Another Week of GW News, January 13, 2008

Sipping from the internet firehose...

(skip to bottom)

• Top Stories:UK Nukes, Canadian NRTEE Report
• Melting Arctic, Antarctica, Methane Hydrates, Carbon Forum America, Bali
• Hurricanes, Carbon Cycle, Temperatures, Paleoclimate
• ENSO, Glaciers, Sea Levels, Solar Cycle, NASA/JPL Spat
• Impacts, Forests, Corals, Wacky Weather, Floods & Droughts, Food vs. Biofuel, Food Production
• Mitigation, Transportation, Buildings, Geoengineering, Iron Hypothesis, Adaptation
• Journals, Misc. Science, Hansen, Bolin
• UNFCCC, Carbon Trade, Carbon Tax, Optimal Carbon Reduction Strategy
• Politics:International, WEF Global Risks, WCI, America, Britain, Europe, Australia, China, Japan, Canada
• Ecological Economics, Apocalypso, Books, Video, Courts
• Energy, EEStor, Solar, Coal, Biofuel, Nukes, Peak Oil, Efficiency, Cars, Tata Nano, Business, Greenwashing
• Carbon Lobby, The Usual, Useful Links
• Shameless Self Promotion, .sig

The UK Labour government has opted for nuclear power:

• 2008/01/12: FuturePundit: UK Government Decides For New Nuclear Power Plants
• 2008/01/11: Times(UK): Why 36 is the magic number for nuclear [cost of carbon]
• 2008/01/11: Times(UK): New generation of nuclear reactors promises "greener and safer" energy
• 2008/01/10: SeattlePI: Britain reverses course on nuclear power
• 2008/01/10: Guardian(UK): Presenting nuclear as the grown-up option is deceptive and delaying
• 2008/01/11: Guardian(UK): Ministers promise new life for industry that was written off
  Private firms to build plants but financial hurdles remain - Backers face struggle to reverse slump in public support
• 2008/01/11: Guardian(UK): Labour goes nuclear but row erupts over who will foot bill - Energy firms lured by incentives on carbon emissions and radioactive waste
• 2008/01/10: ABC(Au): Britain starts new push for nuclear power
• 2008/01/10: Yahoo: Britain backs new nuclear power plants
• 2008/01/10: Guardian(UK): Timeline: Nuclear power in the United Kingdom - Key events in the history of nuclear power in Britain
• 2008/01/10: OilChange: UK Goes Nuclear
• 2008/01/11: Xinhuanet: Britain plans to expand nuclear power generation
• 2008/01/10: BBC: New nuclear plants get go-ahead
  A new generation of nuclear power stations in the UK has been given formal backing by the government. Business Secretary John Hutton told MPs they would give a "safe and affordable" way of securing the UK's future energy supplies while fighting climate change. He said any plants would be built at or near existing reactors by private firms and said he hoped the first one would be completed "well before 2020". Critics say new reactors will be expensive, dirty and dangerous. The government will not be building any reactors itself - but it says it will take steps, such as streamlining the planning process and identifying likely sites, to encourage private operators to build them.
• 2008/01/10: Guardian(UK): [Letters] Clear and reasoned case for setting aside nuclear
• 2008/01/09: ABC(Au): British nuclear plans likely to help sway others
• 2008/01/09: ABC(Au): Britain approves new nuclear plants
  The British Government has approved plans for a new generation of nuclear power stations to replace the country's ageing reactors.
• 2008/01/09: BBC: Nuclear a major decision - Brown
  The government faces a "major decision" on whether to approve a new generation of nuclear power stations, Prime Minister Gordon Brown has told MPs. He said ministers were also looking at possibilities including the greater use of more renewable energy sources.
• 2008/01/07: Guardian(UK): [Letters] We have no choice - the future must be nuclear
• 2008/01/07: Guardian(UK): Consumers may foot nuclear bill - Energy firms demand guarantees on investment from ministers

  In Canada, the National Roundtable on the Environment has called for a carbon tax, a cap-and-trade system, or both:

• 2008/01/07: NRTEE: (html/pdf versions) Getting to 2050: Canada's Transition to a Low-emission Future
• 2008/01/07: NRTEE: Getting to 2050: Canada's Transition to a Low-emission Future
  Canada needs economy-wide price on carbon emissions as soon as possible to achieve 65% reductions in GHG emissions by 2050 concludes National Round Table report
• 2008/01/11: PEF: The NRTEE and carbon pricing
• 2008/01/09: Maribo: Carbon tax vs. Cap-and-Trade [NRTEE]
• 2008/01/09: CanWest: A compelling case for a carbon tax
  Call it a carbon tax or a levy or whatever. But unless greenhouse-gas emissions carry a cost, there is little reason to expect success in the effort to cut them. The National Roundtable on the Environment and the Economy this week recommended a carbon tax to help Canada meet its goals in the fight to slow global warming. The roundtable isn't some fringe group. It was created by Brian Mulroney, includes business and environmental leaders and is headed by Finance Minister Jim Flaherty's former chief of staff. Its report calls for a carbon tax, a cap-and-trade system, or both. The underlying principle is that market forces are the most effective way to create change. Unless there are financial incentives to reduce emissions -- or penalties for increasing them -- companies and individuals won't alter their behaviours.
• 2008/01/09: TCH: Carbon tax gains traction
• 2008/01/09: TStar: Straight talk on climate
  Finally, Canadians are getting the straight goods on global warming. But the information is not from Ottawa. Rather, it is from an advisory group that the government created to inform Canadians on the best ways to pursue the goals of a healthy environment and a strong economy. The National Round Table on the Environment and the Economy, a group comprised of businesspeople, academics and environmental experts released a report Monday that offers a blunt assessment of what must be done to reach the government's climate change targets.
• 2008/01/08: NYT: Canadian Emissions Market Recommended [NRTEE]
• 2008/01/07: CBC: Federal report calls for carbon tax, trading in Canada
  A federal advisory panel is recommending the creation of a carbon tax or carbon-trading mechanism to help Canada reduce greenhouse-gas emissions. The politically controversial recommendation is among a host of policy prescriptions offered by the National Roundtable on the Environment and the Economy. The panel suggests the measures would help to reduce Canada's emissions 65 per cent by 2050. The panel includes some of the country's top business and environmental leaders, but its recommendations are non-binding.

The Arctic melt continues to get a lot of attention:

• 2008/01/13: SciDaily: Older Arctic Sea Ice Replaced By Young, Thin Ice
• 2008/01/08: LFB: Accelerating Greenland Melting 'Shocks' Scientists
• 2008/01/11: PhysOrg: Older Arctic sea ice replaced by young, thin ice
• 2008/01/10: Eureka: Older Arctic sea ice replaced by young, thin ice, says CU-Boulder study
• 2008/01/09: CSM: An icy plunge to save the melting Arctic - An endurance swimmer [L.G. Pugh] uses momentum from a world record to draw attention to disappearing polar caps
• 2008/01/08: TruthOut: In Greenland, Ice and Instability
• 2008/01/08: NYT: In Greenland, Ice and Instability
• 2008/01/07: KSJT: WBUR-Boston (via Aussie ABC): Meltdown show looks at the poles, inside out

  And the Antarctic:

• 2008/01/11: KSJT: Chr. Science Monitor: So, how about that Antarctic sea ice that keeps flourishing on our supposedly warming world?
• 2008/01/10: TreeHugger: Antarctic Ice Grows as Arctic Ice Declines
• 2008/01/10: CSM: As arctic ice melts, South Pole ice grows - Scientists are puzzled, but the phenomenon seems to fit the latest global-warming models
• 2008/01/10: CCurrents: The Antarctic Ice Sheet Is Growing?

  A few people noticed the methane hydrates stories:

• 2008/01/12: AfterGutenberg: Good News or Very, Very Bad News?
• 2008/01/12: PeakEnergy: Warning Signs On The Ocean Floor [methane hydrates]

  The Carbon Forum America 2008 conference is coming up in February :

• 2008/01/11: inel: Schwarzenegger, de Boer, Delbeke and Drexhage to speak at Carbon Forum America 2008 in SF on 26-27 February

  There is also a conference on GW & emerging diseases:

• 2008/01/11: Yahoo: Scientists to discuss how global warming affects diseases [five-day conference starting Monday in the eastern Czech city of Brno]

  Late comment on Bali:

• 2008/01/08: TBAS: Reflections on the U.N. climate change negotiations in Bali [by Richard C. J. Somerville]

  Except for Helen, the hurricane wars are quiet:

• 2008/01/09: Google:AP: Katrina's Victims Ask for Huge Checks
• 2008/01/10: USAToday: Most of $4.5B in Gulf Coast aid unspent
• 2008/01/07: SMH: Cyclone [Helen] threat adds to [Queensland] state's woes

  And in the carbon cycle:

• 2008/01/09: CanWest: Farming practices, food we eat are major source of greenhouse gases, study says - Agriculture industry contributes 17-32% of emissions, Greenpeace reports
• 2008/01/09: CanWest: Fertilizer key contributor to global warming - Greenpeace report
• 2008/01/08: NEN: Where emissions go
• 2008/01/08: SMH: Modest rise in NSW greenhouse emissions

  As for the temperature record:

• 2008/01/11: RealClimate: Uncertainty, noise and the art of model-data comparison
• 2008/01/12: BBC: Weather 'hit highs' during 2007 - Last year was the third warmest in Scotland since records began in 1914, according to WWF Scotland.
• 2008/01/11: Tamino: Hit You Where You Live
• 2008/01/11: ClimateP: Confusing short-term variability with a long-term trend
• 2008/01/11: ENN: World warming despite cool Pacific and Baghdad snow
• 2008/01/11: Reuters: World warming despite cool Pacific and Baghdad snow
• 2008/01/09: Yahoo: Japan temperatures could rise five degrees by 2100: panel
• 2008/01/10: OilChange: A Record Every Day
• 2008/01/09: Tamino: Dead Heat
• 2008/01/10: JEB: Would you bet on the satellite record?
• 2008/01/09: BCLSB: The Hockey Stick In Full Effect
• 2008/01/08: QuarkSoup: Dec 2007 Temperature
• 2008/01/08: ENN: Japan feels the heat: global warming pushing temps higher
• 2008/01/07: CDreams: Climate 2007- Trying to Make Sense of the Year of Records

  While in the paleoclimate:

• 2008/01/10: MongaBay: Despite Arctic crocodiles, glaciers existed during extreme global warming 90M years ago
• 2008/01/10: NatureN: Glaciers in a hothouse world - Antarctic ice sheets grew in a climate much warmer than today's.
• 2008/01/10: Eureka: A warming climate can support glacial ice - New research indicates glacial ice existed on earth during intense period of global warming
• 2008/01/10: Eureka: Evidence of glaciation in 'super greenhouse' world - Ice sheets existed when alligators lived in the Arctic
• 2008/01/07: PhysOrg: Amber fossils reveal ancient France was a jungle [during PETM]

  On the ENSO front:

• 2008/01/11: PhysOrg: La Niña: 'Little Girl' Makes Big Impression

  Glaciers are melting:

• 2008/01/09: NatPo: Canadian ice cap melting away
  Canada's oldest ice, the Barnes Ice Cap, which covers close to 6,000 square kilometers of Baffin Island, is shrinking at a dramatically accelerating rate
• 2008/01/07: USAToday: Climate researcher tackles New Guinea glaciers

  Sea levels are rising:

• 2008/01/08: DotEarth: Melting Ice = Rising Seas? Easy. How Fast? Hard.

  Meanwhile in the solar cycle:

• 2008/01/07: Eureka: NOAA: Sunspot is harbinger of new solar cycle, increasing risk for electrical systems

  Remember that spat between the Bush administration & some NASA/JPL scientists?

• 2008/01/12: PhysOrg: Court Nixes NASA Background Checks
  A federal judge blocked the government Friday from conducting background checks of low-risk employees at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory after an appeals court said the investigations threaten the constitutional rights of workers. U.S. District Judge Otis Wright issued the injunction after the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals reversed his earlier ruling and issued a sharp rebuke to the judge.

More GW impacts are being seen:

• 2008/01/13: PhysOrg: Study: [US] Northeast Winters Warming Fast
• 2008/01/11: PhysOrg: Greenhouse ocean may downsize fish
• 2008/01/11: PhysOrg: Winter Ice on Lakes, Rivers, Ponds: A Thing of the Past?
• 2008/01/11: Eureka: Greenhouse ocean may downsize fish - By 2100, warmer oceans with more carbon dioxide may no longer sustain [the Bering Sea] fisheries...
• 2008/01/11: Yahoo: Warming forces Iditarod changes
• 2008/01/09: NatureTGB: Dengue is coming to America [fuelled by...global warming increasing the range of the mosquitoes that carry it]
• 2008/01/07: KSJT: Islam Online: Climate change means big trouble for Egypt
• 2008/01/07: PhysOrg: Climate change endangering U.S. salmon
• 2008/01/06: TerraDaily: Australian climate changing, experts say
• 2008/01/07: ENN: As Global Warming Advances, We're "Losing Winter."

  Btw, according to one of those 2008 new word lists in the NYT:

• global weirding n.
  An increase in severe or unusual environmental activity often attributed to global warming. This includes freakish weather and new animal migration patterns.

  And then there are the world's forests:

• 2008/01/07: TreeHugger: Chile Enacts Landmark Bill to Protect its Forests after 15 Years

  It will be interesting to see if this study is replicated:

• 2008/01/08: TerraDaily: No Convincing Evidence For Decline In Tropical Forests
• 2008/01/08: BBC: 'No clear trend' in forest loss - Data on tropical forest cover is so poor that we do not know if the forests are declining, a study has found
• 2008/01/07: Eureka: No convincing evidence for decline in tropical forests
• 2008/01/08: Guardian(UK): Global deforestation figures questioned

  Corals are dying:

• 2008/01/07: Maribo: What is dangerous?

  Yes we have no wacky weather, except:

• 2008/01/11: PhysOrg: First snow for 100 years falls on Baghdad
• 2008/01/11: Wunderground: Rare January tornado hits Vancouver, Washington
• 2008/01/09: TerraDaily: At least 34 killed in Afghan snowfalls
• 2008/01/09: BBC: Dozens killed in Iran blizzards - At least 28 people are reported to have died in Iran's heaviest snowfall in recent years.
• 2008/01/09: BBC: Deadly blizzards bring Asia chaos
  Heavy snow and bitterly cold weather have caused scores of deaths and major disruption in parts of Iran, Afghanistan, Central Asia and Pakistan.
• 2008/01/08: ENN: Powerful storms, tornadoes hit Midwest
• 2008/01/07: Canoe: January 'heat wave' - Southern Canada basks in near-springtime temperatures, but not for long
• 2008/01/07: KSJT: SF Chronicle: Big West Coast storms brings deluge of data to NOAA scientists
• 2008/01/07: Intersection:CCM: Don't Cry "Global Warming" Over Spilled Weather!

  Speaking of floods & droughts:

• 2008/01/12: BBC: Mozambique begins flood mission
• 2008/01/11: Atmoz: 1998-1999 Annual Precipitation
• 2008/01/10: BBC: Some 45,000 people in Mozambique have been displaced by flooding along the Zambezi valley, authorities say
• 2008/01/10: PhysOrg: Drought driving deadly snakes into Australian cities: official
• 2008/01/10: Yahoo: Global warming could make Australia's outback tougher: study
• 2008/01/08: ENN: Floods cause havoc in southern Africa
• 2008/01/08: SMH: Thousands to remain cut off by floods [for up to a week]
• 2008/01/08: Guardian(UK): Thousands left stranded in Australian floods
• 2008/01/07: UN: UN prepares to help tens of thousands of flood victims in southern Africa
• 2008/01/07: ENN: Heavy rains flood drought-hit Australian farmers
• 2008/01/06: ENN: Floods kill six in central Mozambique
• 2008/01/07: BBC: Australia floods strand thousands
  Thousands of people remain stranded by some of the worst flooding eastern Australia has seen in 20 years. Parts of the country's most populous state, New South Wales, have been cut off by heavy rain and have been declared natural disaster zones. There are similar problems further north in Queensland, which has also been battered by wild conditions
• 2008/01/07: SMH: Soaked, and it's not over yet
  The floodwaters swamping northern NSW edged their way south last night, with no quick end in sight to a crisis that has left thousands of residents and holiday-makers isolated and caused millions of dollars damage.

The conflict between biofuel and food persists:

• 2008/01/09: TMoS: Reaping the Biofuel Whirlwind - The World Bank reports that global food prices have increased 75% over the past decade...
• 2008/01/08: EnergyBulletin: Modelling biofuel production as an infectious growth on food production
• 2008/01/07: FuturePundit: Will Biofuels Demand Cause Mass Starvation?
• 2008/01/07: OilDrum: Fermenting the Food Supply

  And the troubling matter of falling food production is not going away:

• 2008/01/11: AzStarNet: [Tucson] Food Bank center looks to end need for help
• 2008/01/09: BBC: South Asia hit by food shortages
  People across South Asia are struggling to cope with a severe shortage of affordable wheat and rice. There have been queues outside Pakistani shops in towns around the country, and flour prices have shot up. Wheat flour is a staple foodstuff in Pakistan, where rotis or unleavened bread are eaten with almost every meal. Last week Afghanistan appealed for foreign help to combat a wheat shortage while Bangladesh recently warned it faced a crisis over rice supplies. Global wheat prices are at record highs. Problems have been compounded by crop failures in the northern hemisphere and an increase in demand from developing countries.
• 2008/01/07: PhysOrg: Overgrazing accelerating soil erosion in northern Mexico

  Elsewhere on the mitigation front:

• 2008/01/09: TreeHugger: 100 Days Of Savvy CO2 Reduction Ideas
• 2008/01/09: NatureN: Could global gardening fix climate change? Biomass proposal could hugely reduce carbon dioxide levels.

  As for transportation & GHG production:

• 2008/01/12: GristMill: High-speed rail [in Europe]
• 2008/01/11: DotEarth: Moving Billions of People on a Still-Green Planet?
• 2008/01/11: WorldChanging: Free Transit For All?
• 2008/01/08: USAToday: Study looks at transportation's effects on global warming
• 2008/01/08: NewScientist: Transport emissions study 'misleading' say experts
• 2008/01/07: GristMill: Kiwis say jets are 10 percent of NZ's climate impact, not 2-3 percent - Tourism and carbon neutrality
• 2008/01/08: AutoBG: Norwegian scientists confirm that transport is responsible for climate change
  According to this report, transportation is responsible for 15 to 30 percent of the CO2 and O3 (ozone) that has been released to the atmosphere since the Industrial Revolution

While in the endless quest for sustainable building codes:

• 2008/01/09: ClimateP: Should LEED continue to lead in green building?
• 2008/01/06: NEN: Zero carbon buildings in Britain

  Large scale geo-engineering keeps popping up:

• 2008/01/13: TreeHugger: Can this Tree Save the World? Shiny Plants as Solution to Climate Change
• 2008/01/09: NewScientist: Super-hairy plants could battle global warming [albedo change]
• 2008/01/09: Guardian(UK): Shiny crops could slow global warming, scientists say
  Forget mirrors in space and seeding the oceans with iron, scientists have come up with a new way to tackle the looming threat of global warming: fields of shiny crops. Experts at the University of California, Irvine, say reflective plants could send more of the sun's heat back into space, and even reverse temperature rises in parts of the world. Encouraging farmers to grow shinier crops could reduce maximum daytime temperatures in agricultural regions by as much as 1.9C, they say.

The Iron Hypothesis has come in for a drubbing:

• 2008/01/12: SciDaily: Sending Carbon Dioxide To Sea
• 2008/01/11: ENN: Ocean Fertilization 'Fix' For Global Warming Discredited By New Research
• 2008/01/11: ENN: It is too early to sell carbon offsets: scientists
• 2008/01/10: PhysOrg: Carbon offset warning from international team of scientists
• 2008/01/10: Eureka: Carbon offset warning from international team of scientists... that it is too early to sell carbon offsets from ocean iron fertilisation
• 2008/01/09: TreeHugger: What Would Be the Side Effects of Iron Fertilization?

  While on the adaptation front:

• 2008/01/09: TerraDaily: San Diego Non-Profit HRC Helps California Adapt To Climate Change

  Meanwhile in the journals:

• 2008/01/08: TC: Spatial structures in the heat budget of the Antarctic atmospheric boundary layer by W. J. van de Berg et al.
• 2008/01/07: TCD: Mountain glaciers of NE Asia in the near future: a projection based on climate-glacier systems' interaction by M. D. Ananicheva et al.
• 2008/01/08: ACP: Validation of the Atmospheric Chemistry Experiment (ACE) version 2.2 temperature using ground-based and space-borne measurements by R. J. Sica et al.
• 2008/01/07: ACP: Sand/dust storm processes in Northeast Asia and associated large-scale circulations by Y. Q. Yang et al.
• 2008/01/09: ACPD: Seven year particulate matter air quality assessment from surface and satellite measurements by P. Gupta & S. A. Christopher
• 2008/01/08: ACPD: Long-term trend of surface ozone at a regional background station in eastern China 1991-2006: enhanced variability by X. Xu et al.
• 2008/01/08: ACPD: Measurements of UV Aerosol Optical Depth in the French Southern Alps by J. Lenoble et al.

  Before we get into politics, there was some science done:

• 2008/01/11: GristMill: More scientist/activists - Here's hoping newly politically active scientists don't step on rakes
• 2008/01/11: SMH: Coral cruiser to get to the bottom of global warming [ABE: Autonomous Benthic Explorer, a free-roaming submersible robot]
• 2008/01/10: ENN: Deep sea probe to track Australia climate change
  Australian and U.S. scientists will send an unmanned submersible 2.5 kms (1.5 miles) deep into the ocean off Australia next week to track climate change by studying coral at unprecedented depths. The joint project will film live and fossilized deep-sea coral off the coast of Australia's southern island state of Tasmania, studying coral growth rings which like tree rings can store centuries of information about the environment.
• 2008/01/07: ENN: Electric sand [saltation] findings could lead to better climate models

  James Hansen is still raising a ruckus:

• 2008/01/10: GazetteOnline: NASA climatologist [Hansen]: [Iowa] Coal plant would be "waste of money"
• 2008/01/09: NPR: James Hansen and Mark Bowen on Censored Science
• 2008/01/08: Intersection:CCM: [link to book review] James Hansen: The Bilbo Baggins of Climate Politics
• 2008/01/08: MTobis: Fresh Air - Jim Hansen was on "Fresh Air" today and...
• 2008/01/07: GristMill: Hansen v. coal

  Late coverage of Bert Bolin's passing:

• 2008/01/10: Guardian(UK): [Obit] Bert Bolin - Swedish meteorologist who persuaded the world to take climate change seriously

  Meanwhile on the UNFCCC front:

• 2008/01/07: ENN: U.N. climate panel head probably seeking re-election

  As for emissions trading:

• 2008/01/09: CarbonFin: ITL link, EU ETS review key for 2008 prices
  The troubled EU link to the UN's International Transaction Log (ITL) and the European Commission's review of its flagship emissions trading scheme (ETS) will be the two main drivers of carbon prices this year, said traders and analysts. Oil prices and global politics will also be key, said those interviewed by Carbon Finance.
• 2008/01/09: EncEcon: The price of carbon in Europe is expected to rise

  The idea of a carbon tax is still bouncing around:

• 2008/01/09: GMB: Big Business joins the Pigou Club - U.S. Chamber of Commerce...suggested it might endorse...a new carbon tax

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

• 2008/01/09: OilChange: Carbon Offsets: "a heightened potential for deception"
• 2008/01/08: Inc: Carbon: To Tax Or Trade, Revisited
• 2008/01/06: GMB: The Pigou Club watches the debates
• 2008/01/07: AfterGutenberg: Lacking the Political Will

  Meanwhile on the international political front:

• 2008/01/09: TruthOut: Will Nations Build on Climate-Change Momentum of 2007?
• 2008/01/09: CSM: Will nations build on climate-change momentum of 2007?
  In 2008, expect developing nations to play a more active role in negotiations for the post-Kyoto Protocol period.
• 2008/01/08: DeSmogBlog: China's economic juggernaut wreaks social and environmental havoc in smaller nations
• 2008/01/06: NEN: US-EU War brewing over aviation emissions caps

  The upcoming Davos WEF has released their Global Risks 2008 report:

• 2008/01/10: SwissInfo: Role seen for Swiss in reducing global risks
• 2008/01/10: BabNet: 2008: Highest levels of political and economic uncertainty for a decade
• 2008/01/09: ENN: Uncertainties may hurt climate fight
  [...] The Global Risks report, which will form part of the agenda for the Davos meeting of the World Economic Forum of policy makers and business leaders later this month, named four key issues for 2008: systemic financial risk, supply chain disruptions and energy and food security -- a new addition.

The WCI is meeting to design cap-and-trade system:

• 2008/01/10: OPB: Western States Gather To Design Cap-And-Trade System
• 2008/01/10: WorldChanging: Western States Lead the Way On Emissions

  And on the American political front:

• 2008/01/13: GristMill: Mayor may not - Climate treaty among mayors often honored in the breach
  Seven cities in the San Diego region signed on to the Mayors Climate Protection Agreement, but some didn't do much more than sign it.
• 2008/01/12: CSW: Climate Change Science Program acting director William Brennan to face Senate confirmation hearing
• 2008/01/12: AfterGutenberg: California Initiative [ZEV (Zero Emission Vehicle) mandate]
• 2008/01/10: ENN: California agency presses EPA on ship exhaust
• 2008/01/10: GristMill: Focus the Nation, save the planet -- now! Eban Goodstein invites you to join in the largest climate teach-in ever
• 2008/01/09: WarmingLaw: Into 2008: Congressional Oversight
• 2008/01/09: Intersection:CCM: Why Won't Democrats Bring Back OTA?
• 2008/01/08: GristMill: What does California's climate bill mandate? Does AB-32 call for maximizing emission reductions or minimizing costs?
• 2008/01/07: WarmingLaw: Into 2008: Planning Issues, Locally and Globally
• 2008/01/06: CSW: Call for public comments on revised U.S. climate science research plan
• 2008/01/07: TreeHugger: Bush Administration Seeks to Approve 700% Logging Increase in Oregon's Old-Growth Forests
• 2008/01/04: SeattlePI: Washington Legislature: It's time for action
  The public has awakened to the multiple threats of climate change to people, the economy and the environment. Now, the Legislature must turn that concern into action.

With California suing and Congress investigating, the EPA waiver suit will be in the news for some time:

• 2008/01/13: TreeHugger: E.P.A.'s Math "Faulty", Changes its Story on California Waiver Denial
• 2008/01/11: HillHeat: Boxer Threatens EPA Subpoena; State Previews Legal Arguments
• 2008/01/11: WarmingLaw: Boxer Threatens EPA Subpoena; State Previews Legal Arguments
• 2008/01/11: WarmingLaw: More States Looking to Take On EPA
• 2008/01/09: DotEarth: Faulty EPA Climate Math On California Car Plan
• 2008/01/03: TomPaine: EPA's Holy Roller [S.Johnson]
• 2008/01/07: GristMill: Another reason EPA's denial of Cali's waiver is bogus - Increased CO2 in the atmosphere exacerbates the effects of air pollution
• 2008/01/08: MailTrib: EPA should back off on auto rules - California emission limits would work faster than feds
• 2008/01/08: Olympian: Governors lead way for clean air
  Congress has refused to set really tough emission standards to hold the automobile industry accountable and improve this nation's air quality. That's why the state of Washington is right to sue the federal government in order to put our emission standards into law. Leaders in Washington and other states have grown tired of waiting for congressional action and have adopted higher industry standards. If Congress won't lead, the states will. California was the frontrunner in this regard.
• 2008/01/07: NEN: Study boosts Calif case against emissions [1000 U.S. deaths (300 California deaths) every year from emissions]

  The US F&WS postponement of their polar bear decision is drawing critical comment:

• 2008/01/10: ADN: Polar bear listing could threaten gas line...
• 2008/01/11: WarmingLaw: Into 2008: Polar Bears and Global Warming Impacts
• 2008/01/09: HillHeat: Administration Misses Polar Bear Deadline; Conservation Groups to Sue
• 2008/01/08: NatureN: US decision on polar bear status on hold - Officials say they need more time to assess climate threat.
• 2008/01/08: CSW: Fish and Wildlife Service suspicious delay of decision on polar bear threatened status
• 2008/01/07: TerraDaily: Decision on polar bears pushed back
• 2008/01/08: OilChange: Bush Administration Slammed for Polar Bear Delay
• 2008/01/08: TruthOut: Groups Cite Oil Leases in US Delay on Rating Polar Bear's Status
• 2008/01/08: ADN: [US FWS] Agency delays its decision on setting status of polar bears
• 2008/01/08: TStar: Polar bear decision delayed
  The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced yesterday it will take an extra month to decide if polar bear populations in Canada and elsewhere should be listed as endangered or threatened.
• 2008/01/07: SciDaily: Polar Bears Threatened: Million Of Acres To Be Opened To Oil And Gas Activities

  The FTC is investigating carbon offsets:

• 2008/01/10: IR^2: FTC Investigates Carbon Offsets
• 2008/01/10: SMH: US starts looking at carbon credits [FTC]
• 2008/01/09: TruthOut: FTC Asks If Carbon-Offset Money Is Well Spent
• 2008/01/09: NYT: F.T.C. Asks if Carbon-Offset Money Is Well Spent

  Listening to the Iowa & New Hampshire coverage, it is notable how GW is absent from the MSM:

• 2008/01/11: TruthOut: It's Global Warming, Stupid!
• 2008/01/11: TruthOut: Climate Change: The Real New Hampshire Story
• 2008/01/11: inel: What are they waiting for? TV pundits, talk show hosts, talking heads ignore climate change [LCV]
• 2008/01/10: ThinkP: 81 Percent Of South Carolina GOP Voters Want To Tackle Climate Change --- Will Candidates Listen?
• 2008/01/10: AFTIC: Zero point One Two Percent - 0.12% is the number of sunday talk show questions posed to presidential candidates about global warming.
• 2008/01/10: DeSmogBlog: Presidential Candidates Not Going Far Enough on Climate?
• 2008/01/10: ENN: Campaign puts bid to solve climate change ahead
• 2008/01/09: ClimateP: McCain and Clinton's New Hampshire Victory Fueled by Climate Positions
• 2008/01/07: CJR: Weighing the Environmental Vote - From Iowa to New Hampshire, more enthusiasm than action
• 2008/01/07: HillHeat: Talking Heads on Global Warming Politics
• 2008/01/08: OilChange: New Hampshire Makes Climate A Priority [2008]
• 2008/01/08: AutoBG: Many presidential candidates support coal-to-liquid fuel
• 2008/01/08: WaPo: Congress and Climate Change - The presidential contest should not stop legislative work on global warming
• 2008/01/07: ClimateP: Kudos to DeSmogBlog
• 2008/01/06: DotEarth: The Candidates on Energy and (Briefly) Climate
• 2008/01/07: GristMill: Green gap is more of a chasm - The presidential debates once again highlight the obvious
• 2008/01/06: GristMill: Moving money in the economy - More on climate policy in the Dem debate [2008]
• 2008/01/06: GristMill: Clinton v. Obama on energy - Clinton hangs 2005 energy bill around Obama's neck
• 2008/01/07: DeSmogBlog: DeSmogBlog Apologizes to Barack Obama

  The Gore-apalooza is still bopping along:

• 2008/01/11: ClimateP: My Al Gore story
• 2008/01/11: ThinkP: [Tennessee House] TN unanimously passes resolution honoring Gore

  While in the UK:

• 2008/01/12: Independent(UK): UK's coal output falls to pre-industrial levels
  Coal production in Britain has fallen to its lowest level since the industrial revolution, according to data from the Office for National Statistics. The ONS's index of production showed that the coal industry recorded its worst ever reading in October, at 42.9 (with 2003 representing the base index level of 100). Annual production is set to fall below 15 million tonnes, a level last seen 200 years ago. Production peaked in 1913 at 287 million tons. The ONS said that UK electricity generators have been turning to coal as the price of natural gas has climbed even more steeply, but that demand has been met by imports from Russia, Australia and elsewhere. Foreign coal accounts for two thirds of UK consumption.
• 2008/01/12: Guardian(UK): The energy offer that really is a dead Cert
  Save on your bill and help save the environment thanks to a new scheme to cut carbon emissions. Oh, and it won't cost you a penny It's not often Guardian Money reports a genuine giveaway with no strings attached, but this is one. Starting this week, British Gas is offering anyone over 70 free home insulation worth around 600 pounda. Amazingly, the offer is made regardless of income and you don't even need to be a British Gas customer. The initiative, which is part of the government's carbon emissions reduction target (Cert) scheme, will offer both cavity wall and loft insulation entirely free of charge to every homeowner in the UK who is either older than 70, or receiving certain benefits. Parliament was told about the scheme in December and it came into effect at the beginning of this year.
• 2008/01/09: PRWatch: Second UK Energy Consultation Headed for Meltdown
• 2008/01/07: KentNews: PM Brown faces 'carbon cop-out' claims
  Environmentalists say the Prime Minister's public stance on green issues lies in tatters this weekend after two pollution-related rows erupted in Kent. The attack came after the introduction of Government-approved, above-inflation train fare hikes which critics warned would force rail commuters back into cars. The Government also appeared to give tacit support to plans for a new coal-fired power station at Kingsnorth. Campaigners say both would result in more carbon emissions, undermining the Government's recently agreed targets on climate change.

The Big Green Challenge is sponsoring a competition:

• Big Green Challenge
• 2008/01/09: BBC: Climate change contest launched
  A £1m competition to find the brightest ideas to help fight climate change is being launched. The Big Green Challenge is looking for people's best 'Eureka moments' for reducing carbon emissions. The top 10 finalists will be given funding to help to turn their ideas into reality. The group with the most imaginative and successful idea will receive the lion's share of the £1m prize money which will be awarded next year.

David King is looking for publicity:

• 2008/01/12: Guardian(UK): Science chief [King]: greens hurting climate fight
• 2008/01/12: Guardian(UK): The war on hot air
  David King is the man who persuaded the government to take climate change seriously. So why is he attacking the green movement in a new book?

And in Europe:

• 2008/01/09: EUO: Tighter emissions plan to harm EU's heavy industry
• 2008/01/08: GristMill: Taking Germany 100 percent renewable - German scientists develop Combined Power Plant
• 2008/01/07: EUO: Brussels considering climate tax on imports
• 2008/01/06: ENN: Romania to contest EU carbon emission cuts: report
• 2008/01/07: OilChange: Slovenia Promises EU Action on Climate

  Meanwhile in Australia:

• 2008/01/10: ABC(Au): Climate change affecting power suppliers: regulator [Australian Energy Regulator (AER)]
• 2008/01/10: EnergyDaily: Sustainable Fuel For Road, Rail, Air And Sea Transport [CSIRO's newly formed Future Fuels Forum (FFF)]
• 2008/01/09: ABC(Au): Climate change 'will increase health risk' to rural Australians
• 2008/01/08: ABC(Au): Macquarie signs massive wind farm deal
• 2008/01/07: ABC(Au): Group calls for Fed Govt review of wood chipping industry
• 2008/01/08: ABC(Au): Brisbane dam levels hit 12-month high

  While in China:

• 2008/01/09: EnergyDaily: China poised to be world leader in renewable energy, expert predicts

  And in Japan:

• 2008/01/12: JEB: Just do it - This story has has surprisingly little coverage...[Japanese 30% solar panels installed]
• 2008/01/10: ABC(Au): Japan allocates $11b to fight climate change: report
• 2008/01/10: BBC: Japan 'preparing climate package'
  Japan is to set aside $10bn (£5.1bn) over the next five years to help developing countries fight global warming, a newspaper has reported. The aid would aim to cut greenhouse gas emissions in nations like Indonesia and China, the Nikkei business daily said.
• 2008/01/09: BBerg: Climate Change to Cost Japan's Economy $1 Trillion, Nikkei Says

  In Canada, minority neocon PM Harper, continues his do-nothing policy in spite of the NRTEE report:

• 2008/01/07: NRTEE: Getting to 2050: Canada's Transition to a Low-emission Future
  Canada needs economy-wide price on carbon emissions as soon as possible to achieve 65% reductions in GHG emissions by 2050 concludes National Round Table report
• 2008/01/07: NRTEE: (html/pdf versions) Getting to 2050: Canada's Transition to a Low-emission Future
• 2008/01/08: CanWest: Tories reject green panel's advice - The environment minister says no to that 'Liberal idea' of a carbon tax
• 2008/01/07: SeanInSask: Carbon Tax, Party Positions and What I Think
• 2008/01/07: CBC: Federal report calls for carbon tax, trading in Canada
  A federal advisory panel is recommending the creation of a carbon tax or carbon-trading mechanism to help Canada reduce greenhouse-gas emissions. The politically controversial recommendation is among a host of policy prescriptions offered by the National Roundtable on the Environment and the Economy. The panel suggests the measures would help to reduce Canada's emissions 65 per cent by 2050. The panel includes some of the country's top business and environmental leaders, but its recommendations are non-binding.
• 2008/01/07: G&M: Panel proposes carbon tax - Western oil producers face heavy penalties if Ottawa adopts expert panel's proposals
  A federal advisory panel unveiled a long-term climate-change strategy Monday that backs the idea of a carbon tax aimed at substantially reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. The proposal, one of many in a 50-page report issued by the National Roundtable on the Environment and the Economy, puts pressure on both the Harper government and the Liberal Opposition, which have rejected a carbon tax that would penalize oil producers in the West most heavily. The recommendation will raise a number of questions on Parliament Hill; specifically, whether a carbon tax is inevitable, who would collect the revenue, and how much a tonne of carbon is worth.
• 2008/01/08: CanWest: Roundtable's plan to cut greenhouse gases is worth considering
• 2008/01/08: CanWest: Conservatives reject advice, say no to carbon tax
• 2008/01/08: TStar: Tax emissions or miss targets, PM told
• 2008/01/08: CanWest: Another chance to tack on Kyoto
  For the second time in a few short weeks, the Harper Conservatives have been handed a golden opportunity to establish their commitment to fighting climate change and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. If Environment Minister John Baird's embarrassing lone crusade in Bali in December against emission-reduction targets gave many Canadians doubts about his government's green intentions, a new national report, if embraced by Harper, could set the record straight.
• 2008/01/09: CanWest: Emission cap deals now huge business - Tories look to market to force polluting firms to reduce emissions

  BC is still wrestling with its emission reduction plan:

• 2008/01/09: CanWest: Another gas tax pondered to combat climate change [in BC]
• 2008/01/07: CanWest: B.C. should take lead in climate-change battle
  A revenue-neutral carbon tax would be the most efficient way to reach goals

The tricky & difficult question of the tar sands looms:

• 2008/01/11: OilChange: Oil Sands Companies Fail in Green Audit
• 2008/01/10: TruthOut: Environmentalists [NRDC] Target Airlines Over Oilsands Fuel
• 2008/01/10: DeSmogBlog: New report: Alberta Tar Sand Companies Undermining Our Environment
• 2008/01/10: OilSandsWatch: [link to 3.2 meg pdf] Under-Mining the Environment - The oil sands report card
• 2008/01/10: Pembina: First-ever Oil Sands Mine Environmental Report Card Reveals Weak Environmental Performance
• 2008/01/10: CCurrents: Tar Sands vs. Clean Water: Eating The Earth For Cars
• 2008/01/10: DrDawgsBlawg: Another enemy of the people exonerated
• 2008/01/10: CBC: Oilsands producers get failing grade on environment

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

• 2008/01/10: GristMill: The key ideas behind Sky Trust - A look at the framing behind the last climate policy proposal
• 2008/01/06: StraightGoods: Environment vs economy - Debaters tackle central question of global warming issue.
• 2008/01/09: ClimateP: The High Costs of Doing Nothing, Part II
• 2008/01/08: ClimateP: The High Costs of Doing Nothing, Part I
• 2008/01/08: GristMill: Not stern enough - Stern says he underestimated climate risks
• 2008/01/07: GristMill: Consumption - We can consume less without sacrificing well-being

  Apocalypso anyone?

• 2008/01/13: WaPo: It Happened to Him. It's Happening to You. [6th extinction]
• 2008/01/10: CasaubonsBook: Why Is this Apocalypse Different than All Other Apocalypses: Making the Case for Peak Oil and Climate Change Now
• 2008/01/08: CasaubonsBook: Three Billion Dead: The Future of Biofuels and the Future of Resistance
• 2008/01/07: CasaubonsBook: Scenes from the Growing Food Crisis: On Finding My Work
• 2008/01/03: WorldChanging: The Collapse of Civilization: "It Wouldn't Be An Adventure"
• 2008/01/07: OLJ: The hidden holocaust -- our civilizational crisis, part 3: The end of the world as we know it?
• 2008/01/07: PeakEnergy: When in doubt, carve a bigger stone head

  Here is something for your library:

• 2008/01/08: WWI: State of the World 2008: Innovations for a Sustainable Economy

  And for your film & video enjoyment:

• 2008/01/06: CSW: "Everything's Cool" global warming documentary on DVD

  Meanwhile among the 'Sue the Bastards!' contingent:

• 2008/01/09: CNN: Who could get sued for global warming?
• 2008/01/07: TruthOut: Global Warming Goes to Court
• 2008/01/05: STimes: "Sue and sue and sue" for emissions standards

  Wrestling over a new energy infrastructure continues unabated:

• 2008/01/12: PetroleumNews: High oil prices? You ain't seen nothing yet
• 2008/01/07: CTB: Oil Prices: How High is Up?
• 2008/01/11: ClimateP: Dear Grid, Get With the Times. Yours, Utilities
• 2008/01/11: ABC(Au): Commuters' body heat to warm Swedish office
• 2008/01/11: AutoBG: Um, this is very, very cool: liquid fuel from sunlight - "probably a good 15 to 20 years away from being on the market."
• 2008/01/10: PhysOrg: Feeling the Heat: Berkeley Researchers Make Thermoelectric Breakthrough in Silicon Nanowires
• 2008/01/10: NEN: Huge Colorado wind farm: On time, on budget, safe and online
• 2008/01/09: AutoBG: US Gov't [DOE]: A gallon of gas will cost $3.50 before June
• 2008/01/08: EnergyDaily: 'Green' energy up in Germany but future clouding: producers
• 2008/01/09: TreeHugger: New England's Largest Wind Energy Project Gets Approved
• 2008/01/08: TreeHugger: Alex Michaelis Envisions Creation of Multiple "Energy Islands" to Supply Planet's Resources
• 2008/01/08: Telegraph(UK): Could sea power solve the energy crisis? [OTEC]
• 2008/01/08: CBC: Nova Scotia to get tidal energy centre - a $10-million research facility
• 2008/01/08: NEN: Big wind energy buyout - The folks who invest in coal and nuclear are buying wind
• 2008/01/08: PhysOrg: China to contribute 1.4 billion dollars to ITER
• 2008/01/08: Guardian(UK): Energy islands could use power of tropics, says innovator
• 2008/01/07: GristMill: Technology begets technology - Battery technology continues to improve
• 2008/01/07: SciDaily: Fuel Cell That Uses Bacteria To Generate Electricity
• 2008/01/07: BBerg: Oil $200 Options Rise 10-Fold in Bet on Higher Crude
• 2008/01/07: Thaindian: China seeks [ITER] fusion power as shortcut to solve energy crisis
• 2008/01/07: Novosti: Iran interrupts natural gas supplies to Turkey
• 2008/01/07: JakartaPost: ASEAN, China, India race for energy reserve
• 2008/01/07: PeakEnergy: Washington State: Sitting on a hot energy source?
• 2008/01/07: OilChange: $200 a Barrel in 2008?
• 2008/01/04: WiredSci: Scientists Use Sunlight to Make Fuel From CO2

  The secretive ultra capacitor company EEStor has announced a collaboration with Lockheed Martin:

• 2008/01/12: TEB: EEStor, Lockheed Martin to Collaborate on Military and Homeland Security Applications
• 2008/01/11: TreeHugger: EEStor + Skunk Works = Big News
• 2008/01/09: CleanBreak: EEStor partners with Lockheed Martin; Topfer returns

  Meanwhile among the solar afficionados:

• 2008/01/12: TreeHugger: Solar Homes Aren't Just for TreeHuggers
• 2008/01/11: NEN: Utility-owned hardware could cut solar costs
• 2008/01/10: PeakEnergy: A Solar Grand Plan
• 2008/01/09: NEN: Grand solar plan from Sci-Am
• 2008/01/08: GristMill: A solar grand plan - A roadmap to getting 70 percent of U.S. electricity from solar by 2050
• 2008/01/08: Eureka: New nanostructured thin film shows promise for efficient solar energy conversion
• 2008/01/07: NEN: Australia solar growing slower

  Several people made solar announcements this week:

• 2008/01/06: FuturePundit: Nanoantenna Photovoltaic Cells Developed
• 2008/01/11: SciDaily: New Stable And High-efficiency Solar Cells Developed [solvent-free dye-sensitized solar cell]
• 2008/01/10: AfterGutenberg: Nano Antenna Photo Voltaic Cells
• 2008/01/10: AutoBG: Solar cells that work at night? [nano-antennas]
• 2008/01/09: SlashDot: Super Soaker Inventor Hopes to Double Solar Efficiency
• 2007/12/17: INL: Harvesting the sun's energy with antennas
• 2008/01/09: DymaxionWorld: Holy snap - 80% efficient solar power!
• 2008/01/09: GristMill: The future is ... less far in the future - New nanoantennas capture sun's energy 24-7; are cheap; are not yet for sale
• 2008/01/09: PhysOrg: Solar Cells with 60% Efficiency? [Johnson Thermoelectric Energy Converting System (JTEC)]

  The arithmetic of coal carbon is striking home:

• 2008/01/11: NEN: Montana consumers demand "clean" coal
• 2008/01/10: Stoat: Clean coal?
• 2008/01/09: DeSmogBlog: The Expensive Myth of Clean Coal
• 2008/01/07: TEB: Chinese "GreenGen" Power Plant with CCS
• 2008/01/07: PeakEnergy: The Spectre Of Coal to Liquids In Asia
• 2008/01/07: Missoulian: Global warming's political winds leave energy producers wary of coal
  Three years into Gov. Brian Schweitzer's first term, Montana has heard plenty about coal development. But a profound political shift is throwing serious coal plans here into limbo.

Biofuel bickering abounds:

• 2008/01/12: AfterGutenberg: Multiphase Reacting Flow Analysis of Biomass Pyrolysis
• 2008/01/12: CCurrents: The Great Ethanol Corndoggle
• 2008/01/: ESA: Policy Statement - Biofuel Sustainability
• 2008/01/09: KSJT: New Scientist, AP, etc: USDA researchers see big ethanol output from prairie grasses --- in principle anyway.
• 2008/01/09: OilChange: Grass biofuels "Cut CO2 by 94%"
• 2008/01/09: TEB: Biogas Could Replace All EU Natural Gas Imports From Russia
• 2008/01/08: DeSmogBlog: Could Our Salvation Be Hiding in the Weeds?
• 2008/01/08: AutoBG: Not even Kansas can come up with a good reason for corn ethanol
• 2008/01/08: BBC: Grass biofuels 'cut CO2 by 94%'
• 2008/01/07: NatureN: Prairie grass energy boost studied in the field
• 2008/01/07: SciDaily: Some Biofuels Are Worse Environmentally Than Fossil Fuels, Analysis Shows
• 2008/01/07: AfterGutenberg: Rice Straw Ethanol

  The nuclear energy controversy continues:

• 2008/01/12: NewScientist: Legal battles threaten nuclear power programme
  The return of nuclear power is not going to be smooth. Governments in the UK and US are bracing themselves for legal battles that could hamper their plans to generate more electricity from nuclear reactors.
• 2008/01/12: ArabNews: Presenting Nuclear as the Grown-Up Option Is Deceptive [UK]
• 2008/01/11: ABC(Au): Egypt names site of first nuclear reactor
  Egypt's first nuclear reactor will be built at Dabba on the Mediterranean coast west of the main port of Alexandria, Electricity and Power Minister Hassan Younis has said.
• 2008/01/10: PhysOrg: Nuclear power gains steam in energy race
• 2008/01/09: BBC: Nuclear power around the world
• 2008/01/09: PlanetArk: New Nuclear Power Plants
  Nuclear operators say they could have new British plants running by 2017, helping Britain meet its 2020 goals for combating climate change. To date, 439 nuclear power plants are in operation and 34 are under construction, according to figures from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). Following are key facts about nuclear power reactors in Europe and around the world and plans for new plants to be constructed.
• 2008/01/09: TEB: Construction on First Westinghouse AP1000 [nuclear reactor] to Begin in China in March

  Yes we have a peak oil sighting:

• 2008/01/13: PC: Global warming is not just about temperature
• 2008/01/12: IR^2: A New Peak Looms [all-liquids production]
• 2008/01/11: PeakEnergy: Over A Barrel - a steady stream of peak oil related news in the mainstream media this week
• 2007/12/31: PeakOilBlues: The Emotional Scientist & Melting Models
• 2008/01/09: AngryBear: Simmons, oil...just the beginning

  And then there is the matter of efficiency & conservation:

• 2008/01/11: KSJT: NYTimes: Shining a light on all those efficient new bulbs (that a few people really hate)
• 2008/01/10: TruthOut: Digital Tools Help Users Save Energy, Study Finds []effic
• 2008/01/10: NYT: Any Other Bright Ideas? [CFLs, LEDs +?]
• 2008/01/10: ClimateP: Investors See Opportunity in Efficiency and Wind
• 2008/01/10: DotEarth: Living With Fluorescent Light (or No Light)
• 2008/01/09: SciDaily: 'Green' Energy Efficient Mobile Home Designed

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

• 2008/01/13: ClimateP: The Extreme (plug in) Hybrid ? no breakthrough needed! [AFS Trinity]
• 2008/01/13: TreeHugger: Triple Hybrid with Ultracapacitors Hits the Road [AFS Trinity Power]
• 2008/01/12: VentureBeat: 27 electric cars companies ready to take over the road
• 2008/01/12: PeakEnergy: Electric cars companies ready to take over the road
• 2008/01/10: AfterGutenberg: Electric City Car Market Factors
• 2008/01/10: ClimateP: Financial Times on Th!nk electric
• 2008/01/09: ClimateP: And Now, It's Toyota's Turn
• 2008/01/09: AutoBG: 2007 UK car market CO2 performance numbers released
• 2008/01/09: CSM: Europe's little 'Smart' car to hit U.S. streets
• 2008/01/09: AFP: Automobile's future is electronic and green: GM chief
  The automobile's future is electronic and green, using alternate fuels and slick technology to protect both people and the environment, the head of the world's largest car company said Tuesday. General Motors chief executive Rick Wagoner's prediction came in an unprecedented address at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES). He capped his presentation by unveiling a prototype Cadillac Provoq sedan powered by hydrogen and electricity from a lithium ion battery pack. Wagoner promised that by 2012 half the car maker's US production line will be devoted to vehicles powered by "Flexfuel," environmentally friendly alternatives to oil-based fuels.
• 2008/01/08: ClimateP: GM CEO Sows Doubt about Volt Debut Date, Volt Ads Continue Unabated
• 2008/01/08: PhysOrg: GM to Unveil Hydrogen-Electric Cadillac
• 2008/01/08: AutoBG: CAFE and slowing V-8 sales killed the new GM high-feature V-8
• 2008/01/08: AutoBG: GM reaffirms commitment to build Volt by 2010, refuses to commit to date
• 2008/01/08: Freep: Ford to unveil eco-friendlier engine
  Ford Motor Co. is to unveil a new engine technology today called EcoBoost that will deliver up to 20% better fuel economy on half a million of the company's Ford, Mercury and Lincoln vehicles during the next five years. The new EcoBoost family of four-cylinder and six-cylinder engines will be optimized with a combination of turbocharging and direct injection technology.
• 2008/01/07: NEN: Electric vehicles and national security
• 2008/01/06: AutoBG: The real reason Tata's Rs 1-lakh will change everything: it's green!
• 2008/01/07: AutoBG: WSJ: GM making sci-fi cars, Volt is a "moon shot"
• 2008/01/07: CBC: Driverless cars road ready by 2018: General Motors

  The Tata Nano got a lot of play:

• 2008/01/11: TruthOut: Can the World Afford the Tata Nano?
• 2008/01/11: ABC(Au): World's cheapest car an 'environmental disaster' for India
• 2008/01/10: DotEarth: On the Road Toward One Billion Cars
• 2008/01/11: Maribo: Cheaps cars for everyone?
• 2008/01/10: Guardian(UK): World's cheapest car upsets environmentalists
• 2008/01/10: BBC: Tata Motors has unveiled the world's cheapest motor car at India's biggest car show in the capital, Delhi
• 2008/01/10: Jalopnik: The $2500 Tata Nano, Unveiled in India

  The reaction of business to climate change will be critical:

• 2008/01/10: EnvFin: Clean energy investment tops $100 billion in 2007
• 2008/01/10: EnvFin: [Swiss investment bank] UBS launches 'greenhouse' index [UBS Greenhouse Index (UBS-GHI)]
• 2008/01/11: CSM: How 'green' are the world's banks?
• 2008/01/10: CDreams: IPS: Report Finds Rising Tide of Green Financing

  This smells like PR spin to sell the book, but one can always hope...

• 2008/01/11: OilChange: Climate Change "Rewriting Business" [SOW 2008]
• 2008/01/10: SwissInfo: How sustainable economics can save the planet [SOW 2008]
• 2008/01/09: TerraDaily: World moving towards 'vibrant sustainable economy' [SOW 2008]
• 2008/01/10: DeSmogBlog: Global warming is forcing the world to change the way it does business, report says
• 2008/01/10: Telegraph(UK): Global warming 'changing world economy' [SOW 2008]

  Meanwhile in the greenwashing chronicles:

• 2008/01/12: AutoBG: Friends of the Earth warns about Saab greenwash ads
• 2008/01/12: ThinkP: [Senate Minority Leader] Mitch McConnell (R-KY): I Am The "Godfather Of Green" [greenwash]

  The carbon lobby are up to the usual:

• 2008/01/12: ERabett: The 400 399 Club
• 2008/01/10: Atmoz: Aerosols = Global Warming "Skeptic"?
• 2008/01/11: Stoat: Septic arguments
• 2008/01/11: DeSmogBlog: Patterson, Wente: bringing ideological blindness to the people
• 2008/01/11: TMoS: Global Warming Hasn't Stopped - The latest scam from the global warming denialists...
• 2008/01/10: Stoat: Confusing weather and climate
• 2008/01/08: N3xus6: The end is nigh? Denialists hate facts...
• 2008/01/10: BCLSB: Tim Ball Denies Darwin!
• 2008/01/10: GristMill: [Dessler] Show me the money! Scientists do not have a financial incentive to settle the climate debate [fruitlooposphere]
• 2008/01/08: Sietch: Boston Globe Out Of It's Mind
• 2008/01/07: GristMill: [Dessler] The 'Inhofe 400' Skeptic of the Day - Today: Christopher Castro
• 2008/01/07: ClimateP: No warming since 1998? Get real, deniers!
• 2008/01/07: ERabett: Steve, set the Wayback Machine to October 29, 2003 - Eli submits this is a garbage can full of issues and Steve Mc is a drama queen
• 2008/01/06: QuarkSoup: [Jeff] Jacoby's Untruths
• 2008/01/08: Atmoz: Comment on IPCC "Explains" the Greenhouse Effect

  Then there was the usual news and commentary:

• 2008/01/12: QuarkSoup: "Global warming" trend
• 2008/01/13: Guardian(UK): Blame the greens when the lights go off
  Environmental campaigners will face a backlash if they do not drop their hardline attitude to energy
• 2008/01/11: Yahoo: ADB to help SE Asia find ways to cut greenhouse gases
• 2008/01/12: FGuide: BusinessWeek and Scientific American on the costs of addressing global warming
• 2008/01/12: Guardian(UK): Questions, questions
• 2008/01/11: GristMill: The elusive green-collar job - With all the upbeat talk about an environmental labor boom, is rhetoric running away from reality?
• 2008/01/11: inel: Christian responsibility to fight climate change
• 2008/01/10: ERabett: Elevator trouble - Simon Donner at Maribo rushed into the elevator and started to show everyone pictures of his kids...
• 2008/01/11: DeSmogBlog: Global Warming is NOT a Left-Right Issue
• 2008/01/06: WU:RRood: Models(1) Assumptions
• 2008/01/09: Atmoz: Global Warming is Boring
• 2008/01/09: DotEarth: The Road from Climate Science to Climate Advocacy
• 2008/01/09: AFTIC: The Fisherman and the MBA
• 2008/01/09: ERabett: If you don't remember the past you will repeat it
• 2008/01/08: ERabett: Atmoz and the kids or how your child can contribute to the science of climate change
• 2008/01/09: ShanghaiDaily: Don't fiddle as our planet burns until doomsday
• 2008/01/08: TruthOut: From False to Real Solutions for Climate Change
• 2008/01/08: inel: Sachs' optimistic climate message (in 7 languages)
• 2008/01/07: Atmoz: Climate Change in School
• 2008/01/07: KSJT: The Guardian: 50 people who could save the planet (But they may not agree on how)
• 2008/01/06: DotEarth: The Guardian's "50 People Who Could Save the Planet"
• 2008/01/07: GristMill: Forest Wisdom - The Forest Guild on climate change
• 2008/01/07: CCD: Does the progressive left really believe in climate change?

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

• CleanBreak
• Mayors Climate Protection Center
• SkepticalScience: Skeptic Arguments - a list of every skeptic argument encountered online as well as how often each argument is used
• Oil Sands Watch
• North of the Hot Zone - Washington State and the Geothermal Challenge
• Big Green Challenge
• Sietch Blog
• 2006/04/: EGU: European Geosciences Union
• OCCC: Swiss Advisory Body on Climate Change
• GWTimes: Global Warming Times
• ClimateWire
• P&P: People & Planet
• Scientist On Ice

My first novel Water was published in Canada May, 2007. The American release was in October. An Introductionto the novel is available, along with the Unpublished Forewordand the Launch Talk. An overview of my writing is available here.

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

"Eventually, the world will no longer be divided by the ideologies of 'left' and 'right,' but by those who accept ecological limits and those who don't." -Wolfgang Sachs, Wuppertal Institute

• Global Warming Links
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• Energy
• Energy News
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• H.E. Taylor (homepage)