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  2. Another Week of Global Warming News, March 30, 2014

Another Week of Global Warming News, March 30, 2014

By illconsidered on April 1, 2014.

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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Information is not Knowledge...Knowledge is not Wisdom

March 30, 2014

 

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Live and direct from the black humour hangout:

Looking ahead to COP20 and future international climate negotiations:

The IPCC Working Group 2 report has not yet been released, but there have been a lot of leaks and comments:

Another Earth Hour has rolled around:

The WMO released their Status of the Global Climate report this week:

Something to ponder - our place in the world:

The Climate Science Legal Defense Fund needs help:

Is there a change in the wind? or is it my imagination?

How is the German Energy Transition [Energiewende] doing?

And on the Bottom Line:

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?

Not much good news coming out of Fukushima:

 

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

The Arctic melt continues to garner attention:

That Damoclean sword still hangs overhead:

As for the geopolitics of Arctic resources:

While in Antarctica:

The food crisis is ongoing:

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

Food Prices are still problematic:

Regarding the genetic modification of food:

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

A relatively quiet week in the hurricane wars. TC Gillian and TD04W faded away. There is an unreported cyclone between Madagascar and the mainland:

While elsewhere in the hurricane wars:

 

Earlier in Arkansas, Exxon, spilled dilbit into the suburb of Mayflower:

The BP disaster continues to twist US politics. See also:

In Alaska, the Exxon Valdez is an oldie but a baddie:

Sunoco Logistics has a big oil spill in an Ohio nature preserve:

    • 2014/03/25: TP:JR: Ohio Pipeline Spill Twice As Large As Original Estimate
      20,000 gallons of crude oil spilled from a damaged pipeline into a nature reserve in southwest Ohio -- double the initial estimates -- according to officials with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
    • 2014/03/24: ColumbusDispatch: EPA says Ohio oil leak at 20,000 gallons
      Federal environmental officials now estimate more than 20,000 gallons of crude oil -- double the initial estimates -- leaked from a pipeline into a nature preserve in southwest Ohio. Meanwhile, Sunoco Logistics said ttoday that the pipeline has been repaired and re-opened. Sunoco shut off the stretch of Mid-Valley Pipeline from Hebron, Ky., to Lima, Ohio, early March 18 after a leak was confirmed. Sunoco spokesman Jeff Shields said under a federally approved plan, a specially engineered clamp was placed on the 20-inch diameter pipeline, which had a 5-inch crack that leaked oil. The clamp was tested before oil flow resumed Sunday evening.

After a collision, a barge leaked oil in the Houston Ship Channel:

Hundreds Of Fracking Wells In Pennsylvania Have Been Reported For Air And Water Violations :

Also fracking spills in Ohio:

Another BP spill. This time from a refinery into Lake Michigan:

A spill at the Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument in Utah:

The GOP War on Women continues. See also:

Nate Silver originally drew attention because he was praeternaturally correct; his latest venture is less so:

The Keeling Carbon Dioxide Monitoring Project is still seeking funding:

Late comment on the AAAS What We Know report:

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:

What are the lobbyists pushing?

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?

Why we fight:

How are we going to deal with this mess?

How do the corporate media measure up?

While activists search for effective communication techniques:

 

  • 2014/03/26: UCSUSA:B: So... How Does Science Make You Feel?
  • 2014/03/26: GreenGrok: The Dark Side of Environmental Art

    Here is something for your library:

    And for your film & video enjoyment:

    Meanwhile among the 'Sue the Bastards!' contingent:

    This Equador suit against Chevron/Texaco has been going on for decades:

      • 2014/03/26: Guardian(UK): Death threats made to Ecuadorian lawyer in Chevron pollution case
        Juan Pablo Saenz is representing small farmers trying to force Chevron to pay damages for pollution in the Amazon The Ecuadorian lawyer representing small farmers trying to force Chevron to pay damages for pollution in the Amazon rainforest says he has received death threats. "People are constantly following us in Ecuador," said lawyer Juan Pablo Saenz, who told the Guardian he has received two anonymous death threats by phone.

    It looks like this BP trial over the Gulf oil spill is going to take a long while:

      • 2014/03/23: LegalEx: BP Update: U.S. Chamber of Commerce or U.K. Chamber of Commerce?
        The U.S. Chamber of Commerce, in cooperation with the U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and the National Association of Manufacturers, filed an amicus brief on Monday in support of BP's latest attempt to renege on its Settlement Agreement with individuals and businesses of the Gulf Coast. The U.S. Chamber is no friend of Gulf businesses and is not to be confused with the hundreds of legitimate local Chambers of Commerce that champion entrepreneurs. No, the U.S. Chamber is a puppet of very big business, which counts on the confusion involving its name to work against the interests of small business owners everywhere.

    Wrestling over a new energy infrastructure continues unabated:

    What do you have in energy comparisons and transitions?

    What's changing in energy investments?

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

    On the gas and oil front:

    In the gas and oil corps:

    And in pipeline news:

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

    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:

    Feed-In-Tariffs (Net Metering & Time-of-Use Tariffs) are being variously implemented around the world:

    More people are talking about the electrical grid:

    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:

    Insurance and re-insurance companies are feeling the heat:

    Who's fielding theFAQs?

    What do we have in (weekly) lists?

    Anything in pithy (or piffling) quotes this week?

    The carbon lobby are up to the usual:

    Note: You may notice my denialist coverage flagging. I am finding it increasingly difficult to give any attention to these people.

    This week in intimidation:

     

  • 2014/03/28: TP:JR: Be Worried: Climate Scientists Under Attack
  • 2014/03/27: Guardian(UK): Climate science sceptics target philosopher with toxic hate mail
  • 2014/03/26: IP: And then there's hypocrisy
  • 2014/03/26: ATTPh: Climateball(TM)
  • 2014/03/26: GLaden: Climate Science Denialists Target Academic in Hate Campaign
  • 2014/03/26: HotWhopper: Anthony Watts lynch mob of mindless louts attack another university professor
  • 2014/03/25: DeSmogBlog: Climate Change Philosopher A Target Of Abusive Hate Campaign
  • 2014/03/25: NYT:PK: What America Isn't, Or Anyway Wasn't

    More on that forced retraction of the Recursive Fury paper:

  • 2014/03/29: HotWhopper: Unbalanced Antagonism: The UWA Vice-Chancellor stands up to a "vexatious" blogger
  • 2014/03/29: ERabett: Steve McIntyre in the library with the knife
  • 2014/03/25: P3: Recursive Fury Update
  • 2014/03/24: S&R: Liability fears drive psychology journal to retract climate study
    The journal Frontiers retracted a study of conspiracy accusations among climate change deniers even though their "investigation did not identify any issues with the academic and ethical aspects of the study."

  • Meanwhile in the 'clean coal' saga:

  • 2014/03/24: GreenGrok: Coal Ash Ponds: How Power Companies Get a 'Bypass' on Regulations Against Pollution

    As for climate miscellanea:

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

    Low Key Plug

     

    My first novel _Water_ was published in May 2007. An Introduction is available.
    My most recent novel _The Bottleneck Years_ is being serialized online atmy siteand on AFTIC at Table of Contents
    If you want further information, see A Gentle Introduction. If you want a copy, see The Deal.
    An overview of my writing is available here.

    A Simple Plea

    Webmasters, web coders and content providers have mercy on your low bandwidth brethren. Because I am on dial-up, I am a text surfer -- no images, no javascript and no flash. When you post a graphic, will you please use the alt text field ... and when you embed a youtube/vimeo/flash video, please add some minimal description. Thank you.

    <regards>

    -het

    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.

    "Mother Nature doesn't do bailouts. One day, Mother Nature shows up and blows out your knee caps." -Denis Hayes

    Last modified March 30, 2014

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    More links, much more links. The cold world simply need more links to get warmer.

    Hans, honestly, how many links did you try? Have you found any which report doubts about global warming?