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  2. Another Week of Anthropocene Antics - November 17, 2013

Another Week of Anthropocene Antics - November 17, 2013

By illconsidered on November 18, 2013.

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

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As We Enter a New Age of Consequences

November 17, 2013

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Here's a wee chuckle for ye:

Just because it's beautiful:

  • 2013/11/14: CfC: Beautiful - a migrating pod of Beluga whales in Nunavut Inlet

    COP19 is on this week and next in (Warsaw):

    COP 19 Daily Reports:

    The interim WMO Status of Climate in 2013 report came out this week:

    The IEA World Energy Outlook 2013 came out this week:

    The Cowtan & Way paper on recent temperature trends confirmed many suspicions:

    The GermanWatch Global Climate Risk Index 2014 report came out this week:

    Some people are still concerned over that WG2 leak:

    Well the olde guard is back in power in the Maldives -- all nice and legal like:

    How is the German Energy Transition [Energiewende] doing?

    For some reason, the lede on the Estrada et al. paper has been the Montral Protocol, ignoring the wars and the Great Depression:

    Who's getting the subsidies?

    So, If we put a price on nature, will it deal with externalities and lead to greater conservation
    or will it lead to greater exploitation or what?

    John Cook and friends continue their point-counterpoint articles:

    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.]
      And the IAEA is now saying 40 years too.
      [Now some people are talking about a century or more. Sealing it in concrete for 500 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?

    No good news out of Fukushima yet:

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

    The Arctic melt continues to garner attention:

    As for the charismatic megafauna:

    That Damoclean sword still hangs overhead:

    While in Antarctica:

    The food crisis is ongoing:

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

    So, are these land grabs Colonialism V2.0?

    Regarding the genetic modification of food:

    Regarding labelling GM food:

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

    In the Western Pacific, the news was all Super Typhoon Haiyan:

    The post-Haiyan recovery has been hard pressed by the utter devastation:

  • 2013/11/17: Xinhuanet: Bodies disposal progress slow as search continues in typhoon-struck Philippines
  • 2013/11/17: IndiaTimes: Villagers mob US aid choppers as Philippine relief effort spreads
  • 2013/11/17: BBC: British warship HMS Daring has docked in the Philippines to help the UK's emergency response to Typhoon Haiyan
  • 2013/11/17: al Jazeera: Prayers in Philippines as aid arrives
    Survivors gather in ruined churches across devastated regions as country faces up to mammoth rebuilding task.
  • 2013/11/16: DD: Philippines: Number of displaced people increases from 1.9 million to 3 million
  • 2013/11/16: DD: Exodus from hell: Residents flee typhoon-ravaged Tacloban
  • 2013/11/16: CNN: Philippines typhoon disaster: Caring for the living, tending to the dead
    Desperation grows as people are without power and shelter for more than a week - The military must avoid swarming people during food drops - U.S. may rotate out USS George Washington once amphibious ships arrive - U.K.'s Royal Navy will arrive Sunday as many British nationals are still missing
  • 2013/11/16: Xinhuanet: UNICEF supplies for Filipino children affected by super typhoon
  • 2013/11/16: IndiaTimes: Asia rivalries play role in aid to the Philippines
  • 2013/11/16: IndiaTimes: Beijing's meagre typhoon aid is diplomatic misstep: Experts
  • 2013/11/16: BBC: Philippines typhoon: UK commits extra £30m in aid
  • 2013/11/16: BBC: British man 'missing' after Philippines typhoon
  • 2013/11/16: ABC(Au): Aid pushes through to survivors of Super Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines
  • 2013/11/16: WSWS: Mounting anger at Philippine president's response to typhoon disaster
  • 2013/11/16: al Jazeera: Philippines typhoon victims finally get aid
    Food and supplies reaching remote areas for first time, eight days after superstorm Haiyan hit the country.
  • 2013/11/16: ABC(Au): Typhoon Haiyan: Philippines begins burying victims in mass graves as UN says nearly 12 million affected
  • 2013/11/16: ABC(Au): Suitcase radio station reaches out to typhoon victims
  • 2013/11/16: ABC(Au): Typhoon Haiyan: Solar-powered radio helps survivors in Philippines
    A temporary radio station operating out of a suitcase is helping survivors of Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines, providing both critical information and a dose of normalcy.
  • 2013/11/16: BBC: Philippines typhoon: Aid effort gathers pace
  • 2013/11/16: BBC: Aid agencies say typhoon shows need for action on climate change
    The UK's Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) has urged countries to take urgent action on climate change, as UN talks enter their second week.
  • 2013/11/16: BBC: "A number" of British nationals remain unaccounted for after Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines, the UK foreign secretary has said
  • 2013/11/16: CBC: Philippines homeless from typhoon hits 1.9 million
  • 2013/11/15: BBC: Typhoon Haiyan: Philippines death toll up as aid arrives
  • 2013/11/15: CBC: Philippines typhoon leaves 55 Canadians unaccounted for
    132 Canadians known to be in affected areas have been located, but others cannot be reached
  • 2013/11/15: Guardian(UK): Typhoon Haiyan -- how do you rebuild after such destruction?
  • 2013/11/15: Guardian(UK): Typhoon Haiyan: how the horror unfolded day by day
  • 2013/11/15: Guardian(UK): Typhoon Haiyan survivors lack food and water one week on
  • 2013/11/15: CSM: By the numbers: Typhoon Haiyan's human toll, property damage, and aid pledges
  • 2013/11/15: WFP: Food And Other Aid Flows Into Tacloban As Debris From Typhoon Haiyan Is Cleared And Communities Become Reachable
  • 2013/11/15: UN: Philippines: Newly open roads, airports allow in more aid but fuel shortage remains
  • 2013/11/15: DD: Philippines: Number of displaced people increases from 900,000 to 1.9 million
  • 2013/11/15: ABC(Au): UN admits aid slow to reach typhoon survivors
  • 2013/11/15: CNN: Typhoon Haiyan survivors flee Tacloban misery on navy ship to Cebu
    Typhoon survivors arrive in Cebu after 24-hour sea journey from Tacloban - Evacuees received boxes of fried chicken and rice, as well as water - Many survivors were injured; medical teams treated spinal injuries, skin infections - Cars, trucks lined streets to carry survivors to shelters and other parts of the country
  • 2013/11/15: IndiaTimes: US carrier steps up Philippines relief operation
  • 2013/11/15: RT: UN doubles Philippines typhoon death toll
  • 2013/11/15: al Jazeera: Philippines defends typhoon relief response
    Minister says in such a situation "nothing is fast enough" as country continues to struggle to reach aid to survivors.
  • 2013/11/14: ABC(Au): Tacloban residents resilient in the face of Haiyan typhoon aftermath
  • 2013/11/14: WFP: WFP Food Reaches Typhoon Survivors In Philippines
  • 2013/11/14: CBC: Typhoon Haiyan relief efforts defended by Philippine government
  • 2013/11/14: CBC: Philippines typhoon: Helicopters may be added to growing DART team
  • 2013/11/14: Guardian(UK): Frustration spreads in Philippines at slow pace of typhoon relief effort
  • 2013/11/14: Guardian(UK): Typhoon Haiyan: Philippines aid effort hampered by lawlessness
  • 2013/11/14: Guardian(UK): Typhoon Haiyan: China gives less aid to Philippines than Ikea
  • 2013/11/14: Maribo: What does Typhoon Haiyan tell us about adapting to climate change?
  • 2013/11/14: BBC: Typhoon Haiyan: Plight of survivors 'bleak' despite aid effort
  • 2013/11/14: BBC: In pictures: Typhoon aid ramps up
  • 2013/11/14: BBC: China's Philippine aid controversy
  • 2013/11/14: CSM: NASA maps out destruction in the Philippines to aid relief
  • 2013/11/14: ABC(Au): 'Utterly bleak': bad weather hampers aid efforts in Tacloban City
  • 2013/11/14: ABC(Au): Philippines government faces criticism over slow typhoon response
  • 2013/11/14: UN: Philippines: UN humanitarian chief [Valerie Amos] appeals for support for typhoon survivors
  • 2013/11/14: Xinhuanet: Typhoon victims in Philippines still hungry, despite arrival of relief goods
  • 2013/11/14: IndiaTimes: Typhoon-struck Philippine city begins mass burial
  • 2013/11/13: SwissInfo: Philippines typhoon - 'This is not a once in a lifetime event'
    With thousands of people dead, missing or injured, typhoon Haiyan is probably the most powerful tropical storm ever to reach land. New climate data shows that with rising temperatures, more extreme weather of this intensity should be expected.
  • 2013/11/13: WFP: WFP Rice Feeds Nearly 50,000 People Driven From Their Homes By Typhoon Haiyan
  • 2013/11/13: Guardian(UK): Typhoon Haiyan survivors struggle to make sense of shattered world
    Aid is still slow in coming to Guiuan, the first town hit, where most buildings have been destroyed
  • 2013/11/13: CSM: Typhoon Haiyan: Was the government prepared?
  • 2013/11/13: Xinhuanet: Looting in Philippines' typhoon-hit city under control
  • 2013/11/13: BBC: Typhoon Haiyan: Philippines defends aid response
  • 2013/11/13: ABC(Au): Typhoon Haiyan: Eight killed as mob storms Philippine rice store, official says
    Eight people were crushed to death in the Philippines as a crowd of Typhoon Haiyan survivors stormed a rice warehouse in a town near the devastated provincial capital of Tacloban, an official says. The incident in Alangalang, 17 kilometres from Tacloban, came as the situation for millions of people in parts of the Philippines ravaged by the super typhoon becomes more dire.
  • 2013/11/13: CBC: Typhoon-hit Philippines struggles with hunger, violence - 2,275 dead...
  • 2013/11/13: WSWS: The social catastrophe of Typhoon Haiyan
  • 2013/11/13: WSWS: A pittance in international aid for Philippine typhoon victims
  • 2013/11/13: al Jazeera: Desperation grips Philippine storm survivors
    Attention shifts to deteriorating security situation as eight people are crushed to death during raid on rice warehouse.
  • 2013/11/13: Xinhuanet: Death toll from Typhoon Haiyan in Philippines rises to 2275
  • 2013/11/13: Xinhuanet: China to provide aid to typhoon-hit Philippines
  • 2013/11/13: Xinhuanet: Eight killed as typhoon victims loot rice warehouse in Philippines
  • 2013/11/13: RT: Deadly clashes rage in typhoon-ravaged Philippines as survivors fight for food
  • 2013/11/13: ABC(Au): Hungry and homeless resort to looting
  • 2013/11/13: EurActiv: EU mobilises extra aid for typhoon-striken Philippines
    The European Commission earmarked E10 million yesterday (12 November) to support the Philippines' reconstruction, adding to the E3 million announced on Sunday, after perhaps the largest storm in a century killed thousands and caused widespread destruction.
  • 2013/11/13: CBC: Canada to deploy 2nd plane to aid typhoon-hit Philippines
  • 2013/11/13: CNN: Typhoon Haiyan: Grief and hunger dominate amid survival struggle
    The latest official death toll in the Philippines is 2,344 - U.S. Marines ramp up activity at Cebu airbase as more aid flows in - Still, relief effort "far too slow," U.N. emergency aid chief says - Debris and devastation continue to hamper relief efforts
  • 2013/11/13: UN: Philippines: aid workers concerned about logistical challenges, 'incredible despair' of population
  • 2013/11/13: CCP: Mayor of Haiyan-ravaged Tacloban urges residents to flee -- no water, food, gasoline
  • 2013/11/13: ABC(Au): Typhoon Haiyan: Survivors face long wait for aid as Philippines president Benigno Aquino says death toll likely lower than feared
  • 2013/11/12: BBC: Typhoon wreaks havoc on agriculture with over a million farmers affected
  • 2013/11/12: al Jazeera: Stench of death lingers on Philippine island
    Frustration at rescue efforts mounts along with body bags in city of Tacloban, ravaged by Typhoon Haiyan.
  • 2013/11/12: al Jazeera: Philippine typhoon relief hampered by delays
    UN launches $300m appeal to help victims of Typhoon Haiyan as aid workers scramble to distribute aid.
  • 2013/11/12: RT: The small get it all: $15bn Philippines typhoon more painful than Sandy for US
  • 2013/11/12: Grist: Philippines faces "nightmare" recovery in Haiyan's wake
  • 2013/11/12: CBC: Philippines typhoon aid not reaching masses as death toll rises
  • 2013/11/12: Guardian(UK): Typhoon Haiyan: in village after village the plea is the same - please help us!
  • 2013/11/12: Guardian(UK): Typhoon Haiyan: desperation grows as survivors face fifth day without help
    US, British and Japanese troops head to the Philippines but minimal amounts of aid have reached the worst-hit areas
  • 2013/11/12: ABC(Au): Typhoon aid response begins in Cebu
  • 2013/11/12: ABC(Au): Bad weather hampers typhoon recovery in Palau
  • 2013/11/12: WFP: WFP Supports Typhoon Haiyan Relief Efforts: Video And Photo Material
  • 2013/11/12: Xinhuanet: Typhoon Haiyan affects over 1,200 Hainan villages - about 180,000 people
  • 2013/11/12: IndiaTimes: UN to launch major aid appeal for battered Philippines
  • 2013/11/12: BBC: Typhoon Haiyan: Ships head to Philippines amid devastation
  • 2013/11/12: BBC: In pictures: Philippines struggle for survival
  • 2013/11/12: ABC(Au): Curfew in force to end looting in typhoon-hit Philippines town, as checkpoints set up
  • 2013/11/12: CBC: Philippines typhoon [confirmed] death toll climbs to 1,774
  • 2013/11/12: WSWS: Military curfew imposed as humanitarian crisis engulfs Philippines
  • 2013/11/12: al Jazeera: Philippines declares state of calamity
    President declares emergency measures as aid trickles in for millions of people worst affected by Typhoon Haiyan.
  • 2013/11/12: al Jazeera: Aerial view of Philippines disaster -- Aerial shots of Guiuan show the extent of the destruction
  • 2013/11/12: ABC(Au): Philippines city of death and ruins: Once-vibrant Tacloban transformed into wasteland by Typhoon Haiyan
  • 2013/11/11: WMO: WMO Community Mobilizes for Haiyan (Yolanda)
  • 2013/11/11: WFP: WFP Mounts Logistics Response For People Hit By Typhoon Haiyan
  • 2013/11/11: WFP: Philippines: WFP Dispatches High Energy Biscuits For Typhoon Survivors
  • 2013/11/11: UN: Philippines: UN humanitarian wing announces $25 million for typhoon relief efforts
  • 2013/11/11: DemNow: "Unimaginable" Devastation as Philippines Hit With One of Worst Storms in History
  • 2013/11/11: DerSpiegel: Philippine Typhoon: Germany and Other Nations Pledge Aid
    A powerful typhoon devastated parts of the Philippines Friday, killing an estimated 10,000 and leaving stunned survivors searching for food and aid. The catastrophe has "shocked" the German government, which is offering assistance to the region.
  • 2013/11/11: TreeHugger: Typhoon Haiyan: 'State of calamity' in the Philippines, 10,000+ feared dead
  • 2013/11/11: BBC: Typhoon Haiyan: Philippines declares state of calamity
  • 2013/11/11: FDL: Typhoon Deaths In Philippines Expected To Be In Thousands
  • 2013/11/11: Guardian(UK): Typhoon Haiyan: we cannot afford to procrastinate on climate action
  • 2013/11/11: Guardian(UK): Typhoon Haiyan: Philippines urges action to resolve climate talks deadlock [COP19]
  • 2013/11/11: Guardian(UK): Typhoon Haiyan: Philippines prepares climate change plans for worse to come
  • 2013/11/11: Guardian(UK): Typhoon Haiyan and climate change Q&A
  • 2013/11/11: Guardian(UK): Typhoon Haiyan: survival, loss and humanity in obliterated city of Tacloban
  • 2013/11/11: Guardian(UK): Typhoon Haiyan: thousands dead in the Philippines as storm makes landfall - Monday's developments
  • 2013/11/11: CDreams: Scenes of 'Utter Destruction' as Crisis Grows in Super Typhoon's Wake
    Widespread water and food shortages creating impossible conditions survivors, while relief efforts are slow due to destroyed infrastructure
  • 2013/11/11: CNN: Typhoon Haiyan crushed town 'like giant hand from the sky'
    Ivan Watson toured the typhoon-devastated region by air - Destructive power of storm surge most apparent around city of Tacloban - Seen from the air, forests of palm trees flattened, flooded villages - Red Cross fears death toll could rise when extent of disaster is fully known
  • 2013/11/11: CNN: Typhoon Haiyan: Survivors in Philippines face grim struggle as death toll rises
    Philippines' president declares "state of national calamity" - Authorities are still trying to gauge the scale of the devastation - Some officials estimate as many as 10,000 people are dead across the Philippines - Typhoon Haiyan weakens to become a tropical storm after hitting Vietnam
  • 2013/11/11: ABC(Au): Aid rushed into Philippines as scale of damage becomes clearer
    A huge international relief operation is underway tonight in the Philippines in the wake of catastrophic super typhoon Haiyan. [...] Countries and organisations around the world are scrambling to provide aid and assistance.
  • 2013/11/11: Xinhuanet: Southern Philippines sets up preparations as another storm [TD Zoraida] looming
    Authorities in southern Philippines on Monday ordered the cancellation of classes and evacuation of residents as yet another storm threatens the region. Officials in the provinces of Davao del Norte, Davao Oriental and Compostela Valley also activated disaster teams in their respective areas as Tropical Depression Zoraida sluggishly moved towards the eastern parts of Mindanao.
  • 2013/11/11: al Jazeera: Rescuers struggle in devastated Philippines
    Catastrophic damage hampers relief efforts as authorities rush to get food, medicine and tents to thousands in need.
  • 2013/11/10: Guardian(UK): Typhoon Haiyan: desperate survivors and destruction in flattened city
  • 2013/11/10: Guardian(UK): Typhoon survivors in Tacloban, Philippines - in [14] pictures
  • 2013/11/10: Guardian(UK): Aid efforts begin after typhoon Haiyan kills 10,000 in Philippines - Sunday's developments

    TS Zoraida didn't help the recovery:

  • 2013/11/12: ABC(Au): Storm Zoraida is hampering typhoon relief efforts
  • 2013/11/12: Xinhuanet: Tropical storm [Zoraida] follows super-typhoon Haiyan in Philippines
  • 2013/11/12: BBerg: Philippines Declares Calamity as New Storm [Zoraida] Makes Landfall

    Haiyan is making people wonder:

  • 2013/11/15: CBC:B: Typhoon Haiyan: Sign of what's to come with climate change?
  • 2013/11/15: WSWS: Climate scientists warn of more super-typhoons
  • 2013/11/14: CSM: Typhoon Haiyan: Is an era of super storms upon us?
  • 2013/11/13: PSinclair: Haiyan: Is This a Trend?
  • 2013/11/12: Google:AFP: Expect increasingly violent cyclones, weather experts warn
  • 2013/11/10: Guardian(UK): [Editorial] Typhoon Haiyan: weather warning
    Although expertise in coping with catastrophe is well developed, this is of a different order of magnitude

    • Subsidiary effects of Haiyan:

  • 2013/11/16: CDreams: Typhoon Haiyan: 'Early Warning System'
  • 2013/11/14: CPunch: Let's Take Advantage of Suffering Filipinos!
  • 2013/11/14: BBC: Typhoon could cut Philippines growth by 1% next year
  • 2013/11/13: CSM: US military footprint on Philippines could grow after typhoon Haiyan

    In the Arabian Sea, numbered storm 03A zapped Somalia:

  • 2013/11/17: MODIS: Tropical Cyclone Three (03A) off Somalia [on Nov.8]
  • 2013/11/15: al Jazeera: Somali region appeals for aid after cyclone
    UN says as many as 30,000 people may need aid after floods triggered by cyclone wash away roads and kill at least 300.
  • 2013/11/13: BBC: Somalia cyclone: 140 confirmed dead in Puntland
    A cyclone that hit Somalia's north-eastern Puntland region at the weekend is known to have killed 140 people, and the number could rise to 300, a government minister has said. The central government has declared a state of emergency in the region, and has appealed for international aid.
  • 2013/11/13: al Jazeera: Deadly cyclone ravages Somalia's Puntland
    Government says as many as 300 people could be dead and hundreds unaccounted for as storm destroys entire villages.
  • 2013/11/13: IndiaTimes: Storm death toll rises to 140 in Somalia's Puntland
  • 2013/11/12: al Jazeera: Deadly tropical cyclone hits Somalia
    A rare storm sweeps in from Arabian Sea, killing at least 100 people.
  • 2013/11/12: NASA: NASA Satellites See Cyclone 03A Make Landfall in Somalia
  • 2013/11/12: IOTD: Rare Tropical Cyclone [03A] Strikes Somalia [on Nov.11]
  • 2013/11/11: DD: Deadliest tropical cyclone in Somalia's history kills at least 100
  • 2013/11/11: Wunderground: Haiyan Finally Dying; Somalia's Deadliest Tropical Storm on Record Kills 100
  • 2013/11/11: BBC: Somalis 'killed in Puntland' during tropical cyclone
    A tropical cyclone that hit the north-eastern Somali region of Puntland over the weekend killed up to 100 people, the regional leader has told the BBC. Puntland's President Abdirahman Farole said thousands of livestock had also died and hundreds of homes had been destroyed.

    • While elsewhere in the hurricane wars:

  • 2013/11/14: MODIS: Tropical Storm Sonia (18E) over Mexico [on Nov.3]
  • 2013/11/12: NASA: NASA Sees Ex-Tropical Depression 30W Trying to Re-form in Indian Ocean
  • 2013/11/12: AFTIC: Should the Saffir-Simpson scale go beyond 5?
  • 2013/11/11: ERabett: Does the World Need a Category Six For Cyclones?
  • 2013/11/11: RawStory: Expect increasingly violent cyclones, weather experts warn
  • 2013/11/10: GLaden: Should There be a Category 6 for Hurricanes?

    This week in notable weather:

    This week in the New Normal -- extreme weather:

    Regarding the solar hypothesis:

    Regarding the cosmic ray hypothesis:

    Regarding Milankovitch Cycles:

    As for the temperature record:

    Meanwhile in near earth orbit:

    And in the paleoclimate:

    In the attribution debate:

    What's the State of the Oceans?:

    And on the extinction watch:

    The bees and Colony Collapse Disorder are a constant concern. And then, there are the Neonicotinoids:

    Intimations of Overshoot:

    More GW impacts are being seen:

    And then there are the world's forests:

    Changes in natural cycles are showing up:

    Corals are a bellwether of the ocean's health:

    Acidification is changing the oceans:

    Glaciers are melting:

    Sea levels are rising:

    As for hydrological cycle disruptions [floods & droughts]:

    On the mitigation front, consider transportation & GHG production:

    Large scale geo-engineering keeps popping up:

    What's new in conservation?

    While on the adaptation front:

    Meanwhile in the journals:

    And other significant documents:

    As for miscellaneous science:

    In the science organizations:

    What's new in models?

    What developments in the ongoing struggle for Open Science?

    Meanwhile at the UN:

    And on the carbon trading front:

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

    Who is serious about reducing airline carbon emissions?

    In the "global competition for natural resources":

    • 2013/11/14: ABC(Au): Sustainable growth still a distant dream
      The previous method of evaluating how sustainable an economy is may be flawed according to international research. Countries working towards 'sustainable' use of resources may be further away from their goal than previously thought, according to a study involving researchers from CSIRO and the University of New South Wales. Published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the study evaluates 186 countries over the last two decades, mapping the flow of raw materials from source to consumer, thereby measuring the environmental footprint of resource extraction.

    Regarding the EU FQD: Fuel Quality Directive:

    These 'free trade' treaties put the corporation above the nation:

    And in miscellaneous international political jousting:

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

    What are the activists up to?

    Is the Climate Movement anything more than a fantasy?

    The move to divest from fossil fuel investments is growing slowly:

    Polls! We have polls!

    Regarding Water Politics and Business; See also:

    And on the groundwater front:

    While in the UK:

    And in Europe:

    Meanwhile in Australia:

    Now we get to watch the suppository of wisdom destroy what little Australia has done to fight climate change:

    The fight over the carbon laws began this week in Parliament:

    After years of wrangling, the Murray Darling Basin Plan is in place, but the water management fights are far from finished:

    And in the Indian subcontinent:

    While in China:

    And in Japan:

    While elsewhere in Asia:

    In Africa:

    And South America:

    • 2013/11/17: BBC: Chile vote: Childhood friends face off in presidential poll
      Chile is going to the polls in presidential elections with Socialist candidate Michelle Bachelet predicted to become the first Chilean leader in more than 50 years to serve two terms. Opinion polls give her a substantial lead over her nearest rival - right-wing candidate Evelyn Matthei. But the election could still go to a second round in December.

    In Canada, neocon PM Harper, aka The Blight, pushes petroleum while ignoring the climate and ecology:

    The Harper gang are putting on a typically embarassing display at Warsaw:

    Looks like we'll have a good idea how this Elsipogtog confrontation will play out come Monday:

    The WikiLeaks release of the TPP IP Chapter reveals part of the Canadian ramifications:

    The West-East pipeline is suddenly a focus of much dispute:

    The Harper gang continues their black-is-white FQD campaign:

    There has been a significant coal slurry spill into the Athabasca River:

    • 2013/11/16: CBC: Alberta coal mine spill heading to N.W.T.
      The Northwest Territories' Environment Minister says toxins from a massive coal mine spill in Alberta are making their way north. On Oct. 31, Sherritt International's Obed Mountain coal mine spilled about 1 billion litres of contaminated water into the Athabasca River. The mine is no longer operating. The spill happened when a retaining wall collapsed, unleashing the equivalent of about 400 Olympic-sized swimming pools of contaminated water. The Alberta government says the contaminated water is now making its way through the Athabasca River and the Peace River. It should reach the Slave River and Great Slave Lake close to the beginning of December.
    • 2013/11/13: TheCanadian: Athabasca River contaminated by Canada's largest coal slurry spill

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

    Meanwhile in BC:

    And in that Mechanical Mordor known as the tar sands:

    Also in Alberta:

    While in la Belle Province:

    In the North:

    As for miscellaneous Canadiana:

    And on the American political front:

    The Keystone XL wheel grinds slowly. And it grinds woe:

    The Mayflower oil spill and its ramifications just keep dragging on:

    With the deficit hawks panicking about things financial, there has been talk of a carbon tax solution:

    The GOP War on Women continues. See also:

    The impacts of budgetary sequestration are adding up:

    Looking ahead to the 2014 & 2016 elections:

    The actions of the Obama administration are being watched closely:

    As for what is going on in Congress:

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

    In nature, there is no garbage:

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

    Apocalypso anyone?

    How do the corporate media measure up?

    Here is something for your library:

    And for your film & video enjoyment:

    As for podcasts:

    Meanwhile among the 'Sue the Bastards!' contingent:

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

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

    On the coal front:

    On the gas and oil front:

    And in pipeline news:

    Ships and boats and trains -- How to tranport the stuff?

    A rush of American triumphalism pervades the energy independence PR campaign. Think it will last?

    Yes we have a peak oil sighting:

    Biofuel bickering abounds:

    The answer my friend...

    Meanwhile among the solar aficionados:

    The nuclear energy controversy continues:

    Nuclear waste storage requires _very_ long term thinking:

    Like a mirage, the dream of a Hydrogen Economy shimmers on the horizon:

    How are the utilities adjusting (or not)?

    And then there is the matter of efficiency & conservation:

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

    As for Energy Storage:

    The reaction of business to climate change will be critical:

    Who's fielding theFAQs?

    What do we have in (weekly) lists?

    The carbon lobby are up to the usual:

    And in the 'clean coal' saga:

  • 2013/11/13: TheCanadian: Athabasca River contaminated by Canada's largest coal slurry spill

    Meanwhile in the greenwashing chronicles:

    So why is nothing getting done?

    As for climate miscellanea:

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

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    More like this

    Next from the Maldives , a report on the coup d'glug following last weeks underwater election.

    Excellent synopsis, as always, of unfolding climate change news. I come here often as part of an effort to keep on top of an issue that is important to all of us.

    bob, did you see also some news that global warming has stopped since at least 15 years?

    did you see also some news that global warming has stopped since at least 15 years?

    Even using atmospheric temperatures, ignoring oceanic heat content, and a cherry-picked start date (which invalidates the statistics), no-one has demonstrated that the current rate of warming is significantly less than that of the previous decades. The so-called 'pause' is just an over-interpretation based on statistical ignorance, by people who have never wondered why there continues to be a disparity between the incoming and outgoing radiation as measured by satellites.

    By Richard Simons (not verified) on 26 Nov 2013 #permalink

    In other words, "freddy", stop telling lies.

    By Craig Thomas (not verified) on 27 Nov 2013 #permalink

    For anyone else listening: the trend since those cherry picked positions, selected solely for their ability to show a zero (some even claim negative) trend, the trend is still 0.03C, and the massive error bars on that figure mean that it does not disprove the IPCC projection average, therefore, EVEN IF you accept the cherry pick,

    a) you don't get a zero, never mind cooling, trend
    b) it doesn't prove AGW false

    To manage (b), you need more data. But because of the cherry pick, any extra data disproves the claim even more.

    "... did you see also some news that global warming has stopped since at least 15 years?...."

    That's great news freddy! Got a link to a scientific paper so we can have a read?

    mandas and the other alarmism fanatics:

    study the DATA.(not your ideology please) yourself:

    http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/sotc/global/2012/13
    http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/sotc/global/2011/13
    and backwards to the 90s when this data coverage of NOAA started

    when will you climate church adherents be ready to accept that a flat temperature curve since 15 years is a flat curve and that there is no correlation between atmospheric co2 increase and global temperature.

    Flat lines don't curve.

    LOL!

    wow, any substance apart from your BS?

    FLAT LINES DON'T CURVE!

    LOL!

    when will you climate church adherents be ready to accept that a flat temperature curve since 15 years is a flat curve and that there is no correlation between atmospheric co2 increase and global temperature.

    To repeat:

    no-one has demonstrated that the current rate of warming is significantly less than that of the previous decades.

    Show us a P value if you want to be taken seriously. If it is less than about 0.01 (to make some sort of compensation for the cherry-picked start date) then people may feel there is something of interest, especially if you can explain where the extra energy is going to.

    By Richard Simons (not verified) on 29 Nov 2013 #permalink

    @Richard, look yourself, it's not my concern to do your work.

    Yeah, Richard, what do you expect kai to do? Work?!?!?

    Good Lord, is Kai/Freddy still around?
    I would have expected him to have given up. He has been exposed as a fraud so many times....

    Richard, look yourself, it’s not my concern to do your work.

    I have. But it is you who is trying to convince us that there has been a 'pause' and so far all you have done is demonstrate that you likely do not understand basic statistics.

    By Richard Simons (not verified) on 02 Dec 2013 #permalink

    Richard, wrong! I am not at all trying to convince you or the other climate church pupils. I have pointed to information from NOAA, YOUR climate authority which you hardly dare to oppose as tiny climate subordinate, and expect that you start your learning process by studying the data given. Don't be so lazy!

    Richard, wrong! I am not at all trying to convince you or the other climate church pupils. I have pointed to information from NOAA, YOUR climate authority which you hardly dare to oppose as tiny climate subordinate, and expect that you start your learning process by studying the data given. Don’t be so lazy!

    Oh dear.

    Looks like kai has some new socks for christmas!

    kai, you're lying.

    expect that you start your learning process by studying the data given.

    I'm sorry, but exactly what do you think we should find in the data other than 'Gee, if I look at the graphs and ignore the information on el Nino/la Nina years, it looks almost as though temperatures have stopped going up'? If you understood any statistics, you would realize it is very easy to be fooled by short-term fluctuations in data. That is why you have to do the stats.

    BTW: By the late 1960s I considered it likely that global warming was on its way. Your snide comments comparing acceptance of the physics to a religion just highlights your ignorance of the subject.

    By Richard Simons (not verified) on 07 Dec 2013 #permalink

    Richard, so you are not willing to look at the data because they don't please you and disturb your devotion to the religious belief of CAGW

    He has looked at the data.

    It does not show what you claim.

    Maybe you can point out where your claim is supported.

    Wow, it shows, learn to look at what you don't like!!!!!!

    so you are not willing to look at the data because they don’t please you and disturb your devotion to the religious belief of CAGW

    I've looked and seen nothing to make me question my acceptance that AGW is taking place. That is why I asked you to be more specific. I have not the slightest doubt that you will fail to identify anything that gives reasonable hope that AGW will not continue.

    By Richard Simons (not verified) on 08 Dec 2013 #permalink

    I've looked.

    What you claim isn't there.

    I guess you're just imagining this, huh?

    Any ideas here why AGW blogs implode so terribly at the present time (Deltoid, Stoat etc etc etc) : no readers, no reasonable contents?

    Consolation for warmists: current arctic sea ice extent is high (4th highest in the last decade):

    The latest value: 11,248,709 km2 (December 8, 2013)

    Therefore NO indication for arctic or global warming! It is VERY COLD at the North Pole and in Greenland!

    no readers, no reasonable contents?

    Frivolous arguments from denialists (e.g.).

    By Richard Simons (not verified) on 09 Dec 2013 #permalink

    Richard, no, just facts. Look yourself

    We did.

    The facts do not support your assertion.

    Heck, even your statements don't support your assertion, boris. Soryy, kai. Sorry, freddy.

    Wow, they did, but you are not willing to accept to look at data which don't please your prejudices.

    Wow, they did, but you are not willing to accept to look at data which don't please your prejudices.

    Still unable to tell us exactly what we should be finding in the NOAA data, I see.

    By Richard Simons (not verified) on 10 Dec 2013 #permalink

    Of course not, because it isn't there.

    If it were, there would be no reason to avoid showing it.

    I did look, kai.

    Your claims are not supported by it.

    Try not hallucinating what you think ought to be there, dear.