Logging the Onset of The Bottleneck Years
This weekly posting is brought to you courtesy of H. E. Taylor. Happy reading, I hope you enjoy this week's Global Warming news roundup
Another week of Climate Instability News
Information overload is pattern recognition
October 10, 2010
- Chuckles, Tianjin, Copenhagen Accord, COP16+, ASEM, Syed, Haigh, Pakistan
- Bottom Line, Carbon Tariffs, Finance, No Pressure, Cook, Post CRU
- Melting Arctic, Geopolitics, Antarctica
- Food Crisis, GMOs, Food Production
- Hurricanes, Monsoon, GHGs, Temperatures, Feedbacks
- Aerosols, Paleoclimate, ENSO, Ocean Currents, Satellites
- Impacts, Forests, Climate Refugees, Tornadoes, Wildfires, Corals, Glaciers, Floods & Droughts
- Mitigation, REDD, Transportation, Buildings, Sequestration, Geoengineering
- Journals, Other Docs , Misc. Science, Mann, Hansen, Wegman
- UN, Carbon Trade, Bank Tax
- International Politics: Rare Earths, Energy Race, Security, Law & Activism, Activism
- Polls, Water Politics & Business, Software, Predictions
- National Politics: America, BP Disaster, November, Prop 23, Ethanol, Cuccinelli, Roberts
- Obama, USAdmin, Congress, Climate Bill, Lobbyists, Al Gore
- Britain, Europe, Australia, Murray-Darling, China, Japan, Asia, Africa, South America
- Canada, Post G20, Climate Prosperity, Polar Bear Worth?, Post Igor, Pipelines
- Tar Sands Panels, BC, Tar Sands, Sask, Ontario, Quebec, Maritimes, Canadiana
- Ecological Economics, IPAT, Media, Books, Video, Podcasts, Courts
- Energy, Fracking, Wind, Solar, Coal, Biofuel, Nukes, Peak Oil, Grid, Cars, Gee Whiz, Energy Storage
- Business, Greenwashing, Joe's List, Carbon Lobby, Miscellaneous Climate, Useful Links
- Shameless Self Promotion, .sig
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- 2010/10/10: TCoE: (cartoon - xkcd) Why climatologists are dumb
- 2010/10/07: ClimateP: (cartoon - Toles) Washington Post slams VA AG Ken Cuccinelli
- 2010/10/06: ERabett: For RayP
- 2010/09/30: SeattlePI: (cartoon - Horsey) Behind the attack ads...
- 2010/10/04: uComics: (cartoon - Wiley) Government For The People...
And for those interested in exploring the nether reaches of Poe's Law:
- 2010/10/06: Onion: American People Hire High-Powered Lobbyist To Push Interests In Congress
The UNFCCC talks in Tianjin went down this week:
- 2010/10/09: Yahoo:Reuters: China calls U.S. a pig in the mirror on climate change
China hit back on Saturday at U.S. claims it was shirking in the fight against climate change, likening criticisms from the Obama administration's top climate envoy to a pig preening itself in a mirror. Su Wei, a senior Chinese climate change negotiator, rejected comments from U.S. climate envoy Todd Stern as a week of U.N. talks on fighting climate change drew to a close in the northern Chinese city of Tianjin. Stern, in remarks at a U.S. university, said Beijing could not insist rich nations take on fixed targets to cut greenhouse gas emissions while China and other big emerging nations adopt only voluntary domestic goals. Su countered that Stern's claims were a diversion from the United States' failure to make big cuts in carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases causing global warming. - 2010/10/10: CNN: Global climate talks wrap up in China
Some 200 countries were represented at the week-long discussions - The talks are the last official ones before the U.N. climate summit in Mexico - Officials say the week brought them closer to defining what can be achieved at Cancun - Environmental activists plan a global day of action - 2010/10/10: People's Daily: Kyoto Protocol chairman [John Ashe] warns of uncertainty at climate talks
- 2010/10/09: BBC: UN climate talks in China end without breakthrough, marred by bickering between China and US
- 2010/10/09: Guardian(UK): Climate deal is closer, says UN envoy [UNFCCC head, Christiana Figueres], despite China and US locking horns
Tianjin talks said to be more constructive than Copenhagen but world's two biggest emitters bickering over their records so far - 2010/10/09: UN: Countries agree on next steps for upcoming UN climate change negotiations
The top United Nations climate change official said on Saturday that countries have made progress over the past week in defining what could be achieved at the negotiations slated to begin next month in Cancún, Mexico. "This week has got us closer to a structured set of decisions that can be agreed in Cancún. Governments addressed what is doable in Cancún, and what may have to be left to later," Christiana Figueres said on the final day of the UN Climate Change Conference that took place in Tianjin, China. - 2010/10/09: Yahoo:AP: US, China blame each other for slow climate talks
- 2010/10/06: Crikey: In smoggy Tianjin, 'structural imbalance' is the hot topic
- 2010/10/08: ABC(Au):TDU: Climate change: it's time to step up Australia
For the first time ever the UN climate negotiations are being held in China. The city of Tianjin is hosting the final week of talks before the major climate summit in Cancun in December. This is also the first time our climate negotiators are on the international stage representing our new government. - 2010/10/09: TerraDaily: China and US blame each other in [Tianjin] climate stand-off
- 2010/10/09: EarthTimes: UN climate talks end in disappointment, finger-pointing
- 2010/10/08: ENS: Unmoved by Heating Planet, Climate Talks in China Stumble
- 2010/10/08: Guardian(UK): Civil society struggles to find voice at China climate talks
Despite the red tape and official unease, voices outside the one-party system have played a prominent and positive role at the Tianjin summit - 2010/10/08: Guardian(UK): China and US blamed as climate talks stall
Progress on a climate deal is held back by tough stances of the world's two biggest carbon polluters - 2010/10/08: PlanetArk: China Digs In On Rich-Poor Climate Pact Divide
- 2010/10/08: Grist: China warns trust ebbing from climate talks
- 2010/10/07: NYT: Poor Prospects for New Climate Meeting
- 2010/10/07: BBC: Row over shipping emissions plan
Environmentalists at the UN climate talks in Tianjin have criticised big developing nations for blocking plans for efficiency standards on shipping. Shipping produces about 3% of global emissions - more than the UK or Germany. And the International Maritime Organisation is trying to stop "dirty" ships being built. It is believed the scheme would benefit ship owners everywhere by reducing fuel consumption in the long term. But China's delegate at the meeting in Tianjin said he could not support the plan because it imposed uniform standards on rich and poor alike - contrary to the spirit of UN climate negotiations. Hongwei Wang from China's Transport Department, said that China wanted to co-operate on improving shipping, but that rich countries needed to help poor countries pay for better ships. - 2010/10/07: NRDC:SwitchBoard: Climate Change Negotiations Part Way through the Week in Tianjin
- 2010/10/07: NRDC:SwitchBoard: China's Domestic Climate Commitments Reach a Global Audience in Tianjin
- 2010/10/06: TerraDaily: WWF: Little hope for climate protection
- 2010/10/06: Xinhuanet: China says its earlier emissions peak depends on developed nations
- 2010/10/06: Guardian(UK): China climate talks cast the host in a flattering light
- 2010/10/06: Guardian(UK): China and US clash at climate talks
US negotiating stance deemed 'totally unacceptable' by China after American climate envoy accuses delegates of trying to renegotiate Copenhagen accord - 2010/10/05: TerraDaily: China tells rich nations to improve emission targets
- 2010/10/06: Reuters: U.S. [Jonathan Pershing] says climate talks fail to make headway
The United States said on Wednesday U.N. climate talks were making less progress than hoped because of a rift over poorer nations' emission goals, and that other avenues might be needed to tackle climate change. - 2010/10/05: PlanetArk: [UNFCCC head, Christiana Figueres] Urges Nations To Show Deal Can Be Done
- 2010/10/05: Grist: China tells rich nations to improve emission targets [at Tianjin]
- 2010/10/05: NRDC:SwitchBoard: The Tianjin Climate Talks: A Dose of "Conventional" Chinese Wisdom
- 2010/10/05: TEC: In Tianjin, China and U.S. Similarities Overshadow Differences
- 2010/10/04: Guardian(UK): Climate change talks open in [Tianjin] China
- 2010/10/04: HotTopic: Anyway, anyhow, anywhere
- 2010/10/04: UN: UN climate change chief urges nations to step up search for common ground
- 2010/10/04: PhysOrg: Delegates told to ID achievable goals on climate [by UNFCCC head, Christiana Figueres]
The U.N. climate chief urged countries Monday to search faster for common ground on battling climate change so that a year-end meeting in Mexico can produce results in that fight. Christiana Figueres told 3,000 delegates in China - the last conference before Cancun - that countries must identify achievable goals ahead of December's summit so progress can be made toward a global climate treaty. - 2010/10/03: NRDC:SwitchBoard: What Needs to be Accomplished at the China International Climate Negotiation Session?
- 2010/10/04: EarthTimes: UN meeting kicks off amid calls for more action on climate
- 2010/10/04: TEC: In Tianjin This Week, Hope and Fresh Urgency on Climate Action
- 2010/10/04: BBC:RB: Campaigning explodes as climate process risks disintegration
- 2010/10/04: CBC: Climate change talks open in [Tianjin] China
- 2010/10/03: BBC: Key UN climate talks set to open [in Tianjin]
About those Copenhagen Accord committments:
- 2010/10/05: PI:B: Canada's "fair share" is not as advertised
- 2010/10/08: BBC: Rich nations 'failing to deliver climate cash'
Rich nations are failing to live up to their promise of giving US$30bn to poor countries to help them cope with climate change, according to a report. The money was pledged at last year's Copenhagen summit in order to build trust between rich and poor nations. The scheme - championed by former UK PM Gordon Brown - is supposed to deliver the funds by the end of 2012. But a report to the German government says much of the money has been taken from other aid budgets. - 2010/10/07: Guardian(UK): Rich nations 'slow to start climate aid flow'
Developing nations at [Tianjin] China climate talks say funding promised in Copenhagen is slow to arrive and may not be 'new' money - UNFCCC: The United Nations Climate Change Conference in Cancun, 29 November - 10 December 2010
- 2010/10/08: Crikey:Rooted: Flash points on the road to Cancun
- 2010/10/09: NRDC:SwitchBoard: Contradictions in Climate Change Negotiations: Tianjin to Cancun
- 2010/10/09: EarthTimes: Oxfam urges developed nations to push UN climate talks
- 2010/10/08: Guardian(UK): Q&A: Cancún COP16 climate talks
Environment ministers will gather in Mexico in late November to continue efforts towards a global climate deal. What can we expect from the talks? - 2010/10/07: NewScientist: Forget a climate deal -- we need a carbon police first [Pearce]
- 2010/10/04: Guardian(UK): Cancún failure would make climate talks 'irrelevant', EU negotiator warns
Nations must substantially narrow their differences ahead of crunch summit in Mexico later this year, Artur Runge-Metzger tells delegates at China climate talks - 2010/10/07: EUO: EU-China summit ends in discord
An acrimonious EU-China summit on Wednesday (6 October) ended with a cancelled press conference and a stark warning from China not to increase pressure over its currency valuation. - 2010/10/05: TerraDaily: Europe, Asia call for urgent 'binding' climate deal
The Syed paper documenting an increase in the hydrological cycle raised some surprise:
- 2010/10/04: PNAS: (abs) Satellite-based global-ocean mass balance estimates of interannual variability and emerging trends in continental freshwater discharge by Tajdarul H. Syed et al.
- 2010/10/08: SolveClimate: Freshwater Flow Into Oceans Steadily Rising
An 18% increase found between 1994 and 2006 may indicate an acceleration of the global water cycle - 2010/10/08: SkeptiSci: Global warming is accelerating the global water cycle
- 2010/10/05: LA Times:GS: Global warming: a rise in river flows raises alarm
- 2010/10/05: SciNews: Warming is accelerating global water cycle -- Stream flows into the ocean have been increasing annually, study finds
- 2010/10/04: Eureka: First-of-its-kind study finds alarming increase in flow of water into oceans -- UCI-led team cites global warming, accelerated cycle of evaporation, precipitation
The Haigh et al. paper on solar influence by wavelength raised a few eyebrows:
- 2010/10/06: Nature: (ab$) An influence of solar spectral variations on radiative forcing of climate by Joanna D. Haigh et al.
- 2010/10/07: RealClimate: Solar spectral stumper
- 2010/10/07: CNN: Study shines new light on Sun's role in Earth's climate
New study appears to challenge current models of how Sun effects Earth's climate - Visible solar radiation has increased despite low solar activity, study says - Study used data from NASA SORCE satellite which launched in 2003 - Researchers also said decline in ultraviolet radiation was "larger than anticipated" - 2010/10/07: SolveClimate: Sun's Role in Warming the Planet May Be Overstated, Study Finds -- The discovery could help explain why Europe can have cold winters while the world as a whole is heating up
- 2010/10/07: KSJT: Lots of Ink: Let me get this straight -- if the sun quiets down, the Earth gets hotter...??? Don't make obvious sense, but here're the data.
- 2010/10/06: Reuters: Satellite data sheds new light on solar cycle
New satellite data overturns understanding of sun's cycle - Could explain local, extreme weather, cold winters - Does not undermine case for man-made climate change - 2010/10/06: TerraDaily: Solar surprises raise questions for climate models
- 2010/10/06: CBC: Sun's role in global warming questioned
- 2010/10/06: BBC: Solar surprise for climate issue
The Sun's influence on modern-day global warming may have been overestimated, a study suggests. - 2010/10/06: Guardian(UK): Sun's role in warming the planet may be overestimated, study finds
- 2010/10/06: NewScientist: Sun's activity flies in face of climate expectations
- 2010/10/06: NatureN: Declining solar activity linked to recent warming -- The Sun may have caused as much warming as carbon dioxide over three years
- 2010/10/06: SciDaily: Decline in Sun's Activity Does Not Always Mean That Earth Becomes Cooler, Study Shows
The Pakistan monsoon floods are an ongoing tragedy:
- WFP: Pakistan Crisis
- 2010/10/08: UN: Pakistan: UN and partners deliver nearly 170,000 tons of food to flood survivors
- 2010/10/07: Eureka: Modeling Pakistan's flooding
- 2010/10/07: UrukNet: Al-Qaeda's Suspect Humanitarianism -- Is bin Laden's concern for flood victims a ruse to destabilise Pakistan?
- 2010/10/04: Guardian(UK): Still marooned: plight of flood-stricken villagers in Pakistan's Sindh province
And on the Bottom Line:
- 2010/10/06: PlanetArk: Norway's SWF Should Refrain From Green Focus: Central Bank
Norway's $470 billion sovereign wealth fund should refrain from earmarking funds specifically for green projects, the central bank said as Norway debates expanding its investment universe to include private equity. The central bank-run wealth fund -- the world's second largest after that of the United Arab Emirates -- and the fund's owner, the Norwegian government, have been in a tug-of-war over whether the SWF should earmark funds for environmental projects. Norges Bank and its Norges Bank Investment Management (NBIM) arm say such specialization would water-down the fund's mandate of maximizing financial returns for "future generations." - 2010/10/09: VoxEU: Currency wars: China should impose green taxes on its exports by Gérard Roland
How should China respond to the threat of tariffs from the US? This column provides a solution that could result in the desired appreciation of the renminbi and at the same time allow China to take the lead on climate change. - 2010/10/06: SusBiz: World Bank Projects Do Not Contribute to Energy Access - Report
A new report by Oil Change International, released on the eve of the World Bank's Annual Meetings, contradicts the idea that World Bank support for coal and oil projects increases access to energy for the world's poorest. - 2010/10/05: Inquirer: Sony pulls out of climate campaign -- 10:10 adverts were tasteless
- 2010/10/05: AFTIC: 1010.org misses the mark, Denialosphere jumps many sharks
- 2010/10/05: DM:DB: Climate Change Activists' Head-Exploding Ad May Have Gone a Bit Far
- 2010/10/04: NYT:GW: Enviro Groups Retreat From Violent Advocacy Video
- 2010/10/04: TI:CF: 10:10 till we do it again
- 2010/10/04: ERabett: Eli Shrugged [No Pressure]
- 2010/10/04: Guardian(UK): No Pressure: the fall-out from Richard Curtis's explosive climate film
- 2010/10/04: CCD: 10:10 No Pressure Splatter Ad- so how could it have been better?
- 2010/10/04: TreeHugger: Violent Climate Change Film Lands 10:10 Campaign in Trouble (Video)
John Cook & friends are still cranking them out:
- 2010/10/09: SkeptiSci: The first global warming skeptic [AV]
- 2010/10/04: SkeptiSci: Carbon Dioxide - Everyone's Favorite Pollutant [AV]
Post CRU theft, controversy & inquiry:
- 2010/10/09: QuarkSoup: The Climategate Investigation
- 2010/10/08: IJISH: (Digression) Inactivist group C'S'CA now has new Executive Director, Steve Goreham?
- 2010/10/04: NatureN: IPCC's second working group responds to InterAcademy review
- 2010/10/03: BCLSB: CRU Cleared Again
The Arctic melt is still garnering attention:
- 2010/10/05: CC&G: Arctic Sea Ice Extent Trends: 1979-2010
- 2010/10/05: ABC(Au): Scientists in the US are predicting that within 30 years there will no longer be summer sea ice in the Arctic
As for the geopolitics of Arctic resources:
- 2010/10/04: Pravda: Russia's Arctic plans infuriate Canada
Canada is not going to make any concessions to Russia in terms of sharing Arctic riches. During the current year, Canada has considerably expanded its infrastructure in the Arctic modernizing its existent bases and building new ones. An official message from the Canadian government said that the nation continues to demonstrate its adherence to the implementation of the previously approved Northern Strategy "to assert and defend its sovereignty." The Northern Strategy is the main bone of contention between Russia and Canada in the Arctic region. It particularly goes about the underwater Lomonosov mountain ridge and the control over the Northern seaway. - 2010/10/05: SciDaily: Antarctic Sea Ice Increase Not Linked to Ozone Hole, New Research Shows
The food crisis is ongoing:
- 2010/10/07: SciDaily: Environmental Changes to Blame for [15%] Drop in Yield of 'Miracle Rice'
- 2010/10/06: WFP: [22] Crisis-Prone Countries Need Special Attention, Report Says
- 2010/10/06: FAO: 22 countries in protracted crisis -- Assistance should be refocused for countries around the world suffering from double and triple shocks
- 2010/10/07: BBerg: Crop Failures Like Russia's to Increase as Climate Changes, Study Shows
- 2010/10/09: CCP: Livestock production set to become unsustainable
- 2010/10/08: Telegraph(UK): Climate change threatens UK harvest
Climate change could push up food prices by causing large-scale crop failures in Britain, the Met Office has warned. - 2010/10/08: Eureka: 'Miracle rice' finding proves we can never stop rice breeding
- 2010/10/07: Eureka: Crop failures set to increase under climate change
Large-scale crop failures like the one that caused the recent Russian wheat crisis are likely to become more common under climate change due to an increased frequency of extreme weather events, a new study shows. However, the worst effects of these events on agriculture could be mitigated by improved farming and the development of new crops... - 2010/10/07: BBC: Ukraine sets grain export quotas following drought
- 2010/10/05: BBerg: Food Stamp Recipients at Record 41.8 Million Americans in July, U.S. Says
- 2010/10/07: BRitholtz: Explosive Growth in Food Stamp Usage
- 2010/10/06: CBC: 22 countries face food crisis: UN agencies
UN food agencies say persistent food crises are leaving 166 million people in 22 countries chronically hungry. Wars, natural disasters and poor government institutions have contributed to a continuous state of undernourishment in countries such as Afghanistan, Haiti, Iraq, Somalia and Sudan, the Food and Agriculture Operation and the World Food Program said in a new report. Other nations in protracted crises: Angola, Burundi, Central African Republic, Chad, Congo, North Korea, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Guinea, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Tajikistan, Uganda and Zimbabwe. - 2010/10/07: PhysOrg: Transgenic corn suppresses European corn borer, saves [Midwest] farmers billions
- 2010/10/07: PlanetArk: Transgenic Corn Trickles Into Mexico Despite Fears
- 2010/10/07: NatureN: GM maize offers windfall for conventional farms -- Farmers using non-transgenic varieties save the most money and help GM plants succeed
- 2010/10/06: EarthTimes: EU to face one-million-strong petition against GM crops
- 2010/10/06: EurActiv: First 'Citizens' Initiative' to call for GM crop freeze
- 2010/10/04: Grist: A recap of the FDA's 'Frankenfish' hearings
- 2010/10/04: NYT: Monsanto's Fortunes Turn Sour
As recently as late December, Monsanto was named "company of the year" by Forbes magazine. Last week, the company earned a different accolade from Jim Cramer, the television stock market commentator. "This may be the worst stock of 2010," he proclaimed. Monsanto, the giant of agricultural biotechnology, has been buffeted by setbacks this year that have prompted analysts to question whether its winning streak from creating ever more expensive genetically engineered crops is coming to an end. The company's stock, which rose steadily over several years to peak at around $145 a share in mid-2008, closed Monday at $47.77, having fallen about 42 percent since the beginning of the year. Its earnings for the fiscal year that ended in August, which will be announced Wednesday, are expected to be well below projections made at the beginning of the year, and the company has abandoned its profit goal for 2012 as well. The latest blow came last week, when early returns from this year's harvest showed that Monsanto's newest product, SmartStax corn, which contains an unprecedented eight inserted genes, was providing yields no higher than the company's less expensive corn that contains only three foreign genes. Monsanto has already been forced to sharply cut prices on SmartStax and on its newest soybean seeds, called Roundup Ready 2 Yield, as sales fell below projections. But there is more. Sales of Monsanto's Roundup, the widely used herbicide, have collapsed this year under an onslaught of low-priced generics made in China. Weeds are growing resistant to Roundup, dampening the future of the entire Roundup Ready crop franchise. And the Justice Department is investigating Monsanto for possible antitrust violations. - 2010/10/07: FAO: Feeding Bangladesh's growing population amid rising climate challenges -- New technologies and agricultural practices key
- 2010/10/06: FuturePundit: US Food Waste: 350 Million Barrels Of Oil Per Year?
- 2010/10/08: ABC(Au): Nitrogen fertilisers doing as much harm as good
The development of nitrogen fertilisers has worked wonders for increasing the amount of food in the world, but the results of a new study have revealed how the fertilisers have damaged waterways and the atmosphere. - 2010/10/08: BBC: Insect pest control by genetically-modified crops can raise yields and profits from non-GM varieties grown nearby, a study from the US indicates
- 2010/10/07: CDreams: Haitian Farmers: Growing Strength to Grow Food
- 2010/10/07: PhysOrg: Too much of a good thing: Human activities overload ecosystems with nitrogen
- 2010/10/07: Eureka: The elusive [photosynthesis] intermediary -- Newly discovered protein may help to improve crop yields
- 2010/10/06: UN: UN urges long-term solutions to help countries with protracted food crises recover
- 2010/10/06: Grist: Conserving and rebuilding soils in the U.S. and around the world by Lester Brown
- 2010/10/06: TreeHugger: The Global Battle to Conserve and Rebuild Soil
- 2010/10/05: CCurrents: In Kenya, Farmers Grow Their Own Way
- 2010/10/05: UN: Pakistan floods, West Africa food crisis top recipients from UN fund
- 2010/10/05: NatureTGB: Livestock growth could imperil planet
- 2010/10/05: BBC:RB: Livestock: Lengthening the shadow?
- 2010/10/04: NRDC:SwitchBoard: We're losing an acre of farmland every minute, according to new data
As they say in Florida, Otta was a fish and otherwise it was relatively quiet:
- 2010/10/09: Wunderground: Western Caribbean disturbance 98L a threat to develop; Otto weakening
- 2010/10/08: Eureka: NASA sees Otto become eighth hurricane of the Atlantic season
- 2010/10/08: Wunderground: Hurricane Otto's deluge continues; world extreme heat record of 136.4°F bogus?
- 2010/10/07: Eureka: NASA satellites see Otto become a tropical storm
- 2010/10/08: CBC: Hurricane Otto swirling out to sea
- 2010/10/07: Wunderground: Otto transitioning to a tropical storm
- 2010/10/06: Wunderground: Subtropical Depression 17 forms; monsoon rains kill over 100 in Asia
- 2010/10/06: Eureka: GOES-13 on top of new seventeenth Atlantic (sub) tropical depression
- 2010/10/05: Eureka: NASA AIRS Satellite instrument sees Tropical Depression 14W form
- 2010/10/05: Eureka: GOES-13 sees another potential tropical depression in Caribbean Sea
- 2010/10/05: Wunderground: 97L more organized, could be a tropical depression by Wednesday
- 2010/10/04: Wunderground: 97L still disorganized, but bringing heavy rains to the northeast Caribbean
While elsewhere in the hurricane wars:
- 2010/10/07: NASA:JPL: NASA Loosens GRIP on Atlantic Hurricane Season
NASA wrapped up one of its largest hurricane research efforts ever last week after nearly two months of flights that broke new ground in the study of tropical cyclones and delivered data that scientists will be able to analyze for years to come - 2010/10/04: Rabble: Igor's destruction sends message to coastal communities
And in the Monsoon:
- 2010/10/06: PhysOrg: Bangladesh monsoon rains 'lowest since 1994'
- 2010/10/05: PhysOrg: Doppler radars help increase monsoon rainfall prediction accuracy
As for GHGs:
- 2010/10/04: Reuters: India says is now third highest carbon emitter [says Indian environment minister, Jairam Ramesh]
- 2010/10/07: PlanetArk: World Gobbling Up Greenhouse Gas Budget: WWF
- 2010/10/06: BizGreen: Global 2020 emissions will far exceed 'dangerous' levels -- WWF paper warns world is on track to break its carbon budget
- 2010/10/05: PlanetArk: India Says Is Now Third Highest Carbon Emitter
And the temperature record:
- 2010/10/07: NOAANews: U.S. Experienced Above Average Temperatures, Rainfall in September
- 2010/10/05: USAToday: Expert: Texas is getting hotter due to global warming
- 2010/10/04: ClimateP: Hottest September in satellite record; new daily high temperature records outpace record lows by 5-to-1
Yes we have feedbacks:
- 2010/10/04: TreeHugger: 2°C Temperature Rise Target 'Not Safe' - More Evidence From Geological Record
- 2010/10/04: SkeptiSci: What constitutes 'safe' global warming?
Aerosols are making their presence felt:
- 2010/10/08: PhysOrg: 'A-Train' satellites search for 770 million tons of dust in the air
Using data from several research satellites, scientists will spend the next three years trying to understand the climate impacts of about 770 million tons of dust carried into the atmosphere every year from the Sahara Desert. - 2010/10/06: SciNow: How Volcanoes Feed Plankton
- 2010/10/05: Eureka: [Kasatochi] Volcano fuels massive phytoplankton bloom
- 2010/10/05: G&M: Effects of [Kasatochi] volcanic eruption dash promising global warming theory
While in the paleoclimate:
- 2010/10/06: PhysOrg: Study to reveal link between climate and early human evolution
- 2010/10/05: PhysOrg: Stepping stones through time [stromatolites]
- 2010/10/04: Eureka: Disappearing glaciers enhanced biodiversity -- Fossils reveal history of marine diversity in Chile [paleo]
On the ENSO front:
- 2010/10/07: NOAA:NCEP: El Niño/Southern Oscillation (ENSO) Diagnostic Discussion
Synopsis: La Niña is expected to last at least into the Northern Hemisphere spring 2011 - 2010/10/09: ABC(Au): Ocean currents offer insight into climate change
Marine researchers say their study of ocean currents is shedding new light on global climate change. - 2010/10/05: SciDaily: Earth's Rotation Affects Flows in Submarine Channels
Coriolis forces due to Earth's rotation deflect winds and ocean flows to the right in the Northern Hemisphere and to the left in the Southern Hemisphere. In sinuous submarine channels, Coriolis forces can drive secondary circulation of turbidity currents and determine where erosion and sediment deposition occur. - 2010/10/06: PhysOrg: Climate satellite 'blinded' by radio interference
The European Space Agency (ESA) said on Wednesday that it had launched a behind-the-scenes campaign to shut down illicit radio and TV transmissions interfering with a major climate satellite. The 315-million-euro (434-million-dollar) Soil Moisture and Ocean Salinity (SMOS) probe "has been bugged by patches of interference from radar, TV and radio transmissions in what should be a protected band," the ESA complained. - 2010/10/06: NatureN: Earth science: Weighing the world
After a near-death crisis, the best gravity sensor in space [GOCE] is back to full strength, providing data that will keep scientists on the level. - 2010/10/05: NatureN: NASA privacy case goes to highest court
- 2010/10/04: Eureka: TRMM satellite sees tropical moisture bring heavy rain, flooding to US East Coast
- 2010/10/04: TEC: India to Launch Satellite to Monitor Deforestation/Afforestation in Real Time
More GW impacts are being seen:
- 2010/10/08: Guardian(UK): Climate change: Tropical heat
New research suggests the relatively low rise in temperature in the tropics will still lead to devastating rates of extinction - 2010/10/08: SciDaily: Turtle, Dugongs 'at Risk Under Climate Change'
- 2010/10/08: SkeptiSci: Global warming impact on tropical species greater than expected
- 2010/10/06: SciNews: A little climate change goes a long way in the tropics -- In hot places, even minor warming could rev up metabolism in animals that don't generate their own heat
- 2010/10/07: CBC: Tropics more affected by global warming: study
Organisms in the tropics may be showing more pronounced effects of global warming, despite the larger temperature changes documented at higher latitudes in the north. - 2010/10/06: Eureka: Greatest warming is in the north, but biggest impact on life is in the tropics
- 2010/10/04: MongaBay: Losing nature's medicine cabinet
- 2010/10/05: PlanetArk: Global Warming May Be Harming Pacific Walrus: Scientists
- 2010/10/05: TreeHugger: Bird Declines Could Signal Coming Mass Extinctions
- 2010/10/04: Eureka: Climate change affects horseshoe crab numbers
- 2010/10/03: Reuters: Global warming may be harming Pacific walrus: scientists
And then there are the world's forests:
- 2010/10/10: ABC(Au): Peace talks to end the war over Tasmania's old growth forests have hit a stumbling block
- 2010/10/08: UNEP: UNEP tree-planting campaign takes root in East Africa
- 2010/10/04: FAO: Forest biodiversity at risk -- But conservation efforts are growing - FAO releases Global Forest Resources Assessment 2010
- 2010/10/07: MongaBay: Rainforest loss slows [to 9.34 million hectares per year]
- 2010/10/04: UN: Deforestation imperils biodiversity, but some trends encouraging - UN [FAO]
- 2010/10/04: Eureka: Saving tropical forests: Value their carbon and improve farming technology -- Agricultural improvements aid in reducing emissions and in keeping food affordable
Climate refugees are becoming an issue:
- 2010/10/06: BBC: EU and Libya reach deal on illegal migrants
The EU and Libya have reached a deal on stemming illegal migration but Brussels offered only a fraction of the aid requested by Tripoli. - 2010/10/07: CSM: Arizona tornado clean-up begins in aftermath
American Red Cross disaster teams went door-to-door Thursday through this tiny northern northern Arizona community heavily damaged by rare twin tornados a day earlier. Volunteers were assessing damage and providing food, work gloves and comfort kits to residents of Bellemont, just west of Flagstaff. Workers with the state Department of Emergency Services were conducting a thorough assessment of the damage. The twister damaged about 200 homes in the small town of several hundred residents, and 33 homes were destroyed or uninhabitable, Coconino County Sheriff's spokesman Gerry Blair said. - 2010/10/06: CNN: Tornadoes strike Arizona; 7 injured
Twenty-eight cars from a train derailed - Tornadoes touched down in Bellemont, which is near Flagstaff - The windows were blown out of about 100 homes, the sheriff said - 2010/10/07: TerraDaily: Deaths rose by quarter in Russia's summer heatwave: official
Death rates rose by more than a quarter in Russia in August during an unprecedented heatwave that sparked forest fires across the country, official statistics showed Thursday. Amid record temperatures and rampant wildfires, the death rate nationwide shot up 27.4 percent in August compared with the same month last year, the state statistics office said in figures published on its website. The surge saw 41,262 more people die than during August 2009, while the previous months' figures showed no significant rise year-on-year. - 2010/10/08: EarthTimes: Experts sound alarm as corals show new spate of bleaching
- 2010/10/08: BBC: Toxic algae rapidly kills coral
- 2010/10/07: CoralCOE: Call to Heal the World's Coral Reefs
Glaciers are melting:
- 2010/10/08: Xinhuanet: Report warns of drastic glacier shrinkage in China
- 2010/10/06: CNN: Montana's melting glaciers: The poster-child for climate change
Glacier National Park in the U.S. covers around one million acres - Park's glaciers are melting at a rapid rate. Only 25 remain, 125 less than 100 years ago - Fear for water supplies that from mountain areas and local ecosystems - 2010/10/05: CCurrents: Himalayas Unsettled By Melting Glaciers, More Avalanches
- 2010/10/05: PhysOrg: NASA launches Himalayan monitoring system in Nepal
A new system that will allow scientists to monitor the impact of climate change in the Himalayas using images from NASA satellites was launched in the Nepalese capital Kathmandu on Tuesday. - 2010/10/09: TerraDaily: One dead, thousands affected in Philippine floods: police
- 2010/10/09: EarthTimes: Indonesian flood death toll rises to 124
- 2010/10/08: TerraDaily: More than 1,000 villages flooded on China's Hainan island
- 2010/10/08: EarthTimes: Storm kills at least three on Bangladesh coast
- 2010/10/08: BBC: Floods and landslides in Indonesia kill more than 100
- 2010/10/08: CBC: Indonesia flood death toll hits 100
- 2010/10/07: EarthTimes: Vietnam storm toll rises to 48 dead
- 2010/10/07: CBC: Asian flooding death toll hits 140
Asia's death toll from vicious rains spiked Thursday to nearly 140 as disaster officials reached previously isolated areas in Vietnam, while the worst flooding in parts of southern China in nearly a half-century forced 130,000 villagers to evacuate. Security forces tried to speed recovery efforts in Indonesia, home to most of the fatalities with 91 dead, by removing debris from blocked roads and fixing bridges. - 2010/10/06: TCoE: Lake Mead water level
- 2010/10/06: JFleck: Stuff I Wrote Elsewhere: Parched Rio Grande
- 2010/10/06: EarthTimes: Indonesian flood death toll rises to 64
- 2010/10/06: EarthTimes: Vietnam storm toll rises to 28 dead
- 2010/10/05: MPR: [Gov. Tim] Pawlenty sets Monday for flood-relief special session
- 2010/10/06: BBC: Floods and landslides kill at least 86 in Indonesia
- 2010/10/05: EarthTimes: Floods kill 56 in Indonesia's West Papua province
- 2010/10/05: EarthTimes: At least three die as storms hit northern and central Italy
- 2010/10/05: EarthTimes: Floods kill 29 in Indonesia's West Papua province
- 2010/10/05: EarthTimes: 13 dead in Vietnam storms
- 2010/10/05: DNN: North Carolina continues to mop up -- As emergency response teams begin assessment of damages
- 2010/10/05: CBC: Indonesia flood death toll hits 56
Heavy rain unleashed flash floods and mudslides, killing at least 56 people in a remote corner of Indonesia... - 2010/10/04: EarthTimes: Six dead in Vietnam storms
Hanoi - Six people have been killed and three were missing after heavy rains hit central Vietnam, authorities said Monday, while six fishermen were reported missing at sea. Among the dead were a kindergarten teacher returning from work and a soldier working on road repairs who were swept away by swollen rivers, the National Steering Committee on Flood and Storm Control reported. - 2010/10/08: PhysOrg: Reversing climate change: Is charcoal the answer?
- 2010/10/06: EarthTimes: Nations risk falling short on carbon reductions, group says
- 2010/10/04: TreeHugger: If Genetically Modified Trees Could Help Stop Climate Change Would You Support Them?
Reduced Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation has somehow seemed chimeric:
- 2010/10/08: IndiaTimes: Deforestation deal [REDD] offers rare hope in climate change fight
Consider transportation & GHG production:
- 2010/10/07: NYT:PK: Transit Economics
- 2010/10/07: BBC: Row over shipping emissions plan
- 2010/10/06: DerSpiegel: Obama's High-Speed Train Revolution -- Foreign Firms Hoping to Ride US Rail Boom
Siemens, Bombardier and other rail engineering firms have high hopes for the US market because the Obama Administration plans to promote the development of high-speed rail networks. Germany's Siemens will showcase its Valero ICE trains in Florida this week ahead of a bidding process in the state. - 2010/10/04: EurActiv: Aviation sector calls for global plan to 'green' flights
All aviation stakeholders, including manufacturers, airlines, airports and navigation service providers, have issued a joint call for governments to agree a global plan to address aviation emissions at December's United Nations climate summit in Cancún. The call from the international aerospace industry comes as the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) is holding its general assembly in Montreal. - 2010/10/07: G&M: Green building: the next generation
As for carbon sequestration:
- 2010/10/05: PhysOrg: Storing carbon in rocks may help fight against climate change
- 2010/10/05: PlanetArk: Britain Still Committed To Carbon Capture: [DECC] Minister [Chris Huhne]
Large scale geo-engineering keeps popping up:
- 2010/10/05: SoluMag: Geoengineering: The Inescapable Truth of Getting to 350 by Chuck Greene et al.
- 2010/10/06: NewScientist: Louisiana revival: Eco-engineering on a giant scale
- 2010/10/06: PhysOrg: Slowing climate warming may require geoengineering
Geoengineering could prevent the potentially catastrophic climate-change tipping points that loom just ahead, reports a new Cornell study - 2010/10/05: G&M: Effects of [Kasatochi] volcanic eruption dash promising global warming theory
- 2010/10/03: WaPo: Threat of global warming sparks U.S. interest in geoengineering
Meanwhile in the journals:
- 2010/10/05: NERC:NORA: Extreme deepening of the Atlantic overturning circulation during deglaciation by Stephen Barker et al.
- 2010/10/05: NERC:NORA: Present stability of the Larsen C ice shelf, Antarctic Peninsula by D. Jansen et al.
- 2010/10/06: NERC:NORA: Flow and retreat of the Late Quaternary Pine Island-Thwaites palaeo-ice stream, West Antarctica by Alastair G. C. Graham et al.
- 2010/10/06: NERC:NORA: The sedimentary legacy of a palaeo-ice stream on the shelf of the southern Bellingshausen Sea: Clues to West Antarctic glacial history during the Late Quaternary by Claus-Dieter Hillenbrand et al.
- 2010/10/07: OS: Snapshot observation of the physical structure and stratification in deep-water of the South Caspian Sea (western part) by P. Ghaffari et al.
- 2010/10/06: TC: The Northeast Asia mountain glaciers in the near future by AOGCM scenarios by M. D. Ananicheva et al.
- 2010/10/06: TCD: Landsat TM and ETM+ derived snowline altitudes in the Cordillera Huayhuash and Cordillera Raura, Peru, 1986-2005 by E. M. McFadden et al.
- 2010/10/08: CP: A synthesis of marine sediment core C13 data over the last 150 000 years by K. I. C. Oliver et al.
- 2010/10/08: CPD: Rapid shifts in South American montane climates driven by pCO2 and ice volume changes over the last two glacial cycles by M. H. M. Groot et al.
- 2010/10/08: CPD: A regional climate simulation over the Iberian Peninsula for the last millennium by J. J. Gómez-Navarro et al.
- 2010/09/29: ERL: (abs) Increased crop failure due to climate change: assessing adaptation options using models and socio-economic data for wheat in China by Andrew J Challinor et al.
- 2010/10/07: ACP: The potential to narrow uncertainty in projections of stratospheric ozone over the 21st century by A. J. Charlton-Perez et multi alia
- 2010/10/07: ACP: Multi-model assessment of stratospheric ozone return dates and ozone recovery in CCMVal-2 models by V. Eyring et multi alia
- 2010/10/07: ACP: Aerosol exposure versus aerosol cooling of climate: what is the optimal emission reduction strategy for human health? by J. Löndahl et al.
- 2010/10/06: ACP: Black carbon measurements in the boundary layer over western and northern Europe by G. R. McMeeking et al.
- 2010/10/05: ACP: Aerosol fluxes and dynamics within and above a tropical rainforest in South-East Asia by J. D. Whitehead et al.
- 2010/10/05: ACP: Long-term trends of black carbon and sulphate aerosol in the Arctic: changes in atmospheric transport and source region emissions by D. Hirdman et al.
- 2010/10/05: ACP: New particle formation and ultrafine charged aerosol climatology at a high altitude site in the Alps (Jungfraujoch, 3580 m a.s.l., Switzerland) by J. Boulon et al.
- 2010/10/07: ACPD: Aura MLS observations of the westward-propagating s=1, 16-day planetary wave in the middle atmosphere: climatology and cross-equatorial propagation by K. A. Day et al.
- 2010/10/07: ACPD: Simulating satellite observations of 100 kHz radio waves from relativistic electron beams above thunderclouds by M. Füllekrug et al.
- 2010/10/07: ACPD: Influence of convection and aerosol pollution on ice cloud particle effective radius by J. H. Jiang et al.
- 2010/10/06: ACPD: An analysis of long-term regional-scale ozone simulations over the Northeastern United States: variability and trends by C. Hogrefe et al.
- 2010/10/05: ACPD: Sensitivity studies on the impacts of Tibetan Plateau snowpack pollution on the Asian hydrological cycle and monsoon climate by Y. Qian et al.
- 2010/10/04: ACPD: Characterization of the sources and processes of organic and inorganic aerosols in New York City with a high-resolution time-of-flight aerosol mass spectrometer by Y.-L. Sun et al.
- 2010/10/04: PNAS: (abs) Satellite-based global-ocean mass balance estimates of interannual variability and emerging trends in continental freshwater discharge by Tajdarul H. Syed et al.
- 2010/10/: AAAG: (ab$) Benchmarking the War Against Global Warming by Douglas J. Sherman et al.
- 2010/10/05: PNAS: (ab$) Effects of past, present, and future ocean carbon dioxide concentrations on the growth and survival of larval shellfish by Stephanie C. Talmage & Christopher J. Gobler
- 2010/10/05: PNAS: (ab$) Response of Colorado River runoff to dust radiative forcing in snow by Thomas H. Painter et al.
- 2010/10/05: PNAS: (ab$) Perspectives on empirical approaches for ocean color remote sensing of chlorophyll in a changing climate by Heidi M. Dierssen
- 2010/10/05: SoluMag: Geoengineering: The Inescapable Truth of Getting to 350 by Chuck Greene et al.
- 2010/10/06: Nature: (ab$) An influence of solar spectral variations on radiative forcing of climate by Joanna D. Haigh et al.
- 2010/10/05: GRL: (ab$) Volcanic ash fuels anomalous plankton bloom in subarctic northeast Pacific by Roberta C. Hamme et al.
- 2010/10/05: OS: Estimates of radiance reflected towards the zenith at the surface of the sea by E. Aas
- 2010/10/04: OSD: Measurements of bubble size spectra within leads in the Arctic summer pack ice by S. J. Norris et al.
- 2010/10/04: TCD: Modelling past and future permafrost conditions in Svalbard by B. Etzelmüller et al.
- 2010/09/29: GRL: (ab$) Has the ozone hole contributed to increased Antarctic sea ice extent? by M. Sigmond & J. C. Fyfe
- 2010/10/04: AGWObserver: Papers on media and climate change
And other significant documents:
- 2010/10/04: PI: [link to 2.7 meg pdf] Putting a Price on Climate Pollution
- 2010/10/05: PI: [link to 3.9 meg pdf] Walking the Green Talk
- 2010/10/05: PI: [link to 2.5 meg pdf] The Business of Climate Change
- 2010/10/07: DOE:EERE: [link to 6.9 meg pdf] DOE Releases Comprehensive Report on Offshore Wind Power in the United States
- 2010/10/06: CCPA: [link to 627k pdf] Climate Change - Who's Carrying the Burden? The Chilly Climates of the Global Environmental Dilemma
- 2010/10/05: ICLEI: [links to many docs] Changing Climate, Changing Communities: Guide and Workbook for Municipal Climate Adaptation
- 2010/10/: IRGC: (1.2 meg pdf) "Cooling the Earth Through Solar Radiation Management: The need for research and an approach to its governance" by Granger Morgan & Kate Ricke
As for miscellaneous science:
- 2010/10/09: PostMedia: East Coast organism [corallines, aka Clathromorphum compactum] offers wealth of climate data, researchers say
A little-known marine organism on Canada's East Coast contains what a team of U.S. and Canadian scientists believes is a rich, untapped archive of temperature data, which could vastly improve the world's understanding of climate change. - 2010/10/09: JEB: It's so unfair!
- 2010/09/28: TheBlackboard: Comparing proxy reconstructions
- 2010/10/07: ERabett: Zero point
- 2010/10/07: Deltoid: Bob Ward thinks that Bob Carter has probably published the worst paper on climate change ever
- 2010/10/05: TAMU: Texas A&M Study Shows Climate Change May Not Show Up For Many Decades
- 2010/10/05: UPI: Humans' climate impact hard to assess
The possible impact of human activity on the world's environment and climate may not be known for 40 years or more, U.S. researchers [Doug Sherman et al.] say. - 2010/10/06: AGWObserver: NODC ocean heat content update
- 2010/10/05: CSW: Government scientific integrity issues in Canada and the U.S. -- Earthbeat Radio interview
Regarding Michael Mann:
- 2010/10/08: WaPo: Get the anti-science bent out of politics by Michael E. Mann
- 2010/10/09: DM:BA: "They are not good-faith questioning of scientific research" [Mann]
- 2010/10/08: DeSmogBlog: Washington Post Op-Ed by Mike Mann: Get the anti-science bent out of politics
- 2010/10/08: CCP: Michael Mann: Get the anti-science bent out of politics
- 2010/10/08: GreenGrok: A Retort for VA AG Mr. Cuccinelli: Chill Out and Try Your Own Medicine
- 2010/10/08: ClimateP: Mann slams Cuccinelli, Sensenbrenner, Issa: "My fellow scientists and I must be ready to stand up to blatant abuse from politicians who seek to mislead and distract the public. They are hurting American science."
- 2010/10/08: CSW: Michael Mann in Washington Post op-ed: "Get the anti-science bent out of politics"
Regarding Hansen:
- 2010/10/06: PI:B: Dr. James Hansen: Keep oil sands in the ground if you can't develop responsibly
- 2010/10/05: PI: Environmental groups oppose Total Joslyn North mine -- World-renowned climate expert Dr. James Hansen to address panel
Regarding Wegman:
- 2010/10/09: ERabett: Auditing Assessing Climate Change
- 2010/10/08: NCFocus: Junk science indeed - GMU investigating "skeptic" and hockey stick critic Edward Wegman - plagiarism
- 2010/10/09: IJISH: GMU's investigation of Wegman Report's shoddy scholarship now in the news, and all over blogs
- 2010/10/09: CCP: "GMU investigating climate change skeptic cited by Cuccinelli" by Rosalind Helderman, Washington Post...
- 2010/10/09: CCP: Edward Wegman who lied to Congress, who purposely ...
- 2010/10/09: AFTIC: GMUniversity investigating Wegman
- 2010/10/09: Deltoid: Wegman scandal: GMU investigates
- 2010/10/09: BCLSB: But...What Is Plagiarism?
- 2010/10/09: BCLSB: Deniergate
- 2010/10/09: NatureTGB: Old claims of bad climate science countered by new claims of plagiarism
- 2010/10/09: HotTopic: Wegman investigated for plagiarism, "skepticgate" looms
- 2010/10/08: DeSmogBlog: Hockey Stick Basher Wegman Under Investigation
- 2010/10/08: DeepClimate: Wegman under investigation by George Mason University
- 2010/10/08: TCoE: The Wegman report
- 2010/10/08: TWTB: Wegman plagiarism scandal heating up
- 2010/10/08: SMandia: USA Today: Wegman is Being Investigated
- 2010/10/08: ERabett: Developing
- 2010/10/08: ERabett: More from the front
- 2010/10/08: ERabett: Stop the blogs!
- 2010/10/08: USAToday: University investigating prominent climate science critic
- 2010/10/08: MTobis: Can the Press be Awakened from its Slumber?
- 2010/10/08: BCLSB: Edward Wegman Under Investigation For Plagiarism
- 2010/10/05: ERabett: A very modest suggestion
While at the UN:
- 2010/10/07: PlanetArk: U.N. Must Not Rush Genetic Resources Protocol: Lobby
The world should not rush to reach agreement on a United Nations protocol that could have a huge impact on businesses by setting rules for access to genetic resources and discoveries, a Japanese lobby said on Wednesday. Negotiators from over 190 countries will gather in Nagoya, Japan, from Oct 18-29 to try to finalize an outline that would affect how and when companies and researchers can use genes from plants or animals that originate in developing countries. Countries rich in diverse plant and animal species, including Brazil, India and Colombia, say the measure would help to ensure that developing countries benefit from discoveries based on native species or traditional medicine. But talks over the "access and benefit sharing" (ABS) protocol have been bogged down by differences between developed and developing countries over issues such as the scope of the agreement and the terms of access to genetic resources. - 2010/10/05: UN: UN agency to list '30 Ways in 30 Days' to combat climate change
And on the carbon trading front:
- 2010/10/08: MoJo: Murder on the Carbon Express: Interpol Takes On Emissions Fraud
- 2010/10/06: PressEurop: EU carbon credits discredited
- 2010/10/06: BBerg: China Has Boosted Carbon Efforts, Chicago Climate Exchange's Huang Says
- 2010/10/04: Reuters: No carbon market boom without U.S.: [IETA] delegates
The global carbon market will not be worth $1-2 trillion a year by 2020 if the United States does not speed up efforts for a federal emissions trading scheme, delegates warned at a carbon conference in London on Monday. - 2010/10/07: EurActiv: Commission backs 25bn euro 'Financial Activities Tax'
- 2010/10/07: EUO: Brussels puts forward financial sector tax options
After China's rare earth play, corporations and governments around the world are looking at alternative sources:
- 2010/10/09: PeakEnergy: Australia's rare earth potential
- 2010/10/08: ChinaDaily: Rare earth will not be used as bargaining chip
China has not, and will not block exports of rare earth, Premier Wen Jiabao told European political and business leaders in a keynote speech at the Sixth China-EU Business Summit on Oct 6. "China is not using rare earth as a bargaining chip," Wen said. "We aim for the world's sustainable development." Wen called for proper controls and regulations for the precious minerals and metals that can be used for electronic devices, but said that China will not close the market. - 2010/10/07: EurActiv: China pledges to continue 'rare earth' exports
China's measures to control rare earth exports are geared to "sustainable" exploitation of the minerals, Premier Wen Jiabao said in Europe, while pledging not to impose a complete ban on exports. - 2010/10/06: TerraDaily: China's Wen hits back at Japan in rare earths row
- 2010/10/04: NYT: Japan Recycles [rare earth] Minerals From Used Electronics
- 2010/10/01: NatGeo: Replacing Oil Addiction With Metals Dependence? China's rare-earth minerals monopoly gives it key clean energy supply role
China is the source of nearly all the rare-earth minerals used in the motors and batteries of hybrid and electric cars, raising fears that the new energy economy will mean the same old foreign dependence. - 2010/10/06: NYT:CW: Interior's Permitting Pace Dwarfed by China
The Interior Department's announcement yesterday that it had issued permits for two solar plants in California -- the first ones ever on federal public lands -- is being hailed as a momentous step by environmentalists and regulators. But energy analysts say the step forward is overshadowed by China's speed in issuing permits for renewable energy generation. "We have 2 turbine manufacturers. They have 83," Michael Eckhart, president of the American Council on Renewable Energy, said at a recent finance conference in San Francisco. The reasons for China's ability to race past the United States, he and others said, is a complex combination of population, motivation, policy, finance and permitting. - 2010/10/06: SolveClimate: China's Global Dominance in Green Jobs Growing, Report Says
Houston is rising U.S. star in green jobs race; Mexico quietly competes with Asian giants as solar factories sprout south of the border - 2010/10/06: BBerg: India Plans to Sign U.S. Shale Gas Accord During Obama Visit
- 2010/10/06: PhysOrg: SERVIR: Program brings satellite imagery, decision support tools to Himalayan region
NASA and USAID are expanding SERVIR to the Himalayas to address critical issues such as land cover change, air quality, glacial melt and adaptation to climate change. The agencies are working in partnership with the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD), a regional knowledge development and learning center that serves member countries in the Hindu-Kush-Himalaya region, including Afghanistan, Bangladesh, China, India, Nepal and Pakistan. - 2010/10/04: NYT:CW: Developing Countries Could Sue for Climate Action -- Study
A new study out says vulnerable countries could sue the United States and other industrialized nations for action on climate change. - 2010/10/07: TEC: Oil Infrastructure and Terrorism - Part II
The issue of the law and activism is playing out around the world:
- 2010/10/06: WVGazette:CT: 'Coal Country' [video] listed on terrorist watch reports
- 2010/10/06: AlterNet: Progressive Dissent Is in the FBI's Crosshairs
- 2010/10/06: CCP: Global climate movement put on trial in Denmark: two Danish spokespersons Stine Gry Jonassen and Tannie Nyboe are made scapegoats
- 2010/10/01: ProPublica: Pa. Homeland Security Head Resigns Amid Controversy Over Tracking of Activists
What are the activists up to?
- 2010/10/08: ENS: 10/10/10: World's Biggest Climate Work Party Gathers Force
- 2010/10/08: CSW: "10-10-10" White House rally a part of actions worldwide calling for climate solutions
- 2010/10/08: DemNow: As White House Reverses Rejection of Solar Panels, 350.org to Hold 10.10.10 Day of Action on Global Warming
- 2010/10/08: LA Times: On 10/10/10, a global party against global warming
- 2010/10/08: BBC: Tianjin talks and a 'global work party' [10:10]
- 2010/10/04: Guardian(UK): Activists across the globe prepare for [10:10] day of action
Polls! We have polls!
- 2010/10/07: PlanetArk: Californians See Green In Climate Law: Poll
- 2010/10/06: Reuters: Californians see green in climate law: poll
[...] A measure to suspend the state's vanguard climate change law is heading for failure, by a margin of 49 percent to 37 percent, because voters see the law doing more economic good than harm, a Reuters/Ipsos poll released on Tuesday showed. - 2010/10/09: CBC:Q&Q: Groundwater not doing Well
- 2010/10/08: JFleck: River Beat: Will Utah Project be Scuttled?
- 2010/10/07: JFleck: The Australian Model
- 2010/10/07: PressEurop: Stalin's dream to come true
România Liberae reports that "a Russian-Kazakh working group will shortly announce the launch of a project to build 700-km long canal between the Caspian Sea and the Black Sea. - 2010/10/04: NatureN: How to avert a global water crisis -- A dearth of data on water resources is holding up improved management practices
As for SW tools:
- 2010/10/09: ClimateShifts: POAMA seasonal forecasts in Google Earth: Following thermal stress real-time!
Who's making predictions this week?
- 2010/10/08: WtD: Brave new worlds: what do you think the future will bring?
- 2010/10/06: MSA: Study: Triple-digit summers to be the norm
Texas will be hotter and its summers will average triple-digit temperatures within a few decades, according to a study by the state climatologist. - 2010/10/04: RT: Coldest winter in 1,000 years on its way
After the record heat wave this summer, Russia's weather seems to have acquired a taste for the extreme. Forecasters say this winter could be the coldest Europe has seen in the last 1,000 years. - 2010/10/07: HCN: Climate of denial
We're a nation in denial. Record heat waves and shrinking snowpacks surround us, yet our appetite for fossil fuel remains unwavering, and, incredibly, some still doubt that it's a threat to a stable climate. - 2010/10/09: Grist: Telling the truth about climate change is good politics
- 2010/10/06: FuturePundit: US Food Waste: 350 Million Barrels Of Oil Per Year?
- 2010/10/09: PeakEnergy: US Military Needs to Get Off Oil by 2040: [CNAS] Report
- 2010/10/08: SolveClimate: Report: Business Groups Say Clean Air Act Has Been a "Very Good Investment"
Study commissioned by small-business owners says economic benefits of clean-air reforms have outweighed costs by up to 40 to 1 - 2010/10/08: TreeHugger: West Virginia Fights for Its Right to Remove Mountaintops
- 2010/10/07: Grist: The Clean Air Act has been cheaper and more effective than industry predicts, again and again
- 2010/10/07: Grist: Coal companies charged with massive violations of water pollution laws in Kentucky
- 2010/10/07: Grist: Industry is always wrong about the cost of air-quality regulations
- 2010/10/04: WaPo: Despite crackdown, nine men have died in U.S. mines since Upper Big Branch
- 2010/10/06: NRDC:SwitchBoard: Industry survey confirms developers shifting to smart growth
- 2010/10/06: DM:SRK: American Wasteland: How America Throws Away Nearly Half Of Its Food (and what we can do about it)
- 2010/10/05: MPR: Pawlenty sets Monday for flood-relief special session
St. Paul, Minn. - Gov. Tim Pawlenty has tentatively scheduled a special legislative session for next Monday to ensure that state funding is available to help southern Minnesota residents clean up from last month's flooding. - 2010/10/05: PlanetArk: Battle Over U.S. Arctic Refuge's Future Heats Up
- 2010/10/04: ENS: Tennessee Governor Petitions to Block Mountaintop Mining
- 2010/10/04: PhiladelphiaInquirer: Regional cap and trade is working - and maligned
New Jersey helped mark a milestone in climate-change policy in 2008 with the launch of a 10-state program to control carbon dioxide emissions from power producers. The Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative set up a form of "cap and trade" that requires power producers to pay for every ton of greenhouse gas emitted by buying allowances at quarterly auctions. Two years in, experts say, RGGI is working. Sort of. The complex auction is functioning well - a feat in itself - and has provided $729 million in new revenue to the states, including all of New England, New York, New Jersey, Delaware, and Maryland. (Pennsylvania dabbled in early discussions about the program, but never joined.) Most of the money is earmarked for energy efficiency, renewable energy, and ratepayer assistance. But RGGI's designers hoped it would become a model for a national cap-and-trade program. Efforts to create one stalled this year in the Senate. - 2010/10/04: TEC: Cleantech Stimulus Still Not Stimulating
- 2010/10/03: NBC: Natural Disaster Assistance Available For Ohio Farmers
Ohio farmers will be able to receive natural disaster assistance to help cover losses from severe weather-related crop damage in 79 of the state's 88 counties, including all Central Ohio counties... - 2010/10/09: Yahoo:AP: America moves on from spill; coast feels abandoned
- 2010/10/10: ClimateP: To combat BP oil disaster, youth rock band 'One Eyed Rhyno' Tours with hit charitable single
- 2010/10/08: OilChange: Spill panel slams White House; warns over Arctic drilling
- 2010/10/08: ProPublica: Oil Spill Commission Hits Feds on Flow Rate, Dispersant, How Much Oil Is Left
- 2010/10/08: ProPublica: Frontline and ProPublica Detail BP's Corporate Culture in 'The Spill'
- 2010/10/08: AlterNet: Is Gulf Seafood Really Safe to Eat? Government Withholding Key Data on Seafood Testing, Scientists Say
- 2010/10/07: Grist: White House criticized for blocking oil spill numbers
- 2010/10/06: ScienceInsider: Government Slipped Up on Oil Spill Estimates, Says Panel
- 2010/10/06: ScienceInsider: Oil Spill Panel Says EPA, NOAA Weren't Ready to Deploy Dispersants
- 2010/10/07: TreeHugger: New Report Finds Obama Admin Downplayed BP Spill, Acted Incompetently
- 2010/10/07: EarthTimes: White House denies misleading on oil spill
- 2010/10/07: EarthTimes: Panel faults government response to Gulf oil spill
- 2010/10/06: TP:WR: Oilpocalypse Revisited: Scathing Report On BP Oil Disaster From Presidential Commission
- 2010/10/06: UrukNet: Evidence Refutes BP's and Fed's Deceptions
- 2010/10/07: BBC: White House rejects criticism from Gulf oil spill probe
- 2010/10/07: NakedCapitalism: Now It's Official: Obama Administration Blocked Scientist Estimates on BP Spill
- 2010/10/06: BBC: A commission investigating the response to the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico has strongly criticised the White House in a number of areas
- 2010/10/05: ScienceInsider: Gulf Coast Restoration Task Force Gets Under Way
- 2010/10/06: TPMM: La. Officials Want To Keep Building Berms: 'Still Oil In The Gulf'
- 2010/10/05: NRDC:SwitchBoard: Gulf Coast Disaster
- 2010/10/05: NOAANews: Transcript: NOAA Administrator's Keynote Address on NOAA Science and the Gulf Oil Spill
- 2010/10/04: ProPublica: In School Outreach, BP and NOAA 'Dispel Myths' About Dispersants, Subsurface Oil
- 2010/10/04: WaPo: Contractor: BP interfered with critical efforts
So how do you figure the 2010 elections will crack up?
- 2010/10/09: TP: OR Gov Candidate Chris Dudley: 'I Don't Know' If Global Warming Is Man-Made
- 2010/10/08: TreeHugger: GOP Candidates Pledge to Kill High Speed Rail
- 2010/10/07: Reuters: Scenarios: Republican election impact on climate control
Republicans are poised to make big gains in the November 2 congressional elections, putting them in position to reverse Democrats' drive for comprehensive climate control legislation. - 2010/10/08: TP: [GOP Senate candidate Christine] O'Donnell On Whether Global Warming Is Man-Made: 'I Don't Have An Opinion On That'
- 2010/10/08: TP:WR: Max Baucus Dirt Mountain National Park
- 2010/10/07: MoJo: The Real McCain
- 2010/10/06: TheHill:e2W: Baucus opposes EPA climate regs
- 2010/10/06: GFT: Baucus talks climate control, estate taxes
- 2010/10/06: Grist: Republican guv candidates line up to say no to federal stimulus money for rail
- 2010/10/05: CCurrents: Political Wish List: Honest Talk About Economics, Empire, And Energy
- 2010/10/05: CCurrents: Youth Across North America Are Fighting For Their Future Climate
- 2010/10/05: TP: Foreign-Funded 'U.S.' Chamber Of Commerce Running Partisan Attack Ads
- 2010/10/04: TP:WR: (Astro)Turf Wars: New Documentary Explores Corporate Influence Over Tea Parties
- 2010/10/04: DeSmogBlog: [Astro] Turf Wars Uncovered in New Undercover Documentary [video]
- 2010/10/04: ClimateP: [Wisconsin's Republican U.S. Senate candidate] Ron Johnson: "The science of global warming is unproven. It just is."
- 2010/10/04: ClimateP: Sen. Jim DeMint (R-SC) rejects idea that "government has to do something"
- 2010/10/04: TWM: Remember when John McCain believed in global warming?
The Prop 23 battle rages:
- 2010/10/09: SOSD: State's anti-global warming effort at crossroads
Californians voters will decide whether to dramatically temper the state's aggressive campaign to curb global warming, a decision carrying economic and environmental implications nationwide. Proposition 23 on the Nov. 2 ballot would block most of the state's regulations aiming to curb greenhouse gas emissions linked to global warming until unemployment drops substantially for a sustained period of time -- a distant target given most forecasts do not predict a strong rebound for some time. - 2010/10/07: TEC: California Prop. 23 vs. A.B. 32
- 2010/10/07: DeSmogBlog: Koch-funded Attacks on Prop 23 Include Manufacturing Science
- 2010/10/07: PlanetArk: Californians See Green In Climate Law: Poll
- 2010/10/06: Grist: The curious case of why Chevron is sitting out Prop 23
- 2010/10/07: LA Times: California's clean-tech industry is booming but threatened
More money is being invested in alternative energy start-ups here than anywhere else in the world. But the state's dominant position is threatened by Proposition 23 and competition from China. - 2010/10/06: Reuters: Californians see green in climate law: poll
[...] A measure to suspend the state's vanguard climate change law is heading for failure, by a margin of 49 percent to 37 percent, because voters see the law doing more economic good than harm, a Reuters/Ipsos poll released on Tuesday showed. - 2010/10/06: ClimateP: Friedman on The Terminator vs. Big Oil
- 2010/10/05: BBerg: Kleiner Perkins' Doerr Gives More Cash to Defend Climate Law in California
- 2010/10/05: STimes: Oil industry aids effort to suspend CA climate law
With major contributions from the oil industry, supporters of a ballot initiative to suspend California's landmark greenhouse gas emissions law reported a fundraising tally Tuesday of more than $5.2 million in the past three months. - 2010/10/06: TP: Friedman Against Prop 23: 'This Is A Fight Worth Having'
- 2010/10/05: TP:WR: Levi Strauss Exec Says Measure To Suspend Global Warming Law Would 'Turn Back The Clock' For Business
- 2010/10/05: ClimateP: Koch-funded Prop 23 study draws oily conclusions
- 2010/10/04: SolveClimate: CA's Clean-Tech Potential Draws Venture Capitalists Into Fight Against Prop. 23 -- Investors see Global Warming Solutions Act as a catalyst for innovation
- 2010/09/30: AlterNet: Fight Builds to Stop the Oil Industry's Dangerous Assault on Climate Protection in CA Election
The issue of ethanol subsidies is still floating around:
- 2010/10/07: NRDC:SwitchBoard: Corn ethanol industry acknowledges tax credit must end
Cuccinelli is back in court hounding climate scientists:
- 2010/10/08: SlashDot: Virginia AG Ken Cuccinelli's AGW Witch Hunt Continues
- 2010/10/06: CSW: Cuccinelli denialist witch-hunt is about political ambition, not climate science (Part 2 of 2)
- 2010/10/07: DM:BA: The global warming witch hunt continues
- 2010/10/06: EconoSpeak: Cuccinelli's Baaaack!: Witch Hunt, Part Two
- 2010/10/06: CSW: Cuccinelli denialist witch-hunt is about political ambition, not climate science (Part 1 of 2)
- 2010/10/05: TP:WR: Cuccinelli Revives Witchhunt Against Climate Change Scientist
- 2010/10/05: ERabett: A very modest suggestion
- 2010/10/05: SMandia: Science by Error and Trial
- 2010/10/05: IJISH: Cuccinelli resumes witch-hunt against climatologist -- using plagiarism-filled 'report'
- 2010/10/05: ClimateP: Cuccinelli attempts to criminalize all of climate science -- with Post Normal logic & fervor
- 2010/10/05: MoJo: Cuccinelli's Attack on Climate Science Continues
- 2010/10/05: ERabett: A very thin reed
- 2010/10/05: UCSUSA: Ken Cuccinelli Continues Harassment of Scientists
- 2010/10/05: WaPo: Virginia fight over climate documents will continue
The University of Virginia said Monday that it would continue to fight state Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli II's efforts to obtain documents related to a climate scientist's work, just hours after Cuccinelli reissued a civil subpoena for the papers. The new Civil Investigative Demand revives a contentious fight between Cuccinelli (R), a vocal global warming skeptic, and Virginia's flagship university over documents related to the research of Michael Mann, who worked at the university from 1999 to 2005. A judge blocked Cuccinelli's first bid to obtain the documents. - 2010/10/04: RealClimate: Cuccinelli goes fishing again
- 2010/10/04: DeSmogBlog: Cuccinelli Revives Witch Hunt Against Michael Mann and Climate Science
Following the Lizza article in the New Yorker, Dave Roberts unleashed a trenchant series on the climate bill's failure:
- 2010/10/01: NewYorker: As the World Burns -- How the Senate and the White House missed their best chance to deal with climate change
- 2010/10/06: Grist: Lessons from the climate fight: Dem party leaders screwed the climate bill
- 2010/10/06: Grist: Lessons from the climate fight: McCain's a tool
- 2010/10/05: Grist: Lessons from the climate fight: 'moderate' is meaningless
- 2010/10/05: Grist: Lessons from the climate fight: determined ignorance in the Senate
- 2010/10/04: Grist: Lessons from the climate fight: it's the Senate, stupid
The Obama chatter is nonstop:
- 2010/10/08: Reuters: Chunky U.S. energy policy hard on green biz
President Barack Obama's proposal that U.S. energy and climate policy may be implemented bit by bit means that companies will have less incentive to grow their green energy businesses. - 2010/10/07: NRDC:SwitchBoard: Installing Solar Panels Is A Start, But What Comes Next?
- 2010/10/08: TreeHugger: Obama Seeks to Jumpstart Slumbering Offshore Wind Industry
- 2010/10/07: AlterNet: Obama Taps Food-Industry Exec from Multinational Junk-Food Giant Mars, Inc. for Important USDA Post
- 2010/10/06: SolveClimate: The White House Goes Solar. Why Now? Do solar panels at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue indicate an 11th-hour push for climate legislation?
- 2010/10/06: NRDC:SwitchBoard: Obama: No Other Industry with More Potential to Create Jobs Now than Clean Energy
- 2010/10/06: OilChange: Now Obama Turns the White House Green
- 2010/10/05: TEC: The Obama White House Goes Solar
- 2010/10/05: BBC: US President Barack Obama is to install solar panels on the White House roof, a move lauded by climate activists as symbolic of the nation's energy future
- 2010/10/05: CBC: White House to go solar
- 2010/10/03: Grist: Obama rallies to the defense of what little remains of clean energy policy
The actions of the Obama administration are being watched closely:
- 2010/10/07: AlterNet: Industry Front Group Gets Taxpayer Money to Convince You to Eat Pesticide-Laden Food
- 2010/10/07: TCoE: US offshore wind assessment [by DOE]
- 2010/10/07: NRDC:SwitchBoard: Salazar signs lease for the first American offshore wind farm -- another win for Cape Wind
- 2010/10/06: Reuters: U.S. signs lease for first major offshore wind farm
U.S. Interior Secretary Ken Salazar on Wednesday formally signed the nation's first lease for a major offshore wind project, as the Obama administration pushes forward to boost renewable energy output. - 2010/10/06: ENS: Federal Trade Commission Advises: Define What Green Really Means
- 2010/10/04: Reuters: U.S. clean energy loan chief says ramping up lending
- 2010/10/06: Grist: It's on! EPA's Lisa Jackson whacks back at fossil fuel lobbyists
- 2010/10/06: WaPo: Interior Dept. approves first solar projects on federal lands
- 2010/10/06: TreeHugger: Feds OK First Large-Scale Solar Power Projects on Public Land - CA Getting 750MW+ More Clean Power
- 2010/10/06: REA: U.S. Government Approves 754 MW of Solar
- 2010/10/06: TPMM: Obama Admin Statements On Koch Industies Tax Status Under Review
- 2010/10/04: Grist: A recap of the FDA's 'Frankenfish' hearings
- 2010/10/05: TMoS: Union of Concerned Scientists Scores a Victory
- 2010/10/05: TP:WR: Steve Chu: The White House Is Going Solar
- 2010/10/04: MongaBay: Obama science advisor wields evidence to undercut climate change deniers [at the Kavli Science Forum in Oslo, Norway last month]
As for what is going on in Congress:
- 2010/10/07: TheHill: Frustrated House still waiting for Senate action on 420 bills
The House ran another legislative lap around the Senate in September, widening the gap in the number of bills the chambers have passed this Congress to more than 400. With only a lame-duck session remaining, the House since January 2009 has passed 420 bills that have sat on the Senate shelf, according to an updated list provided to The Hill. - 2010/10/06: SolveClimate: House Passes Pipeline Oversight Bill, First Nations Reps "Educate" D.C. -- Fourth in a series exploring the plan to build the Keystone XL pipeline from Canada to Texas
- 2010/10/05: SolveClimate: New Oil Sands Legislation Would Strip Clause From 2007 Energy Act -- Section 526 prohibits federal agencies from buying unconventional oil. Sens. Graham and Chambliss propose killing it
- 2010/10/03: Grist: As EPA ramps up, Obama critics eye it as juicy target
The future climate bill defines a battleline:
- 2010/10/05: GreenGrok: The Ruins of 2010's Climate Legislation
- 2010/10/08: TreeHugger: How the Senate Killed Climate and Obama Helped it Die
- 2010/10/06: Guardian(UK): The senate is to blame for the US climate bill's demise
- 2010/10/05: Guardian(UK): The death of climate legislation
- 2010/10/04: MoJo: How Climate Legislation Failed
- 2010/10/04: TP: Graham Reportedly Terrified That Fox News Would Learn That He Was Negotiating A Climate Bill
- 2010/10/03: ClimateP: The New Yorker: How the Senate and White House missed their best chance to deal with climate change
What are the lobbyists pushing?
- 2010/10/07: TWM: How Donohue and the Chamber operates...
- 2010/10/06: TP: Inconvenient Facts That The Chamber Hasn't Refuted
- 2010/10/05: MoJo: Who Owns Congress?
The Gore-apalooza is still bopping along:
- 2010/10/04: Google:AFP: Al Gore optimistic about Mexico climate summit
While in the UK:
- 2010/10/09: Telegraph(UK): Energy giants face Mr Negawatts' challenge
The UK energy sector had better start boning up on the thoughts of Amory Lovins. Mr Lovins, of the Rocky Mountain Institute, is meeting Government ministers in London in November to discuss how Britain's energy sector can meet the multi-billion challenges of the future. - 2010/10/09: BBC: Scientists hold protest over budget cuts
Hundreds of scientists have gathered outside the Treasury to protest against expected cuts to science funding. The rally was organised by the Science is Vital campaign, whose petition calling for no cuts to funding has been signed by more than 20,000 people. - 2010/10/08: Guardian(UK): Scotland votes through watered-down emissions targets
- 2010/10/08: Guardian(UK): The greenest government ever? Ask me on 21 October
Forthcoming Treasury decisions on green quangos and the spending review are a litmus test of how green this government really is - 2010/10/07: Guardian(UK): Without a true green investment bank there can be no environmental progress
- 2010/10/05: Guardian(UK): Energy bills 'may double over next decade'
Consumer groups say Ofgem's cost to households of upgrading the UK's energy network -- £6 a year -- is the 'tip of the iceberg' - 2010/10/05: Guardian(UK): Government energy usage goes online in real time
- 2010/10/05: PlanetArk: Britain Still Committed To Carbon Capture: [DECC] Minister [Chris Huhne]
- 2010/10/05: BBC: £19bn to dismantle aged North Sea oil platforms
The cost of dismantling North Sea oil and gas platforms is forecast to reach £19bn over the next 30 years. - 2010/10/04: Guardian(UK): [Minister of State, at Cabinet Office & Policy] Oliver Letwin offers hope for government's green agenda
Conservative party conference speech by former shadow chancellor welcomed as a sign that key government figures are still pushing the low-carbon agenda The battle at the top of the Conservative party over cuts to its environmental policies broke out in public today when a senior conservative declared that threatened green measures had to be pursued together because they formed a "coherent whole". - 2010/10/08: EurActiv: Commission eyes limits to farm subsidies
The level of European Union subsidies paid directly to individual farmers should be capped at an unspecified level, the bloc's executive has said in a draft paper on reform of EU's farm policy from 2013, seen by Reuters. - 2010/10/08: EUO: MEPs reject oil drilling ban but commission to push ahead
MEPs have rejected a call for a temporary ban on new deep-water oil drilling in Europe, but the European Commission looks set to come forward next week with a proposal for a moratorium. - 2010/10/08: Yahoo:AFP: Euro lawmakers reject deepwater drilling ban call
- 2010/10/08: PlanetArk: European Truckmakers Fear EU's Tough CO2 Curbs
- 2010/10/07: EurActiv: Oettinger values EU 2020 energy goals at 1 trillion euros
Europe needs to spend one trillion euros over the next decade on overhauling its energy system to reduce pollution and ensure supply, EU energy chief Günther Oettinger is expected to warn in the next few weeks. - 2010/10/07: EurActiv: Commission backs 25bn euro 'Financial Activities Tax'
The European Commission is putting its weight today (7 October) behind a Financial Activities Tax (FAT) at EU level, saying it could bring cash-strapped governments up to 25 billion euros in revenue from the banking sector in the wake of the global financial crisis. - 2010/10/07: EUO: Brussels puts forward financial sector tax options
'Nothing is certain but death and taxes' goes the saying, with a new proposal from the European Commission designed to get the European financial sector to pay more of the latter. As cash-strapped governments cast around in search of new funding sources, Thursday's (7 October) non-legislative communication from the commission weighs up the viability and potential revenue gains to be made from a financial transactions tax (FTT) and a financial activities tax (FAT). - 2010/10/06: EurActiv: EU worried about waning public image of renewables
- 2010/10/06: EurActiv: First 'Citizens' Initiative' to call for GM crop freeze
A petition for a Europe free of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) has hit the one million signatories target and will be handed to European Commission President José Manuel Barroso, campaigners have announced. - 2010/10/05: DerSpiegel: Letter From Berlin -- Stuttgart Train Station Furore Poses Risks for Merkel
German Chancellor Angela Merkel has a penchant for staying out of domestic controversies. But she has changed her approach in the bitter dispute over the Stuttgart 21 train station project, aligning herself with hardline regional governor Stefan Mappus. It could prove to be a dangerous liaison for her. - 2010/10/05: PlanetArk: EU Delays Green Barrier To Canada Oil Sands: Draft
- 2010/10/04: EUO: EU appears to back down on Canada's tar sands
EU climate commissioner Connie Hedegaard appears to have backed down from plans to make reference to Canada's controversial tar sands in the EU's upcoming directive on fuel quality. As recently as June, the commission's climate directorate had suggested that figures estimating the energy efficiency of the fuel would be included in this December's proposal, along with an array of data on other fuels such as petrol and hydrogen. But a leaked a draft seen by Reuters on Monday (4 October) appears to confirm earlier reports that tar oil will be left out of the list, with angry environmentalists blaming pressures within the commission, as well as from Canada. - 2010/10/04: EurActiv: Brussels finalising EU energy infrastructure plan
- 2010/10/04: EurActiv: Tinkering with climate policies will backfire, investors warn
Institutional investors have warned European countries that repeated policy changes across the continent are discouraging investment in low-carbon technologies. - 2010/10/08: ABC(Au):TDU: Climate change: it's time to step up Australia
- 2010/10/07: Yahoo:AFP: Australian PM scraps 'citizens' assembly' on global warming
- 2010/10/08: ABC(Au): Bothwell 'going green' to help beat climate change
Drought has left parts of Tasmania's Southern Midlands like a dust bowl in recent years but that's about to change. A project is underway in Bothwell to plant 30,000 trees in what's described as Tasmania's largest ecological restoration. The Biodiverse Carbon for Landscape Restoration project aims to revive the Midland's dry agricultural landscapes and, at the same time, help sequester carbon from the atmosphere. - 2010/10/08: ABC(Au): PM [Julia Gillard] in Newcastle for energy announcement [regarding the city's Smart City/Smart Grid energy efficiency project]
- 2010/10/08: ABC(Au): Rudd report backs carbon tax
A report commissioned by the Federal Government says Australia should increase its energy efficiency by 30 per cent over the next decade, and the best way to do it is with a carbon price. - 2010/10/07: ABC(Au): The Federal Opposition says the dumping of a proposed citizens' assembly on climate change is proof the Prime Minister has no idea about genuine policy
- 2010/10/07: ABC(Au): PM dumps proposal for citizens' assembly
Prime Minister Julia Gillard has officially dumped her proposal for a citizens' assembly on climate change. Ms Gillard proposed the 150-member assembly during the election campaign as a way to form community consensus about ways to tackle climate change. Instead, the Government has set up a climate change committee made up of Labor, Greens and independent MPs. - 2010/10/07: ABC(Au): Climate committee to meet for first time
The Federal Government's new multi-party climate change committee will hold its first official meeting today. Prime Minister Julia Gillard is expected to attend the meeting after flying back from the Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) in Brussels. - 2010/10/07: ABC(Au): Renewable targets pushing up power bills -- A new study says renewable energy initiatives are pushing up electricity costs across Australia
- 2010/10/06: ABC(Au): Emerson denies Labor alienating core
Federal Labor frontbencher Craig Emerson has rejected claims that the party has alienated its traditional supporters with its policies on climate change and asylum seekers. - 2010/10/06: ABC(Au): Federal Independent MP Rob Oakeshott has accepted an invitation to be part of the Government's climate change committee
- 2010/10/06: ABC(Au):TDU: Absolute carbon corrupts absolutely
- 2010/10/05: ABC(Au): The Northern Territory Government is funding a university study to measure the impact of Australia's wild camel population on climate change
- 2010/10/05: ABC(Au): Brain drain: wave power following solar offshore
Renewable energy advocates say wave power could experience the same brain drain that hit the Australian solar industry over the past decade. - 2010/10/04: NewsCorp: Delay on carbon pricing 'costly'
Treasury has issued a dire warning to the Gillard Government - the longer Australia delays putting a price on carbon emissions, the more ``costly and disruptive'' change will be. - 2010/10/10: ABC(Au): Burke confident of bipartisan Murray solution
The Federal Water Minister, Tony Burke, says he is confident the Parliament can deal maturely with a plan to save the Murray-Darling River system. The Murray-Darling Authority wants to cut overall water allocations along the river by between 27 and 37 per cent. The Opposition says that will decimate some regional communities that rely on irrigated agriculture. But Mr Burke has told Sky News he has faith that the consultation process will come up with the best option. - 2010/10/10: ABC(Au): Cities will suffer from Murray-Darling cuts
Farmers say they are still reeling from news of the proposed drastic cuts to water allocations in the Murray-Darling basin and warn that it is city people who may suffer most. - 2010/10/09: ABC(Au): [Federal Water Minister, Tony] Burke urges calm over Murray water proposals
The Federal Government has urged regional communities to "take a breath" and acknowledge there will be extensive consultation over proposals to fix the ailing Murray-Darling River system. - 2010/10/09: JQuiggin: The Guide to the Draft of the Plan to do Something about the Murray
- 2010/10/07: JFleck: The Australian Model
- 2010/10/05: ABC(Au): Farmers anxious ahead of Murray-Darling plan
The National Farmers Federation (NFF) says farmers will be angry if a proposed plan for the Murray-Darling Basin does not include money to upgrade irrigation systems. - 2010/10/08: Eureka: Measurements of CO2 and CO in China's air indicate sharply improved combustion efficiency
Harvard-Tsinghua University study shows China's progress towards highly publicized energy efficiency goals - 2010/10/07: NRDC:SwitchBoard: China: Racing Toward the Finish Line on its Energy and Environmental Targets
- 2010/10/07: BBerg: China Carbon Trading Plan May Be Held Up by Its Economic Growth Priority
- 2010/10/06: Guardian(UK): Look past China's smog and noise and you can see greener action
- 2010/10/03: SolveClimate: Coal Ash Cloud Looms Large Over China -- A new report from Greenpeace argues that China's biggest industrial waste threatens public welfare - but is ignored
While in Japan:
- 2010/10/08: Reuters: Japan revives push for climate bill, outlook unclear
Japan's government agreed on Friday to resurrect a climate bill calling for an emissions trading system and an environment tax, but it remains unclear if the legislation will be enacted in a divided parliament. - 2010/10/06: PlanetArk: Japan Vows On Climate Bill, Biodiversity Goal [RSN]
And elsewhere in Asia:
- 2010/10/06: DeSmogBlog: Maldives President Nasheed Installs Solar on Official Residence, Knocks Ignorance of Climate Deniers
While in Africa:
- 2010/10/07: PhysOrg: Morocco draws on the elements for its green energy project
Water, sun and wind: Morocco has launched an ambitious programme to harness the elements to produce "green" electricity to reduce its dependence on energy imports. - 2010/10/09: CDreams: Green Brazil
- 2010/10/04: BBC: A Brazilian clown has had the last laugh by winning a seat in Congress with more votes than any other candidate in Sunday's elections [jokes, of course]
- 2010/10/04: Guardian(UK): Brazil election sees breakthrough for Greens and environmental agenda
Rainforest champion Marina Silva wins 19% of first-round vote, gifting her decisive role in main candidates' run-off - 2010/10/03: BBC: Rousseff falls short of outright win in Brazil election
Brazil's presidential election will go to a second round after Dilma Rousseff failed to win an outright victory in Sunday's voting. With 98% of votes counted, President Lula's former cabinet chief has 47% with Jose Serra trailing on 33%. The two will contest a run-off vote in four weeks' time. - 2010/10/05: PI:B: Canada's "fair share" is not as advertised
- 2010/10/04: PostMedia: Details Of Climate Aid Unveiled -- $400m Pledged; Funds earmarked for developing countries
- 2010/10/05: TMoS: Sorry Steve But You Couldn't Keep this Quiet Forever
[...]
32 municipalities in Canada have joined the International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives and the Canadian contingent has just released a guide and a workbook to help municipal and regional authorities begin the process of preparing for climate change. - 2010/10/04: CBC: Canadians donate millions for Pakistani relief -- Government's matching aid program ends
The G20 controversy roils on:
- 2010/10/09: CBC: Report on G20 police powers ready: Marin
Ontario's ombudsman says he has finished investigating what he describes as a secret law that sparked confusion about police powers during the G20 summit in Toronto. In a Twitter update Saturday, André Marin said he has reviewed all the evidence and will give a draft report to the provincial government within 10 days. "Once finalized, the G20 report will be made public in its entirety," Marin wrote, adding that this will happen before the end of the year. - 2010/10/09: TStar: Ombudsman to release G20 secret law report in days
- 2010/10/07: DawgsBlawg: Toronto the insane [G20]
- 2010/10/06: DtPB: G20 Inquiry: Ontario NDP leader Andrea Horwath introduces bill for a full public inquiry
- 2010/10/05: CBC: G20 public inquiry demanded
A group of lawyers, civil libertarians and politicians are renewing their calls for a full public inquiry into the G20 summit. The call comes 100 days after the controversial gathering of world leaders was held in Toronto. NDP Leader Andrea Horwath says she'll introduce a bill in the Ontario legislature that would create an inquiry to examine all aspects of government and law enforcement decision-making related to the June summit. Howard Morton, a lawyer who defended the only person charged under the province's so-called fence law, and Graeme Norton, a lawyer with the Canadian Civil Liberties Association, are urging the public to support the bill. They say a full public inquiry is needed to get to the bottom of what happened. - 2010/10/: CanGeoMag: [links to several articles] Climate Prosperity
- 2010/10/02: CBC:Q&Q: The World in 2050 [Dr. Laurence Smith]
- 2010/10/09: ERabett: Oh Canada as wrong as you can be
- 2010/10/05: G&M: Don't accentuate the positive on climate change
- 2010/10/05: G&M: Study seeks silver lining in climate change's clouds
Sure, there will be drought in Saskatchewan and fewer fish in the Great Lakes. But look on the bright side: The cruise-ship season could expand by 50 per cent. As the global environment warms through the course of this century, the Canadian climate will change in both bad and good ways, according to a new publication from the National Roundtable on the Environment and the Economy and the Royal Canadian Geographic Society. - 2010/10/06: DeSmogBlog: Climate Prosperity: Canadian Government Launches Huge Campaign to Spin Global Warming as Good for Canada
- 2010/10/05: CBC: What 2-degree rise means to Canada: report
Ongoing climate change means that summer Arctic sea ice could be halved, runoff in the South Saskatchewan River basin reduced and the cost of shipping through the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Seaway could rise due to lower water levels, according to a compilation of research published Tuesday. Billed as the first comprehensive illustration of expected climate impacts in Canada, the report is a joint project of the National Round Table on the Environment and the Economy (NRTEE) and the Royal Canadian Geographical Society (RCGS), which publishes Canadian Geographic and Géographica magazines. The October issue of the magazines feature the compiled research, including a diagram outlining 60 effects of climate change at increasing levels of warming. - 2010/10/06: ChronicleHerald: What's a polar bear really worth? Ottawa wants to find out
- 2010/10/05: CBC: Canada calculating polar bear's value
The federal government wants to put a price tag on polar bears. Environment Canada plans to spend up to $44,000 on a study to appraise the animal's value as a national icon. The department has put out a tender for companies to study the "socio-economic importance of polar bears for Canada." - 2010/10/08: CBC: Don't be shocked by another Igor: geographer
Newfoundland communities still cleaning up after Hurricane Igor should not be shocked to see another storm of similar devastation land in future years, a scientist has warned. Norm Catto, a Memorial University geography professor, told delegates to a Municipalities Newfoundland and Labrador convention in St. John's that climate change may alter the frequency of storms. - 2010/10/07: CBC: Prepare for more Igor-calibre storms: insurers -- Climate change, poor infrastructure to blame
The Insurance industry is warning to homeowners in Atlantic Canada that climate change combined with insufficient road and sewer infrastructure in many towns and provinces are going to result in more damage from storms like Hurricane Igor. Bill Adams with the Atlantic region of the Insurance Bureau of Canada told CBC News Wednesday that global warming has already affected many home owners in eastern Canada. - 2010/10/06: CBC: Military ending eastern Nfld. Igor relief
- 2010/10/04: Rabble: Igor's destruction sends message to coastal communities
- 2010/10/04: CBC: [Military's] Igor relief effort to wrap up
Pipelines are still a hot issue:
- 2010/10/08: PlanetArk: Illinois Files Lawsuit Against Enbridge
- 2010/10/07: CBC: Enbridge faces Illinois state lawsuit -- 'Must be held accountable' for oil pipeline leak
- 2010/10/07: SolveClimate: Tribal Councils in U.S. and Canada Uniting Against Tar Sands [Keystone XL] Pipeline
In D.C., pipeline safety organization schools Congress on seven measures still needed to minimize potential hazards - 2010/10/06: SolveClimate: House Passes Pipeline Oversight Bill, First Nations Reps "Educate" D.C. -- Fourth in a series exploring the plan to build the Keystone XL pipeline from Canada to Texas
- 2010/10/05: MediaCoop: Enbridge's Dirty Oil Habit Put on Display for Investors -- Toronto Organizers Confront Pipeline Giant Over Tar Sands Projects
- 2010/10/04: Tyee: Pipeline Plan Slams into $120 Million Coastal Eco-Pact
BC's Great Bear Rainforest deal was a landmark mix of public and private investment. Oil tankers, say backers, weren't part of the bargain. - 2010/10/07: MoJo: James Cameron Returns to Earth -- The Avatar director talks tar sands and the future of eco-tainment
- 2010/10/07: CBC: Alberta oilsands water [provincial] panel named
University of Alberta scientist David Schindler recommended some of the experts for the committee reviewing oilsands water-monitoring data. University of Alberta scientist David Schindler recommended some of the experts for the committee reviewing oilsands water-monitoring data. (CBC)Six scientists have been named to a provincial panel that will compare water monitoring data around the oilsands mines in northern Alberta. Academics from universities in Canada and the United States -- Peter Dillon, George Dixon, Charles Driscoll, Stuart Hurlbert, John Giesy and Jerome Nriagu -- will look at data derived from academic and government studies. The announcement comes one week after Federal Environment Minister Jim Prentice appointed a six-person panel of his own to look at oilsands water monitoring. - 2010/09/30: CBC: Oilsands water concerns focus of [federal] panel
Federal Environment Minister Jim Prentice has appointed a panel to probe the water-testing regime in the Athabasca River around Alberta's oilsands after a study found levels of cadmium, copper, lead, mercury, nickel, silver and zinc in water and snow near or downstream from oilsands development. Federal Environment Minister Jim Prentice has appointed a panel to probe the water-testing regime in the Athabasca River around Alberta's oilsands after a study found levels of cadmium, copper, lead, mercury, nickel, silver and zinc in water and snow near or downstream from oilsands development. (CBC)Federal Environment Minister Jim Prentice has announced the appointment of a six-person advisory panel to look into the water-testing regime in the Athabasca River around Alberta's oilsands. - 2010/10/06: PI:B: B.C. announcement raises concerns about offset standards
- 2010/10/06: PublicEye: Another top oil and gas [BC] official leaves for petrol industry
- 2010/10/06: Tyee: Two More Go Directly from Gov't to Petro Biz -- NDP's Horgan wants to slow revolving door between regulators and regulated
Meanwhile in that Mechanical Mordor known as the tar sands:
- 2010/10/10: ADHDCanuck: This is how abuse and poor treatment by an employer leads to them having a VERY bad press day...for starters
- 2010/10/09: OSun: Oilfield worker fired after blogging about company
Suncor Energy has blacklisted an oilfield electrician after he blogged about unsavoury working conditions at the company's northern Alberta camps. "Suncor fired me for no (reasonable) cause, but the cause they listed was that I used a camera on the site," said Mike Thomas. Thomas was canned Thursday after five years of occasional work at Suncor sites working for a contractor. - 2010/10/06: PI:B: Dr. James Hansen: Keep oil sands in the ground if you can't develop responsibly
- 2010/10/05: PI: Environmental groups oppose Total Joslyn North mine -- World-renowned climate expert Dr. James Hansen to address panel
- 2010/10/08: CBC: Shell drops plans for upgrader expansion
Shell Canada Ltd. has pulled a regulatory application for a new oilsands upgrader near Edmonton, focusing instead on improving facilities it already has. - 2010/10/08: CBC: 'Fundraising agendas' won't shape oilsands plan: PM
[...]
The prime minister did not specify whose fundraising agendas he was referring to. - 2010/10/06: PostMedia: Stop pursuing 'fool's gold' in the oilsands: NASA scientist [James Hansen]
Expansion of Alberta's oilsands mining operations must be avoided if the world is going to dodge the disastrous effects of climate change in future, says one of the world's leading climate scientists. James Hansen, of the NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies, travelled from New York to to appear Tuesday at the Energy Resources Conservation Board hearing into the proposed Total Joslyn North Mine, an open pit mine slated to produce 100,000 barrels a day. The Joslyn project is the first new oilsands megaproject to seek approval in several years. An upgrader near Fort Saskatchewan, Alta., to serve the mine was approved last month. Hansen said he chose to come to the hearing because stopping expansion of the oilsands is critical in the battle against global warming. - 2010/10/05: SOE: Oilsands Criticisms from Alberta
- 2010/10/05: PlanetArk: EU Delays Green Barrier To Canada Oil Sands: Draft
- 2010/10/04: EUO: EU appears to back down on Canada's tar sands
- 2010/10/04: PoliticsReSpun: Rex Murphy: Tar Sands Booster, Dead To Me
In Saskatchewan the big question is Potash? closely followed by Nukes?
- 2010/10/08: CBC: Billiton fires back over potash report
The Australia-based mining company that wants to take over Potash Corporation of Saskatchewan is firing back against a report that says the proposed deal would be bad for the provincial treasury. - 2010/10/04: SeedDaily: Canada extends review of Potash takeover bid
- 2010/10/05: BuckDog: Constructing Nuclear Reactor In Saskatchewan Could Triple Consumers' Power Bills But Sask Party Gov't Still Wants To Go For It!
- 2010/10/05: CBC: BHP hit to Sask. 'understated': PotashCorp
While a report says the provincial treasury stands to lose $200 million a year if BHP Billiton takes over Potash Corporation of Saskatchewan, the revenue loss would be even worse than that, PotashCorp says. On Monday, the Conference Board of Canada released a report on the impact of a PotashCorp sale that was commissioned by the provincial government. Saskatchewan, which has more than 30 per cent of the world's potash, typically receives several hundred millions of dollars annually in taxes and royalties connected to the pink mineral. - 2010/10/04: CTV: PotashCorp bid would cut Sask. revenue by $2B
A successful takeover of Saskatoon-based PotashCorp could slash the province's revenues by at least $2 billion over the next decade while having little or no net effect on employment, according to a report commissioned by the province. The Conference Board of Canada report, released Monday, seemed to indicate that there will be little short-term benefit to Canada if international mining giant BHP Billiton is successful in its hostile bid for PotashCorp (TSX:POT). - 2010/10/04: BuckDog: Brad Wall's 'Unfettered Free Market' Nonsense Could Cost Saskatchewan Billions - Says Conference Board Of Canada
- 2010/10/04: CBC: PotashCorp sale could cost Sask. billions
BHP Billiton's proposed takeover of PotashCorp could reduce Saskatchewan government revenues by at least $2 billion over the next 10 years while having little or no net effect on employment in the industry, the Conference Board of Canada says. The impact would be more drastic if any new owner adopted a "high production" strategy, the think-tank said in a report released Monday. Under that scenario, potash prices would tumble and corporate taxes and royalties could be reduced by $5.7 billion over a decade. It's a strategy BHP is unlikely to pursue, but it's more likely if China's state-owned Sinochem Corp. buys PotashCorp. - 2010/10/07: CBC: Oakville power plant plan cancelled
Opposition parties are accusing the provincial government of playing politics by backing off plans to build a natural gas plant in Oakville amid intense opposition from area residents. - 2010/09/30: NatGeo: Renewable Energy: Ontario's New Gold Rush
In la Belle Province, the shale gas hearings continue:
- 2010/10/08: CBC: Que. shale gas industry could create job boom -- Gas lobby report predicts up to 19,000 jobs, $1B in annual royalties
- 2010/10/07: CBC: Charest defends N.L. drilling near Quebec
- 2010/10/05: CBC: Que. shale gas hearings off to civilized start
Two hundred people attended a public hearing into shale gas development in Saint-Hyacinthe, Que., on Monday night.Two hundred people attended a public hearing into shale gas development in Saint-Hyacinthe, Que., on Monday night. (CBC) Environmental review hearings into shale gas development are underway in Quebec, with crowds showing more restraint and patience than seen in previous meetings held on the issue. More than 200 people turned out in Saint-Hyacinthe on Monday night to take part in the first in a series of public hearings by Quebec's Bureau d'audiences publiques sur l'environnement (BAPE). - 2010/10/04: CBC: Quebec shale gas hearings open -- Environment minister announces new rules for industry as public hearings begin
In the Maritimes:
- 2010/10/08: CBC: Fuel tube problems could delay N.B. nuclear plant
NB Power has announced that Atomic Energy of Canada Limited will have to start over with one of the most important parts of the refurbishment of the Point Lepreau nuclear plant. The federal Crown corporation is going to remove all 380 calandria tubes to reinstall and reseal them, which could further delay the completion of the project, already more than a year behind schedule. - 2010/10/08: CTV: Jeff Rubin: Canada's two new solitudes
- 2010/10/05: PostMedia: Biggest firms less open on climate data
Major study's response rate slips. Issue has declined on corporate agenda, Conference Board vice-president says Canada's largest companies have cooled on the idea of reporting climate change-related information, a major report to be made public today shows. This year's response rate for the Carbon Disclosure Project Report was 46 per cent, down slightly from last year's level, but a deep dip from the high of 55 per cent in 2008. - 2010/10/04: OpenDem: Taking the right path? The Centre for Alternative Technology and the politics of radical ecology
Reflecting on a recent visit to the Centre for Alternative Technology (CAT) and his life as an eco-activist, Charlie Hill argues that radical ecology needs to reach out to a new audience. - 2010/10/05: OilDrum: Work, Exergy, the Economy, Money, and Wealth
And in the Transition movement:
- 2010/10/08: EnergyBulletin: The Great Transition (beyond carbon)
- 2010/10/06: EnergyBulletin: Support groups for hard times
IPAT [Impact = Population * Affluence * Technology] raised its head once again:
- 2010/08/23: Zone5: Why I was Wrong About Population
- 2010/10/06: CCurrents: A Modest Mathematical Proposal
As for how the media handles the science of climatology:
- 2010/10/09: TheAge: UK body [Royal Society] says News Ltd misrepresented it on climate
- 2010/10/07: GreenGrok: The Sorry State of Environmental Journalism
- 2010/10/07: KSJT: Guardian: The Sci Journalism satirist explains himself. If you're in the biz, read this.
- 2010/10/06: WtD: Herald Sun War on Science 9: escalating the war on science [media]
- 2010/10/04: WtD: The blog post where I dismiss climate science
While activists search for effective communication techniques:
- 2010/10/04: ClimateP: The first rule of exonerating climate scientists is you do not talk about exonerating climate scientists
On useful discussion in the blogosphere:
- 2010/10/05: MTobis: Thinking You've Communicated
Here is something for your library:
- 2010/10/08: CCurrents: [Book Review] _Storms of My Grandchildren: The Truth About the Coming Climate Catastrophe and Our Last Chance to Save Humanity_ by James Hansen
- 2010/10/08: HotTopic: [Book Review] _Fixing the Sky: The Checkered History of Weather and Climate control_ by James Rodger Fleming
- 2010/10/04: EnergyBulletin: "Review of "The Impending World Energy Mess" by Robert Hirsch, Roger Bezdek and Robert Wendling
And for your film & video enjoyment:
- 2010/10/07: ERabett: Population and climate disruption
- 2010/10/07: TCoE: Robert Rapier on peak oil
- 2010/10/06: BBickmore: Climate Consensus: A Cautionary Tale
- 2010/10/06: MTobis: Prosperity vs Growth
- 2010/10/04: TCoE: Tea Party Truth
- 2010/10/04: WtD: (Astro) Turf Wars: how industry funds denial
- 2010/10/03: Grist: Video of the year: Right Wing Radio Duck
As for podcasts:
- 2010/10/06: SkeptiSci: The value of coherence in science by Stephan Lewandowsky
Meanwhile among the 'Sue the Bastards!' contingent:
- 2010/10/08: ENS: West Virginia Sues U.S. EPA Over Mountaintop Mining Permits
- 2010/10/08: PlanetArk: Illinois Files Lawsuit Against Enbridge
- 2010/10/08: DM:80B: Coal Lawsuit Puts EPA's Moutaintop Removal Rules on Trial
- 2010/10/07: SouthernStudies: Coal companies charged with massive violations of water pollution laws in Kentucky
- 2010/10/06: NYT:GW: W.Va. Sues Obama, EPA Over Mining Coal Regulations
- 2010/10/07: Grist: Coal companies charged with massive violations of water pollution laws in Kentucky
- 2010/10/07: WVPubcast: WV sues Obama administration over [MTR] mining
The state of West Virginia is suing the federal government for its policies on surface mining in West Virginia and five other states. The Department of Environmental Protection filed the suit at the direction of Gov. Manchin. - 2010/10/05: NatureN: NASA privacy case goes to highest court
The US Supreme Court will rule on sweeping background checks on scientists at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. - 2010/10/07: Economist: Help from the moon -- A less unsightly rival to offshore wind
- 2010/10/08: LA Times:GS: The history of the future: A clean, green tech lesson with Alexis Madrigal
- 2010/10/06: CleanBreak: Coal king West Virginia could go big-time into geothermal, if it wanted
- 2010/10/08: CCurrents: Lies, Damn Lies And Bill Gates' Discussion Of Energy Policy
- 2010/09/: HydroWorld: Dam Safety: Room for Improvement
While dams provide tremendous benefits ranging from flood control to power generation, they also represent a risk to public safety. Some of North America's leading dam safety experts sat down with Hydro Review to discuss efforts to improve dam safety.
[...]
Of the more than 80,000 dams in the U.S., about a third pose a "high" or "significant" hazard to life and property if a failure occurs, according to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). - 2010/10/06: OilDrum: Racing against Time: Racing against Finite Petroleum Supply - Challenges and Opportunities
- 2010/10/04: BBerg: Oil Gain to $85 in '11 Threatens OPEC on BRIC Demand
- 2010/10/05: Grist: U.S. military faces reality and makes big push for renewable energy
- 2010/10/04: SciNow: West Virginia Is a Geothermal Hot Spot
- 2010/10/04: TDG: 4 Energy Technologies That Could Replace Oil and Coal
New large-scale projects are revolutionizing the U.S. energy sector, using sunlight, wind, waves and even trash, rather than oil, coal or nuclear power. - 2010/10/05: SciDaily: Geothermal Mapping Project Reveals Large, Green Energy Source in West Virginia
- 2010/10/04: BBerg: Iraq Lifts Oil Reserves Estimate to 143 Billion Barrels, Overtakes Iran
- 2010/10/05: BBC: £19bn to dismantle aged North Sea oil platforms
The cost of dismantling North Sea oil and gas platforms is forecast to reach £19bn over the next 30 years. - 2010/10/04: Grist: Wasted food equals wasted energy, new study makes clear
- 2010/10/04: EarthTimes: Iraq: Oil reserves 24 per cent larger than previous estimates
- 2010/10/04: OilDrum: Good news from Italy: the Kitegen is in motion
- 2010/10/04: REA: Renewables Account for 11.14% of U.S. Electricity Use
- 2010/10/04: BBC: Iraq increases oil reserves by 24%
Fracking is back:
- 2010/10/06: BBerg: India Plans to Sign U.S. Shale Gas Accord During Obama Visit
- 2010/10/05: NYT:GW: Enviros Protest Engineer's Nomination to EPA Fracking Panel
An environmental group is objecting to a petroleum engineer's nomination to a panel that will review a U.S. EPA study of a controversial oil industry production technique. The Environmental Working Group last week sent a letter (pdf) to EPA protesting the nomination of Michael Economides, a University of Houston petroleum engineering professor, to the seven-member panel that will peer-review EPA's new study on the effects of hydraulic fracturing on water supplies. The group blasts Economides for his comments in an opinion piece in the Syracuse Post-Standard last month that said the chemicals used in hydraulic fracturing are "few ... and not threatening." The environmental group disagrees with Economides' statement, citing the recent disclosure in New York of some 250 chemicals used in fracturing operations, including petroleum distillates. "By misstating publicly available information and accepted science on hydraulic fracturing, Mr. Economides appears to be biased in favor of a predetermined outcome to EPA's study -- an outcome that would show no risks from fracturing," says the letter, which was written by Dusty Horwitt, senior counsel at Environmental Working Group. - 2010/10/04: DetNews: Gas drilling technique sparks fears in Michigan
- 2010/10/04: Reuters: Pennsylvania regulator says shale gas drilling method safe
Pennsylvania's chief environmental regulator said on Friday he saw no evidence that the chemicals used in the shale gas drilling process known as hydraulic fracturing contaminates underground water supplies. - 2010/10/04: NRDC:SwitchBoard: Incidents where hydraulic fracturing is a suspected cause of drinking water contamination
- 2010/10/04: NRDC:SwitchBoard: More benzene in drinking water; two more cases of drinking water contamination linked to hydraulic fracturing in the Barnett shale
The answer my friend...:
- 2010/10/08: NYT:CW: Offshore Wind a U.S. Job Boon if Capital Costs Don't Erode Potential -- DOE
- 2010/10/07: TCoE: US offshore wind assessment [by DOE]
- 2010/10/05: NYT: For Those Near, the Miserable Hum of Clean Energy
Like nearly all of the residents on this island in Penobscot Bay, Art Lindgren and his wife, Cheryl, celebrated the arrival of three giant wind turbines late last year. That was before they were turned on. "In the first 10 minutes, our jaws dropped to the ground," Mr. Lindgren said. "Nobody in the area could believe it. They were so loud." Now, the Lindgrens, along with a dozen or so neighbors living less than a mile from the $15 million wind facility here, say the industrial whoosh-and-whoop of the 123-foot blades is making life in this otherwise tranquil corner of the island unbearable. They are among a small but growing number of families and homeowners across the country who say they have learned the hard way that wind power -- a clean alternative to electricity from fossil fuels -- is not without emissions of its own. - 2010/10/06: TreeHugger: Wind Farms Can Change Local Climates - That's a Good & Bad Thing
- 2010/10/06: REA: Texas to Become First State with Offshore Wind Energy
- 2010/10/05: UIllinois: New findings about wind farms could lead to expanding their use
- 2010/10/05: BBC: Wind farms can affect local weather patterns
Wind farms, especially big ones, generate turbulence that can significantly alter air temperatures near the ground, say researchers. - 2010/10/04: CSM:TASIB: Offshore wind farms: How much is renewable energy worth?
Meanwhile among the solar aficionados:
- 2010/10/06: BizGreen: Desertec looks to secure route to African solar farms
Italian grid operator Terna becomes latest shareholder in Desertec Industrial Initiative as high profile solar project gears up for its first annual conference - 2010/10/05: Reuters: AEP to anchor major Midwest solar plant
American Electric Power Co Ltd's Ohio unit and Turning Point Solar LLC announced a deal on a new solar power plant, the largest commercial solar power plant east of the Rockies. - 2010/10/06: ClimateP: Concentrated solar surge begins in southwest
- 2010/10/06: TreeHugger: Solar Panels Built with Wind Energy. Now You're Talking...
- 2010/10/05: NYT: Solar Power Plants to Rise on U.S. Land
Proposals for the first large solar power plants ever built on federal lands won final approval on Tuesday from Interior Secretary Ken Salazar, reflecting the Obama administration's resolve to promote renewable energy in the face of Congressional inaction. Both plants are to rise in the California desert under a fast-track program that dovetails with the state's own aggressive effort to push development of solar, wind and geothermal power. - 2010/10/05: PhysOrg: Structure of plastic solar cells impedes their efficiency, researchers find
- 2010/10/05: TreeHugger: Solar Industry Expected to Grow Over 40% in 2011
- 2010/10/04: REA: The right time for solar augmentation for the CSP industry
- 2010/10/04: REA: Germany Adds Nearly 1% of Electricity Supply with Solar in Eight Months
- 2010/10/04: CBC: Enbridge completes [80 megawatt] Sarnia solar farm
On the coal front:
- 2010/10/08: WaPo: Safety violations found at W. Virginia coal mine
A surprise inspection has turned up serious safety violations that could have caused an explosion at another Massey Energy coal mine in West Virginia, the federal Mine Safety and Health Administration said Thursday. - 2010/10/07: Oregonian: Portland General Electric's Boardman coal plant violated pollution-control standard since 1998, EPA says
- 2010/10/07: SouthernStudies: Coal companies charged with massive violations of water pollution laws in Kentucky
- 2010/10/06: TEC: Coal Is King In China, And Top Priority For Engineers Determined To Lower Climate Risks
Biofuel bickering abounds:
- 2010/10/08: TreeHugger: Biofuel's Bumpy Road: The Trials and Tribulations of Algae, Palm Oil, Bioelectricity, Feedstocks, & Birds
- 2010/10/04: BBC: Householders in Didcot have become the first in the UK to use [biomethane] gas made from their own human waste...
- 2010/10/04: SolveClimate: Study: Miscanthus Guzzles More Water Than Corn but Soaks Up More Nitrates Too
The nuclear energy controversy continues:
- 2010/10/09: Yahoo:AFP: EDF charges Constellation pulls out of US reactor project
French electricity generator EDF said Saturday it was shocked and disappointed that Constellation Energy has decided to pull out of a project to build a nuclear power plant in the US state of Maryland. - 2010/10/09: TEC: Constellation walks away from [Calvert Cliffs III nuclear reactor project]
- 2010/10/08: NBF: National Ignition Facility Starts Nuclear Laser Fusion integrated ignition experiments
- 2010/10/08: CBC: Fuel tube problems could delay N.B. nuclear plant
- 2010/10/07: JQuiggin: Nuclear, again
- 2010/10/06: BNC: IFR FaD 8 -- Two TV documentaries and a new film on the Integral Fast Reactor
Yes we have a peak oil sighting:
- 2010/10/09: PeakEnergy: US Military Needs to Get Off Oil by 2040: [CNAS] Report
- 2010/10/08: Economist:FE: The oil problem
- 2010/10/07: PRNW: The End of Oil As We Know It -- ASPO-USA Foresees Dramatic Decline in Oil Production, Calls for Strong Measures to Mitigate Impending Energy Crisis
- 2010/10/06: HuffPo: Depletion Is Economic, Not Just Geological, Concept by Jeffrey Rubin
- 2010/10/04: EnergyBulletin: "Peak Shrink" blogs on peak oil for Honda
More people are talking about the electrical grid:
- 2010/10/07: TStar: Smart meters are here. Get over it
Automakers & lawyers, engineers & activists argue over the future of the car:
- 2010/10/07: Economist: A sparky new motor -- The first mass-market electric cars are arriving in showrooms. They represent a big gamble for carmakers
- 2010/10/09: AutoBG: Australian state of Victoria launches massive 5-year electric vehicle trial
- 2010/10/07: TreeHugger: Opbrid Shows Overhead Fast-Charging System for Electric Buses
- 2010/10/07: AutoBG: Honda Civic Hybrid sales soar; up 338% over last September
- 2010/10/05: NYT:CW: European Automakers Say 'Psychological' Barriers of Fueling Electric Cars Can Be Overcome
- 2010/10/05: AutoBG: U.S. plug-in vehicle manufacturers, battery makers face serious export hurdles
- 2010/10/05: AutoBG: EV20 Alliance sets big electric vehicle target: one million by 2015
Again this week in the Gee Whiz File:
- 2010/10/04: PhysOrg: Could solar wind power Earth? [Dyson-Harrop]
As for Energy Storage:
- 2010/10/08: BBC: FAA cites fire risk in bulk lithium battery shipments
The US airline regulator has warned carriers shipments of lithium batteries may ignite if exposed to high heat in flight, risking a "catastrophic event". - 2010/10/07: GigaOM: LG Chem's First U.S. Utility Customer [for 10-kilowatt-hour lithium-ion battery packs]: So Cal Edison
The reaction of business to climate change will be critical:
- 2010/10/05: UNEP: Global business leaders commit to a low-carbon future
Business leaders from global corporations have committed to reduce their carbon dioxide emissions across a wide range of sectors, including energy, communications, building and construction. The announcement was made at the conclusion of the UN-supported Business for the Environment (B4E) Summit, held in Mexico City from 4 to 5 October, ahead of the UN Climate Conference in Cancun next month. - 2010/10/06: UN: Corporate titans commit to low-carbon future - UN
- 2010/10/05: PostMedia: Biggest firms less open on climate data
- 2010/10/04: Guardian(UK): Business is changing the landscape of the climate battleground
The fight to regulate a cleaner future is becoming more balanced as more businesses switch their bottom line to carbon reduction - 2010/10/04: PRWatch: New Film Shows How Corporate America is Faking a Grassroots Revolution
Joe Romm posts a daily list of top energy and climate stories:
- 2010/10/08: ClimateP: Energy and Global Warming news for October 8...
- 2010/10/07: ClimateP: Energy and Global Warming News for October 7...
- 2010/10/06: ClimateP: Energy and Global Warming News for October 6...
- 2010/10/05: ClimateP: Energy and Global Warming News for October 5...
- 2010/10/04: ClimateP: Energy and Global Warming News for October 4...
Other (weekly) lists:
- 2010/10/10: IJISH: Mindless Link Propagation
- 2010/10/08: NRDC:SwitchBoard: India Climate Change and Energy News - Week of September 28, 2010 to October 4, 2010
- 2010/10/08: NRDC:SwitchBoard: Climate, Energy and Environment News from Latin America: 10.4 - 10.8.2010
- 2010/10/08: Grist: A walk through the week's climate news -- The Climate Post: Everybody loves clean energy, but nobody wants to pay for it
- 2010/10/04: TDC: Climate Clippings -- Lawsuits, the 'climate gap,' and a better drive
- 2010/10/03: IJISH: Mindless Link Propagation
The carbon lobby are up to the usual:
- 2010/10/10: ClimateShifts: [TVMOB] Testimony wasn't about science -- good point!
- 2010/10/09: ClimateP: Göddardämmerung: Skeptical Science debunks climate cherry picking on sea level rise
- 2010/10/06: CleanBreak: New "citizen" site targets Canadian children with misinformation on climate change
- 2010/10/08: HotTopic: NIWA v Cranks 4: Shoot out at the fantasy factory [KiwiGate]
- 2010/10/08: DerSpiegel: 'Science as the Enemy' -- The Traveling Salesmen of Climate Skepticism
A handful of US scientists have made names for themselves by casting doubt on global warming research. In the past, the same people have also downplayed the dangers of passive smoking, acid rain and the ozone hole. In all cases, the tactics are the same: Spread doubt and claim it's too soon to take action. - 2010/10/06: WottsUWT: GISS on: How Warm Was This Summer?
- 2010/10/06: QuarkSoup: Can UAH Be Trusted With Climate Data?
- 2010/10/06: OilChange: The Polluter's newfound concern for the Poor
- 2010/10/03: BBickmore: "Why Don't You Bash Al Gore?"
As for climate miscellanea:
- 2010/10/09: ClimateSight: What's Your Idea?
- 2010/10/09: AFTIC: 2000 Words
- 2010/10/08: DawgsBlawg: Stuff from the world of climate science
- 2010/10/07: Heiko: What are the relevant facts in the climate debate and how hard are they?
- 2010/10/08: AlterNet: People Are Allergic to the Facts
- 2010/10/07: TSoD: Amazing Things we Find in Textbooks -- The Real Second Law of Thermodynamics
- 2010/10/06: moyhu: Can downwelling infrared warm the ocean?
- 2010/10/07: ClimateP: A detailed look at the Little Ice Age
- 2010/10/07: PlanetArk: Some Green Companies Headed For Landfill?
- 2010/10/06: Maribo: Collaborating with industry on publications and climate solutions
- 2010/10/06: TSoD: Does Back-Radiation "Heat" the Ocean? - Part One
- 2010/10/06: HotTopic: London calling
- 2010/10/05: HotTopic: Days of future passed
- 2010/10/05: ClimateP: When bad economics and climate science collide
- 2010/10/04: Grist: United we stand disappointed -- Is environmentalism progressive?
- 2010/10/03: MTobis: A confusing week
- 2010/10/03: BVerheggen: Science ignored by politics
And here are a couple of sites you may find interesting and/or useful:
- WFP: Pakistan Crisis
- Wiki: FFF - Fuck for Forest
- The Blackboard -- Where Climate Talk Gets Hot!
- SORCE: Solar Radiation and Climate Experiment
- USDA: SNAP - Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program
- Forest Ethics
- Wiki: EMergy
- Wiki: Exergy
- DNN: Disaster News Network
- Gateway to the UN System's Work on Climate Change
- NSIDC:SOTC: Glaciers
- NSIDC: World Glacier Inventory [information for over 67,000 glaciers worldwide]
- Wiki: Global Nuclear Energy Partnership
- US DOE: GNEP: Global Nuclear Energy Partnership
- Wind-Works by Paul Gipe
- UNFCCC: United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change
- Skeptical Science: Examining Global Warming Skepticism
It's always nice to start with a larf:
Looking ahead to COP16 and future international climate negotiations:
The EU-China conference this week did not end well:
Carbon Tariffs still have people on edge:
What are the global financial institutions up to?
The No Pressure video raised a ruckus:
While in Antarctica:
Regarding the genetic modification of food:
And how are we going to feed 9 billion?
As for ocean currents:
Meanwhile in near earth orbit:
The odd tornado popped up:
As for heatwaves and wild fires:
Corals are dying:
As for hydrological cycle disruptions [floods & droughts]:
Elsewhere on the mitigation front:
While in the endless quest for zero energy, sustainable buildings and practical codes:
The proposed Bank Tax refuses to die:
The energy race between China and the USA is on, or is it?
Elsewhere in international politics:
As for GW, energy & security:
Regarding Water Politics and Business:
And on the American political front:
The BP disaster continues to twist US politics:
And in Europe:
Meanwhile in Australia:
The Murray-Darling water management plan drew a lot of comment this week:
And in China:
And South America:
In Canada, minority neocon PM Harper, continues his do-nothing policy:
On the heels of Laurence Smith flogging his book, the NRTEE and Canadian Geographic came out with a similarly optimistic report on GW impacts in Canada:
The Tories are spending $44,000 to figure out what a polar bear is worth:
Newfoundland is still recovering from Igor:
After the ruckus about tar sands pollution, the relevant governments appointed panels to smooth things over:
BC is wrangling over energy:
Ontario has it's Green Energy Act, now comes the implementation:
As for miscellaneous Canadiana:
The movement toward a long term ecologically viable economics is glacial:
Developing a new energy infrastructure is a fundamental challenge of the current generation:
Meanwhile in the greenwashing chronicles:
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.
"Modern American conservatism is, in large part, a movement shaped by billionaires and their bank accounts, and assured paychecks for the ideologically loyal are an important part of the system. Scientists willing to deny the existence of man-made climate change, economists willing to declare that tax cuts for the rich are essential to growth, strategic thinkers willing to provide rationales for wars of choice, lawyers willing to provide defenses of torture, all can count on support from a network of organizations that may seem independent on the surface but are largely financed by a handful of ultrawealthy families."
-Paul Krugman, 2010/10/04: NYT: Fear and Favor
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