysOrg: Studies agree on a 1 meter rise in sea levels
     New research from several international research groups, including the Niels Bohr Institute at the University of Copenhagen provides independent consensus that IPCC predictions of less than a half a meter rise in sea levels is around 3 times too low. The new estimates show that the sea will rise approximately 1 meter in the next 100 years in agreement with other recent studies. The results have been published in the scientific journal, Geophysical Research Letters.

As for hydrological cycle disruptions [floods & droughts]:

247. 2010/04/14: CSIRO: Ocean salinities show an intensified water cycle
     Evidence that the world's water cycle has already intensified is contained in new research to be published in the American Journal of Climate.
248. 2010/04/15: ABC(Au): Planet's water cycle 'intensifies'
     Scientists say a global network of thousands of underwater robotic buoys has provided further evidence of global warming. The Australian scientist in charge of the 27-nation project says the world's water cycle has intensified. Drier areas are becoming drier and tropical regions are getting wetter as global temperatures rise. Scientists say it is the first accurate measure of changes in the world's oceans. The findings show rainfall patterns are intensifying.
249. 2010/04/14: Google:AFP: Brazil flood toll rises to 246, Rio's Christ statue cut off
250. 2010/04/15: ABC(Au): CSIRO ocean buoys track rainfall changes
     Australian scientists say data collected from underwater buoys will provide a benchmark for measuring global climate change. Scientists have used a network of thousands of robotic buoys to measure water temperatures and levels of salt and fresh water in the world's oceans. They say it is the first accurate measure of changes in the world's oceans. The findings show rainfall patterns are intensifying.
251. 2010/04/14: PhysOrg: Ocean salinities show an intensified water cycle
252. 2010/04/14: IndiaTimes: Brazil flood toll rises to 246
253. 2010/04/12: ABC(Au): Record rainfall transforms Red Centre
     Big summer rains that saturated large parts of central Australia have transformed the usually arid bush landscape in Alice Springs

Elsewhere on the mitigation front:

254. 2010/04/13: WorldChanging: Carbon Neutrality, in Four Graphs
255. 2010/04/12: Grist: The way to carbon neutrality

     Consider transportation & GHG production:

256. 2010/04/16: PeakEnergy: South Africa to Unveil Plans for High Speed Rail Network
257. 2010/04/14: CalcRisk: Rail Traffic increases in March

     While in the endless quest for zero energy, sustainable buildings and practical codes:

258. 2010/04/15: USNWR: Bitten by the Green Design Bug
     [...]
     A sustainability sensibility is sweeping through and transforming the curricula in America's colleges of engineering, as more educators emphasize the importance of designs and solutions that rely on renewable resources. Eighty percent of respondents to a recent survey of U.S. engineering schools by the Center for Sustainable Engineering said they have introduced sustainable engineering material into their classrooms.
259. 2010/04/12: TreeHugger: Polystyrene Insulation Doesn't Belong in Green Building

     Large scale geo-engineering keeps popping up:

260. 2010/04/16: Grist: Who gets rich in a geoengineered world?
261. 2010/04/15: TCoE: Dancing with the devil known as geohacking
262. 2010/04/15: NatureCF: Taming the geoengineering genie
263. 2010/04/13: DM:CCM: The Great Geoengineering Publishing Smackdown of 2010

     While on the adaptation front:

264. 2010/04/14: CCentral: Managers Face the "Coastal Squeeze"
     It wasn't too long ago that "adaptation" was considered a dirty word among those concerned with climate change, due to a fear that talking about adapting to climate change would detract from efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Scientists now generally believe that we have to do both: prepare for the changes to climate that are already in the pipeline, while continuing to curb our carbon emissions habit.

Meanwhile in the journals:

265. 2010/04/12: NERC:NORA: Isotopic composition of carbon dioxide lost by evasion from surface water to the atmosphere: Methodological comparison of a direct and indirect approach by Michael F. Billett & Mark H. Garnett
266. 2010/04/12: NERC:NORA: Direct and continuous measurement of dissolved carbon dioxide in freshwater aquatic systems -- method and applications by Mark S. Johnson et al.
267. 2010/04/14: NERC:NORA: Impact of climate change and other factors on emerging arbovirus diseases by E. A. Gould & S. Higgs
268. 2010/04/16: AGWObserver: Papers on late Pliocene cooling event (3Ma)
269. 2010/04/16: ACP: Do biomass burning aerosols intensify drought in equatorial Asia during El Niño? by M. G. Tosca et al.
270. 2010/04/16: ACP: OMI and MODIS observations of the anomalous 2008-2009 Southern Hemisphere biomass burning seasons by O. Torres et al.
271. 2010/04/16: ACP: Analysis of global and regional CO burdens measured from space between 2000 and 2009 and validated by ground-based solar tracking spectrometers by L. Yurganov et al.
272. 2010/04/16: ACP: Numerical simulation of tropospheric injection of biomass burning products by pyro-thermal plumes by C. Rio et al.
273. 2010/04/16: ACPD: The spatial distribution of mineral dust and its shortwave radiative forcing over North Africa: modeling sensitivities to dust emissions and aerosol size treatments by C. Zhao et al.
274. 2010/04/16: ACPD: Impacts of absorbing biomass burning aerosol on the climate of southern Africa: a Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory GCM sensitivity study by C. A. Randles & V. Ramaswamy
275. 2010/04/16: CP: Productivity feedback did not terminate the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum (PETM) by A. Torfstein et al.
276. 2010/04/14: CP: Abrupt climate changes of the last deglaciation detected in a Western Mediterranean forest record by W. J. Fletcher et al.
277. 2010/04/13: CP: Simulation of the last glacial cycle with a coupled climate ice-sheet model of intermediate complexity by A. Ganopolski et al.
278. 2010/04/14: CPD: Effects of CO2, continental distribution, topography and vegetation changes on the climate at the Middle Miocene: a model study by A.-J. Henrot et al.
279. 2010/04/15: ACP: Global atmospheric budget of acetaldehyde: 3-D model analysis and constraints from in-situ and satellite observations by D. B. Millet et al.
280. 2010/04/12: ACP: Study on the impact of sudden stratosphere warming in the upper mesosphere-lower thermosphere regions using satellite and HF radar measurements by N. Mbatha et al.
281. 2010/04/13: ACPD: Updraft and downdraft characterization with Doppler lidar: cloud-free versus cumuli-topped mixed-layer by A. Ansmann et al.
282. 2010/04/15: ACPD: Contributions to stratospheric ozone changes from ozone depleting substances and greenhouse gases by D. A. Plummer et al.
283. 2010/04/15: ACPD: Atmospheric pollutant outflow from southern Asia: a review by M. G. Lawrence & J. Lelieveld
284. 2010/04/15: ACPD: Climate effects of seasonally varying biomass burning emitted carbonaceous aerosols (BBCA) by G.-R. Jeong & C. Wang
285. 2010/04/14: ACPD: Preliminary estimation of black carbon deposition from Nepal Climate Observatory-Pyramid data and its possible impact on snow albedo changes over Himalayan glaciers during the pre-monsoon season by T. J. Yasunari et al.
286. 2010/04/13: PNAS: Climate as a contributing factor in the demise of Angkor, Cambodia by Brendan M. Buckley et al.
287. 2010/04/13: PNAS: Evidence for the role of organics in aerosol particle formation under atmospheric conditions by Axel Metzger et al.
288. 2010/04/13: PNAS: Light changes the atmospheric reactivity of soot by Maria Eugenia Monge et al.
289. 2010/04/13: PNAS: Atmospheric chemistry in volcanic plumes by Roland von Glasow
290. 2010/04/13: PNAS: [Letter$] Atmospheric Chemistry [special series]
291. 2010/04/13: PNAS: [Letter$] Mass extinctions of life and catastrophic flood basalt volcanism by Michael R. Rampino
292. 2010/04/13: PNAS: [Letter$] Reply to Bunch et al.: Younger Dryas impact proponents challenge new platinum group elements and osmium data unsupportive of their hypothesis by François S. Paquay et al.
293. 2010/04/13: PNAS: [Letter$] Geochemical data reported by Paquay et al. do not refute Younger Dryas impact event by Ted E. Bunch et al.
294. 2010/04/14: ERL: Are cold winters in Europe associated with low solar activity? by M Lockwood et al.
295. 2010/02/14: RSPA: Solar change and climate: an update in the light of the current exceptional solar minimum by Mike Lockwood
296. 2010/04/03: GRL: (ab$) How will sea level respond to changes in natural and anthropogenic forcings by 2100? by S. Jevrejeva et al.

     And other significant documents:

297. 2009//: IISD: [link to 639k pdf] Desperate Times, Desperate Measures: Advancing the geoengineering debate at the Arctic Council
298. 2010/04/16: TCoE: [link to 3.1meg pdf] Doc alert: Joint Operating Environment 2010
299. 2010/04/15: EPA: [links to pdf sections] 2010 U.S. Greenhouse Gas Inventory Report -- Inventory of U.S. Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Sinks: 1990-2008

     As for miscellaneous science:

300. 2010/04/12: UppsalaInitiative: Overwhelming majority of Swedish climate researchers back consensus view on climate change
301. 2010/04/14: NewScientist: Global challenges: What the world's scientists say
302. 2010/04/14: Scotsman: Lighthouse keepers' logbooks shed light on climate change

     Regarding Mclean:

303. 2010/04/12: MoD: Comments, peer-review and censorship

     Meanwhile on the Kyoto front:

304. 2010/04/16: TEC: Underwhelming Progress by the CDM?

     While at the UN:

305. 2010/04/16: Xinhua: UN climate adviser seeks top post at UNFCCC
     The top climate change adviser for the United Nations has been nominated to head the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), a UN spokesperson confirmed on Thursday. Hungarian Janos Pasztor, who advises UN Secretary-general Ban Ki-moon on climate change, has been nominated by Hungary's president for the candidacy of executive secretary of the UNFCCC, said spokesperson Martin Nesirky. It is uncustomary for the UN to reveal the names of candidates for the world body's open positions, but because Pasztor works closely with the UNFCCC, which raises suspicions of a conflict of interest, an exception was made, Nesirky said.
306. 2010/04/13: NDTV: Pakistan joins bid for position of UN climate chief

     And on the carbon trading front:

307. 2010/04/15: Reuters: Western Climate [Initiative] group sees carbon at $33/ton in 2020
     A cap-and-trade market to slow climate change in Western U.S. states and Canadian provinces expects carbon dioxide to trade for about $33 per ton in 2020, an economist for the group said on Wednesday, outlining highlights of a new, unreleased analysis.
308. 2010/04/15: PlanetArk: EU Benchmark Carbon Closes At New 2010 High
309. 2010/04/13: BBerg: Hungary Seeks to 'Clear Its Name,' Asks for CO2 Trader's Data

     The idea of a carbon tax is still bouncing around:

310. 2010/04/14: TCoE: The search for a non-taxing carbon tax

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

311. 2010/04/16: TEC: The Social Cost of Carbon - "The most important number you've never heard of."
312. 2010/04/13: TEC: Cap and Trade: Right Debate, Wrong Solution
313. 2010/04/13: VoxEU: Why cap-and-trade should (and does) have appeal to politicians by Robert W Hahn & Robert N. Stavins
     Are cap-and-trade schemes working? This column presents a summary of eight existing schemes arguing that half meet the independence property whereby the initial allocation of property rights does not affect the environmental or social outcome and the scheme is cost-effective. This success is a contrast with other policy proposals where political bargaining reduces the effectiveness and drives up cost.

As for GW, energy & security:

314. 2010/04/16: UPI: Climate change a global security threat, says strategic study
     Climate change is a global security threat that affluent nations as well as poor states need to confront at whatever cost to head off a catastrophic chain of events, the London International Institute for Strategic Studies said in a new study.
315. 2010/04/16: TerraDaily: Climate change 'a global security threat'
     Climate change is a global security threat that affluent nations as well as poor states need to confront at whatever cost to head off a catastrophic chain of events, the London International Institute for Strategic Studies said in a new study.
316. 2010/04/16: TCoE: [link to 3.1meg pdf] Doc alert: Joint Operating Environment 2010
317. 2010/04/15: Guardian(UK): Climate change is not a terrorist matter
     The use of a specialist extremist intelligence unit in investigating the hacked UEA emails is part of a disturbing trend in policing

The issue of the law and activism is playing out around the world as nations scramble to deal with climate change:

318. 2010/04/16: CCurrents: Daniel McGowan [green scare defendant]

     What are the activists up to?

319. 2010/04/17: TreeHugger: Protesting Orangutans Invade Nestle Shareholders' Meeting
320. 2010/04/15: MongaBay: Nestle shareholder meeting interrupted by Greenpeace orangutans

     Among the world's religions:

321. 2010/04/12: TerraDaily: Muslims urged to tackle climate change
     An international Muslim conference on climate change concluded Saturday with The Bogor Declaration, stressing the need to prevent climate change through education. Approximately 150 people, including environmental experts, scientists, religious clerics and organization leaders, from 14 countries participated in the two-day conference in Bogor, Indonesia. Participants suggested that sustainability messages could be delivered to followers through the mosques and called for the establishment of eco-friendly Islamic boarding schools, The Jakarta Post reports.

Polls! We have polls!

322. 2010/04/17: LVRJ: Poll: Nevada skeptical of global warming -- Most think theory unproven; measure unpopular
323. 2010/04/12: TreeHugger: Americans No Greener In Past Decade, Environmental Activism Declining: New Gallup Poll

     Regarding farm practices and global warming:

324. 2010/04/13: Euractiv: Ciolos, kicks off debate on future EU farm policy
     In his first exchange of views with the European Parliament on the reform of the EU's Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), Agriculture Commissioner Dacian Ciolos, highlighted farmers' potential to deliver the bloc's new economic strategy for 2020. The reformed CAP can make "a major contribution" to the EU's new strategy for sustainable economic growth, dubbed 'Europe 2020', said Ciolos,, addressing the Parliament's agriculture committee yesterday (12 April). Referring to the CAP as "the engine of growth in the countryside," Ciolos, said the EU's future farm policy would play an essential role in encouraging sustainable natural resource use in agriculture. EU Environment Commissioner Janez Potoc(nik has also called for a "profound greening" of EU farm policy to make the CAP deliver sustainable agricultural practices...

Regarding Water Politics and Business:

325. 2010/04/16: TerraDaily: Arab-Israeli water feuds get worse
326. 2010/04/16: PlanetArk: South Africa Looks To Sea To Meet Growing Water Demand
     South Africa will increasingly use desalinated seawater to meet growing demand for drinking water in coastal towns facing the worst drought in 150 years, the country's water minister said Thursday. South Africa is a water-scarce country with an average rainfall of 450 millimeters -- compared to a world average of 860 mm -- and conditions are expected to worsen as a result of global climate warming.
327. 2010/04/14: TerraDaily: Argentina-Uruguay row goes to World Court
328. 2010/04/15: AlterNet: What's the Single Biggest Misuse of Water in the US?
329. 2010/04/13: JFleck: The Implications of Uncertainty in Administering Upper Basin Shortage
330. 2010/04/14: BBC: Arab-Israeli row thwarts Med deal
     A row about how to name the Israeli-occupied Palestinian territories has scuppered a 43-nation scheme for managing Mediterranean water resources. The Mediterranean Union conference in Barcelona had hammered out 99% of a draft text, delegates said. But the deal failed when Israel and Arab countries disagreed over how to describe the Palestinian territories. Israel objected to "occupied territories", while "territories under occupation" did not suit the Arab bloc. The United Nations has warned that almost 300 million people in the Mediterranean region will face water shortages by 2025.

And on the American political front:

331. 2010/04/16: CSW: "Goofball weathermen, Climategate, conspiracy theories" the distraction we're looking for?
332. 2010/04/15: NRDC:SwitchBoard: Californians Know Better
333. 2010/04/16: NOAANews: NOAA Celebrates Recovery Act Projects during Earth Week -- Recovery Act projects nationwide create and support green jobs restoring fish and wildlife habitat
334. 2010/04/16: CBC: [Former U.S. president Bill] Clinton speaks climate change in Windsor
335. 2010/04/14: SolveClimate: Study: Minority Communities Suffer Most If California Suspends AB 32
336. 2010/04/15: WarmingLaw: Justice Stevens's Approach to the Environment: Follow the Law
337. 2010/04/14: Grist: Who loses if California's climate law is halted?
338. 2010/04/15: NRDC:SwitchBoard: Carbon Crossroads: California can tackle toxic air while beating back global warming pollution
339. 2010/04/15: DM:SRK: Is Our Scientists Learning?
340. 2010/04/15: RegisterGuard: [Oregon] Governor urges climate consensus -- Government alone can't drive changes, he says
     At a Eugene lecture on climate change on Wednesday, Gov. Ted Kulongoski sought to sidestep skeptics by framing the discussion around energy independence and social equity. If there's consensus on anything, the governor said, it's that ending the country's reliance on foreign sources of fossil fuels is good for the economy and the environment.
341. 2010/04/14: PlanetArk: Special Report: Are Regulators Dropping The Ball On Biocrops?
342. 2010/04/14: SF Gate: Calif. climate law could help poor, minority areas
343. 2010/04/13: BBerg: Chinese Turbines in Texas Spur 'Buy American' Push
     Chinese turbines powered by west Texas winds are sparking a debate over whether "Buy American" rules should be imposed on renewable-energy investments backed by the U.S. government.
344. 2010/04/13: TEC: Feed-In Tariff is the Answer for Los Angeles Residents and Utilities, Study Shows
345. 2010/04/13: CrossCut: Why clean energy means national security
     As a veteran, I've served in a fight that was largely about oil. By passing clean energy legislation, Congress can promote national security -- as well as jobs and a healthy climate.
346. 2010/04/12: TP: Cuccinelli mocks dangers of CO2, telling Tea Partiers to hold their breath and make the EPA happy
347. 2010/04/12: SolveClimate: What L.A. Could Learn from Ontario as It Stumbles Toward a Solar Feed-In Tariff -- Current Los Angeles Proposals Won't Attract Enough Installations, Report Finds
348. 2010/04/12: PlanetArk: Shell Gets Key Alaska Permit For Beaufort Drilling
349. 2010/04/10: RawStory: Palin: America does not need 'this snake oil science stuff'

     After the UBB disaster, the US coal industry is coming in for a lot of attention:

350. 2010/04/18: WaPo: W.Va. mine disaster calls attention to revolving door between industry, government
     More than 200 former congressional staff members, federal regulators and lawmakers are employed by the mining industry as lobbyists, consultants or senior executives, including dozens who work for coal companies with the worst safety records in the nation, a Washington Post analysis shows. The revolving door has also brought industry officials into government as policy aides in Congress or officials of the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA), which enforces safety standards. The movement between industry and government allows both to benefit from crucial expertise, but mining safety experts say it often has led to a regulatory system tilted toward coal company interests. That, they say, has put miners at risk and left behind a flawed enforcement system that probably contributed to this month's Massey Energy mine explosion in West Virginia.
351. 2010/04/16: CSW: Markey presses coal CEOs on climate change denialism, future of the industry in a low carbon economy
352. 2010/04/15: DVoice: CEO of Massey Energy, Don Blankenship, Should Be Criminally Charged
353. 2010/04/16: CDreams: A Coal Miner's Catastrophe: Big Coal--Big Lies
354. 2010/04/15: HillHeat: Massey Energy Criticizes President Obama
355. 2010/04/15: HillHeat: President Obama's Remarks on the Massey Energy Coal Mine Disaster
356. 2010/04/15: TP:WR: Blankenship Attempts Damage Control: 'I Don't Think Anybody's Head Has To Roll'
357. 2010/04/15: TreeHugger: Massey Energy Shareholders: Fire Don Blankenship
358. 2010/04/13: Grist: Mining industry invests in politicans; stopped mine safety laws
359. 2010/04/14: Grist: Coal-fired criticism and denial -- Coal Execs Taken to Task On Capitol Hill
360. 2010/04/13: Reuters: Massey faces shareholder anger over mine disaster
     Some investor groups are calling for the head of Massey Energy (MEE.N) to resign, blaming his attitude toward safety for the mine blast that killed 29 at a company mine in West Virginia.
361. 2010/04/13: TP: Shareholders call on Massey Energy to fire Don Blankenship
362. 2010/04/12: PRNewsWire: CtW Investment Group Calls On Massey Board to Immediately Seek CEO Blankenship's Resignation
363. 2010/04/13: TP:WR: Limbaugh Sarcastically Admits Don Blankenship Is 'For Big Profit At The Expense Of The Working Man'
364. 2010/04/13: AlterNet: Groups Call for Arrest of West Virginia Mine CEO
     A coalition of NGOs say Don Blankenship is "as criminally culpable as any mass murderer" for the mine disaster because he had systematically worked to avoid safety regulations.
365. 2010/04/12: TP: Don Blankenship Called Safety Regulators 'As Silly As Global Warming'

     The Obama chatter is nonstop:

366. 2010/04/16: Reuters: Obama will focus on energy bill after bank reform
     President Barack Obama said on Friday his administration would shift its focus to climate and energy legislation after finishing financial regulatory reform, which he said would take a few more weeks.
367. 2010/04/17: CSM: Obama's gambit to marry US policies on environment and energy
     The president has integrated energy security goals with environment policy, focusing on renewable power. But his effort won't succeed, analysts say, unless Congress agrees to put a price on carbon emissions.
368. 2010/04/15: BBerg: Obama Wind Farm Goals Threatened by Indian Rites, Kennedy Wish
369. 2010/04/13: TheMark: No More Global NIMBYism
     Obama's offshore drilling decision should be used as a chance to shift environmentalism into the 21st century.
370. 2010/04/12: NYT:GW: White House Rhetoric May Signal Climate-Bill Surge

     The actions of the Obama administration are being watched closely:

371. 2010/04/16: Grist: Will an SEC ruling convert short-term greed into long-term sustainability?
372. 2010/04/15: NYT: Obama's Chief of Staff Huddles With Enviro Leaders to Discuss Climate Bill
     President Obama's chief of staff summoned environmental leaders and other key administration allies to the White House today to discuss energy and climate legislation expected to be released in the Senate on April 26. Rahm Emanuel met for about 30 minutes with a group that included League of Conservation Voters President Gene Karpinski, Sierra Club Chairman Carl Pope, Center for American Progress President John Podesta, Environmental Defense Fund President Fred Krupp, Natural Resources Defense Council President Frances Beinecke, National Wildlife Federation President Larry Schweiger and Sheila O'Connell of Unity '09, a Democratic umbrella group.
373. 2010/04/15: SolveClimate: U.S., Development Bank Launch Incubator to Help Clean Energy Projects Grow
374. 2010/04/14: SolveClimate: Picking Winners: Obama Budget Shifts Tax Incentives Toward Renewables
375. 2010/04/15: TreeHugger: Rubber Stamping is Out: Energy Star to Close a Giant Loophole
376. 2010/04/14: EPA: U.S. EPA, DOE Announce Changes to Bolster Energy Star Program
377. 2010/04/14: ScienceInsider: Geological Survey to Review Impacts of Arctic Drilling
378. 2010/04/12: CSW: Draft of 5th U.S. Climate Action Report required by climate treaty posted for 28-day public review

     After Bonn, a confidential document left on a harddrive revealed the Obama strategy:

379. 2010/04/12: Guardian(UK): Confidential document reveals Obama's hardline US climate talk strategy
     Document outlines key messages the Obama administration wants to convey in the run-up to UN climate talks in Mexico in November
380. 2010/04/12: TreeHugger: Leaked Confidential Document Reveals Obama's Climate Strategy

     Obama held a nuclear security summit that touched on energy:

381. 2010/04/14: BBC: Harrabin's Notes: Nuclear summit's ripple effect
     [...] President Obama's nuclear security summit in Washington DC has thrown a little-discussed issue into the headlines. While it's there we might ponder more deeply on our relationship with radioactivity. Because President Obama's warning that a terrorist attack with stolen nuclear material is the greatest threat to humanity sits a little uneasily alongside the assertion from the former UK chief scientist David King that climate change is our biggest threat - necessitating a global drive towards nuclear power.
382. 2010/04/15: BNC: Analysis of the 2010 Nuclear Summit and the obsession with highly enriched uranium

     As for what is going on in Congress:

383. 2010/04/14: TP:WR: [Rep. Jay] Inslee (D-Wa): 'Mine Safety Is As Silly As Global Warming'
384. 2010/04/14: Guardian(UK): Big coal gets frosty reception at Congress climate hearing
385. 2010/04/11: BSD: Actually, a criminal inquiry by a powerful Senator is kind of a big deal [Pielke, Inhofe]

     Kerry-Boxer, Waxman-Markey, KGL, Cantwell-Collins or whatever -- the future climate bill -- defines a battleline:

386. 2010/04/17: TreeHugger: Can The White House Bring Along the Chamber of Commerce On The Climate Bill?
387. 2010/04/17: TP:WR: [10] Brown Dog Democrats Call For Green Economy Bill To Rebuild American Manufacturing
388. 2010/04/15: TheHill:e2W: Manufacturing state Dems lay out climate bill demands
     Ten Senate Democrats on Thursday offered the architects of upcoming climate legislation a detailed list of measures they say are needed to protect and boost U.S. manufacturing. The letter -- spearheaded by Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) -- comes ahead of the planned April 26 unveiling of the long-awaited climate and energy bill authored by Sens. John Kerry (D-Mass.), Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) and Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.).
389. 2010/04/15: BizGreen: Report: Climate bill to stop EPA from regulating carbon
390. 2010/04/16: TreeHugger: Climate Bill Launch Moved From Earth Day--To Ditch Green Association?
391. 2010/04/15: ClimateP: Senate [KGL] bipartisan climate and clean energy jobs bill set for launch April 26
392. 2010/04/15: NRDC:SwitchBoard: We Need EPA's Authority: Would You Fly a Plane without a Backup Engine? [KGL]
393. 2010/04/15: Reuters: US Senate climate bill would end EPA/state programs
     Climate control legislation being developed in the U.S. Senate would prohibit the Environmental Protection Agency from regulating carbon dioxide emissions and end state and regional "cap and trade" programs, a Senate source told Reuters on Wednesday. The compromise bill, which might be unveiled sometime next week, aims to reduce U.S. smokestack emissions of carbon and other greenhouse gases blamed for global warming by 17 percent by 2020, from 2005 levels. It would set in place a national program for the carbon pollution reductions and replace state and regional programs, according to the source, who is familiar with the legislation being drafted.
394. 2010/04/14: NYT:CW: Senate Leader Set to Take Command of Climate Bill
     Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) is about to take over as stage manager in the uphill push to pass comprehensive climate and energy legislation. Next week, Reid will be handed the reins of the bill to cap greenhouse gas emissions while expanding domestic oil, gas and nuclear power production. His challenge could not be tougher. Along with the climate measure, he must juggle a packed Senate agenda that includes Wall Street reform, a Supreme Court nomination and more economic recovery plans. Reid is also facing perhaps the toughest re-election campaign of his career this fall. "I'm going to do everything I can," Reid said yesterday. In an effort to keep the bill in Reid's hands, the sponsors -- Sens. John Kerry (D-Mass.), Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) and Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.) won't officially introduce the bill in the Senate when they unveil it to the public next week. "If we introduce it, it'll get referred to committees," Lieberman said. "We want him to be able to work with it and bring it out onto the floor as a leader whenever he's ready."
395. 2010/04/14: NatJo: ETA For Climate Bill? Not On Earth Day
396. 2010/04/13: Grist: Sens. Kerry and Graham to unveil climate bill next week
397. 2010/04/14: Grist: Notable quotable -- Graham doesn't want climate bill associated with Earth Day
398. 2010/04/14: LA Times: Senators consider gasoline tax as part of climate bill
     Estimates put it in the range of 15 cents a gallon. Some oil companies are on board with the plan because it would cost them far less than other proposals to cut greenhouse gas emissions
399. 2010/04/14: TheHill:e2W: Kerry meets with key House Dems on climate bill
400. 2010/04/12: TheHill:e2W: [Senate Majority Leader Harry] Reid (D-Nev.) 'pushing very hard' for climate bill
401. 2010/04/13: ClimateP: Reid reaffirms plans for floor debate on bipartisan climate and clean energy jobs bill
402. 2010/04/11: NYT: Don't Think That Cap-and-Trade Is Over
403. 2010/04/11: WaPo: Senators prepare compromise climate change bill [KGL]
404. 2010/04/12: RollCall: U.S. Must Lead on Climate Change by Sen. John Kerry

     What are the lobbyists pushing?

405. 2010/04/17: TEC: T. Boone Pickens Sponsored Natural Gas Act
406. 2010/04/13: PRWatch: Corn Ethanol Industry Trying to Butter Up Congress, Public
407. 2010/04/14: SolveClimate: Coal Barons Urge Capitol Hill: No Carbon Regulation Until CCS Is in Place -- Leaders of Peabody, Arch Coal and Rio Tinto also Sound Off on Mine Safety
408. 2010/04/14: ColumbusDispatch: Companies tell Congress they need more time to clean coal
409. 2010/04/13: NRDC:SwitchBoard: Big Coal's "Stealth Mode" Campaign to Kill the Climate Bill

     While in the UK:

410. 2010/04/13: Guardian(UK): At least 10% of new homes fail energy efficiency test
     Official figures show a high number of new homes don't comply with legal standards to cut carbon emissions and utility bills
411. 2010/04/12: Guardian(UK): The rising tide of coastal erosion

     The upcoming election is generating traffic:

412. 2010/04/16: Guardian(UK): General election 2010: What is your MP's environmental record?
413. 2010/04/15: Guardian(UK): General election 2010 -- Why I won't be voting Green
414. 2010/04/15: Guardian(UK): General election 2010 -- Vote for the Green party so climate goals can be met with a fairer society
415. 2010/04/15: Guardian(UK): General election 2010 -- The environment: not an election issue
416. 2010/04/12: Guardian(UK): Labour election manifesto: weak, not tough, on causes of climate change

     And in Europe:

417. 2010/04/16: DerSpiegel: Buying Back their Infrastructure -- Small Towns Take On the Energy Giants
     After selling off their electricity and gas networks to large energy corporations in the early 1990s, small towns in Germany are now banding together to buy back their energy infrastructure. Their bid to get into the energy market may provide opportunities to make money, but it also involves taking on the energy giants at their own game.
418. 2010/04/16: EurActiv: De Boer: EU 2020 climate targets 'a piece of cake'
     Yvo de Boer, executive secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), said the EU has failed to convince the developing world that it is serious about global warming.
419. 2010/04/16: PeakEnergy: 100% renewables 'feasible by 2050', EU told
420. 2010/04/15: EurActiv: Belgian anti-wind campaigners vent fury at EU
     A group of citizens from the Belgian town of Estinnes near the French border have appealed to the European Commission to stop a wind farm being developed in their backyard. The local residents, supported by Belgian anti-wind organisation 'VentdeRaison', wrote to European Commission President José Manuel Barroso on 13 April arguing that the wind farm is making the inhabitants of nearby villages suffer from insomnia, migraines and even depression. Currently, six out of eleven planned wind turbines have been mounted at the Estinnes wind farm.
421. 2010/04/15: EurActiv: 100% renewables 'feasible by 2050', EU told
     The EU could cut its emissions by more than 90% by 2050 by moving to produce all its energy from renewable sources, according to the European Renewable Energy Council (EREC), an industry group.
422. 2010/04/14: EurActiv: Regions disappointed by 'Europe 2020' energy plans
     The EU's new flagship initiative for boosting growth and employment in Europe is surprisingly similar to the failed Lisbon Strategy, according to Klaus Klipp, general secretary of the Assembly of European Regions (AER). He told EurActiv Germany in an interview that energy policy was a case in point.
423. 2010/04/14: EurActiv: EU shown 2050 path to renewables-based economy
     Europe could meet at least 80% of its energy needs from renewables by 2050 without paying more for electricity than it would by continuing with current fossil-fuel based infrastructure, according to a new report by the European Climate Foundation (ECF). The 'Roadmap 2050' report, published on 13 April, lays down pathways for decarbonising the EU's power sector in order to cut greenhouse gases by at least 80% by 2050.
424. 2010/04/14: EurActiv: Brussels gets cold feet on financial transactions tax
     The idea of introducing a global financial transaction tax to combat speculation is losing momentum in the European Union ahead of a key G20 meeting in Washington. In an internal paper, the European Commission says a tax would be costly for business and government alike and would be ineffective in fighting speculators. Despite several announcements that it favours a wider version of a global Tobin Tax (see 'Background'), the European Union seems unlikely to agree a common position to take to an upcoming meeting of G20 finance ministers set to take place in Washington at the end of April.
425. 2010/04/14: PlanetArk: Europe Needs Carbon-Free Power Sector Fast: Report
426. 2010/04/14: PlanetArk: Arctic Oil Drilling Threatens Norway Government
     A classic battle pitting the oil industry against environmentalists and fishermen in Norway's Arctic seas is set to intensify on Thursday when the most thorough environmental study of the project to date is released. Extracting oil from the chilly waters off the Lofoten and Vesteraalen islands is so divisive it could wreck the ruling Labour Party's coalition in this Nordic state that is the world's fifth largest oil and third largest gas exporter but also sees itself as a leader in environmental policies.
427. 2010/04/13: Euractiv: Ciolos, kicks off debate on future EU farm policy
428. 2010/04/13: BBerg: EU Climate Plan Is Achievable, Can Cut Energy Bills
     Europe can cut greenhouse gas emissions by 80 percent and reduce its energy bill by 350 billion euros ($476 billion) a year by 2050 if it acts within five years, according to the European Climate Foundation. The 27-nation European Union is poised to lower carbon- dioxide discharges by 20 percent in this decade from 1990 levels and aims to reduce pollution by 80 percent to 95 percent in the next four decades. The goal is reachable, and zero-carbon electricity can be provided as reliably and economically as now, the group said in a report published in Brussels today.
429. 2010/04/12: EUO: Biofuel findings put pressure on EU commission to change policy
     The European Commission is under pressure to alter EU-wide agreed targets of replacing 10 percent of fossil fuels with renewable energy by 2020, as its own internal studies have proven that biofuels have a negative impact on the environment and food production. EU energy commissioner Guenther Oettinger is considering a re-think of policies towards spurring the use of biofuels gained from crops such as rapeseed and palm oil, as they can lead to mass deforestation and food supply disruptions, Financial Times Deutschland reports.

Meanwhile in Australia:

430. 2010/04/18: BNC: Prospects for coordinated global action on climate change
431. 2010/04/16: ABC(Au): Victorian Planning Minister Justin Madden has ruled that a 14-turbine wind farm near Ballan will not need an environmental effects statement
432. 2010/04/16: ABC(Au): Gas prices to follow electricity skywards -- After a major hike in electricity prices in New South Wales, it appears that gas bills will also rise
433. 2010/04/14: ABC(Au): Geothermal plant to be commissioned 2012
     Residents of Innamincka will have to wait until early 2012 for the commissioning of a geothermal power plant, set to replace diesel generators as their power source. The geothermal company, Geodynamics, plans to develop a one-megawatt power plant to supply the town's 12 residents and prove that it can harness hot-rock energy for general use.
434. 2010/04/14: ABC(Au): Locusts ravage NSW, cross Victorian border
     Locusts have wiped out thousands of hectares of crops in central-west NSW and are being reported in parts of northern Victoria. The pest insects are estimated to have decimated about 10,000 hectares of wheat and barley in the Forbes district, and early sown crops around Parkes have also been destroyed.
435. 2010/04/14: ABC(Au): Queensland Minister for Tourism Peter Lawlor says the five areas participating in the Sustainable Regions Project have reduced their carbon footprint by more than 1,000 tonnes of CO2 per year
436. 2010/04/14: ABC(Au): Flood rain reaches Murray-Darling Basin
     A river expert says water from the Paroo River in south-west Queensland is flowing into the Darling River in New South Wales for the first time in 20 years.
437. 2010/04/13: SolveClimate: Feeling the Heat Down Under When it Comes to Climate Change -- A Look at the Challenges to Building a Low-Carbon Economy in Australia
438. 2010/04/13: ABC(Au): Hydrology research centre for Wellington
     More than $3 million in federal money has been allocated to develop an internationally significant hydrology research centre near Wellington in central New South Wales.
439. 2010/04/13: ABC(Au): Minister offers reassurance on SW oil plan
     Federal Resources Minister Martin Ferguson says any proposal to drill for oil off the South West coast would have to clear all environmental hurdles.

And China:

440. 2010/04/15: UN: China should seek low carbon future to preserve economic gains, says UN report

     While in Japan:

441. 2010/04/15: PhysOrg: Japan want 50% of new cars green by 2020
     Japan's Economy, Trade and Industry Ministry has announced a strategy that calls for boosting eco-friendly vehicles' share of domestic new car sales to as high as 50 percent by 2020, from the current 9 percent.

And elsewhere in Asia:

442. 2010/04/12: Reuters: [South Korea's] LG [Group] to invest $18 billion [thru 2020] in eco business, cutting emissions

     While in Africa:

443. 2010/04/16: WMO: The First Conference of Ministers Responsible for Meteorology in Africa adopts the Nairobi Declaration

     And South America:

444. 2010/04/16: TerraDaily: Brazil Amazon [Belo Monte] dam project gets new go-ahead
445. 2010/04/17: BBC: Judge allows bids for Brazil dam
     A Brazilian court has overturned a ruling that could have delayed building a massive dam on an Amazon tributary. A judge ruled bidding can go ahead next week for contracts to build the Belo Monte dam on the River Xingu.
446. 2010/04/16: PlanetArk: Brazil Amazon Dam Creates Headache For Lula
     Brazil's plan to build the world's third-largest hydroelectric dam in the Amazon is drawing scathing criticism from a rare combination of investors and environmentalists, creating a potential political headache for President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva. Lula vigorously insists the Belo Monte dam, which may cost as much as $17 billion, will bring jobs to poor communities in the Amazon rain forest and ensure electricity supplies for one of the world's fastest-growing economies.
447. 2010/04/13: Grist: 'Avatar' director Cameron urges Brazil to stop dam project
448. 2010/04/11: BBC: Brazil's divisive north-east river project

     In Canada, minority neocon PM Harper, continues his do-nothing policy:

449. 2010/04/17: MoD: The tradition of inaction continues
450. 2010/04/15: G&M: Ottawa stalls on emissions rules -- Government waiting for the United States to decide how it will impose climate-change regulations before acting here
     Environment Minister Jim Prentice is signalling further delays in imposing greenhouse gas emission standards on the oil sector and other industries, saying Ottawa does not want to lose jobs and investment by driving activity out of the country. The Conservative government is waiting for the United States to decide how it will impose climate-change regulations before acting here. And the U.S. Congress could take up to two years to pass legislation that sets caps on greenhouse gas emissions, Mr. Prentice told a Senate committee Thursday.

More reaction on the Tories cancelling the EcoEnergy plan:

451. 2010/04/16: TEC: Energy auditors speak out, and they're angry

     The Mackenzie Valley Pipeline hearings went down this week:

452. 2010/04/16: CBC: Don't OK pipeline without land claim: Dehcho [First Nations]
     The Mackenzie Valley pipeline being proposed in the Northwest Territories should not go ahead until all outstanding related land claims are settled, representatives of the Dehcho First Nations argued this week. Leaders with the aboriginal organization, which represents several Dehcho communities along the pipeline's proposed route, presented their position Thursday to the National Energy Board (NEB). Among the First Nations that would be affected by the 1,200-kilometre natural gas pipeline, the Dehcho are the only ones to not have signed a land claim settlement with the federal government yet. The NEB is holding hearings this week on the $16.2-billion pipeline project being proposed by a corporate consortium led by Imperial Oil.
453. 2010/04/12: CBC: Final Mackenzie pipeline hearings to start
     [If approved by regulatory agencies, a 1,200-kilometre natural gas pipeline would be built through the Northwest Territories' Mackenzie Valley from the Beaufort Sea to a hub in northern Alberta.] The Mackenzie Gas Project's backers and critics have one last chance to make their arguments to the National Energy Board, which is set to begin hearings Monday into the long-proposed Arctic gas pipeline. Members of the energy board, an independent federal agency that must decide whether to approve the $16.2-billion proposed pipeline project, are in Yellowknife this week to hear final arguments from pipeline proponents and various interveners.

The Tories and the maternal healthcare issue percolates in the background of the upcoming G20 meeting:

454. 2010/04/16: BCLSB: Maternal Health Compromise Emerges

     In BC, wrangling over energy is rampant:

455. 2010/04/17: CBC: Decision on massive B.C. hydro project could be near
     The province is about to announce a decision on the decades-old proposal to build a massive hydroelectric-generating dam, known as Site C, in northeastern B.C., says Energy Minister Blair Lekstrom. Lekstrom won't say exactly when the government plans to announce the decision, but suggests it will be soon because the province has promised to deliver a decision in spring 2010. The Site C megaproject near Fort St. John would cost an estimated $6 billion, but would produce enough electricity to power 460,000 homes. Heralded by some as B.C.'s energy saviour since the 1970s, the project has been reviled by environmentalists and farmers because of the amount of land it would flood.
456. 2010/04/13: CanWest: Dispute keeps Grouse Mountain's wind turbine from turning -- BC Hydro not satisfied with project so it won't sign off to allow electricity production on the ski hill
     Grouse Mountain's Eye of the Wind -- the wind turbine it built to generate 25 per cent of the power it uses -- is now in the eye of the storm, a storm between the mountain resort and BC Hydro about what needs to be done for BC Hydro to allow Grouse Mountain to generate electricity. Grouse Mountain needs BC Hydro to sign off on its power generation, to allow the wind turbine to interconnect with BC Hydro's system. For that to happen Grouse has to satisfy BC Hydro that all the safeguards are in place so that other BC Hydro clients, and its equipment and workers, aren't adversely affected if something goes wrong, BC Hydro spokesman Dag Sharman said. Grouse Mountain says it's done that. BC Hydro says it hasn't.
457. 2010/04/12: PlanetArk: BC Hydro Gets Environmental OK For Mica Dam Upgrade

     Meanwhile in that Mechanical Mordor known as the tar sands:

458. 2010/04/15: CBC: Alberta funds carbon emission research network
     The Alberta government is spending $25 million on a new research network that will seek ways to cut carbon emissions from fossil fuels. The network -- to be called Carbon Management Canada Inc. and based at the University of Calgary -- brings together 100 researchers from 21 Canadian universities to develop clean energy research and technology, Premier Ed Stelmach said in an announcement in Calgary on Thursday.
459. 2010/04/14: Yahoo:AFP: Environmental groups launch oil sands trade complaint
460. 2010/04/15: OilChange: Tar Sands Dominates BP's AGM
461. 2010/04/14: G&M: Greens launch NAFTA action on oil sands
     Environmental groups charge toxic tailings ponds are leaking into ground water, while government has failed to enforce anti-pollution rules Environmental groups launched a complaint against Canada under the North American free-trade agreement on Wednesday, saying the country has failed to enforce anti-pollution rules governing its vast oil sands. In the latest move in a long-running campaign to highlight the impact of oil sands development, the submission by Environmental Defence Canada, Natural Resources Defense Council and three citizens charges that toxic tailings ponds are being allowed to leak and contaminate ground water.
462. 2010/04/15: BBC: BP faces down shareholder protest
     BP looks to have beaten a shareholder rebellion over financial and environmental concerns connected to its project in Canada's oil sand reserves. Some 140 large investors were expected to back a resolution at the oil giant's AGM calling for a review of the plans. But advance votes cast before the meeting showed that 85% had voted against the resolution. Advance votes make up about 59% of total shares. BP will make a final decision on the venture by the end of the year.
463. 2010/04/15: CBC: BP feels oilsands heat from shareholders -- Group lobbies for investigation
464. 2010/04/15: CanWest: Ottawa rapped for oilsands pollution -- Tailings complaint filed under NAFTA
     The Harper government is facing a complaint under the North American Free Trade Agreement about whether it is adequately cracking down on water pollution from oilsands operations. The complaint, launched by a pair of environmental groups, comes as opposition MPs voted to adopt legislation calling on the government to develop a climate-change plan with targets and goals that are based on scientific evidence. Matt Price, the policy director at Environmental Defence Canada, prepared the complaint, which alleges the government is not enforcing provisions in the federal Fisheries Act that prohibit activity that contaminates bodies of water with harmful substances.
465. 2010/04/15: G&M: Ottawa puts up barrier to Sinopec bitumen exports
     Issue one of several that could arise in review of Chinese company's proposed Syncrude acquisition
     Ottawa says it will use its regulatory power to stop Chinese state-controlled Sinopec from exporting raw oil sands bitumen and refining it abroad to take advantage of looser climate-change rules. Sinopec -- China's largest refiner -- has agreed to pay $4.65-billion (U.S.) to acquire ConocoPhillips' 9-per-cent stake in the Syncrude oil sands project. Under the Syncrude partnership agreement, the seven owners each receive a portion of production to be marketed as they see fit. But the Harper government vowed during the 2008 election campaign that it would prevent any company from exporting raw bitumen -- unprocessed oil from the oil sands -- for upgrading elsewhere in order to capitalize on lower greenhouse gas emission rules. Yesterday, the government stood by that promise.
466. 2010/04/14: NRDC:SwitchBoard: Clearing the Waters on Tar Sands Tailings Waste
467. 2010/04/14: CBC: Syncrude deal gives China veto on upgrading -- Deal may lend support for cross-Rockies crude pipeline
468. 2010/04/14: G&M: Oil sands deal gives China crucial veto on exports
     Sinopec's $4.6-billion plan to purchase stake in Syncrude gives Chinese state-controlled company a say in whether to export raw bitumen for processing Sinopec's $4.6-billion deal to acquire a minority stake in the Syncrude oil-sands plant would give the Chinese state-controlled company a veto over the crucial decision of whether the company should upgrade more oil in Alberta or export raw bitumen for processing. There has been a long-running concern in Canada regarding the export of raw resources for processing, and that it is the strategy that China Petroleum & Chemical Corp., known as Sinopec, is expected to pursue. The company is Asia's biggest refiner and has been expanding its capacity to handle heavy oil, the kind that is produced at Syncrude before it is upgraded into synthetic crude oil.
469. 2010/04/13: TreeHugger: Shell Stymies Shareholders' Tar Sands Inquiry Request
470. 2010/04/13: Eureka: People living in communities near oil sands can breathe easy: U of A study
471. 2010/04/13: OilChange: Chinese Buy $5 Billion Stake in the Tar Sands
472. 2010/04/12: NBF: THAI [Toe to Heel Air Injection] and Other Technology To Revolutionize Oil Recovery in the Tarsands
473. 2010/04/13: BBC: Sinopec in $4.65bn oil investment
     China's Sinopec oil company is to pay ConocoPhillips $4.65bn (£3bn) for a stake in a Canadian tar sands projects. The acquisition of the 9% stake in Syncrude Canada is one of China's largest investments in North America.
474. 2010/04/13: G&M: China's big move into Alberta -- Beijing flexes financial muscle with play for oil sands trophy asset
     State-controlled Sinopec is spending $4.65-billion (U.S.) to become the first Chinese multinational to buy a direct stake in a major producing oil sands project, paying a rich premium for ConocoPhillips Co.'s 9-per-cent stake in Syncrude Canada Ltd. The deal represents the next stage in Chinese investment in the oil sands, as Beijing-controlled companies scour the globe for energy resources and look to diversify the country's growing imports away from the Middle East. China's growing presence in the oil sands is likely to add momentum to the effort by pipeline giant Enbridge Inc. to build the Gateway pipeline to Kitimat, B.C., and provide Alberta oil producers with access to Pacific Rim markets. The proposed pipeline, however, faces opposition by environmentalists and West Coast native groups, who have vowed to block Gateway, saying it would bring undue risks to an ecologically sensitive region.
475. 2010/04/13: TStar: Oilsands a sitting duck for critics
     The petroleum industry launched a new public relations offensive last week designed to polish up the tarnished image of oilsands operations. Not surprisingly, news of the blitz grabbed front-page headlines in the Calgary Herald and attracted an enthusiastic audience at the Calgary Chamber of Commerce. But then things started to go awry.
476. 2010/04/12: Guardian(UK): Shell fights shareholders' campaign for oil sands review
     Investors table special resolution prior to May meeting -- Campaigners argue project is an environmental liability

Also in Alberta:

477. 2010/04/15: EnergeticCity: EnCana bomb threat letter sent to news outlet
478. 2010/04/15: EnergeticCity: RCMP investigating EnCana threat letter
479. 2010/04/16: CanWest: Sour-gas-well letter goes to [the Dawson Creek Daily News] newspaper
     After months of silence, another threatening letter linked to a series of bomb attacks on sour-gas wells and pipelines in northeastern British Columbia has been delivered to a local newspaper.

Ontario has it's Green Energy Act, now comes the implementation:

480. 2010/04/18: CanWest: Off-peak hydro rate too high: watchdog -- Increases on May 1
     A $2-billion program aimed at shifting home-energy use to off-peak hours is about to fail, says the province's chief environmental watchdog. Gord Miller, Environmental Commissioner of Ontario, says millions of so-called smart meters will be useless unless the government changes course and sets a sufficiently low hydro rate to convince people to do their laundry and dishes at night and on weekends. Rate increases announced this week show a "disturbing" move in the opposite direction, Mr. Miller said. Off-peak power rates jumped 20%, disproportionately high compared to peak daytime rates. The increase means peak rates are now only 1.9 times greater than off-peak rates (which run from 9 p.m. to 7 a.m. and throughout weekends). To successfully persuade people to change their behaviour, Mr. Miller said, off-peak should be three to five times less expensive.
481. 2010/04/15: CBC: Electricity rates surge in Ontario -- Consumers face series of jolts
     Residential electricity bills in Ontario are going to rise sharply -- by an average of eight per cent for most consumers -- starting next month. The Ontario Energy Board approved the increases on Thursday. Customers who have existing fixed-price contracts will not be directly affected and households with time-of-use meters -- so-called smart meters that record the time of power usage -- can hope for more modest increases of about 5.8 per cent.
482. 2010/04/14: Eureka: Solar energy production has enormous potential in southeastern Ontario: Queen's University studies
     Solar power in southeastern Ontario has the potential to produce almost the same amount of power as all the nuclear reactors in the United States
483. 2010/04/12: PlanetArk: Wind Works Power Snags 80 MW In Ontario Contracts
     Wind Works Power Corp, a start-up green energy producer targeting projects in Canada, the United States and Europe, said on Friday it has been awarded seven contracts in Ontario to produce a total of 80 megawatts of electricity for the Canadian province's power grid. The seven deals are part of 184 contracts the Ontario government announced on Thursday as part of its green energy push, which it hopes will bring thousands of jobs and billions of dollars of investment to Canada's biggest energy-consuming province.

In the North:

484. 2010/04/15: CBC: Protect us, not polar bears: Inuit officials
     Nunavut Inuit who do not want polar bears listed under Canada's Species at Risk Act say they should be the ones being protected from the Arctic bears. Speaking Wednesday before the Nunavut Wildlife Management Board (NWMB) in Iqaluit, Inuit elders and officials voiced their opposition to a proposal by the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC) to have the polar bear listed as a species of special concern in Canada.
485. 2010/04/13: CBC: Polar bear's status focus of Nunavut hearing
     The question of how to classify Canada's polar bears under species-at-risk legislation is the subject of a three-day public hearing that began Tuesday in Iqaluit. Polar bears in Canada were listed as a "species of special concern" -- one step below "threatened" and two below "endangered" -- under the federal Species at Risk Act in 2002.

As for miscellaneous Canadiana:

486. 2010/04/13: PPCA: PPCA Statement Regarding Party Registration Status (AKA: Good News, Everyone!)
     We are pleased to announce that as of April 12, 2010, the Pirate Party of Canada (PPCA) is officially eligible for Party Status.

The movement toward a long term ecologically viable economics is glacial:

487. 2010/04/13: QuarkSoup: Ecotopia Excerpt
488. 2010/04/17: CCurrents: Can Capitalism Fix The Climate?
489. 2010/04/16: OilDrum: The Future of Capitalism - Profits and Growth
490. 2010/04/15: TreeHugger: Economic Growth Had Little To Do With Increases In Human Development: UNDP
491. 2010/04/13: AlterNet: Roadmap to a New Economics: Beyond Capitalism and Socialism

     IPAT [Impact = Population * Affluence * Technology] raised its head once again:

492. 2010/04/16: AlterNet: Use a Condom, Save a Polar Bear? Not That Simple
493. 2010/04/12: MillerMcCune: Make Birth Control, Not War

     Apocalypso anyone?

494. 2010/04/18: Guardian(UK): Bunker mentality: the ultimate underground shelter
495. 2010/04/12: EnergyBulletin: The Colosseum and Energy Flows
496. 2010/04/11: EnergyBulletin: After peak oil, are we heading towards social collapse?

     As for how the media handles the science of climatology:

497. 2010/04/15: DM:DB: Meta News: Coverage of the ClimateGate Inquiry Reveals Partisan Passions
498. 2010/04/15: ClimateP: Straight Up: How the press bungles its coverage of climate economics
499. 2010/04/14: TP:WR: Weather Channel Promotes 'Global Warming Hoax' Conspiracy Theory
500. 2010/04/13: Stoat: Monbiot is still rubbish

     Here is something to be aware of:

501. 2010/04/15: Guardian(UK): Right-wing 'think tanks' fund news websites
502. 2010/04/13: Yahoo:AP: News sites funded by think tanks take root
     A growing number of conservative groups are bankrolling startup news organizations around the country, aggressively covering government and politics at a time when newspapers are cutting back their statehouse bureaus. The phenomenon troubles some longtime journalists and media watchdogs, who worry about political biases and hidden agendas. The news outlets have sprouted in larger numbers in recent months to fill a void created by the downsizing of traditional statehouse coverage and to win over readers, including those from the tea party movement who don't trust the local paper or the TV news.

Here is something for your library:

503. 2010/04/18: Guardian(UK): [Book Reviews] _The Future History of the Arctic_ by Charles Emmerson; _After the Ice_ by Alun Anderson; _True North_ by Gavin Francis
504. 2010/04/17: ClimateP: The first book review of "Straight Up"
505. 2010/04/17: TreeHugger: [Book Review] _Canadian Solar Home Design Manual_ by Solar Nova Scotia
506. 2010/04/15: NatureCC: [Book Review] The geoengineering genie
     _How to Cool the Planet: Geoengineering and the Audacious Quest to Fix Earth's Climate_ by Jeff Goodell
     _Hack the Planet: Science's Best Hope -- or Worst Nightmare -- for Averting Climate Catastrophe_ by Eli Kintisch
507. 2010/04/14: NYRB: [Book Adaptation] _Ill Fares the Land_ by Tony Judt

     And for your film & video enjoyment:

508. 2010/04/12: TCoE: Monckton's a crock [Sinclair video]

     Meanwhile among the 'Sue the Bastards!' contingent:

509. 2010/04/14: Yahoo:AFP: Environmental groups launch oil sands trade complaint
510. 2010/04/14: TerraDaily: Argentina-Uruguay row goes to World Court
511. 2010/04/14: BBerg: Washington [State] Sues to Revive Yucca Mountain Nuclear Waste Plan

     Also in the courts, another murder conviction for the 2005 Dorothy Stang murder:

512. 2010/04/13: BBC: Brazil man jailed for nun [Dorothy Stang] murder
     A Brazilian rancher has been convicted of murdering US nun Dorothy Stang in 2005 and jailed for 30 years, at his third trial over the case. Vitalmiro Bastos Moura was sentenced to 38 years in jail at a first trial in 2007, but acquitted on retrial the following year. Suspicions he had bribed a witness to change his testimony led the court to keep him in prison. The killing in Para state caused an outcry in Brazil and internationally. Moura ordered the killing of Ms Stang because she blocked him and another rancher from taking over land the government had given to small farmers, prosecutors said. The verdict came late at night in the Amazon city of Belem, after the jury had deliberated for 15 hours.
513. 2010/04/13: TreeHugger: Brazil Man Jailed for Murder of Nun And Activist Dorothy Stang
514. 2010/04/12: BBC: Brazil man in nun [Dorothy Stang] murder retrial
     The Brazilian rancher accused of plotting to murder US nun Dorothy Stang in 2005 in the Amazon has appeared in court for a retrial on Monday. Vitalmiro Bastos Moura was sentenced to 38 years in jail in a first trial in 2007, acquitted on retrial in 2008 and is now going to court for a third time. Suspicions he had bribed a witness to change his testimony led the court to keep him in prison till his appearance.

Developing a new energy infrastructure is a fundamental challenge of the current generation:

515. 2010/04/15: EconBrowser: More on oil prices and the economic recovery
516. 2010/04/16: PeakEnergy: 100% renewables 'feasible by 2050', EU told
517. 2010/04/15: JQuiggin: Straws in the wind
518. 2010/04/15: AutoBG: Germany commits $2 billion for at least 1,000 hydrogen stations
519. 2010/04/14: EnergyBulletin: Thinking the unthinkable about wood heating
520. 2010/04/14: PhysOrg: Toward more efficient wireless power delivery
521. 2010/04/13: Guardian(UK): Oil prices are 'overheated' - IEA -- International Energy Agency says crude oil costs have run ahead of fragile economic recovery
522. 2010/04/13: CBC: Oil body warns of 'overheated' crude price
     Recovery in the world's biggest economies could be jeopardized if crude oil prices stay over $80 US per barrel, the International Energy Agency said Tuesday. The IEA also reported that OPEC posted the first "significant drop" in output in March in more than a year -- falling 190,000 barrels per day to 29 million barrels a day -- largely due to a near 10 per cent drop in Iraqi output. The agency, the energy arm of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, said concerns remain that global oil markets are "overheated," with crude around $85 per barrel.
523. 2010/04/05: AlterNet: The Dark Side of Our Bright Digital Spaces: 21st Century Wizardry Relies on Dirty Energy of the Past
524. 2010/04/13: G&M: Oil above $80 puts recovery at risk: IEA
525. 2010/04/09: BizInsider: In Case You Had Any Confusion About Why Oil Is Surging, This Chart Of Chinese Car Sales Should Clear That Up
526. 2010/04/11: TCoE: Fossil fuels and your lawn

     I used to do a periodic 'Gee Whiz!' usenet posting for overblown energy claims...:

527. 2010/04/13: Independent(UK): GM viruses offer hope of future where energy is unlimited -- Breakthrough as US researchers replicate photosynthesis in laboratory

     Here is an interesting twist on privatization:

528. 2010/04/16: DerSpiegel: Buying Back their Infrastructure -- Small Towns Take On the Energy Giants
     After selling off their electricity and gas networks to large energy corporations in the early 1990s, small towns in Germany are now banding together to buy back their energy infrastructure. Their bid to get into the energy market may provide opportunities to make money, but it also involves taking on the energy giants at their own game.

Hey! Let's contaminate the aquifer for thousands of years! It'll be a fracking gas!

529. 2010/04/16: ProPublica: Cabot Oil & Gas's Marcellus Drilling to Slow After PA Environment Officials Order Wells Closed
530. 2010/04/15: TCoE: The true face of shale gas
531. 2010/04/15: NRDC:SwitchBoard: Visiting Dimock, Seeing Gas Drilling's Ugly Side Firsthand
532. 2010/04/14: DemNow: World Renowned Scientist Dr. Theo Colborn on the Health Effects of Water Contamination From Fracking
533. 2010/04/13: PlanetArk: Goodrich To Buy Eagle Ford, Haynesville Shale Assets
     Independent oil and gas explorer Goodrich Petroleum Corp said it will buy 35,000 net acres in the Eagle Ford shale and 4,200 net acres in the Haynesville shale in Texas
534. 2010/04/13: NRDC:SwitchBoard: More alarming air quality information from Texas natural gas drilling
535. 2010/04/12: NRDC:SwitchBoard: Hydraulic fracturing a suspect in three new reported incidents of drinking water impacts in Arkansas
536. 2010/04/12: ProPublica: [podcast] Joaquin Sapien and Abrahm Lustgarten on the EPA and Gas Drilling
537. 2010/04/12: PlanetArk: Reliance To Pay Atlas $1.7 Billion For Marcellus Stake

     The answer my friend...:

538. 2010/04/16: SolveClimate: As Offshore Wind Power Grows, a Push for Transmission 'Supergrids'
539. 2010/04/16: PlanetArk: [Romanian oil and gas group] Petrom Invests In Romanian Wind Power Project
540. 2010/04/15: BBerg: Obama Wind Farm Goals Threatened by Indian Rites, Kennedy Wish
     An Indian tribe's sunrise ceremony, Nantucket's whaling-era architecture and a parting wish of Senator Edward Kennedy may block the first wind farm in waters off the U.S. and stymie a potential $270 billion industry. Interior Secretary Ken Salazar says he will rule this month on Cape Wind, a proposal to invest more than $1 billion placing 130 wind-powered turbines in the shallow waters of Nantucket Sound off Massachusetts. A federal advisory council recommended on April 2 that Salazar reject the project because of the "destructive" effects on historic sites. President Barack Obama campaigned for office pledging to double renewable energy from the wind, sun and biodegradable waste in three years, and the Energy Department says wind can supply 20 percent of U.S. power by 2030 compared with 1.8 percent today. That won't be achieved if projects are blocked by local opponents like those opposing Cape Wind, said former Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham.
541. 2010/04/15: CSM: Wind power in New England: Is it a good renovation option?
542. 2010/04/14: CBC: Wind turbine health worries in North Gower [just south of Ottawa]
543. 2010/04/13: Grist: Wind industry growing in blue and red states alike
544. 2010/04/13: TEC: Fueling Wind's Surge

     The US DOD is worried about radar interference again:

545. 2010/04/16: KSJT: Portland Oregonian, AP, Wash. Post: Air Force worried about its radar, opposes huge Oregon wind farm
546. 2010/04/15: WaPo: Pentagon objections hold up Oregon wind farm

     Meanwhile among the solar aficionados:

547. 2010/04/16: TEC: SoCal Edison's Massive Solar Warehouse Project Underway
548. 2010/04/16: REA: Solar Millennium Completes Egypt CSP [large-scale solar thermal] Facility
549. 2010/04/16: REA: US Solar Sees 38% Growth in PV Capacity in 2009
550. 2010/04/15: Reuters: US solar capacity surges in '09 on incentives-SEIA
     Solar capacity skyrockets 37 percent on the year - Falling module prices also helped to lift demand - Utility-scale solar growth seen
551. 2010/04/15: ABC(Au): The University of Queensland's Saint Lucia campus in Brisbane will be home to the country's largest rooftop solar panel
552. 2010/04/15: NewScientist: Carbon flakes brush up for cheap solar cells
553. 2010/04/15: PlanetArk: Suntech, Trina Solar Sign $11.7 Bln Loan Deals
     China's top solar power equipment makers Suntech Power Holdings and Trina Solar have signed framework agreements with China Development Bank (CDB), giving them access to a combined 80 billion yuan ($11.72 billion) in loans, company officials said.
554. 2010/04/15: SciDaily: Cutting Costs in Silicon Production
     Elkem Solar, a Norwegian producer of solar-grade silicon, has combined basic and applied research to develop production methods that cut costs and consume less energy than conventional silicon production.
555. 2010/04/12: Reuters: China sets on-grid price for 4 solar power stations
556. 2010/04/12: PlanetArk: Solar Equipment Makers To Shine In Shakeout

     On the coal front:

557. 2010/04/16: NYT:GW: Researchers Explore 'Coal Without Mining' in Bid to Slash Co2-Storage Price Tag
     Scientists here in the academic heart of Germany's coal-mining region are readying what they say is a disruptive model for the electric utility industry. Leave the coal deep underground, they say, and forget the death and expense that come with mining. Instead, put a drilling hat on. By baking coal buried thousands of feet underground using controlled fires and gravity's pressure, they say, previously inaccessible seams can be shifted into easily extracted gas. The gas, pumped up, will fuel turbines. And when most of the coal is gone, inject carbon dioxide to fill the void.
558. 2010/04/14: MoJo: Coal: Back to the Future?
559. 2010/04/12: CCurrents: Dangerous Coal, Neglected Lives
560. 2010/04/12: OilDrum: The dark side of coal - some historical insights on energy and the economy
561. 2010/04/12: SwissInfo: Power groups to drop German coal-burning plant [in Brunsbüttel]
     Two Swiss power companies [Groupe E and Energie Romande] are pulling out of plans to help finance a coal-fired plant near Hamburg, Germany.

Biofuel bickering abounds:

562. 2010/04/16: AutoBG: Iowa ethanol company fined $176,750 for environmental violations
563. 2010/04/15: GPUK: Nestlé: mind the reality gap
564. 2010/04/15: PlanetArk: Indonesian Palm Oil Exports To Grow Despite Sales Halt: Industry
565. 2010/04/15: TEC: The ethanol industry rises to defend itself
566. 2010/04/13: SolveClimate: Weed to Wonder Fuel? Jatropha Draws Biofuel Investors ... and Questions
567. 2010/04/14: PhysOrg: ARS researching camelina as a new biofuel crop
568. 2010/04/13: Grist: Raising 'cane -- The trouble with Brazil's much-celebrated ethanol 'miracle'
569. 2010/04/12: EUO: Biofuel findings put pressure on EU commission to change policy
570. 2010/04/11: TEC: Understanding the Ethanol Tariff Issue

     The nuclear energy controversy continues:

571. 2010/04/15: ABC(Au): Russia shuts down last plutonium reactor
572. 2010/04/13: PressEurop: The great atomic bluff
     Constant hold-ups, skyrocketing costs, faulty construction -- Finland's new Olkiluoto reactor, touted as the great white hope for Europe's nuclear sector, is looking more and more like a great white elephant -- and casting a fat black shadow over the whole industry.
573. 2010/04/14: NatureTGB: Fusion power gets an architect [ITER]
574. 2010/04/13: Reuters: Nuclear ambitions pose company risk, public costs
     European investors and consumers take note: plans by power companies to cut carbon emissions with a new range of nuclear power stations are a big gamble for companies and joe public will have to foot the bill.
575. 2010/04/13: NBF: Japan Nuclear Fission Reactors
576. 2010/04/12: NewScientist: World's largest laser blasted over fusion plan
577. 2010/04/12: PhiladelphiaInquirer: Nuclear safety and a new energy source - or failure? [fusion]

     Yes we have a peak oil sighting:

578. 2010/04/16: CCurrents: Peak Oil: Surveying The Field And Charting A Course
579. 2010/04/16: PhysOrg: Peak P? Phosphorus, food supply spurs Southwest initiative
     The mineral phosphorus (P) is critical to the creation of bones, teeth and DNA. "P" is also a key component of the fertilizers used to produce our food, as critical to agriculture as water. But is P, like oil, peaking? Natural and social scientists in Europe, Australia, the United States and elsewhere see growing evidence that the answer is yes. But when? That is the question.
580. 2010/04/15: EnergyBulletin: Oil Supply Crunch: 2011-2015
581. 2010/04/14: EnergyBulletin: The peak oil crisis: China's latest drought
582. 2010/04/14: ClimateP: Global oil demand hits new high -- threatening both economic and national security
583. 2010/04/14: OilDrum: Tipping Point: Near-Term Systemic Implications of a Peak in Global Oil Production -- Collapse Dynamics
584. 2010/04/12: CCurrents: US Military Warns Oil Output May Dip Causing Massive Shortages By 2015
585. 2010/04/12: OilChange: US Military Warns Of "Severe Energy Crunch"
586. 2010/04/11: Guardian(UK): US military warns oil output may dip causing massive shortages by 2015
     Shortfall could reach 10m barrels a day, report says -- Cost of crude oil is predicted to top $100 a barrel
587. 2010/04/11: EnergyBulletin: Will the post-oil future be bicycle-free?

     More people are talking about the electrical grid:

588. 2010/04/16: TEC: Are utility companies ready for full smart grids?
589. 2010/04/16: EurActiv: Commission cautious on smart grids
     The European Commission is waiting to hear from an expert group before deciding on a possible legislative framework for smart grids. But a high-ranking official cautioned that any potential regulation would only emerge from industry demand. The European Commission will decide whether to launch a new initiative on smart grids after hearing the initial results of an expert group working on their implementation, according to a forward-planning document published on the EU executive's website. The task force, set up in November 2009 to draw up recommendations for the EU executive, is due to report its first findings in June.
590. 2010/04/15: TEC: Smart Grid Heavy Hitters -- Jon Wellinghoff, Chair of US Federal Energy Regulatory Commission -- part 1
591. 2010/04/15: TEC: Smart Grid -- Coming to a Town Near You
592. 2010/04/14: CBC: Copper thieves destroy $2.7M BC Hydro cable
     Vancouver police have arrested seven men in connection with an attempt to steal copper wire from a city power station that destroyed a $2.7-million cable. The seven men were arrested after a Canada Line employee spotted intruders inside a BC Hydro substation on the 400 block of Kent Street around 2 a.m. PT Monday.
593. 2010/04/13: GreenGrok: Wind Energy Solution: Wires Across the Water
594. 2010/04/13: SolveClimate: Lack of Trained Workforce Still an Obstacle to Smart Grid Success -- DOE Estimates Energy Efficiency Jobs Could Triple in 10 Years, But Training Lags
595. 2010/04/12: PhysOrg: The Smarter Electric Grid Of The Future

     And then there is the matter of efficiency & conservation:

596. 2010/04/12: GTD: GE announces new LED bulb will last for 17 years

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

597. 2010/04/18: SF Examiner: Electric cars searching for a place to plug in
598. 2010/04/18: PhysOrg: Hydrogen still in the eco-car race
599. 2010/04/16: AutoBG: MPG equivalent? Say what? Industry experts say new efficiency ratings for EVs will be confusing
600. 2010/04/16: PlanetArk: Quirky, 3-Wheeled Aptera EV Edges Closer To Launch
601. 2010/04/16: CBC: Vehicle sales up 8.1% in February
     Sales of new vehicles jumped in February, but preliminary data suggests that the numbers fell in March, Statistics Canada said Friday. Sales jumped 8.1 per cent in February to 138,336 units, compared with January. Year-over-year, the increase was 22.8 per cent.
602. 2010/04/15: ABC(Au): Hybrid cars struggle as diesels surge ahead
     Hybrid cars were launched on the Australian market as a smart, environmentally friendly solution to the world's pollution problems, but almost 10 years down the track, sales have been less than startling. In the meantime, Australians are embracing diesel like never before.
603. 2010/04/14: PlanetArk: Honda Unveils All-Electric [EV-neo] Scooter, China In Sights
604. 2010/04/13: CBC: GM's electric Volt works in real-world tests -- Engineers take Volts on errands around Detroit
605. 2010/04/13: NewScientist: Green machine: Rethinking internal combustion engines
606. 2010/04/13: PhysOrg: Honda unveils zero-emission electric scooter [the EV-neo]
607. 2010/04/12: NBF: China Car Sales Increase 25% to 17 million units in 2010
608. 2010/04/13: CalcRisk: Ceridian-UCLA: Diesel fuel consumption increases in March
609. 2010/04/12: AutoBG: Smith Electric Vehicles wins bulk of UK government EV order

     As for Energy Storage:

610. 2010/04/15: TEC: Grid-connected energy storage taking off

     The reaction of business to climate change will be critical:

611. 2010/04/16: SolveClimate: IBM Orders 30,000+ Suppliers to Start Disclosing Their Environmental Impact
612. 2010/04/14: Reuters: Companies get sold on green, consumers wary
     U.S. corporations looking to slash costs during the recession found some savings in environmentally conscious business practices, but a higher price tag on green products is a barrier to many consumers.
613. 2010/04/14: NYT:GreenInc: I.B.M. Suppliers Must Track Environmental Data
     I.B.M. said on Wednesday that it will require its 28,000 suppliers in more than 90 countries to install management systems to gather data on their energy use, greenhouse gas emissions and waste and recycling. Those companies in turn must ask their subcontractors to do the same if their products or services end up as a significant part of I.B.M.'s $40 billion global supply chain. The suppliers must also set environmental goals and make public their progress in meeting those objectives.
614. 2010/04/14: MongaBay: Black list uncovers least transparent companies
615. 2010/04/12: HotTopic: In the bunker: entrepreneurs wage war on carbon

     Joe Romm posts a daily list of top energy and climate stories:

616. 2010/04/16: ClimateP: Energy and Global Warming News for April 16...
617. 2010/04/15: ClimateP: Energy and Global Warming News for April 15...
618. 2010/04/14: ClimateP: Energy and Global Warming News for April 14...
619. 2010/04/13: ClimateP: Energy and Global Warming News for April 13...
620. 2010/04/12: ClimateP: Energy and Global Warming News for April 12...

     The carbon lobby are up to the usual:

621. 2010/04/17: APSmith: Gadding with Ghouls: adventures with Christopher W. Monckton
622. 2010/04/17: HotTopic: Monckton is a crock (part two)
623. 2010/04/16: Grist: From tobacco to climate change, 'merchants of doubt' undermined the science
624. 2010/04/16: Grist: Brotherhood of the traveling crazy-pants -- Climate change denier Lord Monckton tries on a new conspiracy theory
625. 2010/04/16: CSW: "Goofball weathermen, Climategate, conspiracy theories" the distraction we're looking for?
626. 2010/04/16: ClimateP: Climate Crock takes on Lord Monckton, Part 2 [Sinclair video]
627. 2010/04/16: Deltoid: Climate Denial Crock on Monckton, part 2
628. 2010/04/16: TreeHugger: Lord Monkton: Everything You Need Know (Video)
629. 2010/04/16: OilChange: When two worlds collide -- the chardonnay wins [an oil company AGM]
630. 2010/04/15: D-HW: Volcanic Predictions
631. 2010/04/15: DeSmogBlog: Debunking Lord Monckton King of the Teabaggers - live with Peter Sinclair
632. 2010/04/15: CC: Monckton calls a Jew a member of the Hitler Youth
633. 2010/04/15: HotTopic: Monckton goes BP in Bonn
634. 2010/04/15: ClimateP: Houston Chronicle: "The heat goes on: After a blitz by climate change skeptics, hard science vindicates their targets"
635. 2010/04/14: AFTIC: Falsifying theories
636. 2010/04/14: HotTopic: Hook, line and stinker
637. 2010/04/14: ERabett: A Puzzler, where did Loehle go too far?
638. 2010/04/14: TreeHugger: The Bipartisan Phenomenon of Science Denial Explained (Video)
639. 2010/04/13: MoD: Denier double standards
640. 2010/04/13: MoD: Openness and transparency not needed for deniers
641. 2010/04/12: TP: Cuccinelli mocks dangers of CO2, telling Tea Partiers to hold their breath and make the EPA happy
642. 2010/04/12: DeSmogBlog: Tim Ball in Concert: Battered by the Facts
643. 2010/04/12: Tamino: Monckey Business
644. 2010/04/12: MTobis: The Danger of Science Denial [video]
645. 2010/04/12: DeSmogBlog: Tax Day Tea Party Features Lord "Hitler Youth" Monckton and Cast of Koch Industries' Favorites
646. 2010/04/11: ERabett: Monckton jumps the land shark. Gets eaten
647. 2010/04/11: CCP: Der Spiegel uses Lomborgisms to lie about climate science to its readers

     Shell & BP have been getting flack from activist shareholders:

648. 2010/04/15: OilChange: Tar Sands Dominates BP's AGM
649. 2010/04/15: BBC: BP faces down shareholder protest
     BP looks to have beaten a shareholder rebellion over financial and environmental concerns connected to its project in Canada's oil sand reserves. Some 140 large investors were expected to back a resolution at the oil giant's AGM calling for a review of the plans. But advance votes cast before the meeting showed that 85% had voted against the resolution. Advance votes make up about 59% of total shares. BP will make a final decision on the venture by the end of the year.
650. 2010/04/15: CBC: BP feels oilsands heat from shareholders -- Group lobbies for investigation
651. 2010/04/13: TreeHugger: Shell Stymies Shareholders' Tar Sands Inquiry Request
652. 2010/04/12: Guardian(UK): Shell fights shareholders' campaign for oil sands review
     Investors table special resolution prior to May meeting -- Campaigners argue project is an environmental liability

As for climate miscellanea:

653. 2010/04/17: CanWest: Green: within our grasp
     [...]
     while national governments and politicians sputter and dither about what is to be done, many environmentalists, scientists, town councils and business leaders have already moved on, looking for practical, eco-centric ways to mitigate the extent of the damage and adapt to the inevitable.
654. 2010/04/16: HotTopic: Eco-pragmatists need stiffer spines
655. 2010/04/15: IoD: What do you want from a climate blog?
656. 2010/04/15: SkeptiSci: Earth's five mass extinction events
657. 2010/04/14: ClimateP: The complete guide to modern day climate change -- All the data you need to show that the world is warming
658. 2010/04/13: TEC: Bury It or Burn It?
659. 2010/04/13: PhysOrg: Shrubs are cool! They protect permafrost against climate change
660. 2010/04/13: RealClimate: The Economist does not disappoint
661. 2010/04/13: TreeHugger: Climate Change is Not Just About the Climate, it is About Our Lives
662. 2010/04/12: MGS: If I were in charge?
663. 2010/04/11: ClimateSight: Mind the Gap

     And here are a couple of sites you may find interesting and/or useful:

664. Experiment Earth - Public Dialogue on Geoengineering
665. Solar Nova Scotia
666. CMC: Carbon Management Canada Inc.
667. Climate Central
668. Wiki: The Year Without a Summer [1816]
669. GTD: Green Technology Daily
670. WWF Climate Blog
671. USPIRG: U.S. Public Interest Research Group - Global Warming
672. Pembina: Ecological Fiscal Reform (EFR)
673. Fire Ecology
674. Global Warming: Understanding the Forecast [Draft of a textbook by David Archer]
675. The Yes Men
676. Argo [world ocean temperature and salinity collection project]
677. UNL: Drought Monitor
678. Climate Progress
679. LE: Lomborg Errors
680. CDP: Carbon Disclosure Project

     ---

     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>
     

     -het

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

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