climate politics

A question raised by the normally sensible Geoengineering Politics. They come to an odd conclusion: any damages caused by SRM [Solar Radiation Management, I believe - W] would essentially be the negative side effects of a response measure intended to remediate harms caused by excessive fossil fuel use, and fossil fuel companies have been the primary direct beneficiaries of this activity, it stands to reason that they should be the ones to pay for its cleanup and offer an analogy: This is precisely how the international oil spill liability regime works--the International Oil Pollution…

My, what a long title. But its a quote from RN in a comment on my IPCC 5th Assessment Review post. And since this butts head on into something I've been thinking for a while, but not said, I'll write it down. Don't call me too bitter or cynical, please. And just for the moment, don't demand references either - this is all stream of thought. So: for a number of years now, starting at some unknown point - possibly around Cameroon's ridiculous dancing-with-huskies moment, but most likely more nebulous and earlier - the British political scene went soppy green. Windmills sprouted, solar panels…

So, da UK Energy and Climate Change committee is having an "inquiry" into IPCC 5th Assessment Review. I'm not sure why. This will be a review of a review, which could itself be reviewed, which will end in endless regress? More likely it will fizzle away into nothing. Myles Allen appears to be suggesting that the ctte are bozos (not in so many words, of course. That would be unparliamentary. Instead, he says things like the thrust of the committee’s questions does raise concerns that the committee has allowed itself to be misled in this regard or As an aside, it seems strange to ask about the…

Need I say more? Source: QS. Oh go on then. I'll say more. Here's a different pic: which is from whitehouse.gov/share/climate-action-plan. Or you can read the PDF. So, full marks for heart-in-the-right-place kind of stuff, and of course he's fighting a Congress stuffed full of wackos. The bit that seems to have got most attention - e.g. from the Graun is But his boldest move by far was the decision to bypass a deadlocked Congress and issue an executive memo to the Environmental Protection Agency, calling for new rules curbing greenhouse gas emissions from power plants... However, the…

Popcorn time again, it seems. Starting at the end, Anthony Watts is "threatening" to sue Greg Laden. Although from that, its hard to see why. Going back to the bottom, GL originally took the piss out of AW for believing in sky fairies. Phil Plait ("No, Diatoms Have Not Been Found in a Meteorite") patiently points out why these particular fairies are unreal; PZ Myers is rather less patient, and appears to call AW a crackpot. GL doesn't seem terribly worried by AW, which seems reasonable. What exactly is AW complaining about? He says: I spent yesterday conferring with lawyers about the smear…

Says the Graun. If you agree you can sign the petition. The issue is that "On June 7th 2012, the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) announced that there is a strong strategic case for the merger of the British Antarctic Survey (BAS) and the National Oceanography Centre (NOC) to take place, creating a new Centre encompassing polar and marine science". As it says that was June, so this is old news (ah, but the consultation only started in 11 Sep 2012), but has suddenly blown up. Back in March JEB had news of cuts at NOC. Note: I used to work there, but left at the end of 2007... gosh,…

It am de report ob de House of Commons Environmental Audit Committee, Second Report of Session 2012–13, Volume I: Report, together with formal minutes, oral and written evidence. And things like Arctic Methane Emergency Group? refer. I don't really have much to say, because Geoengineering Politics has said most of what needs saying. I find it somewhat disturbing how seriously the HoC seems to take the Arctic Methane Emergency Group, though. Oh yeah, its got tipping points in it too, and that Tim Lenton. And Peter Wadhams. Don't rot your brains with this stuff. Read SoD on instability. Refs *…

This is something I wonder about off-an-on; with Happy Birthday, Charles! The Phytophactor has now put clearly the "doom" version: There was a time in this country when policy was debated, but then politicians found out it was easier to deny the science rather than debate policy, and now the people who do the science are being demonized. If these ideologues have their way the USA will fall even further under the sway of fundamentalist theocrats, and thus our society will begin to converge on that of Islamic countries charging forward into the past, the distant past, the Dark Ages, at a time…

Never blog when pissed [*] they said... So, Kloor and Romm are having a dust up over stuff, and if you care you can read the details or even take sides (I'm with Kloor, you won't be surprised to learn). But we can take a step back and consider a more generalised problem, in the context of Doctors Warn Climate Change is "Greatest Threat to Public Health": suppose we care about famine in the third world (in the sense of wanting to do something about it, rather than in the sense of finding it interesting material to blog about it): what might we do? * stop climate change (reduce impacts) *…

That is what The Grauniad said over the weekend. Cabinet ministers have agreed a far-reaching, legally binding "green deal" that will commit the UK to two decades of drastic cuts in carbon emissions. The package will require sweeping changes to domestic life, transport and business and will place Britain at the forefront of the global battle against climate change. We all know what happens to people in the forefront of battle: they get shot dead. My initial reaction is: this is a very bad idea. The cabinet apparently wills the ends, and realises it will have major consequences, but it doesn't…

I largely ignored Copenhagen (the conference, not the city, I hasten to add: very nice place I'm sure and I mean no disrespect) and chose instead to push for Carbon Tax Now, though I felt obliged to read a little bit of what they had to say. But now we have Cancun. What to say about that, other than rather unoriginal puns? Nothing but the obvious really: it was a total failure and it would have been better if it had never occurred. Cancun was the triumph of the negotiator-class: the parasites encouraged by all the process: yet another waste-of-time conference designed purely to generate…

I was going to blog about what bunch of ponces the Police were in the video for Wrapped around your finger (great music though; speaking of which Nice legs, Shame about the face applies today. King of Pain is better, but they don't look so stupid). Anyway, what I decided to talk about today is Sherwood Boehlert's op-ed in the WaPo (as I believe the hip dudes call it). Which I'll quote in near-entirety (truncated a little for brevity and for bits I find not wrong but detracting from the otherwise excellent message): Watching the raft of newly elected GOP lawmakers converge on Washington, I…

People have been trying to make me read Merchants of Doot for some time, but I still haven't (go on, someone, send me a copy for Christmas, me c/o CSR St Johns House will reach me :-). But TWD (in the midst of "turning serious") has a post on a particular tobacco-industry document apparently inspired by the GCC. Anyway, what *I* wanted to pick out(in some sort of law of conservation of silliness effect) was not the substance (off you go to WTD for that) but the wonderful terminology: see the doc, its page 17 for some wonderful acronyms, like Gongo and Bongo (Business-Orientated NGO, if you…

Well, just one politician really. And an American one, and Republican at that, so I suppose we can hope his stupidity isn't truely representative. David Appell provides a wonderful quote from Chris Christie and Global Warming, from which I excerpt: ...that's probably one of the reason's why I became a lawyer, and not a doctor, or an engineer, or a scientist, because I can't figure this stuff out. Yes, that's right all you lawyers out there: the Law is for people too dumb to figure stuff out :-). And politics, presumably, is for those too dumb even for the Law. [I apologise for the lack of…

RC has said this already, but perhaps you want to talk about it here. Not great surprise I think; see the press release or the final report. The Investigatory Committee, after careful review of all available evidence, determined that there is no substance to the allegation against Dr. Michael E. Mann, Professor, Department of Meteorology, The Pennsylvania State University. More specifically, the Investigatory Committee determined that Dr. Michael E. Mann did not engage in, nor did he participate in, directly or indirectly, any actions that seriously deviated from accepted practices within the…

An unfair headline; but I think it is a known phrase: the "Dumb America" phenomenon, wherein the public has the hubris to believe that they really have something valuable to contribute to discussions that they can hardly begin to understand (I'm assuming that if you aren't part of DA then you're intelligent enough to realise I'm not talking about all Americans). Yes, I'm talking about the comments in Under the Volcano, Over the Volcano by Willis Eschenbach at Wattsup (ht: mt). Incidentally, anyone tempted to complain about my sneering or elitist tone is invited to comment somewhere else. If…

Scientists cleared of malpractice in UEA's hacked emails inquiry says the IOP, which isn't quite the headline I chose, but once again you'll have to forgive a little poetic licence on my part. The Grauniad says much the same, as does Aunty. Perhaps more tellingly, The Torygraph and Times have ignored it entirely. The report itself is here. Thankfully, it is quite short. [Update: other views: * Eli * TL * Keith Kloor - for the "opposition" * HT * mt - this is well worth reading for mt's thoughtful take on what is and what is not worth noting about the report. * CA - McI is deeply miffed that…

The HoC inquiry into the CRU hack has reported. Judging from BBC radio 4 this morning (which interviewed Acton and then Lawson, no, not the wobbly one) the results are good: I say this because Lawson showed a distinct disinclination to talk about what the report actually said :-). I'll expand this post later with more, so don't complain if it changes. My initial impression is that is is fairly good, and certainly provides the right headlines, but I can't yet endorse it whole-heartedly - it looks like they have made some errors (in the matter of blaming Jones for the data sharing). But I need…

Carbon prices drop in wake of climate talks. Carbon prices plunged on Monday in the aftermath of the Copenhagen conference on climate change, dealing a blow to the credibility of the European Union's carbon-trading scheme. Prices for carbon permits for December 2010 delivery, the benchmark contract for pricing European permits, dropped nearly 10 per cent in early trading, before recovering to end the day 8.3 per cent lower at â¬12.41. One dealer described the market as like "a falling knife" but said that a rise in European gas prices had helped to support the carbon market. UN-backed…

Anyone who cares has found them by now so I won't trouble you with all the details. James "Gonad Watcher" Annan is fulfilling, with commendable neutrality, the role of arbitrator to which I appointed him, and I don't think there is much more I need to say. That won't stop me from saying it, of course. Other people who have said sensible things include Denial Depot, Newtongate, CM and of course RC (apologies if you're not on the list; oh all right Eli too since he says he needs the traffic). Indeed pretty well everyone with any sense seems to have got the right answer by now. So I'll deal with…