Another week of GW News, February 1, 2009

Sipping from the internet firehose...

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Another week of Climate Disruption News

Sipping from the internet firehose...

February 1, 2009

• Top Stories:WGMS, Monaco Declaration, Solomon et al., Dead Zones, Y-D Impact, CO2 Warming, WEF, McKinsey Report
• Melting Arctic, Geopolitics, Antarctica, Late Comments -- Irena, WFES, Polls, Survey, TVA, Particulates
• Food Crisis, Food vs. Biofuel, Food Production, Liberia's Armyworm Plague
• Hurricanes, GHGs, Carbon Cycle, Temperatures, Paleoclimate, Glaciers, Sea Levels, Satellites
• Impacts, Forests, Wacky Weather, Wildfires, Floods & Droughts
• Mitigation, Transportation, Buildings, Sequestration, Geoengineering
• Journals, Misc. Science
• Kyoto-2, UN, Carbon Trade, Carbon Tax, Optimal Carbon Reduction Strategy
• Politics:International, Security, America, Britain, Europe, Australia, India, Canada
• Ecological Economics, IPAT, Apocalypso, Media, Books, Courts
• Energy, Wind, Solar, Coal, Biofuel, Nukes, Peak Oil, Grid, Efficiency, Cars, Business, Greenwashing
• Carbon Lobby, Miscellaneous Climate, Useful Links
• Shameless Self Promotion, .sig

Live and direct from the laugh, it's funny, damnit department:

• 2009/01/30: SeattlePI: (cartoon - Horsey) Al Gore Goes to Capitol Hill...
• 2009/01/29: TI:CF: (cartoon - Roberts) Boffin a Bathtub (again)
• 2009/01/28: TI:CF: (cartoon - Roberts) Multi-Coloured Swop Shop
• 2009/01/26: uComics: (cartoon - Toles) Bush to Obama
• 2009/01/26: TI:CF: (cartoon - Roberts) Plots and Plans
• 2009/01/25: TI:CF: (cartoon - Roberts) Crunch

  The WGMS released glacier mass balance data for 2006 and 2007 this week:

• 2009/01/26: WGMS: Glacier mass balance data 2006 and 2007
• 2009/01/31: RealClimate: A global glacier index update
• 2009/01/30: ClimateP: Worldà $(Bs (BGlaciers Shrink for 18th Year
• 2009/01/30: BostonGlobe: Glaciers around the world found shrinking for 18th year -- Researchers say pace of retreat is quickening
• 2009/01/29: BBerg: Worldà $(Bs (BGlaciers Shrink for 18th Year in Alps, Andes
• 2009/01/29: Google:AP: Swiss scientists say world's glaciers melting fast

  Oceanographers have published the Monaco Declaration on ocean acidification:

• 2009/01/30: GristMill: Dropping acid -- 'Monaco Declaration' sounds alarm about ocean acidification
• 2009/01/30: UNESCO: [link to 5 meg pdf] The Monaco Declaration and Research Priorities Report
• 2009/01/30: Maribo: Monaco Declaration on Ocean Acidification

  Susan Solomon at NOAA published an article asserting we are in for at least 1,000 years of climate disruption:

• 2009/01/27: MongaBay: Many global warming impacts may be irreversible in next 1000 years
• 2009/01/28: ClimateP: Revkin has leading system dynamics expert Sterman on NOAAÃ $(Bs (B1,000-years-of-hell paper
• 2009/01/27: DeSmogBlog: Climate Peace is a Mere Millennium Away!
• 2009/01/28: PeakEnergy: Global warming 'irreversible' for next 1000 years: study
• 2009/01/28: OilChange: Climate Change is "Irreversible"
• 2009/01/27: CCurrents: Global Warming Effects To Last 1,000 Years
• 2009/01/27: NatureTGB: No way back from climate change
• 2009/01/27: KSJT: Lots of Ink: Irreversible climate change already here, we did it, and more coming
• 2009/01/26: ClimateP: NOAA stunner: Climate change "largely irreversible for 1000 years," with permanent Dust Bowls in Southwest and around the globe
• 2009/01/27: ABC(Au): Global warming 'irreversible' for next 1000 years: study
  Climate change is "largely irreversible" for the next 1,000 years even if carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions could be abruptly halted, according to a new study led by the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
• 2009/01/27: NewScientist: Human emissions could bring 'irreversible' climate chaos
• 2009/01/27: PhysOrg: Report: Some climate damage already irreversible
• 2009/01/26: USAToday: Report: Some climate damage already irreversible
• 2009/01/27: NYT: Emissions Cut Wonà $(Bt (BBring Quick Relief, Scientists Say
• 2009/01/27: CBC: Some climate damage irreversible: report
• 2009/01/26: NPR: Global Warming Is Irreversible, Study Says
• 2009/01/27: BBC: Global warming is 'irreversible'
  A team of environmental researchers in the US has warned many effects of climate change are irreversible. The scientists concluded global temperatures could remain high for 1,000 years, even if carbon emissions can somehow be halted. Their report was sponsored by the US Department of Energy and comes as President Obama announces a review of vehicle emission standards.
• 2009/01/26: NOAANews: New Study Shows Climate Change Largely Irreversible
  A new scientific study led by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration reaches a powerful conclusion about the climate change caused by future increases of carbon dioxide: to a large extent, thereà $(Bs (Bno going back. The pioneering study, led by NOAA senior scientist Susan Solomon, shows how changes in surface temperature, rainfall, and sea level are largely irreversible for more than 1,000 years after carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions are completely stopped. The findings appear during the week of January 26 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. "Our study convinced us that current choices regarding carbon dioxide emissions will have legacies that will irreversibly change the planet," said Solomon, who is based at NOAAà $(Bs (BEarth System Research Laboratory in Boulder, Colo.

Global warming is going to cause ocean dead zones to multiply?:

• 2009/01/26: ABC(Au): Scientists in Denmark say global warming could create dead zones in oceans that would then be devoid of most marine life for up to 2,000 years
• 2009/01/26: DeSmogBlog: Another Climate Change Bonus - Ocean Dead Zones
• 2009/01/25: NewScientist: Global warming could suffocate the sea
• 2009/01/25: PhysOrg: Dramatic expansion of dead zones in the oceans
• 2009/01/25: TerraDaily: Global warming could unleash ocean 'dead zones': study
• 2009/01/26: TreeHugger: Another Dire Global Warming Effect: 10 Times As Many Ocean Dead Zones
• 2009/01/26: SciDaily: Dramatic Expansion Of Dead Zones In Oceans Likely With Unchecked Global Warming
• 2009/01/25: Eureka: Dramatic expansion of dead zones in the oceans
• 2009/01/25: Yahoo: Global warming could unleash ocean 'dead zones': study
• 2009/01/26: CBC: Global warming could create oceanic 'dead zones': study

  The Younger Dryas impact theory is being disputed:

• 2009/01/29: KSJT: BBC: Tale of N. American mammoth, megafauna, and Clovis slaughter by comet not backed by tale of the charcoal
• 2009/01/29: BBC: Mammoth-killing comet questioned
  A study of wildfires after the last ice age has cast doubt on the theory that a giant comet impact wiped out woolly mammoths and prehistoric humans.
• 2009/01/28: Eureka: Charcoal evidence tracks climate changes in Younger Dryas -- Idea of widespread fires sparked by theorized Clovis-age comet strike is not supported, researchers say
• 2009/01/27: SciDaily: 12,900 Years Ago: North American Comet Impact Theory Disproved

  Another dire projection:

• 2009/01/29: PhysOrg: Heating from carbon dioxide will increase five-fold over next millennia
• 2009/01/29: SciDaily: Global Warming From Carbon Dioxide Will Increase Five-fold Over The Next Millennium, Scientists Predict

  A variety of stories arose from the Davos WEF meeting:

• 2009/02/01: Times(UK): Stern recipe for change -- To stop the world warming we have to cut our carbon emissions to African levels
• 2009/01/31: EarthTimes: Turning a profit from carbon emissions [Davos]
• 2009/01/30: EurActiv: Davos experts call for multilateral linking of economy, climate
• 2009/01/30: UN: Secretary-General stresses merits of switching to à $(Agr (Beenà $(B e (Bconomy [Davos]
• 2009/01/30: ABC(Au): Aust 'should be leading world' in carbon capture and storage
  A leading economist has told the World Economic Forum in Davos that Australia should be leading the international community in the development of carbon capture and storage technology. Nicholas Stern has called Australia's decision to cut emissions by 5 per cent on 2000 levels by 2020 on the low side, given the world is aiming for a reduction of 80 per cent by 2050.
• 2009/01/30: Yahoo: Obama urged not to backburner climate change [by Gore]
  Davos, Switzerland -- Don't put off action on global warming just because times are lean -- that's the message Al Gore, world environmental leaders and U.S. executives sent Friday to President Barack Obama. Worries are mounting that economic troubles are sapping momentum, in the U.S. Congress and in other world capitals, for costly investment in clean energy and cutting carbon emissions.
• 2009/01/29: ISRIA: Davos: A Green New Deal for a Post-Crisis World
• 2009/01/29: Guardian(UK): World Economic Forum wants $10tn [between now and 2030] to save the world
• 2009/01/29: UN: Ban urges leaders at Davos to forge à $(AGr (Been New Dealà $(B t (Bo fight world recession
• 2009/01/29: Xinhuanet: Davos participants see economic crisis as opportunity for commitment on climate change
• 2009/01/30: Xinhuanet: WEF report calls for massive green investment
• 2009/01/30: Xinhuanet: U.S. to lead efforts for tackling climate change: official
  Davos, Switzerland -- Climate change is a serious global challenge and the new U.S. administration is ready to play a leadership role in dealing with this challenge, a senior U.S. official said here on Thursday. "If left unchecked, global (climate) change will create violent conflict, torrential storms, shrinking coastlines, and irreversible catastrophe," said Valerie Jarrett, U.S. President Barack Obama's assistant for intergovernmental relations. "President Obama has made it clear that the U.S. is ready to lead a global effort to combat climate change," Jarrett told a special session of the World Economic Forum annual meeting. Jarrett said Obama had named a U.S. global climate envoy to signal the administration's commitment to seeking a global solution to climate change.

And on the other side of the world, the counterculture staged the WSF meeting:

• 2009/01/29: OpenDem: World Social Forum 2009: a generationà $(Bs (Bchallenge
  These should be good times for the "alter-globalisation" movement. The unprecedented combination of crises in the global economy, environment, and governance makes its argument for a just and equal world - "another world" - seem more relevant than ever.
• 2009/01/21: IPSNews: World Social Forum: Crisis as Opportunity for "Another World"
• 2009/01/27: IPSNews: World Social Forum: "Wake Up, World!" - SOS from the Amazon
• 2009/01/28: EarthTimes: WSF: World Social Forum demands rescue for Amazonia instead of banks

  The McKinsey consultants took a shot at costing dealing with climate change:

• 2009/01/30: EnvEcon: McKinsey's crack at showing the world how to limit the damage from climate change
• 2009/01/28: CFO: McKinsey puts price on avoiding climate catastrophe
• 2009/01/30: NatureCF: McKinsey: options for a low-carbon economy
• 2009/01/27: EurActiv: Escaping climate disaster 'affordable', says [McKinsey] report
• 2009/01/28: SMH: Spend a trillion a year to save planet: report
  Tackling climate change will be much cheaper than most governments expect, according to a major report by global consultancy McKinsey. Nearly $1 trillion a year would need to be invested in clean power, energy efficiency and forestry around the world by 2030 - a huge sum but less than most governments have predicted and much less than the expected damage bill should climate change go unaddressed. Pathways To A Low Carbon Economy, released yesterday in Belgium, said holding temperature rises below 2 degrees is possible and affordable but quick action is needed.

I'm sure more than one person wondered about this...:

• 2009/01/26: GristMill: Payback time? A letter to Science ponders what $700 billion could do for the natural world

  The Arctic melt continues to get a lot of attention:

• 2009/01/30: CBC: Northerners search for 'third way' on polar bear conservation
• 2009/01/29: NOAANews: UNH/NOAA Report: Arctic Region Underprepared for Maritime Accidents
• 2009/01/27: ClimateP: Arctic sea ice drops below 2007 levels
• 2009/01/26: AbqJournal: Arctic 'Black Swans' Worry Scientists

  As for the geopolitics of Arctic resources:

• 2009/01/29: DerSpiegel: Riches at the North Pole -- Russia Unveils Aggressive Arctic Plans
  In a new national directive, Russia has asserted claims on large sections of the Arctic Ocean. The tone of the document is openly aggressive, prompting fears of increasing international tension over who has the right to exploit the mineral-rich territory.
• 2009/01/30: CBC: High Arctic research station still in early stages: Strahl
  It may be a while before Canada's world-class High Arctic scientific research station is built, as no decisions have been made as to what the station will look like -- or exactly where it will be based. The federal government allocated $2 million in the budget, tabled Tuesday, for the federal Indian and Northern Affairs Department to carry out a feasibility study on the station, which was first promised in the 2007 throne speech.
• 2009/01/30: OilChange: NATOÃ $(Bs (BNew Frontier [Arctic geop]
• 2009/01/30: CanWest: NATO cautions against division over Arctic
  The head of NATO has cautioned the alliance's Arctic nations -- including Canada and the U.S. -- to stay united despite the growing potential for conflicts among NATO members over energy resources and shipping rights in the increasingly open waters surrounding the North Pole.
• 2009/01/29: CNN: Arctic thaw raises security concerns for NATO
  NATO meeting in Iceland to discuss Arctic security challenges - Thawing of Arctic poses questions over who controls region's resources - Number of countries laying claim to Arctic due to untapped fossil fuel deposits
• 2009/01/26: DotEarth: Video Update on Tussle Over Unfreezing Arctic

  While in Antarctica:

• 2009/01/29: Guardian(UK): Warm reception to Antarctic warming story
• 2009/01/27: RealClimate: Warm reception to Antarctic warming story -- What determines how much coverage a climate study gets?

  Late coverage of IRENA:

• 2009/01/29: EnvFin: International Renewable Energy Agency launches
• 2009/01/30: NatureN: Clean-energy agency recruits its founding members -- Nations have begun to hammer out the mandate for the International Renewable Energy Agency.
• 2009/01/29: TreeHugger: Worldà $(Bs (BTop Carbon Emitters Donà $(Bt (BJoin International Renewable Energy Agency
• 2009/01/28: EurActiv: Global renewables agency launched as support falters
  A new international agency to promote renewable energies across the world was launched in Bonn on Monday (26 January) with fewer signatories than had been hoped for, after the US and UK dropped out of the list. The International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) was established to counterbalance for the International Energy Agency, which has been criticised for favouring fossil fuels over green energies.
• 2009/01/26: BizGreen: International Renewable Energy Agency launches today -- UK still mulling whether or not to join global renewables group
• 2009/01/27: CleanBreak: Canada, U.S., Australia look bad by shunning IRENA
• 2009/01/26: WorldChanging: New International Body to Promote Renewable Energy
• 2009/01/26: EarthTimes: International Renewable Energy body [IRENA] launches in Germany
• 2009/01/26: Guardian(UK): UK looks on from sidelines at green energy summit [IRENA]
  A new international body to promote renewable energy is to be established today, in a move that its supporters insist has the potential to replace the global dominance of conventional power with wind, solar and other sustainable sources within a matter of years. Fifty-five governments have said they will commit themselves to full membership of the International Renewable Energy Agency (Irena), at its founding conference in Bonn today. A total of 116 countries will take part. The US has not joined, but is widely expected to do so under the new administration. Britain, however, has not signed up to Irena, although it is understood to be sending officials as observers.

Late coverage of WFES:

• 2009/01/27: WorldChanging: Report from the World Future Energy Summit, Abu Dhabi

  Late coverage of those public opinion polls:

• 2009/01/28: PRWatch: Public Cooling on Global Warming
• 2009/01/28: Wunderground: Opinion polls of climate change
• 2009/01/26: GristMill: Losing our faith in science? Poll shows more Americans do not believe global warming is result of man-made activity

  Late coverage of that survey of climatologists:

• 2009/01/26: TerraDaily: Survey Finds Broad Agreement That Human-induced Global Warming Is Real

  Late coverage of the coal sludge story:

• 2009/01/29: GreenGrok: Tennessee Coal Ash Contaminated With Radioactivity and Arsenic
• 2009/01/29: KnoxNews: Coal ash health risk, Duke finds -- ORNL scientist says it's not; TVA to keep testing
  Duke University scientists have found that the sludge from the Kingston Fossil Plant fly ash spill contains radium and arsenic at levels high enough to affect human health in the area. A scientist at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, however, said the amount of radioactivity in the coal ash isn't high enough to pose a health risk. TVA responded by saying it would review the report and continue testing the site.

Late coverage of particulates:

• 2009/01/26: Guardian(UK): Biomass-burning 'behind Asian brown clouds'

  The food crisis is ongoing:

• 2009/01/26: FAO: UN warns of more food shortages without strong action -- Madrid meeting takes on global food, nutrition and agriculture problems
• 2009/01/31: CBC: Kenya facing mass starvation: Aid group
• 2009/01/29: AlterNet: Is America on the Brink of a Food Crisis?
• 2009/01/29: FTimes: Steep drop in world wheat crop forecast
• 2009/01/29: CSM: How to feed the hungry billion -- The global food crisis has slipped from the headlines. The world can solve it. Will it?
• 2009/01/28: FAO: Update on the current Kenya Food Security Situation
• 2009/01/21: NIB: The really ugly face of capitalism [food crisis]
• 2009/01/27: CBC: Liberia declares emergency as caterpillars devour crops
• 2009/01/26: CDreams:AFP: World Must Double Food Production by 2050: FAO Chief [Jacques Diouf]
• 2009/01/25: FTimes: World warned of à $(Afo (Bod crunchà $(B t (Bhreat
  The world faces "the real risk of a food crunch" if governments do not take immediate action to address the agricultural impact of climate change and water scarcity, according to an authoritative report out on Monday. Chatham House, the London-based think-tank, suggests that the recent fall in food prices is only a temporary reprieve and that prices are set to resume their upward trend once the world emerges from the current downturn.
• 2009/01/27: UN: Ban urges greater efforts to feed worldà $(Bs (Bhungry amid ongoing recession
• 2009/01/26: SeedDaily: World must double food production by 2050: FAO chief
• 2009/01/26: FTimes: Nations turn to barter deals to secure food
• 2009/01/27: NakedCapitalism: Credit Crunch Leads Nations to Barter for Food
• 2009/01/26: Oxfam: [link to 274k pdf] A Billion Hungry People
• 2009/01/26: UN: Ethiopia still faces food insecurity due to drought despite some rains, UN reports
• 2009/01/26: UN: Ban issues call to action to tackle à $(Afo (Brgottenà $(B g (Blobal food crisis
• 2009/01/26: UN: UN agencies provide food, supplies in drought-ravaged Burundi
• 2009/01/26: KBC(Ke): Climate change to blame for food shortage says Diplomat
  Climate change is a major cause of the current food shortage facing the country and is a clear warning of how climate volatility can affect countries like Kenya. Addressing a seminar on Clean Development Mechanisms (CDM) at a Nairobi hotel Monday, British High Commissioner to Kenya, Rob Macaire, said that droughts, floods, temperature and rainfall pattern changes can hit countries across a range of sectors. In addition to agriculture, public health, water availability, energy use, infrastructure and services like tourism are also affected by the current drought.
• 2009/01/26: KBC(Ke): Over 25 millions Kenyans face starvation
  An estimated 17 million people are in need of emergency assistance while over 25 million others face starvation in the Horn of East and Central African regions. In a report released Monday by Oxfam, an international Aid agency, Kenya has nearly 10 million people faced with famine due to the poor rains and the escalating food prices. The report dubbed "A Billion Hungry People" shows poor government policies that have been short-term in dealing with the food crisis as one of the main cause.
• 2009/01/26: BBC: UN debates global food cost rise

  The conflict between biofuel and food persists:

• 2009/01/29: SciDaily: Biofuels Ignite Food Crisis Debate
• 2009/01/28: SBM: Biofuels ignite food crisis debate -- Study highlights problems linked to converting crops into biofuels

  And how are we going to feed 9 billion?

• 2009/02/01: NewScientist: Call for agricultural research to help world's poor
• 2009/01/31: PeakEnergy: The Rise of Urban Farming Worldwide
• 2009/01/29: CCurrents: Future Farming: The call For A 50-year Perspective On Agriculture
• 2009/01/30: PhysOrg: Biodiversity passes the taste test and is healthier too
• 2009/01/30: H-M(De): Preparing for climate change: Helmholtz Zentrum München researchers analyze the genome of a heat and drought resistant cereal plant
• 2009/01/29: Reuters: Seed bank for the world threatened by financial crisis
  A seed bank that is trying to collect every type of plant in the world is now under threat from the global financial crisis, its director says. The Millennium Seed Bank Project aims to house all the 300,000 different plant species known to exist to ensure future biodiversity and protect a vital source of food and medicines, director Paul Smith said. The project is on track to collect 10 percent of the total by 2010 but the financial crisis is drying up funding, casting serious doubts on future collections, he said.
• 2009/01/30: CBC: Potash still at record highs -- though producers aren't
• 2009/01/29: DVoice: Future Farming: The Call for a 50-Year Perspective on Agriculture -- An Interview with Wes Jackson
• 2009/01/28: Eureka: Scientists publish complete genetic blueprint of key biofuels crop
• 2009/01/27: GristMill: 'New seeds ... and fertilizer' -- The Gates Foundation's techy vision for African ag

  In Liberia, a plague of armyworms is devastating crops:

• 2009/01/29: FAO: Race against time in Liberian Armyworms plague -- Moths could spell new disaster
• 2009/01/30: NatureN: Halting the African armyworm -- Liberia prepares for second plague of caterpillar pests
• 2009/01/30: BBC: The plague of army worm caterpillars in Liberia has affected some 400,000 people and the UN warns of a second wave of infestations
• 2009/01/29: CNN: Fighting hunger with flood-tolerant rice
  Scientists breed a new strain of flood-tolerant rice - Normal rice dies after three days of complete flooding; this rice can survive 17 days - New rice was successfully field-tested by farmers in India and Bangladesh - About half of the world's population eats rice as a staple of its diet
• 2009/01/29: NewScientist: Caterpillar plague strikes west Africa
• 2009/01/29: EarthTimes: UN: Race against time to thwart Liberian armyworm plague
• 2009/01/29: BBC: Liberia worm plague 'may worsen'
• 2009/01/26: SeedDaily: Sierra Leone mans defences against army worm invasion
• 2009/01/27: BBC: Liberia's president has declared a state of emergency in response to a plague of crop-destroying army worms

  Australia was hit by Dominic and Ellie, while Hettie roamed through the Solomons:

• 2009/01/28: RigZone: Cyclone Dominic Shuts about Half of Australian Oil Output
• 2009/01/26: RigZone: Cyclone Dominic Brews Off West Australian Oil Region

  While elsewhere in the hurricane wars:

• 2009/01/29: UN: Madagascar: UN rushes emergency relief to cyclone [Fanele] victims
• 2009/01/29: UN: Myanmar: cyclone [Nargis] victims need help to rebuild livelihoods - UN
• 2009/01/28: UN: Crop production satisfactory, but food access difficult in post-cyclone [Nargis] Myanmar -- UN

  As for GHGs:

• 2009/01/30: SciDaily: Termite Insecticide [Sulfuryl fluoride] Found To Be Potent Greenhouse Gas
• 2009/01/25: GristMill: How soon do we need to cut greenhouse gas emissions? We need cut emissions faster than 80 percent by 2050, but how fast?

  In the carbon cycle:

• 2009/01/30: Reuters: Pole-to-pole flight finds CO2 piling up over Arctic
• 2009/01/28: Asymptotia: The Keeling Curve
• 2009/01/28: DotEarth: The Greenhouse Effect and the Bathtub Effect

  As for the temperature record:

• 2009/01/31: QuarkSoup: Hadley December temperature anomaly
• 2009/01/31: SciDaily: Fewer Days Of Extreme Cold And More Days Of Extreme Heat In Europe
  Scientists from the Complutense University of Madrid (UCM) have selected 262 European observatories which analysed the series of minimum and maximum daily temperatures from 1955 to 1998 to estimate trend variations in extreme temperature events. According to the study, in Europe days of extreme cold are decreasing and days of extreme heat increasing. From 0.5úC to 1úC in the average minimum temperature, and from 0.5úC to 2úC in the average maximum temperature.
• 2009/01/29: BOM: Tasmania records all-time record high temperature for the state
• 2009/01/27: MTobis: Global Temperature Graph
• 2009/01/27: MongaBay: New global temperature record expected in the next 1-2 years

  While in the paleoclimate:

• 2009/02/01: RochesterU: Ancient Turtle Migrated from Asia to America Over a Tropical Arctic

  Glaciers are melting:

• 2009/01/22: AlterNet: Shrinking Glaciers Have Put Tibetans in the Path of Climate Chaos
• 2009/01/29: PhysOrg: Global glacier melt continues
• 2009/01/29: Eureka: Global glacier melt continues

  Sea levels are rising:

• 2009/01/29: NWU: Sea levels rising at nearly double previous estimates due to global warming
• 2009/01/28: ABC(Au): Top scientists warn of catastrophic rise in sea levels
• 2009/01/26: RealClimate: Sea will rise à $(Ato (B levels of last Ice Ageà $(B (BA>

  Meanwhile in near earth orbit:

• 2009/01/29: McClatchyDC: Scientists hope [OCO] satellites will solve riddle of missing CO2
• 2009/01/29: PhysOrg: NASA Mission [OCO: Orbiting Carbon Observatory] to Help Unravel Key Carbon, Climate Mysteries
• 2009/01/26: PhysOrg: The Orbiting Carbon Observatory and the Mystery of the Missing Sinks
  [...] Each year, humans release more than 30-billion tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere through the burning of fossil fuels for powering vehicles, generating electricity and manufacturing products. Up to five-and-a-half additional tons of carbon dioxide are released each year by biomass burning, forest fires and land-use practices such as slash-and-burn agriculture. Between 40 and 50 percent of that amount remains in the atmosphere, according to measurements by about 100 ground-based carbon dioxide monitoring stations scattered across the globe. Another estimated 30 percent is dissolved into the ocean, the world's largest sink. But what about the rest? The math doesn't add up. For years, scientists have sought to find the answer to this mystery. Though scientists agree the remaining carbon dioxide is also "inhaled" by Earth, they have been unable to precisely determine where it is going, what processes are involved, and whether Earth will continue to absorb it in the future. A new NASA satellite scheduled to launch in February 2009 is poised to shed a very bright light on these "missing" sinks: the Orbiting Carbon Observatory.

More GW impacts are being seen:

• 2009/01/30: PhysOrg: Ocean acidification is accelerating and severe damages are imminent
  Urgent action is needed to limit damages to marine ecosystems, including coral reefs and fisheries, due to increasing ocean acidity, according to 155 of the worldà $(Bs (Bscientific experts who will release the Monaco Declaration this Friday.
• 2009/01/30: ENN: Rising Acidity Threatens Oceans
• 2009/01/30: BBC: Acid oceans 'need urgent action'
  The world's marine ecosystems risk being severely damaged by ocean acidification unless there are dramatic cuts in CO2 emissions, warn scientists.
• 2009/01/29: Guardian(UK): Climate change forces moths to higher ground
• 2009/01/28: ENN: Where warming hits hard
• 2009/01/27: TreeHugger: 95% of Emperor Penguins Could Be Dead by 2100 Because of Climate Change: New Report
• 2009/01/27: Eureka: Climate change's impact on invasive plants in Western US may create restoration opportunities
• 2009/01/26: GreenGrok: Pulse of the Planet: Climate Is on the March
• 2009/01/26: TerraDaily: The Global Impact Of Climate Change On Biodiversity
• 2009/01/26: UFZ: Climate change enhances grassland productivity -- More frequent freeze-thaw cycles intensify soil processes

  And then there are the world's forests:

• 2009/01/30: DotEarth: Forests Sprout in an Urban Age
• 2009/01/30: NewScientist: Devastated forests could be replanted from the air
• 2009/01/29: MongaBay: Beef drives 80% of Amazon deforestation
• 2009/01/26: DeSmogBlog: Climate Change Killing Forests
• 2009/01/27: BBC: Reality check for deforestation debate
  Some researchers have suggested that tropical forests' biodiversity may be more resilient than previously thought, says Dr William Laurance. However, in this week's Green Room, he warns against thinking that many tropical species can survive the current levels of deforestation.

Yes we have no wacky weather, except:

• 2009/01/26: TerraDaily: Fresh warnings after storm kills 26 in southern Europe
• 2009/01/26: Wunderground: Winter Storm Klaus kills 26 in Europe
• 2009/01/26: EarthTimes: Storms cause two more deaths in Spain - thousands without power
• 2009/01/26: EarthTimes: Storms kill three more in Spain - power cuts in France
• 2009/01/25: CBC: Atlantic storm hits France and Spain, killing at least 15

  The US midwest got zapped with an ice storm:

• 2009/01/31: CNN: No end to Kentucky power outage in sight, governor says
  Expected rising temperatures could bring falling ice, wet roads - Woman in shelter says she was told it could be 10 days before she leaves - 545,000 still without electricity after storm, governor says - Winter storm system stretched from Texas to Maine
• 2009/01/30: CNN: Winter storm causes massive Kentucky outage
  3 die of carbon monoxide poisoning in Louisville, mayor says - Moderate snowstorms expected to continue into Saturday - Nine weather-related deaths have been reported, governor says - More than 607,000 customers without power, state says
• 2009/01/30: CBC: 1.3 million U.S. customers without power after icy storm
  [...] At least 27 deaths have been blamed on the storm since it began on Monday. The deaths happened in Texas, Arkansas, Virginia, Missouri, Oklahoma, Indiana, West Virginia, Ohio and Kentucky.

Yes, we have heatwaves and wild fires:

• 2009/02/01: EarthTimes: Melbourne braces for another scorching week
• 2009/02/01: Independent(UK): Parched: Australia faces collapse as climate change kicks in...the worst heatwave in the country's history
• 2009/02/01: BBC: Australia battles with bushfires
  A record-breaking heat wave in south-eastern Australia has left firefighters struggling to contain bushfires in the state of Victoria. But meteorologists say that the mercury is set to dip below 40C (104F) for the first time in days. Health officials report more than 20 heat-related deaths, mainly among elderly people.
• 2009/02/01: ABC(Au): Canberra water usage soars during heatwave
• 2009/01/31: EarthTimes: Heat wave frazzles Australia's second-largest city
• 2009/01/31: PeakEnergy: Melbourne Meltdown
• 2009/01/29: BOM: Tasmania records all-time record high temperature for the state
• 2009/01/30: BOM: Melbourne heatwave approaches Black Friday record
  Melburnians have endured three successive days of temperatures above 43 degrees Celsius for the first time in recorded history. The mercury reached 45.1 degrees today, 44.3 yesterday, and 43.4 on Wednesday. Todayà $(Bs (B45.1 degrees at 4.27pm was the second highest temperature ever recorded in Melbourne, behind only the 45.6 recorded on Black Friday, 13 January 1939. Melbourne's most sustained heatwave occurred in January 1908 when temperatures reached 39.9 (15th January), 42.8 (16th), 44.2 (17th), 40.0 (18th), 41.1 (19th) and 42.7 (20th).
• 2009/01/31: Yahoo: Record-breaking heat scorches southern Australia
• 2009/01/31: Telegraph(UK): Deadly heatwave causes havoc across south-eastern Australia
  An intense heatwave that is gripping south-eastern Australia has caused at least 19 deaths, destroyed 11 homes and cut power to thousands of properties. The states of South Australia and Victoria recorded temperatures above 109F (43C) on Friday. As the mercury rose, bushfires raged across eastern Victoria, fuelled by bone dry conditions and sweeping winds. The "brutal" weather broke records in the city of Melbourne, which for the first time experienced three consecutive days above 109F (43C). At the hottest part of the day, the city suffered 113F (45.1C).
• 2009/01/31: BBC: Australia counts heatwave deaths
  The Australian authorities fear about 20 people have died as a result of one of the worst heatwaves in 100 years to hit the south-east of the country.
• 2009/01/30: Reuters: Australian heatwave deaths feared
• 2009/01/30: Maribo: Placing blame for heat waves
• 2009/01/28: TerraDaily: Southern Australia wilts as worst heatwave in a century hits
• 2009/01/28: BBerg: Melbourne Faces Its Worst Heat Wave in Century
• 2009/01/30: BBC: Heatwave cripples south Australia -- South-eastern Australia is experiencing its worst heatwave in decades, with temperatures in excess of 43C (109F)
• 2009/01/30: Yahoo: Record-breaking heat scorches southern Australia
• 2009/01/29: ABC(Au): Heatwave a sign of climate change: Wong
  Federal Climate Change Minister Penny Wong says the heatwave gripping south-east Australia is part of what scientists predicted would happen.
• 2009/01/28: Reuters: Australian heatwave sign of climate change
• 2009/01/29: ENN: Australian heatwave sign of climate change
• 2009/01/28: N3xus6: Heat
• 2009/01/28: N3xus6: Fark it's HOT! part XXIV
• 2009/01/28: EarthTimes: Australia swelters through heat wave

  As for hydrological cycle disruptions [floods & droughts]:

• 2009/01/30: EarthTimes: California facing worst drought ever after dry January
• 2009/01/30: ModBee: California drought worries intensify -- California's latest dry spell could be worst ever
• 2009/01/30: Reuters: Snow study shows California faces historic drought
• 2009/01/30: LA Times: Low snowpack may mean a third dry year for California
  Statewide, the snow's water content is 61% of the average figure for this point in the season. Another La Niña may be developing, an expert says. Conservation is strongly urged. The all-important Sierra Nevada snowpack remains well below normal, signaling that California may be headed for a third consecutive dry year.
• 2009/01/27: EarthTimes: Rains spark flooding in northern Spain
• 2009/01/26: CBC: Drought-hit California farmers abandoning vegetable fields

  Elsewhere on the mitigation front:

• 2009/01/28: ClimateP: Scientific American: Beef contributes 13 times the greenhouse gas impact of chicken, 57x potatoes
• 2009/01/28: ENN: How Meat Contributes to Global Warming

  Consider transportation & GHG production:

• 2009/01/29: IATA: Cargo Plummets 22.6% in December
• 2009/01/29: CalcRisk: "Unprecedented and shocking" Decline in Air Cargo [down 22.6% in December]
• 2009/01/29: BBC: 'Unprecedented' fall in air cargo
  The global economic downturn has deeply reduced the amount of freight carried around the world by aircraft, says an industry body. The International Air Transport Association (Iata) saw air cargo go into "freefall" in December, with a year-on-year fall of 22.6% in traffic.
• 2009/01/28: CalcRisk: Truck Tonnage Index: Cliff Diving

  While in the endless quest for sustainable building codes:

• 2009/01/29: TreeHugger: It's Not a Passivhaus, It's a Plusenergihus
• 2009/01/26: OilDrum: Passive Solar Design Overview: Part 3 -- Thermal Storage Mass
• 2009/01/26: WpgFP: House burrowed into earth costs just $20 a year to heat

  As for carbon sequestration:

• 2009/01/30: NewScientist: Ocean rubbish dump could lock away carbon
• 2009/01/30: TreeHugger: Bury Our Climate Troubles At Sea In Bales of Agricultural Waste, Univ. of Washington Scientist Says
• 2009/01/30: BWeek: Norway plans carbon capture project
• 2009/01/29: Eureka: Some of Earth's climate troubles should face burial at sea, scientists say
• 2009/01/28: PhysOrg: Some of Earth's climate troubles should face burial at sea, scientists say

  Large scale geo-engineering keeps popping up:

• 2009/01/28: AfterGutenberg: Reforestation as Reasonable Geoengineering
• 2009/01/28: OTF: New Geoengineering Study, Part II
• 2009/01/27: OTF: New Geoengineering Study
• 2009/01/28: FuturePundit: Climate Engineering Options Compared
• 2009/01/30: TreeHugger: 15-20 Times Less Carbon Sequestered by Ocean Iron Fertilization Than Some Estimates Claim: New Report
• 2009/01/29: Independent(UK): The Big Question: Is there a technological solution to the problem of global warming?
• 2008/11/13: RoyalSoc: Global temperature stabilization via controlled albedo enhancement of low-level maritime clouds by John Latham et al.
• 2009/01/29: NatureCF: Hello ocean seeding, goodbye
• 2009/01/29: KSJT: Economist, Wired, BBC, Times: More news on ocean iron fertilization. It works -- sort of.
• 2009/01/29: ABC(Au): Questions raised over ocean fertilisation
• 2009/01/29: BBC: Ocean climate fix remains afloat
  Plans to curb climate change by using plankton to draw carbon dioxide into the world's oceans have been boosted. A spectacular natural algal bloom in the Southern Ocean helped to "lock" carbon away into deep sea sediments, according to a study in Nature journal. But the amount of carbon stored was not nearly as high as some artificial "geo-engineering" schemes had predicted.
• 2009/01/28: Guardian(UK): Ocean iron plan approved as researchers show algae absorb CO2
• 2009/01/28: Guardian(UK): Climate change: Are we between the devil and the deep blue sea?
  Climate change is unstoppable, says a new study. To stabilise temperatures will cost 4tn, euros says another. A third group wants to geo-engineer the oceans. Who's right?
• 2009/01/28: NatureCF: Geoengineering by the numbers
• 2009/01/28: KSJT: Telegraph, Deutsche Welle, Times of India: Off Antarctica, a team gets a green light to grow algae to sop up CO2; + other geoengineering news
• 2009/01/28: NewScientist: Dumping iron in the ocean may not fix the climate
• 2009/01/28: NewScientist: Most effective climate engineering solutions revealed
• 2009/01/28: PhysOrg: Geoengineering could complement mitigation to cool the climate
  The first comprehensive assessment of the climate cooling potential of different geoengineering schemes has been carried out by researchers at the University of East Anglia (UEA). Funded by the Natural Environment Research Council and published today in the journal 'Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics Discussions', the key findings include:
  * Enhancing carbon sinks could bring CO2 back to its pre-industrial level, but not before 2100 - and only when combined with strong mitigation of CO2 emissions
  * Stratospheric aerosol injections and sunshades in space have by far the greatest potential to cool the climate by 2050 - but also carry the greatest risk
  * Surprisingly, existing activities that add phosphorous to the ocean may have greater long-term carbon sequestration potential than deliberately adding iron or nitrogen
  * On land, sequestering carbon in new forests and as 'bio-char' (charcoal added back to the soil) have greater short-term cooling potential than ocean fertilisation
  * Increasing the reflectivity of urban areas could reduce urban heat islands but will have minimal global effect
  * Other globally ineffective schemes include ocean pipes and stimulating biologically-driven increases in cloud reflectivity
  * The beneficial effects of some geo-engineering schemes have been exaggerated in the past and significant errors made in previous calculations
• 2009/01/28: PhysOrg: Climate change: Scientists doubt claims over sea 'fertilisation'
  Proposals to combat global warming by sowing the sea with iron to promote carbon-gobbling plankton may be badly overblown, according to a study published on Wednesday.
• 2009/01/28: SciDaily: Geoengineering Projects That Could Offset Global Warming
  The first comprehensive assessment of the climate cooling potential of different geoengineering schemes has been carried out by researchers at the University of East Anglia (UEA).
• 2009/01/28: Yahoo: Geo-engineering 'useful' against climate change: study
• 2009/01/26: PhysOrg: Germany OKs Atlantic global warming experiment
• 2009/01/26: EarthTimes: Germany gives green light to dropping iron in ocean

  Meanwhile in the journals:

• 2009/01/29: ACP: imulation of the climate impact of Mt. Pinatubo eruption using ECHAM5 -- Part 1: Sensitivity to the modes of atmospheric circulation and boundary conditions by M. A. Thomas et al.
• 2009/01/29: ACP: Aerosol effects on clouds and precipitation during the 1997 smoke episode in Indonesia by H.-F. Graf et al.
• 2009/01/29: ACPD: 2003 megafires in Australia: impact on tropospheric ozone and aerosols by G. Guerova & N. Jones
• 2009/01/29: ACPD: Impact of dust aerosols on the radiative budget, surface heat fluxes, heating rate profiles and convective activity over West Africa during March 2006 by M. Mallet et al.
• 2009/01/29: ACPD: Weather response to management of a large wind turbine array by D. B. Barrie & D. B. Kirk-Davidoff
• 2009/01/28: CPD: Mid-Holocene regional reorganization of climate variability by K. W. Wirtz et al.
• 2009/01/26: CPD: Mid-Pliocene shifts in ocean overturning circulation and the onset of Quaternary-style climates by M. Sarnthein et al.
• 2009/01/26: TCD: Climatology and ablation at the South Greenland ice sheet margin from automatic weather station observations by D. van As et al.
• 2008/11/13: RoyalSoc: Global temperature stabilization via controlled albedo enhancement of low-level maritime clouds by John Latham et al.
• 2009/01/28: ACP: Modelling of cirrus clouds -- Part 1b: Structuring cirrus clouds by dynamics by P. Spichtinger & K. M. Gierens
• 2009/01/28: ACP: Modelling of cirrus clouds -- Part 1a: Model description and validation by P. Spichtinger & K. M. Gierens
• 2009/01/27: ACP: The effect of the solar rotational irradiance variation on the middle and upper atmosphere calculated by a three-dimensional chemistry-climate model by A. N. Gruzdev et al.
• 2009/01/26: ACP: The impact of diurnal variability in sea surface temperature on the central Atlantic air-sea CO2 flux by H. Kettle et al.
• 2009/01/28: ACPD: Chinese SO2 pollution over Europe -- Part 2: Simulation of aerosol and cloud condensation nuclei formation by V. Fiedler et al.
• 2009/01/28: ACPD: Effects of the 2006 El Niño on tropospheric ozone and carbon monoxide: implications for dynamics and biomass burning by S. Chandra et al.
• 2009/01/28: ACPD: The radiative forcing potential of different climate geoengineering options by T. M. Lenton & N. E. Vaughan
• 2009/01/26: ACPD: Forecasted deep stratospheric intrusions over Central Europe: case studies and climatologies by T. Trickl et al.
• 2009/01/26: VoxEU: Plugging 21st century technology into a 19th century grid system by Gilbert E. Metcalf
  This column explains how US tax policies have induced greater investment in renewable energy production and an electricity grid unable to harness it. It argues for a tax code that offers financial incentives to make new grid investments, lest the US find itself with a power grid that can't transport green electricity to the nation's growth centres -- the ultimate bridge to nowhere.
• 2009/01/26: Oxfam: [link to 274k pdf] A Billion Hungry People
• 2009/01/06: CD: (ab$) Reconstructing sea level from paleo and projected temperatures 200 to 2100 AD by Aslak Grinsted et al.
• 2009/01/21: JIE: Improvements in Life Cycle Energy Efficiency and Greenhouse Gas Emissions of Corn-Ethanol by Adam J. Liska et al.

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

• 2009/01/29: WHOI: Ocean Islands Fuel Productivity and Carbon Sequestration Through Natural Iron Fertilization
• 2009/01/28: PhysOrg: Tech advancements improving accuracy in predicting weather
• 2009/01/27: NatureCF: The ocean's next 100,000 years

  Meanwhile on the Kyoto-2 front:

• 2009/01/29: DerSpiegel: Road to Copenhagen -- Can the EU Lead on Global Warming?
  The European Union on Wednesday unveiled its far-reaching negotiating platform ahead of this year's effort to find a successor agreement to the Kyoto Protocol. American global warming guru Al Gore, though, thinks that leadership has to come from the US.
• 2009/01/29: Reuters: Indonesia aims to wrap up forest-carbon rules
  Indonesia hopes to lay out a clear set of regulations before June on using carbon credits to protect rainforests so the rules can be discussed in upcoming international talks, a top climate official said. The United Nations has backed a scheme called REDD, or reduced emissions from deforestation and degradation, in which developing nations could potentially earn billions of dollars from selling carbon credits in return for saving their forests.
• 2009/01/29: Guardian(UK): European commission proposals start gun to find Kyoto successor
  Race is on to negotiate global climate change deal -- but will Europe's ideas cross the finish line at Copenhagen?
• 2009/01/29: Guardian(UK): The climate freeloaders: emerging nations need to act
• 2009/01/28: Europa: Climate change: Commission sets out proposals for global pact on climate change at Copenhagen
• 2009/01/28: EUO: EU unveils proposals for global climate change deal
• 2009/01/28: NatureCF: Ramping up the Montreal Protocol [for Kytoto-2]
• 2009/01/28: GristMill: Wishful thinking? U.N. climate official clarifies remarks about near-term summit
• 2009/01/28: EarthTimes: How Europe wants to replace Kyoto
• 2009/01/27: GristMill: European idyll -- E.U. leaks details of its proposed Kyoto successor treaty

  While at the UN:

• 2009/01/27: GristMill: Premature summit-ing? Is U.N. secretary-general planning pre-Copenhagen gathering?
• 2009/01/26: Reuters: U.N. says global climate deal needs political leadership
• 2009/01/26: FTimes: UN chief to head global warming push
  Ban Ki-moon will spearhead a United Nations push to tackle climate change and call an unprecedented meeting of world leaders to take a new look at the issue. Building on the momentum of the inauguration of Barack Obama as US president, the UN secretary-general hopes to convene a meeting of 30 to 40 heads of state in February or March to draw up a new framework for tackling the issue.
• 2009/01/26: BBC: 'Climate hope' in economic plans
  Economic stimulus packages being drawn up around the world show governments are taking the environment seriously, the UN's top climate official believes. Yvo de Boer, executive secretary of the UN climate convention, cited plans to boost growth by investing in renewable energy and public transport. He said leaders "could not afford to fail" on climate change.

And on the carbon trading front:

• 2009/01/30: Guardian(UK): Carbon trading may be the new sub-prime, says energy boss - System 'risks being diverted from purpose' - Weakness of government regulation highlighted
• 2009/01/29: BBC: Recession threatens carbon trading -- A crucial scheme to control greenhouse gases is under threat due to the recession
• 2009/01/29: Guardian(UK): Carbon: a market we can't allow to fail
  Values in the EU's emissions trading system have collapsed, with worrying consequences for investment in green energy
• 2009/01/29: Asia Times: Carbon marketing in the bag
• 2009/01/28: Guardian(UK): EU-ETS -- Companies clean up - in the wrong way
• 2009/01/28: ABC(Au): Non-EU nations urged to join global carbon trading scheme -- The European Commission (EC) is urging non-EU nations to join a global carbon trading scheme

  Several people are pondering the odd phenomenon of conservatives pushing a carbon tax:

• 2009/01/29: GristMill: The friend of my friend is, well, kind of an ass -- More on conservatives and carbon taxes
• 2009/01/27: GristMill: Carbon tax is a poison pill -- There's a reason Republicans stump for a carbon tax, and it ain't to reduce emissions

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

• 2009/01/29: GristMill: Carbon tax vs. cap-and-trade -- Carbon tax is better on merits, cap-and-traders trade away political advantages
• 2009/01/29: Reuters: BP's Hayward says world needs a carbon price
  The world must establish a price for carbon emissions as part of the drive to ensure diverse and secure energy supplies, BP Chief Executive Tony Hayward said on Thursday.
• 2009/01/28: Guardian(UK): 'Just a money redistribution exercise where we foot the bill'
• 2009/01/25: CharlotteObserver: China dams reveal flaws in climate-change weapon
  The hydroelectric dam, a low wall of concrete slicing across an old farming valley, is supposed to help a power company in distant Germany contribute to saving the climate - while putting lucrative "carbon credits" into the pockets of Chinese developers. But in the end the new Xiaoxi dam may do nothing to lower global-warming emissions as advertised.

Meanwhile on the international political front:

• 2009/01/30: EarthTimes: [EU environment commissioner, Stavros] Dimas: EU, China 'in the same direction' on climate change
  The European Union and China are going in the same direction on climate change, the EU's top climate official said on Friday after talks with Chinese leaders. China is willing to cooperate and play a constructive role on climate change...
• 2009/01/28: Guardian(UK): EU calls on America to create transatlantic carbon trading scheme
  Brussels capitalises on optimism about Obama's green agenda with proposal to expand carbon trading system
• 2009/01/28: CaribbeanNetNews: Caribbean foreign ministers to meet in Haiti on tourism, climate
• 2009/01/27: HindustanTimes: Obama asks India, China to do their part on climate change
• 2009/01/27: DotEarth: Europe to U.S.: Youà $(Bre (B a Big Polluter

  And on the American political front:

• 2009/02/01: NewScientist: US states may regain control of vehicle emissions
• 2009/01/31: ClimateP: U.S. Energy Policy, Part 2: It is what it themes
• 2009/01/30: GristMill: Green work, if you can get it -- Washington governor unveils green jobs legislation
• 2009/01/31: WSJ:EnvCap: Trade Offs: When Climate Policy Clashes With Trade Policy
• 2009/01/30: Guardian(UK): Here comes the science
  Now that the Bush years are over, scientists are optimistic -- but investment in energy research still isn't going far enough
• 2009/01/30: KSJT: Hearst Newspapers: Boy Scouts logging their lands, and not always the right way
• 2009/01/30: GristMill: The week's climate heroes and villains -- Grist hearts a certain congressman from Brooklyn
• 2009/01/30: AutoBG: Automakers and CARB meet to negotiate CO2 standards?
• 2009/01/30: STimes: [Washington Governor Chris] Gregoire says emissions plan would also create jobs
• 2009/01/29: GristMill: DeFazio and confused -- Oregon rep pens befuddling op-ed on climate legislation
• 2009/01/28: Reuters: Grid operator says CO2 controls will cost billions
  PJM, the largest U.S. electricity grid operator, said on Wednesday that a study it commissioned indicates that Congressional proposals to reduce carbon dioxide emissions from power plants could boost power prices in its region by between $5.9 billion and $36 billion per year. The Mid-Atlantic/Midwest grid operator said the study also showed energy efficiency programs and additional wind power would cut that price hike by billions of dollars and reduce CO2 emissions by millions of tons.
• 2009/01/27: NYT: Geography Is Dividing Democrats Over Energy
• 2009/01/28: GreenGrok: Companies Calling for Carbon Caps: And Then There Were 26 [USCAP]
• 2009/01/28: GristMill: Time to ditch cap-and-trade? Can Congress be trusted to get necessary GHG legislation right?
• 2009/01/28: GristMill: Preventing green vs. blue -- Government investment in the Midwest will grease the skids for cap-and-trade
• 2009/01/28: GristMill: Brown state, green state -- NYT fails to acknowledge the job-creation opportunities from climate legislation
• 2009/01/28: ClimateP: Next stop: EPAÃ $(Bs (Bendangerment finding
• 2009/01/28: PhysOrg: Researchers define challenging carbon-emissions targets for U.S. auto industry
  U.S. automakers must achieve an eightfold reduction in automobile-related carbon emissions to help stabilize the amount of heat-trapping carbon dioxide gas in the atmosphere by 2050, according to University of Michigan researchers.
• 2009/01/27: JFleck: Is the Push for Regional Greenhouse Gas Mitigation Breaking Down?
• 2009/01/28: CSM: An Apollo program for US energy? History shows that massive federal support for alternative-energy projects could be a massive waste of money.
• 2009/01/27: TP:WonkRoom: Progressive House Members Launch Sustainable Energy And Environment Coalition
• 2009/01/27: ClimateP: Is Larry Summers a voodoo economist on climate and does it matter? Yes and no.
• 2009/01/27: DotEarth: Climate: Not Red vs. Blue [States], but Fossil vs. Clean?
• 2009/01/27: IHT: Democratic feud hurts Obama's climate agenda
• 2009/01/26: Guardian(UK): Why California is leading u-turn on vehicle emissions
  Proposals from California and 16 other states could reduce emissions by the equivalent of taking 22m cars off the road
• 2009/01/26: Guardian(UK): Cleaning up after Bush
  Allowing states to set their own vehicle emissions standards is good not just for the environment, but for carmakers too
• 2009/01/26: NatureTGB: California car-emission clampdown coming
• 2009/01/26: GristMill: Don't drink the sugar! More on Illinois' Clean Coal Portfolio Standard
• 2009/01/26: Maribo: Reality comes to Washington
• 2009/01/26: TreeHugger: CARB Delays Decision, Plug-In Hybrid Conversion Startups Dodge a Bullet

  The Kansas coal plant battle is resuming. [I wonder what the Obama EPA will say...]:

• 2009/01/31: GristMill: We're back in Kansas again, Toto -- Kansas legislature reviving last year's coal fight
• 2009/01/29: WarmingLaw: Kansas Update: Oral Argument Set for Gov. Sebeliusà $(Bs (BMotion to Dismiss in Kansas Coal-Fired Power Plant Dispute

  USAF is dropping its coal-to-liquid conversion plant plans:

• 2009/01/30: Guardian(UK): US air force drops plans to build coal-to-liquid fuel plant
• 2009/01/29: MiamiHerald: Air Force drops plan to make fuel from coal in Montana

  Mass Transit may be put back into the US stimulus bill:

• 2009/01/30: TP:WonkRoom: Schumer To Introduce Mass Transit Boost To Stimulus
• 2009/01/30: GristMill: Notable quotable -- DeFazio says Summers should be canned for cutting mass transit funds
• 2009/01/26: GristMill: Big Rail -- A pro-rail coalition should be much larger

  The brown tinges of the US stimulus bill are drawing comment:

• 2009/01/29: GristMill: What's in your package? A $4.6 billion coal gift in stimulus package, record profits for FutureGen members
• 2009/01/30: PeakEnergy: The US Stimulus Bill
• 2009/01/29: SciInside: How the House and Senate Want to Stimulate Science
• 2009/01/28: ClimateP: House passes Obamaà $(Bs (B(green) stimulus package with nary a GOP vote
• 2009/01/29: ClimateP: Senate stimulus plan out-greens the House
• 2009/01/29: ClimateP: Economic Stimulus, Part 1: 16% Green?
• 2009/01/29: GristMill: Notable quotable -- Rep. Mike Pence protests climate research funding in stimulus bill
• 2009/01/29: GristMill: Fund while it lasts -- Senate stimulus plan looking even better for clean energy investments
• 2009/01/28: HuffPo: T. Boone Pickens - Stimulus and Energy
• 2009/01/28: Maribo: The problem with the US stimulus plan
• 2009/01/25: AfterGutenberg: Coal sluts want to jeopardize the economic stimulus package

  Late coverage of Bush administration delay and denial tactics:

• 2009/01/30: CSW: Greenwire: "CLIMATE: In its final days, Bush admin released long-awaited studies"
• 2009/01/27: ClimateP: A global-warming-denying Bush official [Kathie Olsen] burrows in at the NSF
• 2009/01/23: TPMDC: A Loyal Bushie Burrows Into Obama's System -- Kathie Olsen in the NSF's Office of Information and Resource Management

  The Obama chatter is nonstop:

• 2009/01/31: GristMill: Part II: Green laboratories of democracy -- President Obama should clear the way for state innovation on climate policy
• 2009/01/31: NYT: The Next Step on Warming
  It seemed that every chance he got, President Bush ignored or flat out refused to address the problem of climate change. So we were greatly encouraged by President Obamaà $(Bs (Bswift announcement that he is likely to approve Californiaà $(Bs (Brequest to regulate greenhouse gases from vehicles -- a request the Bush administration denied. The logical next step would be for Mr. Obama to quickly address the Supreme Courtà $(Bs (B2007 decision ordering the Environmental Protection Agency to examine the effects of greenhouse gases and to regulate them if necessary. Mr. Bush dodged that one, too. The court instructed the agency to first determine whether global warming pollution threatened public health and welfare -- known as an "endangerment finding" under the Clean Air Act -- and, if so, to devise emissions standards for vehicles.
• 2009/01/27: UNEP: Obama Administration starts defining climate policy
• 2009/01/30: GristMill: Part I: President Obama's roadmap to cap-and-trade -- The new administration holds the incentives for a strong federal climate bill
• 2009/01/30: WarmingLaw: Part I: President Obamaà $(Bs (BRoadmap to Cap-and-Trade
• 2009/01/29: GristMill: The climate of our discontent -- As meaningful as his presidency is, Obama will not act fast enough on the climate crisis
• 2009/01/26: TechRev: Obama Orders Fuel Efficiency -- The president clears away obstacles to reducing U.S. gasoline consumption.
• 2009/01/27: DerSpiegel: Climate protection as a job engine -- Obama Calls for Green Battle against Economic Crisis
• 2009/01/28: Guardian(UK): Rewriting the rulebook for 21st-century capitalism [Jeffrey Sachs]
  Technology is at the core of Obama's plans for a sustainable future. In this new era of public action, the US is back in the lead
• 2009/01/28: Guardian(UK): Running on empty
  Barack Obama is demanding that car makers clean up their act, with new fuel-efficient models. Jonathan Glancey waves goodbye to the great American gas-guzzler
• 2009/01/27: GristMill: [Jon] Wellinghoff to a good start -- Obama names clean-energy proponent as acting head of FERC
• 2009/01/26: NewScientist:SSS: Obama: "The days of Washington dragging its heels are over"
• 2009/01/26: Yahoo: Obama to world: we will lead on climate change
• 2009/01/26: HillHeat: Obama Administration Adds Todd Stern, Lisa Heinzerling to Key Climate Positions
• 2009/01/27: GristMill: The limits of cap-and-trade -- Obama's quick regulatory actions ring louder than markets
• 2009/01/27: TreeHugger: Double US Renewable Energy Generation Within Three Years: President Obama
• 2009/01/26: USAToday: Obama orders more fuel-efficient cars by 2011
• 2009/01/27: OilDrum: Obama's Energy Policy Announcement
• 2009/01/27: OilChange: "The time for denial, delay and dispute is over"
• 2009/01/27: NYT: New Day on Climate Change
  In one dramatic stroke, President Obama has removed any doubts that he intends to break sharply from President George W. Bushà $(Bs (Bpolicies on yet another vital issue -- this time repudiating Mr. Bushà $(Bs (Bpassive approach to climate change.
• 2009/01/26: CanWest: Obama rolls out green agenda -- New president sets sights on energy independence
• 2009/01/26: SF Gate: Obama: U.S. done 'dragging heels' on climate
• 2009/01/26: BoomanTrib: Obama's Aggressive Environmental Thrust
  With several strokes of Obama's executive pen, he did more this morning for environmental policy in a few minutes than Bush did in eight years.
• 2009/01/27: BBC: Tough love for US car industry?
  President Obama has asked the Environmental Protection Agency to look into allowing California to increase fuel efficiency standards for cars.
• 2009/01/27: Guardian(UK): Obama presses for tougher controls on US car emissions
• 2009/01/26: Guardian(UK): Obama reverses Bush policies on emissions controls
  US president Barack Obama signed a pair of executive orders, signalling America's leadership role on climate change
• 2009/01/26: Guardian(UK): Obama gives green light for states to set tougher limits on car emissions
• 2009/01/26: KSJT: LATimes, SF Chronicle, NYTimes, etc: Obama sets stage for statesà $(B t (Bougher CO2, gas mileage rules
• 2009/01/26: ClimateP: Must-read Obama speech warns of "irreversible catastrophe" on climate, asserts "no single issue is as fundamental to our future as energy"
• 2009/01/26: ClimateP: Obama can get a better climate bill in 2010. Hereà $(Bs (Bhow.
• 2009/01/26: ClimateP: Obama to push for California waiver that mandates cut in auto CO2 emissions
• 2009/01/27: ABC(Au): Obama begins reversing Bush climate policies -- US President Barack Obama is vowing to lead the world in the fight against climate change.
• 2009/01/26: PhysOrg: Obama targets greenhouse gases, fuel efficiency
• 2009/01/26: GristMill: Driven by facts -- Obama issues a flurry of environment-related orders
• 2009/01/26: Yahoo: Obama to let states restrict emissions standards
• 2009/01/26: Yahoo: Obama acts to reverse Bush climate moves: officials
• 2009/01/26: WarmingLaw: The Word from Captain Climate: "I Like This Guy" [Obama]
• 2009/01/26: HillHeat: Obama to Issue Environmental Orders Monday
• 2009/01/26: Maribo: Obama pushes the automakers
• 2009/01/26: EarthTimes: Obama: US ready to lead on energy, climate issues
• 2009/01/26: ENN: Obama acts to reverse Bush climate moves: officials
• 2009/01/26: CNN: Obama to let states set auto emission rules
  Government should not be "piling on" auto industry, GOP senator says - States could force automakers to produce higher mileage vehicles - Automakers oppose plan as confusing - Former President Bush stopped earlier attempt for state standards
• 2009/01/26: WSJ:EnvCap: Obama's Green Agenda: Tough Love for Automakers
• 2009/01/26: WSJ:EnvCap: Green Lectern: Obama Launches Green Energy Agenda
• 2009/01/26: OilChange: Obama to Tighten Auto Fuel Efficiency Standards
• 2009/01/26: AutoBG: Obama looks to change California's EPA waiver status; big changes could follow
• 2009/01/26: AutoBG: Officially, Official: Obama directs EPA to look at CA waiver, DOT to enforce CAFE increase
• 2009/01/26: SF Gate: Obama to order review of state's emissions bid
• 2009/01/26: BBC: Obama aims for oil independence
  President Barack Obama has called for the US to become energy independent, saying its reliance on foreign oil and global warming posed threats. Outlining his energy priorities, he said the country would not be held "hostage to dwindling resources, hostile regimes, and a warming planet". He called for greater fuel efficiency and an "energy economy" aimed at creating millions of jobs. He also ordered a review of whether states can set car emission standards. This challenges a Bush administration decision which favoured a national standard for vehicle pollution. At his first White House news conference since becoming president, Mr Obama said he would reverse America's dependence on foreign oil while creating jobs, but warned there was no "quick fix".
• 2009/01/26: CBC: Obama to impose tougher fuel efficiency standards
  U.S. President Barack Obama said Monday his government will push for allowing states to implement stricter vehicle emissions, a significant shift in policy from the previous administration of George W. Bush. California and at least a dozen other states have tried to come up with tougher emission standards than those imposed by the federal government but were stymied in their efforts by the Bush administration.

The first actions of the Obama administration are being watched closely:

• 2009/01/29: GristMill: Secretary of biofuels ... Vilsack chats up reporters about climate and ethanol
• 2009/01/30: CSW: Marburgerà $(Bs (Blegacy: John Holdren must restore credibility to the White House science office
• 2009/01/29: GristMill: Got 'em right by the regulators -- Kingston, coal ash, and the coal lobby's grip on the EPA
• 2009/01/26: GristMill: The play is under review -- How will EPA move forward on revisiting Calif. waiver?
• 2009/01/26: TerraDaily: Clinton picks climate envoy, in another break with Bush
• 2009/01/26: BizWeek: How California Could Affect Car Choices
  A directive from the Obama Administration on fuel efficiency is creating alarm among automakers
• 2009/01/27: LA Times: A fuel-efficient future -- California may get its EPA waiver to tighten emissions standards. But higher gas taxes are needed too.
• 2009/01/26: CanWest: Clinton picks special climate envoy [Todd Stern]
• 2009/01/27: WSJ:EnvCap: Stern Truths: America's New Climate Envoy Vows to Update Kyoto
• 2009/01/26: ClimateP: Secretary Clinton appoints special climate envoy Todd Stern warning, "the urgency of the global climate crisis must not be underestimated"
• 2009/01/26: ClimateP: Obama EPA blocks South Dakota Coal Power Plant
• 2009/01/26: GristMill: A tale of two Lisas -- Report says Lisa Heinzling to join EPA as climate adivser
• 2009/01/26: GristMill: Beep beep'm, yeah! Adopting tougher emissions standards, new eco-label in Washington
• 2009/01/26: GristMill: The Jackson five -- EPA administrator details her priorities to staffers
• 2009/01/26: GristMill: Diplomatic sanity -- Clinton taps Todd Stern as her climate envoy
• 2009/01/26: GristMill: Inefficiency goes into remission -- Will state emission standards kill the U.S. car industry?
• 2009/01/26: WarmingLaw: At Long Last: President Obama Orders the EPA to Revisit the Denial of the California Waiver
• 2009/01/26: HillHeat: NRDC's Karen Wayland Returns to Hill as Speaker Pelosi's Climate Director
• 2009/01/26: HillHeat: Obama Starts Process to Grant California Waiver; Auto Industry Cries Foul
• 2009/01/26: EarthTimes: Clinton names US climate change envoy [Todd Stern]
• 2009/01/26: TreeHugger: The US Will Have a New Special Envoy for Climate Change: Todd Stern
• 2009/01/26: ThinkP: [Secretary of State Hillary] Clinton to name CAP Senior Fellow Todd Stern as special envoy for climate change

  The Big Three Automakers are setting themselves up for more bad publicity:

• 2009/01/27: NewYorkerBlog: Automakers Rep: We'll Keep Suing
• 2009/01/26: NewYorkerBlog: Will the Big Three Take Our Money and Sue?
• 2009/01/27: GristMill: Sue me harder [Automakers will use taxpayer money to fund their lawsuits against taxpayers.]
• 2009/01/26: TP:WonkRoom: Auto Industry Screams Global Warming Regulations Will Bring à $(ACo (Bnfusion And Chaosà $(B (BA>

  The Gore-apalooza took off this week with US Senate and Davos appearances:

• 2009/01/28: UNDispatch: Al Gore Sees the Road to Copenhagen
• 2009/01/30: ENN: Gore to Lobby Lawmakers on Climate Change
• 2009/01/29: Yahoo: Professor Gore's Climate Change Lecture Warmly Received by Senate
• 2009/01/29: KSJT: Non-US Press (plus us Yanks): Al Gore goes back to the Senate, slideshow updated
• 2009/01/28: Time: Gore in the Senate: A More Receptive Audience Now
• 2009/01/29: EUO: Gore doubts EU leadership abilities
• 2009/01/29: NEN: Obama, Gore offer the nation a new energy opportunity - why not?
• 2009/01/28: HuffPo: Al Gore - We've Arrived at a Moment of Decision
• 2009/01/28: Guardian(UK): Gore urges action on stimulus plan's environmental provisions
• 2009/01/28: Guardian(UK): A breath of fresh air
  Al Gore appeared before Congress today talking about global warming - and even some Republicans are willing to listen
• 2009/01/28: DotEarth: Gore Restates Climate Case in Senate
• 2009/01/28: TreeHugger: Al Gore Tells Senate Committee That We Have Arrived at a Moment of Decision Regarding Climate Change
• 2009/01/28: EarthTimes: Gore pushes for climate action, treaty by end of year
• 2009/01/28: WSJ:EnvCap: Gore Tour: Former VP Repeats Climate Call on the Hill
• 2009/01/28: Google:AP: Gore: Economy should spur action on global warming
• 2009/01/28: TP:WonkRoom: Gore Calls For Decisive Action à $(ANo (Bt Next Year. This Yearà $(B [ (BFull Testimony]

  While in the UK:

• 2009/01/28: TRS: Royal Society response to UK Governmentà $(Bs (Bnew target for biofuel use
• 2009/01/30: BBC: UK energy saving policy 'failing'
  The UK government is failing to support its own measures designed to deliver energy savings, an expert has warned. Philip Sellwood, chief executive of the Energy Saving Trust (EST), said local authorities needed more funds in order to ensure savings were being made. While ministers were quick to promote new policies such as "zero carbon homes", existing building regulations were not being upheld, he added. Under EU commitments, the UK has to deliver 20% energy savings by 2020. "To me, this highlights a real gap between the aspiration to do something appropriate and the actual delivery on the ground," Mr Sellwood told BBC News.
• 2009/01/30: BBC: 'Green' light bulb fears rejected
  The government has rejected claims that partially-sighted people will suffer when new low energy light bulbs are introduced across the UK.
• 2009/01/27: Reuters: [UK] Biofuels research gets ã27 million push
• 2009/01/27: Guardian(UK): Britain's energy industry is nosediving into a dark, uncertain future
  Decades of denial and underinvestment have left Britain in huge energy debt and at risk of powercuts and 20% bill hikes
• 2009/01/27: BBC: UK gets biofuels research centre
• 2009/01/27: BBC: An ambitious plan to slash NHS carbon emissions by 80% by 2050 has been launched by ministers
• 2009/01/26: Guardian(UK): Barrage plan makes Severn estuary energy shortlist -- Five projects make government's shortlist for tidal power scheme
• 2009/01/26: Guardian(UK): Environmentalists react angrily to shortlisted projects for Severn estuary
  Biodiversity at risk as shortlist sidelines greener options in favour of big projects, say campaigners
• 2009/01/26: NatureTGB: UK green power: one step forward, one step back
• 2009/01/26: BBC: Shortlist for Severn energy plans
  A proposed shortlist of schemes to harness renewable energy from the tides of the Severn estuary has been announced by the UK Government. Five projects have been selected from 10 examined over the last six months.
• 2009/01/25: Guardian(UK): Climate change envoy calls for state aid to create low-carbon economy

  The Brown Government voted to build the third Heathrow runway this week. Now the real battle begins:

• 2009/01/29: BBC: Government wins third runway vote -- The government has won a vote over plans for Heathrow's third runway - but saw its majority cut to just 19
• 2009/01/29: Guardian(UK): Parliament is wrong on Heathrow
  The government lost the argument for a third runway, but finagled last night's Commons vote. This is not over by a long, long way
• 2009/01/29: Guardian(UK): The end of the runway
  Politicians have proved their feebleness over Heathrow - now direct action can flex its muscle
• 2009/01/28: Guardian(UK): Heathrow expansion: Government survives Commons vote
  Tory motion against plans to build a third runway is defeated, despite 28 Labour MPs voting with the opposition
• 2009/01/28: Guardian(UK): Takeoff time for guilt over air travel -- Many voters agree fares should rise to offset damage to environment
• 2009/01/28: Guardian(UK): Government aide quits to join rebels on eve of Commons vote on Heathrow expansion
• 2009/01/28: TreeHugger: Heathrow Airport Expansion Approved
• 2009/01/27: Guardian(UK): Councils opposing Heathrow expansion to call for rail network around airport

  And in Europe:

• 2009/01/29: DerSpiegel: Road to Copenhagen -- Can the EU Lead on Global Warming?
  The European Union on Wednesday unveiled its far-reaching negotiating platform ahead of this year's effort to find a successor agreement to the Kyoto Protocol. American global warming guru Al Gore, though, thinks that leadership has to come from the US.
• 2009/01/29: EurActiv: EU pressures developing nations to cut emissions
  The European Commission yesterday (28 January) presented proposals for a global agreement to replace the Kyoto Protocol on climate change, urging rapidly developing countries such as China and India to take on their fair share of responsibility in reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
• 2009/01/29: TreeHugger: German Government Adopts Flawed CO2-Based Car Tax
• 2009/01/27: CopenhagenPost: PM [Anders Fogh Rasmussen]: Finance and climate problems have 'same solution'
• 2009/01/28: EarthTimes: Brussels calls for global emissions market, more climate aid
• 2009/01/28: EarthTimes: Brussels calls for OECD-wide carbon market
• 2009/01/28: Yahoo: EU unveils international climate change blueprint
• 2009/01/28: AutoBG: Germany will go with CO2-based car tax in July
• 2009/01/27: DerSpiegel: Greenhouse gas sin tax -- Germany Joins EU in Tying Car Fees to Emissions
• 2009/01/28: BBC: EU calls for global carbon market
  The European Commission has called for a global carbon trading market as part of a plan to tackle climate change. The EU is already committed to expanding its Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS), but now it is urging other industrialised countries to join in. The commission says that by 2015 it wants to link the ETS to other carbon trading systems. The goal is to include emerging economies by 2020. A UN climate conference in Copenhagen in December is to strive for a deal. The commission proposals presented on Wednesday are designed as the EU's contribution to the UN debate, with the aim of getting a new global pact on measures to tackle climate change.
• 2009/01/28: BBC: EU urges US climate commitment
  The EU is calling on President Barack Obama to cap US carbon emissions and sign up to a global system of carbon trading between rich nations.
• 2009/01/27: EurActiv: EU nations urged to speed up energy-saving measures
• 2009/01/27: GristMill: European idyll -- E.U. leaks details of its proposed Kyoto successor treaty
• 2009/01/26: EurActiv: EU to table options for global climate deal
  The EU will present proposals on Wednesday (28 January) for an international agreement to replace the Kyoto Protocol on climate change. The bloc is calling for a increase in global investment to 175 billion euro per year by 2020, more than half of which must be spent in developing countries.
• 2009/01/25: Yahoo: EU to pressure US, emerging countries on climate change
  Eager to take the lead on climate change, the European Union aims to pile pressure on the United States and big emerging countries to sign up to an ambitious strategy to reduce greenhouse gases. Skip related content Last month European leaders approved an ambitious climate change action plan which the 27-nation bloc hopes will become a model for international negotiations in Copenhagen in December.
• 2009/01/26: TreeHugger: $215 Billion Could Be Raised By Rich Nations to Help Poor Combat Climate Change: EU Report

  Meanwhile in Australia:

• 2009/01/30: ABC(Au): Aust 'should be leading world' in carbon capture and storage
  A leading economist has told the World Economic Forum in Davos that Australia should be leading the international community in the development of carbon capture and storage technology. Nicholas Stern has called Australia's decision to cut emissions by 5 per cent on 2000 levels by 2020 on the low side, given the world is aiming for a reduction of 80 per cent by 2050.
• 2009/01/30: AIW(Au): Australia must aim for deeper emission cuts: Lord Stern
• 2009/01/29: ABC(Au): Climate change funds offered to local councils -- The Federal Government has announced another $500,000 funding to help local councils across the country respond to climate change
• 2009/01/29: ABC(Au): Resource industry woes won't stop emissions scheme: [Climate Change Minister Penny] Wong
  The Federal Government says the downturn in the resources sector will not deter it from implementing its emissions trading scheme.
• 2009/01/28: ABC(Au): NSW pushes for carbon trading funds
  The New South Wales Government says Sydney's success in the new carbon trading market will depend on Commonwealth support.
• 2009/01/28: ABC(Au): Solar demand causes delay for ACT households
• 2009/01/28: ABC(Au): Demand for 'green collar' workers rising
  The Canberra Institute of Technology (CIT) says there is a growing demand for climate change professionals in the workforce.
• 2009/01/27: ABC(Au): Federal Govt pledges $10m for climate change health research
• 2009/01/27: ABC(Au): $10m project to focus on climate change health effects
  The health risks associated with climate change will be the focus of a new $10 million research project to be announced by the Federal Government today
• 2009/01/27: PeakEnergy: Solar industry cash dries up [in Australia]
• 2009/01/27: SMH: Climate-change research to examine human health
  The effects of climate change on health - particularly heat-related diseases such as dengue fever - will be examined as part of a research project to be announced by the Federal Government today. Penny Wong, the Minister for Climate Change, will use a tour of Queensland mining towns this week to announce $10 million for the CSIRO and Australian National University to look at what will happen to human health as temperatures rise.
• 2009/01/26: ABC(Au): NT cattlemen sceptical of Turnbull's carbon storage plan
  The Northern Territory Cattlemen's Association says the Federal Opposition's plan to try to reduce greenhouse gas pollution by storing more carbon in soil is premature. Coalition leader Malcolm Turnbull has made it a key part of his new climate change policy, which includes making buildings more energy efficient and investing more in trying to store pollution underground.
• 2009/01/26: ABC(Au): 'More research needed' on charcoal carbon storage plan [biochar] [Aus pol]
• 2009/01/26: Australian: $1bn for clean energy: Wong
  Climate Change Minister Penny Wong has scoffed at Opposition claims that the Rudd Government has done nothing on developing clean energy sources, insisting it has already allocated $1 billion for development of renewable technologies and clean coal.
• 2009/01/26: PeakEnergy: Malcolm Turnbull Backing Biochar
• 2009/01/26: SMH: Turnbull plan stirs dust-up
  A coalition senator has questioned the need for a key element of Malcolm Turnbull's green carbon initiative, which he unveiled at the weekend as a way to cut greenhouse gas emissions. The NSW Nationals senator John Williams, whom the Opposition Leader consulted over the policy, said biosequestration, in which carbon from crop residue is returned to the soil in the form of charcoal, would amount to unnecessary double handling for farmers. Senator Williams told the Herald that improved land management ensured carbon was released into the soil, rather than into the atmosphere, as crop residue decayed. He said he was wary of Mr Turnbull's call for increasing revegetation to offset carbon emissions, and said it must not be done at the expense of arable land.

And in India:

• 2009/01/29: SindhToday: Government to set up institute to combat droughts, floods

  In Canada, the coalition collapsed as the Liberals gave the Tory budget tentative support:

• 2009/01/31: TStar: The brown budget: Or how King Coal wins again
  Among the winners in this week's federal budget are proponents of the "clean" use of fossil fuels -- in particular, capturing carbon-dioxide emissions when coal or oil is burned, and burying the gas underground. Much of a five-year, $1-billion "clean energy" fund is to go to a project in Saskatchewan that aims to scrub the greenhouse gas from a smokestack at an aging, coal-fuelled generating station. Finance Minister Jim Flaherty also promised discussions with the oil industry about potential tax breaks for developing the technology. The Saskatchewan project also got $240 million in the 2008 budget, which it hasn't yet used: Ottawa is clearly enthusiastic.
• 2009/01/30: CBC: High Arctic research station still in early stages: Strahl
  It may be a while before Canada's world-class High Arctic scientific research station is built, as no decisions have been made as to what the station will look like -- or exactly where it will be based. The federal government allocated $2 million in the budget, tabled Tuesday, for the federal Indian and Northern Affairs Department to carry out a feasibility study on the station, which was first promised in the 2007 throne speech.
• 2009/01/30: G&M: Nation's credibility on the line, scientists warn -- Projects uncertain after budget snub
• 2009/01/28: Maribo: Lost opportunities [Tory budget]
• 2009/01/27: G&M: Cash and tax breaks for the carbon agenda
  Canadian energy companies will get both direct assistance and tax breaks to develop carbon-capture-and-storage technology that promises to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from coal-fired power plants and oil sands projects. In his budget Tuesday, Federal Finance Minister Jim Flaherty unveiled a $1-billion "green energy fund" that will support research and commercialization of clean-energy projects, including carbon capture and storage (CCS).
• 2009/01/27: CBC: Environment gets lift in budget pledges
  [...] In the action plan, the Conservative government said ità $(Bs (Bcommitted to reducing greenhouse gases by 20 per cent by 2020, pledging over the next five years to give $1 billion in support to projects that encourage sustainable energy. The federal government is also pledging $351 million toward the operations of Atomic Energy of Canada Limited, which includes the development of the Advanced Candu reactor.
• 2009/01/28: CBC: Bad-times budget delivers billions in tax cuts, spending -- Flaherty forecasts annual deficits through to 2013, starting at $33.7B
• 2009/01/28: CBC: Ignatieff puts Tories 'on probation' with budget demand -- Liberal leader forming 'new coalition' with Harper: Layton
• 2009/01/28: CanWest: Conservatives ground green energy plan
  Funding for renewable power projects -- and jobs they create -- missing from economic stimulus budget
• 2009/01/26: CBC: Researchers feel cold shoulder as polar year program comes to close
• 2009/01/27: CBC: Energy industry favours tax changes over bailouts
• 2009/01/27: TStar: Environmental reviews could be trimmed
  Conservatives eyeing changes to law to exempt small infrastructure projects from federal oversight
• 2009/01/26: BCLSB: Harper Arctic Policy = Zip
• 2009/01/31: Maribo: More on the stimulus plans

  Environment Minister Jim Prentice triggered derisive laughter with his futile attempt to tie Tory deniers to Obama's coattails:

• 2009/01/31: Impolitical: Not feeling the spin, Mr. Prentice
• 2009/01/31: Far-n-Wide: Prentice Out Of The Loop
• 2009/01/31: CanWest: Canada, U.S. in harmony on climate change: Prentice
  Prime Minister Stephen Harper and U.S. President Barack Obama have almost the same principles and goals on climate change, Environment Minister Jim Prentice said Friday. In an interview with Canwest News Service, he said Obama's principles are "virtually identical" to those of the Conservative government and Canada's targets for reducing greenhouse gas emissions are "somewhat more aggressive." He said Canada is serious about dealing with climate change and is one of the cleanest energy-producing countries in the world...

Wrangling over the BC climate plan continues:

• 2009/01/26: Tyee: Campbell's Global Warming Game -- While eagerly enabling tar sands and freeways, he's cooled out green foes.
• 2009/01/29: CanWest: Feds, B.C. hope going green brings growth
  One of Premier Gordon Campbell's fondest hopes is that fighting climate change won't really cost all that much money. His fearless prediction is that it will in fact spur an enormous new multifaceted green economy. It will be based on inventing solutions and retrofitting, adapting and overhauling all the old systems to lower their emissions or make them carbon neutral. Of course that takes cash, but the "cost" is spent in B.C. so it can be counted as an investment. The other part of his accounting is that the cost of doing nothing far exceeds the price of converting.

The tricky & difficult question of the tar sands looms:

• 2009/01/31: TMoS: Whither Athabasca?
• 2009/01/30: ClimateP: Canadian bishop challenges the "moral legitimacy" of tar sands production
• 2009/01/28: RigZone: Five Facts about Canada's Oil Sands
• 2009/01/29: BBerg: Shell Says Canadian Oil-Sands Production Costs Rise
• 2009/01/29: Reuters: Petro-Canada "hunkers down" as oil sector sags
• 2009/01/29: WSJ:EnvCap: Tar Sands: Now Even the Church is Opposed
• 2009/01/28: Reuters: Total says may delay Joslyn tar sands project
• 2009/01/27: CanWest: Tar sands engine slowing
• 2009/01/26: CBC: Alberta bishop questions 'moral legitimacy' of tarsands development
• 2009/01/26: Times(UK): Resignation of Catherine Hughes [VP of tar sands for Husky] triggers fresh doubts about future of BP's oil-sands project
• 2009/01/22: G&M: The imaginary stick
  There has been much discussion of late about how much power the Alberta tar sands give Canada with the new Obama administration.
  A few facts...
• 2009/01/26: TStar: Canada delusional about oil
• 2009/01/26: G&M: Michael Ignatieff -- No stigma against the oil sands

  As for miscellaneous Canadiana:

• 2009/01/30: CBC: [Quebec Premier Jean] Charest says Harper must be more aggressive in fighting climate change
• 2009/01/28: CBC: Obama's auto-emission move could cost Canadians
  Canadian consumers could find themselves paying more for vehicles if the U.S. decides to allow individual states to impose their own vehicle emission standards. It could also mean struggles for auto manufacturers and parts makers in this country as they try to supply a fragmented system.

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

• 2009/02/01: EnergyBulletin: Energy and ecology: why societies really succeed and fail
• 2009/01/29: CCurrents: Future Farming: The call For A 50-year Perspective On Agriculture
• 2009/01/30: EnergyBulletin: Deflation, reflation and our oil future
• 2009/01/29: ClimateP: Harvard economist: Climate cost-benefit analyses are "unusually misleading," warns colleagues "we may be deluding ourselves and others"
• 2009/01/29: AFTIC: Growth is not finite
• 2009/01/26: TreeHugger: TreeHugger Talks With James Gustave Speth: Green Consumerism, Taking Action & What Comes After Capitalism
• 2009/01/26: DemNow: David Korten: "Agenda for a New Economy: From Phantom Wealth to Real Wealth"

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

• 2009/02/01: TreeHugger: Next on the Environment Agenda: Population Control!
• 2009/01/28: CSM: Earthà $(Bs (Bbig problem: Too many people.
  But how can we ease population without taking draconian steps? By developing in ways that we should be anyway, experts say.
• 2009/01/26: MWatch: Peak oil? Global warming? No, it's 'Boomsday!' -- Five reasons 'population explosion' is world's biggest economic problem

  Apocalypso anyone?

• 2009/01/30: AlterNet: When Technology Fails: How to Survive the Long Emergency
• 2009/01/29: Guardian(UK): Life after the apocalypse
  What if the doomsayers are right ... what if society, as we know it, really is about to collapse? Do you have what it takes to make it in a world without electricity and running water?
• 2009/01/25: OilDrum: Coming Chaos? Maybe Not

  As for how the media handles the science of climatology:

• 2009/01/28: C411: "He said, she said" Reporting Mangles Climate Economics Story
• 2009/01/28: GristMill: Are the Big Three just ghostwriting WaPo editorials now?
• 2009/01/28: DeSmogBlog: St. Augustine Record: Idiots Are Us
• 2009/01/26: ClimateP: NYTà $(Bs (BRevkin seems shocked, shocked by mediaà $(Bs (Bown failure to explain climate threat
• 2009/01/25: ClimateP: [link to 464k pdf] Must-read study: How the press bungles its coverage of climate economics -- "The mediaà $(Bs (Bdecision to play the stenographer role helped opponents of climate action stifle progress."
• 2009/01/26: MTobis: We Need a New form of Outreach
• 2009/01/26: RealClimate: Sea will rise à $(Ato (B levels of last Ice Ageà $(B (BA>

  Here is something for your library:

• 2009/01/29: CJR: [Book plug] The Language and Culture of Climate -- New book seeks to improve communication between journalists, scientists

  Meanwhile among the 'Sue the Bastards!' contingent:

• 2009/01/29: NYT:GreenInc: New York Responds to Carbon Cap-and-Trade Lawsuit
• 2009/01/29: NYT:GreenInc: Lawsuit Filed in Northeast Carbon Trading Scheme [RGGI]
• 2009/01/31: WarmingLaw: Finally. Somebody Sues Over R.G.G.I.
• 2009/01/31: BCLSB: Scientist To Sue Warmocaust Collusionist?
• 2009/01/30: WarmingLaw: Green Brief 1.30.2009: The Whole World Sues the Outgoing Bush Administration over Climate Change

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

• 2009/01/31: PeakEnergy: Ormat In Costa Rican Geothermal Deal
• 2009/01/31: PeakEnergy: Severn Tidal Power Project Update
• 2009/01/30: GristMill: Worst idea ever? I'm having a cow over beef-tallow biodiesel
• 2009/01/30: AutoBG: Exxon Mobil posts record $45.2 billion profit in 2008
• 2009/01/26: MWatch: Fitch Affirms PEMEX's Ratings; Outlook to Stable
  [...] In the first nine months of 2008, PEMEX's crude oil production declined at an alarming rate of 9.7% to 2.822 million barrels of crude oil per day after declining by 5.5% in 2007.
• 2009/01/30: Yahoo: Exxon Mobil shatters US record for annual profit -- US$45.2 billion for 2008
• 2009/01/29: BioFuelDaily: New Catalyst Paves The Path For Ethanol-Powered Fuel Cells
• 2009/01/29: EnergyDaily: Ocean Power Technologies And LM [Lockheed Martin] Collaborate On Wave Power Project
• 2009/01/28: Forbes:TFN: Global energy investment hit by financial crisis -- list of projects that have been delayed or scaled back in recent months
• 2009/01/29: OilChange: Despite the Crunch, Shell Makes $86 Million a Day
• 2009/01/28: GreenWombat: Wind jobs outstrip the coal industry
• 2009/01/29: BBerg: Shell Posts First Loss in 10 Years on Oil Price Drop
  Royal Dutch Shell Plc, Europeà $(Bs (Blargest oil company, posted its first quarterly loss in 10 years following a record plunge in oil prices, and warned that industry conditions "remain challenging." The fourth-quarter net loss was $2.81 billion, or $0.44 a share, compared with a profit of $8.47 billion, or $1.36, a year earlier, The Hague-based Shell said today in a statement. Revenue fell 24 percent to $81.07 billion.
• 2009/01/27: FTimes: Retrenching is bad news for renewables
• 2009/01/27: BBC: Chad charcoal ban enflames public -- A ban on the use of charcoal in Chad is making life hard for people already struggling with high food prices.
• 2009/01/27: Guardian(UK): Severn clean power project gains pace
  As climate change becomes a more urgent policy priority, plans to generate low-carbon power from the Severn estuary's tidal range are moving ahead. But at what price?
• 2009/01/26: NatureCF: The truth about thermoelectrics
• 2009/01/26: SciDaily: Microbes Fuel Energy Debate -- Microbes may well be the answer to our global energy crisis
• 2009/01/26: TheNews(Pk): [Pakistan] National Refinery also ceases fuel supply to Pepco -- Power crisis to go from bad to worse
• 2009/01/26: NEN: Worldà $(Bs (Bbiggest wave energy project gets à $(Agoà $(B (BA>
• 2009/01/26: DailyIndia: Pakistan has only six days of petrol reserves at present [& furnace oil stock for nine days]

  The answer my friend...:

• 2009/01/28: CleanBreak: Wind: AWEA trumpets success, CanWEA laments "failure"
• 2009/01/29: EnvFin: UK offshore wind build in doubt
• 2009/01/30: DerSpiegel: Offshore Wind Farms Fall Victim to Financial Crisis
  The German government and energy companies have made a big fanfare about their plans to build offshore wind parks in the North Sea. However the financial crisis is forcing several projects to be put on hold, with smaller companies in particular feeling the pinch.
• 2009/01/30: GristMill: Is it windy in here? Significant turning points in the rise of the domestic wind industry
• 2009/01/30: Rabble: A mighty controversy: Are windfarm opponents getting their facts straight?
• 2009/01/29: TreeHugger: 960 MW Offshore Wind Farm Planned for Germany (Yes, That's Big!)
• 2009/01/27: ClimateP: U.S. wind energy grows by record 8,300 MW
• 2009/01/28: TreeHugger: Remanufactured Wind Turbines Halve the Price of New: Community Wind Power Projects Take Note
• 2009/01/27: KSJT: Anchorage Daily News: Out on the tundra and windswept arctic shore, those wind turbines sure look practical
• 2009/01/24: BangorDaily: Wind farms lying fallow in hard times: Recession, oil prices undercutting costly green energy generators
• 2009/01/26: PeakEnergy: Pickens Plan: Gone With The Wind?

  Meanwhile among the solar aficionados:

• 2009/01/29: LA Times: Solar panel installations in California through the roof in '08
  Homeowners and businesses had a record 158 megawatts of photovoltaic panels put on despite the recession.
• 2009/01/27: NatureTGB: Solar industry ups and downs
• 2009/01/27: TreeHugger: Solar Power Explosion in Spain: 3.1 Gigawatts Installed in 2008
• 2009/01/27: SciDaily: Plastic Solar Cells For Portable Electronic Devices Coming Soon
  Solarmer Energy Inc. is developing plastic solar cells for portable electronic devices that will incorporate technology invented at the University of Chicago. The company is on track to complete a commercial-grade prototype later this year...
• 2009/01/26: PhysOrg: Predicting a boom in solar power
• 2009/01/26: ChinaDaily: China to further develop solar energy
  The Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) has launched an initiative to boost the development of solar energy technology, in a bid to turn it into a major energy source in China by 2050.

The arithmetic of coal carbon is striking home:

• 2009/01/30: GreenGrok: Statistically Speaking - Coal Waste: What's It Good For?
• 2009/01/28: SMH: Coal's tale of two markets
• 2009/01/26: GristMill: Trying to make suicide painless -- On 'mitigating' coal damage

  Biofuel bickering abounds:

• 2009/01/28: BioEnergyBiz: Panda Ethanol subsidiary goes bankrupt
• 2009/01/29: PhysOrg: Success for first outdoor, large-scale algae-to-biofuel research project in Nevada
• 2009/01/29: PhysOrg: Novel Technology [bioliq] Could Produce Biofuel for Around $0.65 a Liter
• 2009/01/29: BioFuelDaily: Bio-Ethanol To Provide 10 Percent Of Transport Fuels By 2010
• 2009/01/28: AutoBG: First stage of Nevada algae biodiesel completed successfully
• 2009/01/26: PhysOrg: New Catalyst Paves the Path for Ethanol-Powered Fuel Cells
• 2009/01/27: Australian: Imported biofuel a risk to wildlife
  Australia is contributing directly to the widespread destruction of tropical rainforests in Indonesia and Malaysia by importing millions of tonnes of taxpayer-subsidised biodiesel made from palm oil.
• 2009/01/26: AutoBG: Australian biofuel imports hurting SE Asian rainforests
• 2009/01/23: KCTrib: Our Clean Energy Future Should Minimize Ethanol

  The nuclear energy controversy continues:

• 2009/01/31: FuturePundit: Nuclear Fusion Fission Hybrid Reactor To Destroy Waste
• 2009/01/29: Guardian(UK): ITER: Flagship fusion reactor could cost twice as much as budgeted
• 2009/01/30: ClimateP: Turkeyà $(Bs (Bonly bidder for first nuclear plant offers a price of 21 cents per kilowatt-hour
• 2009/01/30: EarthTimes: EDF to build new-generation nuclear reactor in France
• 2009/01/27: SciAm: Reactivating Nuclear Reactors for the Fight against Climate Change
• 2009/01/28: DailyReckoning: The Ultimate Alternative Energy [Thorium reactors]
• 2009/01/28: KSJT: Scientific American: Series on new nukes (and their old issues)
• 2009/01/27: Eureka: Nuclear fusion-fission hybrid could contribute to carbon-free energy future

  We have peaks coming out the ying-yang:

• 2009/01/30: GristMill: Peak everything -- Is there anything that isn't peaking?
• 2009/01/30: EnergyBulletin: Oil production peaked in July 2008

  More people are talking about the electrical grid:

• 2009/01/30: WorldChanging: What is a Smart Grid?
• 2009/01/30: NEN: New grid & smart grid, good ideas to build on
• 2009/01/29: USAToday: Buzz grows for modernizing energy grid
• 2009/01/19: ArsTechnica: DOE report paints bleak picture of our electric future
  The US Department of Energy has snuck out a report on the future of the US electric grid, one that describes a huge series of challenges that we'll face just to keep the power flowing in the coming decades.
• 2009/01/27: CSM: For a spiffier electric grid: $11 billion -- Most of that money would go to upgrading transmission lines. An expanded à $(Asm (Bart meterà $(B p (Brogram would get $1 billion
• 2009/01/26: CNN: FAQ: Smart Grid
  President Obama has called for the installation of 40 million smart meters and 3,000 miles of transmission lines. That means 2009 could be the year that we finally start seeing real attention being paid to "Power Grid 2.0" -- basically turning the electrical grid of the 60s and 70s into a modern network that uses microprocessors and software to work efficiently and to connect to renewable energy generation.
• 2009/01/26: VoxEU: Plugging 21st century technology into a 19th century grid system by Gilbert E. Metcalf
  This column explains how US tax policies have induced greater investment in renewable energy production and an electricity grid unable to harness it. It argues for a tax code that offers financial incentives to make new grid investments, lest the US find itself with a power grid that can't transport green electricity to the nation's growth centres -- the ultimate bridge to nowhere.
• 2009/01/26: PeakEnergy: A Smart [Grid] Idea For US Energy Policy
• 2009/01/25: Columbian: Western govs sense chance for electric grid work

  And then there is the matter of efficiency & conservation:

• 2009/02/01: PeakEnergy: Cheap, superefficient LED Lights On The Horizon
• 2009/01/30: TreeHugger: "Holy Grail" of LEDs Will Cost Three Bucks, Last 60 Years
• 2009/01/29: Guardian(UK): Cheap new LED eco-lights promise price breakthrough
• 2009/01/29: NewScientist: Cheap, super-efficient LED lights on the horizon
• 2009/01/29: PhysOrg: Low-cost LEDs to slash household electric bills
• 2009/01/29: PhysOrg: Calif. weighs tough TV energy standards
• 2009/01/29: SlashDot: LED Lighting As Cheap As CFLs Invented
• 2009/01/26: SF Gate: California's energy efficiency an economic boon

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

• 2009/01/31: AutoBG: Proof that DIY electric motorcycles can be built for under 3K
• 2009/01/25: FuturePundit: Electric Car Battery Costs Seen Dropping
• 2009/01/26: FuturePundit: Carbon Dioxide Emissions When Cars Get Built
• 2009/01/30: TreeHugger: Ireland Sets Goal of 250,000 Electric Vehicles on the Road by 2020
• 2009/01/30: SMH: Start your electric engines
  An electric car looks set to go on sale in Australia next year for as little as $30,000. The secret plan to sell the Mitsubishi i MiEV has been in the pipeline for almost a year...
• 2009/01/29: CBC: Ford posts $5.9B US loss in Q4-2008
• 2009/01/29: CalcRisk: Ford $5.9 Billion Loss
• 2009/01/27: PhysOrg: Plan unveiled for electric car charging network in Denmark
• 2009/01/27: TreeHugger: The Race is On to Make Better & Cheaper Electric Car Batteries
• 2009/01/27: CleanBreak: Better Place, Dong Energy close $134 million for Danish EV network
• 2009/01/27: MA: Financial crisis hits electric car company Think Global
• 2009/01/25: USAToday: Lower gas prices send buyers after big cars again
• 2009/01/26: PeakEnergy: October delivery date for Aptera electric vehicle

  The reaction of business to climate change will be critical:

• 2009/01/29: EnvFin: Wal-Mart promises to accelerate sustainability effort
• 2009/01/26: BizGreen: Masdar flexes muscles with flurry of clean tech deals -- Abu Dhabi's clean tech fund signs raft of research alliances and investment deals

  The co-option of the World Bank:

• 2009/01/29: CommonTragedies: World Bank: IGCC = clean technology

  Meanwhile in the greenwashing chronicles:

• 2009/01/29: Guardian(UK): Greenwash: Gulf's green claims awash in a desert of deception
  The attempted green makeover by the Gulf states is beyond irony: with spiralling emissions, desert ski slopes and refrigerated beaches, can they be serious?

The carbon lobby are up to the usual:

• 2009/02/01: Stoat: Gore vs Armstrong. Or not
• 2009/01/31: Google:AFP: Czech president attacks Al Gore's climate campaign
• 2009/01/31: ClimateP: Conservatives need laughter, too, even if it makes the rest of us cry
• 2009/01/30: GristMill: Six degrees of ExxonMobil -- Revealing skeptics as sock puppets in a few quick clicks
• 2009/01/30: PRWatch: Coal Industry Front Group's Dirty Tactics
• 2009/01/29: Stoat: Does anyone care about Theon?
• 2009/01/30: DeSmogBlog: New EU President to Address the Faithful at International "Skeptic" Conference
• 2009/01/30: DeSmogBlog: A Tardy Canadian Tackles An Inconvenient Truth
• 2009/01/29: Deltoid: So who is John S Theon?
• 2009/01/28: Deltoid: "Assertions that Dr Jenkins has been reprimanded and/or 'dismissed' are without foundation"
• 2009/01/29: MGS: Ice before 1979?
• 2009/01/29: BCLSB: Update: Hansen Rebuked By NASA Underling!
• 2009/01/28: DeSmogBlog: Anti-Gore Hate Mail Campaign Too Obvious to Be Believed
• 2009/01/28: ClimateP: Inhofe and Morano keep making stuff up, this time utterly misquoting Revkin on Hansen
• 2009/01/27: N3xus6: WOT?
• 2009/01/28: BCLSB: John S. Theon: New Elderly Denier On The Block
• 2009/01/28: TreeHugger: Just Because Ità $(Bs (BSnowing Out Doesnà $(Bt (BMean Global Warming is Fake, Say It With Me People [denial]
• 2009/01/27: DeSmogBlog: Conservatives Launch All-Out War on Obama's Green Policies
• 2009/01/28: DeSmogBlog: Monckton Ridiculed for His Clumsy/Inaccurate/Manipulative "Science"
• 2009/01/25: Deltoid: Jon Jenkins was not an adjunct professor of virology
• 2009/01/26: MTobis: We Need a New form of Outreach
• 2009/01/26: BCLSB: Jon Jenkins: Another Denier With Credibility Problems
• 2009/01/26: BCLSB: 97 [Surface] Stations To Go

  As for climate miscellanea:

• 2009/01/31: FergusB: What is to be done about climate change?
• 2009/01/30: C411: Jobs in Wind Energy Grew Explosively in 2008
• 2009/01/30: McClatchyDC: Lithium could be Bolivia's future, if politics don't get in way
• 2009/01/28: DeSmogBlog: 12 Trillion Reasons to Get Off Oil
• 2009/01/28: Telegraph(UK): Recycling 'could be adding to global warming'
  Recycling could be adding to global warming rather than reducing it, a key government adviser on waste management has said.
• 2009/01/27: GristMill: Heresy of the day: More science is not the answer -- What will shift the public's attitudes on climate change?
• 2009/01/26: Yomiuri: Can Green New Deal solve economic crisis?

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

• Tiempo Climate Newswatch
• ITER
• DOE: Electricity Advisory Committee Reports
• IRENA: International Renewable Energy Agency
• EPA: California Greenhouse Gas Waiver Request
• The Oil Sands of Canada
• The Mountain Sentinel: energy depletion, sustainability, fascism, socioeconomic collapse, democracy, equality, activism, peak oil [Dale Allen Pfeiffer]
• ScienceAlert - Australia & NZ - News
• Dr. Luann Becker
• IR^2: IR-Squared
• IPCC:WGIII: Fourth Assessment Report (Mitigation)
• Green Options
• Worldwatch Institute

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.

"Year after year, decade after decade, we've chosen delay over decisive action. Rigid ideology has overruled sound science. Special interests have overshadowed common sense. Rhetoric has not led to the hard work needed to achieve results and our leaders raise their voices each time there's a spike on gas prices, only to grow quiet when the price falls at the pump." -US President Obama, announcing new fuel efficiency standards

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