Another Week of Climate Disruption News, January 12, 2014

By illconsidered on January 13, 2014.

Featured image is one of 19 illustrated haiku laying out the IPCC Summary for Policy Makers, see them all here.

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

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Logging the Onset of The Bottleneck Years

January 12, 2014

Chuckles, COP20+, Polar Vortex, Brulle , Sherwood, Negative Prices
Energiewende, Global Legal Framework, Cook, Shrinkology
Fukushima: Note, News, Policies, Related Papers
Melting Arctic, Methane, Geopolitics, Antarctica
Food: Crisis, Fisheries, Prices, GMOs, GMO Labelling, Production
Hurricanes, Notable Weather, Abrupt CC, Extreme Weather
GHGs, Carbon Cycle, Cosmic Rays, Milankovitch Cycles, Volcanoes
ENSO, Temperatures, Paleoclimate, Attribution
Oceans, Biosphere, Extinctions, Bees & CCD
Impacts, Forests, Phenology, Wildfires
Corals, Acidification, Glaciers, Floods & Droughts
Buildings, Geoengineering, Conservation, Adaptation
Journals, Other Docs, Misc. Science, Science Orgs, Free Science, Advocacy, Schneider
International Politics: UN, Carbon Trade
Hormuz, South China Sea, Treaties, Illegal Fishing, Miscellaneous
Law & Activism, Activism, Divestment, Polls, H2O Biz, Religioso, Education, Innovation
National Politics: Britain, Europe, Australia, Abbott, Education, MDBP, India, China, Japan, Africa, South America
Canada, Elsipogtog , Lac-Mégantic, Libricide, Climate Justice, Authoritarians, Braid
Endangered Species, Northern Gateway, Salmon, BC, Tar Sands, Alberta, Sask, North
America, Keystone, Mayflower, Birth Control, Coal Exports, Keeling, West Virginia, Obama, USAdmin, Congress, Lobbyists
Ecological Economics, Recycling, IPAT, Apocalypso, Media, Books, Video, Courts, BP Trial
Energy, Fracking, Coal, Oil & Gas, Pipelines, Transportation, US Tar Sands, Independence, Peak Oil, Biofuel
Wind, Solar, Nukes, Nuclear Fusion, Grid, Utilities, Efficiency, Cars, Energy Storage
Insurance, Other Lists, Carbon Lobby, Intimidation, Clean Coal, Miscellaneous, Useful Links
Shameless Self Promotion, A Simple Plea, .sig

It's always nice to start with a chuckle:

And for those interested in exploring the nether reaches of Poe's Law:

2014/01/10: Wonkette: Coal Fights Back Against Obama's War On Coal With Chemical Attack In West Virginia
2014/01/09: Wonkette: James Inhofe: Don't Extend Unemployment Benefits, Because God Is in Charge Of Climate Change (Which Is Fake)
2014/01/08: Onion: 'It's Not Too Late To Reverse The Alarming Trend Of Climate Change,' Scientists Who Know It's Too Late Announce
2014/01/07: GLaden: The Polar Vortex Might Be Caused By Al Gore (and other Liberals)
2014/01/06: Onion: Chinese Air Pollution Visible From Space

Looking ahead to COP20 and future international climate negotiations:
- 2014/01/06: RTCC: Figueres warns world is "running out of time" to agree climate treaty
  UN climate chief confident political will is growing to cut global carbon emissions, but warns of tough challenges ahead in 2014 A draft text for a global climate change treaty set to be agreed in 2015 will be presented to governments as early as November this year, according to the UN official in charge of negotiations.
- 2014/01/05: SciAm:PI: Kerry: US "on track" to meet its Copenhagen goals
For some reason the media latched onto the term "Polar Vortex" as if it were something new:
- 2014/01/10: Guardian(UK): Polar vortex over US brings abnormally mild weather to Scandinavia
- 2014/01/10: GreenGrok: More on That Polar Vortex Thing
- 2014/01/09: PSinclair: Jeff Masters on the Vortex. Fewer and Farther Between
- 2014/01/09: PSinclair: NOAA on the Polar Vortex
- 2014/01/09: DailyMail(UK): Spectacular photographs show the moment Niagara Falls FROZE in polar vortex
- 2014/01/09: PaiD: Another Clear And Cogent Explanation Of The Polar Vortex
- 2014/01/09: WSWS: Record cold has devastating effect on US homeless
- 2014/01/08: CJR: The polar vortex climate conundrum
  It either disproves climate change or is caused by it -- say what?
- 2014/01/08: Maribo: Shifting Baselines: Has our idea of winter cold snaps changed?
- 2014/01/08: ABC(Au): Freak cold snap hits North America
- 2014/01/08: WSWS: Death toll rises from North American "polar vortex"
- 2014/01/08: CBC: U.S. polar vortex sets record low temps, kills 21
- 2014/01/08: TP:JR: Thanks To Wind Energy, Texans Didn't Lose Power During The Polar Vortex
- 2014/01/08: RScribbler: Cold Snap For US? It's the Global Warming-Induced COLLAPSING Polar Vortex, Stupid
- 2014/01/08: TMoS: Vortex Retreats, Was It Really a Fluke?
- 2014/01/08: CBC: Polar vortex starts to withdraw after leaving 21 dead
- 2014/01/07: DemNow: Weather Whiplash: As Polar Vortex Brings Deep Freeze, Is Extreme Weather Linked to Climate Change?
- 2014/01/07: KSJT: Renegade polar vortex sends media science and weather writers on metaphor hunt
- 2014/01/07: CBC: 'Polar vortex' cold weather pushes energy costs up
- 2014/01/07: CBC: U.S. South, East endure 2nd day of polar vortex
- 2014/01/07: PSinclair: Polar Vortex Update
- 2014/01/07: ClimateSight: The Arctic Has Barfed
- 2014/01/07: BBickmore: Republican Scientist: "Rush Limbaugh is an Idiot"
- 2014/01/07: S&R: Dear America: Iowa laughs at your "polar vortex"
- 2014/01/07: Guardian(UK): Polar vortex: temperatures drop below freezing in all 50 US states
- 2014/01/07: Guardian(UK): US polar vortex may be example of global warming
  Deep freeze gripping America may be tied to shrinking Arctic sea ice caused by manmade climate change, reports Climate Central
- 2014/01/07: ABC(Au): Polar vortex brings record cold weather to US, Canada
- 2014/01/06: SciAm:Obs: What Is This 'Polar Vortex' That Is Freezing the U.S.?
- 2014/01/06: AlterNet: Everything You Wanted to Know About the 'Polar Vortex' That's Engulfed Much of North America with Freezing Temps
- 2014/01/06: PaiD: The Polar Vortex Explained
- 2014/01/06: Guardian(UK): Polar Vortex sweeps south as 'life-threatening' cold hits US - live coverage
- 2014/01/06: Guardian(UK): Polar vortex: cold-weather experiments to pass the time till spring
- 2014/01/06: Guardian(UK): Polar vortex puts millions at risk from brutally cold weather across US
- 2014/01/06: CBC: What is a polar vortex?
- 2014/01/06: CNN: Frigid air from the North Pole: What's this polar vortex?
  Polar vortex is circulation of strong, upper-level winds that normally surround the North Pole - The distortion can lead to major cold air outbreaks in North America, Europe and Asia - A cold air outbreak caused by the polar vortex is much more widespread than a single storm - Research suggests the distortion could be a side effect of global warming
- 2014/01/06: TP:JR: Everything You Wanted To Know About The 'Polar Vortex'
- 2014/01/05: BBC: North America weather: Polar vortex brings record temperatures
- 2014/01/05: ClimateState: Polar Vortex, Jet Stream and Climate Change
Late comment on the Brulle paper:
- 2014/01/07: CleanTechnica: New Report Affirms Dark Money Lines Utility Pockets
Late comment on the Sherwood paper:
- 2014/01/10: RtS: Send in the Clouds
- 2014/01/08: TheConversation: How clouds can make climate change worse than we thought
- 2014/01/08: SkS: New Study Suggests Future Global Warming at the Higher End of Estimates: 4°C Possible by 2100 by Rob Painting
- 2014/01/06: JEB: More sensitivity?
Here is a situation that cries out for large scale energy storage:
- 2014/01/10: SMH: Stormy weather sees Europe's electricity prices turn negative
  North Europe's devastating storms sent wind turbines spinning and helped strengthen a new winter phenomenon for the region - negative electricity prices. Damaging for utilities losing money making electricity, delighting traders who cash in on price swings, they will not, however, mean cheap power for households.
- 2014/01/10: EUO: Storms play havoc with electricity prices
How is the German Energy Transition [Energiewende] doing?
- 2014/01/08: EurActiv: Expensive renewable energy is threat to industry: German [Economy Minister, Sigmar Gabriel (SPD)]
  Germany's will risk losing its big industries unless they are sheltered from the cost burden of renewable energy, its economy minister said while restating his commitment to a shift to low carbon fuel.
- 2014/01/08: GET: Increase of German Lignite-fired Power Production Widely Reported
- 2014/01/07: DerSpiegel: Green Revolution? German Brown Coal Power Output Hits New High
  Germany plans to wean itself off CO2-belching coal-fired power stations. But new figures show that coal power output in 2013 reached its highest level in more than 20 years. Researchers blame cheap CO2 emissions permits, and demand urgent reforms.
- 2014/01/07: GET: Electricity and Gas Monitoring Report 2013
- 2014/01/06: PSinclair: Germany: Rising Renewables, and Falling Electricity Prices
The world inches toward creating a global legal framework for ecological crime:
- 2014/01/08: CCurrents: Discovering A Legal Tool To Curb Climate Change
John Cook and friends continue their point-counterpoint articles:
- 2014/01/11: SkS: 2014 SkS Weekly News Roundup #2 by John Hartz
- 2014/01/10: SkS: 2013 was Australia's Hottest Year, Warm for Much of the World by Rob Painting
- 2014/01/09: SkS: Global warming is being caused by humans, not the sun, and is highly sensitive to CO2, new research shows by dana1981
- 2014/01/08: SkS: New Study Suggests Future Global Warming at the Higher End of Estimates: 4°C Possible by 2100 by Rob Painting
- 2014/01/07: SkS: Talking Trash on Emissions by jg, Andy Skuce
- 2014/01/06: SkS: The Weekly Standard's Lindzen puff piece exemplifies the conservative media's climate failures by dana1981
- 2014/01/05: SkS: 2014 SkS Weekly Digest #1 by John Hartz
Various psychological angles arise in considerations of the ecological crisis:
- 2014/01/03: Resilience: The Psychology of Global Warming
A note on theFukushima disaster:

It is evident that the Fukushima disaster is going to persist for some time. TEPCO says 6 to 9 months. The previous Japanese Prime Minister, Naoto Kan, said decades. Now the Japanese government is talking about 30 years. [Whoops, that has now been updated to 40 years.]
And the IAEA is now saying 40 years too.
[Now some people are talking about a century or more. Sealing it in concrete for 500 years.]
We'll see.
At any rate this situation is not going to be resolved any time soon and deserves its own section.
Meanwhile...
It is very difficult to know for sure what is really going on at Fukushima. Between the company [TEPCO], the Japanese government, the Japanese regulator [NISA], the international monitor [IAEA], as well as independent analysts and commentators, there is a confusing mish-mash of information. One has to evaluate both the content and the source of propagated information.
How knowledgeable are they [about nuclear power and about Japan]?
Do they have an agenda?
Are they pro-nuclear or anti-nuclear?
Do they want to write a good news story?
Do they want to write a bad news story?
Where do they rate on a scale of sensationalism?
Where do they rate on a scale of play-it-down-ness?
One fundamental question I would like to see answered:
If the reactors are in meltdown, how can they be in cold shutdown?

Not much good news coming out of Fukushima:
- 2014/01/11: EneNews: Official: Tepco has failed at Fukushima, no progress made...
- 2014/01/11: EneNews: Kyodo: Radiation surged at Fukushima, gov't tells Tepco "take action" - Asahi: Fish found with "extremely high levels" of radioactive material 40 km from plant
- 2014/01/10: EneNews: Radiation jumps around Fukushima plant - Now ~1,000% previous levels - Tepco kept strontium-90 data secret for months...
- 2014/01/10: FukuLeaks: More Cesium 137 Found In Gourmet & Organic European Jam Brands
- 2014/01/09: SciAm: What You Should and Shouldn't Worry about after the Fukushima Nuclear Meltdowns
  Fresh meltdowns at the devastated nuclear facility are unlikely but years of slow, dangerous labor to repair the existing damage are guaranteed
- 2014/01/08: DSN: All The Best, Scientifically Verified, Information on Fukushima Impacts
- 2014/01/08: FukuLeaks: TEPCO Re-Installs Unit 1 Web Camera At Fukushima Daiichi
- 2014/01/08: EneNews: Radiation Expert: It's terrifying how Pacific ecosystem has collapsed since Fukushima -- Plutonium and uranium suspected of spreading through food chain (video)
- 2014/01/08: EneNews: New Journal Article: Fukushima may have already released 90 quadrillion becquerels of cesium-137 -- Much more than Chernobyl's 70 quadrillion becquerels
- 2014/01/07: EneNews: Secrecy agreement between Fukushima and IAEA revealed by Tokyo newspaper...
- 2014/01/07: FukuLeaks: 60 bq/liter Strontium 90 Found In Deep Well Near Reactors At Fukushima Daiichi
- 2014/01/07: EneNews: Nuclear Chemistry Expert: Steam at Fukushima reactor could be from corium burning through containment into groundwater
- 2014/01/06: EneNews: Harvard Website: Media blindly reports Tepco's false radiation levels, says Fukushima official; Press won't report truth...
- 2014/01/06: FukushimaVoice: Tokyo Shimbun Article Regarding Confidentiality Clause in the IAEA/FMU Pact, Complete Translation
- 2014/01/06: FukuLeaks: Fukushima News Roundup
- 2014/01/06: Grist: U.S. sailors say Fukushima radiation made them sick
- 2014/01/06: GeigerCounter: On Fukushima Fears and Sensationalistic Reporting
- 2014/01/06: EneNews: Nuclear Journal on 'Fukushima Plutonium Effect': Melting MOX fuel may lead to neutron flux blow-up -- 'Surprisingly' there's absolutely no reference data in any scientific literature
- 2014/01/05: CDreams: Fukushima Worker Says 'Slipshod Work' Done on Storage Tanks
- 2014/01/05: EneNews: TV: "Massive radioactivity release" at Fukushima going on for almost 3 years now; Visible steam "just the tip of the iceberg" - NHK: Containment vessels are 'broken' (videos)
- 2014/01/05: FukuLeaks: Fukushima News Roundup
- 2014/01/03: ENS: U.S. Sailors Sue Japanese Nuclear Plant Owner TEPCO
Post Fukushima, nuclear policies are in flux around the world:
What do we have for Fukushima related papers this week?
- 2014/01/05: Oceanography: Fukushima and Ocean Radioactivity by Ken O. Buesseler
- 2013/06/11: SCIRP:WJNST: Fukushima Plutonium Effect and Blow-Up Regimes in Neutron-Multiplying Media by V. D. Rusov et al.
The Arctic melt continues to garner attention:
- 2014/01/11: ArcticNews: Arctic in early January 2014
- 2014/01/10: ASI: PIOMAS January 2014
- 2014/01/09: Dosbat: Thinner Ice in Beaufort and Beaufort Breakups
- 2014/01/08: Dosbat: Autumn 2013
- 2014/01/07: SciAm:PI: Declining arctic snow cover is bad news for polar vortex
- 2014/01/06: ASI: Looking for winter weirdness 2014
That Damoclean sword still hangs overhead:
- 2014/01/08: ArcticNews: High Methane Levels over Arctic Ocean continue in 2014
- 2014/01/05: ArcticNews: Global Warming and the Gulf Stream - Our Atmospheric Pollution Roadway to Subsea Arctic Methane-Induced Climatic Hell
- 2013/12/17: Nation: The Coming 'Instant Planetary Emergency'
As for the geopolitics of Arctic resources:
- 2014/01/11: NNW: Baird says Canada, Russia work well in Arctic despite other differences
- 2014/01/10: EurActiv: Greenland, Denmark hope to reach uranium mining deal by end 2014
  An agreement on uranium extraction in Greenland is expected by the end of the year, the prime ministers of the two countries confirmed on Wednesday (8 January), despite lingering tension between the two sides.
While in Antarctica:
- 2014/01/09: Guardian(UK): Antarctic penguins forced up 100-foot ice walls, study shows
- 2014/01/09: SciShot: What Killed Larsen B?
- 2014/01/09: BBC: Emperor penguins beat ice cliffs to breed
  Emperor penguins have displayed some unexpected breeding behaviour in the Antarctic that could mean they are much more resilient to environmental change than previously recognised.
- 2014/01/08: Eureka: Emperor Penguins breeding on ice shelves
- 2014/01/08: MODIS: Western Ross Sea and Ice Shelf, Antarctica [on Jan 3]
- 2014/01/08: ERabett: Breathless in Antarctica Writes
- 2014/01/07: Grist: Another ship gets stuck in Antarctic ice, and it still doesn't disprove global warming
- 2014/01/07: BBC: Rescued Antarctic expedition arrives at Casey base
- 2014/01/07: BBC: Antarctic ships escape from ice trap as weather changes
  The Russian research ship Akademik Shokalskiy and Chinese icebreaker Xue Long have broken free from Antarctic ice where they had been stranded for several days. The Russian ship's captain said a crack had appeared in the ice after a change in wind direction.
- 2014/01/06: PSinclair: Spirit of Mawson -- Historical Roots of the Trapped Antarctic Expedition
- 2014/01/06: ERabett: Eli Is Puzzeled
- 2014/01/05: Stoat: The Spirit of Mawson
The food crisis is ongoing:
- 2014/01/09: Resilience: Many Countries Reaching Diminishing Returns in Fertilizer Use by Lester Brown
- 2014/01/08: CBC: Pesticide residue found on nearly half of organic produce
- 2014/01/06: Eureka: Improper use of biocides in food production may endanger public health
The state of the world's fisheries is a concern. See also:
- FAO: The State of World Fisheries and Aquaculture (SOFIA)
- 2014/01/12: EPOD: Light Pollution at Sea [fisheries]
- 2014/01/10: BBC: Chilean fishermen win court backing in Bocamina environmental row
  Chile's Supreme Court has ordered the operator of two coal power plants to ensure the facilities do not pollute the oceans or kill marine life.
- 2014/01/09: GreenGrok: Shrimp Down, Lobster Up: Is There a Connection?
- 2014/01/07: CBC: Canadian seafood imports targeted by [NRDC] U.S. environmental group
- 2014/01/07: NRDC: Cost of Putting Seafood on Dinner Tables: 650,000 Marine Mammals Killed or Hurt by Foreign Commercial Fishing Each Year
  Consumers Can Take Action & U.S. Can Protect Endangered Marine Mammals by Cracking Down on Foreign Fisheries Supplying Some of America's Favorite Wild-Caught Seafood Like Shrimp, Tuna, Crab, Lobster
- 2014/01/07: CBC: Why farmed fish need more veggies in their diet
  Consumer demand for sustainable farmed seafood is growing, but the food supply for the salmon in the pens is running thin - there are simply not enough fish in the sea. "Historically, fishmeal [ground-up wild fish] has been a relatively inexpensive and highly nutritious [fish food] source," says Ian Forster, an aquatic animal nutrition scientist for Fisheries and Oceans Canada. However, according to The State of World Fisheries and Aquaculture, a 2012 report by the United Nations' Food and Agriculture Organization, fish farming has been growing by almost nine per cent each year for the past 30 years - to the point where demand for fish food is exceeding supply.
- 2014/01/03: FSU: Study highlights snowball effect of overfishing
Food Prices are still problematic:
- FAO: World Food Situation - Food Price Indices
- 2014/01/09: UN: Global food prices steady in December, 2013 prices third highest on record - UN agency [FAO]
- 2014/01/09: FAO: World food prices stay high, but steady -- 2013 third highest year on record for FAO Food Price Index
Regarding the genetic modification of food:
- 2014/01/10: CCurrents: Seed Monopolies, GMOs And Farmers Suicides In India by Dr Vandana Shiva
- 2014/01/09: EUO: Frankenpolitics: The Left's defence of GMOs
- 2014/01/09: CCP: USDA Expects to Approve Agent Orange GMOs
- 2014/01/09: ABC(Au): Indefinite GMO ban for Tasmania
- 2014/01/09: Grist: What I learned from six months of GMO research: None of it matters
- 2014/01/09: BBC: Fish oil extracted from plant seeds
  Scientists have genetically engineered plant seeds to contain Omega-3 fatty acids normally found in oily fish. Seeds from Camelina sativa (false flax) plants were modified using genes from microalgae - the primary organisms that produce these fatty acids. The oil has now been incorporated into salmon feed to assess whether it's a viable alternative to wild fish oils.
- 2014/01/08: PoliticsRespun: Rachel Parent and other lame anti-GMO arguments
- 2014/01/06: Grist: The dirt on the "Agent Orange" GMOs you've been hearing so much about
Regarding labelling GM food:
- 2014/01/10: Grist: Maine's loony Tea Party governor [LePage] signs GMO-labeling law
- 2014/01/08: Grist: Food industry's secret plan for a GMO (non)-labeling law
And how are we going to feed 9 billion, 10 billion, 15 billion?
In the Western Pacific, Cat 5 Cyclone Ian has been dipsy-doodling back and forth. What will it hit?
- 2014/01/12: ABC(Au): Officials in Tonga have confirmed the first death from [Cat 3] Tropical Cyclone Ian as reports come in of widespread destruction on islands to the north
- 2014/01/12: ABC(Au): Cyclone Ian causes 'widespread destruction' on Tonga's central and northern islands
- 2014/01/12: al Jazeera: Powerful cyclone rips through Tonga islands
  Authorities search for more victims after massive storm flattens scores of homes, killing at least one person.
- 2014/01/11: ABC(Au): Tonga's capital Nuku'alofa experiencing full brunt of [Cat 5] Tropical Cyclone Ian
- 2014/01/11: ABC(Au): Severe Tropical Cyclone Ian, downgraded to category four, lashes Tongan islands
- 2014/01/11: ABC(Au): Cyclone Ian hits Tonga's northern islands
  Up to 20,000 people are at risk this morning as a huge cyclone in the South Pacific bears down on the northern islands of Tonga. As we go to air, winds from Cyclone Ian are buffeting Tonga's northern group of islands of Vava'u and Ha'apai with some of the gusts reaching in excess of 150 kilometres an hour. Jo Jarvis reports a state of emergency has been declared.
- 2014/01/10: ABC(Au): Severe Tropical Cyclone Ian now Category 5, approaching Tongan islands
- 2014/01/09: Reuters: Severe tropical cyclone [Ian] bears down on Tonga
  Storm upgraded overnight to Category 4 -- Could make landfall as late as Saturday morning
- 2014/01/09: ABC(Au): Cyclone Ian approaching Tonga with 'catastrophic' winds
- 2014/01/08: ABC(Au): Cyclone Ian intensifies again threatening Tonga
- 2014/01/06: ABC(Au): Tonga warning cancelled as Tropical Cyclone Ian veers towards Fiji
In the South Indian Ocean, an unreported Tropical Cyclone Colin [08S] is headed south toward cooler waters...
And elsewhere in the hurricane wars:
2014/01/12: ABC(Au): 'High chance' of cyclone developing off Northern Territory coast, weather bureau says
2014/01/10: MODIS: Tropical Cyclone Bejisa (06S) off Madagascar [on Jan.2]

This week in notable weather
First in Europe and the UK:
- 2014/01/08: BBC: Band of heavy rain set to sweep England and Wales
  Another band of heavy rain is due to hit parts of the UK on Wednesday, bringing a further risk of flooding in the coming days.
- 2014/01/07: TP:JR: The New Year Brings More Extreme Weather And Flooding For Storm-Weary U.K.
- 2014/01/07: Guardian(UK): UK weather: flood siren at Chesil beach -- 3 severe flood warnings and 106 flood warnings in place
- 2014/01/06: ICS&MD: Flood in England, UK
- 2014/01/07: BBC: UK storms: More flood warnings after damaging tides and rain
  Large swathes of the UK are still being warned of the risk of floods, as the Met Office forecasts heavy rainfall for south and south-east England. Three severe - or "danger to life"- flood warnings are in place in Dorset, along with 100 or so lesser warnings in England, Scotland and Wales. A night of rain and exceptionally high tides overwhelmed defences in Dorset, with Chiswell's flood siren sounded.
- 2014/01/07: BBC: UK floods prompt space charter activation
  Serious flooding in parts of the UK has prompted the government to activate the global charter on space and natural disasters.. It means agencies will get immediate access to satellite imagery to help them respond to the problems caused by the stormy weather of recent weeks. It is rare for Britain to activate the charter on its own behalf. But this is the second time in five weeks that it has made a request for satellite imagery.
- 2014/01/06: Guardian(UK): UK weather live: wind and waves prompt more flood warnings
- 2014/01/06: DD: Historic 'black swell' hits Europe with 60-foot waves...
- 2014/01/06: BBC: UK storms: Giant waves hit amid fresh flooding fears
  Huge waves have battered the southern coast of the UK, as forecasters warn exposed areas could see a fresh round of flooding. Waves of up to 27ft (8m) have been recorded off Land's End, Cornwall. In Aberystwyth, 250 people have been evacuated from seafront flats, and many flood warnings - including three severe ones - remain in place across the UK. Travel by road and rail is being hit, causing disruption for many returning to work after the Christmas break.
- 2014/01/05: BBC: UK storms: Warnings bring fresh coastal flood fears
- 2014/01/05: Guardian(UK): Flood-hit UK must prepare for more extreme weather, says climate adviser
  Sir David King says government needs to increase spending on flood defences, as storms continue to cause disruption
Then in North America. See also:
2014/01/09: Wunderground: Great Lakes Ice Cover at Highest Levels in 20 Years
2014/01/08: Wunderground: Extreme Cold Wave Invades Eastern Half of U.S.
2014/01/08: BBC: Big freeze shatters North America temperature records
2014/01/08: ABC(Au): Record freeze settles into eastern United States, affects 200 million people [pix]
2014/01/08: CBC: Iqaluit assesses damage after unprecedented [150 kph] windstorm
2014/01/07: Guardian(UK): Arctic temperatures send chill across US and Canada for second day
Temperatures in US north-east plunge 50F in 24 hours
2014/01/07: BBC: North America arctic blast creeps east
A brutal blast of arctic air is heading east across North America, bringing dangerously low temperatures not seen in two decades, warn forecasters. About half of the US population has been placed under a wind chill warning or cold weather advisory. In Canada, the province of Ontario is facing temperatures of -40C (-40F) with wind chill.
2014/01/07: BBC: In pictures: US big freeze spreads
2014/01/07: CBC: U.S. South, East brace for polar temperatures
More than 187 million people could be affected by the weather system before it departs
2014/01/07: CBC: Newfoundland braces for freezing rain as power is restored
2014/01/07: al Jazeera:Extreme cold blasts North America [pix]
Dangerously cold temperatures grip much of Canada and the USA.
2014/01/06: UCAR: Cold, hard facts -- Six things to know about the Arctic invasion
2014/01/06: RealEconomics: It's cold!
2014/01/06: Dosbat: The Atmosphere Goes Bonkers!
2014/01/06: CNN: 'Historic and life-threatening' freeze brings rare danger warning
Disaster declared in Illinois - More than 3,500 flights canceled - Minneapolis issues an unusual "Particularly Dangerous Situation" warning - Extreme wind chills mean exposed flesh can freeze in as little as five minutes
2014/01/06: RTCC: US deep freeze sparks fierce climate change exchanges
2014/01/06: Wunderground: Extreme Cold Blast and Heavy Snow Hit Midwest U.S.
2014/01/06: CBC: U.S. Midwest, Northeast hit by bitter cold temperatures 'It's just a dangerous cold,' National Weather Service meteorologist Butch Dye says A whirlpool of frigid, dense air known as a "polar vortex" descended Monday into much of the United States, pummelling parts of the country with a dangerous cold that could break decades-old records with wind chill warnings stretching from Montana to Alabama.
2014/01/06: CBC: Winter weather blasts Central, Atlantic Canada
Tens of thousands in Newfoundland still in the dark, hundreds of flights cancelled in Toronto
2014/01/06: WSWS: Bitter cold across much of US
2014/01/05: PSinclair: Chill Out. I Got This
2014/01/06: al Jazeera: Parts of US cope with record-low temperature
With temperatures forecast to plunge below -50C in some areas, residents are urged to stay indoors and stock up on food.
2014/01/06: BBerg: 'Polar Pig' Threatens Coldest U.S. Weather in Two Decades
2014/01/05: GLaden: Go home, Arctic, You're Drunk.

And elsewhere in the world:
2014/01/06: ABC(Au): Storms bring flooding, knock out power in south-east Queensland

Abrupt Climate Change put in an appearance:
- 2013//: NAS: Abrupt Impacts of Climate Change: Anticipating Surprises (2013)
- 2014/01/07: CSW: "Abrupt Impacts of Climate Change"
This week in the New Normal -- extreme weather:
- 2014/01/10: UKISS: Extreme Weather Events Escalating Around the World
- 2014/01/10: WMO: Extreme Weather in parts of the world
- 2014/01/08: NatureN: US cold snap fuels climate debate
  Links are tenuous between Arctic warming and the extreme cold weather caused by a weak 'polar vortex'.
- 2014/01/06: HotWhopper: Weird weather
- 2014/01/06: PSinclair: A Teachable Moment: Jet Stream and Weather Whiplash (Look out the Window..)
- 2014/01/06: PSinclair: Whiplash: East Buried, Freezing - "Severe Drought" and Nude Sunbathing at Tahoe
- 2014/01/05: PSinclair: 2014 Starts with Bang. Extreme Weather and Climate Change
As for GHGs:
- 2014/01/09: Eureka: New study: US power plant emissions down
- 2014/01/07: RWER: Record high for global greenhouse gas emissions
And in the carbon cycle:
- 2014/01/09: TP:JR: Tiny Fungus Puts Up A Mighty Fight Against Climate Change
- 2014/01/08: Eureka: Fungi may determine the future of soil carbon
- 2014/01/07: UTA: Microbe community changes may reduce Amazon's ability to lock up carbon dioxide
  UT Arlington researchers focusing on the Amazon recently found that widespread conversion from rainforest to pastureland has significant effects on microorganism communities that may lead to a reduction in the region's role as a reservoir for greenhouse gas.
- 2013/12/20: TUM: Carbon content in soil influences climate models -- Climate change: How does soil store CO2?
Regarding the cosmic ray hypothesis:
- 2014/01/06: ERW: Insight: diurnal temperature ranges unaffected by cosmic ray changes
Milankovitch Cycles:
- 2014/01/07: TSoD: Ghosts of Climates Past - Pop Quiz: End of An Ice Age
What's up with volcanoes this week?
- 2014/01/12: ABC(Au): More than 25,000 flee as Indonesia's Mount Sinabung erupts, spews volcanic ash and lava
- 2014/01/05: NatureN: Supervolcanoes erupt by their own rules -- Mega-eruptions and smaller volcanoes are triggered by different mechanisms
- 2014/01/05: BBC: Supervolcano eruption mystery solved
- 2014/01/05: Guardian(UK): Indonesia extends volcano danger zone after Mount Sinabung eruptions
And on the ENSO front:
- 2014/01/09: NOAA:NCEP: El Niño/Southern Oscillation (ENSO) Diagnostic Discussion
  Synopsis: ENSO-neutral is expected to continue into the Northern Hemisphere summer 2014.
- 2014/01/09: ABC(Au): Lower rainfall predicted in eastern Australia as early signs point to El Nino return
- 2014/01/09: ABC(Au): El Nino possibly developing later this year
How is the temperature record?
- 2014/01/11: Moyhu: TempLS global temp down 0.17°C in December
- 2014/01/10: AFTIC: Yes, it was a remarkable cold snap, but in what way?
- 2014/01/10: IOTD: What Goes Around Comes Around [Jan.1-7 temperatures NorthAmerica vs. Eurasia]
- 2014/01/09: HotWhopper: It's hard to set all time cold records in a warming world...
- 2014/01/08: Wunderground: U.S. Cold Blast WInds Down, Fails to Set Any All-Time Cold Records
- 2014/01/06: SMH: 'Highly significant' heatwave smashes Australian records
- 2014/01/06: EarlyWarning: Are Winters Getting Warmer in Ithaca, NY?
- 2014/01/06: ABC(Au): Weather records tumble as Queensland swelters
- 2014/01/05: SciAm:PI: Meanwhile in Australia
- 2014/01/05: TruthDig: It's Getting Hotter in Oz
While in the paleoclimate:
In the attribution debate:
- 2014/01/09: Guardian(UK): Too early to link UK extreme weather to climate change, says Met Office
- 2014/01/07: Salon: Actually, this cold weather can be linked to global warming
- 2014/01/06: WC: Is The Record Cold Arctic Outbreak Tied To Global Warming?
What's the State of the Oceans?:
- 2014/01/09: SciNow: Bacteria Seed Ocean With Nutrient-Rich Packets
- 2014/01/05: EneNews: L.A. Times: Alarming West Coast sardine crash likely radiating through ecosystem...
What's the State of the Biosphere?
- 2014/01/10: ABC(Au): Decline of top predators a threat to ecosystems, scientists warn
- 2014/01/09: UMT: Study Shows Large Carnivore Numbers and Range Declining Worldwide
- 2014/01/09: BBC: More than three quarters of large carnivores now in decline
  Three quarters of the world's big carnivores - including lions, wolves and bears - are in decline, says a new study. A majority now occupy less than half their former ranges according to data published in the journal, Science. The loss of this habitat and prey and persecution by humans has created global hotspots of decline. The researchers say the loss of these species could be extremely damaging for ecosystems the world over.
- 2014/01/09: Eureka: Paper predicts a future without carnivores would be truly scary
  Scientists report on the state of world's largest carnivores and the critical benefits they provide
- 2014/01/09: Eureka: Lions are critically endangered in West Africa
- 2014/01/09: TheConversation: The world's top predators are in decline, and it's hurting us too
- 2014/01/08: BBC: Garden bird survey to assess light pollution
  The British Trust for Ornithology is asking the public to take part in a survey to assess the effect of light and heat pollution on garden birds.
- 2014/01/05: SciAm:EC: Sunday Species Snapshot: Forest Owlet
And on the extinction watch:
- 2014/01/08: PLoS One: The Lion in West Africa Is Critically Endangered by Philipp Henschel et al.
- 2014/01/12: BBC: A permit to hunt and kill an endangered Black Rhino in Namibia has been sold at a US auction for $350,000 (£212,000)
- 2014/01/12: ABC(Au): Licence to kill endangered black rhino in Namibia sells for A$390,000 at US auction
- 2014/01/12: CBC: Black rhino hunting permit auctioned for $350,000 U.S.
- 2014/01/10: ABC(Au): Dingoes in urgent need of protection
  Nature's top dogs have long been a feared and admired part of the ecosystem. However, despite the problems they can cause on properties, it turns out dingoes are in urgent need of protection.
- 2014/01/10: TheConversation: Marsupial extinctions: don't blame the dingoes
- 2014/01/10: ABC(Au): More koalas introduced at Tidbinbilla to boost numbers
- 2014/01/09: PSinclair: Mass Extinction: Let's Not
- 2014/01/09: TheConversation: Australian endangered species: Dinosaur Ant
- 2014/01/08: SciAm:EC: Shocking Study Finds Lions are Nearly Extinct in West Africa
- 2014/01/07: CDreams: Goodbye, Manatees: Record Number of Deaths in 2013
- 2014/01/07: SciAm:EC: New Population of Critically Endangered Rabbits Found in (of All Places) a Nature Reserve
- 2014/01/06: BBC: China destroys tonnes of ivory in landmark move
  China has for the first time destroyed a large quantity of confiscated ivory, in a public event described by conservation groups as a landmark move.
- 2014/01/06: ABC(Au): China destroys six tonnes of illegal ivory in landmark public event
- 2014/01/06: NatureNB: China crushes tonnes of seized ivory
- 2014/01/06: SciNews: Flightless birds face extinction
- 2014/01/06: SciAm:Obs: China Crushes Ivory, But Must Do More to Fight Wildlife Crime
- 2014/01/06: BBC: Will crushing ivory curb poaching?
- 2014/01/06: al Jazeera: China destroys tonnes of illegal ivory
  Wildlife groups estimate more than 35,000 elephants were killed for their tusks last year by ivory poachers.
- 2014/01/05: Guardian(UK): Kenyan rhinos cannot survive in the wild, says charity
  Rhino Ark says animals are increasingly vulnerable to organised poaching gangs and should be protected in sanctuaries
The bees and Colony Collapse Disorder are a constant concern. And then, there are the Neonicotinoids:
- 2014/01/08: PLoS One: Agricultural Policies Exacerbate Honeybee Pollination Service Supply-Demand Mismatches Across Europe by Tom D. Breeze et al.
- 2014/01/09: GLaden: The European Honey Bee Shortage
- 2014/01/09: Grist: At least EPA is doing a little something to help bees
- 2014/01/09: Eureka: EU policy is driving up demand for pollination faster than honeybee numbers
- 2014/01/08: BBC: Honeybee shortage threatens crop pollination in Europe
  In more than half of European countries, there are not enough honeybees to pollinate crops, according to new research.
- 2014/01/07: CDreams: Controversial [neonicotinoid] Insecticides Could Have Bigger Impact on Biodiversity 'Than We've Ever Seen Before'
- 2014/01/07: Grist: British thieves make off with thousands of sleeping bees
- 2014/01/06: CBC: Pesticide 'contaminating' Prairie wetlands: scientist
  Researcher suggests pesticide may be linked to insect, bird declines A University of Saskatchewan biologist says many wetlands across the Prairies are being contaminated by a relatively new pesticide that is threatening the ecosystem. Christy Morrissey says that over the past few years neonicotinoids have been used increasingly on crops in Western Canada and the chemical is making its way into wetlands, potentially having a devastating "domino effect" on insects and the birds that rely on them.
More GW impacts are being seen:
- 2014/01/09: AlterNet: 100,000 Bats Fall from the Sky in Australia Due to Extreme Heat Wave
- 2014/01/06: Maribo: Climate change is a challenge for current generations
- 2014/01/05: Eureka: Population stability 'hope' in species' response to climate change
And then there are the world's forests:
- 2014/01/09: TP:JR: Cold Snap Curtails Invasive Tree-Eating Pests That Thrive In Warmer Winters Somewhat, But Not Enough
- 2014/01/08: ABC(Au): Cypress trees in decline
- 2014/01/08: ICN: America's Forest Carbon Sink Is Shrinking, Government Report Says
- 2014/01/08: TreeHugger: What is the fate of the oldest trees on earth?
- 2014/01/07: Eureka: Temperature found to be most significant driver of the world's tallest trees
Changes in natural cycles are showing up:
- 2014/01/10: TP:JR: Warmer Weather [in the Tropics] Is Causing Pelican Chicks To Freeze To Death [in the North]
- 2014/01/08: USGS: Climate Change Could Negatively Affect Chase Lake Pelican Population
As for heatwaves and wild fires:
- 2014/01/12: ABC(Au): Perth Hills bushfire: Homes reported lost as residents flee massive blaze
- 2014/01/12: IOTD: Heat Wave Stifles Australia
- 2014/01/11: ABC(Au): West Australian heatwave closes national parks, dams as temperatures head toward 44C in Perth
- 2014/01/11: MODIS: Fires in Chile [on Jan.4]
- 2014/01/10: HotWhopper: A sign of the (hot) times...Heat wave forecasts from the Australian Bureau of Meteorology
- 2014/01/10: ABC(Au): Extreme temperatures forecast for WA prompt health and bushfire warnings
- 2014/01/10: ABC(Au): Heatwave conditions tipped to move from WA to eastern states in coming days
- 2014/01/09: ABC(Au): Researchers warn temperatures in Perth will rise as more trees are lost to urban development
- 2014/01/09: al Jazeera: Extreme heat takes its toll in Australia
  Exceptional heat across the country during 2013 has continued into the new year, with deadly consequences.
- 2014/01/08: Guardian(UK): Temperatures climb towards 50s as heatwave grips Western Australia
- 2014/01/07: ABC(Au): North Stradbroke Island fire: Homes spared as crews fight off blaze and cancel watch and act alert
- 2014/01/06: ABC(Au): Authorities stop the spread of central Victoria bushfire
- 2014/01/06: al Jazeera: Wildfires rage in Chile
  Residents are evacuated from their homes as the flames continue to spread.
Corals are a bellwether of the ocean's health:
- 2014/01/08: Eureka: Coral chemical warfare: Suppressing a competitor enhances susceptibility to a predator
Acidification is changing the oceans:
- 2014/01/10: ERW: Migrating copepods may handle ocean acidification better
Glaciers are melting:
- 2014/01/08: FaGP: Mertz Glacier Changes, Antarctica
- 2014/01/06: FaGP: Middle Lhonak Glacier Retreat, Sikkim, India
As for hydrological cycle disruptions [floods & droughts]:
- 2014/01/09: HESS: Ensemble projections of future streamflow droughts in Europe by G. Forzieri et al.
- 2014/01/09: EGU: [Press Release] Europe to suffer from more severe and persistent droughts
- 2014/01/09: RTCC: Europe to suffer more intense droughts by 2100, say scientists
- 2014/01/09: Grist: Check out this shocking map of California's drought
- 2014/01/08: ABC(Au): Drought tightens its grip in Queensland and northern NSW
- 2014/01/07: IOTD: Record Rain Floods Brazil
- 2014/01/06: PSinclair: California's Drought: No End in Sight, Water Supplies at Risk, Climate the Culprit
While in the endless quest for zero energy, sustainable buildings and practical codes:
- 2014/01/10: CleanTechnica: LEED Certification's Impact On America By The Numbers
- 2014/01/07: TP:JR: Here's Why Suburban Sprawl Cancels Out The Climate Benefits Of City Living
Large scale geo-engineering keeps popping up:
- 2014/01/01: SSRN: Geo-Engineering and Dispute Settlement Under UNCLOS and the UNFCCC: Stormy Seas Ahead? by Meinhard Doelle
- 2013/12/31: MDPI: How China's Options Will Determine Global Warming by Clifford Singer et al.
- 2014/01/09: Yale360: Solar Geoengineering: Weighing Costs of Blocking the Sun's Rays
  With prominent scientists now calling for experiments to test whether pumping sulfates into the atmosphere could safely counteract global warming, critics worry that the world community may be moving a step closer to deploying this controversial technology.
- 2014/01/08: Guardian(UK): Geoengineering could bring severe drought to the tropics, research shows
- 2014/01/08: ERW: Sulphate geoengineering would harm tropical climate
- 2014/01/07: NBF: City Scale Water spraying from skyscrapers would be artificial rain to clean air pollution for mitigating haze in China
- 2014/01/07: NBF: China will go to 4.8 billion tons of coal per year and will turn on the taps for artificial rain from skyscrapers to make air pollution tolerable
- 2014/01/07: G2Gr: Geoengineering: Fighting Climate Change by Outsmarting the Sun
- 2014/01/07: BBC: Geoengineering plan could have 'unintended' side effect
  Attempts to reverse the impacts of global warming by injecting reflective particles into the stratosphere could make matters worse, say researchers. A new study suggests the idea, seen as a last-ditch way to deal with runaway climate change, could cut rainfall in the tropics by 30%.
- 2014/01/06: UPI: Scientist: Giant, city-wide sprinkler systems could cut air pollution
- 2014/01/06: FuturePundit: Suppose We Could Geoengineer Polar Vortex Southward Bulges
- 2014/01/06: Springer: To curb China's haze and air pollution, use water
  New geoengineering research suggests pollution-control measures inspired by watering a garden
What's new in conservation?
- 2014/01/09: BBC: Tags reveal leatherback turtle by-catch hotspots
  A study using satellite data from tagged leatherback turtles has identified possible "by-catch hotspots" in the Pacific Ocean.
- 2014/01/08: TP:JR: Can America's Grasslands Be Saved?
While on the adaptation front:
Meanwhile in the journals:
- 2014/01/07: GMD: Evaluating the performance of SURFEXv5 as a new land surface scheme for the ALADINcy36 and ALARO-0 models by R. Hamdi et al.
- 2014/01/07: GMD: RIMBAY - a multi-approximation 3D ice-dynamics model for comprehensive applications: model description and examples by M. Thoma et al.
- 2014/01/07: GMDD: Two soil hydrology formulations of ORCHIDEE (version Trunk.rev1311) tested for the Amazon basin by M. Guimberteau et al.
- 2014/01/07: GMDD: Comparing microbial and chemical approaches for modelling soil organic carbon decomposition using the DecoChem v1.0 and DecoBio v1.0 models by G. Xenakis & M. Williams
- 2014/01/07: GMDD: SimSphere model sensitivity analysis towards establishing its use for deriving key parameters characterising land surface interactions by G. P. Petropoulos et al.
- 2014/01/07: TC: Feedbacks and mechanisms affecting the global sensitivity of glaciers to climate change by B. Marzeion et al.
- 2014/01/07: TC: Lidar snow cover studies on glaciers in the Ötztal Alps (Austria): comparison with snow depths calculated from GPR measurements by K. Helfricht et al.
- 2014/01/07: TC: A wavelet melt detection algorithm applied to enhanced-resolution scatterometer data over Antarctica (2000-2009) by N. Steiner & M. Tedesco
- 2014/01/07: TCD: How do icebergs affect the Greenland ice sheet under pre-industrial conditions? - A model study with a fully coupled ice sheet-climate model by M. Bügelmayer et al.
- 2014/01/07: TCD: Three-phase numerical model for subsurface hydrology in permafrost-affected regions by S. Karra et al.
- 2014/01/06: TCD: Physical controls on the storage of methane in landfast sea ice by J. Zhou et al.
- 2014/01/06: TCD: Modelling the evolution of the Antarctic Ice Sheet since the last interglacial by M. N. A. Maris et al.
- 2014/01/06: TCD: Using MODIS land surface temperatures and the Crocus snow model to understand the warm bias of ERA-Interim reanalyses at the surface in Antarctica by H. Fréville et al.
- 2014/01/06: TCD: Drifting snow measurements on the Greenland Ice Sheet and their application for model evaluation by J. T. M. Lenaerts et al.
- 2014/01/01: SSRN: Geo-Engineering and Dispute Settlement Under UNCLOS and the UNFCCC: Stormy Seas Ahead? by Meinhard Doelle
- 2013//: USDA:FS:TreeSearch: Long-term overstory and understory change following logging and fire exclusion in a Sierra Nevada mixed-conifer forest by Eric E. Knapp et al.
- 2014/01/07: PNAS: (abs) Interannual variation in land-use intensity enhances grassland multidiversity by Eric Allan et al.
- 2014/01/07: PNAS: (ab$) Re-Os geochronology and coupled Os-Sr isotope constraints on the Sturtian snowball Earth by Alan D. Rooney et al.
- 2014/01/09: BG: Distinct bacterial-production-DOC-primary-production relationships and implications for biogenic C cycling in the South China Sea shelf by C.-C. Lai et al.
- 2014/01/08: BG: Do successive climate extremes weaken the resistance of plant communities? An experimental study using plant assemblages by F. E. Dreesen et al.
- 2014/01/06: BG: Ocean acidification state in western Antarctic surface waters: controls and interannual variability by M. Mattsdotter Björk et al.
- 2014/01/10: BGD: Winter to summer evolution of pCO2 in surface water and air-sea CO2 flux in the seasonal ice zone of the Southern Ocean by D. Nomura et al.
- 2014/01/09: BGD: Declining risk of ozone impacts on vegetation in Europe 1990-2050 due to reduced precursor emissions in a changed climate by J. Klingberg et al.
- 2014/01/08: BGD: Observed increase in springtime surface partial pressure of CO2 in the east equatorial Indian Ocean during 1962-2012 by L. Xue et al.
- 2014/01/08: BGD: Quantifying the biophysical climate change mitigation potential of Canada's forest sector by C.E. Smyth et al.
- 2014/01/07: BGD: The Black Sea biogeochemistry: focus on temporal and spatial variability of oxygen by V. Stanev et al.
- 2014/01/06: BGD: Modeling coral calcification accounting for the impacts of coral bleaching and ocean acidification by Evenhuis et al.
- 2014/01/10: CP: Reconstruction of Atlantic water variability during the Holocene in the western Barents Sea by D. E. Groot et al.
- 2014/01/10: CP: Mending Milankovitch's theory: obliquity amplification by surface feedbacks by C. R. Tabor et al.
- 2014/01/08: CP: Quantitative reconstruction of precipitation changes on the NE Tibetan Plateau since the Last Glacial Maximum - extending the concept of pollen source area to pollen-based climate reconstructions from large lakes by Y. Wang et al.
- 2014/01/06: CP: Evaluating climate field reconstruction techniques using improved emulations of real-world conditions by J. Wang et al.
- 2014/01/10: CPD: Constraining the Last Glacial Maximum climate by data-model (iLOVECLIM) comparison using oxygen stable isotopes by T. Caley et al.
- 2014/01/07: CPD: Interpolation methods for Antarctic ice-core timescales: application to Byrd, Siple Dome and Law Dome ice cores by T. J. Fudge et al.
- 2014/01/06: CPD: Arctic Holocene proxy climate database - new approaches to assessing geochronological accuracy and encoding climate variables by H. S. Sundqvist et al.
- 2013/12/12: WoL:GRL: (ab$) Breakup of the Larsen B Ice Shelf triggered by chain reaction drainage of supraglacial lakes by Alison F. Banwell et al.
- 2014/01/10: Science: (ab$) Status and Ecological Effects of the World's Largest Carnivores by William J. Ripple et al.
- 2014/01/08: Nature: (ab$) A metal-free organic-inorganic aqueous flow battery by Brian Huskinson et al.
- 2014/01/08: ESDD: Bimodality of woody cover and biomass in semi-arid regime by Z. Yin et al.
- 2014/01/06: ESDD: Explaining the seasonal cycle of the globally averaged CO2 with a carbon cycle model by G. A. Alexandrov
- 2014/01/09: ACP: Antarctic ozone variability inside the polar vortex estimated from balloon measurements by M. C. Parrondo et al.
- 2014/01/06: ACP: Mesoscale modeling of smoke transport over the Southeast Asian Maritime Continent: coupling of smoke direct radiative effect below and above the low-level clouds by C. Ge et al.
- 2014/01/09: ACPD: Single-particle characterization of the High Arctic summertime aerosol by B. Sierau et al.
- 2014/01/09: ACPD: Impact of black carbon aerosol over Italian basin valleys: high resolution measurements along vertical profiles, radiative forcing and heating rate by L. Ferrero et al.
- 2014/01/07: ACPD: Model study on the dependence of primary marine aerosol emission on the sea surface temperature by S. Barthel et al.
- 2014/01/10: AGWObserver: New research from late 2013
- 2014/01/10: ACP: The Atmospheric Infrared Sounder version 6 cloud products by B. H. Kahn et al.
- 2014/01/10: ACP: Online coupled regional meteorology chemistry models in Europe: current status and prospects by A. Baklanov et al.
- 2014/01/10: ACPD: Effect of water vapour on the determination of Aerosol Direct Radiative Effect based on the AERONET fluxes by J. Huttunen et al.
- 2014/01/10: GMD: Evaluation of the new UKCA climate-composition model - Part 2: The Troposphere by F. M. O'Connor et al.
- 2014/01/10: GMDD: Estimation of uncertainties due to data scarcity in model upscaling: a case study of methane emissions from rice paddies in China by W. Zhang et al.
- 2014/01/10: TC: A satellite-based snow cover climatology (1985-2011) for the European Alps derived from AVHRR data by F. Hüsler et al.
- 2014/01/08: PLoS One: The Lion in West Africa Is Critically Endangered by Philipp Henschel et al.
- 2014/01/09: HESS: Ensemble projections of future streamflow droughts in Europe by G. Forzieri et al.
- 2014/01/08: PLoS One: Agricultural Policies Exacerbate Honeybee Pollination Service Supply-Demand Mismatches Across Europe by Tom D. Breeze et al.
- 2014/01/05: Nature:GeoSci: (ab$) Frequency and magnitude of volcanic eruptions controlled by magma injection and buoyancy by Luca Caricchi et al.
- 2014/01/05: Nature:GeoSci: (ab$) Supervolcano eruptions driven by melt buoyancy in large silicic magma chambers by Wim J. Malfait et al.
- 2014/01/05: Nature:CC: (ab$) Abundance changes and habitat availability drive species' responses to climate change by Louise Mair et al.
- 2014/01/01: TES: Estrogen and Androgen Receptor Activities of Hydraulic Fracturing Chemicals and Surface and Ground Water in a Drilling-Dense Region by Christopher D. Kassotis et al.
And other significant documents:
- 2013//: NAP: [links to several pdfs] Abrupt Impacts of Climate Change: Anticipating Surprises
- 2014/01/09: BREE: [links to several pdfs] Australian energy technology assessments
- 2014/01/07: UKParliament:EF&RAC: Departmental Annual Report 2012-13
As for miscellaneous science:
- 2014/01/09: ATTPh: Forced vs Unforced Variability
- 2014/01/09: TSoD: Ghosts of Climates Past - Eleven - End of the Last Ice age
- 2014/01/09: ERabett: Citation Manager Death Match
- 2014/01/09: Eureka: Quantum mechanics explains efficiency of photosynthesis
- 2014/01/11: Tamino: Smooth 3
- 2014/01/08: Tamino: Smooth 2
In the science organizations:
- 2014/01/08: ScienceInsider: Smithsonian Science Chief to Retire
What developments in the ongoing struggle for Open Science?
- 2014/01/11: EnvEcon: Elsevier might ask you to take your PDF down from your personal webpage
- 2014/01/08: CassandrasLegacy: Frontiers in Energy Policy and Systems: a new open access journal
- 2014/01/07: NatureN: Particle-physics papers set free
  Tensions as open-access initiative goes live -- without the field's leading journal.
- 2014/01/07: ERabett: Search Engines - Google Scholar
Regarding Advocacy:
- 2014/01/06: CCNF: Gavin Schmidt and Judith Curry on Science Advocacy by Dr. Bart Verheggen
Regarding Schneider:
- 2014/01/11: SimpleC: The warrior who gave his life to climate change
Meanwhile at the UN:
- 2014/01/10: UN: Ban calls on world for more resources to end conflicts, spur development, counter climate change
- 2014/01/08: WMO: WMO in Student Model United Nations
And on the carbon trading front:
- 2014/01/08: RTCC: Global carbon market to rise 15% in value in 2014
- 2014/01/08: RTCC: California's CO2 market enjoys strong first year in 2013
- 2014/01/08: CBC: EU toughens carbon trading system -- Carbon credit will be limited, which will increase their cost
On the international political front, tensions continue as the empire leans on Iran:
- 2014/01/11: al Jazeera: Why does Netanyahu want to sabotage the Iran nuclear deal?
  A rapprochement with Iran will weaken Israel's standing in the region and the Israeli PM's governing coalition.
- 2014/01/10: BBerg: Iran, Powers Complete Talks on Implementing Nuclear Plan
  Iran and six world powers cleared technical hurdles on how to implement an agreement to curb the Persian Gulf nation's nuclear program in return for easing sanctions, Iranian and European Union officials said. The implementation accord needs to be approved by all the governments involved, said Iran Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, according to the Islamic Student News Agency.
- 2014/01/10: AntiWar: Iran Deal Text Finalized, Waiting for Final Approval -- US Downplays Deal to Implement Interim Pact
- 2014/01/10: CBC: Iran nuclear plan reached, awaits approval
  Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi says government will respond to terms in 2 days Iran's nuclear envoy in Geneva said Friday that an initial agreement has been reached on how to implement a nuclear deal with six world powers. Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, in comments to the official IRNA news agency, said world powers and the Iranian government should respond within two days about whether they accept the terms, which he did not reveal.
- 2014/01/10: LobeLog: White House Ups Ante on Sanctions Bill As More Republicans Sign On
- 2014/01/10: AntiWar: Obama WH: Pro-Sanctions Senators Should Admit They Want War With Iran
- 2014/01/10: BBC: 'Very good progress' at Iran nuclear talks - EU
- 2014/01/09: AntiWar: 58 Senators Back Iran Sanctions, Threatening Diplomacy -- Obama Pushes for Delay, But Hawks Near Veto-Proof Level
- 2014/01/09: WSWS: Iran offers major concessions to US and European oil giants
- 2014/01/09: al Jazeera: Iran set to resume nuclear talks in Geneva
  Thursday's two-day meeting aims to activate a landmark deal reached in November between Iran and world powers.
- 2014/01/08: AntiWar: Centrifuge Dispute Stalls Iran Talks Again -- Research Centrifuges Remain a 'Sticking Point'
- 2014/01/07: AntiWar: 50 Senators Now Cosponsor Iran Sanctions Bill -- Veto Pledge Remains, But Senate Hawks May Override
- 2014/01/07: Guardian(UK): Iranian stars petition UN over medicine shortages
South [& East] China Sea tension persists:
- 2014/01/12: al Jazeera: China ships enter waters off disputed islands
  Japanese defence minister says country cannot overlook "repeated incursions" by Chinese vessels into disputed waters.
- 2014/01/10: NBF: Japan claims 280 uninhabited islands but does not say exactly where
- 2014/01/10: Guardian(UK): Beijing brushes off US criticism of its tough new fishing rules
  The Chinese are demanding foreign crews get permits before fishing the South China Sea, upsetting neighbouring countries
- 2014/01/10: BBC: US: China new sea rules 'provocative'
  The US has described new Chinese rules on fishing access to disputed areas of the South China Sea as "provocative and potentially dangerous". Regulations approved by Hainan province requiring foreign fishing vessels to ask for permission to enter its waters took effect on 1 January.
- 2014/01/09: al Jazeera: US challenges 'provocative' China sea law
  New rule requires foreign fishing vessels to obtain Chinese approval to enter waters in disputed area. The United States has described as "provocative and potentially dangerous" new Chinese restrictions of foreign fishing vessels in disputed waters in the South China Sea. From January 1, China has required foreign fishing vessels to obtain approval to enter waters it says are under its jurisdiction. It rejects territorial claims by the Philippines, Taiwan, Malaysia, Brunei and Vietnam.
- 2014/01/08: WSWS: Japan scrambles fighters amid escalating tensions with China
  In another sign of high tensions in North East Asia, Japan announced that it scrambled fighter jets yesterday to head off a Chinese civilian aircraft near disputed islands, in the East China Sea, known as Senkaku in Japan and Diaoyu in China. The Y-12 propeller plane entered Japan's air defence identification zone (ADIZ), but not the airspace around the Senkaku/Diaoyu islets, before heading back to China.
- 2014/01/08: NBF: China's plan is to acquire the best commercial energy technology and scales up production
- 2014/01/06: Guardian(UK): Japan hits back at China over Voldemort comparisons
These 'free trade' treaties are a stealth corporate takeover with anti-democratic dispute resolution mechanisms:
- 2014/01/09: UTDocs: From last fast-track bill for TPP
- 2014/01/09: ABC(Au):TDU: The environment would pay for 'free trade'
  Under the secretive Trans Pacific Partnership Agreement, Australia could be forced to pay foreign corporations not to dig up or destroy its coastline or native forests, writes Tom Warne-Smith.
- 2014/01/07: OpenMedia: Australians to Canadians: Beware TPP economic fallout
- 2014/01/07: Rabble:ST: NAFTA at 20: Some perspectives from planet earth
- 2014/01/07: RWER: Twenty years since NAFTA: Mexico could have done worse, but it's not clear how
- 2014/01/06: NakedCapitalism: Administration Peddling Increasing Blatant Canards on Proposed "Trade" Deals
A fishing faceoff between Russia and Senegal:
- 2014/01/10: al Jazeera: Russia accuses Senegal of 'piracy'
  Russia's accusation follows Senegal arresting 62 Russians on board a trawler for alleged illegal fishing.
- 2014/01/06: BBC: Senegal seizes Russian vessel for 'illegal fishing'
And in miscellaneous international political jousting:
The issue of the law and activism is playing out around the world:
- 2014/01/11: CCP: Terror charges faced by Oklahoma fossil fuel protesters 'outrageous'
  Lawyer representing two activists says their banner protest at Devon Energy does not justify terrorism hoax charges
- 2014/01/07: CBC: Harper climate protesters won't face charges in security breach
What are the activists up to?
- 2014/01/10: ABC(Au): Opponents of four-kilometre shale gas wells near Penola tell Beach Energy to pack up and go
- 2014/01/09: CDreams: Movement to Resist Tar Sands 'Megaloads' Brings Together Northwest Tribal Members, Environmentalists
- 2014/01/09: CDreams: 'Don't Frack With Our Future': New York Protesters Confront Cuomo
  Protesters fear water and air contamination if Cuomo lifts ban on fracking
- 2014/01/09: TP:JR: Group Wants To Label Gas Pumps Like Cigarettes, Warn Consumers About Danger To Planet's Health
- 2014/01/09: Grist: Protesters are super-gluing themselves to fracking sites now
- 2014/01/09: TP:JR: How A Group Of Parents Ended Radio Disney's Oil-Funded Educational Tour
- 2014/01/09: RT: Anti-fracking protest rocks NY governor's state of the state address
  A crowd of more than 1,000 attended the anti-fracking protest held in the capital of New York state, organized during the State of the State address. The governor, though, chose not to mention the issue of fracking in his speech.
- 2014/01/08: Guardian(UK): Indonesian indigenous groups fight climate change with GPS mapping
  Tribal rights advocates and rainforest defenders are using community mapmaking to protect ancestral land
- 2014/01/07: TP:JR: After Trying 'All Other Means,' Protesters Are Now Super-Gluing Themselves To Fracking Sites
The move to divest from fossil fuel investments is growing slowly:
- 2014/01/06: RTCC: Are the economics and ethics of fossil fuel divestment aligning?
- 2014/01/05: CDreams: A Financial New Year's Resolution to Pull the Plug on Fossil Fuels
Polls! We have polls!
- 2014/01/06: FuelFix: Voting majority backs Keystone XL pipeline, poll finds
- 2014/01/06: CleanTechnica: US Consumer Support For Clean Energy At Highest Level Since 2010
Regarding Water Politics and Business; See also:
- 2014/01/11: JFleck: Stuff I wrote elsewhere: Albuquerque water use down
- 2014/01/09: USGS: The Connected Consequences of River Dams
- 2014/01/09: JFleck: For now, some breathing room on the Colorado River
- 2014/01/08: AllAfrica:SW Radio: Zimbabwe: Bulawayo's Water Rationing Regime to Stay
  Demand for water in Bulawayo continues to outstrip supply with the city currently receiving just a fraction of its estimated daily requirements. The city has longstanding water restriction measures and these will remain in place despite the improved rainfall in recent weeks, authorities have said. "Without significant inflows into our dams the restrictive measures will remain," Bulawayo Mayor, Martin Moyo, told SW Radio Africa on Tuesday.
- 2014/01/06: Grist: California is dangerously short on snow
- 2014/01/05: JFleck: Stuff I wrote elsewhere: real water, real people
Among the world's religions:
- 2014/01/05: CCP: Pope Francis: "Nature Does Not Forgive" [religioso]
Regarding science education:
- 2014/01/12: ClimateShifts: Want to know more about global change and coastal marine ecosystems?
- 2014/01/07: GLaden: The torch has been passed on: Ann Reid is now running NCSE [National Center for Science Education]
- 2014/01/06: TP:JR: Virginia Legislator Proposes Letting Schools Teach Kids That Climate Change And Evolution May Not Exist
Think you can innovate your way out of this?
- 2014/01/08: TP:JR: New Technology Makes Plastic Out Of Carbon Pollution -- Could It Help Solve The Climate Crisis?
While in the UK:
- 2014/01/11: BBC: French oil giant Total to invest in UK shale gas
- 2014/01/10: BBC: Lack of research linking climate change and floods is a 'scandal'
  Questions about the link between flooding in the UK and climate change could be answered within two years, according to a leading scientist. Prof Myles Allen from Oxford University said the only thing holding back the work was the lack of investment. Around £10m a year would provide a real time attribution system on the role of humans in extreme weather.
- 2014/01/10: BBC: Moves to end flood prevention plans delay
- 2014/01/10: Guardian(UK): Owen Paterson has failed to factor climate change into flood insurance
  Homeowners' deal doesn't take into account the increasing risk from rising sea and shifts in rainfall due to climate change
- 2014/01/10: Guardian(UK): David Cameron right to link floods and global warming, say climate scientists
  Myles Allen and Peter Stott say prime minister right to make connection between recent weather and global warming
- 2014/01/09: RTCC: RWE decision signals death knell for UK's coal-fired power [by 2023]
- 2014/01/09: Guardian(UK): £6m of government funding to plant 4 million trees in England this year
  Conservationists welcome continuation of investment in woodlands but warn that level of planting is too low
- 2014/01/09: EurActiv: Stricter shipping emission controls could save industry E9 million: study
  Tightening a Commission proposal to reduce shipping emissions would bring greater CO2 cuts as well as lowering operational costs for shipowners by up to E9 million a year, according to a new study published today (9 January).
- 2014/01/08: RTCC: David Cameron links UK extreme weather to climate change
- 2014/01/08: Guardian(UK): David Cameron 'very much suspects' climate change is behind recent storms
  Prime minister concedes increase in abnormal weather events could be linked to global warming
- 2014/01/08: Guardian(UK): [Letters] Flood misery isn't about to go away
- 2014/01/07: Guardian(UK): Massive cuts risk England's ability to deal with floods, MPs say
- 2014/01/07: RTCC: London climate resilience tested as flood barrier rises 11th time in 11 days
- 2014/01/07: BBC: Floods not the only worry for Defra
  Given the furious storms and relentless flooding that Britain has endured over the past two months, it is little wonder that reports about MPs criticisms of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) should focus on budget cuts and their impact on flood defences. But the Departmental Annual Report 2012-13 covers much more than just soggy ground and surging tides, and it deserves some attention.
- 2014/01/07: UKParliament:EF&RAC: Departmental Annual Report 2012-13
- 2014/01/07: BBC: MPs concerned over environment budget cuts
  Substantial cuts to the government's environment department budget will hamper its future ability to cope with emergencies such as flooding, MPs fear.
And in Europe:
- 2014/01/11: RTCC: EU Commission split over 2030 climate targets
- 2014/01/10: EurActiv: 'Flawed' Commission proposal on ship emissions gains ground in Parliament
- 2014/01/10: EurActiv: Parliament, Commission set for clash over 2030 clean energy goals
  The European Parliament yesterday (9 January) voted for three binding energy and climate targets in 2030, audaciously backing a 40% energy savings improvement, but EurActiv understands that a meeting of nine EU commissioners this morning is set to endorse a far weaker text.
- 2014/01/10: Guardian(UK): EU commissioners clash over 2030 climate goals
- 2014/01/10: TheCanadian: Wind power now Spain's top source of electricity as GHG's plummet
- 2014/01/10: RTCC: UK and Poland announce plans to push fracking across Europe
  David Cameron tells Polish Prime Minister that he will cooperate to prevent EU legislation that could slow down fracking industry
- 2014/01/09: RTCC: EU committees vote 'yes' to renewables target, but Commission wavers
- 2014/01/08: EurActiv: Expensive renewable energy is threat to industry: German [Economy Minister, Sigmar Gabriel (SPD)]
  Germany's will risk losing its big industries unless they are sheltered from the cost burden of renewable energy, its economy minister said while restating his commitment to a shift to low carbon fuel.
- 2014/01/08: EurActiv: EU study predicts clean energy, climate failure by 2050
  The EU's decarbonisation of its energy sector will only cut emissions by half the amount needed to limit global warming to 2 degrees Celsius in 2050, according to a business-as-usual scenario quietly released by the European Commission over the Christmas period.
- 2014/01/07: EurActiv: Brussels says energy-intensive industry is coping well despite US price gap
  Industrial energy consumers in the European Union have dealt well with a large energy price differential to peers in the United States but should remain concerned about high prices, the EU executive said in a draft policy paper seen by Reuters.
- 2014/01/07: EurActiv: Big EU guns fire for 'crucial' 2030 renewable targets
  Ministers from eight EU states - including Germany and France - have called on the European Commission to set "robust" renewable energy targets for 2030, in a break with an emerging consensus for one emissions-cutting goal alone.
- 2014/01/07: RTCC: EU heavyweights urge 40% greenhouse gas emissions cut by 2030
- 2014/01/06: EurActiv: Energy utilities call for more flexible ETS
  As the European Commission is working to revive the EU's ailing Emissions Trading System (ETS), big energy companies say that making the system more flexible should be the first priority. EurActiv Czech Republic reports. An initiative of twelve European utility companies calls for a resuscitation of the emission trading system. The EU ETS does deliver on its goal to reduce CO2 emissions. However, reductions are mainly due to the economic crisis and not because of a structural shift towards low carbon technologies, the companies say.
- 2014/01/06: RTCC: Green jobs at risk without 2030 climate package: Hedegaard
  EU climate chief says ambitious low carbon policies essential for region to retain competitiveness
Meanwhile in Australia:
- 2014/01/11: ABC(Au): Clive Palmer's refinery granted environmental extension
  Queensland conservationists are angry about a decision to give Federal MP Clive Palmer's nickel refinery more time to meet environmental standards. The State Government has given Queensland Nickel an additional 12 months to modify tailings dams at its Yabulu refinery in the state's north. Concerns were raised more than a year and a half ago that the dams could overflow and spill toxic water into the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area.
- 2014/01/10: ABC(Au): Tasmanian Labor tipped to ditch the Greens and call an election within days
- 2014/01/09: ABC(Au): Renewable energy companies want certainty about review timeline
  Clean energy companies are warning that uncertainty about the future of Australia's renewable energy target is stalling projects and scaring off investors. The Government is yet to announce a schedule for its review of the target, but says it will take place sometime this year. The Prime Minster, Mr Abbott, has today made it clear electricity prices will be a focus. The renewable energy industry is disputing claims the cost of new projects is pushing up prices, and is warning the Government against making changes to the target.
- 2014/01/09: ABC(Au): Joyce says there's no quick fix to drought assistance
  The Federal agriculture minister Barnaby Joyce says he can't yet promise any further drought assistance for Queensland primary producers.
- 2014/01/09: ABC(Au): Banana disease eradication budget doubles
  The Northern Territory Department of Primary Industry's banana freckle eradication budget has increased from $2.8 million to $4.4 million, with another eradication zone set up around Virginia.
- 2014/01/09: ABC(Au): Tas farmers gain nutrient advantage in top crops
- 2014/01/09: RNE: A dose of reality for Australian energy cost estimates
- 2014/01/09: BREE: [links to several pdfs] Australian energy technology assessments
- 2014/01/08: ABC(Au): NSW farmers call for more drought help
- 2014/01/07: ABC(Au): Hervey Bay counting cost of king tide damage to foreshore
- 2014/01/07: ABC(Au): Great Lakes council defends benchmarks used for predicting sea level rise
- 2014/01/07: ABC(Au): Federal Tasmanian MP demands apology from detained Greenpeace activist Colin Russell
- 2014/01/06: Guardian(UK): Court overrules climate change clause in council's beachfront house approval
  Council criticised for planning rule that allowed house to be built on condition it be demolished in 20 years if sea levels rise
- 2014/01/06: TheConversation: Australia needs gas reservation to protect industries and climate
- 2014/01/06: TheConversation: Australia's hottest year was no freak event: humans caused it
- 2014/01/06: ABC(Au): Public submissions on Crudine Ridge windfarm released
  There has been strong community opposition to proposed transport routes for a planned wind farm near Mudgee, but some people are still staunchly supporting the Crudine Ridge project. Last month Wind Prospect CWP, released two new options for transporting 106 turbines so that vehicles would pass through Mudgee and Gulgong.
- 2014/01/06: NewAnthropocene: Bernardi's zombie values in modern Australia
- 2014/01/06: ABC(Au): Liberal Senator Cory Bernardi hits out at 'pro-death' abortion, step-families, IR laws
  One of Tony Abbott's backbenchers has accused some women of using abortion as "an abhorrent form of birth control" and labelled those who advocate pro-choice as "pro-death".
- 2014/01/05: TheConversation: Which homes will survive this bushfire season?
Now we get to watch the suppository of wisdom destroy what little Australia has done to fight climate change:
- 2014/01/12: Guardian(UK): Australian environment minister is totally, shamefully negligent with "direct action" policy
- 2014/01/11: NewAnthropocene: Australian government playing dirty behind the scene
- 2014/01/10: UKISS: The Xmas Attack on Climate
- 2014/01/10: WSWS: Australian government forces refugee boats back to Indonesia
- 2014/01/10: CDreams: Dear Climate Change Deniers, Meet Australia's Wildfire-Raging, Bat-Killing, Kangaroo-Fainting, iPad-Melting Heat Wave
- 2014/01/08: BBC: Australia PM Tony Abbott defends asylum policy 'closed book'
- 2014/01/07: Guardian(UK): Tony Abbott's advisor Maurice Newman shows a different kind of climate change madness
  What might be the cause of the extreme climate science denial on public display from the Australian government's top business advisor?
- 2014/01/07: TRP: Australia Would Like You To Shove Your Climate Change Denial Up Your Ignorant Arse
- 2014/01/06: JWight: Unofficial deputy PM attacks climate science
Education Minister Christopher Pyne wants to remake the Australian school curriculum:
- 2014/01/11: NewAnthropocene: Bring the faith to Australian schools and all hell will break loose
- 2014/01/11: ABC(Au): Education reviewer Kevin Donnelly makes case for more religion to be taught in public schools
  There should be more religious education in Australian schools, says one of the men tasked with reviewing the national curriculum. Former teacher and ex-Liberal Party staffer Kevin Donnelly says Australian education has become too secular, and the federation's Judeo-Christian heritage should be better reflected in the curriculum.
- 2014/01/11: Guardian(UK): The fog of culture wars is obscuring the facts ... but that's the point
  Christopher Pyne's curriculum review is but one engagement in a proliferation culture wars that provide very handy cover
- 2014/01/11: JQuiggin: Be careful what you wish for
- 2014/01/10: Guardian(UK): History wars: the men behind the national school curriculum review
  Christopher Pyne has announced a review of the school curriculum; but what do we know about Kevin Donnelly and Ken Wiltshire, the two men he has appointed to run the process?
- 2014/01/10: Guardian(UK): Education wars: what the curriculum actually says about Australian history
  Guardian Australia examines claims that school history neglects conservative leaders, Anzacs and western civilisation
- 2014/01/10: Guardian(UK): Christopher Pyne: curriculum must focus on Anzac Day and western history
  Education minister wants to remove 'partisan bias' as part of national curriculum review
- 2014/01/10: ABC(Au): Teachers warn of 'culture wars' as Christopher Pyne announces back-to-basics curriculum review
  Education Minister Christopher Pyne has indicated he wants the national school curriculum to have a greater focus on the benefits of Western civilisation, prompting warnings any changes could result in another "culture war".
After years of wrangling, the Murray Darling Basin Plan is in place, but the water management fights are far from finished:
- 2014/01/10: ABC(Au): Gascoyne River flows into Carnarvon
  Growers in Western Australia's Gascoyne region are celebrating the first river flow, since devastating floods three years ago. Rain from Tropical Cyclone Christine fell in the Gascoyne River catchment last week and this morning at 6:00am lead waters crept under Nine Mile Bridge in Carnarvon.
- 2014/01/08: ABC(Au): Graziers cart water to keep cattle alive in drought stricken south-west Queensland
- 2014/01/07: ABC(Au): Cyclone Christine helps Gascoyne River flow
  Rainfall from ex-Tropical Cyclone Christine has made its way to the parched Gascoyne River.
- 2014/01/06: ABC(Au): Alleged water cheats 'locked down' as Burdekin irrigation runs low
And in the Indian subcontinent:
- 2014/01/10: CCurrents: Koodankulam: An Unfettered Struggle
- 2014/01/10: CCurrents: Seed Monopolies, GMOs And Farmers Suicides In India by Dr Vandana Shiva
- 2014/01/09: RTCC: India to open new Environmental Protection Agency
  Autonomous body will have power to block new coal or hydro power plants deemed polluting or unsustainable India's Supreme Court has ordered the government to open a new institution based on the USA's Environmental Protection Agency, aimed at addressing rising levels of pollution across the country.
- 2014/01/06: WSWS: India's prime minister announces resignation
While in China:
- 2014/01/09: NBF: China's horrible air pollution
- 2014/01/09: TP:JR: In The Face Of Historic Smog, China Adds $10 Billion In New Coal Production Capacity
- 2014/01/08: NatureN: China tops Europe in R&D intensity
  Reforms to commercial and academic research systems still needed despite reaching spending milestone, say scientists.
- 2014/01/08: BBC: China on world's 'biggest push' for wind power
  China has embarked on the greatest push for renewable energy the world has ever seen. A key element involves more than doubling the number of wind turbines in the next six years. Already the world's largest producer of wind power, China plans further massive increases. From a current installed capacity of 75 gigawatts (GW), the aim is to achieve a staggering 200GW by 2020.
- 2014/01/07: Reuters: China approves massive new coal capacity despite pollution fears
- 2014/01/07: BBC: Desolation of smog: Tackling China's air quality crisis
  Officials in China say they are confident green technology will help overcome the country's notoriously polluted air. Apocalyptic scenes of dense smog have recently forced major cities including Shanghai and Harbin to virtually shut down. The capital Beijing is among urban areas where pollution routinely exceeds safety limits set by the World Health Organization (WHO).
- 2014/01/06: CleanTechnica: China Withdraws Support For 75% Of Solar Equipment Manufacturers
And in Japan:
- 2014/01/08: RTCC: Japan proposes huge smart meter roll-out to cut emissions
While in Africa:
And South America:
- 2014/01/08: Guardian(UK): Falkland islands: Argentina appoints Malvinas secretary
- 2014/01/08: Guardian(UK): Brazil's indigenous rights activists hail illegal settlers' eviction
- 2014/01/05: DD: Argentina sanctions power companies for repeated outages that affected millions during record heat wave
In Canada, neocon PM Harper, aka The Blight, pushes petroleum while ignoring the climate and ecology:
- 2014/01/11: CdnTrends: CAPP has Canada by the balls
- 2014/01/11: TheCanadian: Harper guts more fish protections: NEB takes over habitat along pipelines
- 2014/01/11: AutoBG: Canadian government to spend $22 million on green washing tar sands
- 2014/01/10: PI:B: The trouble with 2030
- 2014/01/09: TStar: Ottawa hires ad firm for $22 million oilsands campaign
  The Canadian arm of FleishmanHillard has been tapped to develop a $22 million ad campaign promoting the oilsands abroad.
- 2014/01/09: PaiD: Aren't We Asking The Wrong Questions?
- 2014/01/09: BLongstaff: The folly of aping U.S. emissions policy
- 2014/01/09: ACR: Celsius 232
- 2014/01/09: NNW: Feds quietly adopt new rail industry rules
  Transport Canada quietly approved new safety rules drafted by the railway industry on Boxing Day just as an emergency directive issued in the wake of last summer's Lac-Megantic disaster was set to expire. The federal department also reissued a new emergency directive on Jan. 1, again without public notification, covering those rail companies that are not part of the Railway Association of Canada.
- 2014/01/08: Grist: Why Canada sucks on climate change
- 2014/01/07: PI:B: Ottawa's oil and gas sitcom
- 2014/01/07: TMoS: When You Elect a Lunatic Prime Minister
- 2014/01/07: DawgsBlawg: Stephen Harper's secret police
- 2014/01/07: MSimon: Stephen Harper and the Great Ice Storm Question
- 2013/11/26: E4D: Medieval Canada threatens global biodiversity
The NB fracking protests at Elsipogtog aren't ending:
- 2014/01/10: Grist: Elsipogtog epic: How a tribe's fight against an energy company caught fire
- 2014/01/08: APTN: Ottawa prepared for nation-wide protests following RCMP Elsipogtog raid: documents
- 2014/01/08: Rabble:AP: First Nations resist fuel and mining developments to protect us all
- 2014/01/05: CBC: Canada boreal forest protection expanded in 2013 but concerns remain
Resonances of the Lac Mégantic tragedy linger:
- 2014/01/11: CBC: 3 CP train cars carrying coal derail in Burnaby, B.C.
- 2014/01/11: CBC: Plaster Rock derailment fires out, evacuees going home -- Don't use tap water, residents warned
- 2014/01/11: LeDaro: Train Carrying Oil Derails, Catches Fire in New Brunswick, Canada
- 2014/01/10: CBC: CN Rail derailment site the scene of controlled burn today
  Large flames, black smoke rose above Wapske as crews used explosives to burn off butane, extinguish fire
- 2014/01/10: CBC: CN derailment probe focuses on problem with car's wheel-axle
  Transportation Safety Board certain controversial DOT-111 tank cars were carrying crude oil on train
- 2014/01/10: CBC: Rail safety needs government enforcement not 'luck,' Mulcair says
- 2014/01/10: CBC: Thicker, safer DOT-111 railcars pitched by safety regulator
- 2014/01/10: TheCanadian: Energy analyst: Oil-by-rail jeopardized by explosions
- 2014/01/09: CBC: CN derailment near Plaster Rock investigation continues
- 2014/01/08: BBC: Canada crude train still burning after derailment
  A train carrying crude oil and propane is still burning in the Canadian province of New Brunswick after partially derailing overnight. More than 100 residents of nearby Plaster Rock were evacuated from the village on Tuesday night after 15 cars and one locomotive derailed.
- 2014/01/08: CBC: Fire burns at CN derailment of crude, propane near Plaster Rock
  50 homes in area evacuated; derailment involved 4 cars carrying crude oil and 4 with propane
- 2014/01/08: NNW: Train with oil, gas derails in New Brunswick
- 2014/01/07: CBC: Wapske derailed train on fire, carrying propane, crude oil -- Witness saw 'big cloud of orange smoke'
- 2014/01/08: TheCanadian: Mechanical failure spurred CN oil train derailment in New Brunswick
- 2014/01/08: TMoS: After Lac Megantic, After Plaster Rock, Just How Volatile is Athabasca DilBit Anyway?
- 2014/01/05: CBC: Oil by rail? B.C. and Alberta report done, not yet public
  Joint B.C.-Alberta government taskforce handed in report examining feasability of oil-by-rail option A task force report that examines the idea of transporting crude oil from the Alberta oilsands to the B.C. coast via rail has been handed in to the British Columbia and Alberta governments.
The Harper gang is ravaging Canadian science for ideological ends:
- 2014/01/11: CCP: More on illegal destruction of priceless science libraries by Harper government [video]
- 2014/01/11: P3: Silence of the labs - the sorry state of federal science in Canada
- 2014/01/11: CCP: How the Harper govt. killed climate science in Canada [video]
- 2014/01/11: Tyee: Eric Marshall 'Disturbed' by Dismantling of Namesake Science Library
  'I don't want to have my name associated with empty shelves,' biologist says.
- 2014/01/11: MSimon: Stephen Harper and the Monstrous Con Book Burners
- 2014/01/10: CoaSL: The Canadian War on Science: A chronological account of chaos & consolidation at the Department of Fisheries & Oceans libraries
- 2014/01/10: Rabble: The closure of DFO libraries is an attack on knowledge and democracy by Rick Salutin
- 2014/01/10: TP:JR: Canadian Government Dismantles Ecological Libraries After Dismissing Thousands Of Scientists
- 2014/01/09: Tyee: Canada's Science Library Closures Mirror Bush's Playbook
  Similar moves by US Republican president met sharp backlash from 10,000 scientists.
- 2014/01/08: Tyee: Scientists Say DFO's Library Closure Defence Doesn't Add Up -- Minister Shea fails to convince researchers trove of information is preserved
- 2014/01/06: CBC: Fisheries and Oceans library closings called loss to science
  Department of Fisheries and Oceans plans to close 7 of its 11 libraries across the country
- 2014/01/06: CCP: How the Harper government committed a knowledge massacre, complete with book burnings
- 2014/01/05: KSJT: Huff Post: Canadian science under further assault. Can the latest grotesque news be true? Call fact check!
- 2013/10/21: E4D: Press release: New report provides evidence of systematic censoring of government science in Canada
- 2013/05/20: CoaSL: The Canadian War on Science: A long, unexaggerated, devastating chronological indictment
The Blight, touring the land to avoid answering questions, got a rude welcome in BC:
- 2014/01/07: PoliticsRespun: Yesterday's Climate Justice Protest #SpinAlert
- 2014/01/07: CBC: Harper climate protesters won't face charges in security breach
- 2014/01/06: TMoS: Harper Gets B.C. Bum's Rush
- 2014/01/06: MSimon: Stephen Harper's Rude Welcome to British Columbia
- 2014/01/06: CPW: In Vancouver, Climate Justice Activists Disrupt Stephen Harper's Pro-Big Oil Party
- 2014/01/06: CBC: Climate change activists disrupt Stephen Harper event
The nice thing about authoritarians is they out themselves without thinking:
- 2014/01/08: CBC: Senator Bob Runciman wants crackdown on PM protesters
- 2014/01/06: TCCB2: It's Only A Security Breach If You're An Authoritarian
I have a feeling Mr. Braid will soon be looking for another job or another party:
- 2014/01/07: CBC: Tory MP Peter Braid's late Christmas gift to environmentalists
  The member of Parliament for Kitchener-Waterloo links extreme weather to climate change
- 2014/01/07: APoA: An Eco-Conservative?
- 2014/01/07: MSimon: Why Has Stephen Harper Not Fired Chuck Strahl?
- 2014/01/06: CBC: Conservative MP Peter Braid says extreme weather and climate change linked -- Admission surprises Liberal opposition critic
  In what is being considered a first by a member of the federal Conservatives, Kitchener-Waterloo MP Peter Braid stated publicly on CBC News Network's Power and Politics that recent extreme weather and climate change are connected. "We are seeing the effects, the impacts of climate change," Braid told host Evan Solomon on Monday. "With climate change comes extreme weather events. We saw that through the floods in southern Alberta, we're now seeing that with the ice storms in Kitchener-Waterloo and Toronto, with the extreme cold across the country." Solomon later asked Braid to confirm he was saying that extreme weather and climate change are related, to which Braid replied, "Absolutely, I'm confirming I said that."
Ecojustice is suing the feds:
- 2014/01/08: CBC: Failure to protect endangered species lands feds in court
  Environmental groups say the federal government has failed produce recovery plans for at-risk species Environmental groups are in federal court in Vancouver today trying to force the federal government to abide by its own Species At Risk Act. Ecojustice is arguing on behalf of five other groups -- including the David Suzuki Foundation, Greenpeace Canada, Sierra Club B.C., Wilderness Committee and Wildsight -- that Ottawa has failed to prepare timely recovery strategies for endangered wildlife threatened by proposed resource development projects, including the Northern Gateway pipeline.
- 2014/01/08: TheCanadian: Groups ask court to enforce species at risk laws re: pipelines, tankers
The battle over the Northern Gateway pipeline rages on:
- 2014/01/10: CBC: Other spy watchdogs have ties to oil business
  Chuck Strahl isn't the only SIRC committee member who has history with oil, gas or Harper
- 2014/01/09: CBC: SIRC chair's pipeline lobbying seen as symptom of larger problem
  Chuck Strahl's work for Enbridge creates perception of conflict, former SIRC chair says A former head of the committee that oversees Canada's spies has a warning for the current chair: It's generally not a good idea for someone in their position to act as a lobbyist. Paule Gauthier was commenting on questions surrounding former Conservative cabinet minister Chuck Strahl, currently the head of the Security Intelligence Review Committee.
- 2014/01/09: Creekside: SIRC - the other board members
- 2014/01/08: ENS: Enviros Sue Canada Over Species at Risk of Enbridge Pipeline
- 2014/01/08: Rabble:DC: Caught in an apparent conflict like Chuck Strahl? No problem! Double down!
- 2014/01/07: CBC:B: Former Tory minister [Strahl] on the hot seat over Enbridge lobbying gig
- 2014/01/07: CBC: Plebiscite to reveal Kitimat's opinion on Northern Gateway project
- 2014/01/06: Creekside: The Manning Spy Watchdog Centre for Building Northern Gateway
- 2014/01/06: VanObs: Chief spy watchdog working for Enbridge since 2011
  Canada's top spy watchdog and former Conservative cabinet minister Chuck Strahl, who registered last month as a paid lobbyist for Enbridge Northern Gateway Pipelines L.P., has in fact been contracted with the company since 2011, the Vancouver Observer has found. In an email on Saturday, Strahl said he had done "some contract work for Enbridge" before, but stressed he hasn't arranged any lobbyist meetings yet. The Vancouver Observer has since learned that Strahl has been engaged with Enbridge since before he signed on to become SIRC chair
What's the state of the West Coast salmon fishery?
Meanwhile in BC:
- 2014/01/10: TheCanadian: Clark rushes Woodfibre LNG approval, risking backlash
- 2014/01/10: PI:B: B.C.'s LNG quiz doesn't make the grade
- 2014/01/10: Tyee: New Curriculum Erases Enviro Ed, Says Science Teacher -- Lenny Ross fears changes to what BC kids learn will be anything but green.
- 2014/01/08: Tyee: How Much Is a Truly 'Fair Share' of Northern Gateway Benefits for BC?
  It's substantial. But will Clark have the courage to demand it from industry?
- 2014/01/08: CBC: Environmental review ordered for Roberts Bank port expansion
  Port Metro Vancouver wants to build a new marine-container facility at Roberts Bank
- 2014/01/08: TheCanadian: Vancouver port expansion plan to face independent review
- 2014/01/07: Tyee: BC Is Flush with Natural Gas; Is that a Good Thing?
- 2014/01/07: TheCanadian: Lubicon Lake Nation appeals injunction over oil fracking blockade
- 2014/01/07: TheCanadian: In BC, fracking happens closer to schools, homes
Meanwhile in that Mechanical Mordor known as the tar sands:
- 2014/01/12: CBC: Neil Young benefit tour inspires ex-oilsands worker
- 2014/01/10: TheCanadian: Ex-Conservative environment minister [Prentice]: Keystone XL a "distraction"
- 2014/01/10: CBC: Neil Young set to kick off Honour the Treaties tour
  Shows are almost sold out, but not everyone is excited about Young's campaign against oilsands Neil Young is kicking off his Honour the Treaties concert tour Sunday at Massey Hall in Toronto, with proceeds from four Canadian dates going to the Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation's legal fight against the expansion of the Jackpine oilsands project.
Also in Alberta:
- 2014/01/11: al Jazeera: The perils of petro-states: The case of Alberta
  Resource revenue states cannot continue operating on the basis of costly old models.
- 2014/01/07: BCLSB: Driftpile First Nation To Enbridge: Who? Us?
- 2014/01/06: CBC: Enbridge to build $200M US wind project in Texas
- 2014/01/06: TRN: Canada's Lubicon Lake Nation Continue Anti-fracking Campaign, Appeal Court Injunction
While in Saskatchewan:
In the North:
- 2014/01/11: CBC:Q&Q: #1) The Mental Health Toll of Climate Change
- 2014/01/10: CBC: Climate change rattles mental health of Inuit in Labrador
- 2014/01/08: CBC: Iqaluit assesses damage after unprecedented [150 kph] windstorm
- 2014/01/08: CBC: Iqaluit mayor: 'I've never seen winds like that ever'
- 2014/01/08: Guardian(UK): Oil and propane train derails and catches fire in Canada
And on the American political front:
- 2014/01/11: TheCanadian: Governor unveils new plan for $65 Billion Alaska gas pipeline
- 2014/01/10: ICN: Christie Fails to Muscle Gas Pipeline Through NJ's Protected Forests
  On a tie vote of 7-7, Pineland commissioners turned down a 22-mile natural gas pipeline the Christie administration supported with strong-arm tactics.
- 2014/01/11: Grist: Speak up to make sure the government counts climate costs
- 2014/01/10: Grist: Maine's loony Tea Party governor [LePage] signs GMO-labeling law
- 2014/01/10: SciAm:PI: If no coal, then what?
- 2014/01/10: WSWS: New York City's homeless suffer in record-breaking low temperatures
- 2014/01/09: CDreams: 'Don't Frack With Our Future': New York Protesters Confront Cuomo
  Protesters fear water and air contamination if Cuomo lifts ban on fracking
- 2014/01/09: UCSUSA:B: Beyond Coal and Natural Gas: What's the Way Forward for West Virginia?
- 2014/01/09: Grist: Newt Gingrich spouts nonsense about dinosaurs and climate change
- 2014/01/09: TP:JR: New York Governor Announces $1 Billion For Solar Energy
- 2014/01/09: TP:JR: Chris Christie's Other Scandal: How The Governor Is Trying To Shut Up A Gas Pipeline Critic
- 2014/01/09: Grist: Why is Chris Christie silent on climate change, even as New Jersey is threatened by rising seas?
- 2014/01/08: Grist: Food industry's secret plan for a GMO (non)-labeling law
- 2014/01/08: ColumbusDispatch: Ohio EPA director Scott Nally resigns abruptly, cryptically
- 2014/01/08: TP:JR: Colorado Gov. Nominates Energy Official Despite Ties To Secretive Anti-Clean Energy Group
- 2014/01/07: Grist: California's cap-and-trade program could fund high-speed rail
- 2014/01/07: TP:JR: After Winning Support Of Environmentalists In 2013, McAuliffe Looks To Boost Virginia's Coal Industry
- 2014/01/07: TP:JR: PA Gov Accused Of 'Trying To Confuse The Public' With Environmentally-Friendly Fracking Agreement
- 2014/01/07: TP:JR: California Lawmakers Urge Jerry Brown To Adopt A Fracking Moratorium
- 2014/01/06: TP:JR: Virginia Legislator Proposes Letting Schools Teach Kids That Climate Change And Evolution May Not Exist
- 2014/01/06: TP:JR: Maine's Governor [LePage] Takes Aim At Renewable Energy Law In Effort To Aid Big Companies
- 2014/01/06: ICN: 2014: Export of American Oil Is Contentious Industry Goal After 4-Decade Federal Ban
  Lure of greater profits from global markets on collision course with national security goal of keeping supplies at home and protecting domestic gas prices.
The Keystone XL wheel grinds slowly. And it grinds woe:
- 2014/01/09: CCP: The false safety promise of Keystone XL
- 2014/01/09: BBerg: Keystone Pipeline Approval Snag Spurs Oil to Rail Tankers
- 2014/01/06: FuelFix: Voting majority backs Keystone XL pipeline, poll finds
The Mayflower oil spill and its ramifications just keep dragging on:
The GOP War on Women continues. See also:
- 2014/01/10: TRP: Hey, Anti-Choicers: By Your Own Logic, You're Paying for Abortions in Israel
- 2014/01/09: CDreams: US Republicans and Their "Female Troubles"
- 2014/01/06: FAIR: As Abortion Restrictions Soar, Abortion Coverage Dwindles
- 2014/01/04: Jezebel: Surge in Abortion Restrictions Awful, May Be Gaining Momentum
The NorthWest coal export debate remains heated:
- 2014/01/08: Grist: Washington coal export project dumped by Goldman Sachs
- 2014/01/08: DeSmogBlog: Is the Smart Money Bailing on Northwest Coal Exports? Goldman Sachs Sells Stake in SSA Marine
- 2014/01/08: TP:JR: Goldman Sachs Sells 49 Percent Stake In What Would Be The Largest Coal Terminal On The West Coast
- 2014/01/07: CrossCut: Bellingham coal port: One financial giant exits, another enters
- 2014/01/07: CCP: Goldman Sachs Sacks Coal Terminal Investment
The Keeling funding plea is ongoing:
- 2014/01/08: RTCC: Funding crisis places future of Keeling Curve in jeopardy
- 2014/01/05: DD: Climate scientist Ralph Keeling in crowdfunding plea to back key research as government funding for global warming research dries up
- 2014/01/05: CCP: Climate Scientist Ralph Keeling Makes Crowdfunding Plea to Back Key Research
Freedom Industries leaked a coal chemical. 300,000 people are without water in West Virginia:
- 2014/01/11: CBC: West Virginia chemical leak: 4 hospitalized -- Leak from chemical storage plant Freedom Industries triggers tap water ban
- 2014/01/11: DeSmogBlog: Coal Chemicals Taint Water Supply of 300,000 In West Virginia, Hundreds Sickened
- 2014/01/11: CNN: Bottled water for West Virginia residents plagued by chemical in water supply
  Homeland Security delivering 16 tractor trailer trucks of bottled water to troubled counties - The state orders the company responsible for the leak to remove all chemicals from tanks - The leak led authorities to urge people not to drink or bathe in tap water - Charleston's mayor calls the situation a "prison," says his patience is running thin
- 2014/01/11: CleanTechnica: West Virginia Chemical Spill Another Black Eye For "Clean Coal"
- 2014/01/11: TP:JR: PHOTOS: What It Looks Like When A Massive Chemical Spill Contaminates The Water Supply
- 2014/01/11: WSWS: Chemical spill leaves 300,000 without water in West Virginia
- 2014/01/11: BBerg: West Virginians Left Without Water as Chemical Persists
  More than 200,000 people in West Virginia remained without drinking water after a chemical spill tainted supplies, prompting a federal emergency declaration and triggering investigations by state and U.S. authorities.
- 2014/01/11: CBC: West Virginia chemical spill a blow to the economy -- 4 hospitalized, thousands remain without water
- 2014/01/10: BBerg: Obama Declares Emergency in West Virginia After Spill
  President Barack Obama declared an emergency in West Virginia today after a chemical spill tainted drinking water, forcing officials to issue a ban on using the supplies as state and federal agencies began investigations. More than 200,000 people in Charleston and eight surrounding counties were told not to drink or use public water after a chemical used in coal processing leaked from a tank and into the Elk River, upriver of a treatment plant for West Virginia American Water Co.
- 2014/01/10: UCSUSA:B: The Hidden Costs of "Cheap" Electricity in West Virginia
- 2014/01/10: Grist: Coal chemical spills in West Virginia, leaving 300,000 without tap water
- 2014/01/10: BBC: West Virginia chemical spill creates water warning
- 2014/01/10: TheCanadian: West Virginia chemical spill closes much of capital
- 2014/01/10: AlterNet: W. Virginia Declares State of Emergency After Huge Chemical Spill
- 2014/01/10: Guardian(UK): West Virginia chemical spill hits water supplies
  Up to 300,000 face tap ban and schools and shops close after 4-Methylcyclohexane Methanol spills into Elk river in Charleston
- 2014/01/10: CDreams: Coal Chemical Spill Turns Tap Water Toxic in W. Virginia
  Leaking storage tank containing 4-Methylcyclohexane Methanol spills into river, contaminating drinking supply for hundreds of thousands West Viriginia Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin has declared a state of emergency following a Thursday chemical leak at a coal industry facility along the Elk River, a source of drinking water for nine counties and hundreds of thousands of people. The toxin reportedly spilled, 4-Methylcyclohexane Methanol, is used to process coal.
- 2014/01/10: TP:JR: Crisis In West Virginia: Wal-Mart Calls In Police To Guard Bottled Water Delivery
- 2014/01/09: CharlestonDM: Water warning now in 9 counties; emergency supplies on order
  A state of emergency has been declared in nine counties where West Virginia American Water customers are being advised not to drink, cook with, bathe in or boil their water after the company's water supply was contaminated by a chemical [4-Methylcyclohexane Methanol] leak early Thursday.
At what point do you stop listening to the pretty lies and realize you've been had?
- 2014/01/10: RTCC: Obama orders sweeping review of US energy strategy
  President orders federal agencies examine current energy policy and recommend improvements to aging US infrastructure President Barack Obama has ordered a review of US energy legislation in response to the challenges posed by climate change and an aging power infrastructure.
- 2014/01/09: TheHill:e2W: President Obama orders sweeping energy review
The actions of the Obama administration are being watched closely:
- 2014/01/10: AutoBG: Over 11,000 comments filed on EPA's ethanol rules; White House also involved
- 2014/01/10: BBerg: EPA's Reliance on Driller Data for Water Irks Homeowners
  When the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency declared that a group of Texas homes near a gas-drilling operation didn't have dangerous levels of methane in their water, it relied on tests conducted by the driller itself. Now, independent tests from Duke University researchers have found potentially explosive levels of methane in some of the wells, and homeowners want the EPA to re-open the case.
- 2014/01/10: Grist: EPA will let frackers keep on dumping chemicals into the sea
- 2014/01/10: CleanTechnica: Deceiving EIA Forecasts (Open Letter From CleanTechnica Readers to US Secretary of Energy, Dr Ernest Moniz)
- 2014/01/10: ICN: A Pop Quiz on EPA's Coal Plant Regulations
  How many new coal-fired power plants will actually be built after the Obama administration's new rules limiting carbon pollution are finalized?
- 2014/01/10: Guardian(UK): White House tackles climate change and polar vortex in Google+ Hangout
- 2014/01/09: CleanTechnica: Counting The Social Cost Of Carbon
- 2014/01/09: ScienceInsider: To Lead USGS, Obama Turns to Agency Veteran [coastal geologist Suzette Kimball]
- 2014/01/09: Grist: At least EPA is doing a little something to help bees
- 2014/01/09: TP:JR: EPA Publishes First Rule Limiting Carbon Pollution From New Power Plants
- 2014/01/09: CCP: USDA Expects to Approve Agent Orange GMOs
- 2014/01/09: DeSmogBlog: Steve Lipsky Responds To Report Clearing EPA of Wrongdoing in Fracking Water Contamination Study
- 2014/01/09: WSWS: US stalls on new coal dust rules as black lung disease spreads
  As new coal dust regulations drafted by the Mine Health and Safety Administration (MSHA) await final approval by the Obama administration, black lung disease continues to take its toll on the nation's miners. The Obama administration was supposed to sign the new standards last year, but has not done so and no explanation has been given. While official numbers are not yet available, hundreds of miners will have died from black lung over the past year alone.
- 2014/01/08: UCSUSA:B: Fait Accompli -- USDA Decision on Herbicide-Resistant Crops Betrays Farmers and the Public
- 2014/01/07: DeSmogBlog: Days Before Casselton Oil Train Explosion, Obama Signed Bill Hastening Fracking Permits on ND Public Lands
- 2014/01/05: SciAm:PI: Kerry: US "on track" to meet its Copenhagen goals
- 2014/01/05: Reuters: U.S. EPA unlikely to step up fracking enforcement efforts for now -analysts
As for what is going on in Congress:
- 2014/01/10: TP:JR: Senators Launch Climate Task Force To Support Climate Initiatives In Congress
- 2014/01/10: CleanTechnica: Dim Bulbs Dither As Military Doubles Down On Climate Change
- 2014/01/10: Guardian(UK): US doctors warn Congress cutting food stamps could mean higher medical bills
- 2014/01/09: HuffPo: Senators Launch Climate Task Force To Break Through 'Special Interest Lies'
- 2014/01/09: FuelFix: Senators: More scrutiny needed after train explosions
- 2014/01/09: TP:JR: House Will Vote On Three Bills To Weaken EPA Despite Obama Veto Threat
- 2014/01/07: TP:JR: Report: House Of Representatives Voted 109 Times To Undermine Environmental Efforts In 2013
- 2014/01/07: OilChange: Murkowski's call for crude exports is climate change denial, raw deal for fracked communities
- 2014/01/07: TheHill:TR: Dem: Investigate oil-carrying train derailments
  Rep. Peter DeFazio (D-Ore.) is calling for Congress to hold hearings about derailments of freight trains that are carrying oil after a recent accident in North Dakota.
- 2014/01/06: UCSUSA:B: Finding Glimmers of Hope on Capitol Hill
- 2014/01/06: TP:JR: Senator James Inhofe Rejects The 'Global Warming Thing' Because It's Cold Outside
What are the lobbyists pushing?
- 2014/01/06: FDL: Koch Network Raised Over $400 Million In 2012
The movement toward a long term ecologically viable economics is glacial:
- 2014/01/09: TruthOut: Green Capitalism: The God That Failed
- 2014/01/09: Resilience: Hope in the Face of Disaster -- Creating a sustainable, viable, future path for civilisation
- 2014/01/07: Resilience: Voluntary Simplicity and the Steady-State Economy
- 2014/01/06: Resilience: Collectivization and the P2P mode of production
- 2014/01/06: Resilience: The politics of bread
- 2014/01/06: CCurrents: Talkin' 'bout A Global Revolution
- 2014/01/05: CDreams: Good News, Bad News for Addressing Climate Change
In nature, there is no garbage:
- 2014/01/09: TreeHugger: We're Losing the War against E-waste, New Report Says
IPAT [Impact = Population * Affluence * Technology] raised its head once again:
Apocalypso anyone?
- 2014/01/10: Resilience: The Schizophrenic Society -- Lost in a make believe world while we destroy the real one
- 2014/01/09: CPunch: The War on the Planet -- Keeping Score
- 2014/01/09: PSinclair: Mass Extinction: Let's Not
- 2014/01/08: CCurrents: Edge-Dwelling: A Social Ecology For Our Time
How do the corporate media measure up?
- 2014/01/08: FAIR: It's Cold Outside, So CNN Debates Climate Change
- 2014/01/07: DemNow: From Sandy to Haiyan, Year of Extreme Weather Brings More Coverage of Climate Change
- 2014/01/06: KSJT: Did Journalists Uncritically Buy Political Spin on Evolution Poll? Two Academic Bloggers Take Issue with Media
- 2014/01/06: CJR: Climate change press' pseudo boom
  The Daily Climate reports a 30-percent spike in global warming coverage during 2013; social scientists disagree that the figure signals a rebound
- 2014/01/06: Guardian(UK): The Weekly Standard's Lindzen puff piece exemplifies the conservative media's climate failures
A 60 Minutes show on Clean Technology has stirred a round of controversy:
2014/01/09: NBF: 60 minutes ran a segment claiming that Clean Technology has crashed and this has caused howling from those who support renewable power
2014/01/08: RealEconomics: Any jackass can kick down the barn
2014/01/08: ETI:RRapier: 60 Minutes: The Rest of the Story
2014/01/07: TheCanadian: 60 Minutes charged with hit job on cleantech
2014/01/07: Grist: 60 Minutes' 'Cleantech Crash' segment misses the point, critics charge
2014/01/07: ICN: Govt Clean Energy Programs Are a Success Story: How 60 Minutes Missed the Mark
DOE programs have dramatically sped up cleantech development and provided billions in net economic benefits to society, reports show.
2014/01/06: TP:JR: Anatomy Of A Hit Job: Expert Featured On 60 Minutes Exposes How Show Knowingly Ignored Facts On Clean Energy
2014/01/06: UCSUSA:B: Cleantech Crash or Crescendo: What "60 Minutes" Got Wrong... and Right
2014/01/06: ETI:RRapier: Quick Response on 60 Minutes Story
2014/01/06: PSinclair: 60 Minutes in Toilet Again. Is Fox in the Henhouse?
2014/01/05: CleanTechnica: 60 Minutes Show On Cleantech Looks Like Its Going To Be "Dumb & Dumber Part 3" (+13 Charts)
2014/01/05: TP:JR: 60 Minutes Hit Job On Clean Energy Ignores The Facts

While activists search for effective communication techniques:
2014/01/07: Grist: Street artists trace against time -- and sea-level rise [eff comm]

Here is something for your library:
- 2014/01/11: CCurrents: Planetary Consciousness And The Tears Of The World
  [Book Review] _Collapsing Consciously: Transformative Truths for Turbulent Times_ by Carolyn Baker
- 2014/01/10: CassandrasLegacy: Gaia: you ain't seen nothing yet
  [Book Review] _Revolutions that made the earth_ by Tim Lenton & Andrew Watson
- 2014/01/10: TCoE: The sociology of climate change
  [Book Review] _Living in Denial: Climate Change, Emotions, and Everyday Life_ by Kari Marie Norgaard
- 2014/01/08: Resilience: [Book Review] _Green Capitalism: Why it can't work_ by Daniel Tanuro
And for your film & video enjoyment:
- 2014/01/11: CCP: More on illegal destruction of priceless science libraries by Harper government [video]
- 2014/01/11: CCP: How the Harper govt. killed climate science in Canada [video]
- 2014/01/09: Grist: White House smacks down climate deniers in new video
- 2014/01/07: CCP: Peter Sinclair at the AGU, interviews scientists about extreme weather events
- 2014/01/07: TheConversation: Cinema classics: the best energy & environment films
- 2014/01/07: TMoS: It's Just Physics, That's All
- 2014/01/05: PSinclair: The Weekend Wonk: Mauri Pelto on Antarctic Rescue, Glacier Melt, and California Drought
Meanwhile among the 'Sue the Bastards!' contingent:
- 2014/01/10: BBC: Chilean fishermen win court backing in Bocamina environmental row
  Chile's Supreme Court has ordered the operator of two coal power plants to ensure the facilities do not pollute the oceans or kill marine life.
- 2014/01/10: CCP: DC Court of Appeals dismisses an appeal by Defendants in Michael Mann defamation lawsuit
- 2014/01/10: CCP: Virginia Supreme Court Hearing on FOIA, Scientific Research, and Michael Mann
- 2014/01/09: UCSUSA:B: Recap: Virginia Supreme Court Hearing on FOIA, Scientific Research, and Michael Mann
- 2014/01/08: ENS: Enviros Sue Canada Over Species at Risk of Enbridge Pipeline
- 2014/01/08: CBC: Failure to protect endangered species lands feds in court
- 2014/01/07: UCSUSA:B: Preview of Thursday's VA Supreme Court Hearing: University of Virginia v. American Tradition Institute
- 2014/01/07: Grist: Court battle could force New Jersey to resume carbon trading
- 2014/01/06: JSOnline: 2 more companies settle [frac] sand mine pollution case
  Two Minnesota companies have agreed to pay $80,000 to settle a pollution case at a sand mine in northwestern Wisconsin where sediments from the mine infiltrated a wetland, a creek and ultimately flowed into the St. Croix River.
- 2014/01/06: BCLSB: Speaking Of Losing Your Lawyer: Mark Steyn Has Lost His in Mann v. National Review
- 2014/01/06: TRN: Canada's Lubicon Lake Nation Continue Anti-fracking Campaign, Appeal Court Injunction
- 2014/01/06: Guardian(UK): Court overrules climate change clause in council's beachfront house approval
  Council criticised for planning rule that allowed house to be built on condition it be demolished in 20 years if sea levels rise
It looks like this BP trial over the Gulf oil spill is going to take a long while:
- 2014/01/11: ABC(Au): BP loses bid to have Gulf of Mexico oil spill compensation reassessed
- 2014/01/11: BBerg: BP Oil-Spill Settlement Approval Upheld by Appeals Court
  BP Plc's $9.2 billion partial settlement over the 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill was upheld by an appeals court over the company's protest that the deal wasn't valid unless a claims-payment dispute was resolved in its favor.
Developing a new energy infrastructure is a fundamental challenge of the current generation:
- 2014/01/10: CleanTechnica: The Resilience Of Smart Clean Energy Policies
- 2014/01/10: RealEconomics: Renweables don't solve everything
- 2014/01/09: RNE: World's biggest solar player teams up with coal, nuclear giants
- 2014/01/07: Grist: New York City is using its food waste to create heat
- 2014/01/06: CleanTechnica: Top 5 Democratic Energy Resources Of 2013
- 2014/01/06: Wunderground:RR: We like to burn things
- 2014/01/05: RI: Wonders yet to come: A sound basis for energy policy?
- 2014/01/05: Resilience: Wonders yet to come: A sound basis for energy policy?
Hey! Let's contaminate the aquifers for thousands of years! It'll be a fracking gas!
- 2014/01/11: CCP: Fracking, explosions, shale oil and gas news from rjs
- 2014/01/11: BBC: French oil giant Total to invest in UK shale gas
- 2014/01/10: BBerg: EPA's Reliance on Driller Data for Water Irks Homeowners
  When the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency declared that a group of Texas homes near a gas-drilling operation didn't have dangerous levels of methane in their water, it relied on tests conducted by the driller itself. Now, independent tests from Duke University researchers have found potentially explosive levels of methane in some of the wells, and homeowners want the EPA to re-open the case.
- 2014/01/08: AlterNet: The 4 Big Dangers of Fracking
- 2014/01/09: Eureka: Acid mine drainage reduces radioactivity in fracking waste
- 2014/01/08: Resilience: Safety alert issued over dangers of fracked oil
- 2014/01/07: PSinclair: Why Fracking is Not All That
- 2014/01/07: TP:JR: California Lawmakers Urge Jerry Brown To Adopt A Fracking Moratorium
- 2014/01/07: OilChange: Hundreds of Fracking Complaints in Four States
- 2014/01/06: CDreams: Investigation Confirms Widespread Fears about Fracking
  Despite roadblocks by industry and state officials, well water contamination found in four states
- 2014/01/06: TheCanadian: Fracking water issues keep bubbling to surface
- 2014/01/06: TP:JR: Report: Fracking Operations Are Contaminating Well Water In 2 States
- 2014/01/06: Grist: Fracking could be bad for babies
- 2014/01/06: RTCC: Fracking 'bad for babies' claim could fuel fight over shale
  New research from Colorado links gas drilling to birth defects as focus grows on industry in USA and Europe Fracking for shale gas could harm the health of newborn babies and increase birth defects, according to studies from US academics, potentially fuelling the impassioned debate on how to regulate the booming industry for unconventional oil and gas.
- 2014/01/06: OilChange: Scientific Research Reveals Fracking is Bad for Babies
- 2014/01/05: Reuters: U.S. EPA unlikely to step up fracking enforcement efforts for now -analysts
- 2014/01/05: AP: Some states confirm water pollution from drilling
  In at least four states that have nurtured the nation's energy boom, hundreds of complaints have been made about well-water contamination from oil or gas drilling, and pollution was confirmed in a number of them, according to a review that casts doubt on industry suggestions that such problems rarely happen.
- 2014/01/04: BBerg: Study Shows Fracking Is Bad for Babies
On the coal front:
- 2014/01/06: BBerg: Dirtiest [lignite] Coal's Rebirth in Europe Flattens Medieval Towns
On the gas and oil front:
And in pipeline news:
Ships and boats and trains -- How to tranport the stuff?
- 2014/01/10: CBC: CN derailment probe focuses on problem with car's wheel-axle
  Transportation Safety Board certain controversial DOT-111 tank cars were carrying crude oil on train
- 2014/01/09: FuelFix: Senators: More scrutiny needed after train explosions
- 2014/01/09: BBerg: Crude-Derailment Risk Rises as Trains Haul More Oil
- 2014/01/08: CDreams: Another Fiery Derailment Hits Booming Crude-by-Rail Business -- Latest accident strikes in New Brunswick
- 2014/01/08: Inforum: 911 calls from Casselton train derailment show crew member first reported his train carried ethanol
- 2014/01/08: Grist: Yet another oil train explodes, this time in New Brunswick, Canada
- 2014/01/08: OilChange: Another Day, Another Crude by Rail Accident
- 2014/01/08: CBC: Fire burns at CN derailment of crude, propane near Plaster Rock
  50 homes in area evacuated; derailment involved 4 cars carrying crude oil and 4 with propane
- 2014/01/08: NNW: Train with oil, gas derails in New Brunswick
- 2014/01/07: PSinclair: Honey, I Blew Up the Town
- 2014/01/06: Salon: Oil company knew all along that it was transporting highly explosive chemicals
  Recent deadly oil train explosions weren't as shocking to the industry as they were to everyone else
- 2014/01/05: DeSmogBlog: Permit Shows Bakken Shale Oil in Casselton Train Explosion Contained High Levels of Volatile Chemicals
Marvelous! Now the USA has their own Mechanical Mordor:
- 2014/01/07: TheConversation: Shale oil: the boom heard around the world
- 2014/01/07: TP:JR: Unexpected Source Calls For A Slowdown In Oil-Booming North Dakota
A rush of American triumphalism pervades the energy independence PR campaign. Think it will last?
- 2014/01/09: Resilience: Red Queen Update: In Bakken ND it is now mostly about McKenzie County
Yes we have a peak oil sighting:
- 2014/01/10: CCurrents: Peak Oil Is Dead! Long Live Peak Oil! by Michael T. Klare
- 2014/01/10: NakedCapitalism: Michael Klare: Have the Obits for Peak Oil Come Too Soon?
- 2014/01/10: Resilience: Fears of global oil crisis aired at Transatlantic Energy Security Dialogue by Jeremy Leggett
- 2014/01/10: Resilience: Have the Obits for Peak Oil Come Too Soon?
Biofuel bickering abounds:
- 2014/01/10: NewAnthropocene: 5 Alternative Fuel Companies Spearheading the Green Energy [biofuel] Agenda
- 2014/01/10: ABC(Au): Tequila plant agave could produce cost-effective biofuel for farmers
- 2014/01/07: NCSU: New, Simple Technique May Drive Down Biofuel Production Costs
The answer my friend...
- 2014/01/10: TheCanadian: Wind power now Spain's top source of electricity as GHG's plummet
- 2014/01/06: TreeHugger: UK sets new all-time wind power record in December with 2,841,080 megawatt-hours, 10% of total
Meanwhile among the solar aficionados:
- 2014/01/09: CleanTechnica: US New Solar PV Installations Reach Record 4.2 GW
- 2014/01/09: RNE: Australia reaches nearly two million small scale solar systems
- 2014/01/08: TreeHugger: A powerful lightweight folding solar charger for clean portable power
- 2014/01/08: CleanTechnica: 1,000 MW Chinese Solar Project Marks Significant Market Shift
- 2014/01/08: SciAm:PI: Bay Area school district offsets budget cuts with solar energy
- 2014/01/07: CleanTechnica: Caribbean Sun Powers Flagship Haiti Hospital, And Then Some
- 2014/01/07: RNE: Graph of the Day: Australia's surging solar market
- 2014/01/07: RNE: Deutsche Bank predicts second solar "gold-rush"
- 2014/01/06: CleanTechnica: Wall Street Suddenly Loves Solar, Just In Time For New Solar Cell Efficiency Breakthrough
The nuclear energy controversy continues:
- 2014/01/10: TruthDig: Is That a Reactor In Your Pocket? Small modular reactors - or SMRs
- 2014/01/10: Grist: Enviros and climate scientists continue their fight over nuclear power
- 2014/01/09: FukuLeaks: Polar Vortex Takes Out Ft. Calhoun Nuclear Plant
- 2014/01/08: Yomiuri: Agency plans to re-create 'meltdown'
  The Japan Atomic Energy Agency will conduct an experiment next fiscal year to re-create on a small scale the meltdown that occurred at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant following the Great East Japan Earthquake...
- 2014/01/10: CleanTechnica: Japan To Recreate Nuclear Meltdown -- For Science
- 2014/01/08: APR: South Korean parts scandal - JS Cable to close permanently
Nuclear fusion projects around the world limp along:
- 2014/01/09: Eureka: Fusion instabilities lessened by unexpected effect -- Control of widely recognized distortion may allow greater output at Sandia's Z machine
More people are talking about the electrical grid:
- 2014/01/08: RTCC: Japan proposes huge smart meter roll-out to cut emissions
How are the utilities adjusting (or not)?
- 2014/01/07: PeakEnergy: UBS: Utilities face "perfect storm" from renewables, storage
And then there is the matter of efficiency & conservation:
- 2014/01/08: TreeHugger: This looks like a fluorescent tube, but it's actually a 41% more efficient LED lamp
- 2014/01/08: CleanTechnica: Best-in-Class LED From SWITCH Infinia Now Available Nationwide
- 2014/01/08: TreeHugger: "Smart" water heater cuts electricity use by up to 40%
- 2014/01/07: TreeHugger: Innovative Philips SlimStyle LED bulb goes on sale for $9.97 (short review)
Automakers & lawyers, engineers & activists argue over the future of the car:
- 2014/01/11: BBC: Wirelessly charged electric buses set for Milton Keynes
  Electric buses which their developers say can run all day are set to begin service. A fleet of eight new electric vehicles will operate along a busy route in Milton Keynes from late January. The buses can run for longer by virtue of a wireless booster charge they receive at the start and end of the route from plates in the road.
- 2014/01/09: RNE: Will Electric Cars help or hinder climate action?
- 2014/01/07: CleanTechnica: EV Sales Up 228.88% In 2013 In US (2013 Electric & Hybrid Vehicle Sales Report)
- 2014/01/07: CleanTechnica: Norway EV Sales In 2013 -- 100% Increase In Sales
- 2014/01/07: TP:JR: Toyota Unveils Zero-Emissions Hydrogen Fuel-Cell 'Car Of The Future' For Sale Next Year
- 2014/01/06: TP:JR: U.S. Plug-In Electric Vehicle Sales Nearly Double In 2013
- 2014/01/06: AutoBG: Ford finds flex-fuel engine design plays big role in emissions output
- 2014/01/06: NBF: Smart Real Wheel with battery, motor electronics for $590 to make most any bike into a pedal assist electric bike with 30 mile range and 20 mph top speed
As for Energy Storage:
- 2014/01/08: Nature: (ab$) A metal-free organic-inorganic aqueous flow battery by Brian Huskinson et al.
- 2014/01/10: CBC: Organic battery hailed as cheap renewable energy solution
  A cheap rechargeable battery that harnesses energy by using the electrochemistry of organic molecules rather than metals is being touted by Harvard researchers as a breakthrough for renewable energy. The Harvard team reports that the battery, which they say can be applied on a power-grid scale, uses naturally abundant and small organic compounds called quinones rather than electrocatalysts from costly precious metals such as platinum. Quinones would be inexpensive to obtain and can be found in green plants or synthesized from crude oil. The battery designed by Harvard scientists and engineers used a quinone molecule that's almost identical to one that's found in rhubarb.
- 2014/01/09: Eureka: Battery development may extend range of electric cars -- New anode quadruples life of lithium-sulfur battery...
- 2014/01/09: KSJT: It's got Harvard, rhubarb, renewable energy, and an odor of br******ough. NYTimes 1st biggie out of the gate.
- 2014/01/08: NatureN: Cheap battery stores energy for a rainy day
  Quinone could make flow-battery technology competitive with current storage methods.
- 2014/01/08: SciNow: 'Rhubarb' Battery Could Store Energy of Future
- 2014/01/08: SciNews: Battery blueprint promises green energy storage
Insurance and re-insurance companies are feeling the heat:
- 2014/01/09: RTCC: Flooding could cost UK insurance industry £400 million
- 2014/01/08: RTCC: Europe's floods trump Haiyan as the costliest natural disaster of 2013
  Natural catastrophes in 2013 incurred an overall bill of US$ 125bn says leading insurer, Munich Re
- 2014/01/08: CBC: Extreme weather driving up home insurance costs
- 2014/01/07: G&M: Higher insurance premiums in the forecast after months of wild weather
What do we have in (weekly) lists?
- 2014/01/11: SkS: 2014 SkS Weekly News Roundup #2 by John Hartz
- 2014/01/06: GreenGrok: 7 Stories From Winter Break, Circa 2013-2014
- 2014/01/06: FukuLeaks: Fukushima News Roundup
- 2014/01/05: FukuLeaks: Fukushima News Roundup
- 2014/01/05: Guardian(UK): Climate change: news and resources round up
The carbon lobby are up to the usual:

Note: You may notice my denialist coverage flagging. I am finding it increasingly difficult to give any attention to these people.
- 2014/01/08: DeSmogBlog: Why Climate Deniers Have No Scientific Credibility: Only 1 of 9,136 Recent Peer-Reviewed Authors Rejects Global Warming
- 2014/01/07: DemNow: From Funding Climate Deniers to Shadowy Groups, Koch Brothers Network Spent $400 Million in 2012
- 2014/01/10: DeSmogBlog: Koch Industries Hires Tobacco Operative Steve Lombardo to Lead Communications and Marketing
- 2014/01/09: QuarkSoup: A Link For Later (When the Scoffers Complain)
- 2014/01/09: Grist: Rush Limbaugh says liberals invented the polar vortex
- 2014/01/10: CCurrents: The Approaching End Of Climate Denial - Biz Guy And The Doc
- 2014/01/10: CDreams: Dear Climate Change Deniers, Meet Australia's Wildfire-Raging, Bat-Killing, Kangaroo-Fainting, iPad-Melting Heat Wave
- 2014/01/08: CSW: The Koch brothers political empire continues to metastasize
- 2014/01/06: ERabett: It's Not a Bug
- 2014/01/06: FDL: Koch Network Raised Over $400 Million In 2012
- 2014/01/05: HotWhopper: More of the Ludicrous: Judith Curry's Eye-Catching Merchants of Doubt
This week in intimidation:
2014/01/09: Guardian(UK): Harassment of climate scientists needs to stop
Climate change denialists are suing scientists, seeking access to their private emails. They will stifle inquiry and scientific progress
Meanwhile in the 'clean coal' saga:
2014/01/11: CleanTechnica: West Virginia Chemical Spill Another Black Eye For "Clean Coal"
2014/01/09: WSWS: US stalls on new coal dust rules as black lung disease spreads
As new coal dust regulations drafted by the Mine Health and Safety Administration (MSHA) await final approval by the Obama administration, black lung disease continues to take its toll on the nation's miners. The Obama administration was supposed to sign the new standards last year, but has not done so and no explanation has been given. While official numbers are not yet available, hundreds of miners will have died from black lung over the past year alone.
As for climate miscellanea:
- 2014/01/08: Stoat: Cooling: one we missed: Petersen and Larsen, 1978
- 2014/01/08: IOTD: Steam Fog over the Great Lakes [on Jan 6]
- 2014/01/09: CNN: 11 extreme weather records
- 2014/01/10: TheConversation: US cold wave implies nothing about global warming
- 2014/01/09: QuarkSoup: von Neumann on Models
- 2014/01/09: CAbyss: Introducing the Climate Change National Forum
- 2014/01/11: CCP: Parts of Europe 5 °C warmer by 2100
- 2014/01/10: SciAm:TCW: About that consensus on global warming: 9136 agree, one disagrees.
- 2014/01/10: CCurrents: Climate Change Requires Consciousness Change
- 2014/01/09: RealEconomics: Reducing a carbon footprint is harder than it looks
- 2014/01/06: WCEL: Three New Year's resolutions for the Earth
- 2014/01/06: ATTPh: The Science Museum : Climate change
- 2014/01/05: ERabett:BSD: The climate news hook about record cold is that it doesn't happen much. Also, betting opportunities.
And here are a couple of sites you may find interesting and/or useful:
- Frontiers in Energy Systems and Policy
- NSF: Science360 News Service
- Wiki: Nuclear fuel
- LCIE: Large Carnivore Initiative for Europe
- Climate Change National Forum
- GEO: Group On Earth Observations
- CoaSL: Confessions of a Science Librarian
- Scientists for the Right to Know -- Muzzled Science Timeline
- GeigerCounter
- NuclearNews
- SafecastSafecast is a global sensor network for collecting and sharing radiation measurements to empower people with data about their environments
- Hydrology and Earth System Sciences - Papers in Open Discussion
- BREE: Bureau of Resources and Energy Economics
- Science Uncensored
- Evidence for Democracy
- Third International Science and policy Conference on the resilience of social & ecological systems, Montpellier, France - May 4-8, 2014
- ICS&MD: International Charter - Space and Major Disasters
- FAO: The State of World Fisheries and Aquaculture (SOFIA)
- Alejandro Frid Ecology and Conservation
- ClimateState
- Canadian Boreal Initiative
- Wiki: Polar vortex
Low Key Plug

My first novel _Water_ was published in May 2007. An Introduction is available.
My most recent novel _The Bottleneck Years_ is being serialized online atmy siteand on AFTIC at Table of Contents
If you want further information, see A Gentle Introduction. If you want a copy, see The Deal.
An overview of my writing is available here.

A Simple Plea

Webmasters, web coders and content providers have mercy on your low bandwidth brethren. Because I am on dial-up, I am a text surfer -- no images, no javascript and no flash. When you post a graphic, will you please use the alt text field ... and when you embed a youtube/vimeo/flash video, please add some minimal description. Thank you.

<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.

I notice moyhu has set up a monster index to old AWoGWN on AFTIC.

"We had two bad years of flooding and then got slapped in the face with two really bad years of drought. We got people who never believed in climate change who are really scared right now." -Susan Straka, Nebraska rancher
- Global Warming Links
- Global Warming News Archive
- Energy
- Energy News
- Environmental Issues
- ---
- H.E. Taylor (homepage)
Last modified January 12, 2014

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January 12, 2014

It's always nice to start with a chuckle:

And for those interested in exploring the nether reaches of Poe's Law:

Looking ahead to COP20 and future international climate negotiations:

For some reason the media latched onto the term "Polar Vortex" as if it were something new:

Late comment on the Brulle paper:

Late comment on the Sherwood paper:

Here is a situation that cries out for large scale energy storage:

How is the German Energy Transition [Energiewende] doing?

The world inches toward creating a global legal framework for ecological crime:

John Cook and friends continue their point-counterpoint articles:

Various psychological angles arise in considerations of the ecological crisis:

A note on theFukushima disaster:

Not much good news coming out of Fukushima:

Post Fukushima, nuclear policies are in flux around the world:

What do we have for Fukushima related papers this week?

The Arctic melt continues to garner attention:

That Damoclean sword still hangs overhead:

As for the geopolitics of Arctic resources:

While in Antarctica:

The food crisis is ongoing:

The state of the world's fisheries is a concern. See also:

Food Prices are still problematic:

Regarding the genetic modification of food:

Regarding labelling GM food:

And how are we going to feed 9 billion, 10 billion, 15 billion?

In the Western Pacific, Cat 5 Cyclone Ian has been dipsy-doodling back and forth. What will it hit?

In the South Indian Ocean, an unreported Tropical Cyclone Colin [08S] is headed south toward cooler waters... And elsewhere in the hurricane wars:

This week in notable weather First in Europe and the UK:

Then in North America. See also:

And elsewhere in the world:

Abrupt Climate Change put in an appearance:

This week in the New Normal -- extreme weather:

As for GHGs:

And in the carbon cycle:

Regarding the cosmic ray hypothesis:

Milankovitch Cycles:

What's up with volcanoes this week?

And on the ENSO front:

How is the temperature record?

While in the paleoclimate:

In the attribution debate:

What's the State of the Oceans?:

What's the State of the Biosphere?

And on the extinction watch:

The bees and Colony Collapse Disorder are a constant concern. And then, there are the Neonicotinoids:

More GW impacts are being seen:

And then there are the world's forests:

Changes in natural cycles are showing up:

As for heatwaves and wild fires:

Corals are a bellwether of the ocean's health:

Acidification is changing the oceans:

Glaciers are melting:

As for hydrological cycle disruptions [floods & droughts]:

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

Large scale geo-engineering keeps popping up:

What's new in conservation?

While on the adaptation front:

Meanwhile in the journals:

And other significant documents:

As for miscellaneous science:

In the science organizations:

What developments in the ongoing struggle for Open Science?

Regarding Advocacy:

Regarding Schneider:

Meanwhile at the UN:

And on the carbon trading front:

On the international political front, tensions continue as the empire leans on Iran:

South [& East] China Sea tension persists:

These 'free trade' treaties are a stealth corporate takeover with anti-democratic dispute resolution mechanisms:

A fishing faceoff between Russia and Senegal:

And in miscellaneous international political jousting:

The issue of the law and activism is playing out around the world:

What are the activists up to?

The move to divest from fossil fuel investments is growing slowly:

Polls! We have polls!

Regarding Water Politics and Business; See also:

Among the world's religions:

In the South Indian Ocean, an unreported Tropical Cyclone Colin [08S] is headed south toward cooler waters...
And elsewhere in the hurricane wars:

This week in notable weather
First in Europe and the UK: