Another Week of GW News - July 1, 2012

Logging the Onset of The Bottleneck Years

Another Week of Anthropocene Antics

Information Overloadis Pattern Recognition

July 1, 2012

• Chuckles, Post-Rio+20, ATBC, Derecho, Colorado
• Subsidies, World Bank, Ecocide, Cook
• Fukushima Note, Fukushima News, Nuclear Policy
• Melting Arctic, Geopolitics
• Food Crisis, Fisheries, Land Grabs, GMOs, GMO Labelling, Food Production
• Hurricanes, Monsoon, GHGs, Temperatures, Aerosols
• Paleoclimate, Attribution, ENSO, Extinctions, Satellites
• Impacts, Forests, Extreme Weather
• Wildfires, Acidification, Sea Levels, Floods & Droughts
• Mitigation, Cities, Transportation, Buildings, Sequestration, Geoengineering, Conservation
• Journals, Other Docs, Misc. Science, Models, Free Science, Pielke
• International Politics: Kyoto, UN, Carbon Trade, Carbon Tax, Bank Tax
• Hormuz, Rare Earths, South China Sea, TPP, Misc., Security
• Law & Activism, Activism, Polls, H2O Biz, Groundwater, Education, Predictions
• National Politics: America, 2012, Gas Prices, Canute
• EPA vs CRR, Birth Control, USAdmin, Congress, Lobbyists
• Britain, Europe, Australia, Carbon Law, Murray-Darling, South America
• Canada, Ashfield, Post G20, Bill C-38, Streamlining, TPP, Canada's Birds
• Northern Gateway, Murphy, Salmon, BC, Tar Sands, Alberta, Maritimes
• Ecological Economics, IPAT, Apocalypso, Media, Books, Video, Podcasts, Courts
• Energy, Fracking, Coal, Oil & Gas, Oil & the Economy, Pipelines, Peak Oil, Biofuel
• Wind, Solar, FITs, Nukes, Nuclear Waste, Efficiency, Cars, Energy Storage
• Insurance, Joe's List, Carbon Lobby, Tillerson, Intimidation, Misc., Useful Links
• Shameless Self Promotion, .sig

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

• 2012/06/30: TP:JR: (cartoon - Luckovich) Rio - Bummer
• 2012/06/27: DailyKos: (cartoon - TomTom) Unspeakable
• 2012/06/27: JoeMohrToons: (cartoon - Mohr) When Life Gives You Lemons...
• 2012/06/25: SMcMillan: (cartoon - McMillan) Recycled Propaganda
• 2012/07/01: uComics: (cartoon - Wiley) Pierre of the North

  Let the Rio+20 post mortems begin:

• 2012/06/25: OilChange: Rio
  First the gloss from Rio.
  [...]
  Then there is the bone-crunching reality.
  All the commitments are voluntary. The document is non-binding. The final text is vagueness personified with 147 "recognises," 59 "reaffirms," 49 "encourages," and only six "adopts" and five "decides".
• 2012/06/28: CConnections: Rio+20 Breaking News: Activists who spoke at the Peoples' Summit killed
• 2012/06/30: CCurrents: Activists Who Spoke At The Rio+20 Peoples' Summit Killed
• 2012/06/28: CCurrents: Rio+20 Climate Conference "An Epic Failure"
• 2012/06/24: NYT:Rendezvous: U.N. Report from Rio on Environment a 'Suicide Note'
  [...]
  [Executive Director of Greenpeace International, Kumi] Naidoo called the final report the "longest suicide note in history."
• 2012/06/29: UN: Following Rio+20, UN expert body calls on businesses to respect human rights
• 2012/06/28: UN: UN senior officials highlight Rio+20 achievements
• 2012/06/26: ABC(Au):TDU: Another year, another failed climate summit
• 2012/06/22: C&C: A tale of two conferences: The social and ecological crises of capitalism
• 2012/06/27: ZNet: The Great U Turn: Rio plus 20 by Vandana Shiva
• 2012/06/28: NatureNB: After Rio+20: seeds sprout on the Hill of Hope
• 2012/06/28: TreeHugger: What Rio+20 Was and Wasn't in 17 Photos
• 2012/06/26: Grist: After the Rio Earth Summit: Will agriculture really get any greener?
• 2012/06/27: Grist: Rio hangover: 50,000 people rallied for the Earth Summit. Did it do any good?
• 2012/06/22: Uprage: The Rio + 20 Judgement
• 2012/06/25: CCurrents: Brilliant Young Brittany Puts Rio+20 To Shame
• 2012/06/26: CNN: Was Rio+20 a failure of political leadership? by Mary Robinson
  Mary Robinson: A once in a generation chance to commit to sustainable development passed world by in Rio - Leaders failed to rise to the challenge of breaking ties with old ways of doing things, she says - Backsliding on reproductive rights is simply not acceptable, she says
• 2012/06/26: KlimaZwiebel: Rio+20 - The Hangover
• 2012/06/26: NatureN: Wealth gap curbs Rio goals -- Outcome of last week's Earth Summit reflects the divided priorities of rich and poor nations
• 2012/06/26: TMoS: Nature Is Now On Her Own. World Governments Throw In the Towel On Climate Change
• 2012/06/25: Guardian(UK): My Ghanaian grandfather would agree that Rio+20 may yet be a turning point
  Africa no longer looks to the north alone for its salvation but to its own resources and to India, Brazil and China
• 2012/06/25: Guardian(UK): Rio +20 makes no fresh, green breast of the new world
• 2012/06/25: Guardian(UK): After Rio, we know. Governments have given up on the planet by George Monbiot
  The post-summit pledge was an admission of defeat against consumer capitalism. But we can still salvage the natural world
• 2012/06/26: Asia Times: Green RIO+20 'a fake'
• 2012/06/25: EurActiv: Life after Rio: 'No excuse to do less'
  Disappointed over the failure of the Rio summit to produce ambitious commitments on sustainable growth, conservationists say Europe must now redouble efforts to tackle its own environmental challenges.
• 2012/06/25: HotTopic: Rio wrap: a real limp deal (where's the way out?)
• 2012/06/25: TP:JR: Perspectives From Rio+20: 'We Cannot Conflate The Negotiations With What Is Actually Happening On The Ground'
• 2012/06/25: SciAm:PI: What's in a name? "UN Sustainable Development Conference"
• 2012/06/24: P3: Rio+20: 20 years of standing still

  The Association for Tropical Biology and Conservation held a mostly unreported meeting in Brazil this week:

• 2012/06/29: Eureka: Scientists warn Brazil's environmental leadership at risk
  Scientists convening at the largest-ever meeting of tropical biologists congratulated Brazil for its global leadership on environment and science, but warned that recent developments could jeopardize that position, undermining progress on reducing deforestation, protecting indigenous lands, and safeguarding ecosystems outside the Amazon rainforest. Forgoing the Rio+20 Earth Summit, some 1200 tropical biologists and conservationists met in Bonito, Brazil at the 49th annual meeting of the Association for Tropical Biology and Conservation (ATBC) to present and discuss topics ranging from ecology to sustainable use of tropical biology. More than half the participants were Brazilian. At the conclusion of the meetings, ATBC issued a declaration urging the Brazil government maintain its leadership position on environmental conservation and sustainable development, by continuing to utilize scientific input and invest in science and education.

There are a couple of major disasters ongoing in the USA. First the derecho & heat wave. See also:

• 2012/06/29: CNN: 100 million bake under intense U.S. heat
  Temps rise into triple digits across much of the country as heat wave intensifies - One-third of the U.S. population is under some kind of heat warning Friday - Temperature readings may exceed 100 degrees from St. Louis to Washington - The scorching conditions may stretch well into next week in some places
• 2012/07/01: CNN: Extreme heat warning extended for Midwest, Southeast
  Excessive heat warnings are issued for 14 states - Forecasters warn of another round of storms Sunday - "This is not a one-day situation; it is a multiday challenge," Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell says
• 2012/06/30: Wunderground: Extreme storms and extreme heat hit the U.S.

  The Colorado fires have warranted a federal disaster declaration. See also:

• 2012/06/29: PlanetArk: West's Wildfires A Preview Of Changed Climate: Scientists
• 2012/06/28: Wunderground: Heat wave shifts to the Midwest; Waldo Canyon Fire still 5% contained.
• 2012/06/29: CBC: Obama heads to fire-ravaged Colorado -- Deadly wildfires prompt disaster declaration
  President Barack Obama has issued a disaster declaration for Colorado, releasing federal funds to help areas affected by two deadly and destructive wildfires, and he will survey the damage later today. Obama's declaration Thursday makes federal funds available for emergency protective measures for areas affected by the High Park fire in northern Colorado and the Waldo Canyon fire near Colorado Springs. Federal funds also are available for crisis counselling and disaster unemployment assistance for affected residents in El Paso and Larimer counties. Colorado Springs officials say the Waldo Canyon blaze has left one person dead and has destroyed an estimated 346 homes.
• 2012/06/29: CSM: Colorado wildfire claims second fatality, 360 homes burned

  Who's getting the subsidies?

• 2012/06/28: PSinclair: Fossil Fuel Subsidies Dwarf Those for Renewables

  What are the global financial institutions up to?

• 2012/06/26: CCurrents: Stop Funding Destructive Projects -- Open Letter to the World Bank India Counry Director

  The world inches toward creating a global legal framework for ecological crime:

• 2012/06/24: CDreams: Rio+20: Vengeance Too Long Delayed

  John Cook and friends continue their point-counterpoint articles:

• 2012/07/01: SkeptiSci: Nil Illegitimi Carborundum by Glenn Tamblyn
• 2012/06/29: SkeptiSci: Michaels and Cato Unwittingly Accept the Climate Threat by dana1981
• 2012/06/29: SkeptiSci: Madness over sea level rise in North Carolina by John Bruno
• 2012/06/28: SkeptiSci: North Carolina Lawmakers Turning a Blind Eye to Sea Level Reality? by Rob Painting
• 2012/06/27: SkeptiSci: Gleckler et al Confirm the Human Fingerprint in Global Ocean Warming by dana1981
• 2012/06/26: SkeptiSci: New research from last week 25/2012 by Ari Jokimäki
• 2012/06/26: SkeptiSci: Response to Vahrenholt and Luning by Bart Verheggen
• 2012/06/25: SkeptiSci: Mercury rising: Greater L.A. to heat up an average 4 to 5 degrees by mid-century by dana1981

  A note on theFukushima 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. Now the Japanese government is talking about 30 years. [Whoops, that has now been updated to 40 years.] We'll see. At any rate this situation is not going to be resolved any time soon and deserves its own section.
  Meanwhile...
  It is very difficult to know for sure what is really going on at Fukushima. Between the company [TEPCO], the Japanese government, the Japanese regulator [NISA], the international monitor [IAEA], as well as independent analysts and commentators, there is a confusing mish-mash of information. One has to evaluate both the content and the source of propagated information.
  How knowledgeable are they [about nuclear power and about Japan]?
  Do they have an agenda?
  Are they pro-nuclear or anti-nuclear?
  Do they want to write a good news story?
  Do they want to write a bad news story?
  Where do they rate on a scale of sensationalism?
  Where do they rate on a scale of play-it-down-ness?
  One fundamental question I would like to see answered:
  If the reactors are in meltdown, how can they be in cold shutdown?

  Not much good news coming out of Fukushima:

• 2012/07/01: EneNews: Kyodo: Cesium detected in Fukushima children's urine
• 2012/06/30: EneNews: Saikado Hantai! outside Ooi nuke plant: Taking up only road into reactors - Non-stop powerful protest for many hours in rain - To restart Sunday night (live video)
• 2012/06/30: EneNews: Japan Resident: News blackout of massive protest - This is not normal what is happening (video)
• 2012/07/01: ABC(Au): Fukushima operators fix cooling to spent fuel
  The operator of the Fukushima nuclear plant has managed to restore the cooling system in a pool which holds hundreds of tonnes of spent nuclear fuel at the facility. The system had failed earlier, causing the pool's temperature to rise. TEPCO says a fault caused the cooling system to shutdown and then a back up system failed to activate. The pool contains more than 1,500 nuclear assemblies, the vast majority of them containing highly radioactive fuel rods.
• 2012/07/01: BBC: Protests held as Japan returns to nuclear power
  Japan is due to restart the first nuclear reactor since the crisis at Fukushima last year. Hundreds have gathered near the plant in the town of Ohi to protest the move, which has divided public opinion.
• 2012/06/30: Asahi: Even Noda startled by size of anti-nuclear protest outside his office
• 2012/06/30: EneNews: Asahi: Even Prime Minister "startled" by size of protest - "It is such a huge sound"
• 2012/06/29: CDreams: 200,000 Protest in Japan Ahead of Nuclear Restart
• 2012/06/29: DD: Radiation over 10 sieverts per hour detected in Fukushima nuclear plant
• 2012/06/29: NatureN: Last-ditch effort to block restart of nuclear reactors in Japan -- Scientists say earthquake threat is underestimated
• 2012/06/29: EneNews: Up to 200,000 reported lining streets of Tokyo for protest (photos & videos) - Armored vehicles barricade PM's residence - NYT Reporter: "See office workers, moms w/ small kids, seniors, Buddhist priests"
• 2012/06/29: ABC(Au): Nuclear officials withheld Fukushima radiation maps
  Japanese nuclear officials have apologised to Fukushima residents for withholding maps showing dangerous radiation areas after last year's meltdowns. The US maps were compiled from aerial surveys and given to the Japanese government and its nuclear safety agency immediately after the Fukushima nuclear disaster. But instead of releasing the maps, officials withheld them.
• 2012/06/27: Google:AFP: Record radiation levels detected at Fukushima reactor
• 2012/06/27: EneNews: Record radiation levels found at Fukushima -- in basement of Reactor No. 1 (video)
• 2012/06/28: EneNews: Tepco commits to restarting [Kashiwazaki Kariwa] nuclear reactors - "We don't have a Plan B" says president
• 2012/06/28: EneNews: Jiji: Residents continuing to flee Fukushima -- People also leaving Tokyo
• 2012/06/27: JEB: Bureaucrats place the blame on scientists for tsunami and meltdown : Nature News Blog
• 2012/06/27: PlanetArk: Seismologists warn Japan against nuclear restart
• 2012/06/27: VOA:B: South Korea Bans Imports of 35 Japanese Seafood Products
• 2012/06/27: ABC(Au): TEPCO denies Fukushima cover up
  Japanese power company TEPCO has been accused of lying and incompetence in the handling of the Fukushima nuclear disaster. In a 350-page report the company denies ever hiding information, blames the government for confusion and delays, and rejects suggestions it ever downplayed the seriousness of the meltdowns.
• 2012/06/26: NYT: Japan Reactor Building Is Tilting but Not a Risk, Operator Says
• 2012/06/27: BBC: Tepco shareholders agree to nationalisation
  Shareholders of Tokyo Electric Power Company (Tepco), which operates the crippled Fukushima nuclear power plant, have approved the nationalisation of the company. The government will put 1tn yen ($12.6bn; £8bn) into the utility company to prevent its collapse. It brings its support for Tepco to at least 3.5tn yen since last year's earthquake caused a reactor meltdown.
• 2012/06/27: ABC(Au): TEPCO directors quit with 'golden parachute'
  Directors and auditors at the Japanese operator of the Fukushima nuclear plant have used the company's annual general meeting to resign. In theory, the TEPCO directors and auditors are doing so to take responsibility for last year's disaster, but the ABC can confirm nearly half of those who have resigned will take up lucrative posts with other TEPCO group companies. Some of the executives are also facing the biggest lawsuit in Japanese history - a $67 billion compensation claim from shareholders for what they describe as unforgivable negligence.
• 2012/06/26: ABC(Au): Fukushima fish still hard to stomach -- Japanese fishermen are facing a struggle for their livelihoods.
  An ABC report shows that many fish caught in the oceans around Fukushima contain dangerous levels of radioactive material. Damage to the nuclear plant by the Japanese tsunami of March 2011 caused the greatest single contamination of the ocean in history. While boats still go out to sea, their catches are withheld from sale and the fish is sent for analysis.
• 2012/06/25: EneNews: Japan TV: "Tilted walls found at Fukushima No.4 reactor"...
• 2012/06/26: EneNews: Japan Bird Assoc.: It reminded me of 'Silent Spring' by Rachel Carson; Forest of no chirp - We found only a few swallows in Fukushima town, other summer birds missing as well
• 2012/06/25: ABC(Au): Fukushima radiation kills fishing industry
  The fallout continues from the Fukushima disaster in Japan and it's threatening the nation's huge fishing industry and beyond. The greatest single radioactive contamination of the ocean in history has some frightening consequences. A lot of Japan's catch is withheld from sale and instead examined by scientists. And contamination is even turning up thousands of kilometres away.
• 2012/06/25: ABC(Au): One year on from Fukashima, the nuclear renaissance well underway
• 2012/06/25: ABC(Au): Experts warn of nuclear fire at Fukushima
• 2012/06/25: BBC: Japan sells first Fukushima seafood since nuclear crisis
  Seafood caught off the coast of Japan's Fukushima region has been put on sale for the first time since last year's nuclear crisis. The sale was limited to octopus and marine snails, as other species cannot be sold yet because of contamination.

Post Fukushima, nuclear policies are in flux around the world:

• 2012/06/29: DerSpiegel: CEO of Energy Giant RWE -- 'The Nuclear Power Chapter Has Come to an End'
  Peter Terium takes over as CEO of RWE, Germany's second-largest energy producer, on July 1. In a SPIEGEL interview, he explained why he wants to halt nuclear power plant construction and invest in renewable energy instead.
• 2012/06/28: PlanetArk: Japan utility shareholders vote to keep nuclear power
  Shareholders of Japan's two biggest electricity companies voted on Wednesday to stick with nuclear power despite rising public opposition after the world's worst nuclear disaster in 25 years in March last year. The votes against abandoning nuclear power at the annual general meetings of Kansai Electric Power Co and Tokyo Electric Power Co (Tepco), the company at the center of last year's Fukushima disaster, come days before the country's first reactors are due to come back online.

The Arctic melt continues to garner attention:

• 2012/06/29: P3: Signs of Melt in Deep Interior Greenland
• 2012/06/27: ArcticNews: When the sea ice is gone
• 2012/06/28: CCurrents: Arctic Sea Ice At Lowest June Level Ever
• 2012/06/28: ASI: Nares Strait 2012 Ice Arch Collapsing
• 2012/06/27: Stoat: The melting north
• 2012/07/01: ASI: The Double Recovery of Arctic Sea Ice
• 2012/06/27: Guardian(UK): Arctic sea-ice levels at record low for June
• 2012/06/27: HotTopic: Greenland melt record likely
• 2012/06/26: CCP: Jason Box: Greenland ice sheet reflectivity at record low, particularly at high elevations
• 2012/06/26: ASI: Ocean heat flux

  As for the geopolitics of Arctic resources:

• 2012/06/29: CDreams: US Coast Guard Creates 'Protest-Free Zone' in Alaska Oil Drilling Zone
• 2012/06/29: PlanetArk: U.S. Unveils Final Drilling Plan, Limits Arctic Sales
• 2012/06/27: TreeHugger: How Can the Interior Secretary Really Believe an Arctic Oil Spill Won't Happen?
• 2012/06/26: NYT: Shell Is Likely to Receive Permits for Oil Drilling Off Alaska
  Interior Secretary Ken Salazar said Tuesday that it was "highly likely" that the agency would grant Shell permits to begin drilling exploratory wells off the North Slope of Alaska as early as next month.
• 2012/06/26: NatureN: Oil exploration ramps up in US Arctic -- Shell is preparing to lead a new 'oil rush' in the American north

  The food crisis is ongoing:

• FAO: World Food Situation - Food Price Indices
• 2012/06/30: al Jazeera: What can be done in the drought-stricken Sahel?
  The UN cannot stop drought or conflict, but it can help to restore the self-sufficiency and dignity of refugees.
• 2012/06/30: DD: How wasted food is destroying the environment
• 2012/06/26: FAO: Livestock epidemic causing havoc in Democratic Republic of the Congo
  FAO acts to stop spread of disease [PPR: peste des petits ruminants] that has killed 75 000 goats and threatens neighbouring countries
• 2012/06/30: PSinclair: Apple Crop Destroyed. 90 Percent loss in Michigan...
• 2012/06/30: P3: Great Lakes Fruit Crop Devastated
• 2012/06/28: TP:JR: Speakers At Washington [Farm Foundation] Forum On Drought And Agriculture Ignore Climate Change

  The state of the world's fisheries is a concern:

• 2012/06/27: ABC(Au): Claims Australian [sea bed] mining will destroy Namibian fishing
• 2012/06/25: NatureNB: Fishing fleets grow but catch relatively less
  The world's fishing fleets have expanded their range to cover most of the world's oceans and have increased their fish-catching power tenfold, according to global analysis. But these same fleets are now catching fewer fish for the same amount of effort than they were in the 1950s, suggesting that this important food resource is in perilous decline, according to Reg Watson of the University of British Columbia in Vancouver.

So, are these land grabs Colonialism V2.0?

• 2012/06/21: WWI: Despite Drop from 2009 Peak, Agricultural Land Grabs Still Remain Above Pre-2005 Levels
• 2012/06/27: al Jazeera: Investors deny Africa land-grab claims
  Developers insist their practices aim at feeding growing populations, but little oversight is performed.

Regarding the genetic modification of food:

• 2012/06/27: ISIS: GM Soy Linked to Illnesses in Farm Pigs
• 2012/06/17: EOS: Why genetically engineered food is dangerous: New report by genetic engineers
• 2012/06/26: KSJT: The GM Grass Scare That Wasn't [Tifton 85]

  Regarding labelling GM food:

• 2012/06/26: AlterNet: How Monsanto Is Sabotaging Efforts to Label Genetically Modified Food

  And how are we going to feed 9 billion, 10 billion, 15 billion?

• 2012/06/29: FAO: More than 100 nations support new strategy on livestock disease
  FAO/OIE Global Strategy to control foot-and-mouth disease benefits farmers and consumers
• 2012/06/27: FAO: FAO and OIE unveil global strategy for control of foot-and-mouth disease
  Ultimate objective is to achieve FMD-free status -- FAO and OIE are working closely with countries to better control FMD. FAO and the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) are joining forces to combat foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) on a global scale, laying out a detailed strategy today to bring the devastating livestock disease under control.
• 2012/06/28: EnergyBulletin: Drip irrigation expanding worldwide
• 2012/06/27: CBC: Prairie farmers to plant record canola crop
  The number of planted acres dedicated to canola will be a record this year, with prairie crop seeding figures suggesting a strong recovery from last year's flooding that hits parts of Manitoba and Saskatchewan. Preliminary data from Statistics Canada indicate that as of three weeks ago, farmers have seeded, or were planning to seed, 21 million acres of canola across the three Prairie provinces -- up almost 13 per cent from the previous year.
• 2012/06/27: UN: UN food agency calls for collective action to combat foot-and-mouth disease
• 2012/06/26: UN: UN agency mobilizing support to help DR Congo tackle livestock epidemic
  The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) is mobilizing urgent support to help the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) tackle the spread of a powerful livestock disease that has already killed 75,000 goats and threatens neighbouring countries. The DRC authorities say tens of thousands of goats have been infected by peste des petits ruminants (PPR), while another one million goats and 600,000 sheep are at risk of contracting the disease.
• 2012/06/25: Grist: Have sledgehammer, will farm

  In the Caribbean, it looked like Debby was heading for Texas, but then it doubled back and soaked Florida:

• 2012/06/28: Eureka: NASA's TRMM Satellite measures Debby's drenching Florida rains
• 2012/06/28: PlanetArk: Former storm Debby churns away from sodden Florida
• 2012/06/27: Eureka: Debby now exiting Florida's east coast, disorganized on satellite imagery
• 2012/06/27: PlanetArk: Tropical Storm Debby rains misery on flooded Florida
• 2012/06/26: Wunderground: Tropical Storm Debby makes landfall in Florida
• 2012/06/27: CSM: Debby weakens, but remains flood threat for Florida (+video)
• 2012/06/26: BBC: Florida braced for new Tropical Storm Debby rain
• 2012/06/26: CNN: Evacuations in Florida as Debby soaks state
  2,000 homes in Pasco County are being evacuated - 57 people are rescued as water surrounds homes - The Suwannee River is forecast to rise 22 feet in one day - Flooding prompts the closure of parts of Interstate 10
• 2012/06/26: Wunderground: Debby dumps 20 inches of rain; 105° in Denver: hottest day on record
• 2012/06/25: Wunderground: Debby lingers in the Gulf, bringing heavy rain, flooding to Florida
• 2012/06/26: NASA: NASA Measuring Tropical Storm Debby's Heavy Rains from Space
• 2012/06/26: Eureka: NASA measuring Tropical Storm Debby's heavy rains from space
• 2012/06/25: CSM: Tropical Storm Debby reminds mom of her Haiti 'hurricane box'
• 2012/06/26: CBC: Tropical Storm Debby hovers in Gulf as Florida gets more rain
• 2012/06/25: BBC: Tropical storm Debby drenches Florida
  Tropical Storm Debby has drenched the US state of Florida, bringing flooding to parts and leading the governor to declare a statewide emergency.
• 2012/06/25: Wunderground: Debby stalls, drenches Florida; 114° in Colorado ties state heat record
• 2012/06/24: Wunderground: Significant change in forecast track for Tropical Storm Debby
• 2012/06/24: Wunderground: Tropical Storm Debby growing in size and strength
• 2012/06/25: CSM: Tropical Storm Debby swamping Florida with heavy rains (+video)
• 2012/06/24: CSM: Tropical Storm Debby expected to become hurricane (+video)
• 2012/06/25: CBC: Tropical storm Debby drenches Florida -- Major concern will be flooding from heavy rainfall
• 2012/06/24: CBC: Tropical storm warning issued for 3 U.S. states

  In the Western Pacific, Doksuri spun up east of the Phillipines and headed toward China:

• 2012/06/28: Eureka: Tropical Depression Dokuri weaker, but still potent
• 2012/06/26: Eureka: NASA satellite spots newborn Tropical Depression Doksuri in W. Pacific

  As for the Monsoon:

• 2012/06/29: BBC: India floods: Many thousands flee homes in Assam
  Almost one million people have been forced to leave their homes by floods in India as torrential rains lash the north-eastern state of Assam, officials say. At least 27 people have died in flood-related incidents, five of them drowning after their boat sank in a swollen river. Twenty-one of 27 districts have been inundated by flood waters, reports say. Heavy monsoon rains have been battering Assam for the past fortnight.
• 2012/06/29: al Jazeera: Dozens killed by floods in northeast India
  At least 31 people die as the swollen Brahmaputra river swamps villages, forcing over a million to flee their homes.
• 2012/06/29: al Jazeera: Thousands flee floods in India's Assam state
  At least 27 people killed and about a million people shifted as the swollen Brahmaputra river swamps villages.
• 2012/07/01: al Jazeera: Monsoon rains trigger flooding in India
  Whilst the northeast is submerged, many other parts of the country are desperate for rain.
• 2012/06/28: BBC: Bangladesh calls off rescue after floods kill 110
  Rescuers in Bangladesh have called off efforts to find people still missing or trapped after floods and landslides swept parts of the south-east. The number of people killed has risen to 110, with more bodies found overnight, but officials say there are no new reports of people missing.
• 2012/06/27: CNN: Officials: 95 dead after heavy rain, floods in Bangladesh
  As many as 95 people have been killed, officials say - The flooding has cut the region off from the rest of the country - Runways are under water at the Shah Amanat International Airport
• 2012/06/27: al Jazeera: The Bangladesh monsoon
  The South Asian monsoon has two distinct branches - the eastern branch has caused loss of life across Bangladesh.
• 2012/06/27: al Jazeera: Many killed in Bangladesh after heavy rain
  Landslides and floods kill at least 76 following three days of rains.
• 2012/06/24: Eureka: Climate change and the South Asian summer monsoon

  And on the GHG front:

• 2012/06/29: DD: Graph of the Day: Projected U.S. Energy Consumption and CO2 Emissions, 2008-2035
• 2012/06/28: CE: Other Air Pollutants: Soot and Methane
• 2012/06/26: EurActiv: NGO coalition demands ban on super greenhouse gas [SF6]
• 2012/06/25: EurActiv: Global carbon emissions rise is far bigger than previous estimates
  Carbon dioxide emissions have risen by even more than previously thought, according to new data analysed by the Guardian newspaper, casting doubt on whether the world can avoid dangerous climate change.
• 2012/06/24: TheCanadian: Carbon 400 and How Denmark Became an Emissions Cutting Success

  As for the temperature record:

• 2012/06/28: ClimateLabBook: Predicting changes in North Atlantic temperatures
• 2012/06/27: TreeHugger: Climate Change to Make Los Angeles 4-5°F Hotter Over Next 30 Years

  Aerosols are making their presence felt:

• 2012/06/27: LLNL: Lawrence Livermore researchers delve into airborne particulates
• 2012/06/27: Eureka: Scientists measure soot particles in flight
• 2012/06/25: DD: Indonesia rainforest burning covers Southeast Asia in haze

  While in the paleoclimate:

• 2012/06/29: ABC(Au): Fungi may have ended coal era
• 2012/06/25: UW-Madison: Greenland ice may exaggerate magnitude of 13,000-year-old deep freeze
• 2012/06/25: Moyhu: Paleo reconstructions and the "selection fallacy"

  In the attribution debate:

• 2012/06/30: P3: Attribution of Extreme Events
• 2012/06/30: TP:JR: NBC Meteorologist On Record Heat Wave: "If We Did Not Have Global Warming, We Wouldn't See This."
• 2012/06/29: Grist: Did climate change 'cause' the Colorado wildfires?
• 2012/06/30: TMoS: If It Looks Like a Duck and Quacks Like a Duck, It's Probably Global Warming

  And on the ENSO front:

• 2012/06/24: NatureCC: (ab$) All flavours of El Niño have similar early subsurface origins by Nandini Ramesh & Raghu Murtugudde
• 2012/06/25: ABC(Au): Scientists discover early source of El Nino
  Tell-tale signs that an El Niño climate event is looming are detectable up to 18 months beforehand, scientists have found, nine months earlier than current models can predict.
  [...]
  [Nandini] Ramesh, who is currently based at the University of New South Wales'sClimate Change Research Centre, studied El Niño events from 1958 until 2011 to try to identify climate factors that were present during all of them. She found that although not all El Niño events follow the same course, they all begin with a discharge of massive volumes of sub-surface warm water from the equatorial western Pacific.
• 2012/06/26: WMO: El Niño/La Niña Update
  Neutral conditions (neither El Niño nor La Niña) have prevailed since the 2011-12 La Niña ended in April 2012. Model forecasts and expert opinion suggest that neutral conditions are likely to continue for at least the first half of boreal summer (austral winter). Beyond boreal mid-summer, a return of La Niña is considered unlikely, while the potential of El Niño conditions is slightly higher than neutral conditions. It remains too early to determine the strength of the potential El Niño conditions. National Meteorological and Hydrological Services and other agencies will continue to monitor Pacific Basin conditions and outlooks to assess the most likely state of the climate during 2012.
• 2012/06/27: PlanetArk: WMO sees increased chance of El Niño in 2012

  What's new on the extinction front?

• 2012/06/26: ABC(Au): Diver worried environment disaster unfolding in SA
  Giant Australian cuttlefish are still in critically low numbers in upper Spencer Gulf in South Australia, at the mid-point of the usual breeding season. The upper gulf has been the only place in the world where the species breeds in large numbers. In the past, there have been hundreds of thousands of cuttlefish in the waters near Point Lowly, close to Whyalla. But local diver Tony Bramley searched along 1.5 kilometres of coastline and saw only 10 cuttlefish as he swam. He said more had to be done to find out why the numbers were so depleted.
• 2012/06/25: Eureka: Cambodia remains last vulture bastion in Southeast Asia
  Wildlife Conservation Society and the Royal Government of Cambodia say that more vulture 'restaurants' and reduction of poison in hunting is critical to saving vultures in Asia

Meanwhile in near earth orbit:

• 2012/06/26: NOAANews: NOAA: data from new [Suomi NPP] satellite implemented in record time -- Meteorologists are now using information for weather forecasts

  More GW impacts are being seen:

• 2012/06/29: DD: Melting permafrost threatens Swiss villages
• 2012/06/26: USGS: Shrews in the News -- Rapid Evolution of Shrews in Response to Climate Change
• 2012/06/28: ABC(Au): Scientists worried by mass turtle death
  Scientists have been unable to identify what has caused a mass death of green sea turtles at Upstart Bay south of Townsville in north Queensland. An aerial survey has found 70 turtles died this month.
• 2012/06/29: TreeHugger: African Savanna Could Turn Into Forest by 2100 as Climate Changes
• 2012/06/25: AllAfrica:Vanguard: Nigeria: Climate Change - Medical Scientist Decries Impact On Maternal Health
  The impact of climate change on maternal health as well as its associated effects on global health through changing patterns of disease, water and food insecurity among others, has again come to the fore. At the end of the 47th Annual Scientific Conference of the Association of Medical Laboratory Scientists of Nigeria, AMLSN, participants recommended for a new advocacy by public health organisations needed to urgently bring together all stakeholders from diverse disciplines to address the effects of climate change. In a keynote address, entitled Impact of Climate Change on Maternal and Child Health: Ameliorative Role of the Translational Medicine" , Professor John Anetor, a professor of Chemical Pathology at the Department of Chemical Pathology, College of Medicine, University of Ibadan, described the impact of climate change as the biggest health threat of the 21st Century.
• 2012/06/27: Guardian(UK): Trees, grass and carbon dioxide and the battle for dominance
• 2012/06/26: S&R: NYTimes Green blog: burning Colorado forests may not regenerate

  And then there are the world's forests:

• 2012/06/29: PlanetArk: Colombia Eyes Greenhouse Gas Cuts Through Forest Protection
• 2012/06/28: UCSUSA: Report Links Beef Production with Deforestation, Threats to Climate and Health

  This week in the New Normal -- extreme weather:

• 2012/06/29: CNN: 100 million bake under intense U.S. heat
  Temps rise into triple digits across much of the country as heat wave intensifies - One-third of the U.S. population is under some kind of heat warning Friday - Temperature readings may exceed 100 degrees from St. Louis to Washington - The scorching conditions may stretch well into next week in some places
• 2012/07/01: CNN: Extreme heat warning extended for Midwest, Southeast
  Excessive heat warnings are issued for 14 states - Forecasters warn of another round of storms Sunday - "This is not a one-day situation; it is a multiday challenge," Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell says
• 2012/06/30: Wunderground: Extreme storms and extreme heat hit the U.S.
• 2012/07/01: ABC(Au): 12 killed in fierce US storms
  The death toll from fierce thunderstorms across the United States has risen to at least 12. Around three million people are without power after the storms hit the region around the US capital, Washington DC. The storms swept from the Midwest states, packing winds of up to 130 kilometres per hour.
• 2012/07/01: CBC: U.S. storm power outages could last days
  It could be several more days before electricity is restored to areas of the eastern United States hit by storms that killed at least 13 people and left three million power customers to negotiate sweltering temperatures without air conditioning. Across a swath from Indiana to New Jersey and south to Virginia, officials warned the heat wave could take a toll on the elderly, young or sick.
• 2012/07/01: al Jazeera: Fierce US storms cut power to millions
  Thunderstorms down power lines across eastern states, leaving at least 12 dead, as record heat wave expected to worsen.
• 2012/06/30: Guardian(UK): Death toll rises as storms lash eastern US amid scorching heat
• 2012/06/30: Guardian(UK): Eastern US braced for searing heat as storms leave five dead
• 2012/06/30: CNN: 3 states declare emergencies as heat, storms bring misery to millions
  Virginia, West Virginia and Ohio declare a state of emergency - Eight people are killed by downed trees and power linesT - The storms cause power outages to 3.6 million homes, from Indiana to West Virginia - Many were dealing with the sizzling heat without fans, air-conditioning and refrigeration
• 2012/06/29: KSJT: Lots of Ink for freaky big Colorado Wildfires. Is freaky the new normal?
• 2012/06/30: CBC: U.S. storms leave 2M people without power -- 2 fatalities reported in Virginia
• 2012/06/30: BBC: Washington DC region swelters after storm cuts power
• 2012/06/30: al Jazeera: US heatwave breeds damaging storms
  Violent winds knock out power to over 2 million people already struggling to cope with the extreme heatwave.
• 2012/06/30: CSM: ACs out from 'derecho' storm, Washington preps for swelter (+video)
• 2012/06/30: CCP: WaPo: June 29, 2012, derecho, wrecks havoc and destruction in Washington, DC
• 2012/06/25: PSinclair: Duluth Storm: Yet Another Postcard from the Future

  As for heatwaves and wild fires:

• 2012/06/30: CNN: Colorado fire victim films her own evacuation
  The so-called Waldo Canyon Fire is 30% percent contained - The fire has destroyed nearly 350 homes and damaged at least two dozen more, officials say - Authorities are allowing some of the 32,000 people evacuated to return home - A bus tour is planned for about 4,000 people displaced by the fire
• 2012/06/29: CNN: Colorado city looks to Obama for aid as fire turns deadly
  A charred body was discovered inside a destroyed home in Colorado Springs, police say - President Barack Obama issues a disaster declaration for Colorado - He plans to visit areas affected by the Waldo Canyon Fire - At least 346 homes have been destroyed; thousands of others remain under threat
• 2012/06/29: WtD: This is how it hits the fan: Michael Tobis on superfires and climate change attribution
• 2012/06/29: DD: Heat wave rolls through U.S., toppling records -- Over 2,300 broken in June
• 2012/06/29: PlanetArk: West's Wildfires A Preview Of Changed Climate: Scientists
• 2012/06/28: UCSUSA:B: Beware: Wildfire Smoke Can Be Like Smoking a Couple of Packs of Cigarettes over a Few Hours
• 2012/06/28: Wunderground: Heat wave shifts to the Midwest; Waldo Canyon Fire still 5% contained.
• 2012/06/29: CSM: In fleeing Colorado Springs fire, tales of kind neighbors and potty breaks
• 2012/06/29: CBC: Obama heads to fire-ravaged Colorado -- Deadly wildfires prompt disaster declaration
  President Barack Obama has issued a disaster declaration for Colorado, releasing federal funds to help areas affected by two deadly and destructive wildfires, and he will survey the damage later today. Obama's declaration Thursday makes federal funds available for emergency protective measures for areas affected by the High Park fire in northern Colorado and the Waldo Canyon fire near Colorado Springs. Federal funds also are available for crisis counselling and disaster unemployment assistance for affected residents in El Paso and Larimer counties. Colorado Springs officials say the Waldo Canyon blaze has left one person dead and has destroyed an estimated 346 homes.
• 2012/06/29: BBC: US President Barack Obama has issued a disaster declaration for Colorado, where wildfires have forced tens of thousands from their homes
• 2012/06/29: CapClimate: Triple-Digit Heat Reaches Mid Atlantic/Southeast: Baltimore Broiled, Washington Wilted, South Carolina Scorched, Raleigh Roasted, Charlotte Cooked
• 2012/06/30: ArcticNews: Earth on Fire
• 2012/06/29: Wunderground: Air quality degrades as heat spreads east
• 2012/06/27: BPA: Boulder's Flagstaff Fire
• 2012/06/30: CSM: Life in the shadow of the Colorado wildfire: beware of hungry bears
• 2012/06/29: CSM: Colorado wildfire claims second fatality, 360 homes burned
• 2012/06/29: CSM: Death Valley heat in Kansas? How the end of June got so hot.
• 2012/06/29: CSM: Colorado wildfires are 'what global warming really looks like' (+video)
• 2012/06/29: CSM: Are the Colorado wildfires the biggest in US history? (+video)
• 2012/06/30: Impolitical: While Colorado burns
• 2012/06/29: Guardian(UK): Barack Obama visits Colorado Springs neighbourhood destroyed by wildfires
  President praises firefighters and announces federal disaster relief to devastated region as blaze continues to burn
• 2012/06/29: Guardian(UK): Colorado wildfire region to get federal recovery funds as Barack Obama arrives
• 2012/06/29: Guardian(UK): US wildfires are what global warming really looks like, scientists warn
• 2012/06/29: Guardian(UK): Colorado wildfires visible in video from International Space Station
• 2012/06/29: IOTD: Heat Wave Fuels Wildfires in the Rockies
• 2012/06/29: al Jazeera: Wildfires rage in western US
  Hundreds of homes have been destroyed as wildfires are threatening second biggest city in US state of Colorado.
• 2012/06/28: P3: A Thousand Bastrops
• 2012/06/28: BBC: Hundreds of Colorado Springs homes destroyed in fire
• 2012/06/28: Guardian(UK): Colorado wildfires wreck homes but officials hope for break in weather
  Colorado Springs mayor says many homes have been burnt to the ground as authorities give first indication of extent of damage
• 2012/06/28: CCP: Heat Waves and Climate Change. A Science Update from Climate Communication...
• 2012/06/28: WtD: 32,000 evacuated in Colorado Spring fires: welcome to the new normal
• 2012/06/27: LA Times: Colorado fires: Boulder breathes easier as rain falls
• 2012/06/27: NYT: Thousands Flee Colorado Springs Area as Winds Fuel Wildfire
• 2012/06/28: ABC(Au): Outback warned to prepare for more extreme heat
• 2012/06/28: PlanetArk: Colorado wildfire expands viciously, Obama plans visit
• 2012/06/27: TreeHugger: This is the "worst fire season in the history of Colorado"
• 2012/06/27: Wunderground: More record-setting heat; Waldo Canyon Fire consumes 15,000 acres
• 2012/06/27: NASA: NASA Observes the Waldo Canyon Fire, Colo.
• 2012/06/30: SciAm:PI: Heat Waves and Water Use Go Hand-in-Hand
• 2012/06/30: Guardian(UK): Colorado wildfires: Cedar Heights gets lucky as residents return home
• 2012/06/30: CBC: National Guard patrols Colorado wildfire area -- 10,000 people have been evacuated from their homes
• 2012/06/28: CSM: Unexpected legacy of wildfires and other emergency events: innovation
• 2012/06/28: CBC: Colorado wildfire fueled by shifting winds -- Obama plans visit to affected areas in Colorado Springs on Friday
• 2012/06/28: IOTD: Smoky Mountain West
• 2012/06/27: al Jazeera: Colorado wildfire sparks mass evacuation
  More than 30,000 forced from homes amid struggle to contain US state's biggest natural disaster in decades.
• 2012/06/27: Reddit: As an experienced Alaska and Colorado structure and wildland firefighter, here's what you need to do to defend your home
• 2012/06/28: ABC(Au): 'Epic firestorm' spreads across Colorado
  A bushfire has swept through a residential area near the US city of Colorado Springs, destroying homes and prompting orders to move some 32,000 people to safety. Colorado Springs fire chief Rich Brown described the fire, which began in Waldo Canyon on Saturday, as "a monster" and said at this point flames were "not even remotely close to being contained." "This is a firestorm of epic proportions," he told a news conference.
• 2012/06/27: Guardian(UK): Colorado Springs Waldo Canyon wildfire forces thousands to flee flames
• 2012/06/27: Guardian(UK): Colorado 'like worst movie set you can imagine' as 32,000 flee wildfires
• 2012/06/27: CBC: Colorado wildfire forces 32,000 residents from homes -- Fire is about 5 per cent contained, official says
• 2012/06/27: CNN: Colorado fire of 'epic proportions' roars into neighborhoods
  Obama calls governor and mayor, will visit Friday - Predicted thunderstorms could worsen the fire - Colorado's governor describes the scene as "surreal" - The forecast stays hot and dry into next week
• 2012/06/27: S&R: The 2012 Colorado wildfires were predicted; now, understanding why they're happening
• 2012/06/27: CapClimate: 9 All-Time Record Hot Temperatures Across 4 States
• 2012/06/27: DD: 'Monster' Colorado fire doubles in size, forces mass evacuations -- 'This is a fire of epic proportions'
• 2012/06/27: Wunderground:RR: Hot and Smelly
• 2012/06/27: PlanetArk: Colorado wildfire worsens, forcing 7,000 more from homes
• 2012/06/27: ScienceInsider: Wildfire Risk Shutters Boulder Climate Lab
• 2012/06/26: Eureka: NASA satellites see wildfires across Colorado
• 2012/06/27: CSM: Waldo Canyon fire reaches 'epic proportions'
• 2012/06/26: RBroberg: Waldo Canyon Fire: Composite Imagery
• 2012/06/26: PSinclair: Gettin Hot in Here - Denver
• 2012/06/26: PlanetArk: Raging Colorado wildfire grows, threatens gated community
  An out-of-control wildfire near some of Colorado's most visited tourist sites expanded overnight and kept some 6,000 people from their homes on Monday, threatening a gated community nestled in the foothills near the famous Garden of the Gods.
• 2012/06/26: JFleck: Fire
• 2012/06/26: CSM: Colorado wildfires keep Pikes Peak railway closed
• 2012/06/26: IOTD: Wildfires across Colorado
• 2012/06/24: LA Times: Utah shooters spark 20 wildfires -- and a gun rights controversy
• 2012/06/25: Reuters: Colorado fire near Pikes Peak forces 11,000 from homes
• 2012/06/25: TP:JR: Midwestern Drought Intensifies: 'I Don't Remember Anytime It Was This Dry, This Early'
• 2012/06/25: CSM: Colorado faces worst wildfire season in a decade (+video)
• 2012/06/25: CBC: Labrador crews hold fire at bay
  An evacuation order remained in effect Monday as crews and favourable weather conditions held back a fire that has threatened two small communities in central Labrador.
• 2012/06/24: RBroberg: Waldo Canyon Fire
• 2012/06/21: LA Times: Study predicts more hot spells in Southern California
• 2012/06/25: SkeptiSci: Mercury rising: Greater L.A. to heat up an average 4 to 5 degrees by mid-century by dana1981

  Acidification is changing the oceans:

• 2012/06/29: NatureN: Global network will track acidifying oceans -- Remote sensors and research cruises aim to measure aquatic impacts of carbon dioxide

  Sea levels are rising:

• 2012/06/30: GLaden: Sea Level Rise Animation
• 2012/06/24: USGS: Sea Level Rise Accelerating in U.S. Atlantic Coast
• 2012/06/28: DD: Three new studies on sea level rise bring new concerns - 'Some bodaciously expensive property at risk'
• 2012/06/28: ABC(Au): Data shows Gippsland sea rise threat
• 2012/06/26: TP:JR: New Studies on Sea Level Rise Make Clear We Must Act Now
• 2012/06/26: TSM: A new study forecasts sea level rise based on 2C of warming and the picture isn't pretty
• 2012/06/26: Grist: Rising sea levels: It's worse than you think
• 2012/06/25: NBF: Sea Level Rise Lags Change in Atmosphere Temperature
• 2012/06/25: CSM: Rising sea levels: Is global warming making the US East Coast a 'hot spot?' (+video)
• 2012/06/26: CSM: Sea level in Northeastern US rising more than three times faster than global average (+video)
• 2012/06/24: SciAm: Warming Oceans Will Follow Laws of Physics -- Warmer waters mean higher sea levels, but how high?
• 2012/06/25: CBC: Warmer seas rising faster on U.S. east coast than elsewhere
• 2012/06/25: KSJT: Bi-coastal sea level rise: US coasts each get a forecast -- Most outlets go with one or the other
• 2012/06/24: NatureN: US northeast coast is hotspot for rising sea levels
• 2012/06/24: Eureka: Significant sea-level rise in a 2-degree warming world
  Sea levels around the world can be expected to rise by several meters in coming centuries, if global warming carries on
• 2012/06/24: LA Times: California sea levels to rise 5-plus feet this century, study says
  As climate change expands the oceans, sea levels will rise more than average along the California coast because much of the state is sinking, according to a new report.
• 2012/06/25: TreeHugger: Sea Level Will Continue Rising Past 2300, Even If We Keep Temperature Rise to 2°C
• 2012/06/24: Guardian(UK): Scientists warn US east coast over accelerated sea level rise
• 2012/06/25: CBC: Warmer seas rising faster on U.S. east coast than elsewhere

  As for hydrological cycle disruptions [floods & droughts]:

• 2012/06/29: BBC: Heavy rain: Transport disruption continues
  Flood disruption to transport, power supplies and schools has continued, as it was revealed 2012 has had the wettest April-June quarter ever recorded in England and Wales.
• 2012/06/26: ERW: Insight: streamflows intensify in the Fraser River Basin
  The Fraser River Basin, an important watershed in western North America, is experiencing greater year-to-year fluctuations in streamflow than ever before. These variations are impacting salmon returns, as well as the transport of sediments, nutrients, carbon and contaminants. Overall water quality is also being affected.
• 2012/06/28: BBC: Flash flooding: Man found dead in stream
  A man has died after he was swept away in flood water in Shropshire.
• 2012/06/27: EarlyWarning: Latest US Drought Map and Colorado
• 2012/06/27: OSU: Dying trees in Southwest set stage for erosion, water loss in Colorado River
• 2012/06/25: TStar: Deadly B.C. flooding continues to prompt evacuations, highway closures
• 2012/06/26: al Jazeera: Severe drought stalks Korean peninsula
  North and South deploy government aid to limit food shortages amid their worst drought in decades.
• 2012/06/26: CBC: Deadly B.C. flooding continues to prompt evacuations, highway closures -- 700 people evacuated in Shuswap, North Okanagan, and Kootenay regions
• 2012/06/25: CBC: Flooding cuts B.C. highway access and water supplies -- Heavy rains caused mudslides throughout the Kootenays and Okanagan regions

  First, stop subsidizing fossil fuels
  Second, put a price on carbon
  And elsewhere on the mitigation front:

• 2012/06/27: TreeHugger: Can We Keep the World's Largest Coal Deposit Buried?
• 2012/06/25: Grist: Bridging the emissions gap: How to get there from here, in 21 steps

  Can cities take up the slack when nations shirk their responsibilities?

• 2012/06/29: EurActiv: European cities seek to reduce risks of climate change
  European cities are planning to adapt to climate change as the risks become more severe, says a report released yesterday (28 June) by UK-based emissions measurement organisation the Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP) and consultancy Accenture.
• 2012/06/29: PlanetArk: Europe's Cities Plan To Combat Mounting Climate Risk
• 2012/06/30: EnergyBulletin: While nations blow hot air, it's cities that are the real sustainability heros

  Consider transportation & GHG production:

• 2012/06/18: AtlCities: The Secret to Tokyo's Rail Success
• 2012/06/25: NBF: Megabus Update

  While in the endless quest for zero energy, sustainable buildings and practical codes:

• 2012/06/27: Olympian: 9th circuit upholds state code for home-energy use
• 2012/06/27: TP:JR: Better Buildings Challenge Announces $300 Million In Investments For Energy Upgrades, Unleashing $2.5 Billion In Federal Bonds
• 2012/06/26: AtlCities: Green Building's Growing Pains

  As for carbon sequestration:

• 2012/06/26: Tyee: Alberta's Gamble on Sticking CO2 Back in the Earth
  The high price and distant hope for carbon sequestration. Part seven of a Tyee Solutions Society series.
• 2012/06/27: GEP: New Study Quantifies Risks from CCS
• 2012/06/29: Guardian(UK): World's first CCS leak experiment completed in sea off Scotland
• 2012/06/28: PlanetArk: German mediation committee agrees carbon capture law
  Germany's parliamentary mediation committee on Wednesday approved a compromise that would allow carbon capture and storage (CCS) in Germany on a test basis, Environment Minister Peter Altmaier said.
• 2012/06/26: Guardian(UK): Plans for carbon-capture power station abandoned

  Large scale geo-engineering keeps popping up:

• 2012/06/26: ERW: From forestry to geoengineering, silicate weathering counts
• 2012/06/30: NBF: Solutions for Ocean Acidification

  What's new in conservation?

• 2012/06/26: NatureN: California condors face lead menace -- Signature species may need perpetual conservation
• 2012/06/25: DM:NRS: Californian condor not extinct yet, but still regularly poisoned by lead
• 2012/06/26: CSM: Condors threatened by 'epidemic' lead poisoning from hunters' bullets

  Meanwhile in the journals:

• 2012/06/28: ACP: Impacts of the January 2005 solar particle event on noctilucent clouds and water at the polar summer mesopause by H. Winkler et al.
• 2012/06/26: ACP: Radiative forcing estimates of sulfate aerosol in coupled climate-chemistry models with emphasis on the role of the temporal variability by C. Déandreis et al.
• 2012/06/26: ACP: Aerosol direct radiative forcing based on GEOS-Chem-APM and uncertainties by X. Ma et al.
• 2012/06/29: CP: Ranges of moisture-source temperature estimated from Antarctic ice cores stable isotope records over glacial-interglacial cycles by R. Uemura et al.
• 2012/06/29: CP: Early and mid-Holocene climate in the tropical Pacific: seasonal cycle and interannual variability induced by insolation changes by Y. Luan et al.
• 2012/06/27: CP: Fluctuations of Glaciar Esperanza Norte in the north Patagonian Andes of Argentina during the past 400 yr by L. Ruiz et al.
• 2012/06/29: ESDD: A stochastic model for the polygonal tundra based on Poisson-Voronoi Diagrams by F. Cresto Aleina et al.
• 2012/06/25: ESDD: Estimated impact of global population growth on future wilderness extent by E. Dumont
• 2012/06/29: Science: (ab$) The Paleozoic Origin of Enzymatic Lignin Decomposition Reconstructed from 31 Fungal Genomes by Dimitrios Floudas et multi alia
• 2012/06/25: NERC:NORA: A review of the processes and effects of droughts and summer floods in rivers and threats due to climate change on current adaptive strategies by Francois K. Edwards et al.
• 2012/06/26: NERC:NORA: Impacts of climate warming on the long-term dynamics of key fish species in 24 European lakes by Erik Jeppesen et al.
• 2012/06/26: NERC:NORA: Drying out the water cycle: climate change impacts on water availability for industry by Tanya Warnaars
• 2012/06/29: ACP: A multi-sensor upper tropospheric ozone product (MUTOP) based on TES ozone and GOES water vapor: validation with ozonesondes by J. L. Moody et al.
• 2012/06/29: ACPD: Wintertime Arctic Ocean sea water properties and primary marine aerosol concentrations by J. Zábori et al.
• 2012/06/29: ACPD: Tropospheric column ozone: matching individual profiles from Aura OMI and TES with a chemistry-transport model by Q. Tang & M. J. Prather
• 2012/06/28: GMD: Modelling the mid-Pliocene Warm Period climate with the IPSL coupled model and its atmospheric component LMDZ5A by C. Contoux et al.
• 2012/06/28: GMD: A standard test case suite for two-dimensional linear transport on the sphere by P. H. Lauritzen et al.
• 2012/06/27: OSD: Sea-air CO2 flux estimated from SOCAT surface-ocean CO2 partial pressure data and atmospheric CO2 mixing ratio data by C. Rödenbeck et al.
• 2012/06/27: TC: Impact of spatial resolution on the modelling of the Greenland ice sheet surface mass balance between 1990-2010, using the regional climate model MAR by B. Franco et al.
• 2012/06/27: TC: Brief communication "Can recent ice discharges following the Larsen-B ice-shelf collapse be used to infer the driving mechanisms of millennial-scale variations of the Laurentide ice sheet?" by J. Alvarez-Solas et al.
• 2012/06/29: TCD: Retention and radiative forcing of black carbon in Eastern Sierra Nevada snow by K. M. Sterle et al.
• 2012/06/28: TCD: Effects of nonlinear rheology, temperature and anisotropy on the relationship between age and depth at ice divides by C. Martín & G. H. Gudmundsson
• 2012/06/26: PNAS: (ab$) Rapidly growing tropical trees mobilize remarkable amounts of nitrogen, in ways that differ surprisingly among species by Ann E. Russell & James W. Raich
• 2012/06/26: PNAS: (ab$) Biodiversity impacts ecosystem productivity as much as resources, disturbance, or herbivory by David Tilman et al.
• 2012/06/26: PNAS: (ab$) Aboriginal hunting buffers climate-driven fire-size variability in Australia's spinifex grasslands by Rebecca Bliege Bird et al.
• 2012/06/26: PNAS: (ab$) Leaf fossil record suggests limited influence of atmospheric CO2 on terrestrial productivity prior to angiosperm evolution by C. Kevin Boyce & Maciej A. Zwieniecki
• 2012/06/26: PNAS: (abs) Warming accelerates decomposition of decades-old carbon in forest soils by Francesca M. Hopkins et al.
• 2012/06/26: PNAS: (ab$) Fluvial landscapes of the Harappan civilization by Liviu Giosan et al.
• 2012/06/26: PNAS: (ab$) Earthquake triggering and large-scale geologic storage of carbon dioxide by Mark D. Zoback & Steven M. Gorelick
• 2012/06/26: GMD: Land surface Verification Toolkit (LVT) - a generalized framework for land surface model evaluation by S. V. Kumar et al.
• 2012/06/25: GMDD: Lidar signal simulation for the evaluation of aerosols in chemistry-transport models by S. Stromatas et al.
• 2012/06/25: AGWObserver: New research from last week 25/2012
• 2012/06/24: NatureCC: (ab$) All flavours of El Niño have similar early subsurface origins by Nandini Ramesh & Raghu Murtugudde
• 2012/06/24: Nature:CC: (ab$) Long-term sea-level rise implied by 1.5°C and 2°C warming levels by Michiel Schaeffer et al.
• 2012/06/24: Nature:CC: (ab$) Hotspot of accelerated sea-level rise on the Atlantic coast of North America by Asbury H. Sallenger Jr et al.
• 2012/06/19: PLoS:Biology: The Limits to Sustainability Science: Ecological Constraints or Endless Innovation? by Georgina M. Mace

  And other significant documents:

• 2012/06/25: PI: [link to 1.7 meg pdf] British Columbia's Carbon Tax -- Exploring perspectives and seeking common ground
• 2012/06/27: SoCB: [link to 5 meg pdf] State of Canada's Birds
• 2012/06/26: EnergySavingTrust: [link to 2.4 meg pdf] Powering the nation - household electricity-using habits revealed

  As for miscellaneous science:

• 2012/06/29: BBC: Prof Sir Mark Walport has been appointed to be the UK government's chief scientific advisor
• 2012/06/28: NetworkWorld:L8: US Navy's high-resolution radar can see individual raindrops in a storm
  US Naval Research Laboratory says study could help develop new severe weather monitoring applications
• 2012/06/26: NatureN: Secularist academic jailed in Turkey -- Kemal Gürüz faces government ire over his opposition to political Islam
• 2012/06/27: EarthMag: Five outstanding questions in earth science

  What's new in models?

• 2012/06/27: IsaacHeld: 29. Eddy resolving ocean models

  What developments in the ongoing struggle for Open Science?

• 2012/06/29: ScienceInsider: Wellcome Trust to Crack Down on Paper-Sharing Slackers
  The United Kingdom's Wellcome Trust is putting more teeth into a requirement that grantees make their published papers freely available to the public.
• 2012/06/28: Guardian(UK): Wellcome Trust will penalise scientists who don't embrace open access
• 2012/06/28: NatureNB: Wellcome Trust hardens open access stance [guarantee open access for all papers associated with a grant, or forfeit final payments]

  The Pielke fan clubbe, alas:

• 2012/06/28: TWTB: Common sense gets Rogered

  Meanwhile on the Kyoto front:

• 2012/06/29: HotTopic: Introducing the Kyoto Escalator: did anyone sign the protocol in good faith?

  While at the UN:

• 2012/06/27: UN: High Level Task Force on Global Food Security to focus on 'Zero Hunger Challenge' objectives
• 2012/06/25: NatureN: UNESCO to set up UN science advisory board -- Board will advise secretary-general on science issues

  And on the carbon trading front:

• 2012/06/28: EurActiv: Energy companies push for carbon market bailout
  Thirteen of Europe's biggest energy companies have sent a joint letter calling on the EU to "back-load" 1.4 billion carbon dioxide allowances in a bid to bolster the flagging price of carbon in the EU's Emissions Trading System (ETS). Their move comes as lobbying by energy-intensive industries against strong measures to bail out the carbon market in a forthcoming EU proposal reaches a critical stage, analysts say. The 13 firms -- including Shell, E.On, Statoil, Alstom, Dong Energy and General Electric -- describe a fully-functioning ETS as the "main policy" for achieving the EU's ambitious goal of an 80-95% cut in carbon dioxide emissions by 2050. Their letter, which EurActiv has seen, also argues that ETS auction revenues must play an "important role" in funding low carbon innovations, in which many of them have invested.
• 2012/06/29: BBerg: EU Carbon Permits Are Fastest-Rising Commodity in June

  The idea of a carbon tax is still bouncing around:

• 2012/06/25: Stoat: Carbon tax watch

  The Robin Hood tax, aka the Tobin tax, aka the Bank tax, aka the Financial Transaction tax keeps coming up:

• 2012/06/29: EUO: Group of EU states set to agree finance tax
• 2012/06/25: EurActiv: Germany spearheads 'Robin Hood' tax group of EU nations
  At least nine countries led by Germany are expected to ask the European Commission to draw up plans for a so-called "enhanced co-operation" on the financial transactions tax (FTT) following a meeting of EU finance minister in Luxembourg on Friday (22 June).

On the international political front, tensions continue as the empire leans on Iran:

• 2012/07/01: al Jazeera: Iran shrugs off latest EU oil embargo
  Oil minister says latest embargo, imposed over nuclear row, will have no effect but observers say exports are plunging.
• 2012/06/29: BBerg: Iran Says It Has 'Inalienable Right' to Enrich Uranium
• 2012/06/28: EUO: Iran asks EU to reconsider oil embargo
• 2012/06/30: AntiWar: US Hawks Aflutter as Clinton Clears China on Iran Oil Sales
• 2012/06/29: RawStory: U.S. exempts China, Singapore from Iran sanctions
• 2012/06/28: Guardian(UK): Iran sanctions will halve oil sales but may still not succeed
• 2012/06/27: Reuters: Iran acknowledges oil exports down 20-30 pct
• 2012/06/26: BBC: South Korea has said imports of Iranian oil will be suspended from 1 July amid a European Union (EU) insurance ban on vessels carrying the product
• 2012/06/25: EarlyWarning: May Iranian Oil Production
• 2012/06/25: Reuters: India allows use of Iran ships for oil imports
  India has allowed state refiners to import Iranian oil, with Tehran arranging shipping and insurance, from July 1, keeping purchases of over 200,000 barrels per day (bpd) flowing after European sanctions hit insurance for the cargoes, government and industry sources said.
• 2012/06/26: KoreaJoongangDaily: Oil imports from Iran to dry up over reinsurance

  In the Rare Earths' tussle:

• 2012/06/29: ABC(Au): Western powers attempting to break China's rare earth monopoly [via WTO]
• 2012/06/28: PlanetArk: EU, US, Japan seek WTO steps on China rare earths
• 2012/06/27: AutoBG: Idaho, Montana may provide U.S. supply of rare earth metals

  South China Sea tension persists:

• 2012/06/27: BBerg: Vietnam Warns China to Halt Oil Bids in Exxon-Awarded Area
• 2012/06/28: CSM: China starts 'combat ready' patrols in disputed South China Sea

  The Trans-Pacific Partnership looks like a stealth corporate takeover:

• 2012/06/19: PublicCitizen:Blog: Leaked TPP Chapter Sparks Outrage
• 2012/06/13: PublicCitizen: [529k pdf] Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) Investment Chapter
• 2012/06/29: AlterNet: Trans-Pacific Partnership: Under Cover of Darkness, a Corporate Coup Is Underway
• 2012/06/28: OpenMedia: National Journal: Lawmakers and groups pushing for TPP transparency

  And in miscellaneous international political jousting:

• 2012/06/24: Impolitical: Government recognizes contributions of Canadian government scientist

  Climate Change is a threat multiplier exacerbating existing conflicts in food, energy, water, race, ideology ... etc.:

• 2012/06/25: SoS: Resilience

  The issue of the law and activism is playing out around the world:

• 2012/06/29: CDreams: US Coast Guard Creates 'Protest-Free Zone' in Alaska Oil Drilling Zone
• 2012/06/28: CConnections: Rio+20 Breaking News: Activists who spoke at the Peoples' Summit killed

  What are the activists up to?

• 2012/06/30: Guardian(UK): Saturday interview: Lucy Lawless -- Xena the Ecowarrior
• 2012/06/27: DemNow: Bill McKibben of 350.org on Colorado Wildfires, Debby, Keystone XL and the Failure of Rio+20
• 2012/06/25: DemNow: David Suzuki on Rio+20, "Green Economy" & Why Planet's Survival Requires Undoing Its Economic Model

  Polls! We have polls!

• 2012/06/25: Guardian(UK): Economic climate has not affected views on global warming - poll

  Regarding Water Politics and Business:

• 2012/06/30: JFleck: Who needs water in the Colorado basin
• 2012/06/30: JFleck: Two very different responses to climate change
• 2012/06/28: JFleck: 736 gallons per person per day
• 2012/06/27: CemsoredNews: Lazy media aids Hopi Navajo water theft scheme
  Media aids scheme to steal Hopi and Navajo water rights by not checking the facts, or reporting the news
• 2012/06/28: EnergyBulletin: Thirst for power: How coal, nuclear and gas waste our water
• 2012/06/27: EconView: The Water Project at Ol Pejeta Conservatory
• 2012/06/27: Grist: Here's just how filthy that beach water is
• 2012/06/27: JFleck: On the economic benefits of irrigation
• 2012/06/26: JFleck: Various ways of running out of water
• 2012/06/27: Rabble: Ensuring water access for all
• 2012/06/26: EnergyBulletin: The hidden costs of Tiger Water
• 2012/06/25: JFleck: In the southeast, back to not fightin' over water?
• 2012/06/24: JFleck: The Sacramento Delta: "an intricacy of endless legal troubles"
• 2012/06/24: JFleck: The Peripheral Canal vote, 30 years on
• 2012/06/24: JFleck: On dams, pipes, and western water
• 2012/06/19: AlterNet: 'Shock Doctrine' in Action: Vital Freshwater Resources Under Attack by Privatization Capitalists

  And on the groundwater front:

• 2012/06/25: USGS: Study Confirms Presence of Contaminants in Some New England Bedrock Groundwater, ID's New Concerns, Determines Likely Locations

  Regarding science education:

• 2012/06/27: NatMemo: The Loch Ness Monster Is Real, And Five Other Insane Lies Taught By Louisiana Textbooks
• 2012/06/27: Wonkette: Texas GOP Will Literally And Non-Metaphorically Ban Critical Thinking In Schools
• 2012/06/27: DM:80B: Louisiana Set to Use Public Funds to Teach Creationism & Climate Denialism

  Who's making predictions this week?

• 2012/06/28: ClimateLabBook: Predicting changes in North Atlantic temperatures
• 2012/06/27: TreeHugger: Climate Change to Make Los Angeles 4-5°F Hotter Over Next 30 Years

  And on the American political front:

• 2012/06/29: Grist: Texas GOP officially comes out against critical thinking
• 2012/06/29: Grist: Raw deal: Maine residents' fight for unregulated food draws crackdown [US pol]
• 2012/06/29: Yahoo:AP: Solar firm that got DOE loan to declare bankruptcy
  A Colorado-based solar panel maker that received a $400 million loan guarantee from the Obama administration said Thursday it will file for bankruptcy, the latest setback for an industry battered by the recession and stiff competition from companies in China. Abound Solar of Loveland, Colo., said it will suspend operations next week, after talks with potential buyers broke down.
• 2012/06/28: TP:JR: Fracking Industry Used Privileged Access To Lobby Against New York Fracking Regulations
• 2012/06/29: PlanetArk: NY Adopts CO2 Rules That Limit New Coal Power Plants
• 2012/06/29: TreeHugger: Exposing the Influence Behind the Anti-Agenda 21 Anti-Sustainability Agenda
• 2012/06/29: TP:JR: Fish On Fridays: Cape Wind Project And Fishermen Seal A Deal
• 2012/06/28: TP:JR: Speakers At Washington [Farm Foundation] Forum On Drought And Agriculture Ignore Climate Change
• 2012/06/29: TreeHugger: Climate Scores Keeps Representatives Accountable on Climate Change Legislation
• 2012/06/29: MoJo: We Could Stop Importing Oil From the Middle East Today if We Wanted To -- The big news about oil isn't fracking, it's efficiency
• 2012/06/27: DeSmogBlog: Fracking Industry Enjoyed Privileged Access To Controversial New York DEC Environmental Review
• 2012/06/27: PlanetArk: Texas sets June power record for 2nd straight day
• 2012/06/27: Wonkette: Texas GOP Will Literally And Non-Metaphorically Ban Critical Thinking In Schools
• 2012/06/27: DM:80B: Louisiana Set to Use Public Funds to Teach Creationism & Climate Denialism
• 2012/06/26: TP:JR: Gearing Up: Proposed Auto Efficiency Standards Will Create 570,000 Jobs By 2030
• 2012/06/26: AutoBG: New Colorado law makes it easy to sell electricity to EVs
• 2012/06/25: AlterNet: How Conservatives Spent Your Dollars Pushing Marriage
• 2012/06/24: AlterNet: What Happened to All Those Green Weatherization Jobs?
• 2012/06/24: TP:JR: The Planet Still Groans, Not That We'd Hear It
• 2012/06/25: Grist: Enough cheap coal: Using public lands for the public interest
• 2012/06/24: ERabett: Eli Outsources to Wikileaks

  So what do you want -- a corporate dweeb, or a sociopathic corporate dweeb? Your choice:

• 2012/06/28: TreeHugger: Unprecedented Cash Pours Into Deceptive Campaign Ads
• 2012/06/29: DeSmogBlog: What To Expect When You're Electing: Part 1 -- What's At Stake
• 2012/06/28: TP:JR: Biden Slams Romney Over Wind Tax Credits In Iowa

  Gas Prices are strangely fading as an election issue:

• 2012/06/30: CSM: Gas prices lowest since January [US$3.35 (national average)], but oil soars
• 2012/06/25: EnergyBulletin: Gasoline prices coming down by James Hamilton
• 2012/06/25: TP:JR: With Gas Prices Expected To Drop Below $3, Republicans Suddenly Silent On Obama's Role

  The North Carolina sea level rise continues:

• 2012/06/25: GreenGrok: Climate Politics: North Carolina House Whiffs on Controversial Sea-Level Bill
• 2012/06/28: SkeptiSci: North Carolina Lawmakers Turning a Blind Eye to Sea Level Reality? by Rob Painting
• 2012/06/27: NatureN: Sea versus senators -- North Carolina sea-level rise accelerates while state legislators put the brakes on research
• 2012/06/26: ERabett: Après NC-20, le déluge
• 2012/06/25: EnvEcon: And don't call me Shirley -- NC sea-level rise follies: part 4
• 2012/06/24: RealClimate: Far out in North Carolina

  The DC Appeals Court rendered its judgement on the EPA vs the 'Coalition for Responsible Regulation' case this week:

• 2012/07/01: HotTopic: Rationality wins US greenhouse gas case
• 2012/06/28: PSinclair: Reactions to Greenhouse Gas Ruling
• 2012/06/27: NatureNB: US appeals court upholds rules curbing greenhouse gases
• 2012/06/27: Guardian(UK): US court upholds EPA's greenhouse gas rules
• 2012/06/27: DeSmogBlog: A Court's Scientific Smackdown: The D.C. Circuit Trashes Science Deniers on Global Warming and the EPA
• 2012/06/27: KSJT: Wires, etc: DC fed'l court says it's still true. EPA can regulate CO2 as pollutant
• 2012/06/27: PlanetArk: Court upholds EPA's greenhouse gas rules
• 2012/06/27: ScienceInsider: Climate Science Gets a Hug in U.S. Court Decision
• 2012/06/26: CSW: EPA greenhouse gas rules upheld but the attack continues in Congress
• 2012/06/26: TreeHugger: Appeals Court Upholds EPA's Right To Do Its Job, Protect the Environment
• 2012/06/26: STimes: EPA findings, global-warming rules pass court test
• 2012/06/26: ERabett: Running with Rabett
• 2012/06/26: ERabett: The IPCC and the Federal District Court of Appeals
• 2012/06/26: GLaden: EPA Climate Action Upheld by a federal appeals court
• 2012/06/26: QuarkSoup: The Kind of Decisions That Really Matter - today's Appeals Court decision upholding EPA greenhouse gas regulations
• 2012/06/26: TP:JR: U.S. Appeals Court Upholds EPA Greenhouse Gas Emission Rules
• 2012/06/26: STimes: Federal court upholds EPA's global warming rules
  A federal appeals court on Tuesday upheld the first-ever regulations aimed at reducing the gases blamed for global warming. The rules, which were challenged by industry groups and various states, will reduce emissions of six heat-trapping gases from large industrial facilities such as factories and power plants, as well as from automobile tailpipes. A three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals in Washington said that the Environmental Protection Agency was "unambiguously correct" in using existing federal law to address global warming. The ruling is perhaps the most significant to come on the issue since 2007, when the Supreme Court found that greenhouse gases could be controlled as air pollutants under the Clean Air Act.

The GOP War on Women grinds along:

• 2012/06/26: DWR: The Republican War on Women Continues - Mississippi Failing
• 2012/06/25: Wonkette: Campbell Brown Wouldn't Hurt Planned Parenthood If It Didn't Make Her So Mad
• 2012/06/24: AlterNet: Science or Sex: Which Does the Right Hate More?

  The actions of the Obama administration are being watched closely:

• 2012/06/29: TP:JR: Cognitive Dissonance: White House Greenlights Arctic Drilling As Congress Sends Billions To Restore Gulf Coast
• 2012/06/29: TP:JR: BLM 'Auctions' 720-Million-Ton North Porcupine Coal Tract To Single Bidder For $1.10 A Ton
  The Obama administration's Bureau of Land Management auctioned a major tract of Wyoming coal to Peabody Energy at a bargain-basement price of $1.10 per ton yesterday.
• 2012/06/29: PlanetArk: U.S. Unveils Final Drilling Plan, Limits Arctic Sales
  U.S. oil companies will be allowed to drill in more areas of the Gulf of Mexico but won only limited access to the Arctic under the final version of the Obama Administration's five year drilling plan that was slammed by industry and some environmentalists. The 2012-2017 plan calls for three potential lease sales in areas offshore Alaska but the auctions would not be held until the final years of the plan because of environmental concerns about operating in the Arctic. "Put simply, this program opens the vast majority of known offshore oil and gas resources for development over the next five years and includes a cautious but forward-looking leasing strategy for the Alaska Arctic," said Secretary Ken Salazar.
• 2012/06/30: CDreams: US Agency [DOE] Gave Nuclear Industry 'Sweet Deal': Documents
• 2012/06/29: UCSUSA:B: The Future Health of Scientific Integrity is at Stake in New FDA Law
• 2012/06/27: TreeHugger: How Can the Interior Secretary Really Believe an Arctic Oil Spill Won't Happen?
• 2012/06/29: TreeHugger: The US Gov. Just Sold 721 Million Tons of Coal for Literally Cheaper than Dirt
• 2012/06/27: TP:JR: Obama Administration's Plan For Arctic Offshore Drilling Safety: 'I Believe There's Not Going To Be An Oil Spill'
• 2012/06/26: NYT: Shell Is Likely to Receive Permits for Oil Drilling Off Alaska
  Interior Secretary Ken Salazar said Tuesday that it was "highly likely" that the agency would grant Shell permits to begin drilling exploratory wells off the North Slope of Alaska as early as next month.
• 2012/06/26: ChicagoTrib: Salazar: U.S. to open more of Arctic Ocean to oil, gas drilling
• 2012/06/26: NOAANews: International space weather agreement: Statement from NOAA Deputy Administrator Kathryn Sullivan and UK Government Chief Science Adviser Sir John Beddington
• 2012/06/25: TreeHugger: US Gov's Sham Coal "Auctions" Cost You $29 Billion
• 2012/06/25: TP:JR: Noncompetitive Coal Leasing Policies Cost U.S. Taxpayers $29 Billion Since 1982
• 2012/06/24: TheHill:e2W: Interior official: BP 'sincere' about safe offshore drilling
  A top Interior Department official says regulators are confident that BP is now committed to offshore drilling safety, two years after the catastrophic spill that dumped several million barrels of oil into the Gulf of Mexico. "I have a genuine belief that BP is sincere about operating safely and that they have taken steps to reform their culture as well," said Tommy Beaudreau, director of Interior's Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM), in an interview broadcast Sunday.

As for what is going on in Congress:

• 2012/06/29: Guardian(UK): While Colorado burns, Washington fiddles
  Drought, wildfires, storms, floods -- climate change is happening, but the real disaster is our Big Energy-owned politicians' inaction
• 2012/06/28: TP:JR: House Committee Passes Spending Bill That Slashes Funding For Conservation And Oceans, Rolls Back Public Health Laws
• 2012/06/29: TP:JR: Analysis: Cutting Red Tape In Transportation Bill Means Cutting You Out Of The Environmental Review Process
• 2012/06/29: Grist: 'Monsanto Protection Act' would keep GMO crops in the ground during legal battles
• 2012/06/29: Grist: Congress passes terrible transportation bill, hits the road
• 2012/06/29: CSW: Climate science denier Colorado Congressman wants federal wildfire disaster aid
• 2012/06/27: Grist: Congressional Republicans attack another job-creating American company
• 2012/06/26: QuarkSoup: Conveniently Ignoring the Reasons for Environmental Change

  What are the lobbyists pushing?

• 2012/06/26: TP:JR: Chamber Of Commerce And Utility Groups Wage Campaign Against Renewable Energy Increase In Michigan
• 2012/06/27: TP:JR: 85 Percent Of Spending From Leading Conservative Groups Went Toward Ads Labeled 'Deceptive' By Fact Checkers
• 2012/06/25: DeSmogBlog: Heartland Institute, ALEC and More Gearing Up to Undermine Renewable Energy

  While in the UK:

• 2012/06/29: Sun(UK): Old king coal back in power -- Beats gas in UK
• 2012/06/28: NatureNB: Walport named as UK's next chief scientific advisor
• 2012/06/29: ScienceInsider: Director of Wellcome Trust Chosen for U.K. Chief Scientific Adviser
  The director of the Wellcome Trust, an independent charity in the United Kingdom that funds much of the nation's biomedical research, has been appointed as the U.K. government's next Chief Scientific Adviser (CSA). Mark Walport will take up the influential role in April of next year, replacing John Beddington, the population biologist who has held the post since 2008.
• 2012/06/29: BBC: Government must resist new 'dash for gas', advisers say
  The government needs to multiply investment in clean energy four-fold to avoid breaking laws on renewables and climate change, official advisers say. This would raise the annual energy bill of a "typical household" by £100 by 2020, says the Committee on Climate Change (CCC). But it says that is a cheaper option than a new "dash for gas".
• 2012/06/28: BBC: Big increase in Scottish renewables output
  Scotland's renewable energy output increased by 45% in the first quarter of this year, compared with the same period last year. UK government figures showed Scotland generated 4,590 gigawatt hours (GWh) of renewable energy in the first three months of 2012. This was an increase of 1,435 GWh on the first quarter of 2011. Scotland is aiming to generate the equivalent of 100% of its electricity needs from renewables by 2020.
• 2012/06/28: BBC: 'Fracking' safe with strong regulation, report says
• 2012/06/28: Guardian(UK): Government must give up 'dash for gas', say environmental advisers
  Committee on Climate Change demands further shift to lower-carbon alternatives to reach emissions targets
• 2012/06/27: NatureNB: Campaigners call for wider libel reform
• 2012/06/27: BBC: Green waste: More councils charge for collections
  Almost a third of councils across England charge to collect garden waste, research by the BBC has found.
• 2012/06/25: BBC: Polluted legacy: Repairing Britain's damaged landscapes
  The Industrial Revolution, which made Britain the powerhouse of the world in the 19th Century, may have been consigned to the history books but it has left a legacy of environmental problems. Experts warn it continues to pollute drinking water, poison rivers and threaten flooding and in the process it fuels climate change and affects huge swathes of the modern landscape.
• 2012/06/26: Guardian(UK): Plans for carbon-capture power station abandoned
  Environmentalists welcome Ayrshire Power's withdrawal of plans for coal-fired station at Hunterston due to financial concerns
• 2012/06/26: Guardian(UK): Sir David King: quantitative easing should be aimed at green economy
  The UK's former chief scientific adviser argued for the greening of the UK's infrastructure, and a more efficient use of resources
• 2012/06/26: EnergySavingTrust: Household electricity-using habits revealed
  A report by the Energy Saving Trust, the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC), and the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra)
• 2012/06/26: BBC: UK homes are consuming much more electricity than previously estimated, a report described as the most detailed of its kind has suggested
• 2012/06/26: BBC: MPs seek answers from Treasury on Energy Bill
  Treasury ministers are refusing to give evidence to MPs about the Energy Bill. The House of Commons energy committee says the Treasury should explain its influence on energy policy. Treasury ministers have given evidence in the past, but now they say it would be improper to comment on another department's legislation. The MPs believe this is disingenuous because the Treasury's cap on the environmental levy on energy bills will effectively determine policy. The Department of Energy and Climate Change's Energy Bill is currently out to pre-legislative scrutiny.

And in Europe:

• 2012/06/29: DerSpiegel: CEO of Energy Giant RWE -- 'The Nuclear Power Chapter Has Come to an End'
• 2012/06/28: PlanetArk: German mediation committee agrees carbon capture law
  Germany's parliamentary mediation committee on Wednesday approved a compromise that would allow carbon capture and storage (CCS) in Germany on a test basis, Environment Minister Peter Altmaier said.
• 2012/06/27: EurActiv: Polish businesses launch offensive against EU climate policy
  The Polish Chamber of Commerce (PCC) threw its weight behind Warsaw's campaign against the EU's decarbonisation goals for 2050 yesterday (26 June), launching a study which claims that Polish jobs, growth, inflation and the environment are under threat.
• 2012/06/27: EurActiv: France criticised over oil drilling as environment minister removed
  France's new Socialist government has been accused of bowing to big business and the energy lobby after the environment minister was removed from her post following her order to freeze international oil exploration off the coast of French Guiana. Shell, Europe's biggest oil producer, and its partners including Total, have got the go-ahead to begin drilling at four sites off the coast of French Guiana, an overseas département on the north-east coast of South America.
• 2012/06/27: PlanetArk: German government, states agree solar incentive cuts: MPs
• 2012/06/26: EurActiv: NGO coalition demands ban on super greenhouse gas
  Six NGOs are calling for the European Commission to propose a ban on some uses of the most potent greenhouse gas known to humankind, sulphur hexafluoride (SF6), after a new report found that existing alternative technologies were no more expensive.
• 2012/06/26: PSinclair: Germany: Do. Or Do Not. There is no Try.
• 2012/06/26: TP:JR: The 'Bleeding Heart' Campaign To Help Big Energy In Germany
• 2012/06/25: EurActiv: Romania leaves options open for shale gas development
  Romania's Senate has overwhelming rejected a motion to ban shale gas exploration and exploitation by hydraulic fracturing, marking an about-face for Prime Minister Victor Ponta's Social Democrat party (PSD) that introduced the draft law in March.
• 2012/06/25: EurActiv: Germany spearheads 'Robin Hood' tax group of EU nations

  Meanwhile in Australia:

• 2012/06/30: TheAge: Fairfax Media, Rinehart board stoush gets personal
• 2012/06/29: Independent(UK): Gina Rinehart: The billionaire climate change sceptic who wants a slice of Australia's media
• 2012/06/29: ABC(Au): Release of Browse environmental report delayed
• 2012/06/29: ABC(Au): Secret power deal labelled unfair
  The Tasmania Government is under fire after the signing of another secret cut-price power supply agreement for a big multi-national. There is speculation the deals do not include the carbon tax. Pressure is now mounting for the same offer to be extended to the state's other businesses. On Thursday the State Government announced 500 jobs at Rio Tinto's Bell Bay smelter were safe thanks to an electricity supply deal with Hydro Tasmania. Last month BHP Billiton renegotiated the supply contract for its TEMCO manganese smelter. Geoff Fader from the Tasmanian Small Business Council has reacted angrily to Rio Tinto's deal. "If one business in Tasmania can buy carbon tax free from the Hydro, why should not all the other businesses in Tasmania?" he said. The Premier Lara Giddings has refused to detail the terms of the deal.
• 2012/06/30: ABC(Au): Palmer labels Libs a 'Stalinist operation'
  Billionaire miner Clive Palmer has angrily lashed out at the Liberal Party's Federal Council, describing it as a 'Stalinist operation'. The Party's supreme policy making body overwhelmingly rejected three motions put to it last night by its Queensland LNP (Liberal National Party) branch, to ban party office holders from working as paid lobbyists or journalists. Mr Palmer says he believes paid lobbyists on the Party's executive expose the Liberal Party to accusations of favours for positive policy outcomes.
• 2012/06/28: ABC(Au):TDU: Knowledge isn't enough; power trumps all
• 2012/06/28: ABC(Au): $70m boost in the wind for Allendale
  ACCIONA Energy says about $70 million could be injected into the south-east South Australian economy during construction of its proposed Allendale wind farm. ACCIONA is proposing to build 46 wind turbines about two kilometres east of Allendale.
• 2012/06/28: ABC(Au): [WA State Environment Minister, Bill Marmion] delays EPA report on Kimberley gas hub
• 2012/07/01: ABC(Au): Industry concerns as mining tax implemented
• 2012/06/27: PlanetJ: Climate Change Authority board members conflicted
• 2012/06/27: ABC(Au): Climate change conference underway in Melbourne
  About 600 delegates have gathered in Melbourne, in Victoria, this week for a national conference on climate change. The meeting is being held by the CSIRO and the National Climate Change Adaptation Research Facility, and brings together people from science, business and agriculture. The CSIRO's Dr Mark Howden says it's a chance to discuss how well farmers are adjusting to changes in climate.
• 2012/06/27: ABC(Au): Opposition says gas hub council disempowered
  WA's Opposition says the Planning Minister John Day has disempowered residents and local councillors in Broome. The comments follow Mr Day amending a local council order to ensure work on the Kimberley gas hub project was not disrupted.
• 2012/06/27: ABC(Au): Court rejects NSW bushfire compensation bid
  Victims of the Black Christmas bushfires in New South Wales 11 years ago have lost a court battle for compensation.
• 2012/06/27: ABC(Au): Funds target low emission energy projects
  Two energy companies have received state funding to develop low emission energy projects in Western Australia's mid-west and wheatbelt. As part of the Low Emissions Energy Development scheme, the Government will invest $12.7 million in a number of projects.
• 2012/06/27: ABC(Au): Labor ramps up pressure over Slipper affair
  The Federal Government is ramping up pressure on the Coalition over the Peter Slipper affair, demanding it disclose the full extent of its contact with Mr Slipper's accuser James Ashby.
• 2012/06/26: ABC(Au): Minister defends intervention in gas hub access
  The [WA] Minister for Planning John Day has circumvented a Supreme Court case to ensure the proposed gas hub project in the Kimberley remains on track. Traditional land owner Richard Hunter was due to attend a hearing in the court next week to try to stop Woodside from accessing land at the site, north of Broome. The court case was to determine whether the company's original access to the James Price Point site was invalid. But, late yesterday, Mr Day amended a council order covering the land. The change means Woodside will retain access to the site no matter what the outcome of the court case.
• 2012/06/26: ABC(Au): Marmion tight-lipped on gas hub report
  The [WA] Environment Minister Bill Marmion is remaining tight-lipped following claims a report, on whether the proposed gas hub at James Price Point gas hub should go ahead, was not conducted properly. Four members of the Environmental Protection Authority board have been barred from contributing to the report because of potential conflicts of interest.
• 2012/06/26: ABC(Au): Landowner wins coal seam gas battle [in Qld]
• 2012/06/26: ABC(Au): WA Government acts to allow Woodside to start work on Kimberley gas hub
• 2012/06/26: ABC(Au): Palmer, Abbott in stoush over lobbyists
  Mining heavyweight Clive Palmer has revealed details of a heated altercation with the Federal Opposition Leader Tony Abbott. Mr Palmer says there was swearing and raised voices as the pair argued over his call for political lobbyists to be banned from holding senior positions within the Liberal Party. The ban will be discussed at an upcoming Liberal Federal Executive meeting.
• 2012/06/26: ABC(Au): Journalist told Slipper staffer 'we will get him'
  Lawyers for Peter Slipper have filed court documents alleging a News Limited journalist sent a text message to one of the Speaker's staff, saying: "We will get him!!" Steve Lewis allegedly sent the message to James Ashby less than a fortnight before Mr Ashby filed a sexual harassment claim against the Speaker. The allegations were then published in several News Limited newspapers under Lewis's byline.
• 2012/06/26: ABC(Au): Palmer admits to spat with Abbott over lobbyists
  Mining magnate Clive Palmer has admitted he had a swearing match with Federal Opposition Leader Tony Abbott over his push to ban lobbyists from the Liberal executive. Mr Palmer is planning to move a motion at this weekend's meeting of the Liberal Federal Council and flagged his plan with Mr Abbott in Melbourne last week. He says the discussion with Mr Abbott turned sour when they had a disagreement.
• 2012/06/25: PlanetJ: The Not-So-Clean Energy Finance Corporation
• 2012/06/25: ABC(Au): EPA chairman makes sole decision on gas hub [to be revealed on Friday]
• 2012/06/25: ABC(Au): Wind farms to generate clean power and controversy
• 2012/06/25: ABC(Au): Palmer seeks permission to pollute reef: Burke
  The Federal Government says an application to pump waste water from a north Queensland nickel refinery into the Great Barrier Reef is not being taken lightly. Mining magnate Clive Palmer is seeking approval from the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority to take contaminated water held in tailing tanks at his nickel refinery plant near Townsville, and release it into nearby Halifax Bay. The waste water would only be released if levels in tailing tanks reached crisis levels. Federal Environment Minister Tony Burke says Mr Palmer is effectively applying for "permission to pollute" the Great Barrier Reef.

Well the carbon tax is law. Did the sky fall?

• 2012/07/01: CBC: Australia's carbon tax takes effect -- Tax targets biggest corporate polluters
• 2012/07/01: ABC(Au): [West Australian Premier, Colin Barnett] says carbon tax won't reduce emissions
• 2012/06/30: BBC: Australia introduces controversial carbon tax
• 2012/07/01: ABC(Au): Treasury to count cost of carbon tax for Victorians
• 2012/07/01: ABC(Au): Controversial carbon tax takes effect
• 2012/06/29: ABC(Au): Horizon offers carbon tax regional assurance
• 2012/06/29: ABC(Au): Future of polluting power stations remains unclear
• 2012/06/29: ABC(Au): Carbon farming scheme about to begin
• 2012/06/30: ABC(Au): Abbott pledges to fund roads, repeal carbon tax
• 2012/06/30: ABC(Au): Time is right for Australian carbon tax, says Gillard
• 2012/06/26: ABC(Au):TDU: Carbon tax: more political porkies to come
• 2012/06/29: ABC(Au):TDU: Carbon tax rhetoric is failing all-round
• 2012/06/29: Guardian(UK): Uncertainty hangs over Australia on eve of carbon tax introduction
• 2012/06/28: ABC(Au): Carbon tax impact under scrutiny
  Lateline looks at what impact the carbon tax will have on Australia's energy consumption and whether it can reduce the nation's emissions.
• 2012/06/28: ABC(Au): Abbott takes last swipe at PM before carbon tax day
• 2012/06/27: ABC(Au): Carbon tax makes choppers more costly
• 2012/06/27: ABC(Au): Smaller businesses more likely to pass on carbon tax cost
• 2012/06/28: ABC(Au): Uncertainty reigns over carbon tax effect
  Consumers may not necessarily have to bear the burden of the carbon tax, with retailers squeezing their suppliers instead.
• 2012/06/26: ABC(Au): Farmers warm to the carbon economy
• 2012/06/26: ABC(Au): Carbon claims enter absurd territory
• 2012/06/25: ABC(Au): Combet tells how to put profit into carbon
  Primary producers in the New South Wales south east are being urged to use carbon farming to improve their profitability. The Federal Minister for Industry and Innovation, Greg Combet, suggested the practice as a way to profit from the Carbon Emissions Trading Scheme during a visit to Bega last week.
• 2012/06/25: ABC(Au): Food energy savings to reduce carbon footprint

  After a 10 year drought and recent massive flooding, water usage planning is controversial and difficult:

• 2012/06/28: ABC(Au): NSW says withdrawing funds from Basin Authority isn't political
• 2012/06/29: ABC(Au): 'Good' meeting for Murray-Darling water ministers
  The Murray-Darling state water ministers have met with their Federal counterpart Tony Burke and asked the Murray-Darling Basin Authority to model the impact of returning 3,200 gigalitres of water to the environment. The MDB Plan currently calls for 2,750 gigalitres to be diverted from irrigation to environmental flows, a figure seen as too high by many farmer and community groups, and too low by conservationists.
• 2012/06/29: ABC(Au): Lachlan Valley farmer fined [A$370,000] for stealing water
• 2012/06/29: ABC(Au): [Victoria's Water Minister, Peter] Walsh hopeful of basin plan agreement
• 2012/06/29: ABC(Au): [South Australia's Water Minister, Paul] Caica won't compromise on basin plan
• 2012/06/29: ABC(Au): Water ministers agree to model higher Murray flow
  South Australia says upstream states have agreed for modelling to be done of returning more environmental flows to the Murray-Darling river system. SA Water Minister Paul Caica says the Murray-Darling Basin Authority will be asked to model a return of 3,200 gigalitres annually, which is 450 gigalitres more than proposed in the revised draft Basin plan.
• 2012/06/27: ABC(Au): Thousands join Griffith rally against Basin plan
• 2012/06/26: ABC(Au): DRAG backs legal action over basin plan
  The secretary of the Darling River Action Group, Barney Stevens, says if the South Australian government takes legal action over the Murray Darling Basin Plan, his group might join in.

And South America:

• 2012/06/30: al Jazeera: Trade bloc suspends Paraguay over impeachment
  Mercosur regional organisation withdraws membership over Paraguay parliament's vote to oust President Fernando Lugo.
• 2012/06/29: BBC: Mercosur 'to suspend' Paraguay over Lugo impeachment
  The Mercosur trade bloc plans to suspend Paraguay over the impeachment of President Fernando Lugo, Brazil's foreign minister has said. But Antonio Patriota said foreign ministers from Argentina, Brazil and Uruguay would recommend against imposing economic sanctions. He was speaking at the start of a summit in Mendoza in Argentina.
• 2012/06/28: BBC: Bolivian police end strike after agreeing pay deal
• 2012/06/27: TreeHugger: 150 Amazon Indians Occupy Belo Monte Dam Site
• 2012/06/24: CBC: Paraguay's oil supplies cut after president ousted -- Ex-allies Argentina, Brazil and Venezuela take action following Fernando Lugo's impeachment

  In Canada, neocon PM Harper pushes petroleum while ignoring climate change:

• 2012/06/28: PostMedia: It's hard to be an energy superpower
  The first thing we should all be honest enough to admit about Prime Minister Stephen Harper's plans to transform Canada into an "energy superpower" is that Plan A, which is really all about Alberta bitumen, is perhaps just a bit more reckless and sinister than we might have imagined.
  [...]
  There is no Plan B by the way...
• 2012/06/26: PI:B: Environmental review of oilsands project doesn't fit federal government's script
• 2012/06/26: Maribo: How Canada has changed since the 1992 Rio summit
• 2012/06/26: ScottsDiatribe: You know you have an anti-environment government when... [Harper]

  Whoops! Another Harper minister let slip the truth:

• 2012/06/25: PostMedia: Budget offers new tools to "authorize" water pollution, says Harper minister
  Changes to Canada's environmental protection laws in the federal budget implementation bill will offer new tools to "authorize" water pollution, while allowing the government to outsource services to protect the country's waterways, says Fisheries and Oceans Minister Keith Ashfield.

The G20 controversy lingers:

• 2012/06/28: MediaCoop: The Political Prosecution of Alex Hundert ends in 13.5 month Prison Sentence
• 2012/06/29: PaiD: Enablers Of The G20 Abuses: The Police Services Board
• 2012/06/29: CBC: G20 communication problems downplayed by police chief
  Toronto Police Chief Bill Blair says there's "excellent communication" between the police service and a key civilian oversight agency, despite a review into policing during the G20 summit in Toronto that suggests otherwise. The report, by former justice John Morden and commissioned by the oversight agency, the Toronto Police Services Board, found that "the board became a mere bystander in a process it was supposed to lead."
• 2012/06/29: PaiD: Two 'Politicians' Speak
• 2012/06/28: CBC: G20 oversight dogged by poor communication, says report
  Civilian oversight of police actions during the G20 summit in Toronto was significantly hampered by inadequate communication, a top-down approach by the federal government, and the inability of a key oversight agency to assert its role, according to a new report. The independent report, commissioned by the Toronto Police Services Board, a civilian body that oversees police actions, found that "the board became a mere bystander in a process it was supposed to lead." The wide-ranging, 410-page report was due to be released Friday morning, but was inadvertently published online. The link has since been taken down.

There is a still a lot of talk about Bill C-38:

• 2012/06/30: PostMedia: Senate passes huge budget bill -- C-38 includes changes to Old Age Security, environmental reviews
  Just in time for the Canada Day long weekend, the Senate ended this session of Parliament by approving the government's omnibus budget bill - which promptly received royal assent - making changes to the environmental review laws and social assistance programs.
• 2012/06/27: WCEL: Canada's Fisheries Act after Bill C-38
• 2012/06/27: WCEL: Six Questions for your MP about Bill C-38
  [...] 1. Why does Bill C-38 amend the Fisheries Act to reduce protection for the habitat of all fish -- even for those that are part of the commercial, recreational and aboriginal fisheries that the government claims are still protected?
  [...] 2. The government says that it's not rewriting environmental laws for the benefit of the oil and gas industry, but many amendments are designed specifically to give special treatment to that industry, and especially oil and gas pipeline construction. Why do these amendments regulate the oil and gas industry less stringently than every other commercial enterprise in the country?
  [...] 3. How many projects in Canada that would have received an environmental assessment under the old Canadian Environmental Assessment Act, will no longer receive an environmental assessment of any kind (federal or provincial) under the new Canadian Environmental Assessment Act 2012 (CEAA 2012)? Why are there no clear national standards for projects that will only be assessed at the provincial level? Doesn't the federal government have a responsibility to ensure high environmental standards are being applied nationally and in a consistent manner across the country?
  [...] 4. Why does the new CEAA 2012 not contain any guarantees or definitions that will ensure that members of the public with a direct interest in a project or who are representing public interest concerns will be included in public participation?
  [...] 5. Given the Canadian government promises to be a leader on climate change, why does the 2012 Budget repeal the only Canadian law that required the government to report on its progress in reducing Greenhouse Gases and eliminate an expert advisory body, the National Roundtable on Environment and Economy (NRTEE), which was charged with helping the government to figure out how to make such reductions?
  [...] 6. In 1994, in his role as an MP, Stephen Harper asked how, in the face of an omnibus bill, MPs can "represent their constituents on these various areas when they are forced to vote in a block on such legislation and on such concerns?" Do you agree that omnibus bills reduce the ability of MPs to represent their constituents?
• 2012/06/27: CBC: 5,000 public servants learn their jobs are at risk -- Federal government looking to eliminate 19,200 public service jobs over the next 3 years
• 2012/06/26: CBC: New round of federal public service cuts coming this week
• 2012/06/24: TStar: Environmental crisis? We have a democratic crisis

  Under the smokescreen of fiscal responsibility, the Harper gang is streamlining environmental reviews out of existence:

• 2012/06/28: HillTimes: Feds' move to close world-renowned freshwater environmental research centre strikes a nerve: Forum Research poll
  The federal government's closure of a world-renowned freshwater environmental research centre deep in the northern forests of Ontario has struck a nerve with Canadians from coast to coast, a Forum Research poll has found.
• 2012/06/27: PostMedia: Federal government slammed for 'gutting' fisheries protection program
  The Harper government has announced major cuts to its fisheries habitat protection program, prompting a retired federal biologist to warn Wednesday of a dramatic increase in the risk of environmental damage. The cuts coincide with Fisheries Minister Keith Ashfield's launch of a public consultation process seeking input on how Canadian fisheries should be managed. The announcement was mocked by government critics who predicted that Canadians will react cynically to being asked for their input long after the decision was made to make sweeping fisheries policy changes.
• 2012/06/27: PaiD: What The Closure of The Experimental Lakes Area Really Means
• 2012/06/27: NorRe: Killing The ELA
• 2012/06/27: iPolitics: Harper hurts science --- again
  The Harper government knows and cares as much about science as it knows and cares about telling the truth. That's what the recent decision to close Canada's world-renowned Experimental Lakes Area (ELA) tells anyone who is paying attention.
• 2012/06/26: G&M: In Harper's crosshairs, green group opens books on foreign donors

  Canadian groups are agitating against the TPP. See also:

• 2012/06/26: Tyee: Shell Game: Why Canada's in Trans Pacific Partnership Talks
  It's more about changing farm sector regs here than opening up markets.
• 2012/06/30: PaiD: Trans-Pacific Partnership: Harper To Surrender More Of Our Sovereignty To Corporations
• 2012/06/28: PostMedia: Web advocates want veil on trade talks lifted
  Potential changes to copyright regulations would impose draconian restrictions on Internet users, Canadian coalition fears A coalition of Internet advocates launched a campaign Wednesday against Canada's participation in closed-door trade talks that could force Canada to impose draconian restrictions on Internet users. The coalition, which includes Vancouver's OpenMedia.ca, is calling on the Canadian government to lift the veil of secrecy around negotiations in the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) agreement and to defend Canada's sovereignty over Internet laws in this country.
• Stop The Trap!

  The State of Canada's Birds report came out this week and it wasn't good:

• 2012/06/27: SoCB: [link to 5 meg pdf] State of Canada's Birds
• 2012/06/27: NatureNB: Fowl trends for Canadian birds
• 2012/06/27: PostMedia: Many Canadian bird species in serious decline, national report finds
• 2012/06/27: SoCB: State of Canada's Birds
• 2012/06/27: CBC: Bird species declining in Canada, report says -- Expert panel finds 12 per cent drop in bird populations since 1970
  A huge proportion of Canada's bird species are in serious decline, threatened by disappearing habitat and climate change, the first comprehensive report on the health of the country's avian populations has found. Overall, there's been a 12 per cent drop in bird populations since 1970, says the 36-page report, entitled The State of Canada's Birds 2012.

The battle over the Northern Gateway pipeline rages on:

• 2012/06/28: Tyee: It's More than a Pipeline -- So states Enbridge's expensive ad blitz. Here's what they don't say
• 2012/06/29: Tyee: Enbridge Safety Standards Not Yet 'World Class': Employee
  Understaffing and hostile work culture contributed to US spill, operator testimony shows.
• 2012/06/29: BCLSB: Boom!!! Another pipeline ruptures in B.C!
• 2012/06/29: CBC: Second B.C. pipeline burst this week
• 2012/06/30: DeSmogBlog: The DilBit Disaster: InsideClimate News' Incredible In-Depth Report on Enbridge's Kalamazoo Oil Spill
• 2012/06/27: NewsWire: Joint Review Panel for Enbridge Northern Gateway Project Finalizes Schedule for Community Hearings
  [...] Final argument will take place in March and April 2013 and is expected to be completed in April 2013. Based on this timeline, the Panel expects to issue its report and findings on the proposed project by December 2013.
• 2012/06/28: BCLSB: Northern Gateway Joint Review Panel Decision...
• 2012/06/27: TerraceStandard: Enbridge pipeline becoming a national issue
• 2012/06/26: ICN: A Dilbit Primer: How It's Different from Conventional Oil
  Bitumen extracted from tar sands has the consistency of peanut butter and must be diluted to flow through pipelines. And that's just the beginning.
• 2012/06/26: ICN: The Dilbit Disaster: Inside The Biggest Oil Spill You've Never Heard Of, Part 1
• Enbridge Northern Gateway Project Joint Review Panel
• 2012/06/27: ICN: The Dilbit Disaster: Inside The Biggest Oil Spill You've Never Heard Of, Part 2
  Days of confusion followed the spill. Officials thought they were cleaning up ordinary crude. It was an erroneous assumption Enbridge did not correct.
• 2012/06/28: ICN: The Dilbit Disaster: Inside The Biggest Oil Spill You've Never Heard Of, Part 3
  'Hearing the oil being described as a totally different product knocked my feet out from under me,' Miller recalls. 'What else have they lied to us about?'

Enbridge tried to kill a video spoof of their lame ads and it blew up in their faces:

• 2012/06/26: TheCanadian: Province Newspaper Pulled Cartoon Under Pressure from Enbridge
• 2012/06/27: TheCanadian: Enbridge's Attempt to Kill Spoof Backfires as Censored Cartoonist Goes Public
• 2012/06/27: LeftOver: Enbridge Pipeline Spoof is "Revised"
• 2012/06/27: Far-n-Wide: Bite The Hand That Feeds
• 2012/06/26: HuffPo: Cartoonist Says Enbridge Pipeline Spoof Pulled Under Pressure (video)
• 2012/06/27: CBC: Cartoonist says Enbridge spoof pulled under pressure
  A veteran B.C. political cartoonist says his newspaper has backed down in a fight with one of Canada's largest energy companies over a spoof of an advertisement. Dan Murphy, of the Vancouver Province, created an animated parody targeting Enbridge Inc. and the potential environmental impact of its proposed multi-billion-dollar Northern Gateway pipeline proposal that would cross B.C. and Alberta. Murphy says his publisher, Postmedia News, pulled the online animation off its website after Enbridge threatened to cut advertising with the newspaper chain, a claim Enbridge denies The original Enbridge video was designed to promote its controversial pipeline project. Murphy's animation mocks Enbridge, splashing oily goo on the screen while questioning the oil giant's environmental record. Murphy told CBC News that he was told Enbridge was outraged that its ad was mocked and put heavy pressure on Postmedia News.
• 2012/06/26: NI: Video Enbridge (and Postmedia) wants hidden
• 2012/06/25: BotB: Vancouver's Province pulls animation satirizing Enbridge
• 2012/06/25: 350orBust: Enbridge's Slick New Ad Campaign Flounders

  The ISA/PRV/IHN/Alpha virus in BC waters is potentially disastrous:

• 2012/06/27: Tyee: Tensions Rise over Dismal Salmon Forecast
  At Stó:lo- ceremony, talk of waning Fraser River sockeye returns and political clashes with some commercial fishers.
• 2012/06/25: AlexandraMorton: How Viable is Salmon Farming?

  In BC, the stage is set. Now what will Clark and Dix do?

• 2012/07/01: ChronicleHerald: B.C. may put brakes on carbon tax
• 2012/06/30: P3: BC's Carbon tax goes up on July 1st
• 2012/06/28: PostMedia: B.C.'s 'controversial' carbon trading system under review -- Auditor-general eyes claims of carbon-neutrality
  The B.C. auditor-general is examining the controversial carbon trading system the provincial government has used to declare its public sector carbon neutral. The audit will determine whether the B.C. government has achieved that goal, and also determine whether the greenhouse gas reductions (called carbon offsets) the province purchased to become carbon neutral were "credible," according to the auditor-general's website.
• 2012/06/29: PI:B: B.C.'s climate progress begs the question: what's next?
• 2012/06/25: PI: Carbon tax is good for B.C. say business, environmental and community leaders
  New study finds consensus across sectors on concern for climate change and need for climate policies such as a carbon tax
• 2012/06/25: PI: [link to 1.7 meg pdf] British Columbia's Carbon Tax -- Exploring perspectives and seeking common ground
• 2012/06/27: PostMedia: B.C. cuts emissions, but faces challenges hitting climate targets
  Environment Minister Terry Lake said British Columbia is on target to meet its short-term goals for reducing greenhouse gas emissions, but warned that long-term success is no guarantee.
• 2012/06/28: G&M: B.C. will raise its carbon tax July 1 by $5 a tonne
  British Columbia is set to boost its controversial carbon tax by $5 a tonne on July 1, further driving up the price of gasoline and other petroleum products as the province attempts to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 33 per cent below 2007 levels by 2020
• 2012/06/25: TheCanadian: BC Hydro's $30 Billion Blind Gamble
• 2012/06/28: TheCanadian: Government Pushes Raven Coal Mine to Next Stage, Comox Valley Residents Remain Defiant
• 2012/06/28: BCLSB: And Now, In Other Pipeline News...Wait For It!...
• 2012/06/26: PostMedia: Carbon tax is a good-news, bad-news story
  Depending on the source, it seems the controversial levy has had little impact on the environment or on B.C.'s economy
• 2012/06/22: PostMedia: BC2035: How best to deal with B.C.'s soaring energy demands?
  BC Hydro expects demand for electricity to soar over the next 20 years -- but how to best address the need is a subject of much debate The need for electricity in British Columbia could jump by 50 per cent in 20 years, without taking into account conservation, BC Hydro believes.

Meanwhile in that Mechanical Mordor known as the tar sands:

• 2012/06/28: CBC: Progress Energy gets $5.5B takeover offer
  Calgary-based Progress Energy Resources Corp. has received a friendly $5.5 billion takeover offer from Malaysia's state-owned oil and gas company, Petronas
• 2012/06/28: BBerg: Petronas Agrees to Buy Canada's Progress Energy
  Petroliam Nasional Bhd, the Malaysian oil and natural-gas company, agreed to buy Progress Energy Resources Corp. (PRQ) for C$4.8 billion in cash ($4.67 billion).
• 2012/06/27: Tyee: On Oil Sands, Ottawa's Not Hearing What Alberta's Saying
  If you thought the oil patch firmly favours Canada's federal stance on carbon emissions, think again. Last in a series on greening the oil sands.
• 2012/06/26: DeSmogBlog: Maps Show Tar Sands Sprawl in Caribou Habitat: Could Resolve Problem with 1% of Industry Profits, says Scientist

  Also in Alberta:

• 2012/06/29: SCC: The Red Deer River Oil Spill Digest
• 2012/06/28: SCC: The Red Deer River Oil Spill - Update #15
• 2012/06/28: SCC: The Red Deer River Oil Spill - Update #14
• 2012/06/26: CBC: Pipeline review pushed by Alberta landowners, coalition
  Environmentalists, landowners and labour groups are pushing the Alberta government to investigate oil and gas pipeline safety. A coalition has taken out an advertisement in weekly newspapers pressing for the review.
• 2012/06/26: SCC: The Red Deer River Oil Spill - Update #12

  In the Maritimes:

• 2012/06/26: MChisolm: Climate Justice on the East Coast
  At 2:30PM AST today the Margaree Environmental Association (MEA) held a press conference to brief the media and take questions on details of MEA's legal Appeal of the Department of Environment's decision to approve the drilling of an oil well in the Lake Ainslie area of Cape Breton. Margaree Environmental Association Co-Chairs, Neal Livingston and Brian Peters, are heading to the Courts tomorrow where they will present the group's appeal.

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

• 2012/06/29: CCurrents: Meat And Potatoes In The Coming Decades
• 2012/06/28: CCurrents: The Post-Apocalyptic House
• 2012/06/30: DWR: Doing Capitalism Differently -- Spain's Mondragon Corporation
• 2012/06/27: PSE: Is the quest for endless economic and population growth sustainable?
• 2012/06/26: CCurrents: On Being A Radical
• 2012/06/26: EnergyBulletin: Can we avoid the perfect storm?
• 2012/06/24: Guardian(UK): Yes, there is an alternative to capitalism: Mondragon shows the way

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

• 2012/06/26: Grist: Crowd control: 7 billion people. One last chance to save the planet
• 2012/06/14: IAP: IAP Statement on Population and Consumption
• 2012/06/25: BLongstaff: Scientists warn, politicians ignore

  Apocalypso anyone?

• 2012/06/29: CCurrents: Not Dark Yet: But I Have Seen The Footlong Hot Dog Of The Apocalypse
• 2012/06/28: CCurrents: Collapse Fatigue: Prevention And Treatment
• 2012/06/26: CCurrents: The End Is Near

  How do the media measure up?

• 2012/06/29: CAbyss: Why The Public Is Confused About Climate Science, Part 1,327,570
  [...]
  Read the newspaper, and you find that those stupid scientists were wrong about climate change again.
  Read the actual scientific papers, and you find that scientists continue to find new ways to extend our knowledge of the climate system
.
• 2012/06/28: SeattlePI:B: The media covers Kardashians, not climate change
• 2012/06/27: CemsoredNews: Lazy media aids Hopi Navajo water theft scheme
• 2012/06/26: CJR: Our polar backyard -- Economist explores what a melting Arctic means to the world
• 2012/06/29: CJR: Press war Down Under -- A mining mogul's battle with an Australian media group shakes the industry
• 2012/06/27: MediaMatters: Study: Kardashians Get 40 Times More News Coverage Than Ocean Acidification
• 2012/06/27: TP:JR: Hell And High Water Strikes, Media Miss The Forest For The Burning Trees
• 2012/06/25: PressThink: Covering Wicked Problems

  The Rinehart business:

• 2012/06/30: TheAge: Fairfax Media, Rinehart board stoush gets personal
• 2012/06/29: Independent(UK): Gina Rinehart: The billionaire climate change sceptic who wants a slice of Australia's media
• 2012/06/27: Guardian(UK): Is Gina Rinehart planning to use Fairfax to push her climate scepticism?
• 2012/06/27: DeSmogBlog: What The World's Richest Woman Gina Rinehart Thinks About Climate Change
• 2012/06/25: BBC: Gina Rinehart threatens to sell Fairfax stake
  Gina Rinehart has threatened to sell her stake in Fairfax Media if she is not offered seats on the firm's board "without unsuitable conditions". The mining magnate recently increased her stake to 18.67% in Fairfax and has reportedly asked for three board seats and more editorial control. However, there are concerns that such a move may hurt Farifax's independence. Ms Rinehart, who is Australia's richest woman, is opposed to the government's mining and carbon tax plans

Here is something for your library:

• 2012/06/26: DM:GNXP: The sea as it was
  [Book Plug] _The Great Sea: A Human History of the Mediterranean_ by David Abulafia
• 2012/06/25: NAP: Sea-Level Rise for the Coasts of California, Oregon, and Washington: Past, Present, and Future
• 2012/06/22: SacBee: Author Daniel Rirdan Answers the Call for a Viable Planetary Sustainability Plan in "The Blueprint: Averting Global Collapse"

  And for your film & video enjoyment:

• 2012/06/28: TreeHugger: 'Backyard' Documentary Highlights Fight Against Fracking
• 2012/06/30: PSinclair: DC Storms: "If we did not have global warming, we wouldn't see this"
• 2012/06/30: PSinclair: The Weekend Wonk: Measuring Sea Level in Detail
• 2012/06/30: HotTopic: This is our planet
• 2012/06/29: Maribo: New paper on water use in the Amazon features a video abstract
• 2012/06/26: HuffPo: Cartoonist Says Enbridge Pipeline Spoof Pulled Under Pressure (video)
• 2012/06/26: NI: Video Enbridge (and Postmedia) wants hidden
• 2012/06/26: TreeHugger: The Sky Is Pink: There's No Safe Cigarette & There's No Safe Fracking (Video)
• 2012/06/25: P3: EO Wilson: Advice to young scientists
• 2012/06/25: PSinclair: [Ta'Kaiya Blaney] Video: A Child's Song About Tar Sands

  As for podcasts:

• 2012/06/28: EarthGauge: Earthgauge Radio June 28, 2012: Rio +20 Earth Summit in review and the Emerald Ash Borer beetle

  Meanwhile among the 'Sue the Bastards!' contingent. See also:

• 2012/06/29: TreeHugger: 34.1 MPG CAFE Standards for 2016 Upheld by U.S. Court of Appeals
• 2012/06/27: Olympian: 9th circuit upholds state code for home-energy use
  In an apparent defeat for the Building Industry Association of Washington, the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals has upheld a federal court ruling in favor of the State Building Codes Council over standards for increasing the energy efficiency of homes that it adopted in 2009.
• 2012/06/25: JFleck: In the southeast, back to not fightin' over water?

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

• 2012/07/01: Spectrum: A Skeptic Looks at Alternative Energy
  It takes several lifetimes to put a new energy system into place, and wishful thinking can't speed things along
• 2012/06/28: TreeHugger: 80% Renewable Energy by 2050 is Possible, Just Using Today's Commercially-Available Technology
• 2012/06/29: DD: Graph of the Day: Projected U.S. Energy Consumption and CO2 Emissions, 2008-2035
• 2012/06/27: TP:JR: Thinking Big: NREL Study Shows 80 Percent Renewables Possible By 2050
• 2012/06/27: EnergyBulletin: Ruthless extrapolation by Tom Murphy
• 2012/06/26: TreeHugger: This Land is Coal's Land
• 2012/06/27: AutoBG: Fear of "catastrophic" explosion holds up SFO hydrogen fueling station
• 2012/06/27: BBC: Tricentenary for steam pioneer Thomas Newcomen
  A series of conferences focusing on energy is being held around the UK to mark the 300th anniversary of the world's first steam engine. In 1712, Devon-born Thomas Newcomen's engine began pumping water from a coal mine in Dudley, West Midlands. The invention allowed miners to extract previously inaccessible coal.
• 2012/06/25: HotTopic: Still time for the energy revolution

  Hey! Let's contaminate the aquifer for thousands of years! It'll be a fracking gas!

• 2012/06/29: NatureNB: Fracking safe in UK but US home to 'poor practices'
• 2012/06/29: DeSmogBlog: Sand Land: Frac Sand Mining in Western Wisconsin - Video Report by DeSmogBlog
• 2012/06/29: Guardian(UK): Fracking: where's the debate about its climate change risks?
• 2012/06/28: BBC: 'Fracking' safe with strong regulation, report says
  A gas extraction method which triggered two earth tremors near Blackpool last year should not cause earthquakes or contaminate water but rules governing it will need tightening, experts say. "Fracking" involves pumping water and chemicals into shale rock at pressure. The joint report from the Royal Society and Royal Academy of Engineering say the technique is safe if firms follow best practice and rules are enforced. Exploratory fracking is being mooted in at least seven sites around the UK.
• 2012/06/30: P3: Fracking can be done 'safely'
• 2012/06/27: DeSmogBlog: Fracking Industry Enjoyed Privileged Access To Controversial New York DEC Environmental Review
• 2012/06/27: TAE: Shale Gas Reality Begins to Dawn
• 2012/06/25: SciAm:CC: If Natural Gas Is Less Noxious Than Coal, Don't We Have to Frack?

  On the coal front:

• 2012/07/01: TreeHugger: Why There is No New Coal When Reserves Run Out, And How That Could Help Biofuels
• 2012/06/28: Grist: Coal plants: Filthy, dangerous, and now a terrible investment!
• 2012/06/28: PeakProsperity: Coal: The Ignored Juggernaut -- The most likely fuel for a world in decline
• 2012/06/27: JQuiggin: The end of the coal boom?
• 2012/06/24: SoberLook: Coal inventory at China's Qinhuangdao Port hits record

  On the gas and oil front:

• 2012/06/29: BBerg: Closing oil prices Friday
  OIL (US$/bbl)
  Nymex Crude Future...84.96
  Dated Brent Spot.....97.00
  WTI Cushing Spot.....84.96
• 2012/06/25: CER:RRapier: How Much Oil Does the World Produce?
• 2012/06/28: CER:RRapier: World Energy Consumption Facts, Figures, and Shockers
• 2012/06/30: Yahoo:AFP: Iran calls for extraordinary OPEC meeting
• 2012/06/29: PSinclair: Gas-Topians May be in for a Shock
• 2012/06/28: TP:JR: Game Over: Hoffert On Unconventional Gas & Oil And Unconventional Self-Destruction Of Civilization
• 2012/06/27: OilChange: Nigeria Loses $1 Billion a Month in Oil Theft

  The Belfer study raised a few eyebrows:

• 2012/07/01: OilDrum: Tech Talk - a new Energy Report from Harvard makes unsupportable assumptions
• 2012/06/27: NBF: Harvard [Belfer] Study Predicts World Oil Production at 110 million barrel per day in 2020
• 2012/06/25: Belfer: New study by Harvard Kennedy School researcher forecasts sharp increase in world oil production capacity, and risk of price collapse
• 2012/06/26: EnergyBulletin: New study forecasts sharp increase in world oil production capacity, and risk of price collapse

  Regarding oil and the economy:

• 2012/06/29: VoxEU: Do oil prices help forecast US real GDP? The role of non-linearities and asymmetries by Lutz Kilian
  It has long been argued that changes in the price of oil can help forecast US real GDP growth. This column addresses the common concern among many policymakers that the feedback from oil prices to the economy may become stronger once the price of oil reaches a certain level.
• 2012/06/25: EnergyBulletin: Gasoline prices coming down by James Hamilton

  And in pipeline news:

• 2012/06/30: DeSmogBlog: The DilBit Disaster: InsideClimate News' Incredible In-Depth Report on Enbridge's Kalamazoo Oil Spill
• 2012/06/30: BBC: Gazprom 'may extend Baltic pipeline to the UK'
• 2012/06/28: EurActiv: Gas pipeline deal sidelines original Nabucco project
  Turkey and Azerbaijan have signed an agreement to build the Trans-Anatolia Gas Pipeline (TANAP), a move welcomed by the European Commission as a major step towards completing the Southern Gas Corridor project.

Yes we have peak everything:

• 2012/06/27: WereWolf: Has The Peak Oil Idea... Peaked? And if so, does the planet stand a chance?
• 2012/06/26: PSE: Forget peak oil, we may have reached 'peak GDP'
• 2012/06/25: BrattleboroReformer: Is Peak Oil Dead?
• 2012/06/26: OilChange: Bye, Bye Peak Oil
• 2012/06/25: OilDrum: Quick Summary of My Main Personal Take-home Messages from ASPO 2012

  Biofuel bickering abounds:

• 2012/06/29: EurActiv: Advanced biofuels: Separating the wheat from the chaff
  Biofuels will be the biggest contributor to the EU's target of providing 10% of transport fuel from renewable energy by 2020, but consumers at the petrol pump could be forgiven for feeling confused about their environmental benefits.
• 2012/06/28: ABC(Au): Green future for algae bio-fuel plant
• 2012/06/27: Eureka: AgriLife Research study estimates costs of mesquite biomass delivery for bioenergy use
• 2012/06/28: al Jazeera: Malaysia's Felda shares surge in market debut
  First-day price value of palm oil giant reflects investor interest in world's second-biggest public offering.

The answer my friend...:

• 2012/06/25: ABC(Au): Wind farms to generate clean power and controversy

  Meanwhile among the solar aficionados:

• 2012/06/28: Eureka: Photosynthesis re-wired -- Boston College chemists use nanowires to power photosynthesis
• 2012/06/26: Reuters: Solar production glut to persist to 2015: study
  Solar panel manufacturers face three more years of tough conditions until the market shuts down excess production capacity, according to a new report issued on Tuesday by renewable power consultancy GTM Research.
• 2012/06/25: NBF: All-carbon solar cell harnesses infrared light
• 2012/06/26: CSM: Blow-up solar lantern lights up Haiti's prospects

  Feed-In-Tariffs are being variously implemented around the world:

• 2012/06/27: PlanetArk: German government, states agree solar incentive cuts: MPs

  The nuclear energy controversy continues:

• 2012/06/27: NBF: 1200 Megawatt fast reactor approved for Beloyarsk
• 2012/06/27: NBF: India Nuclear Reactor Project News Roundup
• 2012/06/27: NBF: China and the USA partner for molten salt thorium reactor project and India plans a Thorium Reactor

  Nuclear waste storage requires _very_ long term thinking:

• 2012/06/26: STimes: $12.3 billion Hanford plant sees new costs, delays
  A new cost estimate and construction schedule for a massive waste plant being built at the nation's most contaminated nuclear site will be delayed at least a year as workers try to resolve serious technical problems raised by whistleblowers about design and safety, the U.S. Department of Energy said Tuesday.

And then there is the matter of efficiency & conservation:

• 2012/06/29: OilDrum: Burning Desire for Efficiency by Tom Murphy

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

• 2012/07/01: TP:JR: Five Real-World Facts About Electric Cars
• 2012/06/29: UCSUSA:B: A Good Week for Clean Cars - Unless You Are in the House of Representatives
• 2012/06/30: AutoBG: Opel Ampera is Europe's best-selling passenger 'EV'
• 2012/06/25: PI:B: Being a Smarter Driver pays off -- and now I'm hooked
• 2012/06/25: AutoBG: Smart bringing electric scooter to U.S. in 2014, will be part of Car2go

  As for Energy Storage:

• 2012/06/28: NBF: Spray on Paintable Batteries and Spray on Solar Power for Windows
• 2012/06/29: NBF: Ultrafast nickel-iron battery with a Graphene Boost
• 2012/06/29: BBC: 'Paint-on' batteries demonstrated
• 2012/06/28: ABC(Au): Edison battery gets new lease of life
• 2012/06/28: TreeHugger: New Lithium-Ion Battery Design Stores 7X More Energy
• 2012/06/26: SciNews: Old battery gets a high-tech makeover -- Redesigned nickel-iron battery gives modern lithium-ion devices a run for their money

  Insurance and re-insurance companies are feeling the heat:

• 2012/06/25: InsuranceJournal: Lloyd's Details 'Growing Impact of Climate Change' as UN Meets
  Lloyd's has published a roundup of the environmental issues inherent in as the world grows warmer. [Wildfires, Floods, Droughts, Pestilence, weeds and infestations, Arctic warming, Hurricanes & Heat waves]

Joe Romm posts a daily list of top energy and climate stories:

• 2012/06/29: TP:JR: June 29 News...
• 2012/06/28: TP:JR: June 28 News...
• 2012/06/27: TP:JR: May (sic) 27 News...
• 2012/06/26: TP:JR: June 26 News...
• 2012/06/25: TP:JR: June 25 News...

  Other (weekly) lists:

• 2012/06/29: BPA: Agriculture News
• 2012/06/29: EnergyBulletin: ODAC Newsletter
• 2012/06/26: BPA: The Ag Hot Five No. 12

  The carbon lobby are up to the usual:

• 2012/06/29: CAbyss: Why The Public Is Confused About Climate Science, Part 1,327,570
• 2012/06/28: TP:JR: Botched Coal Astroturfing: Linguistic Analysis Reveals Hundreds Of Fake Names On Coal Ash Petition
• 2012/06/29: DeSmogBlog: New Documentary "Rational Middle": Oil and Gas Advertising in Disguise
• 2012/06/28: ITracker: Idiot comment of the day: Godwin FAIL
• 2012/06/27: HotTopic: No dallying with denial
• 2012/06/26: DeSmogBlog: Climate Denial in Brazil: A Translation
• 2012/06/26: Guardian(UK): Environmentalism is not a religion
  Of all the nonsense climate change deniers throw at the green movement, there one criticism that does real damage, says James Murray
• 2012/06/26: WtD: Rinehart on climate: deeply concerned about our "lack of understanding" on issue
• 2012/06/25: Moyhu: Paleo reconstructions and the "selection fallacy"
• 2012/06/25: DeSmogBlog: Climate Denial Hits Brazil
• 2012/06/25: WtD: Oh Lordy: Monckton rejected by his own political party, but "Uncle" Monckton's effect on Australia's media landscape is still playing out

  Exxon CEO Tillerson made a widely derided speech this week:

• 2012/06/28: Grist: Exxon boss cries over natural gas glut, tells us we're climate crybabies
• 2012/06/28: Grist: 'Stand back, I'm going to try science': Inside the brain of ExxonMobil's CEO
  That talk by ExxonMobil CEO Rex Tillerson at the Council on Foreign Relations...
• 2012/06/28: DeSmogBlog: Exxon's Tillerson: Could We Really Have Expected a Tiger to Change its Stripes?
• 2012/06/28: Guardian(UK): Climate change fears overblown, says ExxonMobil boss
  Rex Tillerson acknowledges man-made global warming in speech, but says society will adapt to climate change
• 2012/06/28: PlanetArk: Exxon CEO calls climate change engineering problem
• 2012/06/29: TreeHugger: Exxon's CEO is Right, We Will Adapt to Climate Change
• 2012/06/28: TMoS: Define "Adapt"
• 2012/06/28: 350orBust: ExxonMobil Response to Extreme Weather Events Linked To Climate Change: Adapt
• 2012/06/27: EnergyBulletin: As Exxon CEO calls global warming's impacts 'manageable', Colorado Wildfires shutter climate lab

  This week in intimidation:

• 2012/07/01: SkeptiSci: Nil Illegitimi Carborundum by Glenn Tamblyn
• 2012/06/26: DD: Climate scientists routinely face death threats, hate mail, nuisance lawsuits, and political attacks

  As for climate miscellanea:

• 2012/06/28: SciNow: Is Acid Rain a Thing of the Past?
• 2012/06/27: GreenGrok: Talking Green in Aspen [Aspen Environment Forum report]
• 2012/06/29: P3: Climate literacy is necessary but not sufficient
• 2012/06/27: TreeHugger: Two Views of Our Future: Science Versus Mainstream Economics by Lester Brown
• 2012/06/26: WSJ:Src: Could 'Green' Bonds Help Tackle Climate Change?
• 2012/06/27: CSW: On the Green Front: "It's hostile territory out there"
• 2012/06/27: DM:GNXP: Technology that brought down civilization
• 2012/06/26: PlanetArk: BP, Conoco back Skyonic plant to turn CO2 into products
• 2012/06/26: TreeHugger: Crowdsourced Measurements Create a Global Map of Radiation Levels
• 2012/06/25: UCSUSA:B: Science, a Cartoon Contest, and a Top Ten List
• 2012/06/: PopSci: [series] Strategies for a Changing Planet
• 2012/06/24: CCP: George Monbiot: How "Sustainability" Became "Sustained Growth"

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

• Climate Communication - Science & Outreach
• ACWA: Association of California Water Agencies
• NIFC: National Interagency Fire Center
• NOAA:NCEP: Real-time, global, sea surface temperature
• PSC: Arctic Sea Ice Volume Anomaly
• ISIS: Institute of Science in Society
• Climate Scores
• Wiki: Derecho
• Enbridge Northern Gateway Project Joint Review Panel
• GMO Pundit
• The Sea Monster
• Earth Charter Initiative
• Safecast: a global sensor network for collecting and sharing radiation measurements
• The Arctic Council
• Wiki: Energy Catalyzer [Focardi & Rossi]
• From a Glaciers Perspective
• Wiki: Clathrate gun hypothesis

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.

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

"The efforts of governments are concentrated not on defending the living Earth from destruction, but on defending the machine that is destroying it. Whenever consumer capitalism becomes snarled up by its own contradictions, governments scramble to mend the machine, to ensure -- though it consumes the conditions that sustain our lives -- that it runs faster than ever before.

The thought that it might be the wrong machine, pursuing the wrong task, cannot even be voiced in mainstream politics. The machine greatly enriches the economic elite, while insulating the political elite from the mass movements it might otherwise confront. We have our bread; now we are wandering, in spellbound reverie, among the circuses," -George Monbiot

• Global Warming Links
• Global Warming News Archive
• Energy
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