Logging the Onset of The Bottleneck Years
This weekly posting is brought to you courtesy of H. E. Taylor. Happy reading, I hope you enjoy this week's Global Warming news roundup
Another Week in the Ecological Crisis
Logging the Onset of The Bottleneck Years
November 4, 2012
- Chuckles, CCAMLR, Maldives, Subsidies, Cook
- Sandy: General, Impacts, Caribbean, Nukes, Attribution, Politics, Recovery
- Fukushima Note, Fukushima News, Nuclear Policy
- Melting Arctic, Polar Bears, Methane, Geopolitics
- Food Crisis, Fisheries, GMOs, GMO Labelling, Food Production
- Hurricanes, GHGs, Temperatures, Aerosols, Clouds
- Abrupt CC, Extinctions, Anthropocene, Satellites
- Impacts, Forests, Disease, Notable Weather, Extreme Weather
- Wildfires, Sea Levels, Floods & Droughts
- Mitigation, REDD, Transportation, Buildings, Sequestration, Geoengineering
- Journals, Other Docs, Misc. Science, Models, Free Science
- International Politics: UN, Carbon Trade
- Hormuz, East China Sea, ACP, Security, Activism, Polls, H2O Biz
- National Politics: America, 2012, Gas Prices, Keystone, Birth Control, Coal Exports, Tripathi, Obama, USAdmin, Congress
- Britain, Europe, Australia, Carbon Law, Minority, MDBP, New Zealand, India, China, Japan, South America
- Canada, Sandy, Oliver, FIPPA, CNOOC - Nexen, Petronas, Northern Gateway
- Conference Board Report, Cohen, BC, Tar Sands, Alberta, Ontario, Maritimes
- Ecological Economics, IPAT, Media, Video, Podcasts, Courts
- Energy, Transitions, Fracking, Coal, Oil & Gas, Fossil Fuel Corps, Biofuel
- Wind, Solar, Nukes, Nuclear Fusion, LENR, Grid, Cars, Energy Storage
- Insurance, Greenwashing, Joe's List, Carbon Lobby, Clean Coal, Misc., Useful Links
- Shameless Self Promotion, .sig
Live and direct from the black humour department:
- 2012/11/04: uComics: (cartoon - Toles) When I was Governor...
- 2012/11/02: uComics: (cartoon - Rall) Small Government?
- 2012/11/01: uComics: (cartoon - Auth) Hurricanes Mitt & Sandy
- 2012/10/30: uComics: (cartoon - Auth) FEMA
- 2012/10/31: uComics: (cartoon - Danziger) Chris Christie Lauds Obama...
- 2012/11/01: uComics: (cartoon - Toles) Captain's Log
- 2012/10/31: TruthOut: (cartoon - TomTom) Mittdrake the Magician
- 2012/11/01: JoeMohrToons: (cartoon - Mohr) Hank D and the Bee: Keeping Only non-GMO Candy
- 2012/10/30: uComics: (cartoon - Toles) This is not the time...
- 2012/10/30: uComics: (cartoon - Danziger) New York City Moves On
Negotiations for an Antarctic marine reserve have failed:
- CCAMLR: Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources
- 2012/11/03: DD: Nations fail to agree plan to protect seas around Antarctica
- 2012/11/02: ABC(Au): Antarctic ocean sanctuary talks end in failure
- 2012/11/01: NatureN: Disappointment as Antarctic protection bid fails -- Plans for huge marine reserves founder at international meeting
- 2012/11/01: ABC(Au): Antarctic marine park negotiations end in failure
Delegates at an international conference in Hobart have failed to agree on new reserves in Antarctic waters. About 250 delegates representing 25 countries have been locked in talks at the meeting of the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources. - 2012/11/02: DerSpiegel: Saving the Southern Ocean -- China, Russia Block Plan to Protect Antarctic Waters
Proposals to establish marine reserves in two critical areas of the Southern Ocean were stymied by Russia, China and Ukraine at the end of a two-week international summit in Australia on Thursday. Commercial fishing restrictions in the proposed sanctuaries proved to be the main sticking point. - 2012/11/01: BBC: 'Deep concern' as deal to protect Antarctic seas fails
Governments meeting in Australia have failed to reach agreement on new marine protected areas for the Antarctic ocean. They have deferred a decision until July 2013 when all the relevant science will be considered. Environmental groups have expressed deep concern about the lack of consensus on how to develop a network of protected zones. They blame Russia, China and Ukraine for blocking agreement. For the past two weeks the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR) has been meeting in Tasmania. - 2012/10/29: NatureNB: US and New Zealand set aside differences to push for Antarctic protection
- 2012/10/29: TreeHugger: US, New Zealand Reach Agreement on Massive Antarctic Ocean Preserve
The Maldives tragedy grinds on:
- 2012/10/31: TreeHugger: Maldives' Ousted Climate-Activist President to be Tried on Sunday
Who's getting the subsidies?
- 2012/03/29: Yahoo: History of U.S. Oil Subsidies Go Back Nearly a Century
John Cook and friends continue their point-counterpoint articles:
- 2012/11/04: SkS: Papers on Hurricanes and Global Warming by Kevin C
- 2012/11/04: SkS: 2012 SkS News Bulletin #2: Hurricane Sandy & Climate Change by John Hartz
- 2012/11/03: SkS: Grinsted et al. Examine Historical Hurricane Storm Surges by Tamino
- 2012/11/01: SkS: Hurricane Sandy and the Climate Connection by dana1981
- 2012/10/31: SkS: The View from Germany: Tackling the real questions by gws
- 2012/10/30: SkS: 2012 SkS News Bulletin #1: Hurricane Sandy & Climate Change by John Hartz [lists]
- 2012/10/30: SkS: Climate of Doubt Strategy #1: Deny the Consensus by dana1981
- 2012/10/30: SkS: New research from last week 43/2012 by Ari Jokimäki
- 2012/10/29: SkS: Hurricane Sandy: Neither weather nor tide nor sea level can be legislated by doug_bostrom
Sandy got picked up by the mainstream media echo machine and hundreds of stories ensued. I got bitchy selective and discarded much of the coverage, but here is a subdivided sample:
- 2012/11/04: ABC(Au): Cold snap threatens to add to Sandy misery
- 2012/11/04: Wunderground: A moderate-strength Nor'easter on Wednesday looking increasingly likely
- 2012/11/03: CSM: Hurricane Sandy's darker side: Looting and other crime
- 2012/11/03: MODIS: Hurricane Sandy (18L) off the eastern United States
- 2012/11/02: Guardian(UK): The image that captures Sandy's deep unlikeliness
- 2012/11/02: UCSUSA:B: What Hurricane Sandy Means (to Me)
- 2012/11/02: Eureka: Satellite still shows Sandy's remnant clouds over eastern Canada and the northeastern US
- 2012/11/01: DemNow: A Crisis Foretold: Studies Warned New York Infrastructure Critically Threatened by Climate Change
- 2012/11/01: CCurrents: The Peak Oil Crisis: The Superstorm
- 2012/11/02: Grist: Meet the man who's kept climate change off the Hurricane Sandy Wikipedia page [Mampel]
- 2012/11/02: SciAm:SoC: Sandy Rips Through My Street
- 2012/11/02: SciAm:Obs: Disaster Response: A New Yorker Reflects on Sandy
- 2012/11/02: al Jazeera: Sandy's wrath lingers in bruised US northeast
Millions remain without power, as thousands are unable to return home four days after Sandy hammers the East Coast. - 2012/11/01: NASA: Suomi NPP Satellite Captures Hurricane Sandy's Mid-Atlantic Blackout
- 2012/11/02: EnvEcon: Ten questions about Hurricane Sandy
- 2012/10/31: Eureka: NASA/NOAA's Suomi NPP captures night-time view of Sandy's landfall
- 2012/11/01: SEasterbrook: Notes from Hurricane Sandy
- 2012/11/01: al Jazeera: Sandy - remarkable in so many ways
Aside from the devastation it brought to the northeastern US, Sandy will be remembered for the many records it broke. - 2012/11/01: Wunderground: Sandy by the numbers: trying to comprehend a stunning disaster
- 2012/10/31: Wunderground: Why did Hurricane Sandy take such an unusual track into New Jersey?
- 2012/10/31: SciNews: How the Frankenstorm came to life -- Sandy holds lessons for forecasters
- 2012/10/31: SciAm:Obs: The Future According to Sandy
- 2012/10/31: Guardian(UK): Obama tours shattered New Jersey and promises help for Sandy victims
President flies over Jersey shore with governor Chris Christie as Mitt Romney attempts difficult political balancing act in Florida - 2012/10/31: UCSUSA:B: Hurricane Sandy and Climate Change: Answers to the Most Frequently Asked Questions
- 2012/10/30: UCSUSA: Hurricane Sandy Underscores Climate Change Threat to Coasts
- 2012/10/30: NakedCapitalism: A "Fossil-Fueled Storm" Calls for an Immediate Crash Course on Climate Change
- 2012/10/30: ClassM: Frankenstorm predicted
- 2012/10/30: EarlyWarning: Nearest Precedent for Hurricane Sandy
- 2012/10/30: W&C: Update on Sandy
- 2012/10/30: Grist: The most stunning images from monster storm Sandy
- 2012/10/30: Wunderground: Superstorm Sandy delivers a devastating blow to the U.S.
- 2012/10/29: NASA: NASA Examines Hurricane Sandy as it Affects the Eastern U.S.
- 2012/10/29: TP:JR: A $20 Billion, 1000-Year Frankenstorm? Sandy Slams East Coast, Smashes All-Time Records
- 2012/10/29: W&C: Sandy continues intensification as it approaches the Garden State
- 2012/10/29: Grist: Sandy has arrived
- 2012/10/29: ERabett: Listen to the weather man
- 2012/10/29: Wunderground: Superstorm Sandy intensifying, bringing record storm surges
- 2012/10/28: Wunderground: Dangerous Hurricane Sandy continues north past North Carolina
- 2012/10/28: Wunderground: Massive Hurricane Sandy building a huge and destructive storm surge
- 2012/10/29: SciNews: Low central pressure among Hurricane Sandy's unusual features
- 2012/10/29: BBC: Hurricane Sandy closes in on US East Coast
- 2012/10/29: al Jazeera: US East Coast prepares for Hurricane Sandy
Millions of residents prepare for what has been reported to be the biggest storm ever to hit the mainland United States. - 2012/10/28: ERabett: Testing . . .
- 2012/10/28: AFTIC: Very Unusual Hybrid Storm Headed for East Coast
- 2012/10/28: P3: Bullseye
- 2012/10/28: W&C: CNN Bans Term 'Frankenstorm', But It's A Good Metaphor For Warming-Driven Monster: 'Largest Hurricane In Atlantic History'
- 2012/10/28: Guardian(UK): Hurricane Sandy heads toward New York and northeast US coast - as it happened
Sandy - impacts:
- 2012/11/03: WSWS: Hurricane Sandy reveals deepening health, political crises in Caribbean countries
- 2012/11/03: al Jazeera: New York City Marathon nixed after storm
Mayor Michael Bloomberg cancels event after public outcry over plan to proceed with race following devastating Sandy. - 2012/11/03: al Jazeera: Elections and the weather
States across the northeast scramble to keep the elections on track - 2012/11/03: IOTD: A Changed Coastline in Jersey
- 2012/11/02: BBerg: New York Marathon Canceled as City Recovers From Storm
- 2012/11/02: BBC: Storm Sandy: New York marathon cancelled
- 2012/11/02: CBC: Superstorm Sandy costs could top $50B -- 2nd most costly U.S. storm behind Hurricane Katrina
- 2012/11/02: WSWS: Growing popular anger as Hurricane Sandy death toll rises to 90
- 2012/11/02: WSWS: Food shortages in Brooklyn public housing in aftermath of Hurricane Sandy
- 2012/11/02: Grist: NYC's urban farms face a climate reality check
- 2012/11/02: ScienceInsider: Sandy Knocks Out Big Chunk of U.S. Research Radar Network
- 2012/11/02: ScienceInsider: Sandy vs. Science: On Long Island, Prominent Research Lab Weathers the Storm
- 2012/11/02: EarlyWarning: Hurricane Hits Just-In-Time Economy
- 2012/11/01: CSM: Gas shortages, long lines add to post-Sandy misery
- 2012/11/01: al Jazeera: Clean-up under way after deadly US storm
Hundreds of thousands remain without power as authorities are clearing roads amid rising death toll. Three days after the powerful storm Sandy slammed into the US East Coast, killing more than 70 people, clean-up efforts are under way and things are slowly returning to normal. Part of the subway system in New York City was back in service on Thursday and the three major airports in the city were all set to reopen. But tens of thousands of people in coastal areas remained stranded, and hundreds of thousands remained without power. - 2012/11/01: WSWS: Hurricane leaves devastation in its wake
- 2012/11/01: WSWS: New York City public housing without lights, heat or water after storm
- 2012/11/01: BBC: Sandy death toll hits 90 and keeps rising
- 2012/10/31: EconView: 'Economic Effects of Hurricane Sandy' - Jim Hamilton on the economic damage from hurricane Sandy
- 2012/10/31: FTAlphaville: Chasing storm damage estimates
- 2012/10/31: Guardian(UK): New York's art world counts the damage done by Hurricane Sandy
- 2012/10/31: Grist: Hurricane hunger: What happens when a city's food network breaks down
- 2012/10/31: CSM: Hurricane Sandy pushes gas prices ... down?
- 2012/10/31: USGS: River Flow into Chesapeake Bay Following Hurricane Sandy Lower than Expected
- 2012/10/30: USGS: Update: Sandy to Erode Many Atlantic Beaches
- 2012/10/29: CER:RRapier: Why Sandy's Impact Will Differ From Katrina
- 2012/11/01: DerSpiegel: The Destruction of Breezy Point -- Sandy Turns Queens Paradise into Hell
Hurricane Sandy has destroyed an entire neighborhood in the Queens borough of New York. First, the flood waters ravaged Breezy Point, and then a fire finished the job. Local residents have lost everything. - 2012/10/31: DerSpiegel: Nature vs. Superpower -- Sandy Leaves Trail of Death and Destruction
The storm washed train cars onto highways and dragged an entire roller coaster into the sea. Hurricane Sandy revealed just how vulnerable America is to the forces of nature. Clean-up is likely to take weeks or even months in the hardest hit sections of New Jersey. - 2012/10/31: ABC(Au): Sandy's destruction
"Heartbreak for the entire nation" is how US president Barack Obama has described the emotional impact of devastating superstorm Sandy, which left at least 50 lives lost, millions without power and thousands homeless. - 2012/10/31: Grist: Breezy Point, Queens, reels from hurricane-caused inferno [video]
- 2012/10/31: NatureNB: New York research facilities feel Sandy's wrath
- 2012/10/31: WSWS: Hurricane Sandy leaves 8 million without power in US
- 2012/10/31: WSWS: Storm's damage to aging infrastructure leaves New York City paralyzed
- 2012/10/31: al Jazeera: Storm-battered US East Coast assesses damage
Millions of people are left without power or transportation after Hurricane Sandy sweeps ashore, flooding New York. - 2012/10/30: W&C: Destruction in the wake of Hurricane Sandy; Capital Region spared
- 2012/10/30: BBC: Storm Sandy: Transport chaos as floods recede
At least 40 people have been killed, millions are without power and transport across the north-eastern US has been severely disrupted as storm Sandy heads north for Canada. - 2012/10/30: Guardian(UK): Superstorm Sandy: millions in US count cost of 'major disaster'
At least 33 dead and more than 7m without power after Sandy brought punishing winds and severe floods to US east coast - 2012/10/30: PSinclair: New Jersey Governor: "A Major Disaster"
- 2012/10/30: PSinclair: NYTimes: Huge Damage
- 2012/10/30: ABC(Au): Live coverage: US battered by killer superstorm [pix]
- 2012/10/30: BBC: Sandy: Storm-hit New York declared major disaster area
- 2012/10/30: BBC: Sandy: US markets to remain closed on Tuesday
Businesses in the US East Coast have continued to be disrupted by storm Sandy, including forcing US stock markets to close again on Tuesday. - 2012/10/30: CBC: Sandy leaves 18 dead, 7 million without power in U.S.
Storm moving across Pennsylvania, expected to turn north across New York state - 2012/10/30: al Jazeera: Storm batters eastern coast of US
Millions without power, 12 people killed and widespread flooding reported in huge population centres in Sandy's path. - 2012/10/29: Wunderground: Sandy moving ashore, bringing record storm surge flooding
- 2012/10/29: PSinclair: Monday Evening Storm Update: Stronger than Expected -- "A Meteorological Bomb"
- 2012/10/29: BBC: Storm Sandy makes landfall in eastern US
- 2012/10/30: WtD: The New Normal (Part 26): [Atlantic] City, thousands flee while "Most of the city underwater"
- 2012/10/28: Guardian(UK): New York City shuts down transit system ahead of hurricane Sandy
- 2012/10/28: Guardian(UK): Hurricane Sandy: 10 statistics that place this powerful storm in perspective
Overhyped? Hardly -- this storm system is massive and its effects will be felt for days by much of the US east coast - 2012/10/28: Guardian(UK): Hurricane Sandy: millions brace for impact
Sandy - Caribbean:
- 2012/11/03: CCurrents: Hurricane Sandy Reveals Deepening Health, Political Crises In Caribbean Countries
- 2012/11/01: al Jazeera: Caribbean nations still reeling from Sandy
Haiti is worst affected country with dozens killed and there are fears of a cholera outbreak following severe flooding. - 2012/11/02: Guardian(UK): Aftermath of hurricane Sandy leaves Haiti facing new disaster
While the world's attention has focused on the US, the suffering and consequences for the Caribbean nation are far greater - 2012/11/01: BBC: Cuba leader Raul Castro says island 'hard hit' by Sandy
Cuban President Raul Castro says the eastern province of Santiago was "hard hit" by Hurricane Sandy. Eleven people died and more than 188,000 homes were damaged as the storm passed over Cuba last week. - 2012/10/30: CSM: Hurricane Sandy puts renewed pressure on food supply in Haiti
- 2012/10/31: BBC: Haiti fears food shortages after hurricane hit crops
- 2012/10/30: al Jazeera: Haiti food crisis feared in Sandy's wake
Officials fear rising food prices and an increase in cholera cases in Caribbean nation where storm killed 52 people.
Sandy - nukes:
- 2012/10/30: EneNews: Now 5 Nuke Plants with Problems from Sandy: New Jersey's Salem reactor shuts down as water pumps "not available" - Trouble with both units at New York's 9 Mile Point - Also Oyster Creek, Indian Point, Limerick
- 2012/10/30: APR: SITREP on Nuclear Plants - 1 PM 10/30
- 2012/10/30: EneNews: Alert: Emergency Declared at NJ Nuclear Plant from Hurricane Sandy - Power lost, ocean water rising - Concern about cooling of reactor and spent fuel pool
- 2012/10/30: APR: Entergy's Northeast Nuclear Plants Safely Weather Hurricane Sandy
- 2012/10/29: APR: Hurricane Sandy - Preparation at Nuclear Power Plants
Sandy - attribution:
- 2012/11/03: P3: Katharine Hayhoe on the Sandy/Climate connection
- 2012/11/03: P3: Hurricane Sandy and the Climate Hens
- 2012/11/03: QuarkSoup: Fashionable Apocalypses...the problem with the Sandy discussion...
- 2012/11/02: BBC: Superstorm Sandy triggers climate blame game
The floodwaters whipped up by Hurricane Sandy have not yet receded but the temperature is rising on one of the toughest questions in modern science: whether we're getting more extreme weather because of global warming. Radical film-maker Michael Moore put it with characteristic bluntness. In a Tweet, he wrote: "Stop w/ the disaster porn and tell the America people the bitter truth: We have f***** up the environment & we are now paying the price." The governor of New York state, Andrew Cuomo, expressed it more politely: "Anyone who thinks there isn't a change in weather patterns is denying reality." And to widespread surprise, New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg also made a link between Hurricane Sandy and global warming, though more guardedly. - 2012/11/01: ArcticNews: Hold on folks... the times they are a-changin' -- Melting Arctic sea ice aims Frankenstorm Sandy directly at the Big Apple
- 2012/11/01: BWeek: It's Global Warming, Stupid
- 2012/11/01: WtD: Image of the day: It's global warming stupid
- 2012/10/31: CD: Frankenstorms and climate change
- 2012/11/02: CassandrasLegacy: Hurricane Sandy: will people finally understand what's happening?
- 2012/11/03: TP:JR: Did Climate Change Have A Role in Hurricane Sandy's Unusual Track Into New Jersey?
- 2012/11/02: ArcticNews: Hurricane Sandy intensifies climate change debate
- 2012/11/01: ArcticNews: Forces behind Superstorm Sandy
- 2012/11/02: DeSmogBlog: Bloomberg Businessweek Gets It Right: Sandy Wasn't "Caused" By Climate Change - It IS Global Warming
- 2012/11/01: TP:JR: Bloomberg Businessweek: 'It's Global Warming, Stupid'
- 2012/11/02: QuarkSoup: Chained Arguments After-the-Fact
- 2012/11/01: QuarkSoup: Rethinking Sandy
- 2012/10/31: CBC: Superstorm not caused by global warming, scientists say
- 2012/10/31: NYT: Are Humans to Blame? Science Is Out
- 2012/10/31: EurActiv: Hurricane Sandy influenced by global warming, climate scientist says
Anthropogenic climate change has contributed to sea surface warming, influencing the intensity of storms like Hurricane Sandy, a leading climate scientist has told EurActiv. Sea surface temperatures off the American East Coast were nearly 3º warmer than usual this autumn - a near record - and 0.6º of that could be linked to climate change, said Dim Coumou, an earth systems analyst at the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research in Germany. - 2012/10/31: ABC(Au): Was Hurricane Sandy caused by climate change?
Climate changing? "Anyone who thinks there isn't a change in weather patterns is denying reality," says Andrew Cuomo, governor of New York state, which bore the brunt of the superstorm. Many climate scientists would agree with Cuomo when it comes to identifying the cause of the record-breaking droughts and floods of recent years. But when it comes to tropical storms, the experts also say they cannot give a black-or-white answer for one of the most complex issues in meteorology. - 2012/10/30: KSJT: Hurricane Sandy and the Climate Change Debate
- 2012/10/30: AtlanticCities: The 2011 Report That Predicted New York's Subway Flooding Disaster
- 2012/10/30: Grist: Hawks vs. scolds: How 'reverse tribalism' affects climate communication
- 2012/10/30: NatureN: Hurricane Sandy spins up climate discussion
Destructive power of US east-coast storm stems from factors that include -- but are not limited to -- global warming. - 2012/10/30: CCurrents: Frankenstorm: Meteorologist Warns Hurricane Sandy An Outgrowth of Global Warming's Extreme Weather
- 2012/10/30: TWTB: Hurricane Sandy and the Climate Hens
- 2012/10/30: QuarkSoup: About Sandy, and the Ultimate in Cherry-Picking
- 2012/10/30: Guardian(UK): Was Hurricane Sandy supersized by climate change?
- 2012/10/30: SciAm:Obs: Did Climate Change Cause Hurricane Sandy?
- 2012/10/29: SciAm:Obs: The Science of Hurricane Sandy-Liveblog
- 2012/10/29: TreeHugger: A Climate Scientist Explains How Global Warming Makes Hurricane Sandy Nastier
- 2012/10/29: CCP: Elizabeth Kolbert: Watching Sandy, Ignoring Climate Change
- 2012/10/29: ERabett: Did Climate Change Load the Dice for Sandy?
- 2012/10/29: TreeHugger: Warmer Than Usual Ocean Temperatures in Northeast Mean Heavier Rain From Hurricane Sandy
Sandy - politics, not the election:
- 2012/11/02: al Jazeera: Hurricane Sandy as Greek tragedy
The challenge of climate change is no longer a technical one, if it ever was - it has always been primarily political. - 2012/11/03: CSM: Could anger over superstorm Sandy response taint recovery, election?
- 2012/11/03: CCentral: Will Sandy Be the Climate Change Wakeup Call We Need?
- 2012/11/02: NakedCapitalism: Sandy Aftermath and the Fragility of Complex Systems
- 2012/11/02: NakedCapitalism: Shock Doctrine, American-Style: Hurricane Sandy Devastation Used to Push for Sale of Public Infrastructure to Investors
- 2012/11/01: CSM: Did hurricane Sandy bolster the case for 'green' energy?
- 2012/11/01: al Jazeera: Hurricane Sandy: Time to do something about climate change
Storms are becoming more severe and it is attributable to "our warming climate and seas and our melting ice caps". - 2012/11/01: WtD: The fall out from Sandy: what hope for the politics of climate response? (Reprint)
- 2012/10/31: CassandrasLegacy: Climate: the 9/11 moment has arrived?
- 2012/10/29: ArcticNews: Climate Change Sandy Says to US: 'Take That, Idiots!'
Sandy - recovery:
- 2012/10/30: Guardian(UK): Where to go for reliable information on Sandy's aftermath and recovery efforts
A collection of state emergency resources and media sources that are going above and beyond in keeping users informed - 2012/11/04: ABC(Au): Obama warns of 'long road' ahead in Sandy recovery
- 2012/11/04: al Jazeera: Frustration mounts at slow Sandy recovery
Rebuilding under scrutiny with millions remaining without power, long queues at petrol stations and cold snap ahead. - 2012/11/04: BBerg: Sandy's Blackouts Fall to 2.5 Million With New Jersey Worst Off
- 2012/11/03: BBC: Storm Sandy: Power and petrol shortages dog recovery
- 2012/11/03: Guardian(UK): Sandy: US government races to ease fuel shortages
- 2012/11/03: CNN: Temperatures drop, tempers rise as Sandy power outages linger
Restoring power remains priority for New York - Millions of gallons of fuel are being trucked to affected areas - New Jersey governor orders odd-even gas rationing in 12 counties - "For me, until there is power, I cannot get back to normal life," resident says
[...]
About 2.7 million customers remained without power Saturday across 15 states and the District of Columbia. And some may be in the dark for another week. Frustrated residents, worried about plunging temperatures, said companies are not working fast enough to restore power. - 2012/11/03: DD: Storm-battered New Jersey agonizes over whether to rebuild shore
- 2012/11/03: Grist: Blinded by science: The allure of the technological fix after Hurricane Sandy
- 2012/11/02: Guardian(UK): Sandy forces New York to consider all options in effort to make city safe
Host of ideas -- including flood barriers and surge protectors -- on the table as New York ponders risks from future storms - 2012/11/02: BBC: Storm Sandy: Anger as fuel shortages hamper recovery
Fuel shortages and difficulties in restoring power are hampering efforts to restore normality to parts of the US north-east in the wake of Storm Sandy. Fights broke out at petrol stations in New York and New Jersey, and power suppliers warned some areas might not have electricity until 11 November. Anger is also rising in New York's Staten Island, with some residents saying they had been forgotten. More than 90 deaths in the US have now been blamed on Sandy. - 2012/11/01: ABC(Au): US military mobilises in wake of Sandy
The United States military is mobilising to help restore power to New York City in the wake of deadly superstorm Sandy. The former hurricane left more than 80 people dead in 15 states and caused massive power outages along America's east coast. - 2012/11/01: USGS: USGS Sampling Water for Nutrients, Sediment, and Pesticides in Hurricane Sandy's Aftermath
- 2012/11/01: DerSpiegel: New York after Sandy -- When the Lights Went Out in Manhattan
From the lower tip of Manhattan to Midtown, many New Yorkers are struggling to make do without power, heat and water. They gather water in buckets from fire hydrants and walk more than an hour to work. A Spiegel reporter offers a glimpse into life in a Lower Manhattan briefly cut off from civilization. - 2012/11/03: WSWS: Anger boils over at lack of US storm relief
- 2012/11/03: WSWS: In the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy: Aid for Coney Island too little and too late
- 2012/10/31: CSM: Electricity in NYC could take four to seven days to restore
- 2012/10/31: CSM: Hurricane Sandy: How long will the recovery take?
- 2012/10/31: BBC: Storm Sandy: Eastern US gets back on its feet
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:
- 2012/11/03: DD: 4 on Japan nuclear safety team took utility money
- 2012/11/01: ABC(Au): Ex-Fukushima worker files lawsuit against TEPCO
A former worker at the Fukushima nuclear plant has filed a lawsuit, alleging the operator sent crews into highly radioactive areas without proper protection. The Associated Press is reporting the former worker, identified only as Shinichi, is alleging that crews were not given adequate protection or warnings by TEPCO, the operator of the Fukushima plant. - 2012/10/31: EneNews: Mayor: Fukushima "an unforgivable murder's act" - Reality is the disaster has not been contained
- 2012/10/31: EneNews: Fukushima Worker: Water was steaming in basement underneath Reactor No. 3
Post Fukushima, nuclear policies are in flux around the world:
- 2012/11/01: Eureka: Bulletin: German nuclear exit delivers economic, environmental benefits
- 2012/11/02: SagePub:BoS: From Brokdorf to Fukushima: The long journey to nuclear phase-out by Alexander Glaser
- 2012/11/01: EneNews: "Probable Game-Changer": Special issue of Bulletin of Atomic Scientists shows exiting nuclear power brings economic and environmental benefits - 'Startling' findings
- 2012/10/29: CCurrents: Nuke Power: Most Are Giving Up While A Few Embrace
The Arctic melt continues to garner attention:
- 2012/11/01: ASI: CT SIA finally above -2 million km2 anomaly mark
- 2012/11/02: EarthGauge: Arctic "death spiral" leaves climate scientists shocked and worried
- 2012/10/31: NatureN: Arctic snow cover shows sharp decline -- Earlier spring could spell trouble for permafrost
- 2012/10/28: CCP: June wind shift a little something extra behind recent Arctic sea ice losses
- 2012/10/28: ASI: Looking for winter weirdness 2
As for the charismatic megafauna:
- 2012/09/03: Telegraph(UK): Pictures of the day: 3 September 2012
- 2012/10/30: BBC: Polar bear sanctuary on iceberg
That Damoclean sword still hangs overhead:
- 2012/10/29: ArcticNews: Warming Gulf Stream causes methane release
As for the geopolitics of Arctic resources:
- 2012/10/30: DD: Image of the Day: Shell drilling rig within view of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge
The food crisis is ongoing:
- 2012/11/02: AllAfrica:FinancialGazette: Chronicle of Zim's Failed Agric Sector
Zimbabwe's agricultural sector is again struggling to feed a hungry nation more than a decade after the country launched its controversial agrarian reforms that sought to put an end to the distorted colonial land tenure. That "fast track" land reform programme led to the collapse of Zimbabwe's commercial agriculture, turning what had been one of Africa's most prolific food exporting nations into a food-dependent pauper overnight. But today, even with a tentative economic recovery following the introduction of the multi-currency regime at the inception of the coalition government, the agricultural sector still finds itself struggling to meet even the most basic needs of the country. Currently, the Grain Marketing Board (GMB), the custodian of the country's strategic grain reserves, has less than six percent of its total carrying capacity of five million tonnes of grain in stock. And to make matters worse, a mid-season drought last summer wiped out half the country's staple maize crop, leaving domestic production of maize below 40 percent of the 2,1 million tonnes needed to feed the nation. The result will be that hundreds of thousands of Zimbabweans, especially in the rural communities, will again be dependent on food handouts from Western aid agencies. - 2012/11/01: UN: Food insecurity major concern after Hurricane Sandy strikes Haiti - UN official
- 2012/10/31: ProMedMail: Schmallenberg virus - Europe (69): Ireland (CK) 1st case
- 2012/10/31: BBC: Wine shortage to follow poor 2012 grape harvest
A poor grape harvest in 2012 is predicted to lead to a shortage of wine across the world - 2012/10/30: WSWS: Poverty, hunger and inequality grow in Spain
- 2012/10/30: BBerg: Australian Wheat Exports Plunging Most in Six Years: Commodities
- 2012/10/30: BBC: Honey harvest 'devastated' by wet summer
A cold and wet summer across the UK has caused a "dramatic fall" in the amount of honey produced by British bees, a survey of beekeepers has revealed. Yields are down 72% compared to 2011, research by the British Beekeepers' Association (BBKA) suggested. - 2012/10/29: Reuters: In aftermath of drought, U.S. corn movement turns upside down
The devastating U.S. drought and ensuing crop disease are upending traditional grain movement patterns, with dozens of trains and barges shipping North Dakota or Mississippi corn into the Corn Belt rather than out to the coasts. - 2012/10/28: BBerg: Wild Weather Doesn't Have to Cause a Malthusian Nightmare
The state of the world's fisheries is a concern:
- 2012/10/30: DD: U.N. urges foreign fishing fleets to halt 'ocean grabbing'
Regarding the genetic modification of food:
- 2012/10/31: ScienceInsider: New Indian Science Minister: 'Science Is Not Clear' on GM Crops
- 2012/10/29: AllAfrica:Reuters: Zimbabwe: Country Turns to Drought-Resistant Crops
As planting season approaches amid concerns about successive poor harvests, research into drought-resistant seeds is gaining momentum in an indication that the Zimbabwean government is waking up to the reality of climate change.
Regarding labelling GM food:
- 2012/11/02: Grist: California's GMO labeling proposition bruised by big money and big rumors
- 2012/11/02: ScienceInsider: Scientists Spar Over Wisdom of California Ballot Effort to Require Labeling of Genetically Modified Foods
- 2012/11/02: UCSUSA:B: A Contrary Perspective on the AAAS Board Statement Against Labeling of Engineered Foods
- 2012/11/03: TreeHugger: Debunking Myths About Prop 37
- 2012/10/31: AlterNet: Pesticide Industry Backed Opponents of Prop 37 Caught in Possible Criminal Act
- 2012/10/30: Grist: Is a major science group [AAAS] stumping for Monsanto?
- 2012/10/30: DM:GNXP: Prop 37 and the right to have the government enforce your right to know
And how are we going to feed 9 billion, 10 billion, 15 billion?
- 2012/10/31: FAO: Cooperatives crucial allies in fight against hunger -- Poor farmers gain access to markets, reduce poverty, says FAO chief
- 2012/10/26: Inhabit: The World's First Commercial Vertical Farm Opens in Singapore
- 2012/10/31: CBC: Climate change may boost bananas over potatoes
- 2012/10/31: NatureN: One-third of our greenhouse gas emissions come from agriculture
Farmers advised to abandon vulnerable crops in face of climate change. - 2012/10/31: Guardian(UK): When the chips are down: potato, maize and rice crop yields set to fall
Farmers in developing world will have to grow different food to prevent world going hungry in changing climate, says report - 2012/10/30: BBC: Bananas could replace potatoes in warming world
Climate change could lead to bananas becoming a critical food source for millions of people, a new report says. Researchers from the CGIAR agricultural partnership say the fruit might replace potatoes in some developing countries. Cassava and the little known cowpea plant could play increasingly important roles in agriculture as temperatures rise. - 2012/10/30: UCSUSA:B: The Transition To Crop Rotation: How Do We Get There?
In the Western Pacific:
- 2012/11/01: MODIS: Tropical Storm Son-tinh (24W) in the South China Sea
In the Eastern Pacific:
- 2012/11/01: Eureka: NASA sees Tropical Storm Rosa's rains southeast of center
- 2012/10/30: Eureka: NASA sees Tropical Storm Rosa being born and powering up quickly
In the Indian Ocean:
- 2012/11/01: Eureka: NASA sees Tropical Depression Nilam blanket southern India
- 2012/10/31: CNN: At least 8 killed after storm tears into southern Indian coast
About 8,000 people in low-lying areas of Tamil Nadu state are relocated - Six crew members are missing from an oil tanker that ran aground - Cyclone Nilam brings heavy rain and high winds to the region - 2012/10/31: CBC: Cyclone Nilam slams India, after flooding Sri Lanka -- Schools close, tens of thousands move to higher ground
- 2012/10/30: Eureka: NASA infrared eye sees tropical cyclone Nilam soak Sri Lanka
- 2012/10/31: BBC: Cyclone Nilam heads for India after Sri Lanka flooding
- 2012/10/31: al Jazeera: Southeast India braces for Cyclone Nilam
Thousands moved to higher ground and schools and ports shut as low-lying areas are at risk of flooding. -
In the Atlantic and Caribbean:
- 2012/11/01: Eureka: NASA adds up Hurricane Sandy's rainfall from space
- 2012/11/01: IOTD: A View Inside Sandy
- 2012/10/30: IOTD: Hurricane Sandy
- 2012/10/30: MODIS: Hurricane Sandy (18L) over the Bahamas
- 2012/10/29: DM:BA: Sandy's Big Night - Suomi NPP pic
- 2012/10/29: IOTD: Overnight View of Hurricane Sandy
While elsewhere in the hurricane wars:
- 2012/10/29: Atlantic: It's Only October, and We're Running Out of Hurricane Names for the Year
- 2012/10/29: P3: Are Tropical Storms Getting Larger in Area?
- 2012/10/29: Tamino: Storm Surge
As for GHGs:
- 2012/10/31: NatureN: One-third of our greenhouse gas emissions come from agriculture
- 2012/10/: UNEP: Growing Greenhouse Gas Emissions Due to Meat Production
- 2012/10/30: P3: UNEP: Greenhouse Gases from Meat Production
And the temperature record:
- 2012/11/03: ERabett: Better Than Best
Aerosols are making their presence felt:
- 2012/10/31: NASA: Dust's Warming Counters Half of its Cooling Effect
Dust that routinely rises above the world's deserts causes a more significant localized warming effect than previously thought, a new study based on NASA field research shows.
Clouds are one of the major uncertainties in climate. Much research revolves around them:
- 2012/10/31: VV: Radiative transfer and cloud structure
Abrupt Climate Change put in an appearance:
- 2012/10/30: Grist: Are we headed for a sudden climate disaster?
What's new on the extinction front?
- 2012/11/03: CBC: Endangered bats' birthing ground in peril after B.C. quake
- 2012/11/02: FDL: How do you spell extinction event? 3.6 degrees Fahrenheit, 2 degrees Centigrade
- 2012/10/29: DD: Illegal hunting threatens iconic animals across Africa's great savannas, especially predators
- 2012/10/29: al Jazeera: South Africa rhino poaching hits record high
More rhinoceros have been killed this year than any year before as Asian demand for horns fuels illicit trade.
Oh look! The Anthropocene came up again:
- 2012/11/01: GSA: Anthropocene Continues to Spark Scientific Debate
Meanwhile in near earth orbit:
- 2012/11/01: NYT: Hurricane Tracking in Peril
More GW impacts are being seen:
- 2012/11/02: OSU: Mountain meadows dwindling in the Pacific Northwest
Some high mountain meadows in the Pacific Northwest are declining rapidly due to climate change, a study suggests, as reduced snowpacks, longer growing seasons and other factors allow trees to invade these unique ecosystems that once were carpeted with grasses, shrubs and wildflowers. - 2012/11/03: WtD: Storm surges: we ain't seen nothing yet?
- 2012/11/03: Tamino: Catastrophes - How Many More?
- 2012/10/31: ABC(Au): Experts confirm climate is narrowing leaves
- 2012/10/29: CCurrents: Global Warming Will Send Phytoplankton Near The Poles
And then there are the world's forests:
- 2012/10/30: DD: Smuggling of illegally logged rosewood in Madagascar continues, report alleges
- 2012/10/29: BBC: Ash dieback: 100,000 trees destroyed to halt spread
- 2012/10/29: DD: 90 percent of oil palm plantations came at expense of forest in Kalimantan [Indonesia]
- 2012/10/28: JFleck: Stuff I wrote elsewhere: tree rings, climate change and our disappearing forests
- 2012/10/29: TreeHugger: Britain's Ash Trees Threatened by Disease - the Chalara fraxinea fungus
Emerging diseases accompany ecological change:
- WHO: Climate change and human health -- Atlas of health and climate
- 2012/10/30: CCurrents: Climate Crisis Is Increasing Malaria, Meningitis, Dengue, UN Agencies Find
- 2012/10/29: SF Gate: New UN "atlas" links climate change, health
- 2012/10/29: CBC: UN atlas ties climate change to spread of disease -- 80% of infectious diseases found in humans come from animals, WHO head says
The two UN agencies for health and weather services have created a new "atlas" of scientific data that they say offers fresh evidence of the links between climate change to outbreaks of meningitis, malaria and other diseases. The World Health Organization director-general says the manual, which includes maps, tables and graphs, provides a practical guide to "climate-sensitive diseases" that decision-makers and leaders can use as a tool for prevention.
This week in notable weather:
- 2012/11/04: APOD: Lenticular Clouds Over Washington
- 2012/10/31: IOTD: Dust Storm Off Alaska
- 2012/11/01: al Jazeera: Blowing in the wind - glacial flour
Dust formed from the action of glaciers on underlying rock blows from Alaska into the Pacific Ocean.
This week in the New Normal -- extreme weather:
- 2012/11/03: DD: Christiane Amanpour on extreme global weather: 'The unprecedented is the new normal'
- 2012/11/01: UCMerced: California is Home to Extreme Weather, Too
- 2012/11/02: TMoS: Australian Climate Commission - Sandy Is the New Normal
- 2012/10/30: 350orBust: Welcome To The New Normal: FrankenWeather
As for heatwaves and wild fires:
- 2012/11/04: ABC(Au): Crews continue to fight blaze in Qld's north
- 2012/11/01: ABC(Au): Bushfire threatens properties north of Sydney
- 2012/11/04: MODIS: Fires and smoke in northern India
- 2012/11/02: MODIS: Fires in eastern Australia
- 2012/10/29: RapidCityJournal: SD sees increase in wildfire numbers and intensity
Record heat and extended drought sparked a huge increase in the number and severity of wildfires in South Dakota this year, forcing the state to spend nearly five times what it spent to battle blazes last year. The number of wildfires nearly doubled from 2011 to 2012... - 2012/10/29: MODIS: Fires in Idaho
Sea levels are rising:
- 2012/11/01: GSA: Why Seas Are Rising Ahead of Predictions
- 2012/11/03: DD: Rising sea forces Panama islanders to move to mainland
- 2012/11/02: NYT: Our Latest High-Water Mark
- 2012/11/03: CCurrents: Why Sea Level Is Rising Faster Than Predicted
As for hydrological cycle disruptions [floods & droughts]:
- 2012/11/02: BBC: Flood risk warning issued by Environment Agency
Soaking Britain may be in for a new bout of flooding in coming months, the Environment Agency has warned. Rivers are full after the wettest April to June on record, followed by more rain in July, September and October. The earth is saturated and in many areas there is no more space left in aquifers to store water that seeps through from the surface. The agency warns that people should be ready for floods even with relatively small amounts of rain. - 2012/10/28: CBC: Wawa, Ont., damage from rain may exceed $10M -- Record rainfall created 15-metre holes along Trans-Canada Highway
First, stop subsidizing fossil fuels
Second, put a price on carbon
And elsewhere on the mitigation front: - 2012/10/31: EarlyWarning: Avoiding Defeatism on Climate Change
- 2012/11/02: BPA: A Plan to Reduce the Size of the Dead Zone
Reduced Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation has somehow seemed chimeric:
- 2012/10/30: LoE: I am afraid REDD is not Green
Consider transportation & GHG production:
- 2012/10/31: P3: Does Public Transportation Save Energy?
While in the endless quest for zero energy, sustainable buildings and practical codes:
- 2012/11/01: TreeHugger: Living Homes Introduces New LEED Platinum Prefabs at Affordable Prices
As for carbon sequestration:
- 2012/10/29: ABC(Au):TDU: Carbon capture [& Storage] a step closer to absurdity
- 2012/10/30: GEP: Biofuelwatch Moves on to BECCS
- 2012/11/01: GEP: Short List Announced in UK CCS Funding Competition
Large scale geo-engineering keeps popping up:
- 2012/11/02: CBC: Iron dumping off B.C. draws UN group's condemnation
Delegates at an international meeting in London have condemned the dumping of more than 100 tonnes of iron off B.C.'s coast, raising the ire of the lawyer for the First Nation involved in the project who calls the declaration "irresponsible." The condemnation came Friday in the form of a statement from delegates in a meeting of the United Nations' International Maritime Organization, a body that expressed "grave concern" over the ocean fertilization project undertaken in July by the Haida Salmon Restoration Corp. - 2012/10/31: HuffPo: Geoengineering: Ignore Economics and Governance at Your Peril
- 2012/10/31: NewYorker: A Parachute for an Irresponsible World
- 2012/10/29: ClimateEngineering: [press review] Iron fertilization in Canada (4th update...)
Meanwhile in the journals:
- 2012/10/30: PNAS: (abs) Enhanced top soil carbon stocks under organic farming by Andreas Gattinger et al.
- 2012/10/30: PNAS: (ab$) Shifting from marine reserves to maritime zoning for conservation of Pacific bigeye tuna (Thunnus obesus) by John Sibert et al.
- 2012/10/30: PNAS: (abs) Human mortality improvement in evolutionary context by Oskar Burger et al.
- 2012/10/30: PNAS: (ab$) An original mode of symbiosis in open ocean plankton by Johan Decelle et al.
- 2012/10/30: PNAS: (ab$) The 27-year decline of coral cover on the Great Barrier Reef and its causes by Glenn De'ath et al.
- 2012/10/30: PNAS: (ab$) Role for urea in nitrification by polar marine Archaea by Laura Alonso-Sáez et al.
- 2012/10/30: PNAS: (ab$) Independent evaluation of conflicting microspherule results from different investigations of the Younger Dryas impact hypothesis by Malcolm A. LeCompte et al.
- 2012/10/30: PNAS: (ab$) The great human expansion by Brenna M. Henn et al.
- 2012/10/30: PNAS: (letter$) Iconic coral reef degraded despite substantial protection by Nancy Knowlton
- 2012/10/30: PNAS: (letter$) Marine archaea take a short cut in the nitrogen cycle by David L. Kirchman
- 2012/11/01: ACP: Global and regional emission estimates for HCFC-22 by E. Saikawa et al.
- 2012/11/01: ACPD: Carbonaceous components, levoglucosan and inorganic ions in tropical aerosols from Tanzania, East Africa: implication for biomass burning contribution to organic aerosols by S. L. Mkoma et al.
- 2012/10/30: ACP: Simulating 3-D radiative transfer effects over the Sierra Nevada Mountains using WRF by Y. Gu et al.
- 2012/10/29: ACP: Tropical convective transport and the Walker circulation by J. S. Hosking et al.
- 2012/10/31: ACPD: The fine-scale structure of the trade wind cumuli over Barbados - an introduction to the CARRIBA project by H. Siebert et al.
- 2012/10/30: ACPD: Observation-based assessment of stratospheric fractional release, lifetimes, and Ozone Depletion Potentials of ten important source gases by J. C. Laube et al.
- 2012/11/01: AGWObserver: Papers on hurricanes and global warming
- 2012/11/02: ESD: On the relationship between metrics to compare greenhouse gases - the case of IGTP, GWP and SGTP by C. Azar & D. J. A. Johansson
- 2012/10/31: CP: COnstructing Proxy Records from Age models (COPRA) by S. F. M. Breitenbach et al.
- 2012/10/31: CP: Bunker Cave stalagmites: an archive for central European Holocene climate variability by J. Fohlmeister et al.
- 2012/10/30: CP: A 560 yr summer temperature reconstruction for the Western Mediterranean basin based on stable carbon isotopes from Pinus nigra ssp. laricio (Corsica/France) by S. Szymczak et al.
- 2012/10/29: CP: A model-data comparison for a multi-model ensemble of early Eocene atmosphere-ocean simulations: EoMIP by D. J. Lunt et al.
- 2012/10/31: CPD: The last interglacial (Eemian) climate simulated by LOVECLIM and CCSM3 by I. Nikolova et al.
- 2012/11/02: SagePub:BoS: From Brokdorf to Fukushima: The long journey to nuclear phase-out by Alexander Glaser
- 2012/10/29: NERC:NORA: The effect of background wind on mesoscale circulations above variable soil moisture in the Sahel by N.S. Dixon et al.
- 2012/10/30: NERC:NORA: The consolidation and bond strength of rafted sea ice by Eleanor Bailey et al.
- 2012/10/31: NERC:NORA: Climate-induced change in biogenic bromine emissions from the Antarctic marine biosphere by Claire Hughes et al.
- 2012/10/31: NERC:NORA: Late Holocene changes in precipitation in northwest Tasmania and their potential links to shifts in the Southern Hemisphere westerly winds by K. M. Saunders et al.
- 2012/11/01: NERC:NORA: Predation of Atlantic Petrel chicks by house mice on Gough Island by R. M. Wanless et al.
- 2012/11/01: NERC:NORA: Did massive glacial dewatering modify sedimentary structures on the Amundsen Sea Embayment shelf, West Antarctica? by Estella Weigelt et al.
- 2012/11/02: ACP: BVOC-aerosol-climate interactions in the global aerosol-climate model ECHAM5.5-HAM2 by R. Makkonen et al.
- 2012/11/02: ACP: How does deposition of gas phase species affect pH at frozen salty interfaces? by S. N. Wren & D. J. Donaldson
- 2012/11/02: ACP: Wintertime particulate pollution episodes in an urban valley of the Western US: a case study by L.-W. A. Chen et al.
- 2012/11/02: ACPD: How much CO was emitted by the 2010 fires around Moscow? by M. Krol et al.
- 2012/11/01: GMD: The regional aerosol-climate model REMO-HAM by J.-P. Pietikäinen et al.
- 2012/11/02: GMDD: Evaluating a lightning parameterization based on cloud-top height for mesoscale numerical model simulations by J. Wong et al.
- 2012/11/02: GMDD: Using model reduction to predict the soil-surface C18 OO flux: an example of representing complex biogeochemical dynamics in a computationally efficient manner by W. J. Riley
- 2012/11/01: OS: Surface signature of Mediterranean water eddies in the Northeastern Atlantic: effect of the upper ocean stratification by I. Bashmachnikov & X. Carton
- 2012/11/01: TC: The early twentieth century warming and winter Arctic sea ice by V. A. Semenov & M. Latif
- 2012/11/01: OSD: Seasonality of intermediate waters hydrography west of the Iberian Peninsula from a 8-yr semiannual timeseries of an oceanographic section by E. Prieto et al.
- 2012/10/30: OS: Characteristics of the seasonal cycle of surface layer salinity in the global ocean by F. M. Bingham et al.
- 2012/10/29: OS: Modelling temperature and salinity in Liverpool Bay and the Irish Sea: sensitivity to model type and surface forcing by C. K. O'Neill et al.
- 2012/10/30: GMDD: The SOCOL version 3.0 chemistry-climate model: description, evaluation, and implications from an advanced transport algorithm by A. Stenke et al.
- 2012/10/30: TC: Effects of nonlinear rheology, temperature and anisotropy on the relationship between age and depth at ice divides by C. Martín & G. H. Gudmundsson
- 2012/10/29: TCD: Quantifying present and future glacier melt-water contribution to runoff in a Central Himalayan river basin by M. Prasch et al.
- 2012/10/29: AGWObserver: New research from last week 43/2012
And other significant documents:
- 2012/10/31: CohenCommission: [links to many pdfs] Commission of Inquiry into the Decline of Sockeye Salmon in the Fraser River - Final Report
- 2012/10/29: BZE: [link to 1.7 meg pdf] Health and Social Harms of Coal Mining in Local Communities - Research Report
As for miscellaneous science:
- 2012/10/31: NatureN: 'Tree of life' constructed for all living bird species -- Ambitious attempt to link geography to diversification ruffles some feathers
- 2012/11/03: NatureNB: Retractions stigmatize scientific fields study finds
- 2012/11/02: ERW: Climate metrics are a special case
All published metrics for working out the equivalent effect of different greenhouse gases on climate are special cases of one generalized metric, the global-damage potential, according to researchers from the UK, the Netherlands, Norway and the US. - 2012/10/29: InsideHigherEd: Coup at Environmental Journal?
[...]
A joint statement from the editorial board members who have quit says that the changes are "a gross violation of academic freedom, scholarly standards, scientific responsibility, and business ethics." The 24 editorial board members quitting include professors at leading universities in the United States along with academics from Australia, Austria, Canada and Mexico. - 2012/11/02: DeSmogBlog: SUNY Buffalo Faculty, Staff Tell Shale Institute to Go
What's new in models?
- 2012/11/03: SimpleC: Butterfly effect limits climate models
What developments in the ongoing struggle for Open Science?
- 2012/11/03: TreeHugger: Startup [Marinexplore] Aims to Build's World's First Big Open Data Platform for the Oceans
While at the UN:
- 2012/11/02: NatureN: 'Climate services' go global
UN meteorological body approves framework for managing climate predictions.
And on the carbon trading front:
- 2012/11/01: Reuters: California offset supply hit by strict rules: expert
Suppliers of offset credits to California's carbon emissions market will only be able to meet a third of demand unless the state approves more project types, a move that could drive up the cost of complying with the scheme, an expert said Tuesday. - 2012/10/29: EurActiv: Environment ministers pour cold water on 'hot air' proposal
EU environment ministers abandoned plans on Friday (26 October) to limit excess supply of Kyoto-era carbon credits on the world's markets after seven eastern European states backed Poland's opposition to the measure. The Environment Council had been intended to forge a common EU position on Assigned Amount Unit carbon credits (AAUs) - disparagingly dubbed 'hot air' credits - before the UN climate summit in Doha next month.
On the international political front, tensions continue as the empire leans on Iran:
- 2012/10/26: BizInsider: Shell Is Looking Into Using Grains Instead Of Cash To Pay Off A Debt To Iran
- 2012/10/28: Independent(UK): Iran aims to defy sanctions through domestic production
With an economy struggling through some of the most punishing economic sanctions in history, Iran is looking inward to meet its basic needs while attempting to change the consumption habits of a society accustomed to enjoying a range of foreign products. Iranian officials call it "the resistance economy," reflecting their defiance of Western attempts to halt the country's uranium enrichment program.
South [& East] China Sea tension persists:
- 2012/10/30: AntiWar: Ex-Envoy Accuses US of Agitating China-Japan Tensions
The US is doing whatever it can to crush China's rise and maintain global hegemony, even if it means stoking conflict A veteran Chinese diplomat warned on Tuesday that the United States is using Japan as a strategic tool in its military surge in Asia-Pacific aimed at containing China it is heightening tensions between China and Japan. "The retired diplomat, Chen Jian, who served as an under secretary general of the United Nations and as China's ambassador to Japan," reports The New York Times, criticized Washington for fomenting conflict in Asia over conflicting territorial claims over various islands and sea lanes instead of pressing for diplomacy.
The African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of States met in Vanuatu this week:
- 2012/10/29: ABC(Au): ACP develops common climate change policy
Pacific Islands nations are meeting in Vanuatu to work on an enhanced, regional cooperation policy to cope with the effects of climate change. The meeting in Port Vila is part of a briefing series for the African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) Group of States, organised with the European Union's Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Development (CTA).
Climate Change is a threat multiplier exacerbating existing conflicts in food, energy, water, race, ideology ... etc.:
- 2012/10/29: UPI: U.S. study checks climate, conflict link
What are the activists up to?
- 2012/10/29: Guardian(UK): Climate activists occupy West Burton gas power station
No Dash For Gas protesters scale cooling towers in protest at UK government's energy plans
Polls! We have polls!
- 2012/11/03: PSinclair: It's Enough to make you Throw Up. More Republicans believe in Demon Possession than Climate Change
- 2012/11/02: HuffPo: Climate Change Poll Finds Most Americans Unwilling To Pay Higher Energy Costs
Regarding Water Politics and Business:
- 2012/11/03: JFleck: Denver water use dropping
- 2012/11/03: JFleck: Clarity on withdrawal versus consumption, San Diego style
- 2012/11/02: JFleck: Water: the withdrawal/consumption confusion
- 2012/11/01: CSM: Water delivery system makes up 12.6 percent of US energy consumption: report
- 2012/10/31: DD: Graph of the Day: Water Storage at O. H. Ivie Reservoir in Texas, 1991-2012
- 2012/10/31: MLive: Climate is the biggest factor in Lake Michigan and Lake Huron basin's near-record low levels, federal officials say
- 2012/11/03: BBC: Cambodia approves Lower Sesan 2 hydroelectric dam
Cambodia's government has approved a controversial hydroelectric dam on a tributary of the Mekong River. The joint venture involves Cambodian, Chinese and Vietnamese investment of $781m (£488m) and is due to be completed within five years. The project in northern Stung Treng province is known as Lower Sesan 2. Environmental campaigners say the dam will damage the river's biodiversity and devastate the livelihoods and homes of thousands of people. - 2012/11/02: BBC: Church of the Holy Sepulchre in row over water bill
- 2012/10/31: AllAfrica:SW Radio: Zimbabwe: Kadoma Enters Third Week Without Water
Residents in Kadoma are facing another week without running water, with the area entering its third dry week on Tuesday. The council is reportedly battling to fix a power transformer that operates a water pump station at Claw Dam. - 2012/10/31: WSWS: New Zealand Maori business elite sues for water ownership
And on the American political front:
- 2012/10/30: CO2Art: Hi! My Name is Sandy, This is Your Wake-Up Call!
- 2012/10/31: Wonkette: Megan McCain Wants to Know if Her Party Will Betray God, Acknowledge Existence of Climate Change
- 2012/11/04: CassandrasLegacy: We have been chasing the wrong demon!
Look behind you! It's climate change we need to worry about, not economic growth and al-Qaeda - 2012/11/04: BBerg: Election Officials Improvising Solutions in Northeast
- 2012/11/03: NakedCapitalism: Tom Ferguson: Massive Surge of Republican Money in Last Ditch Effort to Sink Obama
- 2012/11/02: ICN: Study By Oil-Backed Group Says Wind Industry Doesn't Need Tax Credit
- 2012/11/02: ICN: Ex-GOP Lawmaker [former Delaware governor/congressman, Mike Castle]: Republicans Rejecting 'True Science' on Climate Change
- 2012/11/02: ICN: Will Michigan Voters Add a Clean Energy Mandate to Their Constitution?
Prop 3 is the only clean energy issue on a state ballot. Michigan's standing as a battleground state is putting the measure under a national spotlight. - 2012/03/29: Yahoo: History of U.S. Oil Subsidies Go Back Nearly a Century
- 2012/11/02: JQuiggin: Food stamps cause global depression?
- 2012/11/02: ERabett:BDS: How dare Nate Silver suggest that someone put his money where his mouth is
- 2012/11/01: BRitholtz: Bruce Bartlett: Dangers of Republican Know-Nothingism
- 2012/11/01: BWeek: It's Global Warming, Stupid
- 2012/10/31: Onion: Nation Suddenly Realizes This Just Going To Be A Thing That Happens From Now On
- 2012/11/01: Grist: World's 'cleanest coal-fueled power plant' is a climate bait-and-switch
- 2012/11/01: UCSUSA:B: Facts Speak Louder Than Ads in Michigan When it Comes to Clean Energy
- 2012/11/01: UCSUSA:B: Portman's [Sen. Rob Portman (R-OH)] Proposals Would Endanger Both Science and Citizens
- 2012/11/01: UCSUSA: More Than 200 Academic, Professional Experts Support 25 Percent Renewable Energy for Michigan
- 2012/10/31: TP:JR: NY Governor Cuomo: 'Anyone Who Thinks That There Is Not A Dramatic Change In Weather Patterns Is Denying Reality'
- 2012/10/30: TP:JR: We Need To De-Carbonize Our Tax System
- 2012/10/31: DD: Nation suddenly realizes this is just going to be a thing that happens from now on
- 2012/10/30: Wonkette: Mitt Romney Can Kiss Chris Christie's Fat Ass
- 2012/11/01: Wonkette: Rush Limbaugh Thinks Chris Christie Is A Big Fat Fool
- 2012/11/02: Wonkette: Stupid Hurricane 'Victims,' Let Fox News' John Stossel Explain Why It Is Awesome To Price Gouge You
- 2012/11/02: TP:JR: We Are All from New Orleans Now: Climate Change, Hurricanes And The Fate Of America's Coastal Cities
- 2012/11/01: TP:JR: James Hansen: 'Neither Party Wants To Offend The Fossil Fuel Industry'
- 2012/11/02: TreeHugger: Sticking With the Dirty Status Quo in Oklahoma?
- 2012/11/01: FDL: War on Facts: Republicans Complain About Nonpartisan Congressional Study on Tax Cuts for the Rich, Get It Taken Down
- 2012/10/30: Yahoo: Ex-FEMA director Michael Brown criticizes Obama for reacting too quickly to storm
- 2012/10/31: CCP: Onion: Nation Suddenly Realizes This Is Just Going To Be A Thing That Happens From Now On
- 2012/10/31: OilDrum: The Big Deal About U.S. Energy Self-Sufficiency
- 2012/10/28: BigThink: Who Needs Facts Anyway?
- 2012/10/28: NYT: Science Is the Key to Growth
On the 2012 campaign trail:
- 2012/11/04: al Jazeera: The deafening silence on climate change
Global warming has seldom been mentioned this year on the campaign trail, despite Obama's promise to the contrary. - 2012/11/03: Grist: The most brutal ad you'll see this election
- 2012/11/03: ERabett:BDS: If campaigns are zero-sum games, why will neither side talk about climate?
- 2012/11/03: CDreams: Planetary Climate Change As Punch Line
- 2012/11/03: CDreams: 'The Time to Choose Sides on Climate Change Is Now'
- 2012/11/03: al Jazeera: Hurricane Sandy brings climate change crashing onto the White House lawn
Hurricane Sandy has put climate change on the election agenda even if the candidates didn't want it, writes [Tom] Mitchell. - 2012/11/03: al Jazeera: Where is the Green Party?
As climate change become increasingly apparent, many wonder why the Green Party is being ignored in the US election. - 2012/11/03: DbP: Video ad contrasts Romney climate change jokes with Sandy devastation
- 2012/11/02: al Jazeera: Obama wins key support from NYC's Bloomberg
US president and his Republican challenger spend final days of campaign in swing states with critical electoral votes. New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg has backed President Barack Obama over Republican Mitt Romney, saying the incumbent Democrat will bring critically needed leadership to fight climate change after the devastation wrought by Superstorm Sandy. - 2012/11/02: Guardian(UK): Michael Bloomberg draws a line in the Sandy with climate endorsement
- 2012/11/02: Guardian(UK): If Sandy doesn't destroy Obama's climate cowardice, what will?
- 2012/11/02: Guardian(UK): A vote for a president to lead on climate change by Michael Bloomberg
The devastation that hurricane Sandy brought to New York city brought the stakes of the presidential election into sharp relief - 2012/11/02: CSM: Obama, Romney avoid hard truths about energy
- 2012/11/02: DemNow: "It's Global Warming, Stupid": As Bloomberg Backs Obama, News Media Ends Silence on Climate Change
- 2012/11/02: ABC(Au): New York's mayor backs Obama on climate change
- 2012/11/01: TP:JR: Andrea Saul: Romney Campaign Advisor, Climate Change Disinformer
- 2012/11/01: PSinclair: Romney Heckled by Climate Protesters
- 2012/11/01: Guardian(UK): Revealed: the day Obama chose a strategy of silence on climate change
Sandy has blown climate change back on the agenda -- and many believe the White House was wrong when it decided in 2009 that climate change was not a winning political message - 2012/11/01: Guardian(UK): Michael Bloomberg endorses Obama to lead on climate change
- 2012/11/01: Guardian(UK): Bloomberg's Obama endorsement is a vote for big government in time of crisis
- 2012/11/01: Guardian(UK): Bloomberg brings climate change out of the closet in stunning snub to Romney
- 2012/11/01: TP:JR: Michael Bloomberg Endorses Obama, Citing Climate Change As Main Reason
- 2012/11/01: TP: Confronted By Protester, Romney Maintains Climate Silence
- 2012/11/01: Grist: With climate endorsement, Bloomberg draws a line in the Sandy
- 2012/11/01: ScienceInsider: Climate Makes a Late Appearance in Presidential Race As Bloomberg Endorses Obama
- 2012/11/01: TreeHugger: NYC Mayor Bloomberg Endorses Barack Obama, Citing the President's Climate Stance
- 2012/11/01: TreeHugger: Protester Confronts Mitt Romney Over Climate Change, Surreality Ensues (Video)
- 2012/11/01: NYT:Opinionator: Nature Votes Last
- 2012/10/31: Guardian(UK): Sandy forces climate change on US election despite fossil fuel lobby
- 2012/10/31: Guardian(UK): Sandy puts climate change back on the US election agenda
- 2012/10/31: EconView: 'The Insurer Of Last Resort' - Paul Krugman
- 2012/10/31: NYT:PK: Disasters and Politics
- 2012/10/31: DerSpiegel: Obama's Hour -- Chris Christie's Support Could Give President Edge
Barack Obama appears to be staking his entire campaign on his management of the hurricane Sandy catastrophe on the East Coast. He has gained a very powerful supporter, too: Chris Christie, the New Jersey governor and a leading Republican. Christie may prove more valuable to the incumbent president than any stump speech. - 2012/10/31: DeSmogBlog: Green Party Presidential Candidate Arrested in TransCanada Keystone XL Tar Sands Blockade
- 2012/10/31: TP:JR: Green Party Presidential Candidate Jill Stein Arrested Protesting Keystone XL Pipeline: 'I'm Here To Connect The Dots'
- 2012/10/31: TreeHugger: Green Party Presidential Nominee Arrested in Texas, Assisting Keystone XL Protesters
- 2012/10/31: TreeHugger: Romney's Joke About Rising Oceans Getting Fewer Laughs Now
- 2012/10/31: DeSmogBlog: Climate Silence No More As Sandy Rips Through the East Coast
- 2012/10/31: ABC(Au): Superstorm puts election in limbo
- 2012/10/30: OilChange: Supersized Sandy Breaks Climate Silence
- 2012/10/30: AutoBG: What changes might green car policies see under a Romney presidency?
- 2012/10/30: CCurrents: Five Easy Post-Election Predictions (No Matter Who Wins)
- 2012/10/31: CSM: After superstorm Sandy, is there really a Romney-Obama feud over FEMA?
- 2012/10/30: WSWS: US third party debate presents no alternative for working class
- 2012/10/31: al Jazeera: The cold shoulder to climate change
Neither candidate has mentioned climate change in the debates or the campaign at large, despite its obvious impact. - 2012/10/30: TP:JR: In Sandy's Wake, Bill Clinton Calls Out Mitt's Mockery Of Climate Action
- 2012/10/30: PEF: Will Frankenstorm put climate change back on the political radar?
- 2012/10/29: TP:JR: Bill Clinton Throws His Support Behind Michigan's Renewable Energy Ballot Initiative
- 2012/10/29: TP:JR: Obama And Romney's Record: Climate Silence When Disasters Strike
- 2012/10/29: EENews: Hurricane Sandy poses ugly 'October surprise' for both Obama and Romney
- 2012/10/29: al Jazeera: The way the wind blows: The effects of Hurricane Sandy on the US elections
Whether directly or indirectly, Hurricane Sandy is set to affect the upcoming US presidential elections. - 2012/10/30: al Jazeera: Sandy disrupts US election campaign
President Barack Obama and Republican nominee Mitt Romney are off the campaign trail as storm advances on East Coast. - 2012/10/29: Guardian(UK): Hurricane Sandy blows away election ephemera, leaving stark choice
- 2012/10/29: EurActiv: Hurricane Sandy disrupts US election
Hurricane Sandy blew the US presidential race off course over the weekend even before it came ashore, forcing Republican Mitt Romney to shift his campaign inland and fuelling fears that the massive storm bearing down on the East Coast could disrupt early voting. - 2012/10/29: TP:JR: McKibben To Romney: 'Please Explain Again Why Slowing The Rise Of The Oceans Is Such A Silly Plan?'
- 2012/10/28: TP:JR: Filling The Silence: What Obama and Romney Should Have Said (Had They Been Asked A Climate Question At The Debates)
- 2012/10/29: ABC(Au): Hurricane Sandy blows US election off course
Gas Prices are going up, down, up, down:
- 2012/11/01: CSM: Gas prices continue post-Sandy drop
- 2012/10/30: CSM: Will falling gas prices hurt Romney's campaign?
The Keystone XL saga lurches along:
- 2012/10/31: CBC: National Energy Board announces TransCanada audit -- Whistleblower gratified that action follows his complaints
The GOP War on Women continues. See also:
- 2012/11/01: CBC: 'The rape thing' does not excuse abortion, Republican says
Congressional candidate [John Koster] says abortion is 'more violence onto a woman's body' A Republican congressional candidate says abortion should not be legal, even when it involves "the rape thing,"... - 2012/10/31: al Jazeera: Lessons from the al-Qaeda chronicles: Romney and the attack on women
Women-hating in the US is "not limited to the Republican Party", but can also be found in the "citadels of liberalism".
The NorthWest coal export debate remains heated:
- 2012/10/31: TP:JR: Coal Export Lobby Spends Big On Ads Promoting Shipping Taxpayer-Owned Coal Abroad
I wonder what they'll do to this guy, if anything...:
- 2012/10/31: CNN: Man faces fallout for spreading false Sandy reports on Twitter
A Twitter user who spread lies about Superstorm Sandy is exposed - Shashank Tripathi was managing the campaign of a Congress hopeful - His 6,500 followers got fake reports of flooding, other destruction - New York councilman has asked for a criminal investigation - 2012/10/30: Wonkette: Cool Republican Bro Had Fun Spreading Dumb Fake Hurricane Rumors Last Night
- 2012/10/31: PSinclair: Twitter's Hurricane Sociopath Unmasked - Shashank Tripathi, campaign manager for Republican candidate, Christopher R. Wight
- 2012/10/31: Guardian(UK): Even a superstorm is no excuse for journalists not to check Twitter trolling
The rage reserved for @ComfortablySmug's mischievous tweet about a flooded NYSE should be aimed at media professionals - 2012/10/31: MSimon: Hurricane Sandy and the Twitter Troll - Tripathi
- 2012/10/30: CBC: Fake Hurricane Sandy photos spread false rumours online
The Obama chatter is nonstop:
- 2012/11/02: HillHeat: The Three Climate Faces Of Barack Obama: Father, President, And Candidate
- 2012/10/30: DerSpiegel: Handling Hurricane Sandy -- Obama's Moment of Truth
Hurricane Sandy has devastated parts of America's East Coast, and now Barack Obama must manage the crisis. Up for reelection in just one week, the president is forced to take on a new role. A failure could cost him his job. - 2012/10/30: Guardian(UK): Obama to tour areas hardest hit by Sandy after scrapping campaign plans
The actions of the Obama administration are being watched closely:
- 2012/11/02: USGS: USGS and Google Partner on Emergency Alerts
- 2012/11/03: CSM: Report: EPA regulations would cost 1.5 million jobs over next four years [says ACCCE]
As for what is going on in Congress:
- 2012/11/01: NYT: Hurricane Tracking in Peril
- 2012/10/30: TP:JR: Senator Inhofe Wins 'Rubber Dodo' Award For Climate Denial
While in the UK:
- 2012/11/02: ScienceInsider: British Antarctic Survey to Keep Its Identity
- 2012/11/02: NatureN: British Antarctic Survey keeps its independence -- Research centre will not face controversial merger with oceanography body
- 2012/11/02: NERC: Outcome of NERC Council meeting to consider proposal to merge BAS and NOC
- 2012/10/30: BBC: Scottish green energy target set at 50% of demand by 2015
- 2012/11/03: BBC: 'Water summit' in drought-hit South East [England]
Politicians, farmers and water industry leaders will attend a "water summit" to look at supply issues after drought hit south-east England earlier this year. - 2012/11/02: BBC: British Antarctic Survey merger plan ruled out
Plans to merge the British Antarctic Survey and the National Oceanography Centre (NOC) have been ruled out, the science minister has announced. In a written statement, David Willetts said the Natural Environment Research Council (Nerc) had decided not to proceed with the proposal. - 2012/11/02: BBC: Flood risk warning issued by Environment Agency
- 2012/10/31: Guardian(UK): Care for your local ash tree
Britons love their woods with a passion, but what use are tears if you can't tell a beech from an oak? - 2012/10/31: Guardian(UK): Onshore wind: 'planning should reflect benefits of good-value power source'
Committee on Climate Change stresses need of financial base for scale-up of UK wind power capacity to 15GW by 2020 - 2012/10/31: NatureNB: UK Antarctic research centre's future hangs in the balance
- 2012/10/31: Stoat: Think again on British Antarctic Survey merger say Science and Technology Committee
- 2012/10/31: BBC: Tory energy minister John Hayes has been slapped down by his Lib Dem boss Ed Davey after saying the UK had "enough" onshore wind farms.
- 2012/10/31: BBC: Officials from Japanese firm Hitachi will visit Anglesey later after taking over a project to build a new nuclear power station on the island
- 2012/10/30: Guardian(UK): UK shortlists [4] carbon capture projects competing for £1bn fund
- 2012/10/30: Guardian(UK): Hitachi energises future of low-carbon power in the UK
New player to nuclear race was announced as the government signalled funding for carbon capture and storage projects - 2012/10/29: Guardian(UK): Community energy is on the up. But will the government hobble it?
- 2012/10/28: Guardian(UK): The Tory retreat on climate change is senseless
The growing internal backlash against Cameron's green agenda threatens to torpedo the party's modernisation - 2012/10/28: Guardian(UK): Coal resurgence threatens climate change targets
Biggest increase in coal usage for 50 years could throw the UK's green ambitions off course
And in Europe:
- 2012/11/02: EurActiv: Oettinger backs new 2030 targets for CO2, renewables
Günther Oettinger, the EU's energy commissioner, greeted the launch of a new coalition promoting renewables and gas power with a call to set fixed emissions reductions and clean energy targets for 2030. "I think we need a new CO2 emissions reduction target," he told a conference in Brussels on 31 October, which marked the launch of a new alliance between companies involved in renewable energies and natural gas production. The targets, Oettinger said, would be "maybe more than 20% or 30% in 2030." - 2012/11/02: SwissInfo: Swiss to vote on curbing population growth
- 2012/10/30: EurActiv: EU ministers back deep cuts in shipping fuel emissions
Tough new sulphur limits for shipping fuel will be phased in across EU waters as part of European Union efforts to free the air of toxic chemicals that shorten thousands of lives - 2012/10/29: EurActiv: Environment ministers pour cold water on 'hot air' proposal
EU environment ministers abandoned plans on Friday (26 October) to limit excess supply of Kyoto-era carbon credits on the world's markets after seven eastern European states backed Poland's opposition to the measure. The Environment Council had been intended to forge a common EU position on Assigned Amount Unit carbon credits (AAUs) - disparagingly dubbed 'hot air' credits - before the UN climate summit in Doha next month.
Meanwhile in Australia:
- 2012/11/03: ABC(Au): Gillard rejects Greens advice on mining tax
The Federal Government has flatly dismissed efforts by the Greens to increase budget revenue from the mining tax. The Greens have used their 20th national conference in Sydney to spruik their economic agenda. Greens leader Christine Milne urged the Federal Government to delay the budget surplus. They have also commissioned costings data which reveal that a 40 per cent increase in the Minerals Resource Rent Tax would increase budget revenue by $26 billion over four years. - 2012/11/01: ABC(Au): Report [Farming Smarter, Not Harder by the Centre for Policy Development] calls for more investment in climate proofing
A report into the future of Australian farming shows up to $6.5 billion in agricultural production could be lost each year unless investment in climate proofing and soil management is increased. - 2012/11/01: ABC(Au): Climate change work underway on mid north coast
A mid north coast environmental organisation is trying to improve carbon storage and promote biodiversity across the region. The Jaliigiir Biodiversity Alliance has been given $3 million to improve conservation and climate change resilience between Bellingen and Nymboida over the next six years. - 2012/11/02: ABC(Au): Uranium chairman defends committee -- Paul Bell declares panel balanced and thorough
- 2012/11/02: ABC(Au): Green groups refuse to join [Queensland] uranium panel -- Conservationsts label nuclear review a sham
- 2012/11/02: ABC(Au): Greens demand action on dust
The Greens say Hunter residents need to maintain their fight to have the impacts of coal mining on the region fully investigated, as air pollution continues to plague the valley. Five health alerts were issued for the Upper Hunter this morning in Singleton, Mount Thorley, Camberwell and Maison Dieu. - 2012/10/30: ABC(Au): Landholders told no insurance for gradual sea level rises
A committee of coastal property owners dropped by the South Gippsland Shire Council will be unable to insure their homes against sea level rises caused by climate change. The South Gippsland Shire Council plans to cut its ties with the committee it set up to maintain seawalls along the Corner Inlet coast. The council says by cutting its ties with the group, it can no longer be sued if homes are inundated by sea level rises. - 2012/10/30: REA: Calls to Cut Australia's 20 Percent Renewable Energy Target Rejected [by Climate Change Authority (CCA)]
- 2012/10/31: ABC(Au): Slipper lashes Coalition over 'flawed' wheat stance
- 2012/10/31: ABC(Au): Greens agree to back wheat deregulation bill
The Federal Government has agreed to a deal with the Greens to get its wheat deregulation bill through Parliament. The bill abolishes Wheat Exports Australia (WEA) and the 22-cents-a-tonne charge it imposes on producers. - 2012/10/29: ABC(Au): Report finds more deaths, disease in coal towns
The carbon bill is law. The Aus-EU ETS is codified. Now come the practicalities...and the finagling:
- 2012/11/02: ABC(Au): Savannah burning aims to farm carbon credits
- 2012/10/29: ABC(Au): Government and coalition debate way forward for carbon farming
- 2012/10/29: JQuiggin: The carbon price: three months on
Here's a bit of theatre Julia's minority doesn't need:
- 2012/11/03: ABC(Au): Ferguson drops legal threat over Oakeshott remarks
Resources Minister Martin Ferguson will drop his legal action against key independent MP Rob Oakeshott following a discussion with the Prime Minister this morning.
[...]
The threat was the second piece of evidence this week that tension is mounting between the Government and the key crossbench MPs. Mr Oakeshott and Tony Windsor are considering opposing some bills because they feel the Government is rushing them through.
After years of drought and flooding, water usage planning is controversial and difficult:
- 2012/11/03: DD: Graph of the Day: Streamflow into Perth Area Dams, 2000-2012
- 2012/11/02: ABC(Au): SA hands over more water for basin targets
- 2012/11/02: ABC(Au): Water wars
Victoria's Coalition Government says its Labor predecessor is to blame for sharp increases in the cost of water. Melbourne water retailers want to increase prices by about 34 per cent next year, to cover the cost of a new desalination plant. While the price hikes are yet to be approved, the state government says there's little it can do. - 2012/11/02: ABC(Au): States work out sharing amounts
The Federal Water Minister Tony Burke has sent a letter to the Murray-Darling Basin Authority which formally recognises 2750 gigalitres as the amount of water to be recovered for the environment. - 2012/11/01: ABC(Au): Draft plan outlines water price rises
Victoria's utility regulator has published a final draft five-year plan for water services in the Wimmera-Mallee. Grampians Wimmera Mallee (GWM) Water has proposed a 3 per cent increase to prices from July next year. Prices would then go up each year by another 2.4 per cent, plus inflation, until 2018. - 2012/11/01: ABC(Au): Melbourne households facing water price hike
Melbourne's household water bills are set to soar by an average of 34 per cent next financial year. City West Water, Yarra Valley Water and South East Water have proposed the price hikes as part of their five year plans which start in July next year. Each has flagged large increases next year, to cover the cost of the Wonthaggi desalination plant. - 2012/11/01: ABC(Au): Another step toward Murray Basin plan
A water plan for the Murray-Darling Basin has advanced another step in the long process. Federal Water Minister Tony Burke has sent a letter to the Murray-Darling Basin Authority outlining his last changes. Failing anything unexpected, the Authority will incorporate them into the final Basin plan which could be delivered within weeks. The letter formally recognises 2,750 gigalitres as the headline figure to be recovered for the environment. - 2012/10/31: DD: Australia pumps $1.83 billion into food bowl river
- 2012/10/31: ABC(Au): [Independent MP Tony] Windsor slams [Michael] McCormack [Riverina MP] over basin plan talk
The Independent MP Tony Windsor says it is 'puff and whistle' that 3200 gigalitres of water will be returned to the environment through the Murray Darling Basin Plan. The chair of the Regional Australia Committee, which investigated the plan's impact, says the extra 450 billion litres the Prime Minister has committed is not guaranteed. - 2012/10/31: ABC(Au): Bipartisan backing for Murray water amendments
Water Act amendments creating an adjustment mechanism for the Murray-Darling Basin plan have passed the House of Representatives with bipartisan support. - 2012/10/31: ABC(Au): River Murray flows back to 'normal'
- 2012/10/29: ABC(Au): Opposition wants Federal Government to have final say on Basin water
The Opposition will seek to amend the Federal Government's Water Act changes, which would allow for an adjustment mechanism to be incorporated in the Murray-Darling Basin Plan. State governments and irrigator groups alike called for the adjustment mechanism, so that water saved through efficiency gains and environmental works and measures can be included under the 2,750 gigalitre target of water to be returned to the Basin environment. - 2012/10/29: ABC(Au): SA irrigators welcome Murray funds boost
And in New Zealand:
- 2012/11/03: WSWS: Drilling company fined negligible sum for safety breaches in New Zealand mine disaster
- 2012/10/31: WSWS: New Zealand Maori business elite sues for water ownership
While in the Indian subcontinent:
- 2012/11/03: CCurrents: "Get up Stand up": Koodankulam Rises In Protest
- 2012/11/03: al Jazeera: India's nuclear programme: Trust abroad but not at home
The protests in Kudankulam will continue if the government doesn't reassess the root cause of public unrest. - 2012/10/31: CCurrents: Koodankulam People Seek Support Of Global Community
- 2012/10/30: CCurrents: German Journalist Weiland Wagner Detained At Koodankulam Released
- 2012/10/28: CCurrents: Koodankulam: 71 Activists Arrested on Way to Protests in Chennai Planned on 29th October
- 2012/10/30: ABC(Au): Safety concerns for India's nuclear energy industry
The international nuclear watchdog is inspecting one of India's main reactors after a series of leaks that exposed workers to dangerous levels of radiation. Dozens of employees at the Rajasthan Atomic Power Plant were exposed during two serious breaches earlier this year. The country's auditor-general says that India is just one slip away from a disaster of Chernobyl-like proportions.
And in China:
- 2012/11/01: EmbassyMag: Changing the guard in China
Virtually nobody believes in the old Communist ideology any more: "Socialism with Chinese characteristics" is only another way of saying "capitalism plus authoritarianism." By the end of Nov. 6, we will know who will be the president of the United States for the next four years. We already know who will be the leader of China for the next 10 years, although Xi Jinping will not be officially installed in power until a few days later. But some would argue that that is the more important event.
While in Japan:
- 2012/10/31: BBC: Japan tsunami reconstruction money 'misspent'
Japan has spent funds intended for reconstruction after the 2011 earthquake and tsunami on unrelated projects, a government audit has found. Projects financed by the $150bn (£93bn) fund include roads in Okinawa, an ad campaign for Japan's tallest building and support for whaling research. Some 325,000 people remain displaced 18 months on from the disaster.
And South America:
- 2012/11/03: CSM: Brazil: Congress to vote on redistribution of oil royalties
In Canada, neocon PM Harper pushes petroleum while ignoring climate change:
- 2012/10/31: iPolitics: Stephen Harper and the triumph of the corporation state
- 2012/10/30: TMoS: Steve Harper's Betrayal of Canada
- 2012/10/30: Rabble:CM: Carbon attacks: The Harper Conservatives and the Canadian resource economy -- Part 3
- 2012/10/31: MSimon: Tony Clement and The Great Lake Scam [C-45]
- 2012/10/30: CPW: PowerShift 2012 Concludes With Massive March Against Harper Gvt's $1.4bn "Polluter Handouts"
- 2012/10/30: SixthEstate: Conservative MPs: Climate Change Not Relevant to Environment Canada's Mandate
- 2012/10/29: BCLSB: The Tory War On Brains
- 2012/10/29: PostMedia: Newest National Research Council layoffs the "tip of the iceberg": NDP science critic
Nearly 100 of Canada's top researchers and scientists are facing layoffs in what the NDP science and technology critic says is just the "tip of the iceberg" in what appears to be the Conservative government's plan to slash funding for basic research and focus instead on research that's industry-driven. "There's a much larger game afoot but it's being rolled out in a really stealthy way," said Kennedy Stewart, the NDP critic for science and technology. "When we look back in a couple of years we'll see that it really is part of a larger plan and it will probably have an impact on our international standing." On Thursday, 94 National Research Council employees across the country received notification letters that their services "may no longer be required," according to a statement released that day by the Professional Institute of the Public Service of Canada.
Sandy hit Ontario & Quebec as well:
- 2012/10/30: CBC: Sandy brings vicious winds, rain to Ontario, Quebec
Toronto woman killed by wind-blown sign; more than 200,000 without power
Natural Resources Minister job requirements: Ideologically bent and obedient:
- 2012/11/01: Impolitical: Natural Resources asks media outlet to destroy records
[...]
The office at Natural Resources Canada, which processed the request through access to information legislation, said that the content of the emails was released by accident and should have been withheld under provisions of the law that allow the government to protect information under consultation or deliberation. Postmedia News declined a request from the office to destroy the email records that included Oliver's comments. - 2012/10/31: PostMedia: Natural Resources Minister Joe Oliver said he didn't 'know very much' about energy projects, emails reveal
Natural Resources Minister Joe Oliver told government officials - six months after he was on the job - that he did not "know very much" about energy projects and needed briefings so he could talk "knowledgeably" about the subject, internal emails have revealed. The internal records also reveal he disagreed with the "full thrust" of comments from former environment minister Jim Prentice about cleaning up the oilsands industry. The release of the documents, obtained by Postmedia News through access to information legislation, had one opposition critic questioning whether Oliver, a Toronto MP and the lead federal minister on energy issues, was on top of his portfolio. - 2012/11/02: PostMedia: Joe Oliver says he requested details on specific project, not several
Natural Resources Minister Joe Oliver is defending a request he made for information from his bureaucrats, saying a news media report on his comments, based on internal emails, misinterpreted them.
The FIPPA saga plays on with Nexen in the air:
- 2012/11/03: TheCanadian: Public Comment Period Still Open for Canada-China Trade Deal
- 2012/10/31: PostMedia: The Canada-China investment protection racket
- 2012/10/31: WpgFP: PM calls Mulcair extremist over threat to repeal China investment treaty
- 2012/11/02: NatPo: Andrew Coyne: Despite near-suicidal wailing over China trade pact, it's no big deal
- 2012/11/02: CD: A Flip of the Finger for this FIPA
- 2012/11/01: TheCanadian: Did Enviro Groups Drop the Ball on Canada-China Trade Deal?
- 2012/11/02: Guardian(PE): State-owned investors a new reality as Canada debates Chinese oilpatch bid
- 2012/10/31: DeSmogBlog: Rush to Ratify: FIPA May Violate Constitutional Protection of First Nations Rights
- 2012/10/31: 350orBust: Trick, Not Treat, For Canadians: Harper's Scary Canada-China Trade Deal
- 2012/10/31: TStar: Why the fixation on Chinese investment in Canada?
- 2012/10/28: TheCanadian: Premier Clark Supports Canada-China Trade Deal, Abandons BC's Constitutional Rights
- 2012/10/28: PopTheStack: FIPA Treaty to Be Signed Friday -- Is It Right For Canada? Why the Hurry?
The CNOOC bid for Nexen has been approved by the shareholders. Now the ball is in Harper's court:
- 2012/11/02: BBerg: Canada Extends Review of CNOOC Takeover Bid for Nexen
- 2012/11/01: CBC: Canada risks Beijing chill if Nexen deal nixed
- 2012/11/01: WpgFP: If Ottawa says no to China on Nexen deal there'll be a price to pay: experts
- 2012/11/01: TStar: Nexen-CNOOC deal: Eight questions
- 2012/11/02: CTV: China's investment in oilsands a political migraine for Harper
- 2012/11/02: CBC: Ottawa extends review of Chinese bid for Nexen [until Dec. 10] -- Government reviewing CNOOC's $15.1B takeover offer
Petronas is trying again:
- 2012/10/29: CBC: Petronas extends Progress Energy takeover offer
- 2012/10/29: Reuters: Petronas agrees to renew bid for Canada's Progress: sources
The battle over the Northern Gateway pipeline rages on:
- 2012/11/02: DeSmogBlog: Defend Our Coast Rallies Demonstrate Diversity of Public Opposition to Tar Sands Export and FIPA
- 2012/10/30: DeSmogBlog: Supertankers, Earthquakes, and Tsunamis, Oh My: Enbridge Has No Spill-Response Plan for Northern Gateway Pipeline
- 2012/10/28: TMoS: Harper's Pipes May Be Backing Up -- There are signs that the fight for the coast may have new impetus
There has been some chatter about that Conference Board tarsands report:
- 2012/11/01: PI: Conference Board short-changes Canada's clean energy future
- 2012/10/31: CPW: Conference Board of Canada: Economic Benefits of Tar Sands Hinge On Climate Inaction
- 2012/10/29: DeSmogBlog: Conference Board of Canada: Economic Benefits of Tar Sands Hinge On Climate Inaction
The Cohen Commission of Inquiry into the Decline of Sockeye Salmon in the Fraser River reported this week:
- 2012/10/31: CohenCommission: [links to many pdfs] Commission of Inquiry into the Decline of Sockeye Salmon in the Fraser River - Final Report
- 2012/11/02: NatureN: Government 'confusion' is harming sockeye salmon -- Report criticizes dual role for Canada's fisheries department.
A fish fight is brewing in Canada as an eagerly anticipated report on the fate of sockeye salmon in the Fraser River of British Columbia has blamed the federal government for weakening environmental laws that are meant to protect the fishes' habitat. The report1 also finds that employees at the Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) are confused by their dual mandate to protect wild fish while also promoting the fish-farming industry. Sockeye salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka) is one of five species that begin life along the North Pacific coast. After four years at sea, mature sockeye return to the streams and lakes of their birth to spawn. But over the past two decades, the numbers of sockeye returning to the Fraser River basin have collapsed -- falling from 24 million in 1992 to 1.36 million in 2009. - 2012/11/01: WpgFP: Report into decline of B.C.'s sockeye fishery critical of salmon farming
- 2012/10/31: CBC: No 'smoking gun' for Fraser River sockeye salmon collapse -- Federal inquiry recommends freezing fish-farm expansion until 2020
There is "no smoking gun" to explain the "steady and profound" decline of the Fraser River sockeye, according to the B.C. Supreme Court justice who led a two and half year inquiry into the collapse. But in his final report released today in Vancouver, Justice Bruce Cohen lays out 75 recommendations, including the shutdown of dozens of fish farms on the sockeye migration route, if they're found to be too risky. In a hefty, three-volume report spanning more than a thousand pages, Cohen says that "the idea that a single event or stressor is responsible for the 1992-2009 declines in Fraser River sockeye is appealing but improbable." - 2012/10/31: CohenCommission: Cohen Commission's final report says Fraser River sockeye salmon face an uncertain future
- 2012/11/01: Tyee: Wild Salmon Advocates Cheer Cohen Commission Report
NDP's Donnelly, Alexandra Morton, farmers and more weigh in on 75 recommendations to protect the fish. - 2012/11/01: AlexandraMorton: Cohen Report
- 2012/11/01: AlexandraMorton: Cohen Report
- 2012/11/01: TheCanadian: Rafe: Cohen Commission Report Rightly Targets Salmon Farms, Precautionary Principle
- 2012/10/31: TheCanadian: Video: Justice Cohen Gets Tough on Fish Farms - Inquiry Report Released
- 2012/11/01: TheCanadian: Salmon Farmers Put Brave Face on Chilling Cohen Commission Report
- 2012/10/28: TheCanadian: Otto Langer Unleashes on Salmon Inquiry, DFO, Harper on Eve of Report
- 2012/10/31: WpgFP: Report into decline of Fraser River Sockeye fishery goes public today
In BC, the stage is set. Now what will Clark and Dix do?
- 2012/10/31: Tyee: 'Very Concerned' Feds Investigate Temp Miner Hires in BC
Not clear how much probe will focus on illegal attempts to charge hefty fees to Chinese applicants. - 2012/10/30: CBC: Ottawa investigating permits for Chinese miners in B.C.
The federal government is investigating foreign worker permits that will bring Chinese miners to British Columbia to determine whether the applications meet federal requirements. Labour leaders have raised numerous concerns about permits obtained by HD Mining to bring 200 temporary workers to B.C. for its proposed Murray River coal mine.
Meanwhile in that Mechanical Mordor known as the tar sands:
- 2012/11/01: OilChange: Tar sands planned growth is 3X climate limit
- 2012/11/01: NBF: US switching from Canada's tarsand projects to US tight oil and China Buys into Canada Tarsands
- 2012/10/29: PI: What's at the end of the oilsands rainbow?
- 2012/10/29: PI: Coalition calls on panel to reject Shell Jackpine oilsands mine expansion
- 2012/11/01: CBC: Tarsands crippled by soaring costs, memo says
- 2012/11/01: CBC: Oilsands development at risk as costs soar, memo warns -- Ministry briefing notes reflect concern over capital needed to sustain industry
- 2012/11/01: CBC: Suncor sees new mine output delayed 1 year -- Firm cuts spending plans
- 2012/10/30: CBC: Talisman Energy reports loss of $731M -- Results worse than analysts' estimates
- 2012/10/29: CBC: TransCanada, Phoenix Energy to build $3B Alberta pipeline -- 50-50 partnership looks to build northern Alberta pipeline system
Calgary-based TransCanada and Phoenix Energy Holdings Ltd. are forming a partnership to build a $3-billion pipeline project in northern Alberta to serve an area of emerging oilsands production. Each of the companies would own half of the Grand Rapids project, which they expect will carry crude oil and diluent for oilsands producers northwest of Fort McMurray, Alta., starting in early 2017.
Also in Alberta:
- 2012/10/31: CBC: National Energy Board announces TransCanada audit -- Whistleblower gratified that action follows his complaints
Now that Dalton has quit, the Liberal leadership is in play and then probably an election:
- 2012/11/01: CBC: McGuinty rejects claim that cancelled gas plants cost $1.3B
- 2012/10/28: CBC: Wawa, Ont., damage from rain may exceed $10M -- Record rainfall created 15-metre holes along Trans-Canada Highway
In the Maritimes:
- 2012/10/30: CBC: Salmon returned to eastern P.E.I. river
Four hundred salmon were dropped in P.E.I.'s Hay River Monday in the hopes of restoring a healthy population of the fish there. There have been no salmon in the Hay River, in the far northeastern corner of the province, for about 10 years.
The movement toward a long term ecologically viable economics is glacial:
- 2012/10/31: FAO: Cooperatives crucial allies in fight against hunger -- Poor farmers gain access to markets, reduce poverty, says FAO chief
- 2012/10/29: Guardian(UK): Worried about the economy? It's the environment, stupid
No credible economic policy can ignore the fact that the fate of one is wholly dependent on the other
IPAT [Impact = Population * Affluence * Technology] raised its head once again:
- 2012/11/02: SwissInfo: Swiss to vote on curbing population growth
Campaigners have collected enough signatures to force a nationwide vote on a proposal to slow down population growth through immigration limits and measures to promote birth control in developing countries. - 2012/10/31: Guardian(UK): China thinktank urges end of one-child policy
- 2012/10/30: BBC: Polish rape victim 'should have had abortion access'
A Polish teenager who became pregnant after rape should have had unhindered access to an abortion, the European Court of Human Rights has ruled. The girl, who was then 14, was forced to have a clandestine abortion after harassment from pro-life groups led to her being turned away from hospitals.
How do the media measure up?
- 2012/11/04: Deltoid: The Australian's War on Science 78
- 2012/10/31: QuarkSoup: David Rose, Not so Sweet
- 2012/10/31: TP:JR: Fox News Gives Airtime To A Climate Denier To Discuss Unprecedented Superstorm
- 2012/10/31: TP:JR: Watch: Television News Starts Covering The Link Between Climate Change And Superstorm Sandy
- 2012/10/30: TP:JR: Television News Outlets Ignore Climate Change During Sandy Coverage. Should We Really Be Surprised?
- 2012/11/02: TP:JR: NBC's Chuck Todd: 'Let's Not Bury Our Heads In The Sand... It's Called Climate Change, Folks'
- 2012/11/01: UCSUSA:B: Hypocrisy Rules the Editorial Page at Wall Street Journal on Federal Support for Energy
- 2012/10/31: MarkCoddington: Why political journalists can't stand Nate Silver: The limits of journalistic knowledge
- 2012/11/02: PRI:TheWorld: A Journalist's Call to Arms on Climate Change
- 2012/10/30: CJR: Sandy's climate context -- Why generalizing about extreme weather helps no one
- 2012/11/01: FAIR: How'd You Like That Hurricane We Made?
- 2012/10/30: CCurrents: Economic Growth: The Missing Link In Environmental Journalism
- 2012/10/30: PSinclair: Sandy and Climate: Right or Wrong, Media Now Going There
- 2012/10/30: KSJT: More "Antiscience" Barbs, and the Backlash From Scientific American's Swipe at Republicans
And for your film & video enjoyment:
- 2012/11/02: SEasterbrook: The History of Climate Models
- 2012/11/02: CSW: "Climate dialogue runs aground" (Al Jazeera, "Inside Story: US 2012")
- 2012/11/03: PSinclair: Science Friday Video: The Pocket Solar Factory
- 2012/10/30: NBF: David LeBlanc talks about Molten Salt Reactors
- 2012/10/30: NBF: Emerging Nuclear Fission and Fusion Innovations Talk by Mark Halper
- 2012/10/29: PSinclair: Reposting: Jennifer Francis - "We're in for an Interesting Fall and Winter"
As for podcasts:
- 2012/11/03: CBC:Q&Q: Salt Marshes on Junk Food
Meanwhile among the 'Sue the Bastards!' contingent:
- 2012/11/01: BBC: Barclays faces $470m energy fine from US regulators
Barclays has been threatened with fines of $470m (£291m) by US regulators to settle accusations it sought to manipulate the California energy markets from 2006-2008. - 2012/11/01: ABC(Au): Ex-Fukushima worker files lawsuit against TEPCO
Developing a new energy infrastructure is a fundamental challenge of the current generation:
- 2012/10/31: TP:JR: Mid-Atlantic Cleantech Leaders: We're Here, We're Expanding, We're Providing Real Solutions
- 2012/11/04: OilDrum: Tech Talk - the quiet steps of a Geothermal movement
- 2012/10/29: SeattlePI: German official: renewable energy beats forecasts
- 2012/10/29: TreeHugger: It's Time for the Green Cloak to Come Off of Natural Gas
What do you have in energy comparisons and transitions?
- 2012/10/31: TreeHugger: The Great Transition, Part II: Building a Wind-Centered Economy by Lester Brown
- 2012/10/30: Guardian(UK): Renewable energy will overtake nuclear power by 2018, research says
Hey! Let's contaminate the aquifer for thousands of years! It'll be a fracking gas!
- 2012/11/01: TP:JR: Local-State Clashes Grow During Oil And Gas Drilling Boom
- 2012/11/02: ABC(Au): Scientist [Mark Tingay] says fracking for coal seam and shale gas unfairly maligned
- 2012/11/02: DeSmogBlog: SUNY Buffalo Faculty, Staff Tell Shale Institute to Go
On the coal front:
- 2012/11/02: MWEN: Investor call fuels doubts about Illinois coal plants' future
- 2012/11/01: Grist: Big Coal in big trouble as coal production costs rise
- 2012/11/01: Grist: World's 'cleanest coal-fueled power plant' is a climate bait-and-switch
- 2012/11/01: ABC(Au): Coal still king in global energy production
- 2012/10/29: Grist: Here are all of the ways that coal is bad for your health
- 2012/10/28: Eureka: US shale gas drives up coal exports
US CO2 emissions from domestic energy have declined by 8.6% since a peak in 2005, the equivalent of 1.4% per year. However, the researchers warn that more than half of the recent emissions reductions in the power sector may be displaced overseas by the trade in coal.
On the gas and oil front:
- 2012/11/02: BBerg: Closing oil prices Friday
OIL (US$/bbl)
Dated Brent Spot....105.68
WTI Cushing Spot.....84.86 - 2012/10/29: CCurrents: Oil Companies Go Unpunished For Spills And Billions Of Dollars Of Gas Is Wasted
- 2012/10/28: EnergyBulletin: Why the U.S. is NOT the new Saudi Arabia
In the gas and oil corps:
- 2012/11/01: TP:JR: Top Oil Giants Exxon And Shell Earn $54 Billion So Far In 2012, After Taking $800 Million In Annual Tax Breaks
- 2012/11/01: BBC: Royal Dutch Shell and Exxon Mobil see profits fall
Royal Dutch Shell has reported profits of $6.12bn (£4.5bn) for the past three months, down from $7.2bn for the same quarter last year.
[...]
US oil giant Exxon Mobil also reported a 7% fall in net profit to $9.57bn in the third quarter after a big drop in exploration and production earnings. - 2012/11/02: TP:JR: Chevron Earns $19 Billion Profit So Far This Year, Spending Millions To Elect House GOP
- 2012/11/02: BBC: US oil giant Chevron has reported a drop in profits due to lower oil prices and falling production
Net profit for the three months to the end of September was $5.3bn (£3.3bn)... - 2012/10/30: TP:JR: BP's Third Quarter Profits By The Numbers
Biofuel bickering abounds:
- 2012/11/01: ABC(Au): Bio-fuel plan to rev up forest industry
Tasmania's agriculture sector is looking at proposals to make bio-fuel the new focus for the state's forest industry. - 2012/10/31: Eureka: Biofuel breakthrough: Quick cook method turns algae into oil
- 2012/10/30: Eureka: Switching to an energy crop: Break even or make a profit?
- 2012/10/30: Eureka: Sizing up biomass from space
The answer my friend...:
- 2012/10/23: REA: AWEA Reports 2012 the Strongest Year on Record for U.S. Wind Energy, Continued Success Uncertain
- 2012/10/29: TreeHugger: London Array, World's Largest Offshore Wind Farm, Begins Producing Electricity
Meanwhile among the solar aficionados:
- 2012/11/03: GizMag: [Amonix] Solar panel breaks "third of a sun" efficiency barrier
- 2012/11/02: TreeHugger: World's Largest Community-Owned Solar Project Launches in England
- 2012/11/01: TreeHugger: World's First All-Carbon Solar Cell Built at Stanford
- 2012/10/31: NBF: Average Solar module prices at 64 cents per watt and will be at 55 cents per watt in 2013
- 2012/10/31: Eureka: Stanford scientists build the first all-carbon solar cell
- 2012/10/31: NatureN: Sahara solar plan loses its shine -- Siemens' decision to pull out of DESERTEC reignites doubts
The nuclear energy controversy continues:
- 2012/11/01: BBerg: EON Exit From Finnish Nuclear Reactor May Trigger Failure
EON AG (EOAN)'s plan to pull out of a joint venture that's building a nuclear reactor in Finland increases the risk that the project may fail, thwarting the government's plans to cut reliance on energy imports. - 2012/11/02: ICN: A Hard Look at U.S. Reactor Hardware After Fukushima
- 2012/11/02: EneNews: AP: Japan's only operating nuclear power plant may be closed (video)
- 2012/11/02: EneNews: NRC: Spent fuel pool cooling lost at NJ's Oyster Creek nuclear plant during Hurricane Sandy
- 2012/11/01: NBF: Cameco has a revised forecast of Net New Nuclear Reactors for 2021
- 2012/10/31: BBC: Officials from Japanese firm Hitachi will visit Anglesey later after taking over a project to build a new nuclear power station on the island
- 2012/10/30: ABC(Au): Safety concerns for India's nuclear energy industry
- 2012/10/30: BBC: Hitachi buys UK nuclear project from E.On and RWE
The UK's nuclear expansion plans have been boosted after Japan's Hitachi signed a £700m deal giving it rights to build a new generation of power plants. - 2012/10/30: BBerg: Hitachi Buys U.K. Nuclear Power Venture for $1.1 Billion
- 2012/10/30: ABC(Au): Leaking India nuclear plant under investigation
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is inspecting an Indian nuclear plant after several radiation leaks at the facility. Earlier this year, dozens of workers at the Rajasthan Atomic Power Station received dangerous doses of radiation as a result of two separate leaks. The power station supplies energy to a large section of northern India.
Nuclear fusion projects around the world limp along:
- 2012/10/30: NBF: Tri-alpha Energy Nuclear Fusion 100MW Project emerging from Stealth Mode
Low energy nuclear keeps coming up:
- 2012/10/23: DM: Bring Back the "Cold Fusion" Dream
- 2012/10/29: SciAm:CPP: Genie in a Bottle: The Case Against Cold Fusion
More people are talking about the electrical grid:
- 2012/10/30: ERabett:BDS: Blackouts a reminder of the potential advantage of Vehicle-to-Grid power supply
- 2012/10/29: Grist: Microgrids could bring big green changes to power systems
Automakers & lawyers, engineers & activists argue over the future of the car:
- 2012/11/01: TreeHugger: 16 Fisker Karma Cars Explode And Burn During Superstorm Sandy
- 2012/10/31: AutoBG: Oregon dealer prices Mitsubishi i below new Smart EV
- 2012/10/31: AutoBG: Why SAE Combo vs. CHAdeMO battle could be a big problem
- 2012/11/02: UCSUSA:B: Off-shoring Opposition To Vehicle Fuel Economy: Toyota Stalls Mexican Standards
- 2012/11/02: AutoBG: Hyundai, Kia admit exaggerated mileage claims, will compensate owners
- 2012/11/03: AutoBG: Hybrid taxi drivers find fuel efficiency paying off after Sandy
- 2012/11/02: CBC: Hyundai, Kia admit to bogus fuel efficiency claims
Hyundai Auto Canada Corp. and Kia Canada Inc. announced today they will reimburse drivers who bought cars from them between the 2010 and 2012 model years, because an error at the companies' testing facilities in Korea has made the cars less fuel efficient than advertised. The companies said in a release that 172,000 cars across Canada are affected.
As for Energy Storage:
- 2012/10/31: AutoBG: CalBattery working on 300-mile li-ion batteries at greatly reduced cost
- 2012/11/01: CBC: Better battery: crushed silicon would boost capacity -- Researchers crush film into tiny, porous grains for longer-lasting cell
- 2012/10/31: UCSUSA:B: In Ironic Twist, A123 Bankruptcy Shows Value of Electric Car Technology
Insurance and re-insurance companies are feeling the heat:
- 2012/11/01: TP:JR: Billion-Dollar Disasters Mount: Superstorm Sandy Adds To Record Heat, Drought, And Wildfires For The U.S.
- 2012/11/03: Tamino: Unnatural Catastrophes
- 2012/10/30: ABC(Au): Landholders told no insurance for gradual sea level rises
- 2012/10/30: CBC: 9 hurricanes and storms that cost insurers billions
Meanwhile in the greenwashing chronicles:
- 2012/11/03: CSM: Fossil-fuel makeover: 'Clean' and 'green' is as polluting as ever
Joe Romm posts a daily list of top energy and climate stories:
- 2012/11/02: TP:JR: November 2 News...
- 2012/11/01: TP:JR: November 1 News...
- 2012/10/31: TP:JR: October 31 News...
- 2012/10/30: TP:JR: October 30 News...
- 2012/10/29: TP:JR: October 29 News...
Other (weekly) lists:
- 2012/10/31: BPA: Hot 5: Wyoming Supercomputer. Debt Burdens. New Nebraska Water Pipeline. Japan Substitutes Wheat for Corn. Sweet Potatoes
- 2012/10/30: BPA: Agriculture News
- 2012/10/31: HillHeat: Sandy-Climate Stories Overwhelmed by Question Marks
The carbon lobby are up to the usual:
- 2012/11/04: HC: Another made up fact from anti-windfarm activists
- 2012/11/04: UKISS: Denier Comment of the Day, November 4, 2012
- 2012/11/03: ERabett: Reducing Pat Michaels to a Joke
- 2012/11/03: WottsUWT: The IPCC weighs in on the Mann Nobel dilemma, and throws him under the bus
- 2012/11/02: WottsUWT: Nobel cause corruption?
- 2012/10/31: ERabett: Steve Goddard Drowns in Millard Fillmore's Bathtub
- 2012/11/01: DeSmogBlog: Merchants of Doubt Deny Climate Change Connection to Hurricane Sandy
- 2012/10/31: CSW: Cato Institute Halloween trick: issues report masquerading as an "Addendum" to 2009 National Climate Assessment
- 2012/11/01: GReadfearn: Lord Monckton's new climate role for the IPCC isn't what it appears
- 2012/11/02: TP:JR: Carbon King David Koch Thinks Climate Action Will 'Damage The Economy', But Sandy Underscores Inaction Is Much Costlier
- 2012/11/02: DM:BA: The Neroes of global warming
- 2012/10/31: Atlantic: If You Can't Beat 'em, Subvert 'em: Countering Misinformation on the Viral Web
- 2012/11/01: DeSmogBlog: Climate Science Denialist Lord Monckton's IPCC "Appointment" That Wasn't
- 2012/11/01: BRitholtz: The 15 Rules of Web Disruption
- 2012/10/31: ERabett: One For John Mashey
- 2012/10/29: ERabett: Eli Gets EMail
- 2012/10/31: ERabett: Eli Gets EVEN MORE Email
- 2012/10/29: WottsUWT: Announcement: WUWT-TV to counter Al Gore's '24 Hours of Climate Reality' with live webcast
- 2012/10/30: GReadfearn: Climate of Doubt As Superstorm Sandy Crosses US Coast
- 2012/10/30: AFTIC: The reality of weather modification is no conspiracy theory
- 2012/10/29: PSinclair: New Denialist Meme: Obama Created Sandy to Help His Election
- 2012/10/28: ERabett: The Anti-Luntz Effect
Meanwhile in the 'clean coal' saga:
- 2012/10/29: ABC(Au): Report finds more deaths, disease in coal towns
- 2012/10/29: BZE: [link to 1.7 meg pdf] Health and Social Harms of Coal Mining in Local Communities - Research Report
- 2012/10/29: Grist: Here are all of the ways that coal is bad for your health
As for climate miscellanea:
- 2012/10/31: QuarkSoup: Plea
- 2012/10/31: HuffPo: Good Science, Bad Science, Uncertain Science by Peter H. Gleick
- 2012/11/01: RealClimate: Short term trends: Another proxy fight
- 2012/10/31: TreeHugger: "I Apologize." Will We Hear These Words From Politicians and the Polluting Class?
- 2012/11/01: Stoat: It's Global Warming, Stupid?
- 2012/11/02: Wunderground: Moderate-strength Nor'easter may hit Sandy-devastated areas Wednesday
- 2012/11/03: TP:JR: What We Don't Know About Water Can Hurt Us
- 2012/11/02: ERabett: Adventures in ozoneland: down the rabbit-hole
- 2012/11/01: ERW: Cutting China's fertilizer use could help climate
China, which must feed 22% of the world's population, has been using nitrogen fertilizer for more than 50 years. During 2007/8 the country was the top consumer of nitrogen fertilizer worldwide, using 32% of global nitrogen. But since the early years of this century, using additional fertilizer has not increased crop yield, say scientists. This means that the boosted emissions of the greenhouse-gas nitrous oxide (N2O) caused by fertilization are no longer outweighed by increased carbon sequestration by crops and soil. - 2012/11/02: CleanBreak: Wheaty Harrelson? Doesn't sound as nice, but it's a better fit for this Oscar nominee
- 2012/10/23: Cornell:ILR: "We Have a Planetary Emergency" -- Hansen, leading NASA climate scientist, urges unions to act
- 2012/11/04: CBC: Superstorm shows value of endangered payphones
- 2012/10/30: QuarkSoup: Still Blogging in a Twitter World
- 2012/10/30: AFTIC: Wind Map -- how cool is this?
- 2012/10/30: JFleck: "the life force is strong, John"
- 2012/10/29: SciAm:PI: The Name of the Wind
- 2012/10/28: JFleck: Antelope Island and the notion of climate variability
- 2012/10/29: OilChange: Locked into a Gilded "High-Carbon Cage"
- 2012/10/28: WtD: The 97%: when told scientists accept climate change, the public "gets the science is settled"
And here are a couple of sites you may find interesting and/or useful:
- CCAMLR: Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources
- Westmill Solar Co-operative
- Marinexplore: Free Marine & Buoy Data
- Beyond Zero Emissions
- WHO: Climate change and human health -- Atlas of health and climate
- Honest Appalachia
- The Natural Society Newsletter
- Our Finite World
- European Drought Centre
- Forecast the Facts
- The Burgess Shale
- Daily Impact
Low Key Plug
My first novel Water was published in Canada May, 2007. The American release was in October. An Introductionto the novel is available, along with the Unpublished Forewordand the Launch Talk(which includes some quotations), An overview of my writing is available here.
<regards>
P.S. Recent postings can be found in the week archive and the ancient postings can be accessed here, which should open to this.
I notice moyhu has set up a monster index to old AWoGWN on AFTIC.
[Reporters] "need to learn that, if they wish to discuss 'both sides' of the climate issue, the scientifically legitimate 'other side' is that, if anything, global climate disruption is likely to be significantly worse than has been suggested in scientific consensus estimates to date." -William Freudenberg
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