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 Disruption News
Sipping from the Internet Firehose...
September 4, 2011
- Chuckles, COP17+, Horn of Africa, Keystone XL Action, The Conversation, Wagner
- Monnett, Kirby et al., WikiLeaks, Bottom Line, Free Science, Thermodynamics, Cook
- Fukushima Note, Fukushima News, Nuclear Policy
- Melting Arctic, Megafauna, Methane/CO2, Geopolitics, Antarctica
- Food Crisis, Food vs. Biofuel, Land Grabs, GMOs, Food Production
- Hurricanes, Temperatures, Aerosols, Paleoclimate, Attribution
- ENSO, Extinctions, Proxies, Satellites
- Impacts, Extreme Weather, Corals, Acidification, Floods & Droughts
- Transportation, Buildings, Sequestration, Geoengineering
- Journals, Other Docs , Misc. Science, Alley, Mann, Curry, Pielke
- Kyoto, UN, Carbon Trade, Bank Tax
- International Politics: Rare Earths, Security, Activism, Polls, Water Politics & Business
- National Politics: America, BP Disaster, 2012, Gore, Energy Security, Krugman, Smog, Obama, USAdmin, Congress
- Britain, Europe, Australia, Carbon War, Murray-Darling, New Zealand, India, China, Japan, Asia, Africa, South America
- Canada, Post G20, CWB, Salmon, BC, Tar Sands, Alberta, Manitoba, Ontario, North, Canadiana
- Ecological Economics, IPAT, Apocalypso, Media, Books, Video
- Energy, Fracking, Coal, Oil & Gas, Fossil Fuel Corps, Pipelines, Peak Oil, Biofuel
- Wind, Solar, FITs, Nukes, Nuclear Waste, LENR, Grid, Efficiency, Cars, Gee Whiz, Energy Storage
- Insurance, Joe's List, Carbon Lobby, Miscellaneous Climate, Useful Links
- Autobahn, Shameless Self Promotion, .sig
- 2011/08/31: JoeMohr: (cartoon - Mohr) God's Response to Rick Perry
- 2011/09/03: TP:JR: (3 cartoons - various) Best Extreme Weather Cartoons
- 2011/08/31: uComics: (cartoon - Auth) Vox Dei
- 2011/08/31: uComics: (cartoon - Danziger) Mr. Cantor and Mr. Paul Give The Republican Response To The Flood
- 2011/08/30: TI:CF: (cartoon - Roberts) Zombie Apoclypse
- 2011/08/30: SeattlePI: (cartoon - Horsey) If only hurricanes were more precise
- 2011/09/01: SeattlePI: (cartoon - Horsey) Pray that naysayers are right about climate change
- 2011/08/30: uComics: (cartoon - Wiley) The Post-Journalism Existentialist
- 2011/08/29: XKCD: (cartoon - xkcd) Hurricane Names
- 2011/08/29: uComics: (cartoon - Rall) 15% of Americans are on Food Stamps...40% of Food Stamp Recipients Are Employed
And for those who enjoy challenging Poe's Law:
- 2011/09/02: Wonkette: Obama Calls For Smog Death To Please GOP (They Still Aren't Pleased)
- 2011/09/01: QuarkSoup: God Denies....
- 2011/08/31: Wonkette: Former Unicorn Obama Has Beloved Mermaid Arrested
- 2011/08/29: Wonkette: Michele Bachmann: Hurricane Is Order From God To Lower Spending
Looking ahead to COP17 and future international climate negotiations:
- 2011/09/01: PlanetArk: [Christiana Figueres, UNFCCC executive secretary] Says Durban Talks Can Deliver
The Horn of Africa drought and famine continues to be a major disaster:
- 2011/09/03: al Jazeera: More areas of Somalia 'face famine threat'
UN warns situation in drought-stricken southern Somalia is deteriorating, raising dangers of malnutrition and disease. - 2011/09/02: al Jazeera: Witness to famine: A cameraman's journal
An eye-witness account of life in the famine-stricken Horn of Africa during Ramadan and on Eid. - 2011/09/03: Guardian(UK): Charity president says aid groups are misleading the public on Somalia
Médecins Sans Frontières executive says charities must admit that much of the country can't be helped The head of an international medical charity has called on aid agencies to stop presenting a misleading picture of the famine in Somalia and admit that helping the worst-affected people is almost impossible. The international president of Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), Dr Unni Karunakara, returned from Somalia last week and said that, even though there was chronic malnutrition and drought across east Africa, hardly any agencies were able to work inside war-torn Somalia, where the picture was "profoundly distressing". He condemned other organisations and the media for "glossing over" the reality in order to convince people that simply giving money for food was the answer. - 2011/09/02: UN: UN and partners boost food aid to Somali refugees amid alarming malnutrition
- 2011/08/15: PsychToday: Statistical Numbing: Why Millions Can Die and We Don't Care -- The way we perceive risk makes mass death more likely
- 2011/09/04: BBC: Drought in Eritrea: hunger despite government denials
- 2011/08/30: CCurrents: East Africa Now Facing Drought Induced Famine
- 2011/08/31: al Jazeera: Saving children in the Horn of Africa
It's not too late to make a difference in famine-ravaged East Africa. - 2011/08/30: al Jazeera: No relief for Somali refugees in Dadaab
Muslims in world's largest refugee camp mark end of Ramadan with little to look forward to, as UN calls for more aid. - 2011/08/30: CBC: East Africa refugees get cash handouts -- UN refugee agency fears charities' gifts could create chaos at swelling camp
The United Nations refugee agency is raising concern that hundreds of independent charities are doing more harm than good at Kenya's Dadaab refugee camp by handing out aid -- including cash -- to those who have fled the famine in the Horn of Africa. The agency UNHCR warns the unprecedented generosity is unco-ordinated and could cause significant problems among the camp of hundreds of thousands of refugees, who are mostly from neighbouring Somalia. - 2011/08/29: CNN: Drought not the real cause of East Africa famine by Thomas Keneally
Up to 12 million people in Horn of Africa facing famine - Famines occur in places where people are tyrannized, says Thomas Keneally - Famines occur in places where people get by on a few food items, he argues - He says famine can only be addressed if it isn't only blamed on drought - 2011/09/03: TP:JR: A Climate Movement Is Born: Ozone Decision Spikes Total Arrests to 1,252 at White House Pipeline Protest
- 2011/09/02: TreeHugger: Ralph Nader: Tar Sands Pipeline Would Usher in "Corporate Dictatorship"
- 2011/09/03: TreeHugger: 1,252 Peaceful Protesters Arrested Opposing Tar Sands Pipeline at the White House
- 2011/09/03: CCurrents: The White House And Tar Sands by James E. Hansen
- 2011/08/31: RS: NASA Scientist Hansen Arrested at Tar Sands Protest - A Grim Sign of the Times
- 2011/09/03: Rabble:B: Activist Powless shoots 'iconic' photo of NASA scientist arrest at tar sands protest
- 2011/09/02: CBC: Naomi Klein arrested at D.C. pipeline protest
- 2011/09/02: CCP: Maryland State Senator Paul Pinsky (D-Hyattsville) Arrested at White House Friday over Tar Sands Keystone XL Pipeline
- 2011/09/03: HotTopic: Tar Sands Action Draws to a Finish, But More to Come says McKibben
- 2011/09/02: CSW: Jim Hansen arrest at White House tar sands pipeline protest: "We had a dream"
- 2011/09/02: 350orBust: "We Are All Downstream": Tar Sands Protests Go Global
- 2011/09/01: TStar: Celebrity protesters blur the Canadian oil sands message
- 2011/09/01: TP:JR: Center for American Progress on Keystone XL Pipeline Permit: It Is Not in the National Interest, Nor in Humanity's Interest
- 2011/09/01: Grist: Which side are you on, Obama? Live from the tar-sands protests [video]
- 2011/09/01: DeSmogBlog: Hillary Clinton's State Department Oil Services and the Keystone XL Tar Sands Pipeline [video]
- 2011/09/01: DeSmogBlog: Keystone XL Tar Sands Pipeline Action Page
- 2011/08/31: TPL: Keystone XL Pipeline -- Game Over?
- 2011/08/31: ClassM: Celebrity worship
- 2011/08/31: ABC(Au): Daryl Hannah arrested in White House protest
- 2011/08/31: TreeHugger: Actress Daryl Hannah Arrested at White House Tar Sands Protest
- 2011/08/31: CSM: Daryl Hannah arrested for protesting proposed Keystone XL oil pipeline
- 2011/08/31: WMTC: canada and u.s.: join to speak out against tar sands pipeline
- 2011/08/30: TP:JR: NASA's James Hansen Arrested at Tar Sands Pipeline Protest
- 2011/08/30: DeSmogBlog: Reliance on Canadian Tar Sands Threatens U.S. Energy Security
- 2011/08/30: CBC: First Nations leaders join Keystone pipeline protest
Indigenous people from across North America are joining the White House protest against TransCanada's proposed Keystone XL pipeline, which would carry crude oil from northern Alberta to Gulf Coast refineries in Texas. Several First Nations leaders from Canada are making the trip to join the protest Sept. 2. Protesters have gathered outside the White House in Washington, D.C. since Aug. 20, with actors and scientists among those opposing the pipeline. Over 250 people have been arrested, including Canadian actors Margot Kidder and Fort McMurray, Alta.,-born Tantoo Cardinal. - 2011/08/30: TP:JR: Soul Force: Tar Sands Protest Echoes King's Civil Rights March
- 2011/08/30: Grist: Daryl Hannah gives you her [lawyer's] number
- 2011/08/30: DM:JLV: Daryl Hannah Joins The Resistance At The White House Against The Keystone Pipeline
- 2011/08/30: TreeHugger: Why Civil Disobedience is Key to the Climate Movement
- 2011/08/30: Oregonian: NW environmental news: Oil sand pipeline in the crosshairs of activists
- 2011/08/30: CCP: NASA climate scientist James Hansen was arrested today outside the White House after joining a protest against the proposed Keystone XL oil pipeline
- 2011/08/29: CCP: Record crowd stands firm against a Tar Sands pipeline that's 'built to spill'
- 2011/08/29: CCP: James Hansen: "Einstein said to think and not act is a crime. If we understand the situation, we must try to make it clear." [K XL]
- 2011/08/28: TP:JR: One of the Jailed 'Tar Sands 52? Tells His Story
The Conversation has resumed in Australia:
- 2011/08/29: Deltoid: Conversation series on media and misinformation
- 2011/09/02: ABC(Au):TDU: Conversations: Policy-making media and climate change
- 2011/09/01: Guardian(UK): Australia's climate scientists expose shock-jock distortion tactics
Academics catalogue the deluge of spin and misinformation of climate science by various Murdoch-owned papers - 2011/08/30: CCP: Michael Ashley: Event horizon: the black hole in The Australian's climate change coverage [The Conv]
- 2011/08/29: TheConversation: Forget the fantasy politics -- advertising is no substitute for debate
- 2011/08/29: TheConversation: Selling climate uncertainty: misinformation and the media
Editor Wolfgang Wagner resigned over the Spencer/Braswell paper and cacaphonous controversy ensued:
- 2011/09/02: MDPI: Taking Responsibility on Publishing the Controversial Paper "On the Misdiagnosis of Surface Temperature Feedbacks from Variations in Earth's Radiant Energy Balance" by Spencer and Braswell, Remote Sens. 2011, 3(8), 1603-1613 by Wolfgang Wagner
Abstract: Peer-reviewed journals are a pillar of modern science. Their aim is to achieve highest scientific standards by carrying out a rigorous peer review that is, as a minimum requirement, supposed to be able to identify fundamental methodological errors or false claims. Unfortunately, as many climate researchers and engaged observers of the climate change debate pointed out in various internet discussion fora, the paper by Spencer and Braswell [1] that was recently published in Remote Sensing is most likely problematic in both aspects and should therefore not have been published. After having become aware of the situation, and studying the various pro and contra arguments, I agree with the critics of the paper. Therefore, I would like to take the responsibility for this editorial decision and, as a result, step down as Editor-in-Chief of the journal Remote Sensing. - 2011/09/03: MGS: Peer review and Wagner Resignation over Spencer and Braswell
- 2011/09/03: PSinclair: Spencer Braswell: This is not New. This is the Way it's Done.
- 2011/09/03: NatureNB: Cool climate paper sinks journal editor
- 2011/09/02: ScienceInsider: Journal Editor Resigns Over Contrarian Climate Paper
- 2011/09/03: Stoat: Porkies from Woy
- 2011/09/02: TDC: The damaging impact of Roy Spencer's science
In his bid to cast doubts on the seriousness of climate change, University of Alabama's Roy Spencer creates a media splash but claims a journal's editor-in-chief. The science doesn't hold up. - 2011/09/02: GLaden: CloudGate: Denialism Gets Dirty, Reputations Are At Stake
- 2011/09/03: SkeptiSci: Journal editor resigns over 'fundamentally flawed' paper by Roy Spencer
- 2011/09/02: QuarkSoup: The End of Day One of Today's Battle
- 2011/09/02: TPL: Another one bites the dust... Editor of Remote Sensing Resigns Over Spencer-Braswell Pal Review
- 2011/09/02: CAbyss: Spencer & Braswell and the Review Process
- 2011/09/02: ERabett: Honor and Respect [Wagner]
- 2011/09/02: LFR: Science mag editor resigns after publishing faulty climate change denier paper
- 2011/09/02: BBC: Journal editor resigns over 'problematic' climate paper
The editor of a science journal has resigned after admitting that a recent paper casting doubt on man-made climate change should not have been published. The paper, by US scientists Roy Spencer and William Braswell, claimed that computer models of climate inflated projections of temperature increase. It was seized on by "sceptic" bloggers, but attacked by mainstream scientists. Wolfgang Wagner, editor of Remote Sensing journal, says he agrees with their criticisms and is stepping down. - 2011/09/02: MediaMatters: Journal Editor Resigns After Publishing Flawed Climate Study Touted By Forbes, Fox
- 2011/09/02: CCP: Paper Disputing Basic Science of Climate Change is "Fundamentally Flawed," Editor Resigns, Apologizes
- 2011/09/02: BVerheggen: Spencer and Braswell fundamentally flawed, journal editor resigns
- 2011/09/02: QuarkSoup: A Devastating Comment on Spencer
- 2011/09/02: QuarkSoup: Editor's Most Important Words
- 2011/09/02: QuarkSoup: More on Editor's Resignation
- 2011/09/02: QuarkSoup: Editor Resigns Over Roy Spencer Paper's Controversy
- 2011/09/02: QuarkSoup: Some Reactions [Wagner]
- 2011/09/02: ClassM: Oops -- Wouldn't it be great if everyone was as good at admitting their mistakes?
- 2011/09/02: BBickmore: Remote Sensing Editor Resigns Over Spencer/Braswell Paper
- 2011/09/02: TP:JR: Science Stunner: Editor of Journal that Published Flawed Denier Bunk Apologizes, Resigns, Slams Spencer for Exaggerations
- 2011/09/02: Stoat: Holy editor resignation, Batman!
- 2011/09/02: Guardian(UK): Journal editor resigns over 'flawed' paper co-authored by climate sceptic
Prof Wolfgang Wagner says research was not properly peer-reviewed and wrongly accepted by Remote Sensing - 2011/09/02: Deltoid: Editor-in-Chief of Remote Sensing agrees that Spencer and Braswell (2011) should not have been published; resigns
- 2011/09/02: MTobis: Editor Apologizes for Spencer Paper, Resigns
- 2011/09/02: BCLSB: Editor Steps Down For Publishing Denialist Paper
- 2011/08/31: QuarkSoup: Roy Spencer Smarter than Feynman?
- 2011/09/03: WottsUWT: Editor-in-chief of Remote Sensing resigns over Spencer & Braswell paper
The Charles Monnett story continues:
- 2011/09/02: CCP: Polar Bear Scientist Was Accused By Federal Worker
- 2011/09/01: ERabett: Inside Job
- 2011/08/29: ERabett: Clowns on Ice
There's still some talk about the Kirby et al. paper:
- 2011/09/01: SMandia: CERN Cloud Paper: Cirrus-ly Being Spun
- 2011/08/31: DM:BA: No, a new study does not show cosmic-rays are connected to global warming
- 2011/08/31: PSinclair: From the Horse's Mouth. The New Study on Cosmic Rays and Climate
A smattering of WikiLeaks stories emerged this week after the big Leak:
- 2011/08/30: Guardian(UK): Wikileaks reveals US hopes for environmental activism in China
- 2011/08/29: OpenDem: Nationalism, media and corruption in India. An interview with Arundhati Roy
Arundhati Roy ranges broadly over corruption scandals, Wikileaks' excessive desire for the spotlight, Pakistan/India relations, the twinned perils of nationalism and religious fundamentalism ... and how to deal with negative online comments - 2011/09/02: PostMedia: Conservatives lacked 'bold measures' to improve economy: U.S. diplomatic cable
Prime Minister Stephen Harper's top priority last year was to stay in power while touting his economic stewardship, looking for a "graceful exit" from Afghanistan and avoiding any "sexy initiatives" on climate change, diplomats at the U.S. Embassy in Canada wrote in a newly released confidential cable. The uncensored cable, released through WikiLeaks, provides a remarkably candid assessment of how the embassy, under the direction of Ambassador David Jacobson, viewed the Canadian political scene at the start of 2010. It is written in blunt, sometimes chatty, language and does not shy away from analyzing the political tactics of the governing Tories and opposition parties. The cable was sent to Hillary Clinton's U.S. State Department in Washington and to other U.S. embassies abroad. - 2011/08/30: Grist: China to build 50+ nuclear reactors based on unsafe 60's tech, says Wikileaks
- 2011/08/29: FoodWhistleblower: Monsanto Interests Guide U.S. Diplomacy, WikiLeaks Cables Show
- 2011/08/25: TruthOut: New WikiLeaks Cables Show US Diplomats Promote Genetically Engineered Crops Worldwide
- 2011/08/30: TreeHugger: More on Monsanto, Agribusiness Interests Guiding US Diplomacy From Wikileaks
And on the Bottom Line:
- 2011/08/29: TCoE: The Real Costs of Living with Inaction on Climate Change
Now here's a Free Science story with a twist:
- 2011/08/29: Guardian(UK): Academic publishers make Murdoch look like a socialist
Academic publishers charge vast fees to access research paid for by us. Down with the knowledge monopoly racketeers - 2011/09/02: TSoD: Radiative Forcing and the Surface Energy Balance
John Cook and friends continue their point-counterpoint articles:
- 2011/09/03: SkeptiSci: Journal editor resigns over 'fundamentally flawed' paper by Roy Spencer
- 2011/09/02: SkeptiSci: The Climate Show 18: The Big Chill & The Big Fracking Issue
- 2011/09/02: SkeptiSci: Slovenian translation of The Scientific Guide to Global Warming Skepticism
- 2011/09/04: SkeptiSci: [Book Plug] The Fate of Greenland: Exceptional Storytelling, Extraordinary Photography by Bud Ward
- 2011/09/04: SkeptiSci: NASA Satellites Detect Pothole on Road to Higher Seas by Rob Painting
- 2011/09/01: SkeptiSci: Lessons from Past Climate Predictions: IPCC SAR by dana1981
- 2011/08/31: SkeptiSci: Michaels Mischief #2: Opposing Climate Solutions by dana1981
- 2011/08/30: SkeptiSci: CO2 is just a trace gas by Sarah
- 2011/08/29: SkeptiSci: Mythic Reasoning about Climate Uncertainty by muoncounter
A note on the Fukushima disaster:
It is evident that the Fukushima disaster is going to persist for some time. TEPCO says 6 to 9 months. The previous Japanese Prime Minister, Naoto Kan, said decades. We'll see. At any rate this situation is not going to be resolved any time soon and deserves its own section.
Not much good news coming out of Fukushima:
- 2011/08/31: MLynas: How dangerous is the Fukushima exclusion zone?
- 2011/09/02: NBF: Nuclear still cost competitive in Japan even with Fukushima and World Uranium Projects move forward
- 2011/09/02: EneNews: Slow-moving, major typhoon [Talas] to hit Japan this weekend -- Heavy rainfall expected for Fukushima, disaster zone
- 2011/09/03: EneNews: Plutonium-238, 239, 240 detected at Fukushima playground on August 15 -- TEPCO admits they consider it to be from triple meltdown
- 2011/09/02: PlanetArk: Analysis: Reactor Restarts First Energy Hurdle For Japan's Noda
- 2011/09/01: EneNews: TEPCO trying to stop 'leaking radioactive material' from reaching water underground -- Barrier may be complete by 2014
- 2011/09/01: PlanetArk: Paladin [Energy Co.]: Fukushima Impact On Nuclear Lingers, But Outlook Strong
- 2011/08/30: PlanetArk: Greenpeace: Fukushima Schools Unsafe After Clean-Up
- 2011/08/31: NBF: Japan's 13 month maintenance schedule shutting down most of the remaining reactors and Germany could face blackouts with nuclear exit
- 2011/08/31: EneNews: Fukushima workers showered with highly radioactive water
- 2011/08/29: Cryptome: Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant 29 August 2011 [pix]
- 2011/08/30: EneNews: 40-year-old Fukushima radiation worker dies of acute leukemia after working at plant for week -- Checkup showed no prior health problems
- 2011/08/30: EneNews: Fish caught in river north of Tokyo exceeded legal limit for radioactive cesium -- First time seen outside of Fukushima
- 2011/08/30: EneNews: Japan gov't finds 165 locations over wide area with cesium-137 exceeding Chernobyl evacuation levels -- Data shows radiation could be "spreading to other areas"
- 2011/08/29: PlanetArk: Areas Near Japan Nuclear Plant May Be Off Limits For Decades
- 2011/08/29: Independent(UK): Why the Fukushima disaster is worse than Chernobyl
Post Fukushima, nuclear policies are in flux around the world:
- 2011/08/31: PlanetArk: U.N. Nuclear Safety Proposals Weakened: Diplomats
Countries with atomic power plants would be encouraged to host international safety review missions, under a draft U.N. action plan that may disappoint those who had hoped for strong measures to prevent a repeat of Japan's nuclear crisis. Seeking the middle ground between states advocating more binding global rules and others wanting to keep safety as a strictly national responsibility, the U.N. nuclear agency appears to have gradually watered down its own proposals. The document from the International Atomic Energy Agency, the third draft presented to IAEA member states over the last few weeks, outlines a series of steps to help improve nuclear safety after the Fukushima accident almost six months ago. The latest version puts increased emphasis on the voluntary nature of the proposals, highlighting resistance among many countries against any move toward mandatory outside inspections of their nuclear energy installations. - 2011/08/30: EneNews: "We've got to stop these sorts of reports coming out" -- Int'l conference warns that media talk of Fukushima health effects "may be harmful"
- 2011/08/30: DerSpiegel: Crossing the 20 Percent Mark -- Green Energy Use Jumps in Germany
During the first half of 2011, the share of renewable energy sources used by Germans in their total energy mix grew to one-fifth -- a hefty boost over 2010. It's a small step toward Germany's ambition to phase out nuclear power. - 2011/08/30: EurActiv: Oettinger: Fukushima throws lifeline to Nabucco
The nuclear disaster in Fukushima and subsequent scepticism vis-a-vis nuclear power has increased the chances of the up-and-down Nabucco pipeline project materialising in the future, the European Union's energy commissioner has said. "Fukushima has basically increased the probability of Nabucco," Günther Oettinger told reporters on the sidelines of the Handelsblatt renewable energy conference. - 2011/08/29: TreeHugger: Japan Steps Toward More Renewable Energy With New Feed-In Tariff
The Arctic melt continues to garner a lot of attention:
- 2011/09/03: ASI: SIE 2011 update 19: the fat lady is humming
- 2011/08/31: BPRC: Petermann Glacier before-after-photos 2010-2011
- 2011/09/01: Tamino: Arctic Sea Ice: Death Spiral Continues
- 2011/09/02: HotTopic: Dramatic Pictures of Petermann Glacier Ice Loss
- 2011/09/01: MSNBC: Second giant ice island set to break off Greenland [Petermann] glacier
- 2011/09/01: RealClimate: Arctic sea ice minimum discussions
- 2011/09/03: ASI: September SEARCH Outlook Contribution
- 2011/08/31: TCoE: A blatant, well deserved plug for Arctic Sea Ice Blog
- 2011/08/31: ASI: Through the eyes of [USCGC] Healy
- 2011/08/31: moyhu: JAXA Ice extent and JS
- 2011/08/31: MGS: Too-early consideration of sea ice estimates
- 2011/08/31: Stoat: Yet another sea ice update
- 2011/08/30: CCP: Polarstern: Arctic sea ice at the North Pole half as thick as it was in 2001
- 2011/08/30: ASI: 2011 End Zone
- 2011/08/30: DM:BA: Arctic sea ice will be below average again this year
As for the charismatic megafauna:
- 2011/09/01: PSinclair: Walrus Haulouts Observed Again on Alaska Shoreline
- 2011/08/29: PlanetArk: Alaska Files Notice Of Appeal On Polar Bear Listing
- 2011/08/29: TreeHugger: Witnessing Summer Starvation Among Polar Bears (Pics)
That Damoclean sword still hangs overhead:
- 2011/09/01: ERW: Arctic wildfires may boost climate change
Wildfires in the Arctic have been becoming more frequent in recent years. Now new research shows that these fires may be increasing the rate of global warming. Analysis of a burn scar from a large tundra fire reveals that large amounts of carbon were released. - 2011/09/02: PlanetArk: Insight: Arctic Has Great Riches, But Greater Challenges
- 2011/09/01: PlanetArk: Insight: Arctic Has Great Riches, But Greater Challenges
- 2011/09/01: PlanetArk: New Blow For BP In Russia As Office Raided
- 2011/08/31: al Jazeera: Exxon Mobil signs Arctic oil deal with Russia
US energy giant signs multibillion dollar deal with State-owned Roseneft for developing offshore oil fields. - 2011/08/31: CNN: Russia raids BP offices, prompting oil giant's anger
It comes after ExxonMobil signs a deal with Russian company Rosneft, a blow to BP - BP blasts what it calls Russia's "illegal" interference in its work - The raid is related to a long-running battle over oil exploration in the Russian Arctic - 2011/08/31: EurActiv: US, Russia ink biggest oil and gas deal of Obama era
ExxonMobil and Rosneft signed an agreement yesterday (30 August) to extract oil and gas from the Russian Arctic, in the most significant US-Russia corporate deal since President Barack Obama began a push to improve bilateral ties. - 2011/08/31: PlanetArk: Exxon, Rosneft Tie Up In Russian Arctic...
- 2011/08/31: TreeHugger: Exxon, Russia Sign Deal For Arctic Oil, Plus Share Fracking Technology
- 2011/08/31: OilChange: Exxon Beats BP to Arctic Prize
- 2011/08/29: Prism: The Arctic and the Government's Cowboy Solution
- 2011/08/31: BBC: Bailiffs raid BP's offices in Moscow
BP has confirmed that bailiffs have raided its offices in Moscow. The company said their arrival was linked to a case in a regional court in Western Siberia relating to the collapse of BP's Arctic oil exploration deal with Rosneft. The deal collapsed because of a legal challenge from its Russian partners in the joint venture TNK-BP. The deal has now been done with Exxon Mobil instead. - 2011/08/30: BBC: Exxon Mobil clinches Arctic oil deal with Rosneft
US oil major Exxon Mobil has clinched an Arctic oil exploration deal with Russian state-owned oil firm Rosneft. The venture seemingly extinguishes any remaining chance of BP reviving its own deal, which lapsed in May. The agreement was signed on Tuesday in the presence of Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, a Rosneft spokesman said. - 2011/08/28: G&M: Canada in danger of missing the boat in the Arctic
Statements by France's ambassador for the polar regions, Michel Rocard, that Canada appears to have given up on competing with Russia for Arctic commercial shipping traffic, should serve as a wake up call for Canadians. It may be that the country prefers the Northwest Passage as it is, a slightly-used backwater that best protects the fragile Arctic ecosystem and the traditional Inuit way of life. But if Canadians favour sustainable development in the north, and jobs for northerners, then they are in danger of missing the boat. - 2011/08/29: ScienceInsider: Icebreaker Deal to Keep Antarctic Research Afloat
Antarctic researchers funded by the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) may need to throw on another blanket at night to ward off the chill. But Thursday's agreement to lease a Russian icebreaker to help resupply NSF's logistics hub at McMurdo Station should otherwise allow the agency to avoid any major curtailments to its Antarctic research schedule for the 2011-12 winter season. - FAO: World Food Situation - Food Price Indices
- 2011/09/01: DerSpiegel: Speculating with Lives -- How Global Investors Make Money Out of Hunger
In recent years, the financial markets have discovered the huge opportunities presented by agricultural commodities. The consequences are devastating, as speculators drive up food prices and plunge millions of people into poverty. But investors care little about the effects of their deals in the real world. - 2011/08/31: PlanetArk: U.S. Farm Income Tops $100 Billion For First Time In 2011
- 2011/08/29: ProMedMail: Brown streak and mosaic, cassava: combined outbreak risk
The conflict between biofuel and food persists:
- 2011/08/30: WWI: Global Production of Biofuels Regains Momentum, According to New Research by Worldwatch Institute
- 2011/08/30: Grist: In battle between fuel and food, food is losing worse than ever
So, are these land grabs Colonialism V2.0?
- 2011/08/31: EurActiv: Rising biomass demand could drive land grabs: Report
Rising global demand for cleaner energy from biomass could drive more land acquisition in poorer nations where food security and land rights are weak, according to an International Institute for Environment and Development report released yesterday (30 August). - 2011/08/31: PlanetArk: Rising Biomass Demand Could Drive Land Grabs: Report
Regarding the genetic modification of food:
- 2011/08/31: GMWatch: It's official: Glyphosate used on GM crops found in US rivers, rainfall
- 2011/08/29: USGS: Widely Used Herbicide [Glyphosate, aka Roundup] Commonly Found in Rain and Streams in the Mississippi River Basin
- 2011/08/24: FoodFreedom: Monsanto GM Corn in Peril: Beetle develops Bt-resistance
- 2011/08/05: Mercola: 50% of Rats Given this Died -- Why is it On Your Dinner Plate?
- 2011/09/01: DVoice: USGS: Glyphosate Pollutes Air, Rain and Rivers in US
- 2011/08/30: MoJo: Attack of the Monsanto Superinsects -- New, from the company that has already brought you superweeds..
- 2011/08/31: HuffPo: Beetle Develops Resistance To Monsanto's Genetically Modified Corn
- 2011/08/29: FoodWhistleblower: Monsanto Interests Guide U.S. Diplomacy, WikiLeaks Cables Show
- 2011/08/25: TruthOut: New WikiLeaks Cables Show US Diplomats Promote Genetically Engineered Crops Worldwide
- 2011/08/30: TreeHugger: More on Monsanto, Agribusiness Interests Guiding US Diplomacy From Wikileaks
- 2011/08/29: Grist: Monsanto fail: GMO crops are losing their pest control powers
And how are we going to feed 9 billion?
- 2011/09/02: BBC:RB: Farming: Thoughts on an intense debate
In a book that's already annoyed a lot of greens with its enthusiasm for nuclear power and geo-engineering, Mark Lynas's The God Species also floats the question of which kind of agriculture is actually best for nature. - 2011/09/01: USDA:ARS: Using Less Water to Grow More Potatoes
- 2011/08/31: Grist: Green for greens: Philadelphia subsidizes farmers markets
- 2011/08/29: AlterNet: What's It Going to Take for Americans to Stop Eating Chemical-Laden Industrial Food?
Tropical Storm Lee is soaking the US Gulf states:
- 2011/09/04: CNN: Tropical Storm Lee reaches Louisiana coast
Lee is within 50 miles of Lafayette, Louisiana - It is expected to unleash more rain along the Gulf Coast - The storm could bring up to 20 inches of rain to some parts - Thousands of customers are without power in Louisiana - 2011/09/04: Wunderground: Tropical Storm Lee lingers off Louisiana coast
- 2011/09/04: CBC: Tropical storm Lee lumbers into south Louisiana
- 2011/09/04: al Jazeera: Tropical Storm Lee drenches New Orleans
City on flash-flood alert as storm makes landfall in Louisiana, bringing heavy rains and threatening storm surges. - 2011/09/03: CNN: Tropical Storm Lee drenches Gulf states with rain
Flooding forces some road closures in southern Louisiana - Officials shut the Port of Mobile in Alabama - A tropical storm warning is in effect from Destin, Florida, to Sabine Pass, Texas - Tropical Storm Lee could bring up to 20 inches of rain to parts of the Gulf - 2011/09/03: Wunderground: Tropical Storm Lee moving ashore; Katia continues northwest
- 2011/09/03: CSM: Tropical storm Lee threatens flooding in Alabama, Louisiana, and Mississippi
- 2011/09/02: CSM: Tropical Storm Lee could hit as near-hurricane with 20 inches of rain
- 2011/09/03: CBC: Tropical storm Lee triggers Louisiana power outages
- 2011/09/02: CNN: Gulf system intensifies into Tropical Storm Lee
- 2011/09/02: Wunderground: Tropical Depression Thirteen Forms in The Gulf of Mexico
- 2011/09/02: CBC: New storm [TD 13] threatens U.S. Gulf coast -- Flash floods possible in Lousiana
- 2011/09/01: BBC: Louisiana declares emergency as storm [TD 13 (Lee)] brews
Louisiana has declared a state of emergency as it prepares for a tropical depression to bring up to 15in (38cm) of rain over the weekend. - 2011/09/04: BBC: Typhoon Talas kills at least 18 people in Japan
At least 18 people have been killed and more than 50 are missing after powerful Typhoon Talas ripped through western Japan, local media reports. The storm brought heavy rain and winds of up to 108km/h (68mph) after making landfall on Shikoku island on Saturday. Talas has now moved over Japan and into the Sea of Japan (East Sea), Japan's Meteorological Agency said on Sunday. But it warned that heavy rains and strong winds will continue - raising the threat of floods and landslides. - 2011/09/04: CNN: Typhoon Talas kills at least 3 in Japan
- 2011/09/02: EneNews: Slow-moving, major typhoon [Talas] to hit Japan this weekend -- Heavy rainfall expected for Fukushima, disaster zone
- 2011/08/31: NASA:NASA Sees Tropical Storm Nanmadol's Landfall, Talas Headed to Japan
- 2011/08/31: al Jazeera: Tropical storm Nanmadol hits southeast China
No casualties reported though storm brought heavy rains, destroying houses and forcing many to flee. - 2011/08/31: People's Daily: Tropical storm Nanmadol lands at southeast China province
- 2011/08/30: al Jazeera: Tropical storm Nanmadol heads to China
Authorities on alert in southeastern province of Fujian as storm threatens heavy rains. - 2011/08/29: CBC: Typhoon Nanmadol floods Taiwan before hitting China
- 2011/08/29: al Jazeera: China braces for storm Nanmadol
Storm heads for China after shutting down south Taiwan and forcing evacuations. - 2011/08/29: al Jazeera: Typhoon Nanmadol hits Taiwan
Storm, which killed at least seven in the Philippines, dumps more than half a meter of rain in the mountainous south. - 2011/08/28: BBC: Taiwan braced as Tropical Storm Nanmadol sweeps in
Taiwan has deployed 35,000 troops to prepare for a huge storm bearing down on the south-east of the island. Tropical Storm Nanmadol - downgraded from a typhoon - has already wreaked havoc in the Philippines, leaving at least eight people dead. - 2011/09/02: CNN: Katia upgraded to hurricane again
- 2011/09/02: PlanetArk: Hurricane Katia Weakens To A Storm, May Restrengthen: NHC
- 2011/09/02: Wunderground: TD 13 intensifying; Katia may pass uncomfortably close to U.S.
- 2011/09/01: Wunderground: Gulf of Mexico disturbance 93L a Lousiana flood threat; Katia a hurricane
- 2011/08/31: NASA: TRMM Satellite Sees Heavy Rain, Towering Clouds in Tropical Storm Katia
- 2011/09/01: CSM: As hurricane Katia picks up steam, potential tropical storm forming in Gulf
- 2011/09/01: CBC: Katia reaches hurricane strength
- 2011/08/30: Eureka: Dramatic satellite image shows daylight breaking over newborn Atlantic Tropical Storm Katia
- 2011/08/31: CSM: Tropical storm Katia shaping up to be major hurricane, impact on US unclear
- 2011/08/30: CBC: Tropical storm Katia forms in Atlantic -- Irene cleanup continues along U.S. East Coast
There was lots of post-Irene chatter:
- 2011/09/02: USGS: Aerial Photos of Outer Banks Show Coastal Damage from Hurricane Irene
- 2011/09/03: TreeHugger: Irene Aftermath: Testing Riverbeds and Streams For E. coli
- 2011/09/02: DemNow: In Wake of Irene, Rural New Yorkers Turn to Community-Run "Watershed Post" Website as Prime News Hub
- 2011/08/30: CJR: After Irene: How a Hyperlocal Is Helping -- In the Catskills, the Watershed Post is coordinating relief efforts
- 2011/09/01: Grist: Irene's damage not 'overrated' for farmers
- 2011/09/01: CBC: Anger rises at Hurricane Irene power outages
- 2011/09/01: CNN: Flood ruins shock Vermont residents -- Residents review 'devastating' damage as waters recede in Vermont
DOE: 1.1 million people without power, down from 1.7 million - Agriculture is impacted, but higher prices are unlikely, official says - Floodwaters wipe out businesses in Vermont - The federal tab for the disaster could exceed the remaining funds - 2011/09/01: KSJT: Washington Post: Irene's lesson about rain
- 2011/09/01: PlanetArk: Waters Recede But [Irene] Storm Victims Suffer In East
- 2011/09/01: UCSUSA: Hurricane Irene Demonstrates Threats to Coasts As Climate Changes
- 2011/09/01: TreeHugger: Irene to Be One of the Costliest Storms in US History
- 2011/09/01: RIT: RIT Conducts Flood Mapping of New York's Hard Hit Schoharie County -- Images will aid recovery planning and damage assessment
- 2011/08/31: QuarkSoup: Video of Vermont Destruction
- 2011/08/31: KSJT: CJR: Media didn't hype Irene. But how about staying with the NYC and beach story so long?
- 2011/08/31: PlanetArk: Airlifts, Water Rescues In Wake Of Hurricane Irene
- 2011/08/30: PlanetArk: Vermont, New Jersey Flooded As Irene Spares NYC
- 2011/08/30: DM:BA: Hurricane Irene from start to finish
- 2011/08/31: TreeHugger: Stark Aerial Footage Reveals Extent Of Vermont Hurricane Flooding (Video)
- 2011/08/31: Wunderground: Grading the forecasts for Irene; Katia organizing; threat of a Gulf of Mexico storm
- 2011/08/30: Eureka: Goodnight Irene: NASA's TRMM Satellite adds up Irene's massive rainfall totals
- 2011/08/30: DemNow: Vermont Radio Station Provides Crucial Details for Flooded Residents amidst Historic Devastation
- 2011/08/29: DemNow: "We Are Still Under Siege": Vermont Gov. Shumlin on Catastrophic Flooding & Climate Change
- 2011/08/29: DemNow: Shored Up: Debate over Development on Barrier Islands Intensifies After Hurricane
- 2011/08/29: DemNow: NYC Criticized for Failing to Evacuate Prisoners at Rikers Island Ahead of Hurricane
- 2011/08/31: CBC: U.S. reels from Irene as flooding persists
- 2011/08/31: BBC: US President Barack Obama has officially declared the floods caused by Tropical Storm Irene in North Carolina and New York a major disaster
- 2011/08/30: CNN: Officials: At least 41 killed as a result of Hurricane Irene
- 2011/08/30: PSinclair: Northeast Reels from Flooding. Climate Deniers: Quit yer Whining -- Water is good for Plants
- 2011/08/30: TreeHugger: Irene's Aftermath: Vermont Flooding Worst Since 1927 - Eight States Receive Hundred-Year Rains
- 2011/08/30: TreeHugger: More Footage of Vermont Hurricane Flooding, Including Historical Footage From 1927 (Video)
- 2011/08/30: Wunderground: Irene's rains heaviest on record in Vermont; Tropical Storm Katia forms
- 2011/08/29: Eureka: Hurricane Irene: Scientists collect water quality and climate change data from huge storm
- 2011/08/29: Eureka: NASA continues tracking soaking remnants of Hurricane Irene into Canada
- 2011/08/29: Eureka: NASA eyes 2 more Atlantic tropical cyclones [Jose & TD 12] while Irene drenches Canada
- 2011/08/30: BBC: Irene floods: Vermont and New York await Fema help
Rescue efforts are intensifying in flood-hit parts of the north-eastern US, as the death toll continues to rise two days after a fierce storm. Authorities have struggled to deliver supplies to Vermont and to New York towns isolated by washed-away roads. Tropical Storm Irene killed 40 people in the US and caused billions of dollars worth of damage. - 2011/08/30: CBC: Quebecer dies in Irene aftermath
- 2011/08/29: AlterNet: The 5 Dumbest Right-Wing Reactions to Hurricane Irene
- 2011/08/29: TP:JR: Irene's 1-in-100 Year Rains Trigger Deadly Flooding
- 2011/08/30: PSinclair: "The most devastating weather event ever to hit the region."
- 2011/08/29: BBC: Irene: Death toll nears 40 as recovery begins
- 2011/08/29: CBC: $3 billion damage bill as Irene heads east
- 2011/08/29: CNN: Flooding 'an ongoing concern' amid Irene's destruction
5 million customers without power as of Monday afternoon, FEMA's administrator says - More than 8,500 in Red Cross shelters on the East Coast - Death confirmed in Vermont; toll is now at least 24 dead in nine states - NYSE opens on time; New York City subway service resumes - 2011/08/29: Grist: Here's a quick roundup of the insane ways the Right is reacting to Irene
- 2011/08/29: MTobis: Stray Thoughts as Montreal Loses Power to Irene
- 2011/08/29: Wunderground: Irene's 1-in-100 year rains trigger deadly flooding
- 2011/08/28: Wunderground: Irene hits New Jersey and New York; Jose threating Bermuda; 92L forms
- 2011/08/29: CSM: Vermont battles record-setting floods in the wake of Irene
- 2011/08/29: DeSmogBlog: Number One Lesson *Not* To Take Away from Hurricane Irene
- 2011/08/29: BBC: Irene: Vermont in flood as US counts storm cost
The US east coast has begun clearing up after the devastation of tropical storm Irene, which killed at least 21 people. The storm is now soaking Canada's north-east, while the north-eastern US is battling historic floods; five million US homes have lost power. In New York, which escaped a major disaster, transport resumed on Monday. - 2011/08/29: CBC: Irene storm cleanup in U.S. an emotional task
At least 26 die in 8 states after hurricane weakened to post-tropical storm - 2011/08/29: CBC: Irene lashes Eastern Canada
- 2011/08/29: al Jazeera: US chaos and misery in Irene trail
Millions marooned and without electricity while New York faces travel chaos in wake of storm that killed 20 in the US. - 2011/08/28: al Jazeera: New York escapes worst as Irene passes
Tropical storm surges up northeastern US, leaving 18 dead in its wake, but officials say worst is over for New York. - 2011/08/28: QuarkSoup: Hurricanes Irene and Before
- 2011/08/28: Guardian(UK): Hurricane Irene claims lives and leaves trail of destruction
- 2011/08/28: Guardian(UK): Hurricane Irene evacuation defended by New York mayor Michael Bloomberg
- 2011/08/28: CBC: Irene drenches Quebec, Maritimes -- Huge storm bringing high winds as it moves north
While elsewhere in the hurricane wars:
- 2011/08/31: NASA: Tropical Depression 8E Forms On Mexican [Eastern Pacific] Coastline, Watches Up
- 2011/08/31: CChallenge: Ryan Maue, hurricanes & ACE (accumulated cyclone energy)
- 2011/08/29: DVoice: Six Years After Katrina: The Battle for New Orleans Continues
- 2011/08/29: PlanetArk: Tropical Storm [Jose] Forms Near Bermuda
- 2011/08/29: Grist: Global warming will make future hurricanes worse, full stop
As for the temperature record:
- 2011/09/02: QuarkSoup: 3rd Warmest August
- 2011/09/02: TreeHugger: While Much of World Sweats, Britain Has Coolest Summer Since Early 1990s
- 2011/08/31: NASA: NASA Satellite Observes Unusually Hot July in the Great Plains
- 2011/08/30: BBC: UK's summer 'coolest since 1993' says Met Office
- 2011/08/28: CCP: 2011 Temperatures: 2011.08.28, Actual highs from TWC
- 2011/08/28: QuarkSoup: Hadley: 9th Warmest July
Aerosols are making their presence felt:
- 2011/09/02: FuturePundit: Soot Seen As 2nd Biggest Human-Caused Atmospheric Warmer
While in the paleoclimate:
- 2011/09/01: Eureka: Climate in the past million years determined greatly by dust in the Southern Ocean
In the attribution debate:
- 2011/08/31: Maribo: Was Hurricane Irene caused by climate change?
- 2011/08/31: RealClimate: An exercise about meaningful numbers: examples from celestial "attribution studies"
- 2011/08/30: KSJT: Lots of blather: Was Irene a global warming storm? (wrong question. Answer is yes but it's still meaningless)
- 2011/08/29: Grist: Global warming will make future hurricanes worse, full stop
While on the ENSO front:
- 2011/09/01: WMO: El Niño/La Niña Update
Neutral conditions have prevailed over the tropical Pacific, following the dissipation of the 2010-11 La Niña event by early May 2011. However, a few weak remnants of La Niña have persisted, particularly in some atmospheric features, and in recent weeks the surface as well as sub-surface waters in the eastern and central tropical Pacific Ocean have also cooled. Model forecasts and expert interpretation suggest persistence of near-neutral conditions or the re-emergence of La Niña conditions as the possible scenarios for the remainder of 2011. If a La Niña event does indeed occur, current indications are that it would be considerably weaker than the 2010-11 La Niña event. Development of El Niño, however, is considered very unlikely. - 2011/09/01: WMO: WMO Issues new El Niño/La Niña Update -- Neutral Conditions or Weak La Niña most likely scenarios for rest of 2011
- 2011/09/02: PlanetArk: Weak La Nina Possible In 2011, No Chance Of El Nino: WMO
What's new on the extinction front?
- 2011/08/29: Yale360: Climate Relicts: Seeking Clues On How Some Species Survive
In pockets ranging from mountain peaks to bogs, scientists are discovering plants and animals that survived previous eras of climate change. Now, conservation biologists say, these climate "relicts" could shed light on how some species may hang on in the coming centuries. - 2011/08/30: OPB: Field Notes: For the Love of Tree Rings
Meanwhile in near earth orbit:
- 2011/09/02: USGS: Landsat Images Illustrate Flooding from Irene in New York State
More GW impacts are being seen:
- 2011/08/29: BPA: How has Climate Change Affected Iowa's Weather So Far?
This week in the New Normal -- extreme weather:
- 2011/09/02: TP:JR: Can We Handle Nature's New Norm? Part 1: Angry Weather
- 2011/09/01: SciAm:Obs: Damage from Extreme Weather Increasing
- 2011/09/01: Guardian(UK): Climate change: an eye on the storms
We all know particular events can't be attributed to long-term warming of the atmosphere. Actually, it's no longer that simple - 2011/08/30: Eureka: Extreme 2010 Russian fires and Pakistan floods linked meteorologically
Corals are a bellwether of the ocean's health:
- 2011/08/30: ClimateShifts: Drowning out the truth about the Great Barrier Reef
Acidification is changing the oceans:
- 2011/09/02: NOAANews: Argo floats help monitor ocean acidity
Glaciers are melting:
- 2011/09/01: GreenGrok: Remember Those Himalayan Glaciers?
As for hydrological cycle disruptions [floods & droughts]:
- 2011/08/31: USGS: River Levels Set Records in 10 States -- USGS Continues to Monitor East Coast Rivers for Flooding
- 2011/09/02: PlanetArk: Drought Intensifies In The South, No End In Sight
- 2011/09/02: TreeHugger: Fate of Dying Lake Sparks Clashes in NW Iran
- 2011/08/31: AlterNet: Expanding Desert, Falling Water Tables, and Toxic Pollutants Are Driving People From Their Homes
- 2011/08/30: al Jazeera: The death toll in Nigeria continues to rise
Torrential rains cause a dam to overflow, triggering widespread flooding - 2011/09/01: TP:JR: State Climatologist: "It's Likely Much of Texas Will Still Be in Severe Drought" Next August, With Worse Water Shortages
- 2011/08/31: CNN: 102 die in Nigeria after dam collapse, flooding
More than 100 people have died in Nigerian flooding - More flooding is possible during the rainy season, agency warns - Thousands of people have been displaced, the Nigerian Red Cross says - 2011/09/01: TreeHugger: It's Official: This is Texas's Worst One-Year Drought on Record (Infographic)
- 2011/08/31: BBC: Death toll from flooding in and around south-western Nigerian city of Ibadan rises to 102, says Nigerian Red Cross
- 2011/09/03: JFleck: Drought by the numbers
- 2011/08/31: PSinclair: Graphs of the Day: More on Texas Drought
- 2011/08/30: CNN: Officials: Floods kill at least 25 in southwest Nigeria
Flooding hits Nigeria's southwestern city of Ibadan - Emergency agency chief is "shocked by the devastation" - More flooding is possible during the rainy season, the agency warns - Thousands of people have been displaced, the Nigerian Red Cross says - 2011/08/30: MTobis: Spot the Outlier
- 2011/08/29: CAbyss: Texas Drought: Spot the Outlier
- 2011/08/29: CNN: Landslide kills at least 23 in Uganda
Red Cross: Torrential rains trigger the landslide -- Two people are rescued, but the death toll is expected to go up - 2011/08/29: BBC: Uganda landslides: Villagers killed in Bulambuli
At least 24 people have died after torrential rains triggered landslides in eastern Uganda, Red Cross workers say. Residents fear 35 people may have been killed in Bulambuli district, but only 24 bodies have been recovered so far. The village of Namwidisi has reportedly been completely submerged in mud. - 2011/08/28: BBC: Nigeria floods: At least 20 killed in Ibadan
At least 20 people have been killed and thousands displaced by flooding in and around the city of Ibadan in south-western Nigeria. The floods, resulting from heavy rains that began on Friday, caused a dam to overflow and washed away numerous buildings and bridges. - 2011/09/01: CalcRisk: U.S. Light Vehicle Sales at 12.12 million SAAR in August
- 2011/08/31: Eureka: A high-tech propulsion system for the next 100 years [electric motor, battery & fuel cell]
- 2011/08/28: NYT: Portland Plans for Transit All Powered by Electricity
- 2011/08/29: CBC: Futuristic 'airships' to be built for North -- Yellowknife, British companies sign deal for aircraft that can land almost anywhere
A British manufacturer will build a fleet of airships for Yellowknife's Discovery Air to supply remote communities and enterprises in the North, the two companies say. The futuristic giant blimps from Hybrid Air Vehicles will cost $40 million each, Discovery Air Innovations, a Quebec-based subsidiary of Discovery Air, announced after signing its agreement with HAV. The aircraft use a mix of non-flammable helium and air power to fly and can land on almost any surface, HAV says on its website They'll be able to carry up to 50 tonnes of cargo to mining camps and remote communities, HAV says. Stuart Russell, the vice-president of a Yellowknife mining logistics company, suggests northern transportation is a challenge just waiting for solutions. - 2011/09/01: TaG: Negative Carbon Concrete
- 2011/08/30: BizJournal: [The University of Oregon] adopts aggressive green building, energy plans
- 2011/08/29: NBF: Steps to reduce overall carbon emissions associated with concrete pavements by about 50 percent
- 2011/08/30: CSM: Do 'green buildings' come with a higher price tag?
- 2011/08/28: LA Times: Energy-efficient homes seem to sell faster, fetch higher prices
Some research projects in California, Oregon and Washington offer hints that energy efficiency and sustainability certifications for homes may result in easier sales and higher prices. - 2011/08/27: STimes: Ultra-green office building breaking ground
The Bullitt Center on Capitol Hill will set a new standard for green development. The building will generate as much energy as it consumes. - 2011/08/28: ABC(US): That CO2 Warming the World: Lock It in a Rock
In Icelandic volcano field, 21st-century alchemy could turn greenhouse gas to harmless rock - 2011/09/01: GEB: Geoengineering field testing
- 2011/09/02: Guardian(UK): A balloon and hosepipe as the answer to climate change? It's just pie in the sky
Increasingly bizarre attempts at geo-engineering simply deflect attention from the fact we need to cut greenhouse gases - 2011/08/31: Guardian(UK): Giant pipe and balloon to pump water into the sky in climate experiment
Field test by British academics marks first step towards recreating an artificial volcano that would inject particles into the stratosphere and cool the planet - [Conference in Hamburg, November 10 & 11, 2011] Geoengineering the Climate: An Issue for Peace and Security Studies?
Meanwhile in the journals:
- 2011/09/01: NERC:NORA: Soil carbon release enhanced by increased tropical forest litterfall by Emma J. Sayer et al.
- 2011/08/31: NERC:NORA: Modelling and mapping UK emissions of ammonia, methane and nitrous oxide from agriculture, nature, waste disposal and other miscellaneous sources for 2009 by U. Dragosits & M.A. Sutton
- 2011/09/02: ACP: Direct ecosystem fluxes of volatile organic compounds from oil palms in South-East Asia by P. K. Misztal et al.
- 2011/09/02: ACPD: Mass absorption efficiency of elemental carbon and water-soluble organic carbon in Beijing, China by Y. Cheng et al.
- 2011/09/01: GMD: The Joint UK Land Environment Simulator (JULES), model description - Part 2: Carbon fluxes and vegetation dynamics by D. B. Clark et al.
- 2011/09/01: GMD: The Joint UK Land Environment Simulator (JULES), model description - Part 1: Energy and water fluxes by M. J. Best et al.
- 2011/09/02: TC: On the influence of model physics on simulations of Arctic and Antarctic sea ice by F. Massonnet et al.
- 2011/08/21: GRL: (ab$) Separating Signal and Noise in Atmospheric Temperature Changes: The Importance of Timescale by Benjamin D. Santer et al.
- 2011/08/31: CP: Temperature trends at the Mauna Loa observatory, Hawaii by B. D. Malamud et al.
- 2011/08/30: CP: A millennial multi-proxy reconstruction of summer PDSI for Southern South America by Ã. Boucher et al.
- 2011/08/30: CP: Sensitivity of Red Sea circulation to sea level and insolation forcing during the last interglacial by G. Trommer et al.
- 2011/08/31: CPD: Sensitivity of the North Atlantic climate to Greenland Ice Sheet melting during the Last Interglacial by P. Bakker et al.
- 2011/08/31: CPD: The quantitative reconstruction of the paleoclimate between 5200 and 4300 cal yr BP in the Tianshui Basin, NW China by N. Sun & X. Q. Li
- 2011/08/09: ACS: (ab$) A Robust, Air-Stable, Reusable Ruthenium Catalyst for Dehydrogenation of Ammonia Borane by Brian L. Conley et al.
- 2011/09/01: ACPD: Bulk microphysical properties of semi transparent cirrus from AIRS: a six years global climatology and statistical analysis in synergy with CALIPSO and CloudSat by A. Guignard et al.
- 2011/09/01: ACPD: The climate penalty for clean fossil fuel combustion by W. Junkermann et al.
- 2011/08/30: ACPD: On the quality of MIPAS kinetic temperature in the middle atmosphere by M. GarcÃa-Comas et al.
- 2011/08/29: ACPD: Climatic effects of 1950-2050 changes in US anthropogenic aerosols - Part 2: Climate response by E. M. Leibensperger et al.
- 2011/08/29: ACPD: Climatic effects of 1950-2050 changes in US anthropogenic aerosols - Part 1: Aerosol trends and radiative forcing by E. M. Leibensperger et al.
- 2011/08/03: Nature: (ab$) Southern Ocean dust-climate coupling over the past four million years by Alfredo MartÃnez-Garcia et al.
- 2011/08/30: PNAS: (ab$) Effects of parasites from salmon farms on productivity of wild salmon by Martin Krkosek et al.
- 2011/08/30: PNAS: (ab$) Eocene habitat shift from saline to freshwater promoted Tethyan amphipod diversification by Zhonge Hou et al.
- 2011/08/30: PNAS: (ab$) Dynamics of the plague-wildlife-human system in Central Asia are controlled by two epidemiological thresholds by Noelle I. Samia et al.
- 2011/08/30: PNAS: (ab$) Reconstruction of a 1,910-y-long locust series reveals consistent associations with climate fluctuations in China by Huidong Tian et al.
- 2011/08/30: PNAS: (ab$) Divergent ecosystem responses within a benthic marine community to ocean acidification by Kristy J. Kroeker et al.
- 2011/08/30: PNAS: (ab$) Demography and ecology drive variation in cooperation across human populations by Shakti Lamba & Ruth Mace
- 2011/08/30: PNAS: (ab$) Evidence of neutron leakage at the Fukushima nuclear plant from measurements of radioactive 35S in California by Antra Priyadarshi et al.
- 2011/08/31: AGWObserver: Papers on permanent El Niño
- 2011/08/31: WOL:GCB Bioenergy: (ab$) Bioethanol production from sugarcane and emissions of greenhouse gases -- known and unknowns by Carolina Cardoso Lisboa et al.
- 2011/08/31: WOL:GCB Bioenergy: (ab$) Biodiesel production using Aspergillus niger as a whole-cell biocatalyst in a packed-bed reactor by Man Xiao et al.
- 2011/08/31: WOL:GCB Bioenergy: (ab$) Bioenergy production potential of global biomass plantations under environmental and agricultural constraints by Tim Beringer et al.
- 2011/08/01: APS:PRB: (ab$) Visible-light absorption and large band-gap bowing of GaN1-xSbx from first principles by R. Michael Sheetz et al.
- 2011/08/29: OSD: An empirical stochastic model of sea-surface temperature and surface wind over the Southern Ocean by S. Kravtsov et al.
- 2011/08/29: OSD: Numerical modeling of dynamics of Russian south waters within the framework of operational oceanography tasks by A. V. Grigoriev et al.
- 2011/08/29: EnergyBulletin: [links to 8 articles] At the American Journal of Public Health, experts examine the risks posed by peak petroleum
- 2011/08/29: AGWObserver: New research from last week 34/2011
And other significant documents:
- 2011/08/30: EnergyBulletin: [link to 1.8 meg pdf] Complete English translation of German military analysis of peak oil now available
As for miscellaneous science:
- 2011/08/04: MetOffice(UK): Pause in upper ocean warming explained
Two research papers shed new light on why the upper layers of the world's oceans have seen a recent pause in warming despite continued increases in greenhouse gases. - 2011/09/01: NatureNB: King's brings back chemistry
Eight years after its shock exit, chemistry at King's College London has made a surprise return. The university closed its chemistry department in 2003, a move that angered the UK's chemistry community... - 2011/08/31: ERabett: An Odd Introduction to a New Paper
- 2011/09/02: SMandia: How Many Licks Does It Take to Get to the Center of the Climate Tootsie Roll Pop?
[...] A new paper by B.D. Santer, et al. (2011) has shown that lower atmosphere temperature records must be at least 17 years long in order to discriminate between the weather "noise" and the climate "signal" (human-caused changes). - 2011/08/30: CSW: Richard Alley to receive first annual Stephen Schneider Award for Outstanding Climate Science Communication
Regarding Mann:
- 2011/08/28: CCP: Brian Angliss: NSF confirms results of Penn State investigation, exonerates Michael Mann of research misconduct
Regarding Curry:
- 2011/08/29: SkeptiSci: Mythic Reasoning about Climate Uncertainty by muoncounter
The Pielke fan clubbe, alas:
- 2011/08/29: ERabett: No Title Again
On the Kyoto front:
- 2011/08/30: TreeHugger: Nauru Wonders About Climate Role Reversal As Emerging Powers Continue Backing Kyoto Protocol
While at the UN:
- 2011/09/03: UN: UN-backed climate change technology mechanism team concludes first meeting
Members of the technology executive committee created under the United Nations climate change convention to facilitate the use of technology to support mitigation and adaptation to climate change concluded their first meeting on Saturday, saying they had made important progress on issues discussed. Meeting in Bonn, members of the Technology Executive Committee (TEC), the policy arm of the convention's Technology Mechanism, deliberated on how the TEC will provide technology needs, assess policy and technical issues related to technology development and transfer. The three-day meeting also discussed sharing information on new and innovative technologies, facilitating action on technology and ways to engage stakeholders to build the momentum on the Technology Mechanism. - 2011/08/30: UN: Hotels can go green in energy consumption under new UN scheme
And on the carbon trading front:
- 2011/08/31: QuarkSoup: The Emissions Trading Mess
- 2011/08/30: EurActiv: Romania suspended from Kyoto carbon trading
A UN panel has suspended Romania's right to trade its surplus carbon emissions after it breached rules on emissions reporting, Bucharest's environment ministry said on 28 August. The UNFCCC compliance committee, which had been meeting in Bonn for a week, found "irregularities" in Romania's 2010 greenhouse gas emissions data, and ruled that its national emissions inventory had been inadequately kept. "Maybe tough measures will lead to more transparent information," Natalia Yakymenko, an analyst with Point Carbon, told EurActiv from Kiev. "It's hard to evaluate whether Romania's projects have really generated anything." - 2011/08/29: PlanetArk: U.N. Bans Romania From Trading Its CO2 Rights
A U.N. panel suspended Romania from trading its surplus carbon emission rights for breaching Kyoto Protocol rules on reporting emissions, the country's environment ministry said on Sunday. The compliance committee of the UNFCCC was sitting in a week-long meeting in Bonn, Germany and decided to suspend Romania from trading assigned amount units (AAUs) after a preliminary hearing in July, when it found the country did not report its national emissions inventory properly. - 2011/09/01: EurActiv: EU to push financial transactions tax at G20 summit
The European Union will push for the adoption of a financial transactions tax at a summit of the world's 20 biggest economies, the G20, in November, European Commission President José Manuel Barroso said on Wednesday (31 August). G20 leaders are to meet in the southern French resort of Cannes in early November. - 2011/09/01: EurActiv: China appeals raw materials WTO case
China has appealed a World Trade Organisation ruling against its export policies on raw materials, the Ministry of Commerce said, in a move which could have implications for its rare earth exports. - 2011/09/02: EnergyBulletin: Food insecurity and the conflict trap
- 2011/09/02: Grist: Do climate shifts spark wars?
- 2011/08/29: DemNow: Global Warming & War: New Study Finds Link Between Climate Change and Conflict
What are the activists up to?
- 2011/09/02: CChallenge: Tim DeChristopher. . . A Citizen With True Grit
- 2011/08/30: CCurrents: The Commodification of Tim DeChristopher
- 2011/08/30: AlterNet: A Letter From Prison: Tim DeChristopher Speaks Out
- 2011/08/29: DemNow: Bill McKibben: Will Hurricane Irene Be a Wake-Up Call about Climate Change?
- 2011/08/30: Guardian(UK): US eco-activist Tim DeChristopher speaks out from prison
- 2011/08/29: Grist: Letter from prison: Tim DeChristopher speaks
Polls! We have polls!
- 2011/08/30: Guardian(UK): Climate change concern tumbles in US and China
A new survey shows 69% of global citizens are concerned about global warming, but opinion is sliding worryingly in the biggest polluting nations - 2011/08/30: JFleck: The Law of the River as a model for dealing with the loss of stationarity
And on the American political front:
- 2011/08/30: RS: The GOP War on Voting
In a campaign supported by the Koch brothers, Republicans are working to prevent millions of Democrats from voting next year - 2011/09/02: Grist: Texas' official water plan defiantly includes no mention of climate change
- 2011/09/02: Grist: Conservatives just as wrong on climate economics as they are on climate science
- 2011/09/01: Grist: GOP's dirty air hit list sacrifices Americans' health
- 2011/09/01: TP:JR: Debunking the GOP's Dirty Air Hit List: Polluting the Air and Poisoning Our Kids Doesn't Help the Economy or Create Jobs
- 2011/09/01: Grist: Conservative pundits grapple with 'anti-science' charge, flail
- 2011/09/03: TreeHugger: In Texas and Oklahoma, Extreme Drought Could Have Political Consequences Too
- 2011/08/31: TP:JR: O'Reilly and Krauthammer Don't Understand the Environmental Regulations They're Bashing
- 2011/08/31: TP:JR: VT Gov. Shumlin on "Our Continuing Irrational Exuberance About Burning Fossil Fuels, in Light of These Storm Patterns"
- 2011/08/31: PlanetArk: U.S. Farm Income Tops $100 Billion For First Time In 2011
- 2011/08/31: Grist: Dissing coal -- and the future of West Virginia
- 2011/08/31: Grist: How dense: Tea Party rages over smart growth
- 2011/08/31: CCurrents: National EPA Environmental Justice Conference in Detroit
- 2011/08/30: AlterNet: War on Women: Anti-Choice Movement Resorting to Shameless Tricks to Shutter Abortion Clinics
- 2011/08/29: TP:JR: Green Jobs Reality Check: Clean Energy Still Means More and Better Jobs for American Workers
- 2011/08/30: Grist: Why do green jobs pay better than other jobs?
- 2011/08/30: DeSmogBlog: Death Of A Talking Point? Regulations Actually Create Jobs
- 2011/08/29: PlanetArk: Alaska Files Notice Of Appeal On Polar Bear Listing
- 2011/08/29: Grist: Everything you've heard about the tar sands and energy security is wrong
- 2011/08/28: ERabett:JF: Winds of Change
The BP disaster continues to twist US politics:
- 2011/09/02: PSinclair: One Year Later -- Sea Floor in Gulf Still a Wasteland
- 2011/08/30: GreenGrok: Oil From the Gulf of Mexico
- 2011/09/02: NatureN: Oil-spill research funds begin to flow -- BP's post-spill research initiative is underway in the Gulf of Mexico
- 2011/09/01: CSM: Is oil leaking in the Gulf from the BP spill site?
- 2011/09/02: BBC: BP sued by Halliburton over Gulf oil disaster
- 2011/09/01: al Jazeera: The return of the BP disaster?
Oil is resurfing again not far from the location of the BP Macondo Well off the Gulf of Mexico, 15 months on. - 2011/08/31: TreeHugger: More Oil Leaking At Gulf Spill Site Now Stretches For 10 Miles (Video)
- 2011/08/30: OilChange: "Very Close Match" Between New Spill And BP's Well -- Is Macondo leaking?
- 2011/08/28: CCP: Deepwater Horizon Macondo oil bubbling up to the surface: chemical match to BP crude confirmed
On the 2012 election trail:
- 2011/09/02: ProPublica: Our Handy Guide to the Best Coverage on Gov. Rick Perry and His Record
- 2011/08/30: ProPublica: Our Guide to the Best Coverage of Mitt Romney and His Record
- 2011/09/04: Guardian(UK): The Republicans are now the anti-science party by Paul Krugman
On climate change and evolution, the party's presidential hopefuls are wilfully ignorant - 2011/09/03: Guardian(UK): If Rick Perry is an economic miracle worker, why are so many Texans going hungry?
- 2011/09/01: AlterNet: Pushback on Draconian Rick: Stay Out of Women's Sex Lives
- 2011/09/01: Grist: Why the hell does Michele Bachmann want to drill for oil in the Everglades?
- 2011/08/31: QuarkSoup: The Scariest Thing Rick Perry Has Said
- 2011/08/30: Wonkette: Michele Bachmann's Hurricane Irene Joke About God Caught On Video
- 2011/08/29: TP:JR: Bachmann Would Consider Drilling for Oil in the Everglades
- 2011/08/29: AlterNet: Meet the Shady Dallas Mega-Billionaire Industrialist Pouring Money into Rick Perry's Coffers
- 2011/08/29: CCP: Dr. Andrew Dessler, Texan climatologist, says Governor Rick Perry is "Shooting the Messenger!"
- 2011/08/29: PSinclair: Bachmann: Irene a Message from God
- 2011/08/29: DM:JW: Ron Paul Doesn't "Accept Evolution as a Theory"
- 2011/08/29: CSM: Hurricane Irene cleanup: FEMA not a good friend, says Ron Paul
Al Gore spoke up this week; Don't think he got arrested:
- 2011/08/31: HuffPo: The Dirtiest Fuel on the Planet by Al Gore
The leaders of the top environmental groups in the country, the Republican Governor of Nebraska, and millions of people around the country -- including hundreds of people who have bravely participated in civil disobedience at the White House -- all agree on one thing: President Obama should block a planned pipeline from the tar sands of Alberta to the Gulf of Mexico. The tar sands are the dirtiest source of fuel on the planet. - 2011/09/02: PostMedia: Al Gore pushes halt to pipeline -- Obama urged to prevent Keystone 'mistake'
The debate surrounding TransCanada Corp.'s Keystone XL pipeline grew louder Thursday as former U.S. vice-president Al Gore waded into the controversy, calling the proposed development "an enormous mistake." - 2011/08/30: MLynas: Is Al Gore right to compare climate sceptics to racists?
- 2011/08/28: DailyCaller: Gore: Global warming skeptics are this generation's racists
- 2011/08/29: TreeHugger: Al Gore: Climate Denial Must Go the Way of Racism
So much for the "Keystone XL for Energy Security" argument:
- 2011/09/03: OilChange: Oil markets and pipelines: the big picture
- 2011/08/31: TreeHugger: US Plans to Export Oil from Keystone XL Tar Sands; It Won't Improve Energy Security
- 2011/08/31: OilChange: Report: Exporting Energy Security: Keystone XL Exposed
- 2011/08/30: DeSmogBlog: Reliance on Canadian Tar Sands Threatens U.S. Energy Security
Paul Krugman caused a bit of a stir with his Republicans Against Science polemic:
- 2011/08/29: NYT: Republicans Against Science
[...]
Now, we don't know who will win next year's presidential election. But the odds are that one of these years the world's greatest nation will find itself ruled by a party that is aggressively anti-science, indeed anti-knowledge. And, in a time of severe challenges -- environmental, economic, and more -- that's a terrifying prospect. - 2011/08/29: TP:JR: Must-Read Krugman: GOP is Now "Aggressively Anti-Science, Indeed Anti-Knowledge," Which Should "Terrify Us."
- 2011/08/29: ITracker: "Republicans Against Science": the silly season opens
- 2011/08/29: DM:BA: The increasingly antiscience Republican candidates
- 2011/08/30: HotTopic: The Anti-Science of the Republican Party Terrifies
President Zero has directed the EPA to hold the smog rules until 2013:
- 2011/09/03: TP:JR: Is President Obama a Lost Cause Environmentally -- and What Should Progressives Do?
- 2011/09/02: Grist: By giving in to Big Oil, Obama seals his political fate
- 2011/09/03: Grist: Ozone madness
- 2011/09/02: ScienceInsider: White House Delays Any Change to Smog Standard
- 2011/09/02: SciAm:Obs: Smog Levels to Remain Higher than Scientists Suggest Safe for Public Health
- 2011/09/02: TreeHugger: Obama Caves, Abandons Proposal to Improve National Air Quality
- 2011/09/03: TreeHugger: Not A Good Week For Barack Obama, Or The Environment
- 2011/09/02: Eureka: ATS statement regarding White House decision to delay new ozone standard
Today, the White House issued a press release stating they would not move to issue a final standard on ozone pollution. The American Thoracic strongly condemns this decision. "This is not change we believe in," said ATS President-Elect Monica Kraft, MD, professor of medicine and director of the Asthma, Allergy and Airway Center at Duke University. - 2011/09/02: AutoBG: President Obama urges EPA to withdraw proposed ozone standards
- 2011/09/02: CCP: Richard Graves: President Obama Abandons Clean Air: Picks Polluters Over Sick and Dying American Kids
- 2011/09/02: CCP: Lisa Heinzerling: Ozone Madness
- 2011/09/02: BBC: Obama scraps tighter smog rules
- 2011/09/02: Guardian(UK): Obama backs down on tighter smog regulations
Environmental groups dismayed as president -- under pressure from GOP -- delays enacting stricter standards until 2013 - 2011/09/02: TP:JR:President Obama Backs Down On Ozone Standards
- 2011/09/02: Grist: Obama blows smog in everyone's face
- 2011/09/02: UCSUSA: President Obama Undercuts Science with Smog Standard Delay
- 2011/09/02: CBC: Obama halts controversial smog standards
President Barack Obama is sacking a controversial proposed regulation tightening government smog standards, bowing to the demands of congressional Republicans and some business leaders. In a statement Friday, Obama said he had ordered Environmental Protection Agency administrator Lisa Jackson to withdraw the proposal, in part because of the importance of reducing regulatory burdens and uncertainty for businesses at a time of rampant uncertainty about an unsteady economy. - 2011/08/31: TP:JR: Drill, Baby, Drill Fails: Obama Presides Over Record Growth in Oil Rigs, Still Gets Blamed by GOP for High Oil Prices
- 2011/08/31: CSW: "Whistle-Blowers Say Obama Fails to Save Scientists From Meddling"
- 2011/08/31: PeakEnergy: Obama's big dirty oil test
- 2011/08/31: BBC: US President Barack Obama has officially declared the floods caused by Tropical Storm Irene in North Carolina and New York a major disaster
- 2011/08/30: TP:JR: Obama to Kids: Carbon is Warming the Planet, Intensifying Hurricanes and Droughts. We Should Do Something About This
The actions of the Obama administration are being watched closely:
- 2011/09/02: DeSmogBlog: Reality Check: New Keystone XL Report Blows Up Steven Chu's "Energy Security" Claim
- 2011/09/02: TP:JR: Energy Secretary Chu Suggests He Supports Keystone XL Pipeline, Nebraska GOP Governor Dave Heineman Opposes It
- 2011/08/31: Grist: Secretary of Energy is a Keystone XL booster
- 2011/08/30: TP:JR: Energy Secretary Steven Chu: 'It Saddens Me' That Political Leaders Don't Understand Climate Science
- 2011/08/31: TP:JR: Navy Secretary Ray Mabus: 'Our Responsibilities Have to be Tied in to the Effects of Climate Change'
- 2011/08/30: GEP: EPA Moves to Reduce Barriers to CCS
- 2011/08/30: TP:JR: Biden: 'If We Don't Develop Renewable Energy, We Will Make the Biggest Mistake in This Nation's History'
- 2011/08/29: Grist: Biden doesn't support China's one-child policy, and neither does any other American with power
As for what is going on in Congress:
- 2011/09/01: EconView: Paul Krugman: Eric and Irene
- 2011/08/31: HuffPo: Eric Cantor: Hurricane Irene Disaster Relief Funding Has 'No Strings Attached'
- 2011/08/25: TPMDC: With Hurricane Bearing Down Cantor Spox Says Disaster Relief Should Be Paid For With Spending Cuts
- 2011/08/30: NYT:PK: Disaster Relief Economics
- 2011/08/28: TMoS: And If You Had Any Doubt the Radical Right Is Stark Raving Mad
House Republicans maintain that NOAA, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, is a huge waste of money. In fact it's such a huge waste of money they're planning to force through cuts that would trim NOAA's budget by 30%. The agency is warning the cuts will leave it effectively blind and will destroy its ability to give 5-10 days advance information of approaching hurricanes. - 2011/08/28: Guardian(UK): Can Hurricane Irene batter Republicans into a U-turn on NOAA cuts?
While in the UK:
- 2011/09/02: Guardian(UK): Environmental regulations come under spotlight in 'red tape challenge'
- 2011/09/01: BBC: David Cameron 'won't back abortion advice change'
David Cameron "cannot support" an attempt by a Conservative MP to change the rules on the advice that can be offered to women seeking abortions. - 2011/08/31: Guardian(UK): Downing Street forces U-turn on Nadine Dorries abortion proposals
No 10 decides to vote against Tory backbench amendment seeking to stop charities offering abortion counselling - 2011/08/30: BBC: Funding cuts leave science programme all at sea
In these cash-strapped times, it's no surprise to see funding disappearing from science and environment projects - even those that have huge potential to alleviate hazards felt by many millions of people around the world. The latest likely casualty is one of the most enticing of all earth science collaborations - the Integrated Ocean Drilling Program (IODP). Bringing together the best scientists available, with funding supplied principally by Japan, the US and Europe, its remit is to facilitate research that involves drilling into the ocean floor, with a range of aims. Basic geology, past climate change, earthquake prediction, volcanoes, and life beneath the seabed are all in its portfolio. - 2011/08/29: Grist: Brit gives NIMBYists the tongue-lashing they deserve
And in Europe:
- 2011/09/01: EurActiv: Russia-Ukraine gas tensions resurface
With the winter season approaching, Ukraine and Russia have reignited old tensions about gas pricing, in a row reminiscent of the trade dispute which ended up leaving parts of Europe cold in 2006 and 2009. - 2011/09/01: EUO: New Ukraine-Russia gas dispute looms
- 2011/09/01: TP:JR: German Renewable Power Production Hits Record High: 20.8%, Quadruple the Level in 2000, on Track to 35% in 2020
- 2011/08/31: PlanetArk: German Government, Oil Lobby Clash On Biofuel Use Target
Germany's government and its oil industry association on Tuesday disagreed about whether the country can reach its 2011 biofuel use quotas as sales of a new gasoline blend with a higher biofuel content remain sluggish. - 2011/08/29: OpenDem: The road to Europe: the green alternative
- 2011/08/30: DerSpiegel: Crossing the 20 Percent Mark -- Green Energy Use Jumps in Germany
During the first half of 2011, the share of renewable energy sources used by Germans in their total energy mix grew to one-fifth -- a hefty boost over 2010. It's a small step toward Germany's ambition to phase out nuclear power. - 2011/08/29: NatureN: Scientists promised 'one voice' in European policy -- ScienceEurope hopes to shift balance of power away from Brussels and towards researchers
Meanwhile in Australia:
- 2011/09/03: JQuiggin: After Gillard
- 2011/09/02: ABC(Au): Forum to outline climate change impact
Sunshine Coast residents are being urged to attend a weekend forum that will address climate change issues affecting the coast. - 2011/09/02: BBC: Australia PM Julia Gillard vows not to resign
Australian PM Julia Gillard has said she has no intention of stepping down amid reports of unrest in her governing Labor Party about her leadership. Ms Gillard suffered a major blow this week when the High Court ruled that an asylum deal with Malaysia was unlawful. She told Australian media: "I'm not going anywhere." - 2011/09/01: ABC(Au): Farmers to be briefed on CSG legal rights
The Environmental Defenders' Office (EDO) will chair a meeting this evening in Narrabri on landholders' legal rights in relation to the development of coal seam gas (CSG). The meeting has been organised by Narrabri Shire Council. - 2011/08/31: ABC(Au): Up to 180 turbines for SA wind farm
- 2011/08/31: PeakEnergy: Queensland to be left in the dark?
- 2011/08/31: JQuiggin: Scandal
- 2011/08/29: ABC(Au): The head of Scotland's independent environmental watchdog has been appointed CEO of South Australia's Environment Protection Authority
- 2011/08/29: ABC(Au): Wind farm no-go zones to be established [in Victoria]
- 2011/08/29: HotTopic: Dismaying Australian Politics
- 2011/08/28: Guardian(UK): Australia: A poisonous political climate
Now that the Australian carbon plan has been released, the wrangling is moving into high gear:
- 2011/09/02: ABC(Au): Coalition climate plan to cost double carbon tax: FOI
Federal Treasury analysis shows the Opposition's direct action climate change policy would cost twice as much as a carbon tax for the same reduction in emissions. The analysis has been released following a Freedom of Information (FOI) request. - 2011/09/01: ABC(Au): [Federal Infrastructure Minister, Anthony] Albanese jostled at carbon tax rally
- 2011/08/30: ABC(Au): Anti-carbon tax rally 'misleading'
The organiser of an anti-carbon tax forum in Bathurst says many residents do not trust the Federal Government's figures. Gary Rush says about 130 people turned out last night to hear from the New South Wales Minerals Council, Federal Opposition, New South Wales Business Chamber and Australian Farm Institute. The forum has been criticised for being one-sided and not detailing the compensation available to households and businesses. - 2011/08/31: ABC(Au): Barham irrigator questions Murray health 'crisis'
- 2011/08/30: ABC(Au): Snowy water release benefits 'fabulous'
A date has been set for the biggest environmental water releases into the Snowy River since the construction of the hydro-electric scheme. A total of 84,000 megalitres will be released over 19 days from Jindabyne Dam from October 6. Peak flows will hit 12,000 megalitres a day over three days. - 2011/09/01: HotTopic: Energy Strategy in Denial of Climate Change Reality
While in the Indian subcontinent:
- 2011/08/31: CCurrents: Jan Lokpal Bill Is Very Regressive: Arundhati Roy
- 2011/08/29: OpenDem: Nationalism, media and corruption in India. An interview with Arundhati Roy
Arundhati Roy ranges broadly over corruption scandals, Wikileaks' excessive desire for the spotlight, Pakistan/India relations, the twinned perils of nationalism and religious fundamentalism ... and how to deal with negative online comments - 2011/08/31: OpenDem: Frenzied argument in India
A high-decibel debate lasting several weeks in India has forced an agreement on introducing a draconian anti-corruption bill. Anna Hazare's hunger strike with round-the-clock television coverage has divided the nation. Is there a third way between apathy and messianic fanaticism? - 2011/09/02: PlanetArk: China Needs Absolute CO2 Cap To Meet Market Plans: Researchers
China needs to set absolute restrictions on greenhouse gas emissions if it is to fulfill its aim to set up a carbon market over the next five years, a cabinet office think tank said in a paper published on Thursday. "It is only under an absolute emissions cap that carbon emission permits will become a scarce resource and possess the qualities of a commodity," the State Council's Development and Research Center said in a paper in Seeking Truth, a magazine published by the ruling Communist Party. China has traditionally baulked at the idea of emissions caps either on a regional basis or for industrial sectors, invoking a key Kyoto protocol principle that puts most of the burden of cutting greenhouse gases on developed countries. Beijing has pledged to reduce 2005 levels of carbon intensity -- the amount of CO2 produced per unit of GDP growth -- by 40-45 percent by 2020, but that is unlikely to be enough to kickstart a market, the researchers said. "China's carbon emission intensity target is a relative amount and it must be converted to an absolute amount," they said. - 2011/09/02: NBF: China Energy plan through 2015, 100 GW of wind, 10 GW of solar, 40 GW of Nuclear
- 2011/09/01: Grist: Peak coal in China means the country's desperate for renewables
- 2011/09/01: NatureN: Chinese science ministry increases funding -- Annual round of research grants is up 50%, but scientists say the cash is still spread too thinly.
Japan has a new PM:
- 2011/08/30: NatureN: Japan's new leader faces energy gap -- Power policy remains in flux
- 2011/08/30: CBC: Japan's parliament elected former Finance Minister Yoshihiko Noda as the new prime minister on Tuesday...
- 2011/08/29: CBC: Japan's finance minister to be next PM -- Yoshihiko Noda elected to replace outgoing leader Naota Kan
- 2011/08/29: al Jazeera: Japan finance minister to be new PM
Yoshihiko Noda set to succeed Naoto Kan as prime minister after being elected leader by ruling Democratic party. - 2011/08/31: WMO: Pakistan strengthens flood forecasting services to ensure that warnings arrive ahead of the waters
While in Africa:
- 2011/08/31: AutoBG: Nigeria bans two-stroke engines, adopts Euro II emissions standards from 1996
And South America:
- 2011/09/01: AutoBG: Brazil to reduce mandatory ethanol blend in gas by 5%
- 2011/08/29: al Jazeera: Indigenous activists gain momentum in Bolivia
A 526km march brings attention to Evo Morales' hypocritical stance on the environment and indigenous sovereignty. "We can't understand that an indigenous government is violating our indigenous rights," said Fernando Vargas, pulling together the complexity - and perplexity - of the government-supported construction of a new highway through an indigenous area and national park in Bolivia. Vargas is the current leader of the TIPNIS indigenous territory, through which the planned highway will be built, to the dismay of hundreds of indigenous people who are leading a 526km march as a show of opposition. - 2011/09/02: PostMedia: Conservatives lacked 'bold measures' to improve economy: U.S. diplomatic cable
Prime Minister Stephen Harper's top priority last year was to stay in power while touting his economic stewardship, looking for a "graceful exit" from Afghanistan and avoiding any "sexy initiatives" on climate change, diplomats at the U.S. Embassy in Canada wrote in a newly released confidential cable. The uncensored cable, released through WikiLeaks, provides a remarkably candid assessment of how the embassy, under the direction of Ambassador David Jacobson, viewed the Canadian political scene at the start of 2010. It is written in blunt, sometimes chatty, language and does not shy away from analyzing the political tactics of the governing Tories and opposition parties. The cable was sent to Hillary Clinton's U.S. State Department in Washington and to other U.S. embassies abroad. - 2011/09/03: G&M: When it comes to emissions, we have bureaucracy run wild
- 2011/09/01: LFR: What the world thinks of Canada these days, New Zealand edition
- 2011/08/29: Prism: The Arctic and the Government's Cowboy Solution
- 2011/08/30: G&M: Power sector objects to proposed federal emission rules
The federal government plans to regulate emissions on new natural-gas-fired power plants, posing a major challenge for an industry that is being forced to phase out traditional coal-fired plants. The electricity sector should expect to meet emission standards for new gas plants that will have to be built to replace coal-fired plants that reach the end of their commercial life after 2015, Environment Minister Peter Kent revealed in an interview on Tuesday. - 2011/08/30: BuckDog: Harper Turns Blind Eye To Gazebogate - That Says More About Harper Than It Does About Tony Clement
- 2011/08/29: PostMedia: Canada highlight oilsands lobbying success
The federal government described media reports about weakened Europe climate-change policies as a "leap forward" on work to protect Alberta's oilsands industry, internal documents obtained by Postmedia News have revealed. The information was included in a document summarizing a March 2010 meeting between government officials, oil and gas industry executives, and Bruce Carson, a former top adviser to Prime Minister Stephen Harper. It highlighted media reports about the European Union backing away from stringent environmental standards targeting oilsands crude in order "to avoid further damage to ties." The proposed standards, known in Europe as the Fuel Quality Directive, and in other jurisdictions as a Low Carbon Fuel Standard or LCFS, would restrict imports or use of fuel that requires intensive energy use and results in higher greenhouse gas emissions and pollution, such as the oilsands. - 2011/08/28: G&M: Canada in danger of missing the boat in the Arctic
Statements by France's ambassador for the polar regions, Michel Rocard, that Canada appears to have given up on competing with Russia for Arctic commercial shipping traffic, should serve as a wake up call for Canadians. It may be that the country prefers the Northwest Passage as it is, a slightly-used backwater that best protects the fragile Arctic ecosystem and the traditional Inuit way of life. But if Canadians favour sustainable development in the north, and jobs for northerners, then they are in danger of missing the boat. - 2011/09/01: TStar: Police board refuses to promote G20 officers
- 2011/09/02: PaiD: The Toronto Police Board and Bill Blair
- 2011/08/29: Bullet: One Year After the G20 Protests: Forms of Protest Reflect Our Power
The CWB vote results will soon be out, not that the Tories care what the farmers think:
- 2011/09/01: JRiddell: Ottawa takes aim against a historic right of grain farmers
Alexandra Morton tossed an info-bomb in the direction of the Cohen Commission:
- 2011/08/30: AlexandraMorton: Here's why I think salmon farms are gatekeepers to Fraser sockeye survival
- 2011/08/30: TheCanadian: Morton Sees Answer to Fraser Sockeye Collapse...And She's Finally Free to Share It
In BC, the stage is set. Now what will Clark and Dix do?
- 2011/08/31: Tyee: BC Hydro's New Way of Reporting First Nations Clashes -- Corporation quietly drops global standard for disclosing human rights record
- 2011/09/02: CBC: Disappearance of glacial river stuns B.C. hikers -- 'The maps will have to be redrawn a bit,' Atlin residents say
One of the glacial rivers feeding a large lake straddling the Yukon-British Columbia border has dried up, hikers say, turning a normally fast-running watercourse into a muddy field strewn with icebergs. - 2011/09/01: CBC: [B.C. Premier] Christy Clark rules out fall B.C. election
Meanwhile in that Mechanical Mordor known as the tar sands:
- 2011/09/03: JLaxer: Why the tar sands are destructive for Canada:" ethical" oil and other resourceful fantasies
- 2011/09/02: PostMedia: Oilsands costs on rise with oil price -- Ernst & Young predicts rising input prices and a tight labour market
- 2011/09/02: LFR: Our liberal media XXVXX: CBC shills for the tar sands again
- 2011/09/02: CBC: Examining 5 oilsands claims by Daryl Hannah
- 2011/09/01: DeepClimate: The Institute
- 2011/09/01: CBC: Kent backs Keystone pipeline despite protests
Native protesters lobbying Canada's Ambassador in Washington [Gary Doer] to stop backing project - 2011/08/30: TreeHugger: What You Need To Know About The Canadian Tar Sands
- 2011/08/29: Grist: Everything you've heard about the tar sands and energy security is wrong
Also in Alberta:
- 2011/08/29: PI: Pembina reacts to revised draft of Lower Athabasca Regional Plan
In Manitoba, an election looms:
- 2011/08/31: PostMedia: Manitoba NDP campaign pitch has familiar ring
Manitoba's incumbent NDP government promised to keep on keepin' on Tuesday with a vision statement before the Oct. 4 provincial election that pledges to maintain, continue or expand existing programs. - 2011/08/31: AutoBG: Magna, Ontario announce $408-million electric vehicle deal
- 2011/08/29: CleanBreak: How to create (and destroy) a solar PV export industry, Ontario-style
- 2011/08/29: CleanBreak: Tsk, tsk: Globe and Mail runs another misleading Wente column on green energy, electric vehicles
- 2011/08/29: CleanBreak: Deal with Magna International and Magna E-Car builds more momentum for Ontario EV strategy
- 2011/08/30: Envirogy: microFIT Fails To Connect Customers
- 2011/08/29: TStar: [Ontario] NDP losing its green allies
Environmentalists are seeing red over the fading green credentials of Ontario's NDP. On the eve of a provincial election, these traditional allies are growing estranged. Prominent environmentalists are denouncing the NDP and publicly defending the Liberal government's activist agenda on green energy. - 2011/08/29: CBC: Magna to invest $400M in electric cars
A government official says Magna International Inc. is pairing with the Ontario government to invest more than $400 million to research and develop electric vehicle technology. - 2011/09/02: PI:B: Natural gas shortage leaves NWT community scrambling -- and may have lessons for the rest of us
- 2011/09/01: CBC: Divers find Northwest Passage discovery artifacts
A musket and other artifacts from HMS Investigator, the ship abandoned in the Canadian Arctic in 1854 during the hunt for Sir John Franklin's lost expedition, have been recovered by divers. The ship is credited with discovering the Northwest Passage - 2011/08/29: CBC: Futuristic 'airships' to be built for North -- Yellowknife, British companies sign deal for aircraft that can land almost anywhere
As for miscellaneous Canadiana:
- 2011/09/01: CBC: Cooler fall for Canada's east, west coasts
Canadians on the Pacific coast and in parts of Atlantic Canada may be in for a cooler than normal autumn, Environment Canada said Thursday as it unveiled its outlook for the next three months. For most of the rest of the country, temperatures may be above normal for September through November, according to the outlook. Precipitation levels for the period may also be below normal for the Prairies and Atlantic Canada but about normal everywhere else. - 2011/08/30: CBC: Canada's weather service lags U.S. in resources
The movement toward a long term ecologically viable economics is glacial:
- 2011/09/03: EnergyBulletin: Energy infrastructure of the post-carbon future
- 2011/09/01: EnergyBulletin: Culture and behavior: The human nature of unsustainability by William Rees
- 2011/09/01: EnergyBulletin: The economy: Possible scenarios for the future 3
- 2011/08/31: MTobis: The Alleged Non-Limits to Growth
- 2011/08/29: EnergyBulletin: Why do so many people believe in the fantasy of infinite growth on a finite planet?
IPAT [Impact = Population * Affluence * Technology] raised its head once again:
- 2011/09/02: Guardian(UK): China's village of the bachelors: no wives in sight in remote settlement
Surplus of males caused by preference for sons means poor subsistence farmers have no chance of finding a mate - 2011/09/01: BBC: David Cameron 'won't back abortion advice change'
David Cameron "cannot support" an attempt by a Conservative MP to change the rules on the advice that can be offered to women seeking abortions. - 2011/08/19: AlterNet: 7 Billion People By October: How Are We Going to Feed Ourselves?
- 2011/08/31: Guardian(UK): Downing Street forces U-turn on Nadine Dorries abortion proposals
No 10 decides to vote against Tory backbench amendment seeking to stop charities offering abortion counselling - 2011/08/30: AlterNet: War on Women: Anti-Choice Movement Resorting to Shameless Tricks to Shutter Abortion Clinics
- 2011/08/30: Grist: Busting myths about China's one-child policy
Apocalypso anyone?
- 2011/08/31: CCurrents: Petroleum And Population
- 2011/08/30: CCurrents: A Time Frame For Systemic Collapse
- 2011/08/29: EnergyBulletin: The Seneca effect: why decline is faster than growth
As for how the media handles science:
- 2011/08/31: CJR: Media Hurricane Hype? Irene spurs debate about the quality of news coverage
- 2011/09/03: CO2Art: Today's Sunshine Shill - New Co2 Art Feature
- 2011/09/02: TP:JR: Fox Pundits Inanely Blame Overregulation for Solyndra Demise
- 2011/09/01: WottsUWT: Bill Nye is the anti-science guy when it comes to global warming and hurricanes
- 2011/08/31: Deltoid: The Australian's War on Science 70: We know where you live
- 2011/08/31: TP:JR: Cholera and Climate Change: The New York Times Gets the Story Exactly Backwards
- 2011/08/31: TP:JR: Scientist: "The Murdoch Media Empire Has Cost Humanity Perhaps One or Two Decades in Battle Against Climate Change."
- 2011/08/29: CleanBreak: Tsk, tsk: Globe and Mail runs another misleading Wente column on green energy, electric vehicles
- 2011/08/30: Deltoid: The Australian's War on Science 69: Michael Asten
- 2011/08/30: Grist: Fox News viewers 'confused' by Bill Nye, science in general
- 2011/08/30: SciAm:BAtC: Defining the Journalism vs. Blogging Debate, with a Science Reporting angle
Here is something for your library:
- 2011/09/01: CSW: "The Inquisition of Climate Science" takes down the denialists
[Book Review] _The Inquisition of Climate Science_ by James Lawrence Powell - 2011/09/04: SkeptiSci: [Book Plug] The Fate of Greenland: Exceptional Storytelling, Extraordinary Photography by Bud Ward
- 2011/08/30: EnergyBulletin: [Book Review] _Life Without Oil: Why We Must Shift to a New Energy Future_ by Steve Hallett with John Wright
- 2011/08/29: TP:JR: The Inquisition of Climate Science: A Scientist Exposes the Business of Denial
[Book Review] _The Inquisition of Climate Science_ by James Lawrence Powell - 2011/09/02: MTobis: Foley says the same thing twice
- 2011/09/02: PSinclair: One Year Later -- Sea Floor in Gulf Still a Wasteland
- 2011/09/02: PSinclair: The Weekend Wonk: Bill McKibben in Conversation with Thom Hartmann
- 2011/09/02: Deltoid: Haydn Washington interviewed
- 2011/09/02: SkeptiSci: The Climate Show 18: The Big Chill & The Big Fracking Issue
- 2011/09/01: Grist: Which side are you on, Obama? Live from the tar-sands protests
- 2011/08/31: QuarkSoup: Video of Vermont Destruction
- 2011/09/04: PSinclair: How to Build an Offshore Wind Farm
- 2011/08/30: PSinclair: Scott Mandia Interview: Irene Wrapped, CERN explained
- 2011/08/30: Wonkette: Michele Bachmann's Hurricane Irene Joke About God Caught On Video
- 2011/08/30: PSinclair: Northeast Reels from Flooding. Climate Deniers: Quit yer Whining -- Water is good for Plants
- 2011/08/30: PSinclair: "The most devastating weather event ever to hit the region."
Wrestling over a new energy infrastructure continues unabated:
- 2011/09/02: PeakEnergy: Tidal power or hydro power in Derby?
- 2011/09/02: NBF: China Energy plan through 2015, 100 GW of wind, 10 GW of solar, 40 GW of Nuclear
- 2011/09/01: TP:JR: German Renewable Power Production Hits Record High: 20.8%, Quadruple the Level in 2000, on Track to 35% in 2020
- 2011/09/01: PeakEnergy: South Korea opens world's largest tidal power plant
- 2011/09/01: TechRev: Powering Gadgets a Step at a Time
A microfluidics approach could be ideal for harnessing electricity from footsteps. - 2011/08/31: BNC: What is your energy philosophy?
- 2011/08/31: Grist: Germany sets renewables record
- 2011/08/30: TP:JR: World's First Hybrid Solar-Geothermal Power Plant is Underway
- 2011/08/26: Oregonian: Clean energy future of Oregon depends on conservation, renewables and smart grid, says report
- 2011/08/28: AutoBG: Volkswagen to invest $1.4 billion in offshore wind farms, other sources of renewable energy
- 2011/08/28: QuarkSoup: Surprisingly, More Renewables than Nuclear
Hey! Let's contaminate the aquifer for thousands of years! It'll be a fracking gas!
- 2011/09/01: ProPublica: Who Are America's Top 10 Gas Drillers?
- 2011/09/02: GreenGrok: What's in This Fracking Water?
- 2011/08/31: Guardian(UK): The UK's lack of fracking regulation is insane [Monbiot]
On the coal front:
- 2011/09/03: TheCanadian: Shades of Green: A $50 Million Message to Coal
- 2011/08/31: TreeHugger: Major Coal Plant to Close, Transform into Green Community?
- 2011/08/30: Grist: Close coal: D.C.-area coal-fired power plant to close
On the gas and oil front:
- 2011/09/02: BBerg: Closing oil prices Friday
OIL (US$/bbl)
Nymex Crude Future...86.45
Dated Brent Spot....112.96
WTI Cushing Spot.....86.45 - 2011/09/03: BRitholtz: Libya Oil Exports
- 2011/08/31: TreeHugger: US Plans to Export Oil from Keystone XL Tar Sands; It Won't Improve Energy Security
- 2011/08/31: OilChange: Report: Exporting Energy Security: Keystone XL Exposed
- 2011/08/29: TreeHugger: Natural Gas Electricity Emits 47% Fewer Greenhouse Gases Than Coal: New Analysis
- 2011/08/29: OilDrum: Natural Gas: The Squeeze at the Bottom of the Resource Triangle
In the fossil fuel corps:
- 2011/08/30: BBC: Australian miner Macarthur Coal has backed a revised takeover offer from Peabody Energy and ArcelorMittal
And in pipeline news:
- 2011/09/01: OilChange: Could Keystone XL turn out to be the oil major's Achilles Heel?
- 2011/08/30: DeSmogBlog: New Infographic Shows how Keystone Pipelines are 'Built to Spill'
- 2011/08/30: CCP: New infographic explores how Keystone pipelines are 'built to spill'
Yes we have peak everything:
- 2011/09/02: CCurrents: The Imminent Crash of Oil Supply
- 2011/09/02: PeakEnergy: Has Peak Oil Come To The Non-Opec World ? Maybe.
- 2011/09/01: Grist: Peak coal in China means the country's desperate for renewables
- 2011/08/31: EnergyBulletin: The peak oil crisis: a billion vehicles
- 2011/08/31: CCurrents: Complete English Translation Of German Military Analysis Of Peak Oil Now Available
- 2011/08/30: EnergyBulletin: [link to 1.8 meg pdf] Complete English translation of German military analysis of peak oil now available
Biofuel bickering abounds:
- 2011/09/01: RRapier: Investor Interest in U.S. Biofuel Production Set to Soar
- 2011/09/01: PeakEnergy: Plane biofuel to be made from eucalypts
- 2011/08/31: NBF: Global biofuels production increased 17% in 2010
- 2011/08/31: Eureka: Cracking cellulose: a step into the biofuels future
- 2011/08/31: HotTopic: [Nelson-based algae company] Aquaflow in Multi-Biomass Venture
- 2011/08/30: SciNews: Pooping pandas may make better biofuels
Gut microbes break down bamboo efficiently, inspiring new approaches to process raw plant materials for fuel - 2011/09/02: ABC(Au):TDU: Is 'wind turbine syndrome' mass hysteria?
- 2011/08/29: ABC(Au): Wind farm no-go zones to be established [in Victoria]
- 2011/09/02: TreeHugger: China, US, India Add Most Wind Power in 2011 So Far
- 2011/08/31: PeakEnergy: Japan: Simple 'Wind Lens' Triples Output from Wind Turbines
- 2011/08/31: NBF: Japan has wind lens turbine design that generates triple the power of regular wind turbines
Meanwhile among the solar aficionados:
- 2011/09/03: OilDrum: An Idea for Inexpensive Electricity: Concentrated Solar Power 12 Miles above the Earth
- 2011/09/03: NBF: Stratosolar economic analysis
- 2011/09/02: CJR: Why the Sun Set on Solyndra -- How the bad news about green jobs could be better
- 2011/09/01: PlanetArk: Solar Company That Obama Visited [Solyndra LLC] Will Shut Down
- 2011/08/31: Grist: 'Solar home rule' could power the D.C. economy
- 2011/08/31: NBF: Several Solar Power Companies are going bankrupt
- 2011/09/01: NBF: Solyndra bankruptcy and solar power costs
- 2011/08/31: TreeHugger: Solar Power Innovator Solyndra Files For Bankruptcy
- 2011/08/31: Eureka: Solar industry responsible for lead emissions in developing countries [from batteries]
- 2011/08/31: NBF: Berkeley Lab Researchers Develop Inexpensive Technique for Making High Quality Nanowire Solar Cells
- 2011/08/29: TP:JR: Solar Stunner: America is a $1.9 Billion Exporter of Solar Products
- 2011/08/29: TreeHugger: Solar Power Can Produce Most Of Our Electricity & Half Of All Our Energy By 2060: IEA
- 2011/08/29: BBerg: Solar May Produce Most of World's Power by 2060, IEA Says
Feed-In-Tariffs are being variously implemented around the world:
- 2011/08/29: TreeHugger: Japan Steps Toward More Renewable Energy With New Feed-In Tariff
The nuclear energy controversy continues:
- 2011/09/04: BNC: Civil disorder and nuclear power
- 2011/09/04: BBC: Iran's Bushehr nuclear plant connected to national grid
- 2011/09/04: CBC: Iran reportedly connects nuclear plant to grid
- 2011/08/31: APR: Fort Calhoun - Event Clear
- 2011/08/30: WarIsACrime: Damage at Nuclear Plants in Virginia
- 2011/08/30: Grist: China to build 50+ nuclear reactors based on unsafe 60's tech, says Wikileaks
Nuclear waste storage requires _very_ long term thinking:
- 2011/08/29: ERW: Nuclear waste requires cradle-to-grave strategy
If nuclear waste management is not thought out from the beginning, the public in many countries will reject nuclear power as an energy choice, according to research published in the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists. - 2011/09/02: PlanetArk: East Coast Quake Rattled Nuclear Plant's Waste Casks
The Rossi Energy Catalyzer keeps coming up:
- 2011/09/01: NBF: Rossi Energy Catalyzer will be tested at NASA starting September 3, 2011
- 2011/09/01: NBF: Rossi 1 megawatt energy catalyzer tests will run for two months and Eight Krivit videos Interviewing Levi and Focardi
More people are talking about the electrical grid:
- 2011/08/29: SciAm:PI: The U.S. Electric Grid vs. Extreme Weather
- 2011/08/29: Grist: How the smart grid of the future will prevent power outages for millions
And then there is the matter of efficiency & conservation:
- 2011/09/02: AutoBG: Here's how to tell how efficient your motorcycle is, all the way back to 1934 models
- 2011/09/04: Grist: Jevons paradox: When doing more with less isn't enough
Automakers & lawyers, engineers & activists argue over the future of the car:
- 2011/08/29: FuturePundit: Ford Focus EV Comes With Home PV Recharge Option
- 2011/09/01: TCoE: CNG vehicles: A cheap, shiny new bridge to nowhere
- 2011/08/31: AutoBG: Analyst [John Petersen] says limits on batteries mean electric vehicles are doomed
- 2011/08/29: EnergyBulletin: MPG for Electric Cars?
- 2011/08/29: SlashDot: The Quest For an EV Fast-Charge Standard
This week in the Gee Whiz File:
- 2011/09/02: Grist: Cheap alloy could produce zero-carbon hydrogen from sunlight
- 2011/09/01: KSJT: A few reporters notice: Maybe a hydrogen fuel tank that's good? Maybe a way to make hydrogen that's green?
- 2011/08/30: NBF: Novel alloy could produce hydrogen fuel from sunlight
- 2011/08/30: Eureka: Breakthrough in hydrogen fuel cells -- USC chemists develop way to safely store, extract hydrogen
- 2011/08/30: Eureka: Novel alloy could produce hydrogen fuel from sunlight
Using advanced theoretical computations, a team of Kentucky scientists has derived a means to "tweak" an inexpensive semiconductor to function as photoelectrochemical catalyst. Scientists from the University of Kentucky and the University of Louisville have determined that an inexpensive semiconductor material can be "tweaked" to generate hydrogen from water using sunlight. - 2011/09/02: AutoBG: Japan goes toe-to-toe with South Korea in quest for lithium-ion domination
Insurance and re-insurance companies are feeling the heat:
- 2011/09/01: BBerg: Market, Politicians Going Separate Ways on Threat of Climate Change: View
- 2011/09/02: MTobis: Disinfographics
- 2011/09/01: SciAm:Obs: Damage from Extreme Weather Increasing
- 2011/09/01: TCoE: Insurers and climate risk
- 2011/08/30: CCP: Irene Adds to a Bad Year for Insurance Industry
- 2011/08/29: CNN: Hurricane Irene damage could reach billions
Hurricane Irene left 24 people dead, 3 million customers without power and potentially billions of dollars in damage from flooding and wind. But the economic damage could have been a lot worse, experts said. "It was much less bite than bark," said Matt Carletti, specialty insurance analyst at JMP Securities. "Rounding up, it's a $10 billion event, not 20 or 30 or 40." - 2011/09/02: TP:JR: September 2 News...
- 2011/09/01: TP:JR: September 1 News...
- 2011/08/29: TP:JR: August 29 News...
The carbon lobby are up to the usual:
- 2011/09/02: QD: Is That a Fact?
- 2011/09/03: ITracker: Threat of the day: Spencer & Braswell retrospective edition
- 2011/09/02: QuarkSoup: The Heartland Institute's Epic Fail
- 2011/09/01: Grist: Climate convert says deniers are dumb
- 2011/09/01: TP:JR: John Podesta: Climate Change Deniers are the 'Know-Nothings' of this Generation
- Wiki: Know Nothing [Party]
- 2011/09/01: Stoat: Ha ha
- 2011/08/31: WottsUWT: Government Funding of the National Weather Service: A Response to Our Critics
- 2011/09/04: TP:JR: CO2 is Just a Trace Gas
- 2011/08/30: Stoat: The Truth About the Truth About Greenhouse Gases?
- 2011/08/29: MTobis: The Truth About the Truth About Greenhouse Gases
- 2011/08/28: JKB: The one where S. Fred Singer lies about his funding and is NOT coming to Belgium?
As for climate miscellanea:
- 2011/09/02: Grist: The 'radical' faces of climate change
- 2011/09/01: MTobis: Burden of Proof
- 2011/09/01: CAbyss: Weekend Weather, Catastrophes, and the Three-Body Problem
- 2011/09/02: CBC: Lightning sensors thwart forest fire flare-ups
- 2011/09/01: PSinclair: Dare to Be Dumb
- 2011/08/29: ABC(Au): Climate change linked to mental health problems
A report out today draws a direct link between inaction on climate change and long-term social and mental health problems. The study by the Climate Institute, titled A Climate Of Suffering: The Real Cost Of Living With Inaction On Climate Change, points to increased depression, anxiety, substance abuse, suicide and self-harm in the wake of recent natural disasters in Australia. The report also warns continuing catastrophic weather events are creating anxiety and insecurity for children at levels not seen since the Cold War. - GMWatch
- MDPI: MDPI - Open Access Publishing
- FoodWhistleblower - Food Integrity Campaign
- CASSE: Center for the Advancement of the Steady State Economy
- Wiki: Carl Linnaeus
- [Conference in Hamburg, November 10 & 11, 2011] Geoengineering the Climate: An Issue for Peace and Security Studies?
- Wiki: Bacillus thuringiensis
- ASTI: Arctic Species Trend Index
- HtP: Hack the Planet
- NOAA: Future of Arctic Sea Ice and Global Impacts
- The Cartoons of Marc Roberts -- Cantankerous Frank and friends, from Throbgoblins International [change of address]\
- Wiki: Plankton
- Wiki: Photosynthesis
- Wiki: Biogeochemical Cycle
- Wiki: Oxygen Cycle
- NASA:JPL: News
Low Key Plug
Autobahn Note:
In case you have been looking for my home page, it seems Autobahn member pages are permanently toast. I am in the process of arranging another web host. In the meanwhile, there is AFTIC only.
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(which includes some quotations), An overview of my writing is available here.
<regards>
-hetP.S. Recent postings can be found in the week archive and the ancient postings can be accessed here, which should open to this.
I notice moyhu has set up a monster index to old AWoGWN on AFTIC.
"If you want to build a ship, don't drum up people together to collect wood and don't assign them tasks and work, but rather teach them to long for the endless immensity of the sea." -Antoine de Saint-Exupery
Laugh. I dare ya:
The Keystone XL civil disobedience action in Washington DC got a lot of attention:
Delving into the laws of thermodynamics this week:
As for the geopolitics of Arctic resources:
While in Antarctica:
The food crisis is ongoing:
Nanmadol zapped China's Fujian province/state and Talas crossed Japan:
While Katia is far at sea; destination uncertain, but probably the US East Coast:
What's new in proxies?
Consider transportation & GHG production:
While in the endless quest for zero energy, sustainable buildings and practical codes:
As for carbon sequestration:
Large scale geo-engineering keeps popping up:
Regarding Richard Alley:
The Robin Hood tax, aka the Tobin tax, aka the Bank tax, aka the Financial Transaction tax keeps coming up:
In the Rare Earths' tussle:
Climate Change is a threat multiplier exacerbating existing conflicts in food, energy, water, race, ideology ... etc.:
Regarding Water Politics and Business:
The Obama chatter is nonstop:
The Murray-Darling Basin Plan controversy continues:
And in New Zealand:
And in China:
And elsewhere in Asia:
In Canada, neocon PM Harper, continues his do-nothing policy:
The G20 controversy lingers:
In Ontario, energy policy is a major issue in the upcoming election:
In the North:
And for your film & video enjoyment:
The answer my friend...:
As for Energy Storage:
Joe Romm posts a daily list of top energy and climate stories:
And here are a couple of sites you may find interesting and/or useful:
Categories
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Why did he really quit? I know of no journal editor who has resigned over a published paper. Even if they found the paper to be full of errors, that has never been good enough reason to quit in the past. Journals publish bad science all the time, the editors don't quit over it, so why did this guy really quit? I donât believe this paper by Spencer was the real reason, this does not pass the sniff test. Iâm sorry but there is something else going on here that weâre not hearing about. I'm not buying it, I smell a rat.
OK. But the rat is named Spencer.
klem is not well read:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soon_and_Baliunas_controversy
This was in response to the deceitful paper by Soon and Baliunas in the journal Climate Research.
It's amazing how people with no integrity (ie deniers) are surprised when the other side (ie scientists) demonstrate that they don't share the same contempt for ethical behaviour.
Its really simple klem. Scientists and journal editors have integrity, and when they do something wrong they admit their error and take the consequences - which they more often than not impose upon themselves.
On the other hand, deniers and liars make errors all the time. They never admit them, and they never make recompense when they are pointed out. They just deny, deny, deny, deny... then move on to the next lie.