Logging the Onset of The Bottleneck Years
This weekly posting is brought to you courtesy of H. E. Taylor. Happy reading, I ho8pe you enjoy this week's Global Warming news roundup
Another Week of Global Warming News
Information overload is pattern recognition
November 29, 2009
- Chuckle, Copenhagen, CHOGM, G77, Save-the-Jungle, Copenhagen Diagnosis, CS Statement, CSIRO, Health & CC
- Bottom Line, Patents, Broken Promises, Garrett, Solar, CRU Hack
- Melting Arctic, Geopolitics, Antarctica, EAIS Losing Mass
- Food Crisis, Land Grabs, Food Production
- Hurricanes, GHGs, Carbon Cycle, Temperatures, Paleoclimate, Glaciers, Sea Levels, Ocean Currents, Satellites
- Impacts, Forests, Desertification, Wildfires, Floods & Droughts, Thirsty Camels
- Mitigation, Transportation, Buildings, Sequestration, Geoengineering
- Journals, Other Docs , Misc. Science, Hansen, Annan, Tobis
- Carbon Labelling, Optimal Carbon Reduction Strategy International Politics, USA & India, Security, Law & Activism
- America, Obama, Congress, Britain, Europe, Australia, Liberal Party Meltdown,
- New Zealand, India, China, Japan, Asia, Russia, South America, Canada
- Ecological Economics, Apocalypso, Media, Books, Video, Courts
- Energy, Wind, Solar, Coal, Biofuel, Nukes, Peak Oil, Grid, Efficiency, Cars, Business, Insurance
- Joe's List, Carbon Lobby, Miscellaneous Climate, Useful Links
- Shameless Self Promotion, .sig
- 2009/11/29: TI:CF: (cartoon - Roberts) Smoking is bad for your health
- 2009/11/22: TI:CF: (cartoon - Roberts) The Day the Earth Stood Still
- 2009/11/25: TI:CF: (cartoon - Roberts) One day at a time
- 2009/11/28: TI:CF: (cartoon - Roberts) Groundhog day again
- 2009/11/26: TI:CF: (cartoon - Roberts) Climate Slamdown!
- 2009/11/26: Seppo: Astonishing Conspiracy Behind Climate Change Hoax Revealed -- See the pictures!
- 2009/11/27: ClimateP: (cartoon - Roberts) Gort and Klaatuà $(Bs (BClimate Slamdown
- 2009/11/23: ClimateP: Cartoon from The Economist
The excitement is building, on the road to Copenhagen:
- 2009/11/28: UN: Ban calls on States to ensure climate change deal has broad support
- 2009/11/29: JQuiggin: Copenhagen commitments
- 2009/11/29: TreeHugger: Three Letters That Mean A Lot--MRV [Measurable, Reportable & Verifiable]
- 2009/11/29: TreeHugger: China and India Plan a Walk-Out at Copenhagen
- 2009/11/29: CanWest: The road to Copenhagen -- Harper and Obama agree cap-and-trade is the way to go on cutting greenhouse-gas emissions
- 2009/11/27: Reuters: China says no emissions checks without foreign funds
A top Chinese climate envoy said Friday only emissions curbs carried out under its newly announced carbon intensity targets that have international financial support will be open to outside scrutiny. Yu Qingtai, China's climate change ambassador, added that most of the country's emissions-curbing plans would likely not fall into the category of "measurable, reportable and verifiable." The phrase, agreed in international talks three years ago, implies third-party checks would be made on any reported reductions. - 2009/11/28: ABC(Au): More than 85 heads of state are to attend climate talks in Copenhagen from December 7 to 18, giving the meeting major summit status, Danish Prime Minister Lars Loekke Rasmussen says
- 2009/11/28: CSW: Obama, Copenhagen, and the need for straight talk on climate - Rick Piltz interview on Al Jazeera
- 2009/11/27: DerSpiegel: Climate Countdown -- China Agrees to Slow Emissions Growth
With the Copenhagen summit just around the corner, hardly a day goes by without a slew of climate-related headlines. Spiegel Online's Climate Countdown will help you stay up to date. On Thursday, China joined the list of countries making emissions reduction pledges. Or did it? - 2009/11/28: BBC: The United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has urged world leaders to "seal a deal" on climate change when they meet in Copenhagen next month
- 2009/11/27: EurActiv: EU hails US, Chinese climate pledges, calls for more
Ten days before the UN climate conference opens in Copenhagen, EU officials welcomed emissions pledges by China and the US as a crucial step towards an agreement, but stressed that the commitments had to match the developed world's "common target" of keeping global warming below 2ðC. - 2009/11/27: UN: Momentum for climate deal strong and growing, Ban tells Commonwealth leaders
- 2009/11/26: UN: At Commonwealth meeting Ban drums up momentum for climate change summit
- 2009/11/27: Times(UK): Behind the scenes at the biggest deal on Earth
For all the corridor plotting and text chopping the best hope is a fudge. After Copenhagen weà $(Bll (B turn to wackier solutions - 2009/11/27: OilChange: Copenhagen: Watch Out for the Small Print
- 2009/11/26: Guardian(UK): What do the US and China's emissions targets actually mean?
- 2009/11/26: Guardian(UK): Obama's Copenhagen stopover
The US president's cameo appearance at Copenhagen's climate summit might make more of an impact than his critics realise - 2009/11/26: Guardian(UK): Australia's Copenhagen climate strategy is smoke and mirrors
- 2009/11/26: Guardian(UK): Copenhagen conference: Chinese PM Wen Jiabao to attend climate talks
- 2009/11/26: Guardian(UK): The cost of adapting to climate change
Farmers in developing countries are already feeling the effects of climate change. What is needed to help them cope is an almost unprecedented shift of resources from north to south, says Anne Perkins - 2009/11/26: EarthTimes: Swedish premier [Fredrik Reinfeldt]: US emission cuts [of 17% below 2005 levels by 2020] insufficent
- 2009/11/26: EarthTimes: China targets 40-per-cent cut in carbon intensity by 2020
- 2009/11/26: EarthTimes: Chinese premier to attend Copenhagen climate talks
- 2009/11/26: OilChange: Obama off to Copenhagen, but its too little too late ..
- 2009/11/25: SolveClimate: Obama Going to Copenhagen with 2020 Greenhouse Gas Target
- 2009/11/26: SolveClimate: China Sets 2020 Emissions Target in Interest of National Security
- 2009/11/24: CSM: At climate talks, US to offer 17 percent emissions cut [from 2005 levels] by 2020
- 2009/11/23: DemNow: Naomi Klein on Climate Debt: Why Rich Countries Should Pay Reparations To Poor Countries For The Climate Crisis
- 2009/11/24: DerSpiegel: Climate Change and Copenhagen -- What If Global Temperatures Rose by 4 Degrees Celsius?
- 2009/11/26: DerSpiegel: America and the Climate Summit -- Can Obama Turnaround Save Copenhagen?
US President Barack Obama had been wary of attending the global climate change summit in Copenhagen next month. Many hope his decision to attend will increase the meeting's chances for success. But doubts remain about his commitment. - 2009/11/26: BBC: President Obama's decision to attend the UN climate talks in Copenhagen has been welcomed by European leaders
- 2009/11/25: BBC: US pledges carbon emissions cuts
President Barack Obama is to pledge to cut greenhouse gas emissions in the US in several stages, beginning with a 17% cut by 2020, the White House has said. The offer will be made at December's UN climate talks in Copenhagen, which Mr Obama will attend.
- 2009/11/25: Guardian(UK): Barack Obama to attend Copenhagen climate summit
- 2009/11/25: Guardian(UK): Copenhagen conference: Fears China may downgrade emissions target
- 2009/11/25: UN: Ban says Obamaà $(Bs (Bpresence adds momentum to Copenhagen climate summit
- 2009/11/25: NatureTGB: Obama puts Copenhagen offer on table
- 2009/11/25: NatureTGB: Copenhagen in Quotes
- 2009/11/25: ScienceInsider: Obama Will Visit Copenhagen Climate Talks, Announce 17% Emissions Cut
- 2009/11/25: KSJT: Big services roll out more pre-Copenhagen perspective specials (AP CO2 mostly, BBC all sea level rise)
- 2009/11/24: MongaBay: The US will set emissions target, but is this a turning point for success at Copenhagen?
- 2009/11/25: ClimateP: Obama to attend Copenhagen, announces "a U.S. emissions reduction target in the range of 17% below 2005 levels in 2020"
- 2009/11/23: Independent(UK): Countdown to Copenhagen: A change in the political climate on emissions
- 2009/11/24: NatureCF: Countdown to Copenhagen
- 2009/11/24: USA Today: Price of global warming cuts may stop deal at U.N. meeting
- 2009/11/24: EarthTimes: Taiwan seeks official representation at Copenhagen climate summit
- 2009/11/24: Guardian(UK): US to go to Copenhagen summit with proposed target on carbon emissions
- 2009/11/23: KSJT: AP: Dismal climatic predicament for Copenhagen in big set of dreadful numbers
- 2009/11/24: ABC(Au): At least 60 leaders to attend climate conference
- 2009/11/22: Reuters: Denmark says 65 leaders enrolled for climate talks
- 2009/11/22: TerraDaily: 65 leaders confirmed for UN climate meet: Danish PM
- 2009/11/23: TreeHugger: The Human Face of Hunger Demands Climate Action at Copenhagen
- 2009/11/23: OSun: Climate confab needs all leaders at the table
For the second time in two months, Copenhagen has become the subject of a will-they-or-won't-they/I'll-show-you-mine game of international speculation, this time around which leaders will post for next month's United Nations climate conference which runs Dec. 7-18. - 2009/11/23: BBC: Hopes for the Copenhagen climate summit in December have been boosted after it emerged that more than 60 presidents and prime ministers plan to attend
The rump end of the British empire held a meeting in Port of Spain:
- 2009/11/29: ABC(Au): Rudd plays careful hand at CHOGM
Prime Minister Kevin Rudd's appearance at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) is an exercise in double-purpose diplomacy. - 2009/11/29: EarthTimes: Commonwealth calls for international agreement on climate change
- 2009/11/29: G&M: Canada agrees to contribute to $10-billion climate-change fund
Prime Minister Stephen Harper isnà $(Bt (Bbudging on calls for his government to offer deeper and faster cuts in greenhouse gas emissions - 2009/11/28: CBC: Commonwealth leaders support climate change fund -- Fund would help poorer nations cope with global warming impact
- 2009/11/28: ABC(Au): World leaders spruik climate deal chances
Hopes for a new global climate pact have risen after rich nations at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in Trinidad and Tobago offered to help poorer countries bear the costs of implementing any deal. - 2009/11/28: BBC: Commonwealth backs climate fund
Commonwealth leaders have pledged to back a multi-billion-dollar fund to help developing nations deal with climate change. The fund, proposed by UK and French leaders at the Commonwealth summit on Friday, would start next year and build to $10bn annually by 2012. Many Commonwealth members are island states threatened by rising sea levels. - 2009/11/27: Guardian(UK): Brown proposes global fund to kick-start Copenhagen climate change process
- 2009/11/27: ABC(Au): Rudd heads to Caribbean for CHOGM [Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting] talks
- 2009/11/27: Guardian(UK): Gordon Brown unveils fund to tackle 'climate emergency'
- 2009/11/27: ABC(Au): Rudd talks climate change with Denmark, France
Prime Minister Kevin Rudd has met other world leaders to discuss climate change on the sidelines of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in the Caribbean. - 2009/11/27: COP15: Proposal to exclude Canada from the Commonwealth
In the past, the Commonwealth has suspended several countries for human rights reasons. Now, campaigners, politicians and scientists have proposed suspending Canada because of its climate policy. - 2009/11/27: CBC: Climate a priority at Commonwealth meeting
An approaching global climate summit has raised the temperature at what is usually a low-key meeting of leaders from Britain's former colonial empire. - 2009/11/26: EarthTimes: Commonwealth summit [in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago] to grapple with climate change, rights
- 2009/11/23: EarthTimes: Danish premier [Lars Lokke Rasmussen] to discuss climate change with Commonwealth leaders
Apparently there was a G77 meeting in Beijing this week as well:
- 2009/11/29: Reuters: Big developing countries form climate change front
A clutch of major emerging economies including China and India have forged a united front to put pressure on developed countries at next month's climate change negotiations in Copenhagen. Over two days of quietly arranged talks in Beijing, the countries said they had reached agreement on major issues, including the need for the West to provide finance and technology to help developing nations combat global warming. The meeting was attended by senior officials from China, India, Brazil and South Africa as well as Sudan, the current chairman of the Group of 77 developing countries. - 2009/11/23: COP15: G-77: Global body to secure green tech transfer
The developing countries in the Group of 77 and China want a new international political body to direct the transition away from a high-carbon economy. - 2009/11/22: Guardian(UK): Global body needed to direct green technology, G77 says -- Developing nations call for UN body to police battle on climate change
Eight Amazon countries met Thursday to devise a save-the-jungle plan:
- 2009/11/26: COP15: Save-the-jungle proposal from Amazon nations
Presidents from eight Amazon countries meet on Thursday to lay out a save-the-jungle proposal for the UN climate conference. - 2009/11/26: BBC: Amazon 'rescue' summit in [Manaus] Brazil
Brazil is hosting a regional summit to discuss climate change and ways of tackling deforestation in the Amazon. Delegates from eight nations who share the Amazon basin, as well as France which has an overseas department there, will hold the talks in Manaus. They will be discussing Brazil's plan on slowing deforestation with the financial help from rich nations. [...] Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva will be chairing the one-day talks, which will be attended by delegates from Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Peru, Venezuela and Surinam. French President Nicolas Sarkozy will also be in the Amazon city of Manaus, representing French Guiana. - The Copenhagen Diagnosis
- 2009/11/27: NCM: The Copenhagen Diagnosis is Dissapointing
- 2009/11/27: PeakEnergy: The Copenhagen Diagnosis: Sobering Update on the Science
- 2009/11/25: CCurrents: Copenhagen Diagnosis Predicts 7 Degree Rise
- 2009/11/24: CSM: Amid charges of global warming hoax, new warning on climate change [Copenhagen Diagnosis]
- 2009/11/25: Guardian(UK): 'Copenhagen Diagnosis' offers a grim update to the IPCC's climate science
- 2009/11/25: NewScientist: Climate 'diagnosis' is stark message for politicians
- 2009/11/25: PlanetArk: Climate Change Quickens, Seas Feared Up 2 meters [Copenhagen Diagnosis]
- 2009/11/24: TerraDaily: Climate science update: from bad to worse [Copenhagen Diagnosis]
- 2009/11/25: SolveClimate: Latest Science Shows Climate Change Outpacing Previous Projections [Copenhagen Diagnosis]
- 2009/11/25: Deltoid: Copenhagen Diagnosis
- 2009/11/25: IoD: Where the IPCC went wrong with its climate predictions [Copenhagen Diagnosis]
- 2009/11/25: HotTopic: Marvellous distempered: the Copenhagen diagnosis
- 2009/11/24: Grist: à $(ACo (Bpenhagen Diagnosisà $(B o (Bffers a grim update to the IPCCà $(Bs (Bclimate science
- 2009/11/24: RealClimate: Copenhagen [Diagnosis]
- 2009/11/24: WorldChanging: The Copenhagen Diagnosis: Sobering Update on the Science
- 2009/11/24: DeSmogBlog: State of the Climate: Much Worse than Predicted [Copenhagen Diagnosis]
- 2009/11/24: CCP: The Copenhagen Diagnosis: Climate Science Report
- 2009/11/24: CopenhagenDiagnosis: [press release] Climate change accelerating beyond expectations, urgent emissions reductions required, say leading scientists
- 2009/11/25: SMH: Warming diagnosis: beyond worst case
Key climate change measures are tracking near or beyond worse-case scenarios predicted just two years ago, according to a science update drawing on more than 200 recently published studies. Co-authored by 26 climate scientists, The Copenhagen Diagnosis reports that melting of summer Arctic sea ice, loss of the Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets, and projections of the rise in sea levels have accelerated dramatically since 2007. It finds the statistical global warming trend has continued over the past decade, contradicting assessments by some scientists - including Copenhagen Climate Council chairman Tim Flannery - that there has been a recent cooling. The review cites NASA data that shows a trend of a 0.19-degree increase over the past decade despite short-term fluctuations due to El Nino, solar variability and volcanic eruptions. - 2009/11/24: ClimateP: Climate science statement from the Met Office, NERC and the Royal Society: Ità $(Bs (Bthe hottest decade on record...
- 2009/11/25: ABC(Au): Climate changing faster than expected: scientists
- 2009/11/24: TreeHugger: Dangerous, Potentially-Irreversible Climate Change Happening Faster Than Scientists Thought [Met, RS & NERC statement]
- 2009/11/24: BBC: Global warming dangers 'alarming'
Three UK groups studying climate change have issued an unprecedented statement about the dangers of failing to cut emissions of greenhouse gases. The Royal Society, Met Office, and Natural Environment Research Council say the science underpinning climate change is more alarming than ever. They say the 2007 UK floods, 2003 heatwave in Europe and recent droughts were consistent with emerging patterns. Their comments came ahead of crunch UN climate talks in Copenhagen next month. - 2009/11/24: Guardian(UK): Full text: Climate science statement
This is a joint statement from the Met Office, the Natural Environment Research Council and the Royal Society on the state of the science of climate change ahead of the Copenhagen climate conference - OceanClimateChange(Au): [link to 1.7 meg pdf] Climate Change Impacts and Adaptation Report Card for Australia 2009
- 2009/11/27: ABC(Au): Australia's oceans under pressure
Scientists have given the state of Australia's marine environment a low grade in the country's first Marine Climate Change report card released today. - 2009/11/27: PhysOrg: Marine ecosystems get a climate form guide -- The Marine Climate Change Impacts and Adaptation Report Card for Australia
- 2009/11/27: ClimateShifts: New CSIRO report on climate change impacts in Australia
A collection of articles in Lancet emphasized the benefits of mitigating climate change:
- 2009/11/25: Lancet: [multiple papers] Health and Climate Change
- 2009/11/26: CBC: Battling climate change offers health benefits
Cutting emissions that cause global warming would not only make the planet healthier, it also would make people healthier too, new research suggests. Slashing carbon dioxide emissions could save millions of lives, mostly by reducing preventable deaths from heart and lung diseases, according to studies released Wednesday and published in a special issue of the Lancet British medical journal. - 2009/11/25: BBC: Climate policies 'improve health'
Cutting emissions to mitigate climate change will also make people healthier, according to research. A special series of articles, published in medical journal, the Lancet, outlines how such policies could have a direct impact on global health. - 2009/11/25: Guardian(UK): UK health secretary [Andy Burnham] backs Lancet report that says reducing carbon emissions and home insulation will improve the country's health
- 2009/11/25: NatureN: Plans for cutting emissions could also benefit health -- Global leaders target health benefits in advance of Copenhagen meeting
- 2009/11/25: TreeHugger: Forget About Climate Change, Cutting Greenhouse Gas Emissions Has 'Major Direct Health Benefits'
- 2009/11/25: Eureka: Cutting greenhouse pollutants could directly save millions of lives worldwide -- Analyses show global health benefits from cutting ozone and black carbon
- 2009/11/25: Eureka: Senior doctors launch global movement to tackle climate change
Senior doctors from across the globe have come together to form the International Climate and Health Council. Their aim is to mobilise health professionals across the world to help tackle the health effects of climate change. - 2009/11/25: Google:AFP: Climate change to cost trillions, say economists
- 2009/11/24: USA Today: Price of global warming cuts may stop deal at U.N. meeting
- 2009/11/24: CanWest: Global warming threatens billions of Canadian assets, report claims
One Copenhagen issue that doesn't get much exposure is the rent-seeking behaviour of the developed countries:
- 2009/11/23: EurActiv: China, India push for 'patent free' green tech
As world leaders prepare for climate talks in Copenhagen next month, developing nations have tabled a controversial proposal which would effectively end patent protection for clean technologies. China and India have floated the idea of making new green technology subject to 'compulsory licensing', which critics say amounts to waiving intellectual property rights. The idea of adapting or liberalising patent rules for crucial new inventions which can help reduce carbon emissions is not new, but the EU and US are unhappy with compulsory licensing, fearing it would dramatically reduce the incentive for businesses to innovate and stifle green job creation. - 2009/11/25: BBC: Climate cash is 'unaccounted for'
Large sums promised to developing countries to help them tackle climate change cannot be accounted for, a BBC investigation has found. Rich countries pledged $410m (ã247m) a year in a 2001 declaration - but it is now unclear whether the money was paid. UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has accused industrialised countries of failing to keep their promise. - 2009/11/24: SciDaily: Is Global Warming Unstoppable?
- 2009/11/23: SciBlog: Is global warming unstoppable?
- 2009/11/22: UUtah: Is Global Warming Unstoppable? Theory Also Says Energy Conservation Doesn't Help
- 2009/11/23: PhysOrg: Is global warming unstoppable?
In a provocative new study, a University of Utah scientist argues that rising carbon dioxide emissions - the major cause of global warming - cannot be stabilized unless the world's economy collapses or society builds the equivalent of one new nuclear power plant each day. - 2009/11/29: RealClimate: Something Is X in the State of Denmark
The CRU hack distraction rolls on:
- 2009/11/29: ClimateP: Science historian Weart...
- 2009/11/28: IJI: What we know about the CRU attacker, part 3.1: 16 Nov
- 2009/11/29: TSun: Hacked e-mails at centre of global warming debate
- 2009/11/28: ClimateP: Michael Mann updates the world on the latest climate science and responds to the illegally hacked emails
- 2009/11/28: Stoat: Zorita goes for the jugular
- 2009/11/28: Stoat: Talking to the layfolk
- 2009/11/28: CCP: Michael Mann Responds to CRU Hack
- 2009/11/28: TStar: Scientists were angry, but they didn't lie
- 2009/11/27: BBC: Inquiry into stolen climate e-mails
Details of a university inquiry into e-mails stolen from scientists at one of the UK's leading climate research units are likely to be made public next week. - 2009/11/27: Guardian(UK): Climate email hackers had access for more than a month
- 2009/11/27: ClimateP: ÃÂAn open letter to graduate students and young scientists in fields related to climate research from Dr. Judith Curry regarding hacked CRU emails
- 2009/11/27: PlanetArk: Science Untarnished By "Climategate", UN Says
- 2009/11/27: DM:CCM: The Latest on the "SwiftHack"
- 2009/11/27: BCLSB: Drudge Hides The Science
- 2009/11/27: DeSmogBlog: "Climategate" - giving deniers the power to say whatever they want
- 2009/11/27: GreenFyre: CRUde Hack, everybody loves a charade
- 2009/11/27: IJI: What we know about the CRU attacker, part trois: the .zip file
- 2009/11/27: TreeHugger: Under Attack, Michael Mann, In His Own Words
- 2009/11/27: Reuters: [Rajendra Pachauri Interview] Climate science untarnished by hacked emails
- 2009/11/26: CBC: Hackers skewed climate-change emails: scientists
- 2009/11/26: ScienceInsider: Climate Hack Scandal Update
- 2009/11/26: PlanetArk: Hacked Climate Emails Called A "Smear Campaign"
- 2009/11/25: ClimateShifts: About that CRU email hack
- 2009/11/25: Deltoid: No, BBC was not sent the stolen emails
- 2009/11/25: BCLSB: CRU Climate Hack: Hackers Took Two Whacks At Data?
- 2009/11/26: DeSmogBlog: Michael Mann in his own words on the stolen CRU emails
- 2009/11/25: DeSmogBlog: Hacked emails: They're trouble, serious trouble, but not BIG trouble
- 2009/11/25: DeSmogBlog: Swiftboating Climate Science (aka. climategate) - what you need to know
- 2009/11/26: DWWSJ: Who Do you Believe: Thieves or Peer Review?
- 2009/11/25: CCurrents: Climate Scientist At Centre Of Leaked Email Row Dismisses Conspiracy Claims
- 2009/11/23: CCurrents: Bread And Circuses
- 2009/11/22: CCurrents: This Climate Email-Hacking Episode Is Generating More Heat Than Light
- 2009/11/25: OpenDem: The real scandal in the hacked climate change e-mails controversy
It is day six of the 'scandal' over the hacked emails from the Climatic Research Unit at the University of East Angliaà $(Bs (BSchool of Environmental Sciences, in which a thousand or so private email messages between climate scientists were hacked into and made public. According to the ostriches hoping that Copenhagen will fail, these emails demonstrate that climate-science is in serious trouble. Nothing could be further from the truth. - 2009/11/26: Guardian(UK): [Letters] Climate scientists' hacked emails damage global warming case
- 2009/11/25: Guardian(UK): Pretending the climate email leak isn't a crisis won't make it go away [Monbiot]
Climate sceptics have lied, obscured and cheated for years. That's why we climate rationalists must uphold the highest standards of science - 2009/11/25: NatureTGB: Climate hacking update
- 2009/11/25: NatureCF: CRU scientists in leaked data row respond
- 2009/11/25: SciNow: An Update on the Leaked Climate E-mails and a "Dating Service" for Scientists and Teachers
- 2009/11/25: ScienceInsider: Union of Concerned Scientists on Climate Scientists' Behavior
- 2009/11/25: GreenGrok: Emails and Climate Science
- 2009/11/25: CSW: Some sources on the controversy over the hacked files from the UK Climatic Research Unit
- Wiki: Climatic Research Unit e-mail hacking incident
- 2009/11/24: Stoat: Those CRU emails in full
- 2009/11/25: DM:SRK: The Real Trouble With "ClimateGate"
- 2009/11/25: Wunderground: The Manufactured Doubt industry and the hacked email controversy
- 2009/11/25: SolveClimate: Skeptics Exaggerating Science Scandal to Derail Copenhagen Climate Talks
- 2009/11/25: CCP: Climatic Research Unit update - November 24, 2009, 3:30 p.m.
The University of East Anglia has released statements from Prof Trevor Davies, Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Research, Prof Phil Jones, head of the Climatic Research Unit, and from CRU. - 2009/11/24: Guardian(UK): Climate scientist at centre of leaked email row [Phil Jones] dismisses conspiracy claims
- 2009/11/24: NatureN: Storm clouds gather over leaked climate e-mails -- British climate centre reeling over Internet posting of sensitive material
- 2009/11/24: ClimateP: Reuters: "Analysis-Hacked climate e-mails awkward, not game changer"...
- 2009/11/24: ABC(Au): Sceptics seize on leaked climate emails
- 2009/11/24: NewScientist: Hacked archive provides fodder for climate sceptics
- 2009/11/24: PhysOrg: Key scientist says politics behind stolen e-mails
A leading climate change scientist said hackers breaking into a university's computer server and then posting documents online show the nasty politics of global warming. Kevin Trenberth, head of the climate analysis section of the U.S. National Center for Atmospheric Research in Boulder, said the hackers' intentions may have been to influence discussions in an upcoming global climate change summit in Denmark. - 2009/11/24: COP15: Scientists "behaving badly" wonà $(Bt (Binfluence UN climate conference
- 2009/11/24: DM:CCM: The "ClimateGate" Burden of Proof
- 2009/11/24: GreenFyre: CRU hack, Paul Hudson ... Time Lord!
- 2009/11/24: IJI: Climategate, where unauthorized eavesdropping is a heroic deed
- 2009/11/24: FAIR: Illegally Obtained [CRU] Info Is a Big Scoop--or a Non-Story
- 2009/11/23: TP:WR: ClimateGate: Vitter Staffer Accuses Researchers Of à $(AGr (Beatest Act Of Scientific Fraud In Historyà $(B (BA>
- 2009/11/24: Guardian(UK): The voices of climate change sceptics [CRU]
- 2009/11/23: Guardian(UK): Leaked email climate smear was a PR disaster for UEA
There was no evidence of conspiracy among climate scientists in the leaked emails -- so why was the University of East Anglia's response so pathetic?- 2009/11/23: Guardian(UK): Climate change champion and sceptic both call for inquiry into leaked emails
- 2009/11/23: Guardian(UK): Leaked emails mark dangerous shift in climate denial strategy
Instead of targeting high-profile science communicators, climate deniers are now encouraging mistrust of those who collect and interpret global warming data- 2009/11/23: Guardian(UK): Climate change email hacking to be looked into by University of East Anglia
- 2009/11/23: Guardian(UK): Global warming rigged? Here's the email I'd need to see [Monbiot]
- 2009/11/23: ScienceInsider: On What Some are Calling "ClimateGate"
- 2009/11/23: ScienceInsider: In Climate Hack Story, Could Talk of Cover-Up Be as Serious as Crime?
- 2009/11/23: KSJT: Plenty of ink: UK East Anglia climate ctr. email theft and the bile it reveals (surprise) in how some scientists regard the skeptics
- 2009/11/24: ABC(Au): Former Australian of the year and Copenhagen Climate Council chairman Tim Flannery says leaked emails from a British university's climate research unit should not encourage scepticism on global warming
- 2009/11/23: JFleck: Weart on CRUgate
- 2009/11/23: ERabett: Something interesting comes this way [CRU]
- 2009/11/23: Deltoid: "Even the tobacco companies never tried to slander legitimate cancer researchers"
- 2009/11/23: RealClimate: The CRU hack: Context
- 2009/11/23: DM:CCM: Why "ClimateGate" Ainà $(Bt (BNothing
- 2009/11/22: TimPanogos: Newtongate shakes anthropogenically-generated mathematics at the foundation -- Satire, hoax, fact - how can we tell the difference?
- 2009/11/22: Tamino: Hack
- 2009/11/22: QuarkSoup: The word "trick"
- 2009/11/22: TimPanogos: Smoking guns in the CRU stolen e-mails: A real tale of real ethics in science
- 2009/11/23: JEB: Arbitration [CRU]
- 2009/11/23: HotTopic: Donà $(Bt (Blet a thief steal into your heart [CRU]
- 2009/11/23: IoD: Hacked emails, tree-ring proxies and blogospheric confusion
- 2009/11/23: IJI: What we know about the CRU attacker, part deux
- 2009/11/23: Maribo:The "CRU hack" and the deplorable state of reporting and blogging
- 2009/11/23: BCLSB: CRU Hack: Who Is Hugh Miller?
- 2009/11/23: Atmoz: Climategate
- 2009/11/23: S&R: Massive calculus and physics hoax exposed [Newtongate]
- 2009/11/22: SkepticalScience: What do the hacked CRU emails tell us?
- 2009/11/22: CCD: Swiftboating the Climate Scientists [CRU]
The Arctic melt continues to garner a lot of attention:
- 2009/11/29: CCP: A. Shiklomanov: A general increase of river discharge to the Arctic Ocean from Eurasia; 30% higher than average in 2007
- 2009/11/28: CBC:Q&Q: Arctic Slush - Dr. David Barber, The Poop on Mammoths - Jacquelyn Gill
- 2009/11/25: Yahoo:Reuters: Warming to hit "roads, pipelines" in Canada north
- 2009/11/24: PlanetArk: Arctic Ice Volume Lowest Ever As Globe Warms: U.N.
- 2009/11/24: ABC(Au): Grizzlies, polar bears breeding because of climate change
An Australian biologist says climate change is speeding up the creation of new species [grolar] through the merging of habitats.- 2009/11/23: NewScientist:A final warning from the Arctic (11 pix)
As for the geopolitics of Arctic resources:
- 2009/11/28: CanWest: U.S. navy plots Arctic push -- 'Roadmap' details plans to enlarge fleet in northern waters
- 2009/11/28: TSun: Polar bears turn into cannibals -- Melting ice caps make hunting seals more difficult
- 2009/11/27: PhysOrg: In Greenland, warming fuels dream of hidden wealth
- 2009/11/27: PlanetArk: Business Books: Arctic Melts, But No Big "Cold Rush" For Oil
- 2009/11/23: CBC: Northwest Passage traffic breaks record -- Arctic adventurers cause spike in marine traffic to 23 trips
While in Antarctica:
- 2009/11/25: BBC: 'Icebergs heading to New Zealand'
A warning has been issued to ships in the southern Pacific Ocean after more than 100 icebergs were spotted drifting towards New Zealand.- 2009/11/24: PhysOrg: LSU gets to the bottom of things -- in Antarctica
- 2009/11/24: PhysOrg: Icebergs head from Antarctica for New Zealand
- 2009/11/23: TerraDaily: More than 100 icebergs heading towards N.Zealand: official
More than 100, and possibly hundreds, of Antarctic icebergs are floating towards New Zealand in a rare event which has prompted a shipping warning, officials said on Monday. An Australian Antarctic Division glaciologist said the ice chunks, spotted by satellite photography, had passed the Auckland Islands and were heading towards the main South Island, about 450 kilometres (280 miles) northeast.A report that the East Antarctic Ice Sheet is losing mass:
- 2009/11/22: NatGeo: (ab$) Accelerated Antarctic ice loss from satellite gravity measurements by J. L. Chen et al.
- 2009/11/23: CCP: J. L. Chen, C. R. Wilson, D. Blankenship & B. D. Tapley, Nature Geosci., Accelerated Antarctic ice loss from satellite gravity measurements
- 2009/11/27: Stoat: That East Antarctic mass loss, in full
- 2009/11/26: DM:80B: Is the Once-Stable Part of Antarctica Starting to Melt?
- 2009/11/23: CCurrents: Antarctic Ice Loss Vaster, Faster Than Thought
- 2009/11/24: NewScientist: World's last bastion of stable ice [EAIS] now thawing
- 2009/11/23: NatureCF: Is east Antarctic ice melting?
- 2009/11/23: ClimateP: Satellite data stunner: "Our data suggest that EAST Antarctica is losing mass...Antarctica may soon be contributing significantly more to global sea-level rise."
- 2009/11/23: ABC(Au): Antarctic icesheet losing mass
A new study has found the east Antarctic icesheet, which sits behind Australia's Casey Station, has lost billions of tonnes of ice in the past three years.- 2009/11/22: PhysOrg: Antarctic ice loss vaster, faster than thought: study [EAIS]
- 2009/11/23: DN: First Signs of Melting Seen in East Antarctica
Antarctica's western ice sheet has been melting for some time and now the East Antarctica Ice Sheet, is beginning to crumble.- 2009/11/22: Reuters: East Antarctic ice began to melt faster in 2006: study
- 2009/11/23: TreeHugger: East Antarctic Ice Loss Accelerating Since 2006 - 'Large Impact' on Future Sea Level Rise Possible
- 2009/11/22: BBC: East Antarctica 'is losing ice'
The East Antarctic ice sheet has been losing mass for the last three years, according to an analysis of data from a gravity-measuring satellite mission.- 2009/11/22: Guardian(UK): World's largest ice sheet melting faster than expected
East Antarctic sheet shedding 57bn tonnes of ice a year and contributing to sea level rises, according to NASA aerial surveyThe food crisis is ongoing:
- 2009/11/28: NYT: Across U.S., Food Stamp Use Soars and Stigma Fades
- 2009/11/26: FAO: Food security in the Pacific at risk due to climate change -- FAO publishes policy brief for Copenhagen
- 2009/11/27: PlanetArk: Climate Change To Hit Pacific Islands Food Security
- 2009/11/26: EurActiv: World set for new food crisis in 2010, UN warns
Inaction to halt speculation on agricultural commodities and continued biofuels policies is paving the way for a re-run of the 2008 food price crisis in 2010 or 2011, argues Olivier De Schutter, the UN's special rapporteur on the right to food, in an interview with EurActiv. - 2009/11/25: PlanetArk: Warming Means Rain But No Crop Boost For NE China
- 2009/11/23: CCP: Lester R. Brown: A hotter planet means less on our plates
So, are these land grabs Colonialism V2?
- 2009/11/16: NYT: Is There Such a Thing as Agro-Imperialism?
And how are we going to feed 9 billion?
- 2009/11/27: PhysOrg: Food banks go high-tech to feed the hungry
- 2009/11/25: CCurrents: Put Farming First
- 2009/11/25: EurActiv: Should agriculture pay the climate price?
While agriculture and food production have long been considered untouchable in international climate talks, calls to make the sector contribute to greenhouse gas mitigation efforts have been growing louder. - 2009/11/25: SciNow: Americans' Eating Habits More Wasteful Than Ever
- 2009/11/25: MongaBay: Land of plenty: 50 percent rise in the amount of food wasted in America worsens global warming, consumes freshwater
- 2009/11/25: CBC: Food waste has environmental impact: scientists
Americans are wasting food at a rate of 1,400 calories per person per day which has implications for obesity and climate change, U.S. researchers say. Decomposing food waste emits the greenhouse gases methane and carbon dioxide, say the scientists, and producing and cooking food that doesn't get eaten burns excess fossil fuels, as well. - 2009/11/24: EurActiv: Global food security 'threatened by liberalisation'
Liberalising global agricultural trade without any regulation would threaten global food security as private investment funds would buy huge amounts of land in developing countries and produce for profit rather than to feed the poor, Jacques Carles, founder of Momagri, a French think-tank on agriculture, warned EurActiv in an interview. - 2009/11/25: Eureka: NASA's Aqua satellite sees Tropical Storm Bongani approaching Mozambique Channel
- 2009/11/25: Eureka: NASA's Aqua satellite sees Nida explode into a category 5 Super Typhoon
While elsewhere in the hurricane wars:
- 2009/11/25: UN: Madagascar: UN appeals for $6 million to stockpile supplies as cyclones loom
- 2009/11/25: UN: Conditions still critical for typhoon victims in Philippines, says UN
- 2009/11/25: EarthTimes: UN seeks 6 million dollars for Madagascar as cyclone season looms
As for GHGs:
- 2009/11/29: SciDaily: Peat Fires Drive Temperatures Up: Burning Rainforests Release Huge Amounts of Greenhouse Gases
[...] The new data imply that, in 2006, peatland fires in Indonesia released up to about 900 million metric tons of CO2. This is more than the total amount of CO2 emitted in Germany in that year, and represents about 16 % of the emissions associated with deforestation worldwide. - 2009/11/29: SciDaily: Solar Power from Your Windows, Awnings, Even Clothing?
- 2009/11/28: CCP: Jeffrey Park, Geophys. Res. Lett., 36 (2009), A re-evaluation of the coherence between global-average atmospheric CO2 and temperatures at interannual time scales
- 2009/11/26: Guardian(UK): What do the US and China's emissions targets actually mean?
- 2009/11/26: PhysOrg: Burning coal worse for climate than clearing rain forests
Deforestation has had a big influence on the increase of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions in the past three centuries, but its impact is tapering off relatively. Nowadays, the burning of fossil fuels is a more crucial factor. This is the contention of Dutchh professor Rik Leemans of the Environmental Systems Analysis Group. - 2009/11/26: EarthTimes: Swedish premier [Fredrik Reinfeldt]: US emission cuts [of 17% below 2005 levels by 2020] insufficent
- 2009/11/24: CCurrents: Greenhouse Gases Reach Record Highs
- 2009/11/24: PhysOrg: CO2 emissions continue significant climb
- 2009/11/24: WHOI: CO2 Emissions Continue Significant Climb
- 2009/11/23: WMO: Main Greenhouse Gases Reach Highest Level Ever Since Pre-Industrial Time
- 2009/11/23: Reuters: Greenhouse gases reach record levels-UN agency [WMO]
- 2009/11/24: Xinhuanet: Greenhouse gases reach highest levels, meteorologists warn
- 2009/11/24: BBC: Climate change: Copenhagen in graphics
Where do greenhouse gas emissions come from?
Which countries are most responsible for causing human-induced climate change?
And have governments pledged tough enough cuts so far to keep the global average temperature rise within "safe limits"? - 2009/11/24: CBC: Earth's greenhouse gases reach record highs
Greenhouse gases in the Earth's atmosphere reached record highs in 2008, with carbon dioxide levels increasing faster than previously, the UN weather agency said Monday in Geneva. Levels of greenhouse gases, believed to be responsible for global warming, have been rising every year since detailed records started being kept in 1958, the World Meteorological Organization said. [...] Since 1750, CO2 has increased 38 per cent, nitrous oxide 19 per cent and methane 157 per cent, according to WMO. - 2009/11/26: EUO: China pledges 40% cut in CO2 ahead of summit
And in the carbon cycle:
- 2009/11/24: TreeHugger: New Study Sends European Carbon Sinks Down the Drain...natural carbon sinks are being completely overloaded
- 2009/11/23: WWI: Oceans Absorb Less Carbon Dioxide as Marine Systems Change
- 2009/11/24: Yale: Oceans Absorbing Carbon Dioxide More Slowly, Yale Scientist Finds
As for the temperature record:
- 2009/11/24: ClimateP: Must-see NASA figures compare 2009 to the two hottest years on record: 2005 and 2007
- 2009/11/24: CCP: 2009 predicted to be in the top 5 warmest years on record, perhaps the top 3
- 2009/11/16: EconBrowser: The Global Surface Temperature Anomaly
- 2009/11/24: BBC: This year 'in top five warmest'
This year will be one of the top five warmest years globally since records began 150 years ago, according to figures compiled by the Met Office. - 2009/11/23: Wunderground: Globe has 2nd - 7th warmest October on record; U.S., 3rd coldest
While in the paleoclimate:
- 2009/11/28: NewScientist: Early Snowball Earth may have melted to a mudball
- 2009/11/28: CBC:Q&Q: Arctic Slush - Dr. David Barber, The Poop on Mammoths - Jacquelyn Gill
- 2009/11/27: JFleck: Climate Change and Southwestern Drought
- 2009/11/24: PhysOrg: From Greenhouse to Icehouse
A new study that reconstructed ocean temperatures from millions of years ago could provide new insight into how the Earth responds to climate change. - 2009/11/23: EarthTimes: New Zealand glaciers melting away, survey shows
Sea levels are rising:
- 2009/11/28: CCP: CNN: Sea level rise could cost port cities $28 trillion
- 2009/11/25: BBC: Liberians face rising flood threat
Liberia on Africa's west coast is in desperate need of help as it suffers from the effects of climate change. The country, which has been devastated by years of civil war, is now facing a second major threat - the ocean. - 2009/11/24: BBC: Mozambique sea-level rise: A disaster waiting to happen?
- 2009/11/25: CCP: BBC: Rising sea levels: A tale of two cities -- Rotterdam and Maputo
- 2009/11/23: TerraDaily: Melting icecaps to cause massive damage in port cities: WWF
- 2009/11/23: PeakEnergy: Western Australia sea level rising fast
- 2009/11/23: Yahoo:AFP: Melting icecaps to damage major port cities: WWF
As for ocean currents:
- 2009/11/29: Guardian(UK): Climate change: Gulf stream collapse could be like a disaster movie
Meanwhile in near earth orbit:
- 2009/11/24: PhysOrg: NASA Assessing New Roles for Ailing QuikScat Satellite
- 2009/11/24: Wunderground: QuikSCAT, 1999 - 2009: R.I.P.
More GW impacts are being seen:
- 2009/11/29: TerraDaily: Predictions for climate change this century
- 2009/11/29: PeakEnergy: Another Day, Another Dust Storm
- 2009/11/28: Guardian(UK): Climate change will hit Africa hardest
- 2009/11/27: Guardian(UK): Australia's wine industry in peril from climate change
- 2009/11/23: CCurrents: Global Warming To Have Heavy Impact On Arab States
- 2009/11/26: DerSpiegel: Climate Change's Clear Winners -- Europe's Wild Boar Population Exploding
Europe is waging war on the boar, whose numbers have been surging as a result of global warming and the large-scale cultivation of maize and rapeseed for biofuel. While violent confrontations with humans are on the rise, the animal is respected for its intelligence -- and remains dear to German hearts. - 2009/11/25: ANSAMed: Climate: Arab world most vulnerable to change, Arab League
- 2009/11/25: Reuters: Climate change to hit water-scarce Arab world hard
- 2009/11/23: PhysOrg: Time-Tunneling for Climate Change Clues
If you look closely at individual plant species' responses in the past, you may find that the largest effects of high carbon dioxide (CO2) levels occurred decades ago, according to Agricultural Research Service (ARS) scientists. That is when the botanical structure of the world's grasslands changed dramatically, offering clues to the future. - 2009/11/28: NYT: Protecting the Forests, and Hoping for Payback
- 2009/11/27: PlanetArk: Indonesia's Loggers Scrutinized Ahead Of Climate Summit
Logging in Indonesia can be a murky business involving navigating government bureaucracy to get permits and land concessions in one of the world's most corrupt countries, to winning the hearts and minds of villagers living near the rainforests. As the issue of deforestation gets set to take center-stage at a global climate change conference in Copenhagen next month, the rapid decline of Indonesia's rainforests has come into the spotlight following heated protests by Greenpeace at the site of a carbon-rich rainforest in Sumatra that is slated for logging. Indonesia's government has pledged to slow down deforestation, but the process of granting concessions is far from transparent in a country where bribe-taking by officials is common and local governments actively seek investment by logging firms, as well as palm oil plantations on cleared forests. - 2009/11/27: COP15: Brazil: 'Gringos' must pay to stop Amazon razing
Farmers who cut and burn trees in Brazil's part of the Amazon River Basin cause less environmental destruction, than rich Western nations have done in the past, the Brazilian President [Lula] says. - 2009/11/26: Reuters: Forest area bigger than Canada can be restored
Only one fifth of the world's forests remain but an area bigger than Canada could be restored without harming food production, a global alliance dedicated to restoring forests said on Thursday. A study by the Global Partnership on Forest Landscape Restoration (GPFLR), which includes the WWF, Britain's Forestry Commission and International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), said a billion hectares of former forests, equivalent to six percent of the world's total land area, could be restored. Previous assessments estimated 850 million hectares had restoration potential. - 2009/11/27: BBC: Battling Siberia's illegal loggers
- 2009/11/25: MongaBay: Reforestation effort would lower Britain's greenhouse gas emissions by 10 percent
- 2009/11/25: PhysOrg: Destruction spreads 'like a disease'
People have cleared more than a quarter of the worldà $(Bs (Bforests and half of its grasslands, according to a paper published today in the Proceedings of the Royal Society by researchers from The University of Queensland and Imperial College London. The research team also discovered a domino effect to wilderness destruction - that habitat clearance spread most rapidly in natural areas that had already been disturbed. - 2009/11/25: PlanetArk: Amazon Forest Schemes Await Strong Climate Pact
- 2009/11/25: BBC: UK tree plan to aid emissions cut
Millions of trees should be planted to cover an extra 4% of the UK in woodland in order to tackle climate change, the Forestry Commission has recommended. It said planting 23,000 hectares a year would make a "significant" contribution to meeting lower emissions targets. - 2009/11/25: WBCSD: Land pressures turning a quarter of India to desert: study
Nearly a quarter of India's land mass is desert or is turning into desert, according to a study published Wednesday, with deforestation and overgrazing among the main factors spurring the process. Northern and western India are the worst parts of India affected by the phenomenon, according to the study, which used satellite mapping and was the first national-level government-commissioned research published on the issue. - 2009/11/25: ABC(Au): Early bushfire threat tipped to be common
A climate change analyst is warning that higher temperatures over winter and autumn could see the Hunter become more vulnerable to "out of season" bushfires. - 2009/11/25: PhysOrg: NASA Aircraft Flies Calif. Wildfire Post-Burn Mission
NASA's remotely piloted Predator B aircraft, named Ikhana, recently conducted post-burn assessments of two Southern California wildfire sites, the Piute Fire in Kern County and the Station Fire in the Angeles National Forest. Ikhana, an unmanned aircraft equipped with an infrared imaging sensor, completed a seven-hour imaging flight on Nov. 19, 2009 from NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards Air Force Base, Calif. - 2009/11/23: PlanetArk: Bushfires Burn As Australia Prepares Final ETS Laws
And speaking of floods & droughts:
- 2009/11/28: BBC: The number of dead in floods following Saudi Arabia's heaviest rains for years has risen to around 100, officials say
- 2009/11/28: JFleck: Stuff I Wrote Elsewhere, Dead Tree Edition
- 2009/11/28: EarthTimes: Saudi Arabia raises death toll from flooding to 106
- 2009/11/26: EnvFin: McKinsey, World Bank warn on water
- 2009/11/27: EurActiv: Business frets about growing 'water gap'
Emerging economies such as China and India should adopt strict policies to curb their water use in key sectors such as agriculture, argues a new report by McKinsey & Company, warning that increasing scarcity threatens the stability of countries in which companies operate. - 2009/11/27: PlanetArk: The World's Looming 'Water Gap'...
- 2009/11/27: JFleck: Forecasting the Colorado
- 2009/11/26: ABC(Au): Report warns of water crisis by 2030 -- demand could outstrip supply by 40 per cent
A report backed by big business users of water warns that without global action, demand for water in 2030 will outstrip supply by 40 per cent. The biggest problems will be in India and China, and without concerted action, India will not be able to meet half of its water needs by 2030. In neighbouring China, the problem is even worse, with demand expected to outstrip supply by 25 per cent. - 2009/11/26: PlanetArk: Texas Ranchers Welcome Rain After Historic Drought
Autumn rains have soaked scorched parts of Texas, heralding the end of the worst drought on record in at least nine counties and bringing relief to the state's withered cattle industry. The rains have come too late for some growers of cotton and other crops. Drought-related losses for 2009 may exceed $4 billion in Texas, whose $21 billion in 2007 farm sales made it second to California in U.S. agricultural production. - 2009/11/26: BBC: Saudi Arabia floods leave 77 dead
Floods in Saudi Arabia have killed 77 people and scores could be missing, after the heaviest rainfall in years - 2009/11/24: TerraDaily: India water demand set to double by 2030: study
- 2009/11/25: Guardian(UK): The floods can't keep Cockermouth down
- 2009/11/25: Guardian(UK): Britain under water: How the state responded
- 2009/11/24: PhysOrg: Dead Sea needs world help to stay alive
The Dead Sea may soon shrink to a lifeless pond as Middle East political strife blocks vital measures needed to halt the decay of the world's lowest and saltiest body of water, experts say. - 2009/11/23: FresnoBee: Calif. scientists announce proof of mega-droughts
While Californians worry about the three-year drought dragging on another season, researchers say climate change soon could create much longer dry spells -- lasting decades or even centuries. - 2009/11/24: BBC: Heavy rain hits flooded Cumbria
Heavy rain has returned to Cumbria, days after record-breaking rainfall swept away bridges and flooded homes. Up to 100mm (3.9in) of rain is forecast over high ground. Across the UK, 17 flood warnings remain in place. Roads, bridges and schools are still closed in Cumbria... - 2009/11/23: BBC: Residents in areas of Cumbria hit by devastating floods have been warned to expect further heavy rain and possibly more flooding
- 2009/11/22: ClimateP: In other UK news: "Rain like this happens once every 1,000 years"
- 2009/11/23: PerthNow: Farmers vow to battle on as drought worsens
Farmers will battle through the drought because they believe current dry conditions are mostly cyclical and not the effect of climate change, the NSW Farmers Association says - 2009/11/23: BBC: Residents return to flooded town
Some 900 home and shop owners in one of the towns worst hit by recent flooding have been allowed to return by police. All properties in Cockermouth are being checked by engineers before people can enter. Elsewhere in Cumbria, at least 25 roads and 16 bridges remain closed. There are 20 flood warnings across the UK but forecasters say Monday's rain should not raise river levels. However, more is due on Tuesday and the Environment Agency said it was "keeping a very close eye on the situation". - 2009/11/23: CBC: Flood-hit North England residents return home
- 2009/11/22: CBC: Vancouver Island residents survey flood damage
The strange, sad story of wild Australian camels in the drought:
- 2009/11/28: ERabett: Global Warming Threat Enrages Australian Camels
- 2009/11/25: TerraDaily: 6,000 [thirsty] camels besiege outback Australian town
- 2009/11/25: CBC: Australian territory to cull 6,000 wild camels
Australian authorities plan to corral about 6,000 wild camels with helicopters and gun them down after they overran a small Outback town in search of water, trampling fences, smashing tanks and contaminating supplies. The Northern Territory government announced its plan Wednesday for Docker River, a town of 350 residents where thirsty camels have been arriving daily for weeks because of drought conditions in the region. - 2009/11/29: ABC(Au): Shear science: project curbs burping sheep
Australian scientists are trying to lower the carbon footprint of the nation's livestock by selectively breeding sheep that emit less gas through burping. - 2009/11/29: BBC: Australian scientists have said they are hoping to breed sheep that burp less as part of efforts to tackle climate change
Consider transportation & GHG production:
- 2009/11/24: CalcRisk: ATA Truck Tonnage Index Declines in October
- 2009/11/23: USA Today: Feds try again to fix problems in U.S. airline industry
For the third time in 16 years the federal government is forming a blue-ribbon panel to try to save the USA's troubled airline industry, which has racked up $58.5 billion in losses and shed 158,000 jobs this decade. - 2009/11/23: KSJT: Daily Mail: Can 16 ships out-pollute all the cars in the world?
- 2009/11/23: PlanetArk: Curbs To Ship Pollution Would Stoke Global Warming, Study Says
While in the endless quest for zero energy, sustainable buildings and practical codes:
- 2009/11/25: FuturePundit: Rapidly Expanding Suburbs Start Contracting
- 2009/11/25: FuturePundit: Deep Retrofits For Housing Efficiency
- 2009/11/25: ORNL: ORNL "deep retrofits" can cut home energy bills in half
- 2009/11/24: Grist: Making buildings more efficient: rationalizing retrofit markets
- 2009/11/23: PS: Green Buildingsà $(B B (Bottom Line
- 2009/11/23: Grist: Making buildings more efficient: looking beyond price
- 2009/11/23: TreeHugger: Terrific Green Tool: Precautionary List From [architectural firm] Perkins+Will
As for carbon sequestration:
- 2009/11/24: OilDrum: Carbon Capture and Storage
- 2009/11/23: PhysOrg: Predicting the fate of underground carbon
A team of researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology has developed a new modeling methodology for determining the capacity and assessing the risks of leakage of potential underground carbon-dioxide reservoirs. - 2009/11/25: PhysOrg: Climate experts debate strategies for reducing atmospheric carbon and future warming
- 2009/11/24: DN: Newest Weapon Against Climate Change: Rocks
A strong contender in the fight against global warming may be right under our feet. Rocks with a powerful thirst for carbon dioxide (CO2) could suck enough of the greenhouse gas from the atmosphere to help counteract global warming, according to a recent study. The country of Oman hosts a strip of mantle rocks called peridotites in a formation 350 kilometers (217.5 miles) long and 30 kilometers (18.6 miles) wide. - 2009/11/28: AGWObserver: The Copenhagen Diagnosis references
- 2009/11/23: NERC:NORA: Modelling impacts of changes in carbon dioxide concentration, climate and nitrogen deposition on carbon sequestration by European forests and forest soils by G.W.W. Wamelink et al.
- 2009/11/25: NERC:NORA: UK emissions by sources and removals by sinks due to land use, land use change and forestry activities. Report, June 2005 by R. Milne et al.
- 2009/11/26: NERC:NORA: Marine ice in Larsen Ice Shelf by Paul Holland et al.
- 2009/11/27: ACP: Evaluation of black carbon estimations in global aerosol models by D. Koch et al.
- 2009/11/27: ACP: Northern winter stratospheric temperature and ozone responses to ENSO inferred from an ensemble of Chemistry Climate Models by C. Cagnazzo et al.
- 2009/11/26: ACPD: Atmospheric diurnal and semi-diurnal variations observed with GPS radio occultation soundings by F. Xie et al.
- 2009/11/27: CPD: Mountain uplift and the threshold for sustained Northern Hemisphere Glaciation by G. L. Foster et al.
- 2009/11/24: TCD: Polynyas in a dynamic-thermodynamic sea-ice model by E. Ã $(H. Ã $(Cla (Bson & I. Harms
- 2009/11/24: AGWObserver: Papers on polar ice sheets
- 2009/11/23: ACP: Effect of biomass burning on marine stratocumulus clouds off the California coast by J. Brioude et al.
- 2009/11/24: ACP: On the relationship of polar mesospheric cloud ice water content, particle radius and mesospheric temperature and its use in multi-dimensional models by A. W. Merkel et al.
- 2009/11/23: ACP: Decadal trends in aerosol chemical composition at Barrow, Alaska: 1976-2008 by P. K. Quinn et al.
- 2009/11/23: ACP: Can gravity waves significantly impact PSC occurrence in the Antarctic? by A. J. McDonald et al.
- 2009/11/25: ACPD: The 16-day wave in the Arctic and Antarctic mesosphere and lower thermosphere by K. A. Day & N. J. Mitchell
- 2009/11/24: ACPD: Characterization of aerosol chemical composition by aerosol mass spectrometry in Central Europe: an overview by V. A. Lanz et al.
- 2009/11/23: ACPD: Validation of Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) ozone profiles and stratospheric ozone columns with Microwave Limb Sounder (MLS) measurements by X. Liu et al.
- 2009/11/24: PNAS: Glacier loss on Kilimanjaro continues unabated by L. G. Thompson et al.
- 2009/11/24: PNAS: [Commentary$] Cryptic microbial communities in Antarctic deserts by Don A. Cowan
- 2009/11/22: NatGeo: (ab$) Accelerated Antarctic ice loss from satellite gravity measurements by J. L. Chen et al.
And other significant documents:
- 2009/11/28: VoxEU: Trade, pollution, and the environment: New international evidence by Jaime de Melo et al.
The 'pollution haven' view asserts that globalisation draws industries to countries with lax environmental regulation. This column present evidence that that the major polluting industries are not very footloose and that changes in emissions through the relocation of activities are relatively small. The growth of trade itself, however, is likely to contribute to growing emissions associated with transport. - OceanClimateChange(Au): [link to 1.7 meg pdf] Climate Change Impacts and Adaptation Report Card for Australia 2009
- 2009/11/26: NRTEE: [links to pdf sections] True North: Adapting Infrastructure to Climate Change in Northern Canada
- 2009/11/25: Lancet: [multiple papers] Health and Climate Change
- 2009/11/24: DWWSJ: [link to 3.8 meg pdf] Kudos to Meteorologist/Professor Scott Mandia
- 2009/11/23: WaterMatters: [link to 1.1.meg pdf] Watered Down: Overcoming Federal Inaction on the Impact of Oil Sands Development to Water Resources
- 2009/11/05: FAS:CRS: [245k pdf] "Status of the Copenhagen Climate Change Negotiations"
Before we get into politics, there was some science done:
- 2009/11/25: NCM: Follow up on Rahmstorf 2007
- 2009/11/26: BBC: Past climate anomalies explained
Unusually warm and cold periods in Earth's pre-industrial climate history are linked to how the oceans responded to temperature changes, say scientists. The researchers focused particularly on intervals known as the "little ice age" and "medieval warm period". In the journal Science, they report that these climate "anomalies" were likely caused by changes to El Nino and the North Atlantic Oscillation. They say studying the past in this way could help refine climate models. - 2009/11/24: MTobis: An Interesting Gripe
- 2009/11/24: EarthTimes: Study: Climate change to have irreversible consequences by 2050
A lack of determined action on climate change means that by 2050 global warming of more than the targeted 2 degrees celsius will have taken place, a study released in Berlin Monday said. In its "Tipping Points" report, environmental advocacy group WWF and global insurance firm Allianz said the consequences of emissions already made would, by 2050, likely include a global sea-level rise of 0.5 metres, disrupted monsoon rain patterns, Amazon die-back, and severe drought in the south-western United States. The report's authors said that large, sudden changes would likely affect the world's climate, rather than a gradual, manageable process. - 2009/11/26: Eureka: Past regional cold and warm periods linked to natural climate drivers [ENSO & NAO]
Hansen, redux:
- 2009/11/26: Nature: [James Hansen interview & book plug] The eye of the storm
Outspoken climate scientist James Hansen has just completed his first book, due for release in December - 2009/11/26: NatureCF: Interview with NRCC: James Hansen
- 2009/11/23: SolveClimate: Tipping Points: Melting Ice, Rising Oceans by James Hansen
James Annan Esq. and the AGU journals:
- 2009/11/25: JEB: Comment on "Advice to the AGU regarding their journals", by James Annan Esq.
- 2009/11/24: JEB: Advice to the AGU regading their journals
Tobis:
- 2009/11/23: MTobis: Fighting Bad Science
- 2009/11/22: MTobis: For Science, Against Opposing Anti-Science
How will Carbon Labelling work?
- 2009/11/24: PhysOrg: Does carbon labelling give developing countries a bad deal?
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:
- 2009/11/28: BBC: Carbon offsetting 'not working'
Consumer carbon offset schemes do not lead people to change their behaviour, the first holiday firm to run such a scheme has argued. Responsible Travel said they were a "distraction" from climate change's real urgency and is ending its scheme. - 2009/11/26: PlanetArk: Factbox: Unraveling The Voluntary Carbon Market
- 2009/11/26: BBC: Who pays and who gains from carbon offsetting?
- 2009/11/24: ClimateP: Letà $(Bs (Bgo with cap-and-innovate
Meanwhile on the international political front:
- 2009/11/26: EurActiv: EU, China to ink clean coal deal at summit
Leaders from China and Europe will sign a new Science and Technology Agreement at next week's summit in Nanjing, where progress is also likely on a major near-zero emissions coal project. - 2009/11/26: ABC(Au): Prime Minister Kevin Rudd will travel to Washington next week for talks with United States President Barack Obama ahead of the UN Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen
- 2009/11/25: Yahoo:AFP: Small island states lobby Canada for deeper CO2 cuts
An Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS) representative on Wednesday appealed to Canada to aim for deeper cuts in carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions at upcoming international climate talks in Copenhagen. - 2009/11/23: PhysOrg: Competitive, trade-friendly nations weather volatile crop yields best
Richer nations with competitive crop production and few trade barriers would fare the best if climate change, weather events or other factors cause yields of grain and oilseed crops to become more volatile, a new study has found. By these criteria, the United States is poised to do well, but France would come out on top, according to the study of 21 countries conducted by economists at Oregon State University. - 2009/11/25: ClimateP: New U.S.-India Green Partnership improves prospects for global climate deal
- 2009/11/25: NRDC:SwitchBoard: US-India "Green Partnership"
- 2009/11/24: Guardian(UK): US and India pledge common action on climate change
- 2009/11/24: ScienceInsider: India and U.S. Ink "Green Partnership"
- 2009/11/24: EarthTimes: US, India agree on partnership for 'green' economy
As for GW & security:
- 2009/11/27: LA Times: Kenyans draw weapons over shrinking resources
Experts fear the conflicts involving cattle, water and land may be just the beginning of climate-driven violence in Africa. At least 400 people have died in northern Kenya this year, the U.N. says.- 2009/11/25: DM:80B: Do Hot, Dry Conditions Cause More African Civil Wars?
- 2009/11/23: SciAm: Can Climate Change Cause Conflict? Recent History Suggests So
A survey delving into the past 30 years in sub-Saharan Africa reveals that temperature changes match up with a significant increase in the likelihood of civil war- 2009/11/24: TreeHugger: 50% More Civil War In Africa by 2030... Thanks to Climate Change
- 2009/11/24: BBC: Climate 'drives African conflict'
Climate has been a major driver of armed conflict in Africa, research shows - and future warming is likely to increase the number of deaths from war. US researchers found that across the continent, conflict was about 50% more likely in unusually warm years. Writing in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), they suggest strife arises when the food supply is scarce in warm conditions.- 2009/11/23: MongaBay: Global warming will increase likelihood of civil war in Africa by 55 percent
- 2009/11/23: NewScientist: African conflicts spurred by warming
- 2009/11/23: Eureka: Climate change could boost incidence of civil war in Africa
The issue of the law and activism is playing out around the world as nations scramble to deal with climate change:
- 2009/11/27: SolveClimate: Climate Activism Soars Planetwide Ahead of Copenhagen Climate Talks
- 2009/11/27: PlanetArk: Protest Stops Cranes At Indonesia's APP Paper Port
- 2009/11/26: EarthTimes: Indonesian police stop Greenpeace forest stunt
- 2009/11/25: DerSpiegel: From Seattle to Copenhagen -- Climate Change Summit Becomes a Target for Protest
Is global warming the new globalization? Environmental activists are hoping that demonstrations at next month's climate summit in Denmark can forge a protest movement like the anti-globalization movement seen after the WTO riots in 1999. But the Danish authorities have other ideas.- 2009/11/25: EarthTimes: Indonesian police arrest Greenpeace activists in Sumatra [for blocking the export facilities of a major pulp mill company]
- 2009/11/25: CCP: Plans for Copenhagen by Leon Simons, Dutch Country Coordinator of the Global Youth Panel
- 2009/11/23: CBC: 7 arrested for sit-in at environment minister's office
A sit-in at federal Environment Minister Jim Prentice's constituency office in Calgary ended after eight hours Monday with the arrest of seven protesters. They were charged with criminal mischief and are to appear in court Dec. 31. Calling themselves Citizens for Climate Justice, the protesters are mostly constituents of Calgary-Centre North. They had crowded into the small reception office at 10 a.m. MT, saying they wouldn't leave unless Prentice agreed to improve the country's policy on climate change. The group wants Prentice to commit to reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 2020 to 25 per cent of 1990 levels.- 2009/11/23: Grist: Don't Miss Climate Change Ground Zero Protest -- Copenhagen, U.S.A. December 7
- 2009/11/23: ABC(Au): Protesters arrested as climate debate rages
Over 100 protesters have been arrested at Parliament House in Canberra while demonstrating against the Government's actions on climate change. The group descended on Parliament today as debate continues to rage in the Senate over the Government's Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme. Holding a banner which read "Rudd the world is watching - make Copenhagen count", the protesters called on the Government to commit to a 40 per cent emissions reduction in 2000 levels by 2020. But police began to arrest the protesters, who sat down in front of the main entrance to Parliament House, after they refused to budge for several hours.- 2009/11/23: Guardian(UK): [Letters] We'll protect protest in Copenhagen by Danish Ambassador to UK, Birger Riis-Jørgensen
And on the American political front:
- 2009/11/24: C411: California Pushes Ahead with a Carbon Cap, Ahead of Schedule
- 2009/11/27: PhysOrg: New [US] climate targets may not change daily life much
- 2009/11/27: SF Gate: Bureaucracy trips up renewable energy projects -- California's renewable power boom is off to a slower start than planned.
Delays have hit more than half of the big solar, wind and geothermal energy projects under development throughout the state, according to a recent government report. They're still moving forward, but not at the pace their developers expected. As a result, California probably won't meet its goal of getting 20 percent of its electricity from renewable sources by the end of 2010 - a key element of the state's fight against global warming. In some cases, solar plants and wind farms have had difficulty lining up financing, particularly after last year's economic meltdown. Others need new transmission lines to carry their electricity to market. Some draw fire from environmentalists for their potential impact on plants and wildlife. And for many, the process of winning government permits to begin construction has dragged on longer than expected. The local, state and federal agencies involved have been buried in applications, more than they can easily handle. Some agencies are now adding staff - a rarity in these times of constant budget cuts - to break the logjam.- 2009/11/25: BRitholtz: Multibillion-Dollar Push Into Energy Research
- 2009/11/25: NRDC:SwitchBoard: I think I Can: California moves to reduce GHG emissions
- 2009/11/25: AutoBG: Consumer Federation of America pushing CAFE to climb to 45 mpg by 2020
- 2009/11/24: LAT:GreenSpace: California pushes cap-and-trade plan
- 2009/11/24: PhysOrg: NREL Uncovers Clean Energy Leaders State by State
- 2009/11/24: BBerg: Cash-strapped states in search of new revenue may establish their own "cap-and-trade" program for greenhouse gases covering more than half the U.S. economy if Congress doesnà $(Bt (Bset up a federal emissions market.
"Plan A is we get a federal cap-and-trade program," Judi Greenwald, a vice president at the Arlington, Virginia-based Pew Center on Global Climate Change, said by phone. State-enforced greenhouse gas limits "can be a credible Plan B." Ten Northeastern states already have a cap-and-trade program for power plants and raised $432.8 million from carbon dioxide permit sales since September 2008. Two other multistate coalitions plan to start cap-and-trade programs in 2012 that would cover power plants and other pollution sources such as factories, cars and trucks. With backers of cap-and-trade legislation that passed the U.S. House of Representatives in June struggling to round up support in the Senate, the states are discussing the "nuts and bolts" of linking regional programs to form a single carbon market, Illinois Environmental Protection Agency Director Doug Scott said in an interview.- 2009/11/23: NRDC:SwitchBoard: Talking with IPCC Chairman Pachauri about U.S. Climate Action
Another poll has people wondering:
- 2009/11/25: UPI: Poll: Belief there is global warming drops
The percentage of Americans believing global warming is occurring dropped from 80 percent to 72 percent in the last year, a Washington Post poll indicates.- 2009/11/25: Grist: What to make of the new climate poll?
- 2009/11/25: WaPo: Fewer Americans believe in global warming, poll shows
The US Chamber of Commerce is still a target:
- 2009/11/24: TP: Seattle Chamber of Commerce: Unlike the U.S. Chamber, weà $(Bre (B à $(Aen (Bvironmentally progressive.à $(B (BA>
- 2009/11/23: NRDC:SwitchBoard: The US Chamber of Big Checks
- 2009/11/23: NRDC:SwitchBoard: Seattle Chamber of Commerce Distances Itself from US Chamber
The Obama chatter took off this week with Copenhagen speculation:
- 2009/11/26: TDB: Obama's Secret Climate Pact
It's no coincidence that one day after the White House announced new emissions targets, China followed suit with its own target. The Daily Beast's Richard Wolffe on the behind-the-scenes negotiations during Obama's Asia trip that could help break the climate stalemate in Copenhagen.- 2009/11/26: OilChange: Obama off to Copenhagen, but its too little too late ..
- 2009/11/25: SolveClimate: Obama Going to Copenhagen with 2020 Greenhouse Gas Target
- 2009/11/26: BBC: President Obama's decision to attend the UN climate talks in Copenhagen has been welcomed by European leaders
- 2009/11/25: BBC: US pledges carbon emissions cuts
President Barack Obama is to pledge to cut greenhouse gas emissions in the US in several stages, beginning with a 17% cut by 2020, the White House has said. The offer will be made at December's UN climate talks in Copenhagen, which Mr Obama will attend.
- 2009/11/26: ABC(Au): US President Barack Obama will offer to cut America's carbon emissions by 17 per cent of 2005 levels by 2020 when he attends one day of next month's climate summit in Copenhagen
- 2009/11/25: NewScientist: Obama offers fixed targets for US emissions cuts
- 2009/11/25: Grist: Obama headed to Copenhagen, sets the bar for success
- 2009/11/25: HillHeat: Obama Administration Announces Copenhagen Schedule, Including Presidential Visit
- 2009/11/25: CSW: President Obama will travel to Copenhagen on Dec. 9 to participate in the UN climate conference
- 2009/11/25: TreeHugger: Obama to Attend COP15 Climate Summit
- 2009/11/25: EarthTimes: Obama to travel to Copenhagen climate summit
- 2009/11/25: WSJ:EnvCap: Mr. Obama Goes to Copenhagen
- 2009/11/25: OilChange: Obama Official Slams "Poison Politics" of Oil Industry
- 2009/11/25: USAToday: Obama to outline climate goals at Copenhagen
- 2009/11/25: TP:WR: Obama Bringing Hope To Copenhagen, But Whither Hillary?
- 2009/11/25: CBC: Obama to attend global climate summit
- 2009/11/22: CSW: Obama 2008: "Time for delay is over. This is a matter of urgency." US 2009: No climate policy
- 2009/11/23: BBC: US will announce climate target
The US will announce a target for reducing greenhouse gas emissions before next month's UN climate summit, according to a White House official. The target is expected to be in line with figures contained in legislation before the Senate - a reduction of about 17-20% from 2005 levels by 2020.The actions of the Obama administration are being watched closely:
- 2009/11/26: TreeHugger: US Federal Trade Commission Proposes CFL Labels For Light Output, Color, Mercury, & More
- 2009/11/25: CSW: EPA attempt to limit free speech by agency lawyers Laurie Williams and Allan Zabel violates the law
- 2009/11/23: TreeHugger: US to Announce National Carbon Emissions Reduction Target
As for what is going on in Congress:
- 2009/11/29: TP: Inhofe Trashes Military Generals Who Advocate For Clean Energy Legislation: They Crave à $(ATh (Be Limelightà $(B (BA>
- 2009/11/23: SF Gate: Sen. Udall sponsors bill to attack pine beetles
The Gore-apalooza is still bopping along:
- 2009/11/29: TStar: Al Gore: Life in the eye of the climate-change storm -- Critics say the former VP is raking it in; he says he's just trying to save us all
- 2009/11/25: CBC: Gore predicts climate treaty by next year
- 2009/11/23: CCP: Al Gore to techies: Shake off the lethargy
While in the UK:
- 2009/11/26: BBC: Wind turbine noise rules 'dated'
The government urgently needs to update its guidance on how local authorities should assess the impact of noise from wind turbines, campaigners have said. Environmental Protection UK say turbines are now so large, the noise generated by the turning blades can affect those living nearby. The pressure group believes that changes in technology are not being reflected in the current guidelines. The government says it is continuing research into the impact of noise.- 2009/11/25: BBC: New UK nuclear stations unlikely to be on time
A Newsnight investigation suggests that UK government plans to build a new generation of nuclear power stations to fill the energy gap by 2020 are wildly optimistic.- 2009/11/24: BBC: Tories in Whitehall carbon pledge
And in Europe:
- 2009/11/29: Guardian(UK): Climate change denier Nick Griffin to represent EU at Copenhagen
- 2009/11/28: ScienceInsider: Women Bag Top E.U. Science and Climate Jobs
- 2009/11/27: Guardian(UK): The Dane with green energy for Europe -- Connie Hedegaard is Europe's new climate commissioner
- 2009/11/26: EurActiv: Parliament calls for 30 billion euros in yearly climate aid
After EU officials had hailed the prospect of the United States setting targets for reducing greenhouse-gas emissions, the European Parliament yesterday (25 November) called for an ambitious, legally-binding agreement to be struck in Copenhagen and urged EU leaders to bring 30 billion euros in climate aid to the negotiating table.- 2009/11/26: EurActiv: Parliament rubberstamps law on tyre labelling
- 2009/11/26: EUO: EU parliament passes green tyre-labeling law
- 2009/11/26: EarthTimes: Ukraine focus for new [EU] energy efficiency programme
- 2009/11/25: COP15: EU environment commissioner urges to cut emissions by 30 percent
- 2009/11/24: EurActiv: EU waits for US to up carbon reduction target
The US and China will have to put their cards on the table before the EU can increase its CO2 reduction target to 30%, Swedish Environment Minister Andreas Carlgren said yesterday (23 November), after EU environment ministers had met to clarify tactics for the UN climate conference in Copenhagen.- 2009/11/23: EurActiv: Barroso warned not to split environment, climate portfolios
A leading group of MEPs on Friday (20 November) warned European Commission President José Manuel Barroso not to create a separate climate action department in the next EU executive, as rumours abound in Brussels that the environmental portfolio currently held by Stavros Dimas could be split in two.- 2009/11/23: EUO: Sweden hits out at US ahead of climate summit
- 2009/11/23: EUO: UN climate chief [UNFCCC head, Yvo de Boer]: 'The world is waiting for the EU'
- 2009/11/23: COP15: EU urges US and China to deliver carbon targets
Meanwhile in Australia:
- 2009/11/27: ABC(Au): Sea level rise disparity worries council
A north Queensland council is calling on the state and federal governments to come up with an agreed forecast for sea level rises. State Government planning policy says councils should account for an increase of 800 millimetres in the next 100 years, but a recent report to the Federal Government says the increase is likely to be 1,100mm. Peter Cardiff from the Mackay Regional Council says the discrepancy between the two government figures is concerning.- 2009/11/26: ABC(Au): Prime Minister Kevin Rudd will travel to Washington next week for talks with United States President Barack Obama ahead of the UN Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen
- 2009/11/26: ABC(Au): Farmers across South Australia are in a race against time to harvest crops as rain threatens to seriously downgrade the quality of grain
- 2009/11/25: ABC(Au): The Federal Government may have added billions of dollars in compensation under its revised emissions trading legislation, but Australia's biggest carbon polluters still do not like the sweetened deal on offer
- 2009/11/25: ABC(Au): ETS must include agriculture says academic
The Federal Government is being urged to include farmland in any emissions trading scheme (ETS). Professor Leigh Sullivan from Southern Cross University says Australia could miss an opportunity to safely store 150 million tonnes of carbon dioxide a year.- 2009/11/25: ABC(Au): Rockhampton Mayor Brad Carter says he is still concerned that the Federal Government's emissions trading scheme (ETS) could force mining job cuts
- 2009/11/25: ABC(Au): A Newcastle environmentalist [Duncan Jinks] says the Federal Government's changes to the emission trading scheme shows it is caving in to the coal industry
- 2009/11/25: ABC(Au): Households to foot emissions scheme bill
The upshot of the events in Canberra this week is that the Government's emissions trading scheme will be passed by the Senate sometime later this week - barring miracles or accidents.- 2009/11/25: JQuiggin: Three universes collide!
- 2009/11/24: Guardian(UK): Australia's climate legislation reform looms with compromise carbon deal
- 2009/11/24: BizToday(Au): Coal industry scores sweetener in ETS deal
The coal industry, electricity generators and farmers are the big winners from an emissions trading deal struck between the Rudd government and the opposition leadership. As expected, agriculture has been excluded from the governmentà $(Bs (Bcarbon pollution reduction scheme, the coal industry will get $1.5 billion over the next five years and total assistance to electricity generators will be worth $7.3 billion.- 2009/11/24: Reuters: Australia's carbon scheme gains bipartisan support
Australia's government gained bipartisan backing on Tuesday for its revised carbon-trade plan, avoiding an early election and boosting compensation to big carbon emitters, coal companies and electricity generators. Opposition leader Malcolm Turnbull said conservative senators will back the scheme in a parliamentary vote later this week, ending a deadlock that threatened the carbon-trade plan, a central part of the government's efforts to fight climate change. However, divisions over the scheme run deep in the opposition and some members are threatening to vote against it or try to have the Senate vote, expected on Thursday, delayed until February 2010.- 2009/11/24: GWWatch: Don't let evil flourish...
- 2009/11/24: GWWatch: Who is who in the Coalition zoo
- 2009/11/24: BBC: Hope for Australia carbon deal
The Australian government has struck a deal with opposition leaders on a revised carbon trading scheme. The emissions trading scheme (ETS), aimed at reducing Australia's carbon footprint, is the centrepiece of the government's environmental strategy.- 2009/11/24: ABC(Au): Prime Minister Kevin Rudd and his senior ministers are appealing to the Opposition to put its divisions aside and vote for an amended emissions trading scheme
- 2009/11/23: ABC(Au): The Chamber of Commerce and Industry has tried to step up pressure on the major political parties to delay a vote on the emissions trading scheme
- 2009/11/23: ABC(Au): VCAT refuses Gippsland subdivision due to rising sea risk
The Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (VCAT ) has refused a subdivision at Waratah Bay in Gippsland because of the risk of sea-level rise. The South Gippsland Shire's Andrew McEwan says the decision is a landmark one for the region's planners, and will have many consequences.- 2009/11/23: COP15: Australia in run-up for climate vote
- 2009/11/23: BBerg: Rudd Seeks Carbon Vote Before Parliament Ends Nov. 26
- 2009/11/23: ABC(Au): Protesters arrested as climate debate rages
Over 100 protesters have been arrested at Parliament House in Canberra while demonstrating against the Government's actions on climate change. The group descended on Parliament today as debate continues to rage in the Senate over the Government's Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme. Holding a banner which read "Rudd the world is watching - make Copenhagen count", the protesters called on the Government to commit to a 40 per cent emissions reduction in 2000 levels by 2020. But police began to arrest the protesters, who sat down in front of the main entrance to Parliament House, after they refused to budge for several hours.The meltdown of the opposition Liberal party has everyone entranced:
- 2009/11/29: NYT: Australia Fans Election Talk Over Carbon Plan
Australia on Sunday fanned talk of a snap election over climate change, effectively setting a Monday deadline for lawmakers to approve its scheme to cut carbon emissions or risk the wrath of voters.- 2009/11/29: Reuters: Australia opposition vulnerable on emissions: poll
- 2009/11/28: ABC(Au): Liberal stoush could derail emissions scheme
Timing is becoming increasingly critical in the Liberal leadership fallout because the issue that sparked it - the Government's emissions trading scheme - is still before the Senate. The Senate is due to resume debate on the scheme at 10:00am AEDT on Monday, as part of a deal between the Government and the Opposition, and it will sit until a decision is made. That debate may still be happening when the Liberal Party meets on Tuesday to decide on a leader.- 2009/11/28: ABC(Au): Opposition Leader Malcolm Turnbull says he has the support of Joe Hockey to stay on as leader
- 2009/11/28: Australian: Pitchfork revolt punctures the carbon bubble
The Rudd-Turnbull greenhouse gas emissions deal is supposed to give business the certainty it needs to pour billions of dollars into transforming Australia into a low-carbon economy. But, like the conservative political revolt it has triggered, the course of Australia's biggest policy upheaval in a generation is anything but certain.- 2009/11/27: Guardian(UK): Climate change bill splits Australia's Liberal party
- 2009/11/27: ABC(Au): Turnbull won't be spooked by rebels
A defiant Malcolm Turnbull says he will not run scared from climate change sceptics within his party and is confident he will remain Liberal leader.- 2009/11/27: ABC(Au): Liberals to decide Turnbull's fate Tuesday
Malcolm Turnbull's future will be decided by his colleagues next Tuesday morning when the party will meet to consider a push led by Tony Abbott to hold a leadership spill. The party is in crisis after mass resignations yesterday in protest against Mr Turnbull's decision to back the Government's emissions trading scheme (ETS). The Government is also heaping pressure on the Coalition after the Senate failed to vote on the legislation today, opening speculation about the possibility of a double dissolution election.- 2009/11/27: ABC(Au): Senior Liberal Tony Abbott has formally challenged Malcolm Turnbull to a Liberal leadership spill
- 2009/11/27: ABC(Au): Mirabella quits shadow ministry over ETS
The federal Member for Indi, Sophie Mirabella, is one of several Liberal Party MPs to quit the shadow ministry over the emissions trading scheme (ETS). Sophie Mirabella, Nick Minchin, Eric Abetz, Tony Abbott and Tony Smith have all quit the shadow ministry and will vote against the amended ETS. Opposition Leader Malcolm Turnbull was last night resisting calls for his resignation and says he remains committed to voting for the scheme.- 2009/11/27: ABC(Au): Sources deny Bishop-Turnbull split
There have been strong denials that Deputy Opposition Leader Julie Bishop urged Malcolm Turnbull to stand down from the leadership amid growing threats to his leadership.- 2009/11/27: ABC(Au): Climate sceptics 'out of step' with voters
A leading pollster says hardline climate change sceptics within the Coalition are "out of step" with the majority of Australian voters. As the political temperature and debate over the proposed emissions trading scheme (ETS) rose dramatically this week, Coalition MPs spoke of phones melting down and email inboxes being swamped by an angry public.- 2009/11/27: NatureTGB: Climate change induces meltdown in Australian opposition party
- 2009/11/27: ABC(Au): Libs consider life after Turnbull
- 2009/11/27: PlanetArk: Australian Carbon Laws Face Fresh Turmoil
- 2009/11/27: JQuiggin: The lunatics have taken over the asylum
- 2009/11/27: JQuiggin: DD [Double Dissolution] coming up?
- 2009/11/27: COP15: Turmoil in the Australian Parliament questions climate legislation
- 2009/11/27: BBC: Australia emissions plan in chaos
The Australian government's plans to enact a law for an emissions trading scheme have been thrown into chaos. A revolt within the opposition Liberal Party means a key deadline for the Senate to pass the legislation has been missed. Liberal leader Malcolm Turnbull had agreed with Prime Minister Kevin Rudd to pass the scheme in the Senate, where the government is in a minority. If the Senate fails to pass the scheme, Mr Rudd can call a snap election. That could be an appealing option, as he would be expected to win by a very big margin, seriously damaging the Liberals.- 2009/11/26: ABC(Au): The Federal Member for Hume [Liberal MP Alby Schultz] in regional New South Wales says he will cross the floor and vote against an emissions trading scheme (ETS).
- 2009/11/26: JQuiggin: Abbott out
Tony Abbottà $(Bs (Bresignation must surely mark the end for Malcolm Turnbullà $(Bs (Bleadership and therefore, in all probability, for the deal with Labor over the ETS.- 2009/11/27: JQuiggin: A long parliament?
- 2009/11/26: EarthTimes: Australia's carbon trading scheme in jeopardy
Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd's chances of having legislation for a carbon trading scheme through Parliament before next month's climate conference in Copenhagen was placed in jeopardy Thursday by a mutiny within the opposition Liberal Party.- 2009/11/26: Reuters: Australian carbon laws face fresh turmoil
The future of Australia's carbon trade laws was thrown into new doubt on Thursday when several opposition lawmakers resigned and promised to vote against the plan and parliament postponed a final vote until next week. The Senate had been due to adjourn for the year on Thursday, but agreed to extend its sittings until as late as next Tuesday for a final vote on the stalled package of 11 carbon trade bills. But a bipartisan agreement to pass the bills hit a new hurdle on Thursday when senior opposition lawmaker Tony Abbott led a series of lawmakers to resign their party positions, saying they could no longer support the opposition's policy. "This isn't a leadership issue at all. It is a policy issue," Abbott, a senior minister in the former Howard government, told reporters on the third consecutive day of political chaos for opposition leader Malcolm Turnbull. The resignations of up to six opposition frontbenchers severely undermine Turnbull, who a day earlier survived a leadership ballot with 48 votes to 35 against conservative lawmaker Kevin Andrews.- 2009/11/26: ABC(Au): Turnbull urges Coalition to move forward
Federal Opposition Leader Malcolm Turnbull says he wants his party to move on from the divisions that led to an attempted leadership spill on Tuesday.- 2009/11/25: ABC(Au): Malcolm Turnbull survived as Opposition Leader today but not without revealing the extent of the division within his own party
- 2009/11/25: ABC(Au): Opposition Leader Malcolm Turnbull has urged his colleagues to unite behind him after a turbulent 24 hours for the Liberals which climaxed in the party's rejection of a move to hold a leadership spill
- 2009/11/25: ABC(Au): Young-based Nationals' Senator Fiona Nash says the Nationals in the Senate will not be voting for an amended emissions trading scheme (ETS)
- 2009/11/25: ABC(Au): Andrews sets out leadership challenge
Challenger Kevin Andrews has threatened to delay a vote on the Government's emissions trading scheme if he unseats Malcolm Turnbull in a possible Liberal leadership spill this afternoon. Mr Turnbull has put his leadership on the line by calling a party room meeting for 1pm AEDT to decide on whether or not there will be a leadership spill.- 2009/11/25: ABC(Au): Oh Malcolm, how did it come to this?
- 2009/11/25: ABC(Au): Turnbull rubbishes spill talk
A defiant Malcolm Turnbull has dismissed calls for a Liberal leadership spill tomorrow, after a turbulent day in the party room yesterday left his leadership hanging by a thread.- 2009/11/25: ABC(Au): 'I'm the leader': Turnbull defies dissidents
Federal Opposition Leader Malcolm Turnbull is determined to exert his authority over the Coalition and is trying to face down a group who want a leadership spill.- 2009/11/24: ABC(Au): Opposition Leader Malcolm Turnbull has moved to stamp his authority over the Coalition, saying the party room is committed to an emissions trading scheme
- 2009/11/24: ABC(Au): Coalition climate vote on knife's edge
- 2009/11/24: ABC(Au): The Federal Opposition is locked in intense talks to decide if it should accept the Government's amended emissions trading scheme
- 2009/11/24: ABC(Au): The Coalition's former climate change spokesman, Andrew Robb, is understood to have criticised the Government's amended emissions trading scheme, dealing a blow to Opposition Leader Malcolm Turnbull's authority on the issue
- 2009/11/24: ABC(Au): Factbox: Labor's climate deal offer to Coalition
- 2009/11/24: ABC(Au): Liberals to decide on emissions trading
The stage is set for a major confrontation in the Coalition party room today between Malcolm Turnbull and rebel MPs refusing to sign off on the Government's proposed emissions trading scheme. Mr Turnbull faces some determined opposition in this morning's party room meeting and the controversial issue is likely to open deep wounds in the party. Prime Minister Kevin Rudd seems set to win either way. He will get his legislation passed or be handed a reason for going to an early election.- 2009/11/23: ABC(Au): Backbench anger as carbon trade deal nears
Opposition emissions trading negotiator Ian Macfarlane has been accused of leaving the Coalition party room facing a "cliffhanger" tomorrow, after agreeing to a Government timetable which leaves just two days for the Senate to debate a carbon trading scheme. The Government and Opposition are close to a final agreement on changes to the proposed emissions trading scheme. If agreement is reached the scheme will go to the Coalition party room tomorrow for final approval, amid intense pressure from the Government, which wants the bills passed before Thursday, when Parliament rises for the year. Mr Macfarlane's decision to wait until tomorrow to put the deal to the party room has angered some within an already divided Opposition who say there will not be enough time left to debate the scheme properly in the Senate.And in New Zealand:
- 2009/11/29: HotTopic: Who writes Rodneyà $(Bs (Brubbish?
- 2009/11/28: HotTopic: Imagining 2020: The Age Of Smart
- 2009/11/25: ABC(Au): NZ passes emissions trading scheme
After fierce debate New Zealand's parliament has passed its emissions trading scheme, with the legislation scraping through 63 votes to 58.- 2009/11/25: COP15: New Zealand passes emissions trading plan into law
- 2009/11/25: EarthTimes: New Zealand parliament passes new climate change law
While in the Indian subcontinent:
- 2009/11/29: ClimateP: India aims for 20 gigawatts solar by 2022 -- but is it set to announce emissions targets?
- 2009/11/28: EarthTimes: India for emission cuts with equitable burden sharing
- 2009/11/27: BBC: China carbon cuts pressure India
China's decision to unveil carbon emissions targets two weeks before the Copenhagen climate change summit has put pressure on India, a minister says. Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh has said China's decision is a "wake-up call to India". India, like China previously, says it will not commit to cuts until developed nations also pledge to meet targets.- 2009/11/25: TreeHugger: It's Finally Official - India's National Solar Mission Aims for 20 Gigawatts Solar Power by 2022
- 2009/11/24: Guardian(UK): Dispelling myths about India and climate change
And China:
- 2009/11/27: NRDC:SwitchBoard: Chinaà $(Bs (BCarbon Intensity Target
- 2009/11/28: EarthTimes: China's new emission targets not enough, says UN official
United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) official Helen Clark said Saturday that China's new pledge to reduce carbon intensity is an "important and ambitious target" - but not yet ambitious enough. Speaking at the end of her three-day China visit, the former New Zealand Prime Minister said China's target to reduce carbon intensity 40-45 per cent by 2020 compared with 2005 levels will be "important for generating an agreement" at the upcoming Copenhagen climate summit.- 2009/11/27: Guardian(UK): China means business with first-ever carbon emissions targets
- 2009/11/27: PlanetArk: China Says Carbon "Sinks" Not Covered By Target
- 2009/11/27: PlanetArk: Analysts' view: China Announces CO2 Intensity Target For 2020
- 2009/11/26: Guardian(UK): Beijing has seen the future and knows it must be green
While China aims to hold the patents on tomorrow's clean technologies, the US remains in the climate change dark ages- 2009/11/26: EurActiv: After US, China unveils carbon target
After the US had earlier pledged to cut carbon emissions by 17% as a way to break deadlocked negotiations over a new UN climate deal, China today (26 November) said it would reduce its carbon intensity per unit of GDP by 40-45% by 2020. "This is a voluntary action taken by the Chinese government based on its own national conditions and is a major contribution to the global effort in tackling climate change," the official Xinhua agency quoted the State Council, China's cabinet, as saying. The target was in line with what experts expected as it takes 2005 levels as its basis and not 1990, the benchmark used in UN treaties.- 2009/11/26: EUO: China pledges 40% cut in CO2 ahead of summit
- 2009/11/26: NatureCF: China commits to à $(Aca (Brbon intensityà $(B r (Beduction
- 2009/11/27: ABC(Au): China unveils plan to limit emissions
China has unveiled what it called an ambitious plan to boost energy efficiency and curb its carbon footprint in the most detailed indication yet of its stance heading into a world climate summit. The world's most populous country will cut the amount of carbon dioxide emitted per unit of gross domestic product in 2020 by between 40 and 45 per cent, based on 2005 levels, a statement from the State Council, or cabinet, said.- 2009/11/26: COP15: China sets target to cut carbon intensity
- 2009/11/26: TreeHugger: China Announces Emissions Reduction Targets (But They're Not Really Reductions)
- 2009/11/26: Guardian(UK): China sets first targets to curb world's largest carbon footprint
- 2009/11/26: BBC: China unveils Copenhagen targets
China has unveiled its first firm target for limiting greenhouse gas emissions, two weeks before a global summit on climate change in Copenhagen. Beijing said it would aim to reduce its "carbon intensity" by 40-45% by the year 2020, compared with 2005 levels. Carbon intensity, China's preferred measurement, is the amount of carbon dioxide emitted for each unit of GDP. But our correspondent says it does not mean China's overall levels of carbon dioxide will start falling. Its economy is still growing and is mostly fuelled by polluting coal, says the BBC's Quentin Sommerville in Beijing. It will be at least a couple of decades before China's emissions peak, so it is likely to remain the largest polluter for some time to come, he adds. But greenhouse gas emissions in China have not been rising as fast as its economy has been growing.- 2009/11/26: CBC: China pledges to slow emissions growth
And Japan:
- 2009/11/26: JapanTimes: CO2 cuts will require nation's transformation
Imagine yourself in a Japanese city in 2020. As you walk down the street, chances are that every other car you see is a hybrid or powered by electricity. Solar panels on rooftops are common, and homes are equipped with cogeneration water heaters. They also have high-tech insulation, warm in winter and cool in summer without having to rely very much on air conditioning. This is what life will be like a decade from now if the country wants to achieve a 25 percent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions compared with 1990 levels, according to a report issued in April by the National Institute for Environmental Studies. Pretty much everything you encounter on a daily basis will have to be drastically changed to be environmentally friendly.Elsewhere in Asia:
- 2009/11/27: LA Times: Kenyans draw weapons over shrinking resources
- 2009/11/28: Google:AFP: Nepal government to hold Everest climate meeting
- 2009/11/25: TerraDaily: Taiwan rethinks land use after killer typhoon
And in Russia:
- 2009/11/23: PlanetArk: Russia Steps Up Pledge For Climate Action [to 25 percent from 1990 levels by 2020]
And South America:
- 2009/11/24: DerSpiegel: Brazil's President Lula -- 'Father of the Poor' Has Triggered Economic Miracle
Brazil is seen as an economic success story and its people revere President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva like a star. He is on a mission to turn the country into one of the world's five biggest economies through reforms, giant infrastructure projects and by tapping vast oil reserves. - 2009/11/28: TStar: UN chief prods Canada on lagging climate plans
- 2009/11/27: COP15: Proposal to exclude Canada from the Commonwealth
In the past, the Commonwealth has suspended several countries for human rights reasons. Now, campaigners, politicians and scientists have proposed suspending Canada because of its climate policy. - 2009/11/27: CanWest: 3,000 scientists tell federal government to 'act now' on climate change
Scientists have turned up the heat on the Harper government and are calling for urgent action on climate change. "We must act responsibly. We must act now. We must act in concert with other industrialized nations," leaders of organizations representing more than 3,000 scientists said in an open letter to parliamentarians Thursday. They note that the "eyes of the world will be on Canada" at the international climate talks in Copenhagen and "urge the government to negotiate an outcome that will rapidly and adequately address climate change." - 2009/11/27: CanWest: 'Act now,' experts say
Scientists have turned up the heat on the Tories and are calling for urgent action on climate change. "We must act responsibly. We must act now. We must act in concert with other industrialized nations," leaders of organizations representing more than 3,000 scientists said in an open letter to parliamentarians Thursday. They note that the "eyes of the world will be on Canada" at the international climate talks in Copenhagen and "urge the government to negotiate an outcome that will rapidly and adequately address climate change." The letter is signed by the presidents of the Canadian Meteorological and Oceanographic Society, the Canadian Geophysical Union, the Canadian Association of Physicists, the Canadian Society of Soil Science and the Canadian Society of Zoologists. - 2009/11/27: TStar: Harper flip-flops on green summit and will attend afterall
- 2009/11/27: CanWest: Climate of confusion
Prime Minister Stephen Harper will be going to the Copenhagen climate conference after all -- an announcement delivered Thursday, by uncanny coincidence, in the middle of a major speech on the environment by Liberal leader Michael Ignatieff. So if Copenhagen accomplishes nothing else, it has at least captured the restless attention of our political leaders. And that is good, because while controversy over Afghan detainees will be old news by the end of next week, and the swine flu panic has already been downgraded to a distant irritant, the climate crisis endures. True, we have been enjoying perpetual October in this part of the world, a milder-than-usual, but not unpleasant, fall. Apart from flooding on Vancouver Island, most extreme weather events have been happening elsewhere. And, while Arctic sea ice is melting at an alarming rate and threatening chaos in the permafrost, the North is off the radar for most Canadians. Other worries have crowded in, mostly economic, pushing the environment down the list of voter concerns. - 2009/11/27: CanWest: Harper's foot-dragging on climate reflects Conservative attitude
Prime Minister follows President Obama's lead in going to Copenhagen, but clearly has no plans to take decisive action on global warming - 2009/11/26: RBH: Harper Runs To Copenhagen To Escape A Hot Climate
Stephen Harper used to think climate change was a socialist conspiracy. So, why is he suddenly hopping a flight to Copenhagen, to the climate change summit? - 2009/11/26: Guardian(UK): Scientists target Canada over climate change
Prominent campaigners, politicians and scientists have called for Canada to be suspended from the Commonwealth over its climate change policies. - 2009/11/25: Yahoo:AFP: Small island states lobby Canada for deeper CO2 cuts
An Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS) representative on Wednesday appealed to Canada to aim for deeper cuts in carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions at upcoming international climate talks in Copenhagen. - 2009/11/26: CBC: Harper to attend Copenhagen climate summit
- 2009/11/26: TStar: Harper not following Obama's lead at climate change summit
Obama's decision to go to Denmark and lay out emissions plan called step toward a deal - 2009/11/26: CanWest: Taking a measured approach in Copenhagen [by Cdn. Env. Min. Jim Prentice]
- 2009/11/23: CBC: 7 arrested for sit-in at environment minister's office
A sit-in at federal Environment Minister Jim Prentice's constituency office in Calgary ended after eight hours Monday with the arrest of seven protesters. They were charged with criminal mischief and are to appear in court Dec. 31. Calling themselves Citizens for Climate Justice, the protesters are mostly constituents of Calgary-Centre North. They had crowded into the small reception office at 10 a.m. MT, saying they wouldn't leave unless Prentice agreed to improve the country's policy on climate change. The group wants Prentice to commit to reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 2020 to 25 per cent of 1990 levels. - 2009/11/26: NRTEE: [links to pdf sections] True North: Adapting Infrastructure to Climate Change in Northern Canada
- 2009/11/26: CBC: Climate change threatens North's infrastructure: report
Canada's North is at risk and unprepared to deal effectively with the threat climate change poses to the region's roads, buildings, waste sites and other other critical infrastructure, according to a federal advisory body. In a report released Thursday, the National Round Table on the Environment and the Economy says the North requires a comprehensive effort to ensure "communities become more ready to adapt to expected climate changes leading to degrading permafrost, melting ice roads, storm surges and coastal erosion." - 2009/11/26: OSun: Climate change threatens Northern communities, report says
Roads, pipelines, buildings and other infrastructure in the Canadian North are not prepared for the stresses of climate change, a report released today says. The National Round Table on the Environment and the Economy study of how the Yukon, Northwest Territories and Nunavut would fare in a rapidly warming world, paints a stark picture of the challenges facing the Arctic. - 2009/11/23: WaterMatters: [link to 1.1.meg pdf] Watered Down: Overcoming Federal Inaction on the Impact of Oil Sands Development to Water Resources
- 2009/11/24: CanWest: Global warming threatens billions of Canadian assets, report claims -- Case made for immediate action. Ecosystems close to 'tipping points'
More than $200 billion worth of Canadian assets are at risk from global warming, says an international report made public yesterday. The report, released jointly by a major insurance firm and an environmental group, ranked Canada as 12th in the world in terms of assets in jeopardy because of rising sea levels predicted by climate scientists. But overall, it warned the planet's atmosphere and ecosystems were close to dangerous "tipping points" that could cause sea level rises of up to 0.50 metres. This would affect hundreds of millions of people and cost up to $28 trillion in losses in 136 port megacities around the world. "It seems clear that a number of the tipping scenarios are well on the way to becoming future commitments," said the report, Major Tipping Points in the Earth's Climate System and Consequences for the Insurance Sector. The research was prepared for WWF-Germany and Allianz Group by the Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research in the United Kingdom. - 2009/11/23: YubaNet: Federal Government Failing to Protect Fresh Water for Tens of Thousands of Canadians in Alberta and Northwest Territories
Canada Not Implementing Numerous Legal Obligations That Protect Fresh Water in Oil Sands - 2009/11/23: CanWest: Oilsands impact left unchecked, study finds -- Tories failing to enforce laws to protect water, environmental groups report
The Harper government is failing to enforce federal law and exercise its constitutional authority in at least 10 different aspects of monitoring the exploitation of Alberta's oilsands and its impact on water, says a new report to be released today. The study, prepared by seven environmental organizations and obtained exclusively by Canwest News Service, highlights key testimony from recent federal hearings that revealed a failure to crack down on major water diversions, regulate toxic pollution and leakage as well as the absence of legislation to reduce acid rain and regulations to address climate change. - 2009/11/25: COP15: Canadian parliamentary majority proposes deep carbon cuts
On Tuesday, the Canadian Parliament passed a motion urging the minority conservative government to reduce the countryà $(Bs (Bgreenhouse gas emissions by 25 percent from 1990 levels. - 2009/11/24: Reuters: Quebec sets 2020 greenhouse gas emission targets
- 2009/11/24: TStar: Quebec takes tougher stand on emissions [20 per cent from 1990 levels by 2020]
- 2009/11/23: G&M: Quebec splits with Ottawa on climate change
[Quebec Premier Jean] Charest unveils target to reduce emissions by 20 per cent from 1990 levels, which would make the province a North American leader - 2009/11/25: TA: How to lose what little credibility you had
Meanwhile in that Mechanical Mordor known as the tar sands:
- 2009/11/27: G&M: [Alberta Premier Ed] Stelmach urges provinces to unite behind 'realistic' climate plan -- Tar sands aren't the enemy, Alberta Premier says
- 2009/11/26: CBC: Higher oil revenues ease Alberta deficit [to C$4.3 billion]
- 2009/11/25: PlanetArk: Canada Backs Alberta CO2 Pipeline Plan
- 2009/11/24: TMoS: Gore Slams Tar Sands, Michael Are You Listening?
- 2009/11/24: CBC: Enforce environmental laws at oilsands: report
The federal government is not protecting rivers and groundwater near the northern Alberta oilsands, affecting people living as far upstream as Yellowknife, according to a report co-released Monday by seven environmental groups. The report, titled Watered Down: Overcoming Federal Inaction on the Impact of Oil Sands Development to Water Resources, urges the federal government to enforce existing environmental laws and regulations in the oilsands, as well as to set new pollution standards for development there. - 2009/11/24: TStar: Oil sands threaten our survival, Al Gore warns
As for miscellaneous Canadiana:
- 2009/11/24: CBC: Vancouver Island residents question flood plan
The movement toward a long term ecologically viable economics is glacial:
- 2009/11/29: Guardian(UK): Western lifestyle unsustainable, says climate expert Rajendra Pachauri
- 2009/11/28: AlterNet: Our Lives Are Filled With Worthless Crap That's Destroying the Earth: Here's What You Can Do
- 2009/11/27: Guardian(UK): Buy Nothing day is only the beginning for a new counter-consumer culture
Our demand for resources now outstrips the natural world's ability to meet it. It's time to foster habits fit for a finite planet - 2009/11/27: TreeHugger: Forget Black Friday or Buy Nothing Day, it should be Jdimytai Damour Day
- 2009/11/24: TreeHugger: Black Friday or Buy Nothing Day?
Finish the syllogism: We are in overshoot. You can't grow your way out of overshoot. Therefore...:
- 2009/11/25: CCurrents: Humanity Needs Five Earths To Maintain Consumption Levels
- 2009/11/24: Google:AFP: Mankind using Earth's resources at alarming rate
Humanity would need five Earths to produce the resources needed if everyone lived as profligately as Americans, according to a report issued Tuesday. As it is, humanity each year uses resources equivalent to nearly one-and-a-half Earths to meet its needs, said the report by Global Footprint Network, an international think tank. - 2009/11/24: PhysOrg: Mankind using Earth's resources at alarming rate
Humanity would need five Earths to produce the resources needed if everyone lived as profligately as Americans, according to a [Global Footprint Network] report issued Tuesday. - 2009/11/24: Guardian(UK): A climate deal is like trying to halt the rains in Cumbria
Copenhagen won't alter the ecological reality. There is no quick fix or sustainable growth, only painful decline ahead - 2009/11/27: ClimateP: Toronto Star: à $(AWh (By media tell climate story poorlyà $(B (BA>
- 2009/11/26: OilDrum: George Will misunderstands the abundance of fossil fuels
- 2009/11/25: ClimateP: The newspaper that publishes George Will (and Sarah Palin) editorializes: "Many ... including us ... find global warming deniersà $(B c (Blaims irresponsible."
- 2009/11/25: DeSmogBlog: Fox News Touts New Film that Trashes "An Inconvenient Truth"
- 2009/11/23: ClimateP: Will the Washington Post ever fact check a George Will column?
- 2009/11/20: SciAm: War Is Peace: Can Science Fight Media Disinformation?
In the 24/7 Internet world, people make lots of claims. Science provides a guide for testing themWhile activists search for effective communication techniques:
- 2009/11/25: BBC: Nigeria set for 'Green Big Brother' show ... a reality TV show to highlight the dangers of global warming for Africans.
- 2009/11/23: ClimateP: UK Guardian: "To stop a climate catastrophe ... Scientists must stop sanitising their message"
Regarding the quality of blogosphere discussion:
- 2009/11/22: CrTimber: A vaguely passive-aggressive post on commenters
Here is something for your library:
- 2009/11/27: CSW: [Book Review] _A World Without Ice_ by Henry Pollack
- 2009/11/25: CCP: [Book Review] _Blessed Unrest - How the Largest Social Movement in History Is Restoring Grace, Justice and Beauty to the World_ by Paul Hawken
- 2009/11/25: EnergyBulletin: Bottleneck by William Catton - A Review
- 2009/11/25: MTobis: [Book Plug] _Storms Of My Grandchildren - The Truth About the Coming Climate Catastrophe and Our Last Chance to Save Humanity_ by James Hansen
- 2009/11/24: OilDrum: [Book Review] _Bottleneck: Humanity's Impending Impasse_ by William R. Catton, Jr.
And for your film & video enjoyment:
- 2009/11/25: Guardian(UK): The films most likely to 'save the world' - in a minute
Meanwhile among the 'Sue the Bastards!' contingent:
- 2009/11/25: WarmingLaw: DC Federal Court Revives a Challenge to Tax Credits for Coal
- 2009/11/24: NewScientist: Katrina court win paves way for billion-dollar payouts
- 2009/11/23: USAToday: Lawsuits place global warming on more dockets
True to their distraction agenda, the CEI is suing Gavin Schmidt over Real Climate moderation policies:
- 2009/11/25: ClimateP: Competitive Enterprise Institute to sue RealClimate blogger over moderation policy
- 2009/11/24: SpectatorB: "Climate Gate" Development: CEI Files Notice of Intent to Sue NASA
- 2009/11/25: Deltoid: Competitive Enterprise Institute intends to sue blogger over moderation policy
- 2009/11/24: PajamasMedia: Competitive Enterprise Institute Sues NASA in Wake of Climategate Scandal
Developing a new energy infrastructure is a fundamental challenge of the current generation:
- 2009/11/28: ClimateP: Clean Energy for the Wild Blue Yonder: Expanding Renewable Energy and Efficiency in the Air Force
- 2009/11/25: IR^2: Potential Markets and Benefits from Ocean Thermal Energy [OTEC]
- 2009/11/27: PhysOrg: Golden Oldie: Key Role for Ancient Protein in Algae Photosynthesis
- 2009/11/26: NRDC:SwitchBoard: American Municipal Power Does the Math: Cleaner Energy Can Be Cheaper Energy, Too
- 2009/11/26: NewScientist: First osmosis power plant goes on stream in Norway
- 2009/11/26: PlanetArk: Green Energy Rush Could Crash Bulgaria Power Grid
Sofia - A rush to cash in on incentives to develop renewable energy projects in Bulgaria could end up in so much new supply it could cause blackouts on the national grid, the operator told Reuters on Tuesday. Ivan Ayolov, chief executive of the state electricity system operator (ESO) said in an interview the government should impose stricter regulations to bar speculators. Generous government incentives for electricity produced from wind, solar and biomass has led to an avalanche-like increase in projects which totaled over 11,000 megawatts by September. "This has to be stopped in an intelligent way, otherwise we face a catastrophe," Ayolov said, adding the situation resembled the Klondike gold rush. "At this stage the grid is reliable. It's capacity (for new installations) is 1,800 MW. But it is not reliable when it comes to 10,000 MW." ESO runs Bulgaria's high-voltage grids.- 2009/11/25: EurActiv: EU industry reports strong growth in renewable electricity
Renewable energy generation capacity in Europe grew by 13% in 2007, indicating a strong move towards low-carbon technologies, according to statistics published by electricity industry association Eurelectric on Monday (23 November). More than 8.8 GW of new renewable capacity came on-stream, representing the biggest proportional increase among power sectors, the new figures show. This was mainly on-shore and off-shore wind power and some solar installations. The "impressive growth" has been evidenced since the beginning of the decade, driven strongly by wind power, Eurelectric said.- 2009/11/25: EurActiv: Spain's renewables boom seen driving gas capacity
Grid operators and utilities on Tuesday (24 November) said planned expansion of Spain's booming renewable energy sources must be matched by raised output from gas-fired plants, which can cover emergency shortfalls. Spain has become the world's third-largest generator of wind power, and the second-largest of solar, in a bid to cut greenhouse gas emissions and dependence on imported oil and gas. But output from Spain's wind parks has on occasion dropped from 11,000 MW to 200 MW within a 12-hour period, and the country can import no more than 3% of its power needs, so combined-cycle gas turbines (CCGTs) need to fill the gap.- 2009/11/25: PlanetArk: Norway Opens World's First Osmotic Power Plant
- 2009/11/25: NRDC:SwitchBoard: World-renowned water expert calls oil and gas contamination "scary" [fracking]
- 2009/11/25: WSJ:EnvCap: Cold Storage: Energy Dept. Grants to Boost Renewable-Energy Storage
- 2009/11/24: EnergyBulletin: How (not) to resolve the energy crisis
- 2009/11/24: PhysOrg: NREL Uncovers Clean Energy Leaders State by State
- 2009/11/24: PlanetArk: Bulgaria To Boost Energy Efficiency, Support Renewables
- 2009/11/24: TreeHugger: The Favorite Energy Gadget Kill A Watt Gets an Upgrade
- 2009/11/24: EarthTimes: Norwegian group hopes to use osmosis to produce power
- 2009/11/23: FRBDallas: What Drives Diesel Fuel Prices?
- 2009/11/20: PS: Escaping the Fossil Fuel Trap
- 2009/11/24: EconView: "Escaping the Fossil Fuel Trap"
Michael Spence says developed countries should pay the cost of reducing carbon emissions, including paying for abatement measures in developing countries- 2009/11/23: NewScientist: US bets $150m on high-risk renewable energy
- 2009/11/23: PhysOrg: Bioengineers succeed in producing plastic without the use of fossil fuels
- 2009/11/23: PhysOrg: Harnessing the power of salt, Norway tries osmotic power
- 2009/11/23: PhysOrg: Machine Converts CO2 into Gasoline, Diesel, and Jet Fuel
Researchers at Sandia National Laboratories have built a machine [Counter-Rotating-Ring Receiver Reactor Recuperator (CR5)] that uses the sun's energy to convert carbon dioxide waste from power plants into transportation fuels such as gasoline, diesel, and jet fuel. The system could provide an alternative to carbon sequestration; instead of permanently storing CO2 underground, the CO2 could be recycled and put to use.- 2009/11/23: OilDrum: World Oil Production Forecast - Update
- 2009/11/23: TreeHugger: Cost of Renewable Energy Dropped in 2009, But...But Financing is Harder to Come By
The answer my friend...:
- 2009/11/28: PeakEnergy: Scottish invention promises wind power revolution
- 2009/11/25: TA: How to lose what little credibility you had [Ontario]
- 2009/11/26: BBC: Wind turbine noise rules 'dated'
The government urgently needs to update its guidance on how local authorities should assess the impact of noise from wind turbines, campaigners have said. Environmental Protection UK say turbines are now so large, the noise generated by the turning blades can affect those living nearby. The pressure group believes that changes in technology are not being reflected in the current guidelines. The government says it is continuing research into the impact of noise.- 2009/11/24: SciNow: Wind Turbines Take a Lesson From Lance Armstrong
- 2009/11/24: PlanetArk: Recovery Act Spurs $4 Billion in Wind Power Projects
- 2009/11/24: TreeHugger: Where Will the World's Biggest Wind Farm Be Built? (Hint: Head North)
Meanwhile among the solar aficionados:
- 2009/11/27: PlanetArk: Italy's Solar Power Capacity Rises To 700 MW: GSE
- 2009/11/26: PlanetArk: Czechs Cut Solar Feed-In Tariffs By 5 Percent For 2010
- 2009/11/25: ClimateP: New Energy Finance: Solar power 50% cheaper by year end, other clean energy sources drop 10%
- 2009/11/24: PlanetArk: India Ties Solar Plans To Global Climate Support
- 2009/11/24: PlanetArk: Algeria Says To Open Solar Panel Factory
- 2009/11/24: COP15: Germany breaks solar record
Manufacturers can barely keep up as demand for solar cells skyrocket. In 2009 alone a capacity equivalent of three large coal fired power plants will be installed.- 2009/11/23: PVTech: U.S. Government loan program could attract 783MW in solar PV projects, say analysts
- 2009/11/24: NYT: Signs of Hope [solar in rust belt]
- 2009/11/23: LA Times: Solar energy industry brings a ray of hope to the Rust Belt
Areas hard-hit by the U.S. automakers' slump are pitching themselves to green technology firms. Workers and machines that used to crank out cars are now making parts for solar and wind power plants.- 2009/11/23: SolveClimate: Showing Leadership, India Approves $19B for Solar Energy Over Next Decade
- 2009/11/23: TreeHugger: Cheap 3D Solar Cells Are 6x More Efficient, Work Underground
On the coal front:
- 2009/11/25: CharlotteObserver: Ind. coal-gasification plant cost reaches $2.5B
Indianapolis Duke Energy Corp. says the cost of the coal-gasification power plant it's building in southwestern Indiana has risen another $150 million, boosting the project's estimated price to $2.5 billion - nearly twice the original estimate. And the latest increase won't be the project's last. Charlotte, N.C.-based Duke Energy said in documents filed Tuesday with the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission that the 630-megawatt plant's cost has gone up because its design has required more steel, piping, electric cable and other materials than originally expected.- 2009/11/25: Telegraph(UK): E.ON chief Paul Golby fears clean coal may never be viable
Extra funding and better market conditions must be created for clean coal if it is ever to progress "beyond the blueprint" of trial plants, Dr Paul Golby, chief executive of E.ON UK, has warned.- 2009/11/24: SolveClimate: Why We Must Phase out Coal Emissions
Biofuel bickering abounds:
- 2009/11/27: IR^2: Son of Xethanol Goes Bankrupt
- 2009/11/23: PhysOrg: Switchgrass produces biomass efficiently
- 2009/11/23: TreeHugger: Is Algae the Fuel of the Gods?
The nuclear energy controversy continues:
- 2009/11/29: BNC: IFR [Integral Fast Reactor] FAD 1 - Context
- 2009/11/29: BBC: Indian nuclear plant leak probed
Indian officials are investigating the leak of a radioactive substance into drinking water at an atomic power plant in the south of the country. - 2009/11/25: PRWatch: The Nuclear Energy Institute's Missing Link
- 2009/11/27: Guardian(UK): Nuclear reactors contain safety flaws, [Health and Safety Executive] watchdog reveals
Major concerns over European and American designs -- Redesign required before plants can be approved for construction - 2009/11/27: Guardian(UK): Designs for new UK nuclear reactors are unsafe - claim -- Major setback for energy plans as report finds flaws in US and French models
- 2009/11/27: BNC: The Nuclear Economy
- 2009/11/25: DemNow: As U.S. Probes Radiation at Three Mile Island, Christian Parenti on Enduring "Zombie Nuke Plants" Nationwide
- 2009/11/25: BBC: New UK nuclear stations unlikely to be on time
A Newsnight investigation suggests that UK government plans to build a new generation of nuclear power stations to fill the energy gap by 2020 are wildly optimistic. - 2009/11/24: FAIR: WP (Re)inventing a Green Nuclear Renaissance -- How many times does nuclear power get to have a "comeback"?
- 2009/11/23: NatureN: Bubble-fusion scientist debarred from federal funding -- Office of Naval Research passes verdict on controversial researcher Rusi Taleyarkhan
- 2009/11/23: PeakEnergy: Nuclear power: less effective than energy efficiency and renewable energy?
Yes we have peak everything:
- 2009/11/28: CCurrents: Peak Everything
- 2009/11/27: TreeHugger: Are We Running Out of Uranium? Let's Hope So
- 2009/11/26: PeakEnergy: Inelastic Russian Oil
- 2009/11/25: EnergyBulletin: Peak Oil Reality: Industry Experts Offer Growing Drumbeat of Supply Warnings
- 2009/11/25: NewScientist: Nuclear fuel: are we heading for a uranium crunch?
- 2009/11/25: OilDrum: Peak Gold, Easier to Model than Peak Oil? - Part I [Jean Laherrère]
More people are talking about the electrical grid:
- 2009/11/29: PeakEnergy: Pitchfork-wielding mobs encircle smart meters
- 2009/11/24: PhysOrg: Seeking a Smarter Grid: Integrating Wind Energy by Linking Buildings to the Grid
In utility parlance, wind energy is known as a "variable load." Thatà $(Bs (Bbecause wind is naturally unpredictable and inconstant. Whatà $(Bs (Bworse, it is more likely to blow at night, when demand for electricity is at its lowest. Because the electric grid requires that supply and demand must always be in balance, making efficient use of wind energy turns out to be no trivial matter. - 2009/11/25: SolveClimate: Will Smart Grid Benefits Be Limited by Dumb Buildings?
- 2009/11/23: FTimes: Smart grids: Three challenges for transmission networks
And then there is the matter of efficiency & conservation:
- 2009/11/24: PeakEnergy: A living laboratory for energy efficiency
Automakers & lawyers, engineers & activists argue over the future of the car:
- 2009/11/23: AutoBG: Honda tops 2009 corporate fuel economy charts, Chrysler trails
- 2009/11/23: NBF: Solid-State, Rechargeable, Long Cycle Life Lithium-Air Battery With High Energy Density and More Safety and Stability
- 2009/11/23: NBF: Purposely Adding Defects in Carbon Nanotubes increases Energy Stored in Supercapacitors by up to 200%
- 2009/11/23: NakedCapitalism: Edward Harrison: GMÃ $(Bs (Bphony taxpayer repayment
The reaction of business to climate change will be critical:
- 2009/11/26: EnvFin: SEC should reflect new realities on climate disclosure - investors
- 2009/11/26: NYT: Businesses in U.S. Brace for New Rules on Emissions
- 2009/11/25: Guardian(UK): Big brands lagging on climate action, survey says
Study of 600 brands finds two-thirds are either increasing emissions, have weak targets on cuts or do not publish data - 2009/11/23: Reuters: Investors push SEC on climate-risk disclosure
- 2009/11/23: FTimes: Business calls for firm CO2 treaty
Insurance and re-insurance companies are feeling the heat:
- 2009/11/28: CleanBreak: What the insurance industry thinks about climate change and sea level rise, and ità $(Bs (Bnot pretty
- 2009/11/26: TerraDaily: Insurance giant says climate change could cost billions
Natural disasters linked to climate change could cost the insurance industry billions of dollars in extra settlement payments every year, German insurance giant Munich RE said Thursday. The company's statistics show that "globally, the average number of major weather-related catastrophes such as windstorms, floods or droughts is now three times as high as at the beginning of the 1980's." "Losses have risen even more, with average increases of 11 percent per year since 1980," it said. - 2009/11/22: BBC: Flood claims in Cumbria and south Scotland could exceed ã100m, according to the Association of British Insurers (ABI)
Joe Romm posts a daily list of top energy and climate stories:
- 2009/11/24: ClimateP: Energy and Global Warming News for November 24...
- 2009/11/23: ClimateP: Energy and Global Warming News for November 23...
The carbon lobby are up to the usual:
- 2009/11/29: GWWatch: Dissecting the brain of an AGW denier #2
- 2009/11/28: Grist: Climate Deniers, Hold Your Fire!
- 2009/11/29: GWWatch: I hope ILoveCarbonDioxide.com readers also love methane
- 2009/11/28: PeakEnergy: Blasphemy
- 2009/11/28: NotSpaghetti: Leprechauns and climate
- 2009/11/27: ERabett: Watson vs. Singer
- 2009/11/27: Deltoid: Drudge and the denialists
- 2009/11/25: ERabett: Venn diagrams
- 2009/11/26: Deltoid: New Zealand Climate Science Coalition caught lying about temperature trends
- 2009/11/25: Maribo: Skeptics aren't necessarily in it for the money either
- 2009/11/26: HotTopic: NZ sceptics lie about temp records, try to smear top scientist
- 2009/11/26: GWWatch: Dissecting the brain of an AGW denier
- 2009/11/23: CCurrents: Climate Sceptics 'Put World At Risk'
- 2009/11/26: ChronicleHerald: Author [James Hoggan]: Climate change skeptics lack credibility
- 2009/11/25: Grist: Chuck Norris on Copenhagen
- 2009/11/24: TP:WR: SuperFreak Dubner Embraces ClimateGate Conspiracy Theories: à $(AEv (Berybodyà $(Bs (BScared To Be A Skepticà $(B (BA>
- 2009/11/23: Monbiot: The Knights Carbonic
- 2009/11/24: WorldChanging: Unwritten Stories Reveal New Climate Scandal!
- 2009/11/24: DeSmogBlog: Solomon has questions he doesn't like: the DeSmogBlog has answers he won't like either
- 2009/11/24: OilChange: Beware Sceptics Bringing "Balance" to the Climate Debate
- 2009/11/24: SolveClimate: Grassroots vs. Astroturf: The Climate Spin Machine Goes Into Overdrive
- 2009/11/24: MoD: Science Bypass: The petition to deny climate change at the APS
- 2009/11/24: DWWSJ: [link to 3.8 meg pdf] Kudos to Meteorologist/Professor Scott Mandia
- 2009/11/23: GreenGrok: Truth in Advertising? [1962 ad]
- 2009/11/23: PlanetArk: Climate Goal Needs "More Than Technology": Shell
- 2009/11/22: DeSmogBlog: Lawrence Solomon: No, you don't have it right at all
- 2009/11/22: DeSmogBlog: Calgary Foundation: Friends of the Friends of Science
- 2009/11/23: OilChange: Sceptics and oil lobbyists "putting world at risk"
- 2009/11/23: CCP: The Global Warming Denial Machine
- 2009/11/23: VoxEU: How much greenhouse gas emission abatement is enough? by Richard S.J. Tol
Climate change will have widespread negative effects of uncertain magnitude. But this column argues that climate change is not humanityà $(Bs (Bbiggest challenge and needs to be solved without impeding economic development. It calls for a measured policy of greenhouse gas emission reduction.- 2009/11/22: Guardian(UK): Climate change sceptics and lobbyists put world at risk, says top adviser
Chance to limit warming squandered, says scientist - World needs to prepare to cope with at least 3-4C rise Professor Bob Watson, chief scientists at the department for environment and rural affairs. Photograph: University of East Anglia Climate change sceptics and fossil fuel companies that have lobbied against action on greenhouse gas emissions have squandered the world's chance to avoid dangerous global warming, a key adviser to the government has said. Professor Bob Watson, chief scientist at the department for environment and rural affairs, said a decade of inaction on climate change meant it was now virtually impossible to limit global temperature rise to 2C. He said the delay meant the world would now do well to stabilise warming between 3C and 4C.Meanwhile in the 'clean coal' saga:
- 2009/11/24: TreeHugger: CCS: A Pathway To Cleaner Coal And Enhanced Energy Security
- 2009/11/23: ClimateP: "I would venture that the cleanest power will not be solar, it will be coal." [says Vinod Khosla]
As for climate miscellanea:
- 2009/11/27: RealClimate: Whereà $(Bs (Bthe data?
- 2009/11/27: AfterGutenberg: Tipping points are non-linear
- 2009/11/23: ORTS: Top 50 Free Open Courseware Classes for Aspiring Scientists
- 2009/11/27: NewScientist: Welcome to the high-carbon future
- 2009/11/27: RealClimate: An Offering -- David Archer's University of Chicago lectures
- 2009/11/27: TreeHugger: Climate Change Puts the Reality in This TV Show
- 2009/11/27: OilDrum: Unique Times -- and the Future by Dr Walter Youngquist
- 2009/11/27: DWWSJ: Top Climate Science Course- Online and FREE!
- 2009/11/26: RSethi: On Prediction Markets for Climate Change
- 2009/11/25: CCurrents: Revolt Against Climate Change!
- 2009/11/24: DerSpiegel: Modeling the Future -- The Difficulties of Predicting Climate Change
- 2009/11/24: GreenGrok: Visualizing Climate Science
- 2009/11/24: MongaBay: Efforts to slow climate change may put indigenous people at risk
- 2009/11/24: PhysOrg: NASA Releases Climate Change Multimedia Resource Reel
- 2009/11/24: BBC: 'World's oldest sheep' Lucky dies
The world's oldest sheep has died in Australia at the age of 23 - twice the normal life expectancy - after succumbing to a record heatwave.- 2009/11/22: NYT: New Voices on Climate Change
[...]
Wary of offending viewers and the authorities, who might be skeptical about the effect of human beings on climate, and mindful of making references to hugely complex science during three-minute broadcasts, most presenters have studiously avoided using their prime-time slots to discuss global warming.
But that may be changing.
In September, the World Meteorological Organization, a United Nations agency based in Geneva, anointed television weather presenters as climate emissaries, highlighting the role they could play in communicating evidence and information about global warming directly to viewers.- 2009/11/23: Eureka: How green is your house? Recycling favorite activity among Brits says new survey
- 2009/11/23: STimes: Climate change speeds up since 1997 Kyoto accord
As the world has talked for a dozen years about what to do next, new ship passages opened through the Arctic's once-frozen summer sea ice. In Greenland and Antarctica, ice sheets have lost trillions of tons. Mountain glaciers in Europe, South America, Asia and Africa are shrinking faster than before.- 2009/11/23: BBC: Are children's futures going up in smoke?
Climate change poses a huge barrier to a fulfilling future, argues [Citizen] David Puttnam, an ambassador for Unicef UK. In this week's Green Room, he asks what price children will have to pay for three or four carbon-happy generations?And here are a couple of sites you may find interesting and/or useful:
- RealClimate: Data Sources
- Not Spaghetti - A P Smith
- UChicago: Global Warming: Understanding the Forecast -- Video Lectures
- EnviroKnow
- Early Warning [Stuart Staniford]
- WiserEarth: Connecting You to Communities of Action
- Climate Tuva or Bust
- Wind - Sea - Algae -- Offshore Algae Cultivation for Biofuels and Beyond
- Wiki: Climatic Research Unit e-mail hacking incident
- NASA: Climate Essentials
- QE: Question Everything
- Wiki: Carrying capacity
- Wiki: Population bottleneck
- PV Tech - Your daily dose of photovoltaic technology developments and solar news
- The Copenhagen Diagnosis
- Water Matters
- Climate-L
- TimPanogos: Millard Fillmoreà $(Bs (BBathtub
More black humour in the GW vein:
A group of scientist updated the IPCC 2007 report with a Copenhagen Diagnosis:
The Met Office, NERC and the Royal Society issued a Climate Science Statement:
CSIRO released a Climate Change Impacts and Adaptation Report Card:
And on the Bottom Line:
Accounting for broken promises:
A disquieting theory from Tim Garrett got a mixed reception:
Solar forcing debunked, again:
Nida blew around the Western Pacific far from land and Bongani bothered the Indian Ocean, but otherwise it has been quiet:
This sounds good, but...Note that it's carbon intensity from the year 2005:
Glaciers are melting:
And then there are the world's forests:
Desertification looms as a threat:
As for heatwaves and wild fires:
Elsewhere on the mitigation front:
Large scale geo-engineering keeps popping up:
Meanwhile in the journals:
Indian PM singh visited the USA, had a state supper and signed a 'Green Partnership':
In Canada, minority neocon PM Harper, continues his do-nothing policy:
The National Round Table on the Environment and the Economy released a report on the northern impacts of global warming:
A report on the tar sands' destruction of water resources:
Another one of those minor embarassments the Tories will ignore:
Quebecois rather enjoy rubbing Ottawa's nose in it:
Ontario has it's Green Energy Act, now comes the implementation:
Apocalypso anyone?
As for how the media handles science:
Low Key Plug
My first novel Water was published in Canada May, 2007. The American release was in October. An Introductionto the novel is available, along with the Unpublished Forewordand the Launch Talk. An overview of my writing is available here.
<regards>
P.S. Recent postings can be found in the week archive and the ancient postings can be accessed here, which should open to this.
"Thereà $(Bs (Bno guarantee that sanity will prevail. As the conman in Huckleberry Finn says 'Hainà $(Bt (Bwe got all the fools in town on our side? And ainà $(Bt (Bthat a big enough majority in any town?' But, as I recall, he ends up tarred and feathered and run out of town on a rail." -John Quiggin
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Thanks for the plug!
By the way, Timpanogos is the mountain I grew up under. It's a Ute name, not Greek.