Links to the latest news on global climate change http://www.climatechangenews.org 144 144 http://www.climatechangenews.org http://dotearth.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/07/09/ethics-and-the-greenhouse/ An ethicist explains why he dove into climate blogging. Sun Jul 25 09:03:51 2010 EST 15th July 2010 http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/YaleEnvironment360/~3/8qKUGMJS_58/digest.msp Ten countries worldwide, including five African nations, are at 'extreme risk' because of limited access to clean, fresh water, according to a new global water security index. And the effects of climate change and population growth will exacerbate the stress on these water supplies, potentially threatening stability in many regions, according to the analysis by Maplecroft , a UK- based consulting group. Among the nations most at risk are Somalia, Mauritania, Sudan, Niger, and Iraq. Other nations at extreme risk - including Pakistan, Egypt, and Uzbekistan - are already facing internal and border tensions because of limited water supplies. Click to enlarge. Maplecroft. Global water security index 'There is a risk of water stress exacerbating future risks of conflict, although there is evidence that water scarcity may also help foster cooperation instead,' said Anna Moss, a Maplecroft environmental analyst. Sun Jul 25 09:03:51 2010 EST http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science environment-10646282 The building of new renewable energy sources outstrips new fossil fuel power plants in EU and US during 2009, a report says. Sun Jul 25 09:03:51 2010 EST http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/climateprogress/lCrX/~3/U6Khsu8l6Aw/ I have previously written about The rise of anti- science cyber bullying and the role played by Swift Boat smearer Marc Morano - who believes climate scientists should be publicly beaten. The UK Guardian has posted an outstanding piece slamming Morano''s 'warped world vision' and the 'award' he just won: But that this award was announced within hours of Morano posting on his Climate Depot website the email addresses of a climate scientist next to a link to my story from last Monday about the said climate scientist, Stanford University''s Professor Stephen Schneider, receiving death threats and hate mail should cause you to throw down that coffee in disgust. Sun Jul 25 09:03:51 2010 EST http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/climateprogress/lCrX/~3/CGxWv7jgVjo/ I would like to close with an observation that I gained from watching World Cup soccer over the past few weeks. In particular, I was struck by the recurring juxtaposition of two advertising billboards in the background of the soccer pitch, one in red by an American company- Mc. Donald' s, the other in blue by a Chinese company- Yingli Solar. I thought to myself, this is the World Cup, the world''s biggest sporting stage, and China is proudly showcasing the future of its economy with a solar technology company. What is the U. S. best able to showcase? Hamburgers. I believe this image speaks volumes about the state of play not only in the global clean energy race, but also in the global competitiveness landscape. Sun Jul 25 09:03:51 2010 EST http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/climateprogress/lCrX/~3/_9keSiS8aJ0/ Today, a large body of evidence has been collected to support the broad scientific understanding that global climate warming, as evident these last few decades, is unprecedented for the past 1000 years - and this change is due to human activities. This conclusion is based on decades of rigorous research by thousands of scientists and endorsed by all of the world''s major national science academies . Although uncertainties remain, they concern issues like the rate of melting of major ice sheets rather than the broader topic of whether the climate is changing. This is from an article in the Politico, 'The science behind climate science,' by four leading climate scientists ... Sun Jul 25 09:03:51 2010 EST http://www.desmogblog.com/ipcc-fumbles-media-relations-strategy-must-review-basic-principles-public-relations Andy Revkin''s revelations over the weekend about the botched media relations strategy deployed by the head of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, Rajendra Pachauri, demonstrate that the IPCC has failed to learn from its recent missteps in managing public communications. If you don' t have anything to hide, don' t act as if you do. Being thrust into the media spotlight and subjected to sudden intense scrutiny can rattle any organization, and the IPCC is hardly the first institution to be accused of resorting to a "bunker mentality" and evading media inquiries. But, as Revkin points out correctly, sheltering yourself from the press is bound to backfire, creating more skepticism about your activities when you should really focus on explaining your work more clearly and operating with greater transparency. Sun Jul 25 09:03:51 2010 EST http://www.desmogblog.com/american-petroleum-institutes-revisionist-history-climate-change-position API Energy Taxes. png The American Petroleum Institute, the trade group for the oil and natural gas industry, is trying to re- write history by claiming that it has remained "neutral" about U. S. climate legislation. Nothing could be further from the truth, actually. API orchestrated the entire "Energy Citizens" astroturf campaign last year precisely to fight against climate legislation. Greenpeace USA obtained an internal memo[ PDF] from the desk of API president Jack Gerard detailing polluting interests' plans to launch the nationwide astroturf campaign attacking climate legislation as "tax increases on our industry." The API memo requested API''s member companies to recruit employees, retirees, vendors and contractors to attend the "Energy Citizen" rallies in key Congressional districts nationwide during the August recess last year, no doubt hoping to be confused with a genuine grassroots uprising, much like the tea parties. Sun Jul 25 09:03:51 2010 EST http://dotearth.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/07/14/senate-eyes-bush-plan-on-co2/ Senate leaders desperate for a climate bill close in on the Bush plan of a decade ago. Sun Jul 25 09:03:51 2010 EST http://www.theecologist.org/News/news_analysis/530683/biomass_britain_do_fields_of_energy_crops_spell_an_end_to_grazing_livestock.html A new vision to replace our grazing land with energy crops will help reduce greenhouse gas emissions, but many are unwilling to embrace its suggestions for our future diet and countryside Sun Jul 25 09:03:51 2010 EST http://www.theecologist.org/News/news_round_up/538930/uneven_sea_level_rises_threaten_indian_ocean_coastal_regions.html Global warming is adversely affecting certain countries around the Indian Ocean with higher than average sea level rises, according to analysis published in Nature Geoscience Sun Jul 25 09:03:51 2010 EST http://energybulletin.net/node/53446 In Merchants of Doubt, Naomi Oreskes and Erik Conway take us on a fascinating trip down what they call Tobacco Road. Take the journey with them, and you' ll see renowned scientists abandon science, you' ll see environmentalism equated with communism, and you' ll discover the connection between the Cold War and climate denial. read more Sun Jul 25 09:03:51 2010 EST http://feeds.reuters.com/~r/reuters/environment/~3/k8rhoKT1GrA/idUSTRE66A2N320100711 CARTI SUGDUB, Panama (Reuters) - Rising seas from global warming, coming after years of coral reef destruction, are forcing thousands of indigenous Panamanians to leave their ancestral homes on low- lying Caribbean islands. Sun Jul 25 09:03:51 2010 EST http://feeds.reuters.com/~r/reuters/environment/~3/srNpxNK2X_s/idUSTRE66C52I20100713 WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Senate''s two biggest backers of climate change legislation have scaled back ambitions for a broad attack on greenhouse gases with a new draft bill focusing on cutting pollution from electric power utilities. Sun Jul 25 09:03:51 2010 EST http://feeds.reuters.com/~r/reuters/environment/~3/fkhOPddkos0/idUSTRE66C6LN20100713 RIO DE JANEIRO (Reuters) - A powerful storm destroyed about half a billion trees in the Amazon in 2005, according to a study on Tuesday that shows how the world''s forests may be vulnerable to more violent weather caused by climate change. Sun Jul 25 09:03:51 2010 EST http://feeds.reuters.com/~r/reuters/environment/~3/y_SIEyq7wqs/idUSTRE66D1FD20100714 SINGAPORE (Reuters) - As Chinese policymakers grapple with an expected increase in extreme weather due to global warming, a study has found that periods of cooling between AD 10 to 1900 also caused a wave of disasters, war and upheaval. Sun Jul 25 09:03:51 2010 EST http://feeds.reuters.com/~r/reuters/environment/~3/DGQf9ib84Ts/idUSTRE66D28X20100714 ABIDJAN (Reuters) - The world''s mangroves are being destroyed up to four times faster than other forests, costing millions of dollars in losses in areas such as fisheries and storm protection, a report said Wednesday. Sun Jul 25 09:03:51 2010 EST http://feeds.reuters.com/~r/reuters/environment/~3/oxi7_7wAr6U/idUSTRE66D3PQ20100714 LONDON (Reuters) - European Union governments on Wednesday unanimously agreed detailed rules for auctioning carbon permits in the third phase of the bloc''s Emissions Trading Scheme from 2013, the EU executive said in a statement. Sun Jul 25 09:03:51 2010 EST http://feeds.reuters.com/~r/reuters/environment/~3/ph-clH5MmQk/idUSTRE66E1X320100715 HONG KONG (Reuters) - Chemists in South Korea and the United States have improved the design of a type of artificial crystal, doubling the amount of carbon- dioxide they can absorb and store. Sun Jul 25 09:03:51 2010 EST http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/YaleEnvironment360/~3/vc0UgpFHeR0/digest.msp The U. S. and Europe added more power capacity in 2009 from renewable sources than from conventional sources such as coal and oil, and this year or next the world as a whole will add more capacity to the electricity supply from alternative energy sources than from fossil fuels, according to two new reports. The reports, issued by the United Nations Environmental Program and the Renewable Energy Policy Network for the 21st Century, said that in 2009 renewables made up 60 percent of newly installed power capacity in Europe and more than 50 percent in the U. S. Although global investment in green energy decreased in 2009, to $162 billion, some countries, such as China, saw rapid growth ... Sun Jul 25 09:03:51 2010 EST http://news.scotsman.com/scotland/Big-freeze-changes-minds-on.6401655.jp A THIRD of Scots have changed their views on climate change due to the winter big freeze and the "climategate" scandal, a study for The Scotsman has revealed. Sun Jul 25 09:03:51 2010 EST http://feeds.reuters.com/~r/reuters/blogs/environment/~3/PgBspZWKF7w/ Avoid mopping your floor, laundry and washing your dishes during the day and save energy in the process " that''s what power utilities in the U. S. are telling customers this summer. Heard this before? The difference is this year, heat waves have already caused blackouts and power- grid strain across the country, and it''s only mid- July. This begs the question: Do power utilities want less of your business? Heat waves last month meant increased cooling needs " up as much as 76 percent in some regions " which adds in turn to the threat of power outages. Sun Jul 25 09:03:51 2010 EST http://www.realclimate.org/index.php/archives/2010/07/information-levels/ Rasmus' recent post on the greenhouse effect raised some interesting points concerning the technical level at which posts or other public communications should be written. This was a relatively technical article as these things go, eschewing the very basic 'the greenhouse effect is like a blanket' but not really approaching the level of a technical paper on the subject (no line- by- line calculations for instance). Nonetheless, there were complaints that was too much to be absorbed by the lay public, counter- arguments that making it too simple was patronising, as well as complaints that the discussions were not technical enough (for instance in explaining stratospheric cooling). Sun Jul 25 09:03:51 2010 EST http://feeds.newscientist.com/c/749/f/10928/s/bf10b9b/l/0L0Snewscientist0N0Carticle0Cmg20A7276930B10A0A0Eclimate0Escientists0Erespond0Eto0Eclimategate0Ereport0Bhtml0DDCMP0FOTC0Erss0Gnsref0Fclimate0Echange/story01.htm It''s time to abandon the black- and- white fiction that human- induced climate change is fact or conspiracy, they say Sun Jul 25 09:03:51 2010 EST http://feeds.newscientist.com/c/749/f/10928/s/bd9b57e/l/0L0Snewscientist0N0Carticle0Cdn191570Elaw0Eof0Ehurricane0Epower0Ediscovered0Bhtml0DDCMP0FOTC0Erss0Gnsref0Fclimate0Echange/story01.htm The intensity of hurricanes follows a simple mathematical law " a finding that could help us predict how they will respond to climate change Sun Jul 25 09:03:51 2010 EST http://resourceinsights.blogspot.com/2010/07/whither-weak-in-post-peak-oil-world.html It is often said that the test of any civilization is how it treats its weakest members. Those who are compromised physically, mentally or emotionally create a sort of live- action Rorschach test. Do the weak among us evoke our compassion or our scorn? If we are among the lucky ones who have our full faculties, our reaction to the weak says more about our view of the disfigured, stricken and defeated parts of our own psyche--the parts which make us feel most vulnerable and ashamed--than it does about the weak among us. Even if we feel compassion for those less fortunate, we are rarely called upon to find the limits of that compassion. Sun Jul 25 09:03:51 2010 EST http://resourceinsights.blogspot.com/2010/07/wages-of-complexity.html My latest column on Scitizen entitled "Is Net Energy Peaking?" has now been posted. Here is the teaser: When most people think of fossil fuel supplies, they think in terms of barrels of oil, cubic feet of natural gas and tons of coal. But in evaluating how much energy in the form of finite fossil fuels the world has left, these are no longer adequate measurements....Read more Sun Jul 25 09:03:51 2010 EST http://www.epolitix.com/latestnews/article-detail/newsarticle/moral-duty-to-tackle-climate-change/ A gathering of international parliamentarians has been informed that 'climate change is a reality'. Sun Jul 25 09:03:51 2010 EST http://ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=52139 Climate change is expected to disrupt agriculture in the U. S. Midwest, with high carbon dioxide promoting crop growth but stronger storms, drought, floods and migrating yields dampening yields. Sun Jul 25 09:03:51 2010 EST http://ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=52157 Despite the creation of a High- Level Advisory Group on Climate Change Financing (AGF), a group of hard- hit Pacific islands is expressing doubt that aid will be delivered in a timely manner. Sun Jul 25 09:03:51 2010 EST http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/blog/2010/jul/15/climategate-public-debate Polemical and partisan characterises the climate debate online - but at last night''s Guardian debate there was courteousness and a distinct warmth in the air. Something remarkable happened last night in the polarised world of "warmists" versus "sceptics": a candid but not rancorous public debate. I' m sure you' ll correct me if I' m wrong but, to my knowledge, never before have all sides of this frequently poisonous debate shared a stage. The outcome was illuminating. With no little effort, I had persuaded a star panel to convene to discuss the fall out from the "Climategate" affair which followed the exposure of 1,000 private emails between climate scientists at the University of East Anglia''s Climatic Research Unit and their international colleagues. Sun Jul 25 09:03:51 2010 EST http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/blog/2010/jul/14/google-climate-data Interactive tool layering climate data over Google Earth maps shows the impact of an average global temperature rise of 4CThink it''s hot this summer? Wait until you see Google''s simulation of a world with an average global temperature rise of 4C. Using a map that was first launched by the former Labour administration in October 2009, the coalition government has taken temperature data from the Met Office Hadley Centre and other climate research centres and imposed it on to a Google Earth layer. It''s a timely arrival, with warnings this month that current international carbon pledges will lead to a rise of nearly 4C and the Muir Russell report censuring some climate scientists for not being more open with their data (but exonerating them of manipulating the scientific evidence).Unlike a similar tool using IPCC data that was launched by Google in the run- up to the Copenhagen ... Sun Jul 25 09:03:51 2010 EST http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2010/jul/14/leeds-liverpool-canal-closure-drought British Waterways may enforce shutdown on Leeds and Liverpool canal as water levels in reservoirs plummet. Almost half the Leeds and Liverpool canal, the longest in Britain, will close because of the drought in the north of England unless rain tomorrow heralds St Swithin''s downpours. Narrowboat companies have started moving fleets from the 60-mile approaches to the Pennine summit of the canal after British Waterways announced the shutdown, which will affect the stretch between Gargrave, in the Yorkshire Dales, and Wigan from 2 August. The unusual move follows a precipitous drop in the seven moortop reservoirs that feed the 127-mile canal on either side of the watershed. British Waterways said levels were just under 30% of capacity instead of the usual July figure of 80%.Continuing drought would see stocks dwindle to 10% by the end of the month, and the closure " if implemented " will be ... Sun Jul 25 09:03:51 2010 EST http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2010/jul/11/peak-oil-energy-disruption Business underestimating catastrophic consequences of declining oil, says Lloyd''s of London/ ISS report. One of the City''s most respected institutions has warned of "catastrophic consequences" for businesses that fail to prepare for a world of increasing oil scarcity and a lower carbon economy. The Lloyd''s insurance market and the highly regarded Institute of Strategic Studies (ISS, known as Chatham House) says Britain needs to be ready for "peak oil" and disrupted energy supplies at a time of soaring fuel demand in China and India, constraints on production caused by the BP oil spill and political moves to cut CO2 to halt global warming."Companies which are able to take advantage of this new energy reality will increase both their resilience and competitiveness. Sun Jul 25 09:03:51 2010 EST http://liberalconspiracy.org/2010/07/14/when-will-our-cultural-institutions-disassociate-from-big-oil/ contribution by Mel Evans One month ago, a group calling themselves Liberate Tate released black helium balloons carrying 'oil- slicked' model fish and birds to the upper airspace of Tate Modern''s Turbine Hall during the gallery''s BP sponsored birthday party. Two weeks ago, an offshoot of the same group spilled 'oil' at the entrance and on the gallery floor of Tate Britain as art scenesters arrived for the semi- prestigious BP Summer Party. And this week yet another group has extended the story by visiting the British Museum, which also takes BP money, during visiting hours and elegantly spilling 'oil' from hand- crafted BP eggs in front of (but not touching) a key exhibit. Sun Jul 25 09:03:51 2010 EST http://www.americanprogress.org/issues/domestic/energy/index.html/index.rss Understanding the common but differentiated principle is the start of how the world has delegated responsibilities to the players around the globe in order to tackle the energy challenge of the 21st century. Approaching this principle is an important beginning in order to start working on the policy, business, research and development, and the environmental potential solutions. Stephen Eule and Julian Wong bring us their own angles on why and how this basic principle should be renewed and implemented to keep pace with a fast- changing and carbon- intense world. Read more here. Fri Jul 09 10:59:28 2010 EST 9th July 2010 http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/science_and_environment/10538198.stm Climate scientists emerge from third inquiry with their reputations for honesty intact but with a lack of openness criticised. Fri Jul 09 10:59:28 2010 EST http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/climateprogress/lCrX/~3/HGbeN_rl0uk/ By 2039, most of the US could experience at least four seasons equally as intense as the hottest season ever recorded from 1951-1999, according to Stanford University climate scientists. In most of Utah, Colorado, Arizona and New Mexico, the number of extremely hot seasons could be as high as seven. Heat waves could be commonplace in the US by 2039, Stanford study finds Exceptionally long heat waves and other hot events could become commonplace in the United States in the next 30 years, according to a new study by Stanford University climate scientists. 'Using a large suite of climate model experiments, we see a clear emergence of much more intense, hot conditions in the U. S. Fri Jul 09 10:59:28 2010 EST http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/climateprogress/lCrX/~3/m1k5Z7cvsw4/ Why would you trust a magazine that doesn' t trust itself? In a baffling display of 'balance as bias' - or perhaps 'balance as baloney' - The New Republic has hired right- wing misinformer Jim Manzi to spread confusion about their articles. Maybe magazines don' t bother employing fact checkers anymore, but when I coauthored the cover story for the Atlantic Monthly in 1996, 'Mid. East Oil Forever?' Drifting Toward Disaster, the magazine not only edited the piece, they made me provide a credible published source for every claim. Even today, I know magazines like Wired fact- check every article. Fri Jul 09 10:59:28 2010 EST http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/climateprogress/lCrX/~3/GY7XYoE3YgE/ 'We' re getting a dramatic taste of the kind of weather we are on course to bequeath to our grandchildren,' says Tom Peterson, Chief Scientist for NOAA''s National Climatic Data Center. An 'excessive heat warning' has been issued this week for parts of the East Coast, home of the status quo media, so please send me examples of coverage - good or bad. Also, drink plenty of fluids and stay cool! I got a call last week from a Florida reporter. Did I know that it was so hot that Miami set the all- time monthly temperature record in June? Fri Jul 09 10:59:28 2010 EST http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/climateprogress/lCrX/~3/K4R8FkOdxSU/ As the United States, like much of the rest of the world, bakes in record, killer heat, climate scientists continue to refine our understanding of the dire future of global warming in the years to come. The United Nations has named the 831 scientists who will author the fifth Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report, to be published in 2013 with new model runs and observations of the ongoing destruction of our habitable environment. They do this work despite the endless assault from the fossil- fueled right wing, weathering death threats and media and politicians who ignore, downplay, distort, or lie about the science. Fri Jul 09 10:59:28 2010 EST http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/climateprogress/lCrX/~3/lZ8EiJYwj2A/ This year will almost certainly set the record for lowest Arctic ice volume ever recorded (see 'When things were rotten'). But whether it will set the less important - but more visible - record for sea ice extent is less certain. You can see how close 2010 is to 2007 now. On the one hand, the National Snow and Ice Data Center just issued their July report, which notes, 'June saw the return of the Arctic dipole anomaly, an atmospheric pressure pattern that contributed to the record sea ice loss in 2007.' On the other hand, they point out ... Fri Jul 09 10:59:28 2010 EST http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/climateprogress/lCrX/~3/7gJCGLOhcWM/ Last month, Judge Martin Feldman, a federal trial judge in Louisiana, handed down a poorly- reasoned opinion lifting the Obama Administration''s temportary moratorium on new oil drilling in the Gulf of Mexico. Feldman owned stock in Exxon and other drilling companies. Today in New Orleans, a three- judge panel of the US Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit will consider whether to stay Feldman''s decision. According to a new report by the Alliance for Justice, however, it is unlikely that these Fifth Circuit judges will approach the case without the perception of bias. TP has the story in this cross- post. Fri Jul 09 10:59:28 2010 EST http://www.countercurrents.org/goodchild070710.htm By Peter Goodchild We begin with two basic facts. The first is that the worlds present annual consumption of oil is nearly 30 billion barrels. The second is that the worlds present population is nearly 7 billion. From there we can add some reasonable estimates of both oil decline and population decline Fri Jul 09 10:59:28 2010 EST http://www.countercurrents.org/blumenthal070710.htm By Les Blumenthal A sobering new report warns that oceans face a fundamental and irreversible ecological transformation not seen in millions of years as greenhouse gases and climate change already have affected temperature, acidity, sea and oxygen levels, the food chain and possibly major currents that could alter global weather Fri Jul 09 10:59:28 2010 EST http://dotearth.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/07/09/hot-weather-in-a-warming-climate/ A look at how more hot extremes might, or might not, spur climate and energy action. Fri Jul 09 10:59:28 2010 EST http://dotearth.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/07/06/was-the-east-anglia-incident-a-crime/ Nearly eight months after thousands of e- mail messages and files of climate scientists were scattered around the Web, authorities have still not labeled the release a crime. Fri Jul 09 10:59:28 2010 EST http://energybulletin.net/node/53373 As catastrophes go, sea level rise is probably fairly low on everybody''s list. The most dire effects will be felt over many decades or centuries, whereas the jobless are wondering what''s going to happen to them next month or next year. Still, expanding oceans provide a longer term perspective on where humanity stands with respect to Planet Earth. read more Fri Jul 09 10:59:28 2010 EST http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/YaleEnvironment360/~3/J7TXne15Ki8/digest.msp The swiftly unfolding environmental catastrophe in the Gulf of Mexico has riveted the world''s attention in recent weeks, but as the blog Aid. Data points out, the amount of oil spilled in the Niger Delta over five decades far exceeds the disaster in the Gulf, with even more devastating environmental consequences. Citing statistics from the United Nations Development Program, Aid. Data says estimates of oil spilled in the Niger Delta since 1960 range from 5.75 million to 10 million barrels, roughly triple the amount of oil that has Click to enlarge. UNDPOIL SPILLED: Nigeria spill (1960-present) and the 2010 BP spill gushed into the Gulf of Mexico from the blown- out Deepwater Horizon rig. Fri Jul 09 10:59:28 2010 EST http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/YaleEnvironment360/~3/t29HRtQNlTI/digest.msp No polar bears have been more closely studied than Canada''s western Hudson Bay population. Biologists have compiled an impressive store of data on everything from the weight of females at denning, the decreasing body mass of bears of all sexes, the increasing length of time the bears spend annually on the shores of Hudson Bay, and the decline of sea ice in the bay itself. Now, polar bear biologist Andrew E. Derocher and colleagues from the University of Alberta have marshaled that data to forecast how long it will be before western Hudson Bay''s polar bears disappear. The answer is sobering ... Fri Jul 09 10:59:28 2010 EST http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/YaleEnvironment360/~3/MOMZODbwHbo/feature.msp The surest sign of a warming Earth is the steady melting of its ice zones, from disappearing sea ice in the Arctic to shrinking glaciers worldwide. Now, scientists are using increasingly sophisticated satellite technology to measure the extent, thickness, and height of ice, assembling an essential picture of a planet in transition. BY MICHAEL D. LEMONICK Fri Jul 09 10:59:28 2010 EST http://www.realclimate.org/index.php/archives/2010/07/the-muir-russell-report/ by Gavin and Mike The long- awaited and surprisingly thorough Muir- Russell report (readable online version) was released this morning. We' ve had a brief read through of the report, but a thorough analysis of this and the supplemental information on the web site will have to wait for a day or so. The main issue is that they conclude that the rigour and honesty of the CRU scientists is not in doubt. For anyone who knows Phil Jones and his colleagues this comes as no surprise, and we are very pleased to have this proclaimed so vigorously. Secondly, they conclude that none of the emails cast doubt on the integrity and conclusions of the IPCC, again, something we have been saying since the beginning. Fri Jul 09 10:59:28 2010 EST http://feeds.newscientist.com/c/749/f/10928/s/bc05599/l/0L0Snewscientist0N0Carticle0Cdn191430Eclimategate0Einquiry0Eno0Edeceit0Etoo0Elittle0Ecooperation0Bhtml0DDCMP0FOTC0Erss0Gnsref0Fclimate0Echange/story01.htm The official UK inquiry into the climategate affair confirms the "rigour and honesty of the scientists involved" but tells them to be more open Fri Jul 09 10:59:28 2010 EST http://feeds.newscientist.com/c/749/f/10928/s/bbf654d/l/0L0Snewscientist0N0Carticle0Cdn19140A0Eprehistoric0Ehumans0Emay0Ehave0Epushed0Eclimate0Echange0Bhtml0DDCMP0FOTC0Erss0Gnsref0Fclimate0Echange/story01.htm Humans were fiddling with climate thousands of years even before we started farming " if we had a hand in the extinction of woolly mammoths Fri Jul 09 10:59:28 2010 EST http://feeds.newscientist.com/c/749/f/10928/s/bbee5ec/l/0L0Snewscientist0N0Carticle0Cmg20A7276830B60A0A0Eclimate0Echange0Ecould0Edrive0Ecrocs0Eout0Eof0Ethe0Ewater0Bhtml0DDCMP0FOTC0Erss0Gnsref0Fclimate0Echange/story01.htm Warming waters could mean crocodiles will struggle to find food and protection Fri Jul 09 10:59:28 2010 EST http://www.monbiot.com/archives/2010/07/06/a-bookful-of-bookerisms/ The climate change deniers are digging themselves an ever deeper hole over 'Amazongate' Fri Jul 09 10:59:28 2010 EST http://rss.feedsportal.com/c/266/f/3780/s/bc1f874/l/0L0Sindependent0O0Cnews0Cbusiness0Cnews0Ceu0Egives0Epower0Estations0Euntil0E20A20A0Eto0Emeet0Eemissions0Erules0E20A210A930Bhtml/story01.htm Fossil- fuel power stations will have until June 2020 to comply with the next phase of EU pollution rules, under the Industrial Emissions Directive (IED) passed by the European Parliament yesterday. Fri Jul 09 10:59:28 2010 EST http://rss.feedsportal.com/c/266/f/3780/s/bc03134/l/0L0Sindependent0O0Cenvironment0Cclimate0Echange0Cclimategate0Escientists0Ehonesty0Enot0Ein0Edoubt0Esays0Ereview0E20A20A8290Bhtml/story01.htm The "rigour and honesty" of the scientists at the centre of a row over climate research, sparked when hundreds of emails were stolen from a world- renowned research centre, is not in doubt, an independent review said today. Fri Jul 09 10:59:28 2010 EST http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/leading-articles/leading-article-climate-change-science-is-vindicated-2020929.html Public scrutiny of science and the scientific method can never be a bad thing, especially when the research involves something as important as climate change. But there must come a time when the results are accepted by all reasonable people. This time has surely come in the case of the "Climategate" emails stolen from the University of East Anglia and posted on the internet last autumn with the evident purpose of discrediting scientists at the centre of the effort to understand climate change. Fri Jul 09 10:59:28 2010 EST http://www.physorg.com/news197815384.html Toward the end of the last ice age, a major reorganization took place in the current system of the North Pacific with far- reaching implications for climate, according to a new study published in the July 9, 2010, issue of Science by an international team of scientists from Japan, Hawaii, and Belgium. Fri Jul 09 10:59:28 2010 EST http://www.physorg.com/news197814357.html Exceptionally long heat waves and other hot events could become commonplace in the United States in the next 30 years, according to a new study by Stanford University climate scientists. Fri Jul 09 10:59:28 2010 EST http://www.joabbess.com/2010/07/08/gasland/ Holy hydrocarbons ! Seems like BP America''s favourite unconventional fossil fuel is out of control. [link]2010/06/22/josh- fox- gasland- filmmake_ n_621341.html [link]2010/06/23/gasland- filmmaker- josh- fox- ignites- conversation- on- the- daily- show/ [link] files/2010/06/gasland- documentary- film- trailer- natural- gas- fracking. php [link] index. php? title= Gasland Fri Jul 09 10:59:28 2010 EST http://www.joabbess.com/2010/07/08/financial-ties-green-taxes/ The Financial Times advises :- [link] cms/ s/0/5dca38e0-8ac1-11df-8e17-00144feab49a. html 'Environmentalists have had a disappointing year. The Copenhagen talks fizzled and the economic crisis has overshadowed all other considerations. But the need for countries to repair towering fiscal deficits is an opening for the movement. As treasuries look for ways to raise more revenues, climate change activists should make the case for green taxes.' So, environmental campaigners should be campaigning for green taxes to plug holes in public deficits caused by crashing banks ? I think not. Tax revenue that is collected on the basis of environmental pollution should always be hypothecated, committed to remediation and removal of environmental pollution. Fri Jul 09 10:59:28 2010 EST http://ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=52081 The Mozambican government has adopted various policies to address the effects of climate change, with special attention to women as studies show that they are more adversely affected by this phenomenon. Fri Jul 09 10:59:28 2010 EST http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2010/jul/07/germany-renewable-energy-electricity Germany already leads the world on renewable energy and could become first G20 country to kick the fossil- fuel habit Germany could derive all of its electricity from renewable energy sources by 2050 and become the world''s first major industrial nation to kick the fossil- fuel habit, the country''s Federal Environment Agency said today. The country already gets 16% of its electricity from wind, solar and other renewable sources " three times' higher than the level it had achieved 15 years ago."A complete conversion to renewable energy by 2050 is possible from a technical and ecological point of view," said Jochen Flasbarth, president of the Federal Environment Agency."It''s a very realistic target based on technology that already exists " it''s not a pie- in- the- sky prediction," he said. Thanks to its Renewable Energy Act, Germany is the world leader in photovoltaics ... Fri Jul 09 10:59:28 2010 EST http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2010/jul/06/hacked-climate-science-emails-climate-change Today''s report into the hacked climate science emails follows two previous investigations that cleared the scientists involved of fraud and corruption, but with charges of secrecy upheld. The publication of Sir Muir Russell''s report on Wednesday is the third and final independent review into the hacked University of East Anglia emails sent by climate scientists. On 31 March, the House of Commons science and technology select committee strongly criticised UEA for not addressing a "culture of withholding information" among its climate scientists and for not being more open with raw data and computer codes. However, MPs chose not to criticise Professor Phil Jones, the climate scientist at the centre of the affair."He probably wishes that the emails were never invented," said Phil Willis MP, the committee chair, who had earlier questioned Jones in person during a committee hearing. Fri Jul 09 10:59:28 2010 EST http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/gallery/2010/jul/06/10-10-halfway From Premiership teams to rock festivals, from governments and ministers to you - the 10:10 campaign has united a diverse band of carbon- cutters determined to slash emissions by 10% this year. Now, 3,000 businesses and 80,000 individuals have signed up " and there''s still half a year left to go Fri Jul 09 10:59:28 2010 EST http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/cifamerica/2010/jul/06/no-more-bps-deserts-solar-power The Deepwater Horizon disaster should make us look to the sun, and start a revolution in how we meet our energy needs. Why hasn' t the Deepwater Horizon spill, one of the worst ecological disasters in US history, led to a storming of the Bastille of Big Oil? Why aren' t the most urgent problems of our time " environmental crises and climate change " being confronted with the same energy, idealism and optimism as past tragedies of poverty, tyranny and war? The current state of the oil industry is reminiscent of the ancien regime on the eve of the revolution. The Gulf of Mexico disaster has many faces. Fri Jul 09 10:59:28 2010 EST http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2010/jul/05/ipcc-rising-temperature-targets-greenland-ice-sheet Studies predict major extinctions and collapse of Greenland ice sheet with temperatures rising well above UN targets. The world is heading for an average temperature rise of nearly 4C (7F), according to analysis of national pledges from around the globe. Such a rise would bring a high risk of major extinctions, threats to food supplies and the near- total collapse of the huge Greenland ice sheet. More than 100 heads of state agreed in Copenhagen last December to limit the rise in global temperatures to 1.5C-2C (2.7-3.6F) above the long- term average before the industrial revolution, which kickstarted a massive global increase in the greenhouse gases blamed for warming the planet and triggering climate change. But six months on, a major international effort to monitor the emissions reductions targets of more than 60 countries, including all the major economies, the Climate Interactive Scoreboard, ... Fri Jul 09 10:59:28 2010 EST http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/10532841.stm Climate change crop garden wins Hampton Court prize. BBC News... such as apples and herbs, are featured as well as plants including peaches and nectarines to highlight the potential changes global warming will bring. Climate change 'bringing new crops' to South East. BBC Newsall 3 Fri Jul 09 10:59:28 2010 EST http://www.salon.com/technology/how_the_world_works/2010/07/07/air_conditioners_of_doom/index.html Salon. Heat wave air conditioners of doom. Salon. AP An independent investigation of the Climate. Gate hacked e- mails that rocked the global warming debate in 2009 has found that the "rigor ...and more Fri Jul 09 10:59:28 2010 EST http://ecocentric.blogs.time.com/2010/07/06/turning-up-the-heat-on-climate-change/ Salon. Heat Wave! Is This Global Warming? TIME (blog) First of all, the usual caveat, which should be obvious but needs to be repeated: no single weather event can be said to be "caused" by climate change. ...Heat wave smothers climate skeptic jokes. Salon. Heat wave smothers climate skeptic jokes. Salonall 7 Fri Jul 09 10:59:28 2010 EST http://feeds.grist.org/click.phdo?i=0269cbe8ac9575a83e34d1f2db634e12 by David Goldstein. Cross- posted from the NRDC Switchboard blog. The most important component of an effective climate bill- one that helps the economy recover and assures that greenhouse gas emissions will decline rapidly over the decades to come- is setting a cap on emissions. Opponents of a cap misunderstand how and why the cap will work, and their stated reasons for opposition reflect this misunderstanding. Typical of these self- described conservative arguments is made by Steve Everley at American Solutions. Everley tries to paint efforts to price carbon through a cap broadly as socialism, and narrowly as a tax. Fri Jul 09 10:59:28 2010 EST http://feeds.grist.org/click.phdo?i=bdaac3246692948b531284e35000c935 by David Doniger. Cross- posted from NRDC Switchboard. As President Obama and senators consider their options on energy and climate legislation, it''s important to be clear about what will move the country forward and what will move it backward. Will our leaders put us on the road towards the carbon pollution cuts desperately needed to take back control of our economic, environmental, and national security, or will they drive in the wrong direction and make matters even worse? As my colleague Dan Lashof shows here, the Senate can at least get us started towards the economy- wide carbon pollution reductions we need, by adopting a cap on utilities and other stationary sources along with robust policies to save oil and curb emissions from the transportation system. Fri Jul 09 10:59:28 2010 EST http://feeds.grist.org/click.phdo?i=b504b1ed8f99e0be07c16dc2b8af8ec6 by Jonathan Hiskes. Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac have shut down most of the nation''s programs using Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE), an innovative tool that helps Americans finance green improvements to their homes. Here''s a homeowner' s perspective on the story: Kayla Thomason spent last winter wondering if the furnace would hold out in her two- bedroom ranch home in Longmont, Colo. The middle- school teacher had plenty of need for it: Her home, built in 1963, has no wall insulation, little attic insulation, and original metal- frame single- pane windows. In the winter, heat seeps out through recessed kitchen lights, ceiling- fan connections, the garage door, the crawl space, and especially uninsulated heating ducts, she learned. Fri Jul 09 10:59:28 2010 EST http://www.joabbess.com/2010/07/08/george-monbiot-bunkum-masquerading-as-insight/ I was in telephone conversation with somebody in the Climate Change policy arena in the last two weeks (names will remain unnamed for obvious reasons), and they complained to me about George Monbiot''s position on Climategate. I could sense incandescent rage, even at the other end of the phone line, as the person expressed extreme displeasure with George Monbiot, and asserted that he was a 'nasty little man'. I don' t agree with that summary. For a start, George Monbiot is probably taller than the average Briton, so the epithet is literally inaccurate. I don' t even agree that George Monbiot is 'little' in terms of influential, public figures, either. Fri Jul 09 10:59:28 2010 EST http://feeds.reuters.com/~r/reuters/environment/~3/gg8oOn4eo_M/idUSTRE6671D120100708 SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Leading climate scientists on Thursday welcomed a British report that cleared researchers of exaggerating the effects of global warming and said they hoped it would restore faith in the fight against climate change. Fri Jul 09 10:59:28 2010 EST http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/10566441.stm The first weather health alert of the summer has been issued as temperatures are set to soar in parts of the UK. Fri Jul 09 10:59:28 2010 EST http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2010/jun/28/large-blue-butterfly-cotswolds Assisted by climate change, the ecologists who saved the butterfly from extinction are reintroducing it to its former haunts. It is the butterfly that was brought back from the dead and one of the most successful examples of insect conservation in the world. Now, assisted by climate change, the large blue butterfly is to be moved northwards in a bid to double its UK population. The ecologists responsible for reviving the large blue will next month release hundreds of caterpillars at two secret locations in the Cotswolds in an attempt to reintroduce them to the region for the first time in more than half a century. After the butterfly''s extinction in Britain in 1979, Jeremy Thomas, professor of ecology at Oxford University, and his colleague David Simcox successfully masterminded its return by collecting eggs from Sweden and reintroducing this rare and incredibly fussy insect in Devon and the Polden Hills, Somerset. ... Mon Jul 05 18:21:51 2010 EST 5th July 2010 http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2010/jun/28/road-rail-spending-environment Arguing that rail investment is pointless because more people use cars ignores the reality of congestion and climate change. So the RAC Foundation''s Stephen Glaister argues that roads are missing out on the lavish attention spent on rail. The argument that the road network suffers in comparison with rail simply does not stand up. Rail, as part of a better integrated and supported public transport network, has to be the future priority for investment if we are to stop adding to congestion and climate change. The RAC Foundation''s arguments against rail seem to come down a circular argument that not enough people use rail, therefore it shouldn' t receive significant investment to expand its capacity, which will mean that not enough people will use it, which justifies not investing in it This just won' t do as the basis for deciding where scarce public investment should go. So why should we invest ... Mon Jul 05 18:21:51 2010 EST http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/jun/28/paris-power-turbines-seine River currents could be harnessed at four bridges across the capital. The river Seine, the historical "sacred river" running through Paris, inspired Monet, Matisse and even the British painter Turner, who sat on its banks to capture the scenery. Now the landscape is to undergo a subtle change, with a plan to install eight turbines underneath the city''s celebrated bridges to raise energy from river currents. Paris city hall is to launch an appeal this week for power companies to come up with suitable projects to install the turbines, or hydroliennes."After a study by our urban ecology service and the French waterways, four potential sites have already been identified," Denis Baupin, the deputy mayor, told Le Parisien newspaper. Mon Jul 05 18:21:51 2010 EST http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2010/jun/27/shell-deepwater-drilling-will-go-on Voser says rising demand forces search for new sites Storm threatens clean- up operation of BP''s Gulf spill. Royal Dutch Shell''s boss, Peter Voser, insisted that today it was not possible to satisfy the world''s growing energy demands without drilling for oil in deep- water reserves, despite the ongoing environmental disaster in the Gulf of Mexico. At a conference in South Africa, Voser defended the oil industry''s push into deeper oil reserves and said Shell would continue to play its part, even as a tropical storm threatened to disrupt BP''s efforts to clean up oil off the coast of Louisiana."Given the rise in the population and the rise in the developing world of energy needs, we will have to develop those resources in deep waters, so my expectation is that we will go forward with it, but it will need some changes," Voser told the Fortune Global ... Mon Jul 05 18:21:51 2010 EST http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/climateprogress/lCrX/~3/ZtjQwm_MZiI/ Ruy Teixeira, a Senior Fellow at the Center for American Progress, shows us how the oil spill has been shifting public opinion on offshore drilling, little by little, in this repost. The gulf oil spill disaster is starting to take a serious toll on public support for offshore drilling. Consider these data from a new Pew Research Center poll. Back in February of this year, 63 percent of the public supported more offshore drilling as a policy response to address our energy needs, compared to 31 percent who were opposed. Today a majority of the public-52 percent- opposes offshore drilling, and support has fallen to 44 percent. Mon Jul 05 18:21:51 2010 EST http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/climateprogress/lCrX/~3/LAttQYtjtOw/ Must- see video here for ice junkies, background here: 'Arctic Ocean is full of rotten ice.' 'Anomalies for each day are calculated relative to the average over the 1979 -2009 period for that day to remove the annual cycle.' [And yes, "anomaly" is a poor word choice for a long- term trend driven by human emissions.] Back in mid- May, I argued the Arctic is poised to see record low sea ice volume this year. Since then, volume has plummeted some 3000 km3 (relative to its recent historical average) to '19,000 km3, the lowest May volume over the 1979"2010 period, 42% below the 1979 maximum and 32% below the 1979"2009 May average,' according to the Polar Science Center, which has the best Arctic ice volume model around. Mon Jul 05 18:21:51 2010 EST http://www.joabbess.com/2010/06/28/climate-union-sharing-principles/ Image Credit : Gilbert & George, 'Nettle Dance', White Cube I' m in the Climate Union. Are You ? Soon we could all be, if the expansionist plans of a group of social campaigners come to fruition. Taking in the unions, faith communities and the usual rag- tag bunch of issues activists, the Climate Union aims to establish itself as a political force for Low Carbon. First of all, however, it has to tackle the uneasy and prickly problem of the exact name of the movement, and the principles under which it will operate. The flag has been flown ... Mon Jul 05 18:21:51 2010 EST http://feeds.reuters.com/~r/reuters/environment/~3/ymqpBRgdnu0/idUSTRE65R1DG20100628 JAKARTA (Reuters) - The United States will spend $136 million over three years on environment and climate change programs in Indonesia, according to a statement issued by the White House on Monday. Mon Jul 05 18:21:51 2010 EST http://resourceinsights.blogspot.com/2010/06/laughs-for-doomers.html Boris Yelnikoff is a self- described "Nobel- level thinker" who feels beseiged by "microbes," one of his many terms for people who don' t see "the big picture." And, what''s the big picture? He tells us in the first five minutes of Woody Allen''s latest movie, "Whatever Works," when he says, "On the whole, I' m sorry to say, we' re a failed species."Yelnikoff, played by Larry David, is an aging former Columbia University physics professor who has divorced his wife, moved to a dingy (but affordable) New York apartment, and taken up teaching chess to children to support himself. Mon Jul 05 18:21:51 2010 EST http://www.physorg.com/news196769785.html This month, fires have charred tens of thousands of acres in New Mexico, Colorado and Arizona. After more than a decade of drought, these large seasonal fires are increasingly a part of life in the Southwest, and fire can be revitalizing in many conifer forests. Mon Jul 05 18:21:51 2010 EST http://thetyee.ca/News/2010/06/28/OilSandsTwistsWashington/ US politicians bend to foreign- backed pressure to soften climate bill. Mon Jul 05 18:21:51 2010 EST http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=1&categ_id=1&article_id=116450 BEIRUT: More than 200 young people gathered Saturday at Ramlet al- Baida beach to raise awareness about the threat that climate change poses to the globe, as they promote practical steps for Lebanese to change their environmental lifestyle. The activists, who largely consisted of members from Mercy Corps and the League of Independent Activists Mon Jul 05 18:21:51 2010 EST http://www.huffingtonpost.com/tina-gerhardt/the-canary-in-the-coal-mi_b_627194.html The Canary in the Coal Mine: Stopping Climate Change By Tina Gerhardt Climate Hope: On the Front Lines of the Fight against Coal By Ted... Mon Jul 05 18:21:51 2010 EST http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20100627/sc_afp/climatewarmingcarbonemissions_20100627174306 Dreams of braking global warming by storing carbon emissions from power plants could be undermined by the risk of leakage, according to a study published on Sunday. Mon Jul 05 18:21:51 2010 EST http://www.telegraphindia.com/1100629/jsp/nation/story_12623432.jsp New Delhi, June 28 : Warmer nights may spoil the aroma of basmati and cause the rice to become sticky when cooked, scientists have warned after a study of how climate change may affect the quality of rice. Mon Jul 05 18:21:51 2010 EST http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20100627/G8-oil-ptach-tax-100627/20100627?hub=Canada&s_name= Prime Minister Stephen Harper rejected advice from his officials to eliminate tax incentives for the oil patch on a weekend that saw the world''s most powerful leaders disdain fresh attempts to combat climate change in favour of fighting deepening deficits. Mon Jul 05 18:21:51 2010 EST http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/ips/533103df0e98e13124e71f621d0480f6.htm Source: IPS Australias newly appointed prime minister, Julia Gillard, has hardly warmed her seat, yet she has already been urged to take action on climate change. Mon Jul 05 18:21:51 2010 EST http://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/scientists-expect-climate-tipping-point-by-2200-2012967.html The global climate is more than likely to slip into an unpredictable state with unknown consequences for human societies if carbon dioxide emissions continue on their present course, a survey of leading climate scientists has found. Mon Jul 05 18:21:51 2010 EST http://feeds.grist.org/click.phdo?i=438564884c50f4f9d5c6d6cbf5761116 by Frank Ackerman. Was the Obama administration 'arbitrary and capricious' in imposing a six- month moratorium on deepwater oil drilling? U. S. District Judge Martin Feldman thought so. His June 22 order reversed the moratorium, citing the 'immeasurable harm' to 'the local economy, the Gulf region, and the critical present- day aspect of the availability of domestic energy in this country.' By immeasurable harm to the Gulf region, he meant the loss of oil industry jobs, not the loss of oil- free water and beaches. How could anyone be opposed to a time- out to figure out what went wrong in the Gulf of Mexico? Mon Jul 05 18:21:51 2010 EST http://feeds.grist.org/click.phdo?i=bb1ff1fff935271ed1bb8a5891499ec3 by David Turnbull. It was a tale of two cities Saturday in Toronto for this climate activist. One of hope and the other of boredom. Saturday morning, I joined Greenpeace, Oxfam, the Canadian Labor Congress, and about 5,000 activists at a peaceful rally calling on G8 and G20 leaders to take stronger leadership on a variety of progressive issues. Signs amidst the crowd were pushing issues ranging from climate and poverty alleviation to Tibetan freedom and bank reform. It was an impressive mix of progressive activists all coming together to speak with one voice for global change. Despite the rain and nearly oppressive police presence, the spirit at the rally was ebullient and hopeful, and I walked away feeling excited as one often does from these rallies. Mon Jul 05 18:21:51 2010 EST http://www.culturechange.org/cms/content/view/661/66/ The unsustainable U. S. economy and coast- to- coast consumer society that uses more oil than any other nation will keep up its energy gluttony until supplies give out. Because oil is the most critical part of our energy mix, and it supplies critical materials and chemicals besides fuels, a sudden, crippling oil shortage can paralyze most of the work, commerce and law enforcement going on in this country. Mon Jul 05 18:21:51 2010 EST http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0610/39082.html Climate bill gets GOP cold shoulder. Politico. But he has since shifted to the right, going so far as to question the science linking humans to global warming. Like Mc. Cain, Brown, Gregg and Murkowski, ...Democrats Poised for Comprehensive Climate and Energy Approach. Firedoglake (blog) all 23 Mon Jul 05 18:21:51 2010 EST http://thehill.com/blogs/e2-wire/677-e2-wire/105975-byrds-death-brings-new-problems-for-climate-advocates Telegraph. co. uk. Byrd''s death brings new problems for climate advocates. The Hill (blog)'Senator Byrd led efforts among coal state senators to devise global warming legislation that would smooth the transition for workers in their states,' said ...Byrd''s death could delay financial reform vote. Los Angeles Timesall 4,387 Mon Jul 05 18:21:51 2010 EST http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/science_and_environment/10456314.stm The emissions- lowering recession is masking failures on carbon- cutting, and new policies are needed, say advisors. Mon Jul 05 18:21:51 2010 EST http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/science_and_environment/10446880.stm Harbour seals give birth to pups 25 days earlier than 35 years ago as a result of changes to marine ecosystems, a study shows. Mon Jul 05 18:21:51 2010 EST http://www.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/blogs/thereporters/richardblack Petrolheads aim to steer world round greener corner Mon Jul 05 18:21:51 2010 EST http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/climateprogress/lCrX/~3/HcO9iisObgs/ Before getting to the irony of the anti- science Tea Partiers canceling their big convention because the weather is too hot, let''s look at some of the staggering extreme weather events around the globe. In China, 'The Southern Daily said over 600 millimetres (24 inches) of rain fell in Guangdong''s Huilai county over a six- hour period on Friday, a 500-year record.' That''s two feet of rain in 6 hours! As Dr. Kevin Trenberth, head of the Climate Analysis Section at the National Center for Atmospheric Research, told me earlier this month: There is a systematic influence on all of these weather events now- a-days because of the fact that there is this extra water vapor lurking around in the atmosphere than there used to be say 30 years ago. Mon Jul 05 18:21:51 2010 EST http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/climateprogress/lCrX/~3/RbdNK_bUCVo/ Revkin asks me via Dot Earth, 'What if The Public had Perfect Climate Information?' Ahh, the hypothetical question that launches us into an alternative history. Reminds me of that Saturday Night Live routine, 'What if Spartacus had a Piper Cub?' I' d love your answer. Here''s mine. If the entire public had perfect information on all matters related to climate - the science and the solutions - we would certainly be on a path to below 450 ppm (see, for instance, Scientists find 'net present value of climate change impacts' of $1240 TRILLION on current emissions path, making mitigation to under 450 ppm a must). Mon Jul 05 18:21:51 2010 EST http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/climateprogress/lCrX/~3/uDf-Poa4_Rc/ [I' d be very interested in the comments of other Brits upon watching the video. UK readers who want to make a complaint to the BBC will find contact info below.] The BBC''s climate journalism has declined in recent months (see BBC asks CRU''s Phil Jones the climate version of 'When did you stop beating your wife'). It just hit a new low in the half hour show, 'What''s up with the Weather?' All you need to know about how distorted and sensationalistic the BBC''s worldview has become is to read how BBC''s News editors describe the show ... Mon Jul 05 18:21:51 2010 EST http://www.culturechange.org/cms/content/view/658/66/ Editor's note: This article is a summary of a new paper published in Energy Policy, available at sciencedirect. com [link]. For a detailed discussion of renewable energy's limits see Renewable energy - Cannot sustain an energy - intensive society [link]. The author told Culture Change, "Central in the delusion system moving us to the brink is the unquestioned faith that renewables can preserve affluence and the growth society; it is extremely difficult to get anyone to think about this." Mon Jul 05 18:21:51 2010 EST http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/shell/lloC/~3/EvBmH5Dxioo/ The recent G8/G20 in Canada and the relatively small amount of time spent discussing climate change has again brought some to question the intent of the Canadian Government with regards the issue. The reality is that successive Canadian Governments have struggled to formulate a policy mix which will suit the country, but at the same time Canada has been a great champion of overtly climate change technologies such as carbon capture and storage (CCS). As such, it is worth spending some time giving thought to the dilemma that is the Canadian economy and greenhouse gas emissions, particularly as the government continues to seek a policy mix that will deliver a meaningful reduction in emissions over the coming decade " at least as a first step. Mon Jul 05 18:21:51 2010 EST http://www.desmogblog.com/canadian-oil-lobby-trying-kill-us-clean-energy-policy mike- whately. jpg Who knew the tentacles of the Canadian oil lobby could reach all the way down to Washington, DC? And who knew they were so powerful? I am sure many Americans will find it rather disturbing that a foreign entity (no matter how friendly they may be - full disclosure: I am Canadian) is holding so much sway over the clean energy future of their country. In a lengthy and well- researched new expose on the Canada oil sands industry''s lobbying activities in Washington, DC, reporter Geoff Dembicki untangles a complicated web that includes former Republican insiders, dirty energy front groups and powerful politicians on both sides of the border that are doing their best to kill US clean energy legislation. Mon Jul 05 18:21:51 2010 EST http://www.desmogblog.com/fracked-tap-water-texas-99-pr-spin leadwater. jpg When you have lived in the same place for 20 years and all of sudden your hair turns orange after you wash it, you might be more than a little concerned. But, of course, don' t blame the natural gas company that is pumping thousands of gallons of toxic sludge into the ground just up the street. That can' t possibly have anything to do with your hair turning orange or the chemically smelling sediment floating around in your water glass. After all, the natural gas industry, in a process called hydraulic fracturing (also called "fracking"), says that 99-percent of the sludge they use is just water and sand. Mon Jul 05 18:21:51 2010 EST http://dotearth.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/07/02/sorting-out-climate-camps/ A flawed effort to sort views on global warming into "10 camps." Mon Jul 05 18:21:51 2010 EST http://dotearth.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/07/02/global-co2-trends-show-scope-of-climate-challenge/ Energy trends in developing countries are causing per- capita emissions there to relentlessly rise even as the rich world gets cleaner. Mon Jul 05 18:21:51 2010 EST http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/georgemonbiot/2010/jul/02/ipcc-amazongate-george-monbiot Challenging climate sceptics is good sport but we' re in danger of forgetting the deadly serious matter at hand. Well this becomes more entertaining by the moment. Those who staked so much on the "Amazongate" story, only to see it turn round and bite them, are now digging a hole so deep that they will soon be able to witness a possible climate change scenario at first hand, as they emerge, shovels in hand, in the middle of the Great Victoria Desert. Here''s the story so far. In January the rightwing blogger Richard North claimed that the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change had "grossly exaggerated the effects of global warming on the Amazon rain forest". Mon Jul 05 18:21:51 2010 EST http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2010/jul/02/environment-social-trends-survey Recycling and organic farming on the rise but so is white good energy use and overfishing. The popularity of dishwashers, televisions and the internet has seen the amount of electricity consumed by such items jump by 155% in four decades, according to the ONS report. Emblematic of this shift has been the rise of the home computer. Two- thirds of people buy goods on the internet now " the highest in Europe. Ten years ago less than one in 10 people had access to the internet at home. As significant is the environmental movement. In the 1970s Britain produced two- thirds of its electricity from coal, but smokestacks have been replaced by natural gas chimneys. However, the UK generates around 100 million tonnes of waste a year, most of which ends up in landfill. Mon Jul 05 18:21:51 2010 EST http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2010/jul/02/ipcc-rising-temperature-targets-greenland-ice-sheet Studies predict major extinctions and collapse of Greenland ice sheet with temperatures rising well above UN targets. The world is heading for an average temperature rise of nearly 4C (7F), according to analysis of national pledges from around the globe at the midpoint between two major international conferences aiming to tackle the problem. Such a rise would bring a high risk of major extinctions, threats to food supplies and the near- total collapse of the huge Greenland ice sheet. More than 100 heads of state agreed in Copenhagen last December to limit the rise in global temperatures to 1.5C-2C (2.7-3.6F) above the long- term average before the industrial revolution, which kickstarted a massive global increase in the greenhouse gases blamed for warming the planet and triggering climate change. But six months on, a major international effort to monitor the emissions reductions targets of ... Mon Jul 05 18:21:51 2010 EST http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2010/jul/02/green-tech-investment-surges Global investments in clean energy companies rose 43% in Q2 on last year, says new Cleantech Group and Deloitte report. Green tech is back in the green. Global venture capital investment in green technology companies reached $4.04 billion in the first half of 2010, exceeding -- slightly -- the record set in the boom year of 2008, according to a preliminary report released Thursday by the Cleantech Group and Deloitte. Venture investment in the second quarter rose to $2.02 billion, up 43 percent from the year- ago quarter. Investments in the first half of the year spiked 65 percent from the same period in 2009. Mon Jul 05 18:21:51 2010 EST http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2010/jul/01/network-rail-study-climate-change Thousands of miles of railway track to be examined for ability to withstand storms, flooding and heatwaves. Potential safety threats to thousands of miles of railway from extreme storms, floods and heatwaves as the impact of climate change worsens are being investigated by railway engineers and meteorologists. A study by Network Rail will look at exposed coastal tracks, embankments and thousands of bridges to see whether they can withstand the increase in extreme weather events that climatologists have predicted over coming decades. The UK- wide investigation will cost £750,000 but railway executives believe that implementing its expected recommendations could save the industry £1bn over the next 30 years by improving safety and preventing emergencies. The climate change adaptation programme, commissioned by the rail industry safety board (RSSB) follows the intense storm that flooded the south coast line bordering the sea at Dawlish in Devon in 2004, and ... Mon Jul 05 18:21:51 2010 EST http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2010/jul/01/green-car-electric-vehicle-makers Vince Cable fails to confirm green car subsidy status as climate advisers say electric vehicles are key to hitting carbon targets. Electric carmakers warned the government that it was jeopardising the switch to green cars that experts believe is vital to meet the UK's climate change targets. The warning came after the business secretary, Vince Cable, failed to confirm the fate of the former Labour government's pledge to subsidise new electric cars by up to £5,000. On the same day, the government's climate change advisers said such vehicles were one of four key areas of focus for the UK to hit legally binding carbon budgets. In a letter to be sent to Cable and the transport secretary, Philip Hammond, Citroen, Mitsubishi, Nissan, Peugeot and Renault write that "without the incentives, the UK will become a significantly less attractive market". Mon Jul 05 18:21:51 2010 EST http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2010/jul/01/emissions-recession Drop in rich countries' emissions caused by recession in 2009 was nullified by steep increases from China and India. Greenhouse gas emissions from rich countries fell a record 7% in 2009 because of the recession, but the cut was entirely nullified by steep increases from fast- growing China and India, according to one of Europe''s leading scientific research groups. Overall, this meant annual global climate emissions remained steady for the first time since 1992, says the Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency which drew on energy- use data from the US government, the EU, BP energy data, the cement industry, and elsewhere. But the Dutch government- funded agency, which in 2007 was the first to correctly identify that China had overtaken the US as the world''s greatest greenhouse gas polluter, warned that the figures did not mean that rich countries had cleaned up their act."A large part of production capacity has been ... Mon Jul 05 18:21:51 2010 EST http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/gallery/2010/jul/01/satellite-eye-on-earth-june-2010 Space station sunsets, desert lakes in Mongolia and cloud formations over the Canaries were among the images captured by European Space Agency and Nasa satellites during June Mon Jul 05 18:21:51 2010 EST http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2010/jun/30/blimps-aircraft-freight Helium- powered ships could be carrying freight " and even passengers " in as little as a decade''s time. Fresh fruit, vegetables, flowers and other foreign luxuries could be part of a global revolution by carrying cargo around the world in airships instead of planes, one of the UK''s leading scientists has predicted. The government''s former chief scientific adviser, Professor Sir David King, now director of the Smith School of Enterprise and Environment at the University of Oxford, told a conference that massive helium balloons " or blimps " would replace aircraft as a key part of the global trade network as a way of cutting global warming emissions. Despite languishing in sci- fi B- movies for most of the last 70 years, King said several major air and defence companies, including Boeing and Lockheed Martin, were working on designs, and the US defence department had recently made a large grant ... Mon Jul 05 18:21:51 2010 EST http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2010/jun/29/green-investment-bank-wigley-report Government will cut nine existing green business quangos to fund the Green Investment Bank. Swapping nine existing quangos and funds for a shiny new Green Investment Bank would fit snugly into the government''s desire to cut back on public spending and boost low- carbon investment flows, and now the chancellor, George Osborne, has some cover for doing so. The independent Wigley report (pdf) published yesterday recommends exactly that and was commissioned by the Tories themselves while in opposition to add weight to what otherwise was a great- sounding but nebulous manifesto commitment. A review of existing quangos is well overdue. All governments like to announce new things and the number of bodies established under Labour to try to speed up the transition to a low- carbon economy was quite staggering. Mon Jul 05 18:21:51 2010 EST http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2010/jun/29/barack-obama-energy-bill Standoff suggests Senate would give up on climate change law that would result in far more limited proposals Barack Obama''s hopes of leveraging public anger at the Gulf oil spill into political support for his clean energy agenda fell flat today after he failed to rally a group of Democratic and Republican senators around broad energy and climate change law. The standoff suggests the Senate would formally give up on climate change law, and recast energy reform as a Gulf oil spill response, that would roll in far more limited proposals such as a green investment bank, or a measure to limit greenhouse gas emissions that would apply only to electricity companies. Such a move would come as a personal rebuff to Obama who has put energy and climate change at the top of his agenda, and who called on the 23 senators at the White House meeting to establish ... Mon Jul 05 18:21:51 2010 EST http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2010/jun/29/green-investment-bank-low-carbon-economy Cost of the low- carbon infrastructure is estimated at £550bn Venture capital sector prepared to invest in ecological projects. Scores of government- backed organisations face being swallowed by a new UK Green Investment Bank, under radical proposals announced today. Billions of pounds that are being spent by disparate quangoes and officials funds should instead be ploughed into an eco- bank, a group of leading financial and environmental experts recommended. The Green Investment Bank Commission argued that cutting the number of state- funded green bodies would "radically improve" the task of cutting the nation''s carbon output " an area where Britain continues to lag behind official targets. The Commission was led by former Merrill Lynch chairman Bob Wigley. Mon Jul 05 18:21:51 2010 EST http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2010/jun/30/climate-change-carbon-emissions-targets Committee on Climate Change says policies required within next year to reform electricity market and home efficiency. The new coalition government must introduce a string of climate policies over the next twelve months or risk Britain missing its legally binding targets to cut carbon emissions, ministers were warned yesterday. David Kennedy, the chief executive of the Committee on Climate Change, said action was needed in four key areas. He said policies should be brought forward to reform the electricity market, and to make homes more energy efficient. Ministers need to protect efforts to encourage the development of electric cars and introduce measures to bring down the carbon footprint of UK farmers, he added."We' ve had a light- touch approach in the UK, we' ve talked a good game but what we' ve seen is emissions haven' t fallen," Kennedy said. Mon Jul 05 18:21:51 2010 EST http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/cifamerica/2010/jun/28/bus-cuts-cars-bp-oil-spill The BP oil spill may make people reconsider their dependency on cars " but budget cuts are limiting public transport options. Just at the moment when the Deepwater Horizon BP oil spill has generated two months of non- stop headlines about the dangers of oil dependency and the federal government in America finally has something of a platform to call for Americans to wean themselves off oil dependency, cities, counties and states across the US are decimating their public transit systems and forcing people, willy- nilly, to return to their cars. In most countries, one might expect fiscal collapse to lead to more people taking public transport. Mon Jul 05 18:21:51 2010 EST http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/15528961/1jlama/alternet_environment~Why-Green-Building-Standards-May-Actually-Threaten-Sustainable-Forestry A pending new rule change from a key environmental standards organization has set off a heated controversy between competing eco- certifiers of wood. Mon Jul 05 18:21:51 2010 EST http://johannhari.com//2010/07/02/how-goldman-sachs-gambling-on-starving-the-worlds-poor-and-won By now, you probably think your opinion of Goldman Sachs and its swarm of Wall Street allies has rock- bottomed at raw loathing. You' re wrong. There''s more. It turns out the most destructive of all their recent acts has barely been discussed at all. Here''s the rest. This is the story of how some of the richest people in the world - Goldman, Deutsche Bank, the traders at Merrill Lynch, and more - have caused the starvation of some of the poorest people in the world, just so they could make a fatter profit. It starts with an apparent mystery. At the end of 2006, food prices across the world started to rise, suddenly and stratospherically. Mon Jul 05 18:21:51 2010 EST http://www.staffordshirenewsletter.co.uk/News/Letters/Its-getting-warmer-and-something-needs-to-be-done.htm It''s getting warmer - and something needs to be done. Staffordshire Newsletter (blog) Where are the crisis measures to change our lifestyles and stop burning fossil fuels in order to prevent heatwaves and wildfires becoming more frequent and ... Mon Jul 05 18:21:51 2010 EST http://feeds.newscientist.com/c/749/f/10928/s/b781e82/l/0L0Snewscientist0N0Carticle0Cmg20A727670A0B20A10Eclimategate0Ejibes0Efly0Eover0Eel0Enino0Eimpact0Eon0Ewarming0Bhtml0DDCMP0FOTC0Erss0Gnsref0Fclimate0Echange/story01.htm It turns out El Niño may not have had such a large effect on recent climate change as a controversial paper published last year suggested Mon Jul 05 18:21:51 2010 EST http://feeds.newscientist.com/c/749/f/10928/s/b7b4d49/l/0L0Snewscientist0N0Carticle0Cmg20A6276610B20A0A0Eclimate0Econtrol0Eis0Eco20Ereally0Ein0Echarge0Bhtml0DDCMP0FOTC0Erss0Gnsref0Fclimate0Echange/story01.htm Ice sheets melt away as CO2 rises: that''s how it''s supposed to work. So why does the opposite sometimes seem to have happened? Mon Jul 05 18:21:51 2010 EST http://www.realclimate.org/index.php/archives/2010/06/the-uncertainty-prayer/ Seen at a meeting yesterday: Grant us The ability to reduce the uncertainties we can; The willingness to work with the uncertainties we cannot; And the scientific knowledge to know the difference. (Drawn from a white paper on the use of climate models for water managers). Discuss. Mon Jul 05 18:21:51 2010 EST http://www.realclimate.org/index.php/archives/2010/07/penn-state-reports/ The last part of the Penn State inquiry has now reported unanimously that Mike Mann did not engage in any activity that violated scientific norms. Quoting from the report conclusions, Conclusion of the Investigatory Committee as to whether research misconduct occurred: 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 academic community for proposing, conducting, or reporting research, or other scholarly activities. Mon Jul 05 18:21:51 2010 EST http://www.physorg.com/news197266012.html The only glacier in the western Pacific could disappear in less than five years, taking with it vital clues about the earth''s changing climate, a US scientist said Friday. Mon Jul 05 18:21:51 2010 EST http://www.physorg.com/news197227905.html With carbon dioxide in the atmosphere approaching alarming levels, even halting emissions altogether may not be enough to avert catastrophic climate change. Could scrubbing carbon dioxide from the air be a viable solution? A new study by scientists at the Carnegie Institution suggests that while removing excess carbon dioxide would cool the planet, complexities of the carbon cycle would limit the effectiveness of a one- time effort. To keep carbon dioxide at low levels would require a long- term commitment spanning decades or even centuries. Mon Jul 05 18:21:51 2010 EST http://www.physorg.com/news197206539.html As global warming threatens many animal species with extinction, the cane toad is set to flourish with increasing temperature. This is a major cause for concern as the cane toad, once introduced to Australia as agricultural pest- control of the cane beetle, is an already highly invasive species and considered a pest in Australia. The researchers present their new findings at the Society for Experimental Biology Annual Conference in Prague on Friday, July 2, 2010. Mon Jul 05 18:21:51 2010 EST http://www.physorg.com/news197197932.html (AP) -- Climate change talks among some of the world''s most polluting nations are continuing for a second day in Rome. Mon Jul 05 18:21:51 2010 EST http://www.physorg.com/news197175066.html (AP) -- Lonnie Thompson spent years preparing for his expedition to the remote, mist- shrouded mountains of eastern Indonesia, hoping to chronicle the affect of global warming on the last remaining glacier in the Pacific. He''s worried he got there too late. Mon Jul 05 18:21:51 2010 EST http://www.physorg.com/news197111985.html (Phys. Org. com) -- Research by scientists at Queen Mary, University of London has found that a predicted rise in global temperature of 4°C by 2100 could lead to a 13% reduction in ecosystems' ability to absorb carbon dioxide (CO2) from the atmosphere. Mon Jul 05 18:21:51 2010 EST http://www.physorg.com/news197034597.html A new study shows the Arctic climate system may be more sensitive to greenhouse warming than previously thought, and that current levels of Earth''s atmospheric carbon dioxide may be high enough to bring about significant, irreversible shifts in Arctic ecosystems. Mon Jul 05 18:21:51 2010 EST http://feeds.reuters.com/~r/reuters/environment/~3/cSMKzOXzVyw/idUSTRE6620NB20100703 WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama, under pressure to spur job growth, said on Saturday two solar energy companies will get nearly $2 billion in U. S. loan guarantees to create as many as 5,000 green jobs. Mon Jul 05 18:21:51 2010 EST http://feeds.reuters.com/~r/reuters/environment/~3/LQZVc5Zj93k/idUSTRE6611VP20100702 LONDON (Reuters) - A Kyoto Protocol scheme may be encouraging projects to emit more greenhouse gases because of incentives to earn carbon offsets from subsequently destroying these, a U. N. report said. Mon Jul 05 18:21:51 2010 EST http://feeds.reuters.com/~r/reuters/environment/~3/5Mhur7gvM-0/idUSTRE6605GN20100701 WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Environmentalists and power companies are lobbying U. S. senators to put forward climate and energy legislation that would initially cap greenhouse emissions only from electric utilities, saying it''s the last best chance for passing a bill this year. Mon Jul 05 18:21:51 2010 EST http://feeds.reuters.com/~r/reuters/environment/~3/B7tpEsy5XQk/idUSTRE6600MV20100701 ST. PETERSBURG, Russia (Reuters) - Russia on Wednesday took a big step toward the controversial creation of the world''s first floating nuclear power station, putting a barge that will house the plant into the water. Mon Jul 05 18:21:51 2010 EST http://feeds.reuters.com/~r/reuters/environment/~3/BPCBiKMW5kI/idUSTRE65T67Y20100630 ATHENS (Reuters) - European Union plans to fight climate change until 2020 will cost hundreds of billions of dollars but give scant benefits, a study commissioned by a self- styled "Skeptical Environmentalist" said on Thursday. Mon Jul 05 18:21:51 2010 EST http://feeds.reuters.com/~r/reuters/environment/~3/xzsvaP2VxfM/idUSTRE65S2U920100629 SYDNEY (Reuters) - Australia''s influential Greens party has written to new Prime Minister Julia Gillard calling for a A$23 a ton carbon tax after upcoming elections, allowing her time to gain support for a carbon trading scheme. Mon Jul 05 18:21:51 2010 EST http://feeds.reuters.com/~r/reuters/environment/~3/d8J1Poa_VCc/idUSTRE65S2ML20100629 LONDON (Reuters) - Britain needs a green bank to meet its 2020 goals to slash carbon emissions and curb use of fossil fuels, a report commissioned by the Conservative Party said on Tuesday. Mon Jul 05 18:21:51 2010 EST http://feeds.reuters.com/~r/reuters/environment/~3/GyXTFL2ogNA/idUSTRE65S1B220100629 SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Australia''s new leader should ramp up renewable energy use and enshrine tougher energy efficiency standards to fight global warming, leading climate scientists said on Tuesday, describing them as easy policy wins. Mon Jul 05 18:21:51 2010 EST http://feeds.reuters.com/~r/reuters/environment/~3/aPckDB5oXB0/idUSTRE65R38C20100628 CAPE TOWN (Reuters) - The United States would send a positive signal by passing domestic legislation to fight global warming ahead of U. N. climate talks in November, the EU''s climate chief said on Monday. Mon Jul 05 18:21:51 2010 EST http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/YaleEnvironment360/~3/CF6yx9J-3lc/digest.msp Biofuels produced from algae hold 'significant promise' as an alternative to polluting petroleum- based fuels, but the technology will require years of development before it is ready to be deployed at a large- scale, commercial level, according to a U. S. Department of Energy report. The 'National Algal Biofuels Technology Roadmap' identifies the state of the technology and the challenges facing researchers, engineers, and policymakers in the advancement of algal biofuels. 'Many years of both basic and applied science and engineering will likely be needed to achieve affordable, scalable, and sustainable CCMPThe microalgae Botryococcus algal- based fuels,' the report says. Mon Jul 05 18:21:51 2010 EST http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/YaleEnvironment360/~3/xV6wa6Ht6b0/digest.msp After a meeting between President Obama and a bipartisan group of U. S. senators, leading Senate proponents of climate and energy legislation say the only climate bill with a chance of passage this year would be a measure placing a cap on the carbon dioxide emissions of electric power utilities. At least two Republican senators - Susan Collins and Olympia Snowe, both of Maine - involved in Tuesday''s meeting with Obama said they would support placing a cap and price on the CO2 emissions of utilities, provided that most or all of the proceeds were rebated to taxpayers. A key sponsor of climate and energy legislation in the Senate, John Kerry (D- Mass), suggested he might be willing to drop his move to place a cap and a price on CO2 emissions throughout the economy in favor of a more limited bill capping the emissions of electric ... Mon Jul 05 18:21:51 2010 EST http://sudburystar.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=2651495 Two of Sudbury''s so- called green schools are getting national and international attention. The Rainbow District School Board announced Walden Public School will be showcased next year at an international conference on sustainability.[...] Mon Jul 05 18:21:51 2010 EST http://www.dailyadvance.com/news/blow-baby-blow-25723 Plans to build a $50 million wind farm in Currituck will begin by measuring wind speeds, and if the readings are positive, North Carolina may be on the way to having its first wind farm, says a businessman who is taking steps to start the process. Mon Jul 05 18:21:51 2010 EST http://rss.feedsportal.com/c/266/f/3780/s/b7e93a9/l/0L0Sindependent0O0Cnews0Cbusiness0Cnews0Cregulation0Eis0Eholding0Eback0Egreen0Epower0Esays0Edrax0E20A151230Bhtml/story01.htm Europe''s biggest coal- fired power station is calling for changes to the Government''s renewable energy regulations to enable Drax to convert one of its six coal generators to run on biomass. Mon Jul 05 18:21:51 2010 EST http://rss.feedsportal.com/c/266/f/3780/s/b79228e/l/0L0Sindependent0O0Cenvironment0Cclimate0Echange0Cemission0Ecuts0Ethreatened0Eby0Eeconomic0Erecovery0E20A141180Bhtml/story01.htm Britain is not on course to meet its climate change targets for reducing carbon emissions, the Government is bluntly warned today. Mon Jul 05 18:21:51 2010 EST http://rss.feedsportal.com/c/266/f/3780/s/b755a4f/l/0L0Sindependent0O0Cenvironment0Cclimate0Echange0Cpound80A0Ecost0Eof0Ehidden0Etaxes0Eto0Ecombat0Eclimate0Echange0E20A133580Bhtml/story01.htm Households are typically being charged more than £80 a year in hidden taxes to help combat the impact of climate change, research suggested today. Mon Jul 05 18:21:51 2010 EST http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=t&fd=R Christian Science Monitor. Gulf Oil Gusher: Methane, Climate & Dead Zones. Huffington Post (blog) This makes vast releases of methane very powerful "positive feedback" loops that accelerate global warming. Dead zones are large regions of water that are ...Gulf Oil Spill Methane Release and Mass Extinction Events, How Bad Could It Get? The Market Oracleall 18 Mon Jul 05 18:21:51 2010 EST http://www.greenbiz.com/business/research/report/2010/07/01/benchmarking-air-emissions-100-largest-electric-power-producers-united-st This report ranks the nation''s 100 largest power producers on four pollutants: carbon dioxide (CO2), sulfur dioxide (SO2), nitrogen oxides (NOx) and mercury, all of which are linked to environmental and public health issues. Mon Jul 05 18:21:51 2010 EST http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/blowing-away-consensus-20100702-zu70.html Australia''s biggest wind farm lowered our greenhouse gas emissions last year, but still, people don' t like it. Mon Jul 05 18:21:51 2010 EST http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100703/ap_on_re_us/us_nixon_library_documents YORBA LINDA, Calif. " Documents released Friday by the Nixon Presidential Library show members of President Richard Nixon''s inner circle discussing the possibilities of global warming more than 30 years ago. Adviser Daniel Patrick Moynihan, notable as a Democrat in the administration, urged the administration to initiate a worldwide system of monitoring carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, decades before the issue of global warming came to the public''s attention. There is widespread agreement that carbon dioxide content will rise 25 percent by 2000, Moynihan wrote in a September 1969 memo. "This could increase the average temperature near the earth''s surface by 7 degrees Fahrenheit," he wrote. Mon Jul 05 18:21:51 2010 EST http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/science_and_environment/10506283.stm A Dutch inquiry into the UN climate science panel backs its main findings, but calls for more transparency. Mon Jul 05 18:21:51 2010 EST http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/science_and_environment/10507144.stm The unanswered questions from 'climategate' Mon Jul 05 18:21:51 2010 EST http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/business/10505423.stm The oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico has cost BP a total of $3.12bn to date, the company says, up $500m from last week. Mon Jul 05 18:21:51 2010 EST http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/climateprogress/lCrX/~3/PRMLpd6GMeM/ Transocean, the company that owns the failed Deepwater Horizon rig that caused the Gulf oil spill, used well- known tax havens in the Cayman Islands and Switzerland to lower its U. S. corporate tax rate by almost 15 points. And, as TP reports, due to a break in the U. S. tax code, BP was also allowed to write off the rent it paid to Transocean on its own tax bill, saving it hundreds of thousands of dollars per day: The owner, Transocean, moved its corporate headquarters from Houston to the Cayman Islands in 1999 and then to Switzerland in 2008, maneuvers that also helped it avoid taxes. Mon Jul 05 18:21:51 2010 EST http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/climateprogress/lCrX/~3/cHMjelIV4BI/ When, in the course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bonds which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the laws of Nature and of Nature''s God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation. We hold these truths to be self- evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Mon Jul 05 18:21:51 2010 EST http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/climateprogress/lCrX/~3/kTigRkC48Uk/ A carbon- pricing plan will decrease our dependence on foreign oil, create American jobs, lower energy bills, and protect our environment. This will be the measure of a real bill, and I' m prepared to fight to get this done, following the strategy Winston Churchill laid out at the outbreak of World War II: 'Never give in, never give in - never, never, never, never.' That''s the rousing final paragraph of a column by the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee in Foreign Policy, titled, 'Whatever it takes.' Here''s more: Climate instability and our oil addiction present immediate, direct threats to America''s national security. Mon Jul 05 18:21:51 2010 EST http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/climateprogress/lCrX/~3/J-ZcUJlny7o/ In his weekly radio, the President announced he was putting $2 billion into two solar energy projects, including Concentrated solar thermal with storage (aka solar baseload). CSP remains 'The technology that will save humanity.' And we are seeing more and more plants in various phases of construction (see 'Total of 8500 MW of CSP planned for 2014 in U. S. alone'). The easiest way to deal with the intermittency of the sun is cheap storage - and thermal storage is much cheaper and has a much higher round- trip efficiency than electric storage. Mon Jul 05 18:21:51 2010 EST http://liberalconspiracy.org/2010/07/05/nuclear-power-is-unpopular/ contribution by Leo New polling sheds some light both on where the public stand in terms of different power options, and on the impact of arguments that make nuclear seem more attractive. The polls are useful for understanding public attitudes towards nuclear power in two ways: they indicate how people regard nuclear at the moment, and they also help show the impact of arguments for nuclear power. At a basic level, nuclear power is currently pretty much the least popular form of power generation in the UK. 1. When asked favourability towards different sources, it comes in at the bottom of the pile " around the same place as both coal and gas. Mon Jul 05 18:21:51 2010 EST http://liberalconspiracy.org/2010/07/05/a-crisis-of-capitalism-in-simple-animation/ The left should be in the ascendancy following a crisis of capitalism, but it is not. The right is leading for a number of reasons but just one of the problems for the left is that the narratives and explanations it offers tend to be more complicated than those offered by the right. When David Cameron describes the UK''s debt as an overdraft it doesn' t matter that he''s wrong, it is easy to understand. When a Government''s finances are compared to a households it is intelligible to all whereas thinking about the public sector deficit as a mirror image of a private sector surplus seems counter- intuitive. Mon Jul 05 18:21:51 2010 EST http://www.mcclatchydc.com/2010/07/04/96966/report-oceans-deteriorating-health.html A sobering new report warns that the oceans face a "fundamental and irreversible ecological transformation" not seen in millions of years as greenhouse gases and climate change already have affected temperature, acidity, sea and oxygen levels, the food chain and possibly major currents that could alter global weather. The report, in Science magazine, brings together dozens of studies that collectively paint a dismal picture of deteriorating ocean health. Mon Jul 05 18:21:51 2010 EST http://resourceinsights.blogspot.com/2010/07/complexity-gurus-and-our-margins-of.html Human societies have long relied on specialists to help in complex matters involving the natural and human- built worlds. Ptolemaic astronomers used what would seem to us moderns as a needlessly complex Earth- centered system to explain the heavens and predict celestial events. And yet, they were amazingly accurate. Complex societies of the past have employed specialists in war, statecraft, engineering, agriculture, shipbuilding, and a variety of other tasks that would be difficult to accomplish without in- depth knowledge. And, yet these specialists typically lived not within societies that were managed along completely rational principles. Instead, the role of religion was far more prominent that it is today and tightly interwoven with the workings of the state. Mon Jul 05 18:21:51 2010 EST http://feeds.reuters.com/~r/reuters/environment/~3/iLjlpND0SpM/idUSTRE66417R20100705 BEIJING (Reuters) - China will host an extra round of international negotiations in October aimed at fostering agreement over a new climate treaty, the United Nations' top environment official said in remarks published on Monday. Mon Jul 05 18:21:51 2010 EST http://www.europeanvoice.com/article/2010/07/the-heat-age/68417.aspx The past 12 months have been the hottest since measurements began, in keeping with trends that have, for the past 35 years, shown global warming unfolding as predicted by science. Mon Jul 05 18:21:51 2010 EST http://sify.com/news/scrubbing-co2-from-air-could-be-a-long-term-commitment-news-international-khcpOfdcfej.html Scientists at the Carnegie Institution have said that while scrubbing carbon dioxide from the air could reduce green house effect, the carbon cycle would limit the effectiveness of a Mon Jul 05 18:21:51 2010 EST http://sify.com/news/halting-carbon-dioxide-emissions-cannot-avert-climate-change-news-international-khdqkchbhac.html With carbon dioxide (CO2) in the air approaching alarming levels, even halting emissions altogether may not be enough to avert catastrophic climate change. Could scrubbing carbon dioxide from the air be a viable solution? Mon Jul 05 18:21:51 2010 EST http://www.dentonrc.com/sharedcontent/dws/drc/localnews/stories/DRC_Trees_0705.10afa43d5.html DRC/ Barron Ludlum Dead trees line Interstate 35W near Pilot Knob in Denton, on land owned by Fort Worth- based development company Hillwood. The landowner said mesquite trees are being killed off to make way for cattle. Usually, not even a scorching, bone- dry Texas summer can kill a mesquite. The native tree is known for its skill at surviving drought and 100-degree heat. So when groves of them ... Mon Jul 05 18:21:51 2010 EST http://uk.news.yahoo.com/22/20100705/tot-environment-us-biofuels-europe-4b7b872.html The messages are tense angry cajoling. Mon Jul 05 18:21:51 2010 EST http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/05/business/global/05warm.html?bl Experts worry that as Chinas 1.3 billion people clamor for more cars and creature comforts, international efforts to limit global warming could be doomed. Mon Jul 05 18:21:51 2010 EST http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/38064137/ns/technology_and_science-science/ Forget auto emissions and power plants. Humans may have contributed to climate change more than 10,000 years ago, according to a new study. Climate change - Environment - 8th millennium BC - Activism - Organizations Mon Jul 05 18:21:51 2010 EST http://www.redorbit.com/news/science/1887334/nitrogen_pollution_alters_global_change_scenarios_from_the_ground_up/index.html?source=r_science Scientists find excess nitrogen favors plants that respond poorly to rising CO2As atmospheric carbon dioxide levels rise, so does the pressure on the plant kingdom. The hope among policymakers, scientists and concerned citizens is that plants will absorb some of the extra CO2 and mitigate the impacts of climate change. For a few decades now, researchers have hypothesized about one major ... Mon Jul 05 18:21:51 2010 EST http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=128235773&ft=1&f=1007 The Papuan glacier region, which lies along the fringe of the world''s warmest ocean, have been called an unexplored "missing link" in climate change patterns. It is this area that generates El Nino disturbances and influences climate from India''s monsoons to the Amazon''s droughts. Mon Jul 05 18:21:51 2010 EST http://www.redorbit.com/news/science/1887313/coccolithophore_growth_and_calcification_rates__a_possible_role_for/index.html?source=r_science Lack of sufficient iron may be a significant factor in controlling massive blooms of Emiliania huxleyi, a globally important species of marine algae or phytoplankton, according to research led by researchers at the National Oceanography Centre (NOC) in Southampton. Emiliania huxleyi is a species of coccolithophore found in oceans all around the world, from the tropics to the Arctic Ocean ... Mon Jul 05 18:21:51 2010 EST http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/business/csiro-in-bed-with-big-coal-20100702-zu2i.html Questions are being raised about the closeness of BHP Billiton and the CSIRO under its chief executive, Megan Clark. A former technology vice- president at BHP, Clark was appointed in 2008 and is regarded as a straight shooter. Mon Jul 05 18:21:51 2010 EST http://rss.feedsportal.com/c/851/f/10845/s/b7e98a5/l/0L0Sirishtimes0N0Cnewspaper0Cireland0C20A10A0C0A70A10C122427370A69930Bhtml/story01.htm SCIENTISTS NEED to emerge from their ivory towers and communicate the risks of climate change more clearly to an increasingly sceptical public, a conference in Dublin was told yesterday. Mon Jul 05 18:21:51 2010 EST http://news.goldseek.com/JohnBrowne/1278104518.php By: John Browne Senior Market Strategist, Euro Pacific Capital, Inc. Last week, global attention was focused on Toronto as the G-20 gathered to confront the growing financial and economic worries darkening the global economic horizon. Mon Jul 05 18:21:51 2010 EST http://www.dailystatesman.com/story/1647177.html COLUMBIA - June temperatures were the warmest on average since 1953, according to a University of Missouri climatologist. "You have to go back 57 years to find a warmer June," said Pat Guinan with... Mon Jul 05 18:21:51 2010 EST http://www.usnews.com/articles/science/2010/7/2/switching-off-your-lights-has-a-bigger-impact-than-you-might-think-says-new-study.html?s_cid=rss:switching-off-your-lights-has-a-bigger-impact-than-you-might-think-says-new-study Switching off lights could have a much bigger impact on reducing emissions than previously thought. Mon Jul 05 18:21:51 2010 EST http://www.oldham-chronicle.co.uk/news-features/8/news-headlines/43647/watersupply-worry FEARS about future water- supply problems in the North- West have been voiced by an Oldham Euro- MP. It follows news that Oldhamers could face a hosepipe ban after water- authority chiefs applied for a drought permit following the driest start to a year since 1929. Mon Jul 05 18:21:51 2010 EST http://news.yahoo.com/s/mcclatchy/20100704/sc_mcclatchy/3555649_1 WASHINGTON A sobering new report warns that the oceans face a "fundamental and irreversible ecological transformation" not seen in millions of years as greenhouse gases and climate change already have affected temperature, acidity, sea and oxygen levels, the food chain and possibly major currents that could alter global weather. Mon Jul 05 18:21:51 2010 EST http://dotearth.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/07/05/energy-needs-of-chinas-consumers-swamping-efficiency-gains/ China''s fast- growing consumer class is swamping the government''s efforts to cut energy waste. Mon Jul 05 18:21:51 2010 EST http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2010/jul/05/hate-mail-climategate Vitriolic campaign targets American scientists following leak of climate unit emails. Climate scientists in the US say police inaction has left them defenceless by in the face of a torrent of death threats and hate mail, leaving them fearing for their lives and one to contemplate arming himself with a handgun. The scientists say the threats have increased since the furore over leaked emails from the University of East Anglia began last November, and a sample of the hate mail sent in recent months and seen by the Guardian reveals the scale and vitriolic tone of the abuse. The scientists revealed they have been told to "go gargle razor blades" and have been described as "Nazi climate murderers". Mon Jul 05 18:21:51 2010 EST http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/video/2010/jul/05/environment-heather-rogers-green-gone-wrong Video: Author Heather Rogers argues that the market logic of capitalism is undermining the green movement Mon Jul 05 18:21:51 2010 EST http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2010/jul/04/climatechange-hacked-emails-muir-russell After the hacked emails scandal scientists became 'more upfront, open and explicit about their uncertainties' QA: Fred Pearce on the hacked climate science emails Guardian debate: Was 'climategate' the greatest scandal to hit climate science or a mere storm in a teacup? Join a panel of experts for a live debate in London on 14 July. Science has been changed forever by the so- called "climategate" saga, leading researchers have said ahead of publication of an inquiry into the affair " and mostly it has been changed for the better. This Wednesday sees the publication of the Muir Russell report into the conduct of scientists from the University of East Anglia''s Climatic Research Unit (CRU), whose emails caused a furore in November after they were hacked into and published online. Critics say the emails reveal evasion of freedom of information law, secret deals done during the writing of reports ... Mon Jul 05 18:21:51 2010 EST http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2010/jul/04/lucy-siegle-not-easy-being-green-petrol-oil-green Petrol companies: choosing the best of an oily bunch. Now that we' ve all seen the pelicans smothered in crude oil courtesy of BP''s deepwater drilling project in the Gulf of Mexico " a visceral depiction of the reality of humankind''s addiction to hydrocarbons " the forecourt becomes a moral maze. "Ethical petrol" is an oxymoron of some magnitude. From the small- scale " Esso''s pet tiger Tessa apparently died in a bare concrete enclosure in a shopping mall " to the large- scale, including Exxon. Mobil''s funding of climate- change denial and Total''s links to the Burmese regime, there''s plenty of fuel for criticism. Mon Jul 05 18:21:51 2010 EST http://www.joabbess.com/2010/07/05/what-we-have-here-is-a-failure-to-regulate/ Video Credit : Gasland the Movie The ever- vigilant and fair Rowena Mason at the Daily Telegraph dives deep into the Shale Gas (Gas Shale) story with a piece featuring a trailer for the new Gasland film :- [link] finance/ rowenamason/100006602/shale- gas- pollution- fears- leave- americans- with- another- energy- headache/ 'Shale gas pollution fears leave Americans with another energy headache : By Rowena Mason Energy Last updated: June 23rd, 2010 : Still politically scorched from BP''s giant Gulf of Mexico spill, it couldn' t be a worse time for America''s oil giants to find themselves roasting in another environmental firestorm. Mon Jul 05 18:21:51 2010 EST http://www.joabbess.com/2010/07/04/dont-believe-the-heat/ Don' t believe that the globe is warming up ? Not even after scanning the available sources ? Well, that''s probably down to the failure of your public and private Media, who are, for the most part, seemingly institutionally incapable of telling the full unexpurgated facts :- [link]?p=5505 '19 June 2010 : Contrary to the impression you might have gained from the media, the global climate is NOT cooling. In fact, the last twelve months, June 2009 " May 2010, has been the hottest June- May period on record, in both the 31-year satellite record of lower atmosphere global temperature and the 131-year surface global temperature record. Mon Jul 05 18:21:51 2010 EST http://www.joabbess.com/2010/07/05/fiat-lux-fiat-sola/ Video Credit : Journeyman Pictures Big green energy news of the month : President Barack Obama of the United States of America has announced direct investment into solar :- [link]2010/07/04/obama- solar- pv- csp/ [link] business/2010/jul/04/obama- hands- solar- firms-2bn Let there be light in the soul, and solar energy in the land. This looks like a tipping point. Let''s flip some more trip switches in our personal networks and get the oil- producing bloc in the Middle East to see the value of going wind and solar (instead of expensive, risky Nuclear) :- [link]591358-qatar- awaits- new- solar- wind- tech- before- investment [link]/www. gizmag. com/ shams-1-concentrated- solar- power- plant/15389/ ... Mon Jul 05 18:21:51 2010 EST http://news.sky.com/skynews/Home/World-News/Russian-Heatwave-Hundreds-Drown-While-Trying-To-Cool-Off-In-Rivers-And-Lakes/Article/201007115659798 Sky News. Russian Heatwave: Hundreds Drown Cooling Off. Sky News. As temperatures soared to record-breaking highs, hitting 37C in central regions, sweltering Russians have been throwing themselves into rivers and lakes to cope with the heat. Mon Jul 05 18:21:51 2010 EST http://www.straitstimes.com/BreakingNews/Asia/Story/STIStory_549812.html BEIJING - HOT weather, with temperature expected to hit 40 degrees Celsius, continues to scorch many parts of China. At least 16 provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities are sweltering in summer heat, said the National Meteorological Center (NMC) which issued a level yellow heat alert on Monday. Mon Jul 05 18:21:51 2010 EST http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=t&fd=R City set to sizzle during heatwave summer. Lancashire Evening Post. Temperatures are set to soar this summer - with Preston named as one of the hottest places in the UK in July and August. The North West is set to have an ... Mon Jul 05 18:21:51 2010 EST http://gospain.about.com/b/2010/07/04/spain-heatwave-to-hit-41c.htm Spain Heatwave to Hit 41°CAbout - News Issues (blog) The heatwave hitting Europe at the moment is likely to reach 41°C - that''s a massive 106°F! Andalusia, Extremadura and inland areas will be worst hit, ... Mon Jul 05 18:21:51 2010 EST http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2010\07\04\story_4-7-2010_pg9_4 A towering cake vying to be the world's biggest lasted one day outdoors in Paris, brought down not by ravenous sweets lovers but a sweltering heatwave in the French capital, organisers said. It seems the so-called 'Tour sans Faim' (Tower without Hunger), standing 7.82 metres tall, had to be taken down because it was starting to look more like the leaning Tower of Pisa. A temperature of more than 30 degrees Celsius made the big pastry tower rather soft and unstable. Mon Jul 05 18:21:51 2010 EST http://www.dailystar.co.uk/posts/view/142910/Britain-heatwave-set-to-continueBritain-heatwave-set-to-continue BRITAIN'S heatwave is set to continue with scorching temp-eratures forecast for the rest of July and August. Mon Jul 05 18:21:51 2010 EST http://wcbstv.com/topstories/beach.heat.holiday.2.1788241.html Holiday Heatwave Sends New Yorkers To The Beach. WCBS- TV New York. It''s been four years since New Yorkers have seen this many days in a row of near 100 degree weather. Mon Jul 05 18:21:51 2010 EST http://feeds.grist.org/click.phdo?i=50b370229a60941607cae9f16994b64c by David Roberts. Last week, I took part in a debate at Salon. com on the merits of pricing carbon (and related matters). My debate opponent was Steve Everley, manager of policy research at American Solutions and a contributing author to To Save America: Stopping Obama''s Secular- Socialist Machine, by Newt Gingrich. Salon has graciously agreed to let us republish the debate here. There will be four installments. You can read Monday''s exchange here; Tuesday''s here. Day three consisted of several rapid- fire back- and- forths, which I kicked off. David Roberts: I found your answer on climate change somewhat unsatisfying. Mon Jul 05 18:21:51 2010 EST http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=t&fd=R The Guardian. Who''s who in the UEA hacked emails controversy over climate change? The Guardian... on climate change, describing them as scientifically dubious and economically ruinous. Founded the Global Warming Policy Foundation in late 2009. ...The climate scandal that never was. New Scientist (blog) all 16 Mon Jul 05 18:21:51 2010 EST http://www.realclimate.org/index.php/archives/2010/07/a-simple-recipe-for-ghe/ According to some recent reports (e. g. Planet. Ark; The Guardian), the public concern about global warming may be declining. It''s not clear whether this is actually true: a poll conducted by researchers at Stanford suggests otherwise. In any case, the science behind climate change has not changed (also see America''s Climate Choices), but there certainly remains a problem in communicating the science to the public. This makes me think that perhaps a new simple mental picture of the situation is needed. We can look at climate models, and they tell us what we can expect, but it is also useful to have an idea of why increased greenhouse gas concentrations result in higher surface temperatures. Mon Jul 05 18:21:51 2010 EST http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/climateprogress/lCrX/~3/sGVlfHdfra4/ The drumbeat of public support for comprehensive clean energy and global warming policies beats louder every day. The latest Wall Street Journal- NBC Poll found overwhelming support for comprehensive clean energy legislation that includes carbon pollution reductions. It also registered that cleaning up the BP oil disaster and energy reform is the number two priority of Americans. Finally, it registered another drop in support for the expansion of offshore oil drilling. CAP's Daniel J. Weiss has the details: The WSJ- NBC poll was conducted by respected pollsters Bill Mc. Inturff (R) and Peter Hart (D). Mc. Inturff was John Mc. Cain's presidential pollster in 2008. Sun Jun 27 08:04:53 2010 EST 27th June 2010 http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/climateprogress/lCrX/~3/J04VX7Rrm9U/ Comparative traffic rankings are always dicey - certainly Alexa.com is unreliable. Compete.com is considered perhaps the best available. Click on image for larger figure of ranking over 12 months, which shows the rise and fall of the anti- science crowd. Back on March 26, Watts wrote, 'Traffic has slowed from about half of what it was during the heady days of Climategate and Copenhagen in December, but I note that this is not unique to WUWT, as other climate blogs have also experienced similar drops since then' (see Hits charade: Watts. UpWith. That hypes itself with dubious webstats, while lowballing other blogs). Sun Jun 27 08:04:53 2010 EST http://www.culturechange.org/cms/content/view/659/63/ Editor's note: this is a chance for reader feedback for an important work in progress. We live amidst multiple crises -- economic and political, cultural and ecological -- that pose a significant threat to human life as we understand it. There is no way to be awake to the depth of these crises without an emotional reaction. Sun Jun 27 08:04:53 2010 EST http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/YaleEnvironment360/~3/957zKuUFcqw/feature.msp Large corporations, not small- scale farmers, are now the major forces behind the destruction of the world's tropical forests. From the Amazon to Madagascar, activists have been directing their actions at these companies - so far with limited success. BY RHETT BUTLER Sun Jun 27 08:04:53 2010 EST http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/YaleEnvironment360/~3/7C0PjA8YI_U/digest.msp The size of a bird's bill is linked to climate because of the role that bills play in maintaining body temperature, according to a new study. After examining 214 species of birds - including toucans, parrots, Canadian gamebirds, and penguins - researchers at the University of Melbourne and at Brock University in Canada found that birds with larger bills tend to be found in warmer climates, while birds that have to deal with colder climates have evolved smaller bills. 'This suggests that there is an evolutionary connection between the size of the birds' bills and their role in heat management,' said Matt Symonds, professor of zoology at the University of Melbourne and lead author of the study, published in the journal American Naturalist. Sun Jun 27 08:04:53 2010 EST http://www.cnn.com/2010/TECH/innovation/06/24/biomimicry.animals/index.html?section=cnn_latest The innate characteristics of animals, birds and insects are helping inform a growing number of science and engineering projects all over the world. Sun Jun 27 08:04:53 2010 EST http://www.wickedlocal.com/cambridge/news/x1740774992/Guest-commentary-After-Gulf-disaster-an-opportunity-to-change I visited to New Orleans last week. While there, I took a trip out to the swamp and marshlands, something I' ve done several times over the past year, but this time I got to speak to residents about the Gulf oil disaster. Sun Jun 27 08:04:53 2010 EST http://feeds.reuters.com/~r/reuters/environment/~3/sSgz7VLBaNA/idUSTRE65N4DY20100624 AGADIR, Morocco (Reuters) - More whales are being killed by chemical and noise pollution, entanglement in nets, climate change or collisions with ships than by whaling itself, delegates to the world's main whaling body said this week. Sun Jun 27 08:04:53 2010 EST http://feeds.reuters.com/~r/reuters/environment/~3/c30-dMn2Ycw/idUSN1416392020100624 WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Obama administration suffered a setback on Thursday in its efforts to keep its six- month ban on new deepwater drilling after the worst oil spill in U. S. history. Sun Jun 27 08:04:53 2010 EST http://feeds.reuters.com/~r/reuters/environment/~3/tmX1gOxc2y8/idUSTRE65N2S020100624 SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - California environmentalists opened fire on Wednesday on a measure approved for the state's November ballot that would roll back a landmark law regulating greenhouse gas emissions. Sun Jun 27 08:04:53 2010 EST http://feeds.reuters.com/~r/reuters/environment/~3/VQpPnsKXQtk/idUSTRE65N0W620100624 SYDNEY (Reuters) - New Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard moved to revive a stalled carbon trading scheme on Thursday, pledging more consultation with industry and voters to win support for an issue that has split the nation. Sun Jun 27 08:04:53 2010 EST http://feeds.reuters.com/~r/reuters/environment/~3/hScgL2SRPIQ/idUSTRE65M03820100623 WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Obama administration said on Tuesday it postponed a meeting with senators set for Wednesday to discuss the process for passing comprehensive energy and climate legislation this year. Sun Jun 27 08:04:53 2010 EST http://feeds.reuters.com/~r/reuters/environment/~3/Oz_kzFHvgFo/idUSTRE65L5NA20100622 WASHINGTON (Reuters) - World climate talks set for November in Mexico could make progress on how poorer states cope with global warming, but more wins are needed at the table to produce a big breakthrough at the long- running talks, a senior World Bank official said. Sun Jun 27 08:04:53 2010 EST http://feeds.reuters.com/~r/reuters/environment/~3/NaU_eHL0a8k/idUSTRE65L6IA20100622 CHICAGO (Reuters) - As much as 1 million times the normal level of methane gas has been found in some regions near the Gulf of Mexico oil spill, enough to potentially deplete oxygen and create a dead zone, U. S. scientists said on Tuesday. Sun Jun 27 08:04:53 2010 EST http://feeds.reuters.com/~r/reuters/environment/~3/JaFq2bSbAz4/idUSTRE65M2J220100623 CALGARY, Alberta (Reuters) - Canada will phase out older coal- fired power plants to cut the country's greenhouse gas emissions, Environment Minister Jim Prentice said on Wednesday, as it moves to make natural- gas fired plants the new clean- power standard. Sun Jun 27 08:04:53 2010 EST http://dotearth.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/06/22/arctic-ice-forecasters-split-on-summer-retreat/ Arctic experts are split on whether this summer will see an epic ice retreat, but agree on a long- term trend toward more open water. Sun Jun 27 08:04:53 2010 EST http://dotearth.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/06/23/money-in-the-greenhouse/ Oil companies succeed in pushing for a California ballot initiative that would suspend the state's climate law. Sun Jun 27 08:04:53 2010 EST http://www.theecologist.org/green_green_living/home/512996/how_to_green_your_flat_on_the_cheap.html Small, inexpensive changes can add up to big savings when it comes to greening a rental property Sun Jun 27 08:04:53 2010 EST http://www.theecologist.org/News/news_round_up/509572/scottish_climate_activists_in_the_dock_hope_to_set_legal_precedent.html Climate activists who broke into Aberdeen Airport hope to convince jury their actions were justified in preventing larger crime of runaway climate change Sun Jun 27 08:04:53 2010 EST http://energybulletin.net/node/53224 The list of Meatless Monday supporters continues to grow across the globe, and surprisingly to some, many of the latest enthusiasts make their living either cooking meat, such as chef Mario Batali or producing it, like rancher Nicolette Hahn Niman. What makes Meatless Monday so successful is its simple and inclusive message which promotes moderation with the goal of improving public health and the health of the planet. read more Sun Jun 27 08:04:53 2010 EST http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/15060555/1il8ri/alternet_environment~A-Louisiana-Tea-Party-for-More-Oil-Drilling Plenty of non- crazy folks in Louisiana want to keep the oil industry chugging along, but for Louisiana Tea Partiers, it's all about Obama. Sun Jun 27 08:04:53 2010 EST http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/14966537/1il8ri/alternet_environment~Four-Possible-BPStyle-Extreme-Energy-Nightmares-to-Come The disaster in the Gulf is no anomaly. It's an arrow pointing toward future disasters. Sun Jun 27 08:04:53 2010 EST http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/georgemonbiot/2010/jun/24/sunday-times-amazongate-ipcc Newspaper has apologised over the IPCC's Amazon claim, but questions remain over how falsehoods made it into print Roy Greenslade: Sunday Times apologises for climate story Forests expert officially complains about 'distorted' article. It's a distressing sight but we' ll have to get used to it: most of the world's prominent climate change deniers skewered on their own sword. The weapon which has turned so cruelly against them is the revelation, paraded in triumph by the egregious fabulist Richard North in January, that the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change had "grossly exaggerated the effects of global warming on the Amazon rainforest". The panel's fourth assessment report had claimed that "up to 40% of the Amazonian forests could react drastically to even a slight reduction in precipitation". Sun Jun 27 08:04:53 2010 EST http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/green-living-blog/2010/jun/24/carbon-footprint-bushfire One season of Australian bushfires can cause as much CO2 as the annual emissions of 5 million Australians or 50 million Chinese people More carbon footprints: nuclear war, cycling a mile, more Understand more about carbon footprints. The carbon footprint of the 2009 Australian bushfires:165 million tonnes CO2eIf you were looking for the single most carbon- intensive thing you could do in your live, starting a bushfire would be a fairly good candidate. That one strike of a match could make your footprint many thousands of times greater than most people achieve over their lifetimes. The estimate given above is for the catastrophic "Black Saturday" bushfires in Australia last year. Sun Jun 27 08:04:53 2010 EST http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2010/jun/24/artists-bp-protest-tate Good Crude Britannia will picket Tate Britain's summer party on Monday, as the gallery celebrates 20 years of BP's sponsorship. Artists, musicians and green activists plan to step up protests against BP's sponsorship of Britain's most prestigious galleries and museums in the wake of the Gulf oil catastrophe. A group calling itself Good Crude Britannia, made up of artists, poets, writers and filmmakers, will picket Tate Britain's summer party next Monday which is billed by the gallery as celebrating 20 years of BP's sponsorship. Many of Europe's leading artists, donors and cultural supporters are expected to be greeted at the glittering annual event by Lord Browne of Madingley, chair of the Tate and former head of BP. The planned demonstration follows protests this week by a group of artists calling themselves the Greenwash Guerrillas who distributed leaflets outside the National portrait gallery at a BP- sponsored arts event. Sun Jun 27 08:04:53 2010 EST http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2010/jun/24/drought-north-west-england Water firm to apply for drought permit after driest start to year since 1929, while Scotland also faces water shortages. Areas of north- west England hit only seven months ago by floods which swept away bridges and turned streets into rivers, are now threatened with hosepipe bans and drought orders after the driest start to the year in almost a century, while householders in Scotland are facing their first drought order in five years. Many reservoirs in Cumbria are only two- thirds full, with levels falling fast after the least winter and spring rainfall since 1929. The regional water company, United Utilities, would like to see days, if not weeks, of heavy rain to top them up. The region traditionally has the highest rainfall in the country but has fewer natural underground water supplies, leaving it more dependent on manmade surface storage. Sun Jun 27 08:04:53 2010 EST http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2010/jun/24/julia-gillard-australia-carbon-trading New Australian PM pledges more consultation with industry and voters to win support for an issue that has divided the nation. Australia's new prime minister, Julia Gillard, today moved to revive a stalled carbon trading scheme, pledging more consultation with industry and voters to win support for an issue that has divided the nation. Gillard, in her first comments to the media after former prime minister Kevin Rudd stepped down earlier on Thursday, said she believed in climate change, backed renewable energy and that the nation needed a price on carbon emissions. But she also said emissions trading laws would lead to a significant structural shift in the resources- rich nation and they needed to be explained properly to the community."It is as disappointing to me as it is to millions of Australians that we do not have a price on carbon," Gillard told reporters."And in the future ... Sun Jun 27 08:04:53 2010 EST http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/audio/2010/jun/24/geothermal-energy-pennines-ecovillage Martin Wainwright reports from the Pennines on a new project to raise hot water from granite rock. Martin Wainwright Sun Jun 27 08:04:53 2010 EST http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/cif-green/2010/jun/24/water-shortage-pricing-south-africa South Africa recognises that not all water use is a basic human right. The rest of us should follow. Arguably, no country understands the water crisis better than South Africa. The Rainbow Nation has had to confront head- on an issue that others are only now beginning to wake up to. It's fair to say that there aren' t many countries that include a reference to the right to access water in their constitutions. Our planet's attitude towards water is wholly unsustainable. Global water requirements are expected to grow by over 50% over the next 20 years, according to a recent report by Mc. Kinsey for the 2030 Water Resources Group, of which Nestlé is a member. Sun Jun 27 08:04:53 2010 EST http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2010/jun/24/huhne-renewable-energy-security Energy and climate change secretary says green energy can play vital part in UK's future energy security. Chris Huhne, the energy and climate change secretary, warned last night that the threat to gas supplies from the political row between Russia and Belarus highlighted once again the desperate need for Britain to build up a low- carbon energy policy and domestic energy security through new wind farms " and possibly nuclear reactors. Huhne said it was also vital that Britain was better protected from any "big shocks" arising from huge increases in the price of oil, as companies such as BP were forced into increasingly environmentally sensitive areas. The European gas market has been repeatedly disrupted by rows between Moscow and its former Soviet neighbours, which have led to cuts in Siberian supplies reaching the continent, triggering a sudden cut in imports to Britain. Sun Jun 27 08:04:53 2010 EST http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2010/jun/23/uk-emission-cuts-airport-protest-trial Climate scientist giving evidence for the Plane Stupid defence says 80% target will not prevent 'dangerous' climate change. Government plans to cut UK carbon emissions by 80% over the next 40 years are not radical enough to prevent "dangerous" climate change, a trial of nine climate protesters heard today. The climate scientist Dr Alice Bows, a specialist from the Tyndall centre for climate change research, also told a jury that the growth in aviation was a "big issue" because its emissions caused particular harm at higher altitude. Bows was giving evidence for the defence at the trial of nine members of the Plane Stupid protest group, who were facing breach of the peace and vandalism charges for occupying Aberdeen airport and disrupting flights in March last year. The jury at Aberdeen sheriff court heard yesterday that thevandalism charges against all nine accused " five men and four women " had been ... Sun Jun 27 08:04:53 2010 EST http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2010/jun/23/geo-thermal-project-pennines-breakthrough Geothermal project promises limitless recyclable supplies for housing in Eastgate, Co Durham. Warm as bathwater, the first gusher from Britain's new "underground central heating system" showered over a Pennine field today, while scientists and engineers applauded. Tapped a kilometre down, hot reservoirs in granite fissures below Weardale are set to service a new "eco- village" in the valley, and provide the country's first naturally warm spa since the Romans at Bath. The breakthrough has overcome obstacles dogging other geothermal projects with a twin borehole system which recirculates the water, avoiding costly treatment or polluted run- off. Limitless supplies from the hot aquifers will be pumped up one borehole, piped through the new housing at Eastgate, near Stanhope in County Durham, and then returned down a second borehole for rewarming by low- level radiation in the rocks."The system works in just the same way as central heating constantly circulates between a ... Sun Jun 27 08:04:53 2010 EST http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2010/jun/23/india-barack-obama-bhopal Barack Obama's tough stand on Gulf oil spill contrasts with lack of action on Bhopal, campaigners say. Indians have reacted with fury to President Barack Obama's tough stance against BP, accusing the US of double standards over industrial accidents after the failure to convict Americans involved in the Bhopal disaster of 1984 or to obtain what many view as adequate compensation for victims. The anger goes beyond that of campaigners or activists with some of India's best- known writers and journalists weighing in."It looks like Indian children's lives are cheaper than [those of] fish," Chetan Bhagat, the country's best- selling writer, said. Sun Jun 27 08:04:53 2010 EST http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/blog/2010/jun/22/maurice-strong-interview-global-government Read the full transcript of former UNEP boss and environmentalist Maurice Strong's interview with Leo Hickman Post your comments on the news story. What's your reaction to how your name has been used and abused over the years? I've got used to criticisms and, naturally, I try to make sure I don' t listen to the more extreme ones because most of the people who have taken their rightwing extremist view of my life are people that I' ve never met. Most of my supporters are people who actually know me. I just continue to do the best I can and I don' t bother to try and respond to every little bit because the best response is just to keep on doing what you think is right. Is this a phenomenon that has happened over the past decade or so during the internet age, or have you attracted criticism all your career stretching ... Sun Jun 27 08:04:53 2010 EST http://liberalconspiracy.org/2010/06/24/the-campaign-to-stop-vote-reform-is-kicking-off-we-have-to-fight-back/ contribution by Andy May I know its slightly obsessive to be talking voting reform after a pretty depressing budget day, but given its now my job at Take Back Parliament please humour me. This story in the Guardian on the coming voting reform referendum caught my eye. The soon to be 'No to AV' campaign are organising " and they' ve recruited Lynton Crosby. The appointment of Lynton Crosby shows serious steps are already being taken by the nascent 'No to AV' campaign. It brings us to an important question " who will support the 'Yes'? Sun Jun 27 08:04:53 2010 EST http://www.joabbess.com/2010/06/24/threatening-correspondence/ I thought I' d seen enough Climate Change denial- sceptic tactics to be able to spot a payload, but no. I' ve just been sucked into the maelstrom again, by taking the time and trouble to reply to somebody that wrote a couple of e- mails " someone who appeared to be asking genuine questions " only to find that as the exchanges continued, my correspondent became increasingly agitated, incoherent and threatening. Was it something I said ? I don' t think so. I was trying to be as helpful and polite as possible. I think the person had an agenda. Sun Jun 27 08:04:53 2010 EST http://www.joabbess.com/2010/06/22/the-daily-telegraph-do-not-resuscitate/ Do not resuscitate the Climate Change denier- sceptic body of non- science " do not even attempt to. That is the message from a major study from the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) in the United States of America :- [link] content/ early/2010/06/04/1003187107.abstract The report heavily critiques the role of the mainstream media in keeping the undead, zombie Climate Change denier- sceptic arguments alive and in the public realm :- 'Despite media tendencies to present both sides in ACC [Anthropogenic Climate Change] debates, which can contribute to continued public misunderstanding regarding ACC, not all climate researchers are equal in scientific credibility and expertise in the climate system. Sun Jun 27 08:04:53 2010 EST http://www.realclimate.org/index.php/archives/2010/06/what-do-climate-scientists-think/ by Gavin and Eric. and why does it matter? There is a lot of discussion this week about a new paper in PNAS (Andregg et al, 2010) that tries to assess the credibility of scientists who have made public declarations about policy directions. This come from a long tradition of papers (and drafts) where people have tried to assess the state of the 'scientific consensus' (Oreskes, Brown et al, Bray and von Storch, Doran and Zimmerman etc.). What has bedevilled all these attempts is that since it is very difficult to get scientists to respond to direct questions (response rates for surveys are pitiful), proxy data of some sort or another are often used that may or may not be useful for the specifics of the 'consensus' being tested (which itself is often not clearly defined). Sun Jun 27 08:04:53 2010 EST http://www.physorg.com/news196598637.html Human- driven changes in the earth's atmospheric composition are likely to alter plant diseases of the future. Researchers predict carbon dioxide will reach levels double those of the preindustrial era by the year 2050, complicating agriculture's need to produce enough food for a rapidly growing population. Sun Jun 27 08:04:53 2010 EST http://www.physorg.com/news196517113.html Discoveries about tropical coral reefs, to be published on 23 June 2010, are expected to be invaluable in efforts to restore the corals, which are succumbing to bleaching and other diseases at an unprecedented rate as ocean temperatures rise worldwide. The research gives new insights into how the scientists can help to preserve or restore the coral reefs that protect coastlines, foster tourism, and nurture many species of fish. The research, which will be published in the journal PLoS One, was accomplished by an international team whose leaders include Iliana Baums, an assistant professor of biology at Penn State University. Sun Jun 27 08:04:53 2010 EST http://www.physorg.com/news196525719.html (Phys. Org. com) -- Scientists from the University of Southampton have confirmed a long- term change in the Earth's upper atmosphere at altitudes where satellites are operating. Sun Jun 27 08:04:53 2010 EST http://www.physorg.com/news196518675.html A new $26-million NASA project led by a University of Michigan researcher aims to help clarify how ecosystems exchange carbon with the atmosphere, an important piece of missing knowledge in the quest to understand and predict climate change. Sun Jun 27 08:04:53 2010 EST http://www.physorg.com/news196489543.html (Phys. Org. com) -- Eminent Australian scientist Professor Frank Fenner, who helped to wipe out smallpox, predicts humans will probably be extinct within 100 years, because of overpopulation, environmental destruction and climate change. Sun Jun 27 08:04:53 2010 EST http://www.theaustralian.com.au/higher-education/frank-fenner-sees-no-hope-for-humans/story-e6frgcjx-1225880091722 FRANK Fenner doesn' t engage in the skirmishes of the climate wars. To him, the evidence of global warming is in. Our fate is sealed. Sun Jun 27 08:04:53 2010 EST http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100624/ap_on_bi_ge/apfn_us_general_electric_environment_1 General Electric Co. said Thursday that its plan to pour $5 billion in investments into energy efficient and environmentally oriented projects has been met a year ahead of schedule. Sun Jun 27 08:04:53 2010 EST http://news.yahoo.com/s/livescience/20100622/sc_livescience/canearthsurvive The millions upon millions of gallons of oil hemorrhaging into the Gulf of Mexico every day is a crude reminder of the many ways humans are fouling the planet. As forests are cleared, cities and suburbs paved and expanded, as the air and sea warm and become increasingly polluted with cancer- causing chemicals and garbage, and with species dropping like flies, the planet's health is being ... Sun Jun 27 08:04:53 2010 EST http://rss.feedsportal.com/c/266/f/3780/s/b5d6f68/l/0L0Sindependent0O0Cnews0Cuk0Chome0Enews0Cdroughthit0Eutility0Efirm0Easks0E0Efor0Emore0Ewater0E20A0A88130Bhtml/story01.htm A utility firm hit by north- west England's driest start to the year since 1929 wants to take more water from lakes and rivers. Sun Jun 27 08:04:53 2010 EST http://rss.feedsportal.com/c/266/f/3780/s/b577234/l/0L0Sindependent0O0Cenvironment0Cclimate0Echange0Ccar0Efumes0Eraise0Espectre0Eof0E1980As0Erevival0Enobody0Ewantsacid0Erain0E20A0A78350Bhtml/story01.htm Thirty years ago it was one of the great environmental issues, along with the hole in the ozone layer and CFC chemicals. Now acid rain may be making a comeback " but this time, there's a change in the chemicals responsible. Sun Jun 27 08:04:53 2010 EST http://feeds.reuters.com/~r/reuters/blogs/environment/~3/2ZnffxhxN6E/ Much has been written about how solar power could help to solve the energy crisis facing mankind. Ideas range from harnessing the Sahara's heat through parabolic mirrors to transmitting solar energy from space to earth. The Desertec solar project, for example, aims to supply 15 percent of Europe's energy needs by 2050. Yet according to Brussels- based EPIA, the world's biggest solar industry association, more could be achieved some 30 years earlier. Technically, Europe's roofs could meet 40 percent of the EU's electricity demand in ten years from now - at least in theory. 'With a total ground floor area over 22,000 km2, 40 percent of all building roofs and 15 percent of all facades in (the EU' s 27 member states) are suited for PV (photovoltaic) applications,' EPIA wrote. Sun Jun 27 08:04:53 2010 EST http://feeds.reuters.com/~r/reuters/blogs/environment/~3/WZ6elD0gTiQ/ Maryland Public Service Commission highlighted the political resistance smart- metering advocates must overcome when it shot down proposals for compulsory smart metering submitted by Baltimore Gas and Electric Company (BGE). Smart grids are essential for the Obama administration's and power industry's plan to meet rising electricity demand while integrating more renewable generation into the grid. Creating flexibility on the demand side to match increased intermittency in supply is the only way to maintain reliability without having to build enormous amounts of expensive back- up gas- fired generating capacity and disfigure the landscape by installing thousands of miles of transmission lines. Sun Jun 27 08:04:53 2010 EST http://feeds.grist.org/click.phdo?i=8992bd722962bc25861ee1c92c869b37 by Jonathan Hiskes. Among the highlights of last fall's G20 summit in Pittsburgh was a joint pledge to phase out wasteful fossil- fuel subsidies (which amount to a dizzying $550 billion worldwide). Now Climate. Wire reports that change may not come as fast as greens would like: President Obama and other heads of state are poised to water down a commitment to phase out oil and gas subsidies, a draft declaration obtained by Climate. Wire shows. The new communiqué indicates that eliminating the estimated $250 billion to $500 billion countries pay to make fossil fuels cheaper to buy and produce will now be 'voluntary' and 'member specific.' Environmental activists with Greenpeace, which leaked the June 11 draft [PDF], argued the changes amount to gutting a promise that was once hailed as a major step in reducing global warming pollution and ... Sun Jun 27 08:04:53 2010 EST http://feeds.grist.org/click.phdo?i=57e6c7b8d732dc015f5f944ebdae919a by Seth Shulman. Camille Parmesan studies the effects of global warming by chasing butterflies. Sounds fanciful, but it is anything but. Her careful field observations of butterfly populations have produced compelling evidence of how climate change has already affected our living planet. In several landmark studies, she has helped pave the way for a body of eye- opening research that has tracked changes in numerous populations of plants and animals. It all started back in the early 1990s, when Parmesan was a graduate student happily studying the diet of the Edith's checkerspot butterfly (Euphydryas editha). She was drawn into the field by her love of nature and of the butterflies themselves. Sun Jun 27 08:04:53 2010 EST http://feeds.grist.org/click.phdo?i=aee5dd8fdf5295134f32902b0f48884b by Ashley Braun. It really bugs us that there are (naturally) some down sides to renewable energy solutions, such as solar or wind. Which makes the news that the brilliant shine of solar panels is luring some insects to their deaths sting even more. Wasp could be worse than being a thirsty aquatic insect buzzing around in search of a watery oasis but instead beelining for the reflections of PV panels- to the point of death? Thankfully, a little white tape to section off the panels reduces this effect. Good thing too, cuz solar panels would be so much less productive (and so much more gross) if they' re buried under piles of dead bug bodies. Sun Jun 27 08:04:53 2010 EST http://feeds.grist.org/click.phdo?i=45f4f4ea6d753532bfd56dee3241e117 by Derek Thompson. There is a reasonably high chance that BP could file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in the next few years, or even months, and the result would be an 'absolute horror' for the government, according to a bankruptcy expert. Peter S. Kaufman, the President of investment bank Gordian Group and head of the firm's Restructuring and Distressed M& A practice, told me that if he had BP's ear, 'I' d advise them to explore the option of bankruptcy.' If he had the government's ear, he' d tell them to stop berating the company to the point where BP would find it appealing to use bankruptcy to limit its liabilities. Sun Jun 27 08:04:53 2010 EST http://tcktcktck.org/partner-actions/invest-future-now The G8 and G20 are coming to Canada this June to make decisions affecting the future of life on our planet. These twenty powerful leaders need to hear what needs to be done to create a world that is fair and sustainable for all of us. We' re making sure climate change is on the agenda. You can take your place at the negotiating table also with our photo petition! Media Sponsor Logo: Action Link: Sign the G8/G20 Declaration Sun Jun 27 08:04:53 2010 EST http://www.weeklytimesnow.com.au/article/2010/06/25/201861_business-news.html PERSISTENT wet weather in Canada's grain belt will wipe millions of tonnes off the global wheat crop. Sun Jun 27 08:04:53 2010 EST http://uk.news.yahoo.com/4/20100622/twl-arizona-wildfires-continue-to-rage-41f21e0.html Authorities say an abandoned campfire is likely to have caused the largest of three wildfires burning in northern Arizona. Sun Jun 27 08:04:53 2010 EST http://www.nytimes.com/cwire/2010/06/24/24climatewire-defense-experts-want-more-explicit-climate-m-35887.html SAN DIEGO -- While political leaders on Capitol Hill seek definitive answers about how quickly the world's climate will chang... Sun Jun 27 08:04:53 2010 EST http://news.scotsman.com/politics/Green-energy-plant-39not-carbon.6378553.jp THE new "green energy" biomass plant proposed for Leith would take at least 40 years to become carbon neutral, according to a new study. Sun Jun 27 08:04:53 2010 EST http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/torontog20summit/article/827419--canada-commits-400m-to-climate-change-fund Ottawa earns rare praise from environmentalists for contributing to a global fund that will help the developing world deal with climate change Sun Jun 27 08:04:53 2010 EST http://www.courier-journal.com/article/20100623/COLUMNISTS22/6230410/1008/rss01 As the BP oil disaster poisons the waters off the states where many of them live, Southern Baptists are issuing their most sweeping call ever for something they have long distrusted -- government regulation of the environment. Sun Jun 27 08:04:53 2010 EST http://www.canada.com/business/Canada pays 400M global climate projects lessens targets/3190439/story.html The Harper government will invest $400 million in international aid to honour commitments made at the last global climate summit in Copenhagen. Sun Jun 27 08:04:53 2010 EST http://www.spokesman.com/stories/2010/jun/23/europes-steep-cuts-concern-us/ LONDON A trans- Atlantic rift is growing over the right medicine for Europes financial crisis, with Britain announcing its steepest cuts in decades Tuesday and Germany defending its own austerity measures after a warning by President Barack Obama that budget- slashing could threaten the global recovery. Britains emergency budget is the latest in a string of deep cuts in public spending and ... Sun Jun 27 08:04:53 2010 EST http://www.huffingtonpost.com/bill-nighy/the-worlds-richest-nation_b_622879.html The world's richest nations are proving themselves to be fair- weather friends to the world's poorest people: unreliable at a time when they are reeling from the economic crisis and food shortages. Sun Jun 27 08:04:53 2010 EST http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/world/g8-g20/opinion/all-talk-no-summit-action-on-the-end-to-fossil-fuel-subsidies/article1613875/?cmpid=rss1 Once again how many times has it been? Canadas position on climate change has proved to be an international embarrassment. Sun Jun 27 08:04:53 2010 EST http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5goC1_a1faNCAWvW2LIlmEJmkU2WAD9GHPK1O5 New York Times (blog) Correction: Climate change story. The Associated Press... Panel on Climate Change, The Associated Press misstated the number of scientists picked by the UN body to write its fifth report on global warming. ...Global warming? 97% of experts agree. OCRegister. How much are we to blame for? mydigitalfc. com. CLIMATE CHANGE: HOW WE COULD 'SURVIVE' GLOBAL WARMINGExpress. co. uk. FavStocks (blog) all 43 Sun Jun 27 08:04:53 2010 EST http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5h5W-ZIy-HO0peznbwExAG6aPDpRwD9GGUC2G0 Zee News. UN climate panel names authors for 5th report. The Associated Press. GENEVA - The UN science body on climate change has released a list of 831 scientists who will write its fifth report on global warming. ...Study Affirms Consensus on Climate Change. New York Times (blog) Experto Crede: Climate Expertise Lacking among Global Warming Contrarians. Scientific American. Climate Change Researchers: Not all Expertise is Equal. CBS News. WLOS -The Guardian -Telegraph. co. ukall 271 Sun Jun 27 08:04:53 2010 EST http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/climateprogress/lCrX/~3/qnvs9NGTL7w/ The federal judge who presided over a challenge to the Obama administration's six- month moratorium on deepwater oil drilling simultaneously owned stock in an oil company affected by the ban, according to a financial disclosure statement released Friday. U. S. District Judge Martin L. C. Feldman sold the stock in Exxon Mobil 14 days after the case was filed in New Orleans by a group of oil service firms - and less than five hours before he struck down the moratorium. I had previously reported 'Judge who ruled against offshore drilling moratorium invests in oil industry' based on his 2008 financial disclosure. Sun Jun 27 08:04:53 2010 EST http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/climateprogress/lCrX/~3/elPoe4Ezkos/ As NOAA reported early this month, globally it's the warmest May, spring, and Jan- May on record. Steve Scolnik of Capital Climate put together this U. S. chart: Total number of daily high and low temperature records set in the U. S., data from NOAA National Climatic Data Center, background image © Kevin Ambrose. Includes historical daily observations archived in NCDC's Cooperative Summary of the Day data set and preliminary reports from Cooperative Observers and First Order National Weather Service stations. All stations have a Period of Record of at least 30 years. It's been so hot in DC - 'The official Washington DC temperature of 99° at 2 pm today has already broken the heat record for June 24 set in 1894' - that even the Washington Post noticed. Sun Jun 27 08:04:53 2010 EST http://www.culturechange.org/cms/content/view/660/66/ The dominant culture reaches deep inside us like a hidden, secret implant, limiting our behavior and even our ability to think. Fortunately, it can be excised. I have experienced days on end without it, but some people are more prepared than others to appreciate its existence. Leaving the United Paved Precincts of America (a. k.a. the USA) helps a lot. But the ingrained myths of modern society -- especially technology's infallibility in uplifting and amazing us onward to an artificial paradise -- help to close minds. Sun Jun 27 08:04:53 2010 EST http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/shell/lloC/~3/2yw8-O9J858/ In his speech to the nation last week, President Obama raised the prospect of energy legislation being delivered by the Congress in this session, building on the work of the House of Representatives in 2009. The President said: '. . . . . Last year, the House of Representatives acted on these principles by passing a strong and comprehensive energy and climate bill " a bill that finally makes clean energy the profitable kind of energy for America's businesses. . . . ' But most observers have commented that the 60 votes needed in the Senate to deliver an economy wide cap- and- trade approach are not there. Sun Jun 27 08:04:53 2010 EST http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/YaleEnvironment360/~3/UJbkPoYM5Fg/digest.msp In this series of images taken in and around the Gulf of Mexico in late June, a team of independent photographers have documented the ongoing fallout from the Deepwater Horizon spill. Collected as part of the TEDx. OilSpill project, the photos - taken from chartered airplanes, fishing boats, and coastal communities across the region - will be shown at a June 28 conference in Washington, D. C. coordinated by Image Gallery. James Duncan Davidson. Effects of the Gulf oil spill TED Conferences, LLC. 'From the source to Gulf Shores [Alabama],' says one of the project participants, 'we saw oil ranging from sheen to much heavier all the way to the coast and as far as the eye can see in both directions... Sun Jun 27 08:04:53 2010 EST http://feeds.reuters.com/~r/reuters/environment/~3/kswSPtN6ipA/idUSTRE65O3Z220100625 SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - California environmentalists opened fire on Wednesday on a measure approved for the state's November ballot that would roll back a landmark law regulating greenhouse gas emissions. Sun Jun 27 08:04:53 2010 EST http://feeds.reuters.com/~r/reuters/environment/~3/b5wjFGRz7zY/idUSTRE65O0ZP20100625 SYDNEY (Reuters) - A group of major investors on Friday urged Australia's new Prime Minister Julia Gillard to take swift action to fight climate change and cut carbon emissions blamed for heating up the planet. Sun Jun 27 08:04:53 2010 EST http://johannhari.com//2010/06/24/we-are-all-trapped-in-a-global-oil-slick-now Has our crude awakening begun, at last? It's not just the pelicans of Louisiana that are flapping and flailing in an oil slick " it's all of us. We live permanently doused in petrol. Every time we move further than our feet can carry us, or eat food we didn' t grow, or go shopping, we burn more barrels. Petrol pours off each of us like an invisible sweat. The twentieth century was propelled into the stratosphere on a great gushing geyser of oil, and in the adrenaline- frenzy, nobody wanted to ask where it was coming from, or what it would cost us in the end. Sun Jun 27 08:04:53 2010 EST http://www.desmogblog.com/george-monbiot-rips-uk-sunday-times-amazongate-lies-and-stonewalling thumb-316276.jpg Intrepid British journalist George Monbiot has a piece in The Guardian today that absolutely smashes the London Sunday Times' handling of its botched 'Amazongate' story. The Times was forced to retract essentially its entire January article, which badly mischaracterized the work and words of rainforest expert Dr. Simon Lewis, to whom the paper sheepishly apologized earlier this week. Monbiot took some time to try to figure out how the Times could have possibly allowed the sham story to run in the first place, but his efforts were met with aggressive stonewalling by Times' editors, who trampled transparency in order to cover their own behinds. Sun Jun 27 08:04:53 2010 EST http://www.theecologist.org/News/news_round_up/519334/barclays_bank_british_gas_and_rbs_implicated_in_scandalous_carbon_trading_scheme.html British companies accused of profiting from emissions trading scheme while consumers foot the bill Sun Jun 27 08:04:53 2010 EST http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/15160445/1itxxu/alternet_environment~iPads-Are-Billed-as-a-Green-Gadget-But-Theres-a-NotSoEco-Catch The iPad may be billed as the greenest- of- the- green- tech gadgets but is it really eco- friendly? Sun Jun 27 08:04:53 2010 EST http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/15101223/1itxxu/alternet_environment~Obama-Making-BP-Pay-Is-Good-Government-and-Thats-Why-Republicans-and-the-Corporate-Media-Are-Freaking-Out Obama's hardline move on BP is exactly what government is supposed to do; whatever it can, within the limits of the law, to protect its citizens' interests. Sun Jun 27 08:04:53 2010 EST http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2010/jun/25/ftse-index-investor-climate-risk "Tilted" index ratings to help investors identify those firms facing the lowest climate risks. With the BP crisis in the Gulf of Mexico having thrown the spotlight on institutional investors' cavalier approach to environmental risk, FTSE Group this week launched new indices designed to help investors track firms' ability to manage climate change risks. The two new indices, the FTSE CDP Carbon Strategy All- Share Index and the FTSE CDP Carbon Strategy 350 Index, have been developed in partnership with the Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP) investor group and analyst firm ENDS Carbon. The indices work by analysing the carbon strategies and "tilting" their rating based on their exposure to climate change related risks such as proposed carbon pricing mechanisms. Sun Jun 27 08:04:53 2010 EST http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/cif-green/2010/jun/25/double-standards-multinationals-ecological-disasters Developing countries should be able to adopt a 'polluter pays' principle for ecological disasters " just like the US has with BPThe $20bn fund that Barack Obama managed to get BP to agree to set up to meet claims for economic losses and environmental costs from the Gulf of Mexico oil spill is impressive, especially since the amount can be increased. The political pressure so evident also caused BP to temporarily suspend paying dividends. This should set a precedence for how host countries of multinationals take stern action, and executives of multinationals respond to meet their responsibilities " even if only partially. But then the US is a powerful host country indeed, and BP had little choice but to yield given the political pressure and public anger. Sun Jun 27 08:04:53 2010 EST http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2010/jun/25/what-climate-scientists-think Attempts to portray the scientific community as fractured and in disagreement have prompted efforts to quantify the credibility of climate scientists, says Gavin Schmidt. Leo Hickman: Why don' t we trust climate scientists? There is a lot of discussion this week about a new paper in PNAS (Andregg et al, 2010) that tries to assess the credibility of scientists who have made public declarations about policy directions. This comes from a long tradition of papers (and drafts) where people have tried to assess the state of the 'scientific consensus' (Oreskes, Brown et al, Bray and von Storch, Doran and Zimmerman etc.). Sun Jun 27 08:04:53 2010 EST http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/jun/26/shanghai-china-superconsumer-big-business With the US sinking in debt, the world's biggest corporations are targeting China. And Shanghai is their beachhead The resident of 550 Huaihai Road in Shanghai is a rather unusual migrant. Born in Wisconsin on 9 March 1959, Barbara Millicent Roberts is the world's most famous supermodel. She drives a Corvette convertible, owns a dream home with a pool, parties with jocks and adores shopping. In the US, she was a prom queen and a role model. In China, she is emerging as an ambassador for consumer culture. Better known as Barbie, this 30cm- tall icon was first sold in China in the early 1990s, but it was not until 2009 that she was given her own home in the retail heartland of Shanghai. Sun Jun 27 08:04:53 2010 EST http://www.guardian.co.uk/money/2010/jun/26/glastonbury-festival-flavoured-climate-change-savings-bonds Investments: Ethical banking and solar power are working in harmony to help power Glastonbury and your savings. This weekend Michael Eavis's farm is playing host to Europe's biggest music festival, but when the 175,000 Glastonbury revellers have gone home and the stages have been dismantled, work will start on a major solar- power project financed by an ethical bank's savers. Bristol- based Triodos Bank has granted a £500,000 loan to Eavis's Worthy Farm, home to the festival, to help pay for the installation of what will be Britain's biggest solar roof. The bank says it is a good example of the type of green project that savers who put their cash in its climate change bonds (which pay interest of up to 3.25%) are supporting. The solar- panel system will be on the roof of the "Mootel" " the barns that are home to the ... Sun Jun 27 08:04:53 2010 EST http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2010/jun/24/galleries-museums-summer-protest-bp-arts-sponsorship Prestigious institutions defend links with oil firm as artists and green activists plan action. The summer season of events at Britain's most prestigious galleries and museums will be picketed by artists and green groups intent on portraying BP's arts sponsorship as a toxic brand. Protests are planned next Monday by an eco- alliance styling itself "Good Crude Britannia" at Tate Britain's celebration of its 20-year association with the international oil conglomerate. Climate change activists, artists and musicians opposed to the fossil fuel industry are determined to highlight BP's link to the arts in the context of the company's international embarrassment over the continuing oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. But the main recipients of BP's corporate largesse " the Royal Opera House, Tate Galleries, British Museum and the National Portrait Gallery " today issued a joint statement defending the connection and signalling their determination to preserve the commercial relationship. ... Sun Jun 27 08:04:53 2010 EST http://www.joabbess.com/2010/06/25/roger-harrabin-one-degree-is-not-enough/ I' ve been letting my peers know of my displeasure regarding the article in New Scientist by the BBC journalist Roger Harrabin :- =x= x=x= x=x= Hi Guys, Just thought I' d run the flag up for the fact that an allegedly sceptical journalist, Roger Harrabin, has written a poor opinion piece in the popular science magazine New Scientist. Annoyed ? We could perhaps be :- [link]2010/06/25/roger- harrabin- two- degrees- short- of- accuracy/ jo. =x= x=x= x=x= Joseph Romm from Climate. Progress. org got back with this :- =x= x=x= x=x= Thanks. Sun Jun 27 08:04:53 2010 EST http://feeds.reuters.com/~r/reuters/blogs/environment/~3/32offMSlTK4/ Consensus among sustainability experts at a Toronto conference this week was that world leaders in the Group of 20 nations face a fecund opportunity to make gains integrating environmental concerns with all other levels of economic development. Economist Sylvia Ostry, former Chief Statistician at Statistics Canada and a member of the influential Washington- based financial advisory body the Group of Thirty says the best contribution the G20 could make to sustainable development is to strike a new institution with experts from a variety of backgrounds. 'The WTO has a number of ways of dealing with this integration,' she said, pointing to the Integrated Framework which is comprised of the WTO and the World Bank and other institutions. Sun Jun 27 08:04:53 2010 EST http://feeds.reuters.com/~r/reuters/blogs/environment/~3/7aCIkWDpcRc/ " Dr. David Suzuki is a Canadian scientist, broadcaster, author, and co- founder of the David Suzuki Foundation. Any views expressed here are his own. " For the past two years, the global economy has been at the top of peoples' minds. And so has the environment. Indeed, most people probably care about both. The fact is these two issues are inextricably linked. As we' ve seen after the economic meltdown, we tend to focus on them as if they are separate. On the heels of the U. N. Conference on Climate Change last December in Copenhagen, climate change remains a major concern and now often dominates meetings of international heads of state, including the G8 and G20 summits. Sun Jun 27 08:04:53 2010 EST http://feeds.newscientist.com/c/749/f/10928/s/b66a9aa/l/0L0Snewscientist0N0Carticle0Cmg20A6276630B0A0A0A0Eclimate0Echange0Eis0Eleaving0Eus0Ewith0Eextra0Espace0Ejunk0Bhtml0DDCMP0FOTC0Erss0Gnsref0Fclimate0Echange/story01.htm Dead satellites and rocket parts are taking longer to drop out of orbit, thanks to cooling of the upper atmosphere as the air beneath gets warmer Sun Jun 27 08:04:53 2010 EST http://feeds.newscientist.com/c/749/f/10928/s/b6a65b2/l/0L0Snewscientist0N0Carticle0Cmg20A6276620B70A0A0Eice0Eshelf0Ewas0Ekept0Eintact0Eby0Eunderwater0Eridge0Bhtml0DDCMP0FOTC0Erss0Gnsref0Fclimate0Echange/story01.htm A newly discovered sub- sea ridge stopped warm water melting an Antarctic ice shelf " but what are its prospects now a gap has appeared? Sun Jun 27 08:04:53 2010 EST http://www.physorg.com/news196769149.html Climate change is a topic that impacts the weather not only globally, but also locally. While some people may be concerned about the melting ice sheets at the far corners of the Earth, what most really want to know is "how will global warming affect me?" -- and they often turn to their local weatherperson to find out. Sun Jun 27 08:04:53 2010 EST http://www.physorg.com/news196618186.html The approach the U. S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) uses to estimate greenhouse gas emissions from agricultural anaerobic lagoons that treat manure contains errors and may underestimate methane emissions by up to 65%, according to scientists from the University of Missouri. Sun Jun 27 08:04:53 2010 EST http://www.physorg.com/news196700474.html The small number of scientists who are unconvinced that human beings have contributed significantly to climate change have far less expertise and prominence in climate research compared with scientists who are convinced, according to a study led by Stanford researchers. Sun Jun 27 08:04:53 2010 EST http://www.physorg.com/news196621758.html (Phys. Org. com) -- The strategy, detailed in the journal Science, prepares people for a hotter and drier Southwestern U. S. through water conservation and the continued development of ways to harness energy from the sun, wind and Earth. Sun Jun 27 08:04:53 2010 EST http://www.physorg.com/news196606682.html 40,000 years ago rapid warming led to an increase in methane concentration. The culprit for this increase has now been identified. Mainly wetlands in high northern latitudes caused the methane increase, as discovered by a research team from the University of Bern and the German Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research in the Helmholtz Association. This result refutes an alternative theory discussed amongst experts, the so- called "clathrate gun hypothesis". The latter assumed that large amounts of methane were released from the ocean sediment and led to higher atmospheric methane concentrations and thus to rapid climate warming. Sun Jun 27 08:04:53 2010 EST http://www.physorg.com/news196693955.html (Phys. Org. com) -- Scientists at the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory are planning a large- scale, long- term ecosystem experiment to test the effects of global warming on the icy layers of arctic permafrost. Sun Jun 27 08:04:53 2010 EST http://www.physorg.com/news196687173.html Scientists still puzzle over how Earth emerged from its last ice age, an event that ushered in a warmer climate and the birth of human civilization. In the geological blink of an eye, ice sheets in the northern hemisphere began to collapse and warming spread quickly to the south. Most scientists say that the trigger, at least initially, was an orbital shift that caused more sunlight to fall across Earth's northern half. But how did the south catch up so fast? Sun Jun 27 08:04:53 2010 EST http://www.physorg.com/news196687498.html Without aggressive action to reduce soot emissions, the time table for carbon dioxide emission reductions may need to be significantly accelerated in order to achieve international climate policy goals such as those set forth in last December's Copenhagen Accord, according to "Assessing the climatic benefits of black carbon mitigation," a study published online June 21 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS). Sun Jun 27 08:04:53 2010 EST http://rss.feedsportal.com/c/851/f/10846/s/b640da0/l/0L0Sirishtimes0N0Cnewspaper0Cworld0C20A10A0C0A6250C1224273270A4820Bhtml/story01.htm SYRIA IS sweltering in an unseasonable heatwave which Damascenes are blaming on climate change. We have to fight global warming now, as well as so many other battles, asserted Zuhair, an academic. Sun Jun 27 08:04:53 2010 EST http://www.newswise.com/articles/view/565995/?sc=rssn The amount of fresh water flowing through the Arctic as snow or rainfall, in rivers and by evapotranspiration is rising in agreement with models of a warming climate, according to a major new study by climate scientists in the U. S., Norway and Finland who analyzed all available Arctic observations. Sun Jun 27 08:04:53 2010 EST http://www.indiancountrytoday.com/national/97173754.html NANTUCKET, Mass. A renewable energy advocacy group from California and conservation groups from as far away as Texas have partnered with the Alliance to Save Nantucket Sound in a district court lawsuit against the federal agencies that approved the industrial Cape Wind energy factory in Nantucket Sound, an area sacred to the Wampanoag people. Sun Jun 27 08:04:53 2010 EST http://www.businessgreen.com/business-green/news/2265502/best-web-june Jessica Shankleman, Business. Green , Friday 25 June 2010 at 16:22:00 From Amazongate to cricket, climate change takes no prisoners Climate change scientists have put up with being misrepresented and misquoted by the world's press for years but now they are fighting back. The Sunday Times set the gold standard in corrections this week when it published a 400-word correction detailing how its ... Sun Jun 27 08:04:53 2010 EST http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100626/ap_on_re_us/us_polar_bear_policy_2 Polar bear policy in America can be summed up succinctly: The iconic bears are threatened with extinction, and so far nothing much is being done. Sun Jun 27 08:04:53 2010 EST http://news.yahoo.com/s/politico/20100624/pl_politico/38999_1 Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D- Nev.) is planning a high- risk, high- stakes strategy for bringing climate and energy legislation to the floor ahead of the August recess. Sun Jun 27 08:04:53 2010 EST http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/climateprogress/lCrX/~3/we-oxDit59k/ Absent the extra- constitutional 60 vote 'requirement' in the Senate, today would probably be marking a real anniversary for the nation and the world. As it is, intransigence and demagoguing by the anti- science ideologues, coupled with the unbearable lameness of being (Rahm and Axelrod), have killed a market- oriented, business- friendly, economy- wide emissions- reduction bill, which is based on a strategy once strongly embraced by moderate Republicans like President Bush's father. Today, however, there simply is no reasonable middle ground that mainstream (aka pro- pollution) U. S. conservatives won' t demonize - a sharp contrast to conservative leaders in a country like, say, the UK. Sun Jun 27 08:04:53 2010 EST http://www.cbc.ca/canada/story/2010/06/24/f-vp-jackson-g20.html Telegraph. co. uk. Where have all the bold ideas gone? CBC. ca. Take global warming, for example. The policy debate on climate change is stuck on who is to blame and not how it is to be resolved without having producing ...G20 Leaders to Meet and Discuss Global Warming...but only a little bit. Natural Resources Defense Council (blog) Canada: Man charged with carrying explosives ahead of G-20 summit. NDTV. comall 4,228 Sun Jun 27 08:04:53 2010 EST http://www.americanprogress.org/issues/2010/06/energy_mirage.html Center For American Progress. The 'Energy- Only Bill' Mirage. Center For American Progress. Richard Lugar (R- IN) supports an energy- only bill even though he voted for previous global warming bills in 2003 and 2005-at a time when the science was ...Reid: Climate bill must have 'broad bipartisan support' or he won' t bring it ...Washington Post (blog) Where is Barbara? Fox and Hounds Daily (blog) all 84 Sun Jun 27 08:04:53 2010 EST http://www.rightpundits.com/?p=6473 Paul Mc. Cartney: 'Global Warming Skeptics, Holocaust Deniers The Same' Right Pundits... global warming is real; my question to the brilliant Paul Mc. Cartney is how exactly does an accidental oil spill show us that global climate change is in ...and more Sun Jun 27 08:04:53 2010 EST http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/world/g8-g20/opinion/g8-leaders-offer-only-hollow-words-on-global-warming/article1619784/ Globe and MailG8 leaders offer only hollow words on global warming. Globe and Mail... worried about the threat of climate change, this is a grim G8/G20 summit. Saturday's G8 communiqué had nothing but empty verbiage on global warming. ...and more Sun Jun 27 08:04:53 2010 EST http://feeds.grist.org/click.phdo?i=2fb750c295c33dc514dc78b27b12d3fb by Dan Lashof. BP couldn' t stop the oil gusher with a junk shot of golf balls and tire shards and Congress can' t solve the energy problems that are the root cause of the gusher with a junk shot of unenforceable goals and unfunded subsidies. Eventually the gusher will be plugged by drilling a new well that can be used to establish a permanent seal. This will take some time, but fortunately no one suggested that BP should wait to begin working on a permanent solution until after it had tried every half- measure it could think of. Not so when it comes to ending our dangerous dependence on oil and other fossil fuels, which inevitably leads to more disasters like the one in the Gulf of Mexico, chains our fate to that of dictators in the Gulf of Arabia, and disrupts the stability of the climate on ... Sun Jun 27 08:04:53 2010 EST http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/climateprogress/lCrX/~3/uLnL8PwOl8A/ I am often critical of the near- death Newsweek - see Why has a Newsweek economics editor, Stefan Theil, written 'basically a condensed version of the climate denier viewpoint'? But they have a great science editor (see Why climate change is 'even worse than we feared'). And Sharon Begley has written another good piece: A lie can get halfway around the world while the truth is still putting its boots on, as Mark Twain said (or 'before the truth gets a chance to put its pants on,' in Winston Churchill's version), and nowhere has that been more true than in 'climategate.' In that highly orchestrated, manufactured scandal, e- mails hacked from computers at the University of East Anglia's climate- research group were spread around the Web by activists who deny that human activity is altering the ... Sun Jun 27 08:04:53 2010 EST http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2010/jun/27/solar-power-sahara-europe-alok-jha The race to harness the sun of the Sahara and Middle East deserts is one initiative in a far- ranging European energy consensus. There are probably easier ways to meet Europe's thirst for clean energy than importing it from vast solar farms in the Sahara. But it is very tempting. According to the European commission's Institute for Energy, it would require the capture of just 0.3% of the light falling on the Sahara and Middle Eastern deserts (an area around the size of Wales) to meet all of Europe's energy needs. Several groups have come up with plans to harness the sun in Africa to make electricity, which could then be exported to Europe, or use it to turn desert into forests by using the power to desalinate sea water. Sun Jun 27 08:04:53 2010 EST http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2010/jun/27/can-you-be-green-and-spend-money From newly printed cash to copper coins and plastic credit cards, money is always going to be dirty. Even freshly minted money looks dirty to an eco warrior. Despite the Royal Mint's laudable efforts to lower the environmental impact of notes and coins, making money is ecologically expensive: there's growing and processing linen and cotton for notes that don' t last long, while it takes 109 megajoules of energy to mine and smelt 1kg of copper for coins as opposed to 60 megajoules to produce credit cards. However, since the latter are made from PVC they don' t win awards either. More to the point, philosophically, money is filthy. Sun Jun 27 08:04:53 2010 EST http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2010/jun/27/matthew-lloyd-ethical-innovation The 47-year- old inventor introduces his water and solar- powered wheelchair lift" All the signs are good. We think it's going to work!" says ebullient architect Matthew Lloyd, putting together the final stages on the extraordinary Perspex lift that you can find operating during the London Festival of Architecture (lfa2010.org) on the Duke of York Steps behind Pall Mall. The steps' steep rake up to the monument to the Grand Old Duke of York takes many a tourist by surprise " and if you' re in a wheelchair, forget it. Previously you would have needed to divert via Trafalgar Square. Sun Jun 27 08:04:53 2010 EST http://www.casinobeacon.co.uk/news-articles/news/2010-06/temperature-270610.htm Bookies Slash Price Of Temperature Hitting 100fCasino Beacon. Bookies William Hill have halved the price of temperatures topping 100f in 2010 from an original 10/1 to 5/1 as the heatwave kicks in and punters lump on. ... Sun Jun 27 08:04:53 2010 EST http://www.trinidadexpress.com/index.pl/article_news?id=161706836 THE controversial Rapid Rail project which now appears doomed under the new Peoples Partnership Government, was one of several initiatives recommended to the Government by consultants who produced a Comprehensive National Transportation Study, as a means of easing the countrys traffic woes. Sun Jun 27 08:04:53 2010 EST http://nz.news.yahoo.com/a/-/top-stories/7471231/climate-change-threatens-politicians-as-well-as-the-planet/ Climate change policy can create endangered species, as Kevin Rudd found out. Sun Jun 27 08:04:53 2010 EST http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/climateprogress/lCrX/~3/F9WSi_TklKc/ Salon just published my Father''s Day essay. It''s a sequel of sorts to 'Is the global economy a Ponzi scheme?' As parents, we constantly admonish our children to share with others. The joke is that as adults, we hardly like to share anything at all. Who likes to lend out their car? Or their tools or books? We' re so worried they won' t come back in the same condition - or won' t be returned at all. But the truth is that the people we like to share the least with are our own children. 'We do not inherit the Earth from our parents, we borrow it from our children,' the saying goes. Wed Jun 23 08:05:48 2010 EST 23rd June 2010 http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/climateprogress/lCrX/~3/bhltIAzvJ2s/ Father''s Day seemed like a good time to post the video of my remarks on the Mall at the huge Earth Day event (see 'Over 100,000 rally for climate and clean energy action'): This was maybe 50 times larger than the largest crowd I' ve ever spoken to, and such a crowd requires purely rhetorical speechmaking. I had originally been scheduled for three minutes - and wrote out remarks for that time slot - but about 45 minutes before I went on, I (like many others) was told to shorten my remarks to about a minute. Wed Jun 23 08:05:48 2010 EST http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/climateprogress/lCrX/~3/iZ2u01cHZh8/ Defenders of the dirty energy status quo, particularly the lobbyists and politicians associated with the oil and coal industry, have repeatedly trotted out a group of evangelical leaders known as the Cornwall Alliance to counter the growing sentiment in the evangelical community that anthropogenic climate change is a threat to God''s creation. Cornwall declares that true Christians believe 'there is no convincing scientific evidence that human contribution to greenhouse gases is causing dangerous global warming.' In this repost, Wonk Room exposes the Big Oil funding behind the Cornwall Alliance On Friday, at the polluter- funded Heritage Foundation, Cornwall rolled out its latest campaign called 'Resisting the Green Dragon.' Billed as 'a Biblical response to one of the greatest deceptions of our day,' the video series claims the entire climate change movement is a 'false religion,' a nefarious conspiracy to empower ... Wed Jun 23 08:05:48 2010 EST http://www.desmogblog.com/cries-gulf-video-potent-reminder-fallacy-drill-baby-drill 4704921640_501dfd8db1.jpg The damage inflicted on the Gulf of Mexico from the BP blowout goes far beyond the ecological and economic impacts this catastrophe has wrought on the region. As evidenced painfully well in the video below, residents of the Gulf states are suffering from the horrifying realization that their beaches could be closed indefinitely, their family businesses ruined by BP''s negligence, and their lives forever tainted with the memory of Sarah Palin''s 'Drill Baby Drill' chant ringing in their ears while their eyes bare witness to every reason why we must rapidly move beyond our addiction to dirty and dangerous oil. Wed Jun 23 08:05:48 2010 EST http://dotearth.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/06/20/smoke-on-the-water/ The expanse of oil spreading across the Gulf of Mexico is best perceived from above. Wed Jun 23 08:05:48 2010 EST http://dotearth.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/06/18/the-coal-age-continues/ An ongoing Asian boom in coal use threatens to render American debates over a climate bill a sideshow. Wed Jun 23 08:05:48 2010 EST http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100618/ap_on_sc/un_ozone_treaty_2 Governments moved closer Friday to curbing the use of chemicals commonly used as coolants in refrigerators, air conditioners, hair spray and other household items in what some say would be among their biggest climate decisions ever. Wed Jun 23 08:05:48 2010 EST http://english.people.com.cn/90001/90777/90852/7029972.html Brazil could reduce gross greenhouse gas emissions by up to 37 percent by 2030 without affecting economic growth, according to a World Bank study released here on Thursday. The report, entitled "The Brazil Low Carbon Study," said the emission cut would be an equivalent of taking all cars in the world out of service for three years. "This study joins a list of others proving Brazil''s potential ... Wed Jun 23 08:05:48 2010 EST http://www.eptrail.com/ci_15302398?source=most_emailed Taking a modest view of the situation on Earth, Dr. James White of the CU geological sciences department told Estes Valley Land Trust members at their first Saturday breakfast talk of the summer in Estes Park that Yes, there`'s climate change. Yes, it`'s here now. Wed Jun 23 08:05:48 2010 EST http://feeds.reuters.com/~r/reuters/environment/~3/LiJdHwMcnW4/idUSTRE65I2E920100620 MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Tropical Storm Celia in the Pacific off southern Mexico was set to become the first hurricane of the 2010 season on Sunday but it was moving away from the coast, the U. S. National Hurricane Center said. Wed Jun 23 08:05:48 2010 EST http://feeds.reuters.com/~r/reuters/blogs/environment/~3/2gzQxVI4zS8/ By Kwok W. Wan This time, it was a total surprise. In a taxi on the road towards the beach, Gunfleet Sands appeared out of no- where and without warning. Huge offshore wind turbines lined the English horizon. My last encounter had been a far more distant affair, requiring a helicopter to see Robin Rigg in Cumbria, but Dong''s offshore wind farm was visible on the shore, visible from a car inland actually, and the giant machines pop up and startle you. As we drove over the Frinton- on- Sea rail track earlier, the taxi driver pointed to the automatic electric barriers and said they replaced the hand- operated gates only last year, after the rail company overcame a three- year battle by residents who resisted the change. Wed Jun 23 08:05:48 2010 EST http://www.physorg.com/news196074751.html For decades, oceanographers have embraced the idea that Earth''s ocean currents operate like a giant conveyor belt, overturning to continuously transport deep, cold polar waters toward the equator and warm equatorial surface waters back toward the poles along narrow boundary currents. The model held that the conveyor belt was driven by changes in the temperature and salinity of the surface waters at high latitudes. Wed Jun 23 08:05:48 2010 EST http://www.physorg.com/news196059921.html By examining 800,000-year- old polar ice, scientists increasingly are learning how the climate has changed since the last ice melt and that carbon dioxide has become more abundant in the Earth''s atmosphere. Wed Jun 23 08:05:48 2010 EST http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/14831521/1i3oxa/alternet_environment~I-Caused-the-Deepwater-Horizon-Spill Americans should view the BP spill as a reminder of overconsumption''s devastating price. Instead, we' re using more oil than before. Wed Jun 23 08:05:48 2010 EST http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/jun/20/china-devastated-floods Over 130 dead and 800,000 displaced after torrential rain sees rivers swell and houses hit by landslides. Huge floods in southern China have killed at least 132 people and displaced 800,000 others, the government said today as the annual storm season picked up ferocity. Local media showed images of people abandoning their homes in rubber dinghies in Nanchang, Jiangxi province, one of the worst hit areas. Many carried small bundles of possessions salvaged from the rising waters that turned the streets into rivers. More than 10 million people have lost property, been injured or suffered a cut in power or water supplies as a result of the week- long torrential rains across Guangdong, Fujian, Guangxi, Jiangxi and Sichuan. Many of these areas have gone from one extreme to another, according to the government. Wed Jun 23 08:05:48 2010 EST http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2010/jun/21/manufacturers-appeal-simplified-carbon-tax EEF says a single levy based on energy use would encourage businesses to move towards cleaner energy. Britain''s manufacturers have condemned the government''s climate change policy as "chaotic, overcrowded and complicated" and are calling on George Osborne to use his emergency budget to introduce an economy- wide carbon tax. The manufacturers' organisation EEF says a new single levy based on energy usage to replace the existing mix of climate measures would simplify the system, allow businesses to budget more easily and encourage them to move towards cleaner energy. The existing climate change levy has been criticised by environmental campaigners for not pushing firms far enough to be greener, while companies themselves say it is not spread fairly and does not provide incentives to cut pollution. In a report published on the eve of Osborne''s budget, the EEF said the 10-year- old climate change levy, introduced under Tony Blair, has failed ... Wed Jun 23 08:05:48 2010 EST http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/science_and_environment/10354118.stm The discovery of an underwater ridge in Antarctica offers a clue to why ice flowing into the sea has accelerated, say researchers. Wed Jun 23 08:05:48 2010 EST http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/science_and_environment/10335587.stm Impacts of greenhouse warming on rainfall would persist long after temperatures went back to normal, a study suggests. Wed Jun 23 08:05:48 2010 EST http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/climateprogress/lCrX/~3/09iDkC4BNgs/ 'I welcome the Sunday Times' apology for failing to accurately report my views and retract the Amazon story. As several experts told them " their story was baseless. What I find shocking about this whole episode is that an article read out [loud] and agreed with me was then switched at the last minute to one that fit with the Times' editorial line that the IPCC contained a number of serious mistakes, but actually ignored the scientific facts.' That is tropical forest researcher Simon Lewis in an email to me this morning after the Sunday Times finally retracted their bogus story and issued this too- rare apology (emphasis added) ... Wed Jun 23 08:05:48 2010 EST http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/climateprogress/lCrX/~3/Uv2m54l0Jvk/ From the beginning of this disaster, our response was doomed to be inadequate (see 20-year Coast Guard veteran: 'With a spill of this magnitude and complexity, there is no such thing as an effective response'). Guest blogger Shirley Siluk Gregory, who lives on Florida''s Gulf coast, shares her thoughts on lessons learned. While there''s not much most of us can do to stop BP''s Gulf oil gusher or clean the crude from the water, marshes and coasts, there are actions we can take to help avoid similar disasters like this in the future. Wed Jun 23 08:05:48 2010 EST http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/climateprogress/lCrX/~3/OzOf7b9SsxA/ Maybe Toles reads Climate Progress (see 'The breakthrough technology illusion'). Toles has been on fire lately. Here''s more, starting with today''s 'rant': Friday Rant, YOU edition A little billowing cloud of brown. Mesmerizing. No, alarming. No, fatal. Fatal to one of the many infuriatingly lazy arguments against climate change. The one that says how 'arrogant' it is to think that we mere humans could have an impact on something so BIG as the atmosphere. A drop in the bucket! Well, the Gulf of Mexico is a pretty enormous bucket, and that little billowing brown cloud of oil is having PLENTY of impact. Wed Jun 23 08:05:48 2010 EST http://wwf.panda.org/wwf_news/?193905/Climate-change-commitments-missing-in-G8-Accountability-Report Climate change commitments "missing" in G8 Accountability Report. WWF International' If we don' t limit global warming to as far below two degrees as possible, all development ambitions will be in serious danger,' said Kim Carstensen, ...and more Wed Jun 23 08:05:48 2010 EST http://www.physorg.com/news196255601.html New results from an investigation into Antarctica''s potential contribution to sea level rise are reported this week (Sunday 20 June) by scientists from the British Antarctic Survey (BAS), Lamont- Doherty Earth Observatory (LDEO) and the National Oceanography Centre in the journal Nature Geoscience. Wed Jun 23 08:05:48 2010 EST http://www.realclimate.org/index.php/archives/2010/06/leakegate-a-retraction/ Back in February, we commented on the fact- free IPCC- related media frenzy in the UK which involved plentiful confusion, the making up of quotes and misrepresenting the facts. Well, a number of people have pursued the newspapers concerned and Simon Lewis at least filed a complaint (pdf) with the relevant press oversight body. In response, the Sunday Times (UK) has today retracted a story by Jonathan Leake on a supposed 'Amazongate' and published the following apology: The article 'UN climate panel shamed by bogus rainforest claim' (News, Jan 31) stated that the 2007 Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report had included an 'unsubstantiated claim' that up to 40% of the Amazon rainforest could be sensitive to future changes in rainfall. Wed Jun 23 08:05:48 2010 EST http://feeds.reuters.com/~r/reuters/environment/~3/hZAqo3dOY90/idUSTRE65J25V20100620 ATHENS (Reuters) - A yellow submarine has helped to solve a puzzle about one of Antarctica''s fastest- melting glaciers, adding to concerns about how climate change may push up world sea levels, scientists said Sunday. Wed Jun 23 08:05:48 2010 EST http://uk.news.yahoo.com/18/20100620/tpl-obama-committed-on-carbon-emissions-10170b4.html US President Barack Obama is committed to an energy bill that reduces carbon emissions, his top aide said Sunday, ahead of a key meeting with Republicans to break down obstacles to the legislation. Wed Jun 23 08:05:48 2010 EST http://www.thenorthernecho.co.uk/news/8229469.Monster_turbines_are_the_shape_of_green_power/?ref=rss Monster wind turbines with blade spans that dwarf the London Eye could be the shape of future green power, it was revealed today. Wed Jun 23 08:05:48 2010 EST http://www.heraldnet.com/article/20100620/BIZ/706209983/1005/biz Where do airplanes go to die? Someday, the Boeing Co. intends to build airplanes out of materials that can be recycled back into future jets. Its really a closed- loop product life cycle were trying to create, said Jeanne Yu, who directs airplane environmental performance for Boeing. Wed Jun 23 08:05:48 2010 EST http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/world/asia_pacific/10361565.stm Row brews over who can sell what to whom Wed Jun 23 08:05:48 2010 EST http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2010/jun/21/how-safe-new-nuclear-reactors As utilities seek to build new nuclear power plants around the world, questions remain about whether the newer reactors are sufficiently foolproof to be adopted on a large scale, says Susan Q. Stranahan. In 2007, the first application to build a new reactor in the United States in more than three decades was filed with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC). By the end of that year, four more applications had landed at the agency. In 2008, 12 additional applications arrived, with one more filed in 2009. Nuclear backers proclaimed a "renaissance" underway. The NRC, which over the years had lost personnel because of a shortage of work, geared up, hiring 1,000 new staffers to handle the licensing requests. Wed Jun 23 08:05:48 2010 EST http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,,5703593,00.html Bonn conference focuses on media role in tackling climate change. Deutsche Welle... Heat is On - Climate Change and the Media." Finkbeiner''s tree project is just one among several approaches at the conference to slowing global warming ...and more Wed Jun 23 08:05:48 2010 EST http://allafrica.com/stories/201006210046.html CLIMATE change is going to see Zimbabwe become warmer and drier, and the danger of the Kalahari Desert spreading east is real and serious. Wed Jun 23 08:05:48 2010 EST http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/greenslade/2010/jun/21/sundaytimes-scienceofclimatechange The Sunday Times carried a rather large "correction" yesterday that, once read alongside the original offending article, amounted to a complete retraction. In fact, it was a giant climbdown. In The Sunday Times and the IPCC: Correction, the paper refers to a news page story on 31 January headlined "UN climate panel shamed by bogus rainforest claim" (removed from the Sunday Times site, but available, disgracefully, on this site).The article stated that the 2007 Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report had included an "unsubstantiated claim" that up to 40% of the Amazon rainforest could be sensitive to future changes in rainfall. Wed Jun 23 08:05:48 2010 EST http://straightfurrow.farmonline.co.nz/news/nationalrural/agribusiness-and-general/general/what-food-price-backlash-us-pushes-for-85pc-ethanol/813159.aspx While many around the world are railing against biofuels for pushing up food prices, United States Governors and General Motors are pushing for greater roll out of 85pc ethanol blends. Wed Jun 23 08:05:48 2010 EST http://www.dispatch.co.za/article.aspx?id=411805 WE TEND to believe that weather is unpredictable, but Im beginning to change my mind on that. The pattern over the past few months has been pretty consistent for us down here in the Eastern Cape generally dry, while up north theyve had the wettest summer in years. Wed Jun 23 08:05:48 2010 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/06/100617185131.htm Numerous studies are documenting the growing effects of climate change, carbon dioxide, pollution and other human- related phenomena on the world''s oceans. But most of those have studied single, isolated sources of pollution and other influences. Now, a marine geochemist has published a report that evaluates the total impact of such factors on the ocean and considers what the future might hold. Wed Jun 23 08:05:48 2010 EST http://www.stevenspointjournal.com/article/20100621/SPJ0101/6210398/1657&located=rss CUSTER -- Bill Mc. Kibben said he considered himself fortunate to be at the 21st annual Midwest Renewable Energy Fair. Wed Jun 23 08:05:48 2010 EST http://english.people.com.cn/90001/90776/90882/7032720.html Scientists and officials stressed the importance of science and technology innovations in urban development at the World Expo''s third theme forum, which opened in Wuxi, east China''s Jiangsu Province, on Sunday. City expansion had been achieved along with the burning of fossil energies like coal and oil during the past 200 years, but problems also arose including environmental pollution, energy ... Wed Jun 23 08:05:48 2010 EST http://www.natchezdemocrat.com/news/2010/jun/21/thunderstorms-not-doing-job/ A little rain could do a lot of good right now. Wed Jun 23 08:05:48 2010 EST http://liberalconspiracy.org/2010/06/21/are-we-coming-to-an-end-of-economic-grwoth/ Further to an earlier post on my blog, is there another similarity between now and the 1970s " that the causes of rapid economic growth in previous years are fading away? I mean, one reason why growth slowed in the 1970s was that a couple of the impetuses behind fast non- inflationary growth in the 50s and 60s " post- war rebuilding and the spread of some big technical advances " became weaker. Similarly, four possible forces behind economic growth since the mid-80s might also now be fading: 1. Credit liberalization in the 80s led to a rise in the ratio of consumer debt to incomes. Wed Jun 23 08:05:48 2010 EST http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/climateprogress/lCrX/~3/iJFd97Cziek/ A new CAP report by Sean Pool presents the 'network lifecycle' approach to clean energy innovation. The paper shows how the innovation lifecycle of clean energy technology can be divided into five phases, each involving a different an evolving network of participants with its own challenges and policy needs. Freeing our economy from its dangerous addiction to fossil fuels and averting the calamitous risks of climate change will require a major technological transformation in the way we produce, transmit, and consume energy. Inventing, developing, building, and deploying these new technologies will require a new era of American technological innovation. The result will be new industries and jobs, along with more clean energy and less pollution. Wed Jun 23 08:05:48 2010 EST http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/climateprogress/lCrX/~3/U1RWbrxs57Y/ In all the criticism of Obama''s too- weak energy speech last week, not enough attention was paid to a statement that oil- state Senator Mary Landrieu (D- LA) made. Here is the final paragraph : 'Finally, the President called on America to begin a transition to cleaner, renewable energy. As people all across our nation watch the oil pouring into the Gulf, they are asking 'isn' t there a better way?' The answer is yes, there is a better way, and we must begin to lay that foundation now. Oil has paid tremendous dividends to our country. Wed Jun 23 08:05:48 2010 EST http://energybulletin.net/node/53175 Those who thought the failed Copenhagen climate talks last December were a diplomatic nadir, from which only recovery was possible, are in for a shock. Since then, efforts to refloat the talks have seen a lot of ballast thrown overboard - including most of the scientific underpinnings of a deal to protect the world from dangerous warming. If a deal is finally done, probably in South Africa at the end of 2011, it may prove a diplomatic success but a climatic catastrophe. read more Wed Jun 23 08:05:48 2010 EST http://blogs.nature.com/news/thegreatbeyond/2010/06/uk_paper_apologises_for_bogus.html UK paper apologises for 'bogus' climate change claim. Nature. com (blog) A British climate scientist has succeeded in forcing an apology from the Sunday Times after it published an article alleging claims that global warming ...and more Wed Jun 23 08:05:48 2010 EST http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/YaleEnvironment360/~3/8blsOF9Fe_8/digest.msp For four years, Yvo de Boer, the United Nations' chief climate negotiator, has faced the daunting challenge of persuading nearly 200 nations that it''s in their interests to begin weaning themselves from the fossil fuels that make the world go 'round. As he prepares to leave his post, de Boer says he is not discouraged by the failure to reach agreement on binding CO2 cuts in Copenhagen last December. In an interview with Yale Environment 360, de Boer says that the world community now squarely acknowledges the dangers posed by climate Yvo de Boer change and that since Copenhagen 127 countries have backed the Copenhagen Accord, with many agreeing to voluntary emissions reductions targets. Wed Jun 23 08:05:48 2010 EST http://www.businessgreen.com/business-green/news/2265107/vestas-pulls-second-major-china Business. Green. com Staff, Business. Green , Monday 21 June 2010 at 13:27:00 Wind turbine giant steps up global expansion with fresh contracts in China and new office in South Africa Vestas''s global expansion plans received a further boost today when the world''s largest wind turbine manufacturer revealed that it has secured its second large order from China in the past week. The company said that it ... Wed Jun 23 08:05:48 2010 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/06/100621071943.htm A soothing solution to hot, humid days may be on its way, thanks to a melding of technologies in filters, coolers and drying agents. The U. S. Department of Energy''s National Renewable Energy Laboratory has invented a new air conditioning process with the potential of using 50 percent to 90 percent less energy than today''s top- of- the- line units. It uses membranes, evaporative cooling and liquid ... Wed Jun 23 08:05:48 2010 EST http://feeds.reuters.com/~r/reuters/environment/~3/L9Wqp9D4w5Y/idUSTRE65K6DI20100621 WASHINGTON (Reuters) - With time running out for the U. S. Senate to debate complicated and controversial climate change legislation, key players will huddle this week to try to come up with a plan for passing an energy/ environment bill this year. Wed Jun 23 08:05:48 2010 EST http://feeds.reuters.com/~r/reuters/environment/~3/MOXr3ogS9dA/idUSN1416392020100622 NEW ORLEANS/ LAFITTE, Louisiana (Reuters) - Oil services companies went to court on Monday seeking to overturn President Barack Obama''s six- month ban on deepwater drilling in the Gulf of Mexico after the worst oil spill in U. S. history. Wed Jun 23 08:05:48 2010 EST http://feeds.reuters.com/~r/reuters/blogs/environment/~3/DOXBtqoDI-w/ Rona Fried is the CEO of Sustainable. Business. com, a news, networking, and investment site for green businesses. The following opinions expressed are her own. We are in a dire situation. One that our president recognized in his oval office address on Tuesday night: America has postponed overcoming our oil addiction for decades. The first call to wean ourselves from oil came more than three decades ago by President Carter in the late 1970s. Had we done it then, the job would have been completed in 1985. It is beyond time to end our dependence on oil. And Americans are finally ready to do it. Wed Jun 23 08:05:48 2010 EST http://www.mcclatchydc.com/2010/06/21/96268/its-hot-hot-hot-on-the-summer.html Much of U. S. is sweltering this summer solstice. The longest day of the year is just one of many over- heated days that has hit early this year. Wed Jun 23 08:05:48 2010 EST http://www.joabbess.com/2010/06/22/the-debate-is-most-definitely-over/ There were some in two minds, some vehemently on one side of the argument or the other, but now, the debate is finally over : on the question of whether they have been reporting Climate Change science accurately, the mainstream media have shown themselves to be incapable :- [link]2010/06/21/pnas- study- climate- science- media- balance- deniers/ [link] news/ press_ release/ study- scientific- consensus- climate- change-411.html As of this second, the report from the Proceedings of the National Academies of Sciences is not yet available to the public. Wed Jun 23 08:05:48 2010 EST http://www.joabbess.com/2010/06/22/unpicking-kyoto-2/ Unpicking Kyoto Jo Abbess 20 June 2010 CONTINUED FROM PART 1 PART 2 Why Was Copenhagen Such A Washout ? The international community, in the form of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) established the Kyoto Protocol back in 1997, a treaty that was ratified only as late as 2005 after compromises from the World Trade Organisation (WTO) for Russia. Global Climate Change negotiations, even before the Rio Earth Summit in 1992 have been beset by recurring problems. The annual UNFCCC Kyoto Protocol Conference of the Parties (COP) 15, Meeting of the Parties (MOP) 5 at Copenhagen in Denmark in December 2009 suffered from the usual last- minute- ism, as key negotiators did not arrive until the second week, and leaders, who had expressed a commitment to participating, did not arrive until the last few days, whereupon they appeared to derail the ... Wed Jun 23 08:05:48 2010 EST http://feeds.reuters.com/~r/reuters/blogs/environment/~3/JixUDbwmyeQ/ The oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico strikes close to home for Chevron as it faces a $27 billion lawsuit brought on by the indigenous people in the Amazon region of Ecuador for water pollution, and a fresh Chevron oil spill in Utah, a bi- weekly analysis of companies in the news by ASSET4 data providers shows. Company selections were made by Christopher Greenwald, director of data content at ASSET4, a Thomson Reuters business that provides investment research on the environmental, social and governance performance of major global corporations. These ratings are not recommendations to buy or sell. Wed Jun 23 08:05:48 2010 EST http://feeds.reuters.com/~r/reuters/blogs/environment/~3/VommQW3MH3A/ The Gulf of Mexico oil spill is unquestionably the biggest spill in U. S. history, far surpassing the Exxon Valdez accident in Alaska in 1989. But is it the worst environmental disaster inflicted on America? (PHOTO: An oil- coated Brown Pelican stands on Queen Bess in Bay Barataria near Grand Isle, Louisiana June 14, 2010. . REUTERS/ Sean Gardner) That is a question that some have been weighing in on. The New York Times last week posed the question to a number of environmental historians. It said several of them pointed to the 'Dust Bowl' of the 1930s as the mother of all U. S. Wed Jun 23 08:05:48 2010 EST http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/climateprogress/lCrX/~3/_CFN1KIHdgY/ Fresh from releasing 'Out of the Running?,' a report that compares clean energy investments in China, Germany, and Spain, senior staff including Kate Gordon and Julian Wong, from the Center for American Progress brought a select group of Senate staffers to visit China in April to meet with policymakers, academics, and companies to better understand China''s clean energy economic development strategy. The visit provided convincing evidence to those involved that China has made large- scale investments in clean energy manufacturing and infrastructure, and that these signal China''s clear desire to lead the world in clean energy technology production, deployment, and eventually innovation. Wed Jun 23 08:05:48 2010 EST http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/climateprogress/lCrX/~3/PEKNIhmtiU8/ It''s trendy to be undead these days. Sure sexy teenage vampires get all the media attention. But don' t forget those mad (political) scientists who toil tirelessly in their labs, assembling the best (worst?) parts of corpses, mixing in 100 million gallons of oil, and zapping the finished product with, say, the enormous power furnished by an electric (utility) cap. I think we might call the resulting assemblage Lugar- Kerry- Lieberman- Graham- Cantwell- Collins- Waxman- Markey- Bingaman. The conventional wisdom for months in this town, as I' ve noted many times, has been that a climate bill is dead, dead, dead. Wed Jun 23 08:05:48 2010 EST http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/science_and_environment/10370955.stm Most climate experts who publish papers on the topic support the idea of human- induced climate change, a study suggests. Wed Jun 23 08:05:48 2010 EST http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2010/jun/22/budget-2010-osborne-green-policies Green groups disappointed after chancellor reveals no further details on plans for a green investment bank or home energy- efficiency schemes. Green groups expressed disappointment and surprise today at the lack of environmental policies in George Osborne''s budget. Hopes that the emergency budget would shed light on plans for a green investment bank, renewable energy and financial incentives for individuals to make their homes more energy efficient were dashed in the chancellor''s speech. Plans to introduce a floor price for carbon pollution permits to provide stability for emissions trading, as already laid out in the coalition agreement, were reiterated with a pledge to consult, this autumn, on the reform of Labour''s climate change levy. No new details were forthcoming on the new green bank, which will be designed to help fund clean energy projects such as windfarms. Wed Jun 23 08:05:48 2010 EST http://www.monbiot.com/archives/2010/06/21/bps-dumb-investors/ The companies now threatening to sue BP have only themselves to blame. Wed Jun 23 08:05:48 2010 EST http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/england/kent/10319105.stm The biggest offshore wind farm in the world, expected to generate electricity to power 240,000 homes, is being unveiled off Kent. Sun Jun 20 23:22:01 2010 EST 20th June 2010 http://freeinternetpress.com/story.php?sid=26104 U. S. President Barack Obama has taken the fight to BP. But it is time that he picks a fight with the American public. American energy consumption is at the root of the Gulf of Mexico disaster, but Obama preferred to sidestep the issue in his Tuesday speech. Sun Jun 20 23:22:01 2010 EST http://www.dtnprogressivefarmer.com/dtnag/view/blog/getBlog.do?blogHandle=policy&blogEntryId=8a82c0bc28d18b9501293e8fcbd80550 In a speech Tuesday night, President Barack Obama laid out his "battle plan" to attack the oil spill, which includes a push for a comprehensive energy and climate bill. Sun Jun 20 23:22:01 2010 EST http://feeds.newscientist.com/c/749/f/10928/s/b349b99/l/0L0Snewscientist0N0Carticle0Cmg20A6276520B90A0A0Edavid0Eking0Eno0Ecause0Efor0Eclimate0Edespair0Bhtml0DDCMP0FOTC0Erss0Gnsref0Fclimate0Echange/story01.htm There are ways around the impasse over a global emissions deal, says the UK''s former chief scientist Sun Jun 20 23:22:01 2010 EST http://feeds.newscientist.com/c/749/f/10928/s/b319e0c/l/0L0Snewscientist0N0Carticle0Cdn190A460Ezoologger0Ethe0Ebiggest0Eliving0Ething0Ewith0Eteeth0Bhtml0DDCMP0FOTC0Erss0Gnsref0Fclimate0Echange/story01.htm It hunts the largest squid in the world, and helps combat climate change in the process. How does the sperm whale do it? Sun Jun 20 23:22:01 2010 EST http://feeds.newscientist.com/c/749/f/10928/s/b2e3a8c/l/0L0Snewscientist0N0Carticle0Cmg20A627650A0B40A10Eis0Eit0Etime0Eto0Esay0Egoodbye0Ecool0Eworld0Bhtml0DDCMP0FOTC0Erss0Gnsref0Fclimate0Echange/story01.htm International climate negotiators may be on the brink of abandoning emissions targets aimed at limiting warming to 2 °C Sun Jun 20 23:22:01 2010 EST http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg20627640.800-whats-wrong-with-the-sun.html?full=true SUNSPOTS come and go, but recently they have mostly gone. For centuries, astronomers have recorded when these dark blemishes on the solar surface emerge, only for them to fade away again after a few days, weeks or months. Thanks to their efforts, we know that sunspot numbers ebb and flow in cycles lasting about 11 years. But for the past two years, the sunspots have mostly been missing. Their absence, the most prolonged for nearly a hundred years, has taken even seasoned sun watchers by surprise. "This is solar behaviour we haven' t seen in living memory," says David Hathaway, a physicist at NASA''s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. Sun Jun 20 23:22:01 2010 EST http://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=51813 QUITO, Jun 14 (Tierramérica) - The spectacular glacier Number 15 of Antisana, one of the Ecuadorean capitals' sources of potable water, lost at least 36 percent of its original mass in the last 50 years. Sun Jun 20 23:22:01 2010 EST http://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=51822 MALé, June 15 (IPS) - The Maldives Islands, fast gaining a reputation for 'walking the talk' as it raises its tiny island voice in the climate change discourse, has launched an action plan to phase out hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs) by 2020, or 10 years ahead of other countries and the target set by an international agreement known as the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer. Sun Jun 20 23:22:01 2010 EST http://www.realclimate.org/index.php/archives/2010/06/five-thousand-gulf-oil-spills/ That''s the rate that people are releasing carbon to the atmosphere from fossil fuel combustion and deforestation today. I know, it''s apples and oranges; carbon in the form of oil is more immediately toxic to the environment than it is as CO2 (although CO2 may be more damaging on geologic time scales). But think of it - five thousand spills like in the Gulf of Mexico, all going at once, each releasing 40,000 barrels a day, every day for decades and centuries on end. We are burning a lot of carbon! Sun Jun 20 23:22:01 2010 EST http://www.realclimate.org/index.php/archives/2010/06/atlantic-tropical-cyclone-records-trends-and-ephemerality/ Guest Commentary from Urs Neu To understand the influence of climate change on tropical cyclone and hurricane activity, it is crucial to know how this activity has varied in the past. There have been a number of interesting new studies of Atlantic tropical cyclones (TCs) and hurricanes (tropical cyclones with maximum sustained winds exceeding 74 miles per hour) since my review of the topic a couple years ago (see here and here). These newer studies underscore that, while our knowledge continues to improve in this area, key uncertainties persist. In particular, it remains very difficult to confidently estimate trends in the past. Sun Jun 20 23:22:01 2010 EST http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/YaleEnvironment360/~3/dXHkFGF8uhI/digest.msp Britain can become a zero- carbon economy within two decades by shifting to renewable power generation, overhauling public transportation, and relying more on locally produced food, according to a new study. That shift does not have to drastically alter lifestyles, said Rob Hopkins, founder of Britain''s Transition Towns movement and author of the study by the UK''s Centre for Alternative Technology. The report suggests that shifting to electric or battery- powered vehicles would help cut transportation energy demand by 63 percent; insulation of every building and use of natural construction materials would reduce heat and electricity requirements by 50 percent ... Sun Jun 20 23:22:01 2010 EST http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/YaleEnvironment360/~3/FSgB4KG7gzw/digest.msp In 2010, for the third consecutive year, new wind power installations in the European Union will have roughly the same amount of electricity- generating capacity as newly built natural gas power plants, according to the European Wind Energy Association (EWEA). About 10 gigawatts of new wind power capacity is expected to be added in 2010, which would boost total installed capacity to about 85 gigawatts, according to the trade organization. Natural gas remains the EU''s leading source of generating electricity, producing about 119 gigawatts in 2007, according to industry data. But while new natural gas power plants had twice the capacity of Danish wind turbines new wind projects as recently as four years ago, new wind energy capacity has equalled or exceeded natural gas capacity for the last two years, EWEA says. Sun Jun 20 23:22:01 2010 EST http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/science_and_environment/10323987.stm Southern Ocean sperm whales help the oceans absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere - through their faeces. Sun Jun 20 23:22:01 2010 EST http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/science_and_environment/10324258.stm A fully solar- powered plane is getting ready to head for the skies once again - this time, at night. Sun Jun 20 23:22:01 2010 EST http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/science_and_environment/10316910.stm Rajendra Pachauri tells BBC News that he welcomes the current vigorous debate on climate science. Sun Jun 20 23:22:01 2010 EST http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/sci/tech/8740049.stm IPCC head reflects on a turbulent six months. Sun Jun 20 23:22:01 2010 EST http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/science_and_environment/10314458.stm New crops in the 60s saved carbon as well as lives Sun Jun 20 23:22:01 2010 EST http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/climateprogress/lCrX/~3/lnxfkXBC3p4/ If you ever want to know what the inside- the- beltway conventional wisdom is, look for the Politico''s screaming headline. 'Deadly silence on carbon caps,' is today''s tea- leaf reading article, which asserts that Obama 'may have put the dagger into his long- sought plans for a cap on greenhouse gas emissions by opening the door for alternatives.' Speeches, while important, aren' t daggers - and, in any case, conventional wisdom in the Politico and elsewhere around DC has been that a GHG cap has been dead for months. But Obama could easily have skipped the pivot to comprehensive energy and climate legislation, and, as I' ve noted, 'The talking points are better than the speech I would also add that 'cap- and- trade' is a desperately bad centerpiece for messaging - since it focuses entirely on process and not outcomes/ ... Sun Jun 20 23:22:01 2010 EST http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/climateprogress/lCrX/~3/v2ge6tZ49pI/ Europe''s wind power is booming The European Union will continue its 2009 record- breaking pace this year for adding wind power, reports the European Wind Energy Association. The industry group expects EU countries will install 10 gigawatts of new wind power capacity, the same as 2009's record, bringing the total to 85 GW by year''s end. 'What is encouraging is that, unlike in 2009, the 2010 results consist of orders placed after the start of the financial crisis,' Christian Kjaer, the group''s CEO, said Monday in a statement. 'Wind energy will be competing for the top spot with new gas power plants.' Europe''s new gas plants produced twice as much power as its new wind turbines four years ago, but the gap narrowed sharply in 2007 and by 2008, wind had overtaken gas, reports The New York Times, citing data from ... Sun Jun 20 23:22:01 2010 EST http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/climateprogress/lCrX/~3/XEDeFh3blPw/ Sens. John Kerry (D- MA) and Joe Lieberman (I- CT) released analysis yesterday of their American Power Act, or APA, by the U. S. Environmental Protection Agency. The EPA''s analysis definitively demonstrates that we can reduce our carbon pollution and jumpstart the clean energy economy at a very small net cost to American consumers. This analysis is also consistent with several other studies showing that the American Power Act would create jobs, reduce consumer energy prices, and help the United States lead the world toward stabilizing carbon emissions at safe levels by 2050. CAP''s Richard Caperton and Andrew Light have the analysis in this repost. Sun Jun 20 23:22:01 2010 EST http://www.desmogblog.com/inside-scoop-climate-war the climate war eric pooley. jpg The first question I had for author Eric Pooley after I finished reading his new book, The Climate War, was whether he had set up hidden cameras all over Washington, DC. He didn' t of course, but the insider information he weaves into his story about the ongoing battle for effective climate policy both in the United States and internationally will make even the insiders feel inadequate. The Climate War puts you at the power- broker''s table, with much of the book following two main characters who have been at the center of the debate and the controversy around climate policy for more than a decade - Fred Krupp, Executive Director of Environmental Defense Fund and Jim Rogers, CEO of Duke Energy. Sun Jun 20 23:22:01 2010 EST http://energybulletin.net/53092 While oil gushes out of the Gulf, and the economy staggers toward the exits, scientists continue to investigate our longer future. Deadly heat waves will test the upper limits of human endurance. Millions will move or die. "Skeptical scientist" John Cook and tech investigator Stuart Staniford talk it through. read more Sun Jun 20 23:22:01 2010 EST http://energybulletin.net/node/53106 Crude oil in the gulf yields good TV images, but BP and its contractors have untapped a geyser not only of oil, but of methane--more than 20 time as effective as CO2 at holding heat. The percentage of the gush that''s methane is roughly estimated at 40-50%, subject to verification. read more Sun Jun 20 23:22:01 2010 EST http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/14764227/1hmtei/alternet_environment~Is-New-Environmentalism-the-Answer-or-the-Problem Is "New Environmentalism" really forward- looking, or will it simply reinforce and accelerate the forces that got us into the climate crisis in the first place? Sun Jun 20 23:22:01 2010 EST http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/14759177/1hmtei/alternet_environment~The-BP-Speech-Obama-Still-Refuses-to-Lead Faced with the worst environmental disaster in history, Obama wants change. He just won' t fight for it. Sun Jun 20 23:22:01 2010 EST http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/14751151/1hmtei/alternet_environment~Why-the-Future-of-Sustainability-Is-All-About-quotRelocalizationquot Here''s a plan for revitalized, solar- powered communities. Sun Jun 20 23:22:01 2010 EST http://www.nbcaugusta.com/news/georgia/96266934.html NBC Augusta. Early summer heatwave breaks records. NBC Augusta. Our early summer heatwave broke another record high temperature on Monday. The high temperature of 103F occurred at 3:21pm at Augusta Bush Field and broke ... Sun Jun 20 23:22:01 2010 EST http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2010/jun/15/food-prices-rise-un-report Growing demand from emerging markets and for biofuel production will send prices soaring, according to the OECD and the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation. Food prices are set to rise as much as 40% over the coming decade amid growing demand from emerging markets and for biofuel production, according to a United Nations report today which warns of rising hunger and food insecurity. Farm commodity prices have fallen from their record peaks of two years ago but are set to pick up again and are unlikely to drop back to their average levels of the past decade, according to the annual joint report from Paris- based thinktank the OECD and the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO).The forecasts are for wheat and coarse grain prices over the next 10 years to be between 15% and 40% higher in real terms, once adjusted for inflation, than their average levels ... Sun Jun 20 23:22:01 2010 EST http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2010/jun/16/fred-pearce-climate-science-book Fred Pearce will be online between 12-1pm on Thursday 17 June to answer questions on his new book about 'climategate' This Thursday, renowned journalist Fred Pearce publishes his definitive account of the story of the emails between climate scientists that were exposed online last year. To mark the new book, The Climate Files: The Battle for the Truth About Global Warming, Pearce will be online to answer your questions from 12-1pm on Thursday 17 June. The book''s genesis was in a unique mutualisation experiment we ran in February, inviting protagonists in the story to reply online. This is your chance to ask any questions about the story of the climate emails, from how the science community handled the incident, to public belief in climate change and the imminent findings of the independent investigation by the University of East Anglia, whose Climatic Research Unit was at the heart of the ... Sun Jun 20 23:22:01 2010 EST http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2010/jun/16/coalition-support-new-nuclear-power Government will ease the way for extra plants but not provide subsidies, energy minister Charles Hendry to tell industry chiefs. Energy minister Charles Hendry will today set out the government''s support for new nuclear power, in the face of opposition from the Tories' coalition partners, the Liberal Democrats. Hendry will tell the Nuclear Industry Forum that there is a role for new nuclear plants, provided they do not require public subsidies. In one of the key differences between the two coalition parties, the Tories back a new generation of private sector- funded nuclear power stations while the Lib Dems have long opposed new nuclear build. The Tory junior minister, who works under Lib Dem energy secretary Chris Huhne, said conversations he has had with companies suggest they are willing to invest without being subsidised. But the government will take steps to remove "unnecessary" barriers to building new nuclear power stations. Government ... Sun Jun 20 23:22:01 2010 EST http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2010/jun/16/un-review-carbon-offset-abuses Clean Development Mechanism carbon offset scheme faces fresh criticism over dubious emission reduction projects. The UN has confirmed that it is considering a formal review of its Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) after a new report leveled fresh criticism at the high profile carbon offsetting scheme. A coalition of green groups working under the banner CDM Watch yesterday tabled a formal request calling on the UN''s climate change secretariat to overhaul the CDM and crack down on alleged "gaming" of the system that has allowed some firms to benefit from increasing their greenhouse gas emissions. The controversy surrounds companies which currently receive carbon credits for capturing and destroying the powerful greenhouse gas HFC-23 - a by product resulting from the production of the refrigerant gas HCFC-22.CDM Watch has alleged the way the CDM is structured means that chemical gas manufacturers based in China and India and South and ... Sun Jun 20 23:22:01 2010 EST http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/cifamerica/2010/jun/15/obama-bp-nationalise-oil The US president''s scapegoating of BP is a distraction; the only way to clean up the oil industry is to put it under public control. Barack Obama''s crude comparison of the Deepwater spill to 9/11 marks a new low in the political grandstanding over the Gulf of Mexico disaster. While the president might be right to haul BP over the coals for the company''s apparent negligence prior to the explosion, the distancing of the US government from the private sector is a cynical way to exploit the tragedy. If Obama''s post- spill proclamations are to be believed, the US administration bears no responsibility for the catastrophe, and instead is wholeheartedly committed to environmental protection, developing alternative energies, and all the other buzzwords so beloved by politicians and voters alike. Sun Jun 20 23:22:01 2010 EST http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2010/jun/15/outdoor-gear-toxic-chemicals Outdoor gear is made from climate- changing oil- based chemicals - manufacturers need to clean up their act. Since I spend as much time as possible getting muddy and sweaty outdoors, it''s always seemed perfectly reasonable to me to try and help protect the very thing that I feel so passionate about: namely the environment. I'm surprised then and not a little disappointed with the results of Ethical Consumer magazine''s latest buyers' guide, which looks at the companies who make everything from walking boots to waterproof jackets. Having surveyed the environmental and ethical policies of more than 60 leading outdoor gear companies, the magazine found that virtually all the companies pay little regard for environmental issues with woefully inadequate environmental and ethical reporting policies. Few of the companies have an environmental policy in place with all but two getting a bottom rating for their environmental reporting. Sun Jun 20 23:22:01 2010 EST http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/jun/15/brazil-oil-petrobras-offshore-deepwater As BP grapples with the Gulf of Mexico spill, South America''s leader in deepwater exploration is trying to prevent a similar disaster. Brazil is keeping a watchful eye on the environmental disaster in the Gulf of Mexico. It is among the countries most likely to suffer an accident similar to Deepwater Horizon, having engaged in the exploration and exploitation of huge oil and gas fields in the Atlantic depths. Brazil''s industry regulator, the National Oil Agency (ANP), and the main oil company, Petrobras, won' t comment on the disaster. They are, however, reacting very quietly, and behind the scenes. Petrobras''s management told parliament in May that its rescue teams were ready to intervene within 24 hours at the most on any of the rigs in mainland Brazil and within eight hours on the most remote offshore fields. Brazil has for several years led the way in deep- water exploration, but ... Sun Jun 20 23:22:01 2010 EST http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2010/jun/09/carbon-capture-storage-test-france Carbon dioxide from methane processing plant is held in depleted natural reservoir. In the midst of the Jurançon vineyards is a plot of land surrounded by shrubs. At first sight this patch of southwest France might seem a haven of tranquillity, but the visitor notices the hum of a compressor, odd control levers sticking out of the ground, and two pale green pipes running across the field, then down a succession of valleys leading to the Lacq gas facility. It was here in January that Total started an experiment in carbon- dioxide storage. The oil conglomerate plans to inject 120,000 tonnes of CO2 into a depleted natural- gas reservoir, 4,500 metres below the ground in a porous sedimentary rock formation extending over two square kilometres. Sun Jun 20 23:22:01 2010 EST http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/video/2010/jun/16/national-geographic-algae-cancer Huge mats of algal growth on the western of coast of Antarctica are being studied by marine biologists for their potential to treat cancer Sun Jun 20 23:22:01 2010 EST http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2010/jun/15/bp-spill-obama-reform-oil The BP oil spill gives Obama a chance in his Oval Office speech tonight to reform oil use, says Daniel J. Weiss. President Barack Obama has made four trips to visit gulf state communities affected by the BP disaster and now plans to give his first- ever Oval Office speech to the nation this Tuesday evening to address the issue. This manmade calamity threatens the nation''s economy, health, and environment. This is also a crucial moment in the BP catastrophe, which threatens to swamp his domestic agenda. But it also provides an opportunity for President Obama to demonstrate leadership by tackling all the aspects of this crisis, including taking charge of the clean up, getting more help from BP, providing long- term public health and economic recovery, and adopting an oil- use and pollution- reduction reform agenda to minimize the likelihood of another catastrophe. Americans are legitimately frustrated and furious about ... Sun Jun 20 23:22:01 2010 EST http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2010/jun/15/independent-greenland-mineral-resources-denmark Devolved powers from Denmark over crucial mineral resources have moved Greenland a step closer to full independence. Last 21 June, on Greenland''s national day, the country experienced one of its most historic moments. On that date self- government was introduced. Eighteen different countries (including all the G8) sent official representatives to partake in the ceremonial and cultural festivities in Greenland''s capital, Nuuk. Greenland is a former colony of Denmark with a population of only 56,500, which since 1979 has enjoyed "home rule" " a form of autonomy with rights and command over many internal matters. With the introduction of self- government came an explicitly mentioned legal right to independence if the Greenlandic people should wish it. One of the direct consequences of these changes has been the taking over of the complete mineral and oil rights from Denmark. Sun Jun 20 23:22:01 2010 EST http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2010/jun/14/commoditries-coffee-prices-rising-sharply Supermarket prices likely to jump as poor harvests in Vietnam and central American plus speculators covering their positions cause leap in cost of robusta coffee. Coffee prices are rising sharply, largely due to poor crops in Vietnam and central America causing a fall in global supplies. The International Coffee Organisation (ICO) said world exports between October and April dropped by 8.1% compared with the same period a year earlier " down from 58m bags to 53.3m. Prices of robusta coffee (the lower- quality bean commonly used in instant coffees) rose by 20% in three days last week to their highest in more than a year. Sun Jun 20 23:22:01 2010 EST http://www.zcb2030.org/ Time to say we will zerocarbonbritain2030 is a positive, realistic policy framework to eliminate emissions from fossil fuels within 20 years. zerocarbonbritain2030 provides political and economic solutions to the urgent challenges raised by the climate science, outlining how we can transform the UK into an efficient, clean, prosperous zero- carbon society. "The great transition to a zero- carbon Britain is not only the most pressing challenge of our time, it is also entirely possible. The solutions needed to create a low- carbon and high- wellbeing future for all exist, what has been missing to date, is the political will to implement them.' Dr Victoria Johnson, New Economics Foundation. Sun Jun 20 23:22:01 2010 EST http://www.joabbess.com/2010/06/16/the-much-maligned-mike-hulme/ Professor Mike Hulme is far too clever for most other people to understand. He has spent many years trying to challenge dogmatism, undermine polarised extremes, create a broader church for Climate Change. Trouble is, people tend to misuse his words. Here he was, back in 2006, trying to unpick some alarmist tendencies :- [link]1/hi/6115644.stm [link]1/hi/ sci/ tech/5236482.stm His intention, presumably, was to avoid the 'doom and gloom' trap of people placing too much urgency on an apparent emergency, then being disappointed by political failure to rise to speedy action. Sun Jun 20 23:22:01 2010 EST http://www.joabbess.com/2010/06/15/natural-gaza-2/ What''s wrong with this picture ? Yes, that''s right. There''s no mention of the Gaza Strip or the West Bank. Besides blurring the land boundaries, it seems that Israel is also blurring the maritime and sub- sea borders into the bargain. This is the official map of the Eastern Mediterranean region :- Yet you would be forgiven for thinking that the West Bank is fully under Palestinian control :- Encroachment by the Israelis doesn' t stop at the coast. Here''s the geology of the region :- And here''s a diagram of the Natural Gas fields that have been explored, which you will notice lie roughly on the first fault out from the coast marked on the geological map :- A Natural Gas field does not magically stop at an international maritime border, as suggested by these three maps :- ... Sun Jun 20 23:22:01 2010 EST http://feeds.grist.org/click.phdo?i=a6946a208a10f8ce41ce9af46e3795c9 by Teryn Norris. The biggest news from President Obama''s Oval Office address is that cap- and- trade legislation is probably dead for the foreseeable future, and the administration is seeking new ideas. Instead of using last night''s prime- time opportunity to push cap- and- trade in the form of the Kerry- Lieberman American Power Act- as many climate advocates saw as their last hope for 'comprehensive' climate reform- President Obama pressed the reset button on energy and climate policy, saying he was 'happy to look at other ideas and approaches from either party, as long they seriously tackle our addiction to fossil fuels.' He made no mention of setting a price on carbon or establishing an emissions cap- and- trade system. Sun Jun 20 23:22:01 2010 EST http://feeds.grist.org/click.phdo?i=61e742399a75003e53c3d0390e1a0fac by Jonathan Hiskes. The New Republic''s Bradford Plumer has a post today- Why our reaction to the oil spill absolutely terrifies me- that' s, well, sorta terrifying. It''s about how the body politic seems just plain unable to deal with the Gulf oil leak in any sane way: What''s especially unnerving, though, is that the recklessness that helped bring about the spill, and the political reaction that followed, seem to indicate a larger inability to prevent and cope with other large- scale ecological catastrophes- particularly climate change. True, the analogy''s not perfect: The Deepwater Horizon blowout was a sudden and local event, while global warming is slowly creeping up on us and, well, global. Sun Jun 20 23:22:01 2010 EST http://feeds.grist.org/click.phdo?i=8d073f47926e57829e7c8fc4c4c5ba4f by Jonathan Hiskes. The oil drilling and oyster industries both extract things from coastal waters, so it''s no surprise they' ve been interacting for decades. Here''s a cheesy 1960 video from the American Petroleum Institute that gives a fun look into that relationship, and the industry- funded science that keeps it humming: I don' t know the full background, but Louisiana oyster harvesters claimed that offshore drilling was sickening oysters. The API responded with $2 million worth of research into oyster health- they pumped oil into a tank of oysters, poured in drilling mud, even measured the effect of dynamite charges on oysters. Sun Jun 20 23:22:01 2010 EST http://arkansasnews.com/2010/06/16/senate-unlikely-to-pass-sweeping-climate-change-measure-pryor-says/ LITTLE ROCK The Senate is unlikely to pass comprehensive legislation addressing climate change in the next couple of years, though a less ambitious bill may achievable, U. S. Sen. Mark Pryor, D- Ark., said today. Sun Jun 20 23:22:01 2010 EST http://feeds.reuters.com/~r/reuters/environment/~3/SzORrzGuzi8/idUSTRE65E63F20100616 WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Last month was the warmest May on record, the U. S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said on Tuesday. Sun Jun 20 23:22:01 2010 EST http://feeds.reuters.com/~r/reuters/environment/~3/fG2lKv88kSE/idUSTRE65E0F620100615 TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan will aim to pass a shelved climate bill setting tough emission reduction targets before an annual U. N. meeting in Mexico later this year, the environment minister said on Tuesday. Sun Jun 20 23:22:01 2010 EST http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/cartoon/2010/jun/17/barack-obama-bp-deal-steve-bell BP to pay out $20bn over oil spill after talks with Obama. Steve Bell Sun Jun 20 23:22:01 2010 EST http://rss.feedsportal.com/c/266/f/3780/s/b35fb75/l/0L0Sindependent0O0Cenvironment0Cclimate0Echange0Cdisaster0Eis0Emaking0Eus0Ethink0Eagain0Eabout0Ecleaner0Eenergy0E20A0A26820Bhtml/story01.htm The Deepwater Horizon oil spill is making Americans think more about a clean energy future " but not yet to the extent of having to pay for it, or to tackle climate change, one of the leading US thinkers on global warming policy said yesterday. Sun Jun 20 23:22:01 2010 EST http://www.desmogblog.com/sceptics-road-australia roo. jpg This week and next week, prominent climate sceptic blogger Anthony Watts is touring Australia to help promote the country''s newest political party, the Climate Sceptics party. Single issue parties are not unusual in Australia, and the Sceptics have been working to create a "new centrist party" to push for a "truthful, common- sense approach to [climate change] and all issues." The Climate Sceptics turned heads in January when they had to beg their members for an extra $20,000 to pay Christopher Monckton''s stipend as part of $100,000 in tour fees. This begs the question ... Sun Jun 20 23:22:01 2010 EST http://www.csmonitor.com/Science/2010/0616/Alien-species-could-damage-Antarctic-ecosystems Alien species, like the chironomid midge, can thrive in icy Antarctic climates and could damage the environment if they were to expand. Sun Jun 20 23:22:01 2010 EST http://feeds.grist.org/click.phdo?i=247f7e0fb2e2033511ae11ebf9d66da9 by David Roberts. Editor''s note: It seems that Al Gore reads Grist. And, um, doesn' t credit it. We' re just saying. From a sharp- eyed reader comes this ad for Humble Oil (which later merged with Standard to become, yes, Exxon). It may win the All Time Millenial Award for Maximal Irony. It''s from a 1962 edition of Life Magazine, available on Google Books (click for larger version): How right they were ... Related Links: Energy politics in the Senate: why Merkley''s oil plan matters Rumor watch: Obama has a 'secret' plan to redirect the Mississippi River Can we just drive less after the Gulf spill? Sun Jun 20 23:22:01 2010 EST http://www.mcclatchydc.com/2010/06/15/95940/epa-analysis-senate-energy-bill.html The energy and climate bill that Republicans call a light- switch tax would lower electricity bills, at least in its early years, the Environmental Protection Agency reported Tuesday. Sun Jun 20 23:22:01 2010 EST http://www.monbiot.com/archives/2010/06/14/bogus-misdirected-and-effective/ The Tea Party movement is steeped in misinformation and denial. But it has a lot to teach the left. Sun Jun 20 23:22:01 2010 EST http://www.physorg.com/news195921627.html On March 20, Iceland''s Eyjafjallajokull volcano woke from its nearly 200-year slumber to change the way the world viewed volcanoes forever. Bringing almost all transatlantic air travel to a halt for the first time in modern history, this volcano reminded humanity of the powers these forces of nature contain - and of our relative inability to understand them. Associate Professor Huiming Bao of LSU''s Department of Geology Geophysics has published research in the journal Nature about massive volcanic eruptions and their atmospheric consequences in the past in North America. Sun Jun 20 23:22:01 2010 EST http://www.physorg.com/news195916359.html (Phys. Org. com) -- Climate change has led to masses of bizarre swimming crabs to invade the North Sea - hundreds of miles from their usual home, new research has revealed. Sun Jun 20 23:22:01 2010 EST http://www.physorg.com/news195911094.html Establishing a firm link between environmental change and human disease has always been an iffy proposition. Sun Jun 20 23:22:01 2010 EST http://www.physorg.com/news195910513.html Just as President Barack Obama called for in his address to the nation last night, Americans are demanding that BP and all other companies be responsible to both their shareholders and society, according to a new report from Rice University''s Jones Graduate School of Business. Sun Jun 20 23:22:01 2010 EST http://www.physorg.com/news195902459.html Cyclical changes in atmospheric pressure and sea surface temperature in the North Atlantic Ocean affect drought in the Sahel region on the southern Sahara rim. This has been revealed in an international study carried out by researchers from the University of Haifa, the French National Meteorological Service, Columbia University and the University of San Diego. The study was published recently in the scientific journal Atmospheric Science Letters (Royal Meteorological Society). Sun Jun 20 23:22:01 2010 EST http://www.physorg.com/news195900349.html A new study of biological invasions in Europe found they were linked not so much to changes in climate or land cover, but to two dominant factors - more money and more people. Wealth and population density, along with an increase in international trade and commerce, were the forces most strongly associated with invasive species that can disrupt ecosystems and cause severe ecological or agricultural damage, scientists said. Sun Jun 20 23:22:01 2010 EST http://www.physorg.com/news195884926.html As carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere rise, policy makers and scientists are looking at new ways to tackle the problems associated with the greenhouse gas. Sun Jun 20 23:22:01 2010 EST http://www.physorg.com/news195837352.html (Phys. Org. com) -- In the face of soaring obesity rates in the United States, a national dietary advisory committee that includes a Yale University professor is recommending sweeping changes to the American diet: a reduction in overall calorie consumption, drastically reducing the intake of sodium and added sugars and shifting diets to more seafood and plant- based foods. Sun Jun 20 23:22:01 2010 EST http://www.physorg.com/news195820935.html Climate change could cause increasing and unpredictable hazard risks in mountainous regions, according to a new study from the University of Exeter and Austrian researchers. The study analyses the effects of two extreme weather events - the 2003 heatwave and the 2005 flood - on the Eastern European Alps. It demonstrates what impact events like these, predicted to become more frequent under a changing climate, could have on alpine regions and what implications these changes might have for local communities. Sun Jun 20 23:22:01 2010 EST http://www.greenleft.org.au/node/44435 An interview with Raj Patel, author of 'The Value of Nothing' and 'Stuffed and Starved', about corporate dominance of global food production and battles to create democratic and sustainable food systems. Sun Jun 20 23:22:01 2010 EST http://www.abc15.com/dpp/news/local_news/hear_me_out/hear-me-out:-can-money-for-the-water-bank-be-used-by-the-state? HEAR ME OUT: While the water district maintains the fund sweep was illegal, the legislature says the contract with Nevada allows the money to be used for other purposes. The two sides sound off on the topic. Sun Jun 20 23:22:01 2010 EST http://dotearth.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/06/15/global-heat-is-on-in-2010-so-far/ Global temperatures hit a modern record for January through May, but a Pacific cool spell is forecast later this year. Sun Jun 20 23:22:01 2010 EST http://dotearth.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/06/14/from-climate-conflict-to-energy-consensus/ Obama addresses a nation enthused about cleaner energy choices but not about a cap and trading system for carbon. Sun Jun 20 23:22:01 2010 EST http://dotearth.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/06/15/obama-seeking-new-ideas-on-energy-and-climate/ President Obama focuses on the gulf disaster but hints at new approaches on broader energy questions. Sun Jun 20 23:22:01 2010 EST http://liberalconspiracy.org/2010/06/16/is-the-telegraph-censoring-criticism-of-climate-change-deniers/ About ten days ago, Telegraph employee and blogger Tom Chivers wrote a blog post titled 'Viscount Monckton is an embarrassment to global warming sceptics everywhere'. In the blog post he wrote: Entertaining news of the week: high- profile global warming sceptic Viscount (Christopher) Monckton has been caught out in an embarrassing example of (if we' re charitable) utter scientific illiteracy, in one of the most magisterial scientific take- downs on record. He goes on to explain that Monckton giving a lecture at a university in Minnesota where he made a series of 'startling claims'. Sun Jun 20 23:22:01 2010 EST http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/17/opinion/lweb17gallup.html Climate Change Polls. New York Times' The Climate Majority,' by Jon A. Krosnick (Op- Ed, June 9), could leave the impression that polls showing a decline in American concern about climate change ... Sun Jun 20 23:22:01 2010 EST http://feeds.reuters.com/~r/reuters/blogs/environment/~3/IHGeOkWNzhw/ It has an odd odor, oil mixed with dispersant. It''s reminiscent of the inside of an old mechanic shop or boat house, and out of place in the open water of Southern Louisiana''s Barataria Bay, which separates the Gulf of Mexico from the state''s fragile marshland. One one point during a tour of the bay to see damage from the BP Plc oil spill, Capt. Sal Gagliano stopped his boat in a spot where reddish brown specs of the oil and dispersant mixture accumulated on the surface. It is slightly gooey to the touch. The pollutants are why he was ferrying conservationists and reporters around and not taking customers out to fertile fishing spots. Sun Jun 20 23:22:01 2010 EST http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100616/ap_on_bi_ge/us_gulf_oil_spill_climate_bill_5 A climate and energy bill being pushed in the Senate faces bleak prospects, despite President Barack Obama''s call for a "clean energy" future that lessens dependence on oil and other fossil fuels. Sun Jun 20 23:22:01 2010 EST http://www.scidev.net/en/news/global-warming-makes-plants-sweat-less-1.html [BANGALORE] The global warming potential of carbon dioxide ( CO 2 ), a key greenhouse gas, is underestimated as climate change studies do not take into account the crucial fact that plants 'sweat' less when surrounded by more CO 2 , new research shows. Sun Jun 20 23:22:01 2010 EST http://www.dtnprogressivefarmer.com/dtnag/view/blog/getBlog.do?blogHandle=ethanol&blogEntryId=8a82c0bc28d18b95012937047b7c04ef A guest opinion piece in the Washington Post said the oil industry''s foray into alternative energy is a more significant investment than the U. S. government has made in the space, but still is nothing more than a fallback plan in case the oil industry is one day hit hard with climate change regulations. Sun Jun 20 23:22:01 2010 EST http://www.dose.ca/news/story.html?id=3154113 New low- carbon fuel standards proposed in the Northeastern U. S. could actually slow the greening of the oilsands, Alberta Environment Minister Rob Renner warned Monday. Sun Jun 20 23:22:01 2010 EST http://www.canadaeast.com/rss/article/1095531 Girls from all the G20 countries are gathering in Toronto this week to show what the world would be like if they were in charge. Sun Jun 20 23:22:01 2010 EST http://www.centerforinvestigativereporting.org/blogpost/20100615carboncarouseleuropeanmarketahavenfortaxfraud Flying below the American radar, a tax scandal has been rocking the global carbon markets. Ironically, it is emanating from Copenhagen, the city that six months ago hosted the world''s largest climate summit. But back in 2007, long before COP 15 arrived, the Danes began working behind the scenes to host a growing cadre of carbon brokerage firms, which have become central to trading the world''s ... Sun Jun 20 23:22:01 2010 EST http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/climateprogress/lCrX/~3/v6eKlwTROP8/ I have never liked the use of the word 'consensus' as it is typically applied in the climate arena. Scientists don' t really have a 'consensus' so much as they have an 'understanding' of climate science. I wrote an article on this subject in 2008, 'The cold truth about climate change: [Disinformers] continue to insist there''s no consensus on global warming. Well, there''s not. There''s well- tested science and real- world observations [that are much more worrisome].' When James Hansen read the first draft of the piece, he wrote me back, 'Very important for the public to understand this - why has nobody articulated this already?' I don' t know. Sun Jun 20 23:22:01 2010 EST http://news.yahoo.com/s/csm/20100616/ts_csm/308678_1 A stalled climate- energy bill in the Senate got a boost Tuesday from federal regulators who reported it would not be too costly, then from President Obama. Sun Jun 20 23:22:01 2010 EST http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/world/latin_america/10333304.stm Slowly but surely an extinct glacier in a remote corner of the Peruvian Andes is being returned to its former colour, not by falling snow or regenerated ice sheets, but by whitewash. Sun Jun 20 23:22:01 2010 EST http://feeds.newscientist.com/c/749/f/10928/s/b40d3e7/l/0L0Snewscientist0N0Carticle0Cmg20A6276450B30A0A0Etake0Ethe0Epolitical0Eheat0Eout0Eof0Eclimate0Escepticism0Bhtml0DDCMP0FOTC0Erss0Gnsref0Fclimate0Echange/story01.htm The public is dubious about climate change, and libertarian sceptics are on the march. How can we improve matters, asks Roger Harrabin Sun Jun 20 23:22:01 2010 EST http://feeds.newscientist.com/c/749/f/10928/s/b3ed79c/l/0L0Snewscientist0N0Carticle0Cdn190A570Ecorals0Eliving0Eon0Eedge0Ecould0Eescape0Eclimate0Echange0Bhtml0DDCMP0FOTC0Erss0Gnsref0Fclimate0Echange/story01.htm Caribbean corals on the margins of a reef are evolving faster than those at its heart Sun Jun 20 23:22:01 2010 EST http://ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=51813 The spectacular glacier Number 15 of Antisana, one of the Ecuadorean capitals' sources of potable water, lost at least 36 percent of its original mass in the last 50 years. Sun Jun 20 23:22:01 2010 EST http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/science_and_environment/10342318.stm A "global pattern" of change in the Earth''s climate that began 2.7m years ago could be explained by CO2, say scientists. Sun Jun 20 23:22:01 2010 EST http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/climateprogress/lCrX/~3/zxGtXkTISuE/ The American Power Act includes some strong provisions to lower consumer costs and provide access to new clean energy jobs. But it lacks a few fundamental provisions to truly scale up the clean energy economy, explains CAP''s Van Jones. BP''s Chairman got himself in hot water this week for suggesting that his company is not 'greedy' and cares about the 'small people.' Pundits were outraged less by his lies than by his condescension. Admittedly, he should have chosen a different phrase to describe the low- income and vulnerable Americans who are suffering in the gulf region. Sun Jun 20 23:22:01 2010 EST http://www.culturechange.org/cms/content/view/656/66/ There''s no shortage of finger pointing as the now worst oil spill in U. S. history continues its assault on the Gulf Coast''s ecology and economy. A USA TODAY/ Gallop Poll taken in late May, for example, found that 73 percent of Americans feel that BP (British Petroleum) is doing a 'poor' or 'very poor' job of handling the crisis, and 60 percent evaluated the federal government''s response in the same unfavorable terms. Sun Jun 20 23:22:01 2010 EST http://www.theecologist.org/News/news_round_up/511969/pay_hill_farmers_to_protect_water_supply_and_carbon_sinks_report_urges.html Peat stores 200m tonnes of carbon in England and hills are source of 70 per cent of the country''s drinking water, say rural experts Sun Jun 20 23:22:01 2010 EST http://energybulletin.net/node/53151 "For decades, we have known the days of cheap and easily accessible oil were numbered...". These were the words of President Obama during his national address on the Gulf oil disaster from the Oval Office on Tuesday. Is the President accepting that we have reached peak oil?... read more Sun Jun 20 23:22:01 2010 EST http://ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=51852 Despite the pleas of some conservative politicians that parallels should not be drawn between the oil spreading over the Gulf of Mexico and the need to transition out of a reliance on fossil fuels, U. S. President Barack Obama made it clear Tuesday night that he sees the race against the spreading oil as inherently connected to the race against a changing climate. Sun Jun 20 23:22:01 2010 EST http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2010/jun/20/north-west-england-hosepipe-ban-drought-warning Rivers and lakes at lowest levels since the 1960s after six of the driest consecutive months. Seven million people in the north- west of England may have hosepipe bans imposed on them within weeks, as fears of a drought rise after six of the driest consecutive months in 70 years. The bans, which are being prepared by the water company United Utilities, should help preserve water supplies in reservoirs, lakes and rivers across northern England, many of which are at their lowest levels for this time of year since the 1960s. Thirlmere, in the Lake District, is only half full, while Haweswater is 30% below capacity. Sun Jun 20 23:22:01 2010 EST http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2010/jun/20/frontier-oil-exploration-pollution Far from the Gulf of Mexico, campaigners are accusing energy companies of destroying land and livelihoods in the search for increasingly scarce resources. The eyes of the world are on BP after the disaster that left oil spewing into the Gulf of Mexico at the rate of 50,000 gallons a day. But campaigners accuse Big Oil of an appalling track record elsewhere in the world, saying it leaves a trail of devastation in its wake. From Nigeria to Kazakhstan in Central Asia, and Colombia and Ecuador in South America, the oil majors stand accused of a blatant disregard for local communities and the environments in which they operate. With demand for energy expected to surge as industrialisation accelerates in China, India and Brazil, critics say oil companies are taking ever- increasing risks to cash in on yet another bonanza. Two other factors ensure the dash for oil continues apace. Sun Jun 20 23:22:01 2010 EST http://www.guardian.co.uk/theguardian/2010/jun/19/naomi-klein-gulf-oil-spill The Deepwater Horizon disaster is not just an industrial accident " it is a violent wound inflicted on the Earth itself. In this special report from the Gulf coast, a leading author and activist shows how it lays bare the hubris at the heart of capitalism. Everyone gathered for the town hall meeting had been repeatedly instructed to show civility to the gentlemen from BP and the federal government. These fine folks had made time in their busy schedules to come to a high school gymnasium on a Tuesday night in Plaquemines Parish, Louisiana, one of many coastal communities where brown poison was slithering through the marshes, part of what has come to be described as the largest environmental disaster in US history."Speak to others the way you would want to be spoken to," the chair of the meeting pleaded one last time before opening the floor for questions. ... Sun Jun 20 23:22:01 2010 EST http://www.joabbess.com/2010/06/18/burning-things-is-wasteful/ Centre for Alternative Technology Burning things wastes a lot of energy " even burning waste. 1. Plain Old Inefficiency The systems and infrastructure for the generation and distribution of electricity in the United Kingdom is extremely poor, nigh on immorally wasteful. See the diagram above from the Zero Carbon Britain 2030 report :- [link] There are so many things that could be done to improve on that enormous loss of energy, and save on Carbon Dioxide Emissions at the same time. One of the best ways is to de- centralise 'thermal' generation to town- local Combined Heat and Power, rather than burning Fossil Fuels in the wilds of Yorkshire and losing all that heat to the sky. Sun Jun 20 23:22:01 2010 EST http://www.joabbess.com/2010/06/18/zero-carbon-britain-2030/ I' m sure you' ll be interested to know that the second Zero Carbon Britain report from the Centre for Alternative Technology is now available for free download from this website :- [link] [link] downloads/ ZCB2030.pdf Here are a few articles about the report release :- [link] publications/ zero- carbon- britain-2030 [link] news/ news_ release. tmpl? command= search& db= news. db& eq. SKUdatarq=37990&home=1 [link] uk- carbon- from-637m- tonnes- to-0-possible- by-2030_14526.html [link] en/2010/06/453523.html Enjoy ! Sun Jun 20 23:22:01 2010 EST http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/YaleEnvironment360/~3/es3peZqnWxE/digest.msp Rising carbon dioxide concentrations in the world''s oceans, the spread of oxygen- free dead zones, and other human assaults on the seas are swiftly causing irreversible changes that have not occurred in several million years, according to a special issue of the journal Science. The review found that growing ocean acidification caused by increasing CO2 levels, rising ocean temperatures, and the expansion of dead zones are destroying coral reefs, sea grasses, and mangroves; causing a decline in fish populations and a breakdown in marine food chains; and leading to more frequent outbreaks of diseases among marine organisms. 'If we continue down this pathway we get into conditions which have no analog to anything we' ve experienced,' said Ove Hoegh- Guldberg, director of the Global Change Institute at the University of Queensland in Australia and co- author of one of the studies in Science. Sun Jun 20 23:22:01 2010 EST http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/YaleEnvironment360/~3/s-33PVa61mE/digest.msp A new study directly links clearing of forests in the Amazon with a pronounced jump in malaria cases. University of Wisconsin researchers, analyzing data from one county in Brazil, said they found a 48 percent increase in malaria cases after 4.2 percent of the country''s tree cover was cleared. 'It appears that deforestation is one of the initial ecological factors that can trigger a malaria epidemic,' said researcher Sarah Olson. Comparing satellite photos showing loss of tree cover with GPS data marking where malaria victims in the county lived, the scientists demonstrated that areas that have not been deforested have considerably lower per capita rates of malaria. Sun Jun 20 23:22:01 2010 EST http://www.physorg.com/news195979458.html (Phys. Org. com) -- A team of scientists - led by Professor Andrew C Scott of the Department of Earth Sciences at Royal Holloway, University of London - have revealed that neither comet nor catastrophe were the cause for abrupt climate change some 12,900 years ago. Sun Jun 20 23:22:01 2010 EST http://feeds.reuters.com/~r/reuters/environment/~3/JgHfrnIwzjQ/idUSTRE65H0LI20100618 SYDNEY (Reuters) - The world''s oceans are virtually choking on rising greenhouse gases, destroying marine ecosystems and breaking down the food chain -- irreversible changes that have not occurred for several million years, a new study says. Sun Jun 20 23:22:01 2010 EST http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/shell/lloC/~3/_9b-xwWHaHU/ In his speech to the nation this week, President Obama referred to the huge level of resource that the United States was able to muster as it turned its industrial capacity to the production of military equipment during World War II. The one answer I will not settle for is the idea that this challenge is too big and too difficult to meet. You see, the same thing was said about our ability to produce enough planes and tanks in World War II. One of the best examples of this transformation and a symbol of US wartime industrial output was the production of 'Liberty Ships'. Sun Jun 20 23:22:01 2010 EST http://dotearth.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/06/19/japans-hard-right-keeps-dolphin-film-from-theaters/ A tiny faction in Japan prevents a documentary on the dolphin slaughter in a town there from being shown. Sun Jun 20 23:22:01 2010 EST http://sify.com/news/membrane-to-cut-carbon-dioxide-emission-from-coal-power-units-news-international-kgrsuehbehc.html High- tech cling wraps that filter out carbon dioxide (CO2) from waste gases can help save the world, says the researcher who developed the technology. Sun Jun 20 23:22:01 2010 EST http://english.people.com.cn/90001/90778/90860/7027959.html China has taken a leading role in utilizing many green technologies and is expected to be a major market for carbon capture and storage technologies, said industry leaders. Both research institutes and companies have shown great enthusiasm for the technology, but commercialization will take time due to high costs and safety issues, said analysts. "Carbon capture and storage (CCS) is a tough ... Sun Jun 20 23:22:01 2010 EST http://www.insidehousing.co.uk/news/housing-management/low-carbon-technology-can-increase-running-costs/6510265.article The report, entitled Lifetime costs of installing renewable technologies , warns that using low and zero carbon technologies does not automatically lead to cost reductions. Sun Jun 20 23:22:01 2010 EST http://www.thestar.co.za/?fSectionId=&fArticleId=nw20091124074652734C576159 Ghor Haditha, Jordan - The Dead Sea may soon shrink to a lifeless pond as Middle East political strife blocks vital measures needed to halt the decay of the world''s lowest and saltiest body of water, experts say. Sun Jun 20 23:22:01 2010 EST http://news.yahoo.com/s/livescience/20100617/sc_livescience/antarcticseaiceparadoxicallygrowing While Arctic sea ice continues to shrink as the world warms, the ice around Antarctica is actually growing, thanks to the influence of the ozone hole over the southernmost continent, scientists have reported. Sun Jun 20 23:22:01 2010 EST http://www.financialexpress.com/news/Column-Bonn-ends-in-whimper-but-there-is-hope/634674/ The climate change mini- summit at Bonn has ended with a whimper, in sharp contrast to the storm that was raised over... Sun Jun 20 23:22:01 2010 EST http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100611/ap_on_sc/us_sci_oil_in_everything WASHINGTON " Has the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico got you so mad you' re ready to quit Big Oil? Ready to park the car and take up bike- riding or walking? Well, your bike and your sneakers have petroleum products in them. And sure, you can curb energy use by shutting off the AC, but the electric fans you switch to have plastic from oil and gas in them. And the insulation to keep your home cool, also started as oil and gas. Without all that, you' ll sweat and it' ll be all too noticeable because deodorant comes from oil and gas too. Mon Jun 14 11:10:47 2010 EST 14th June 2010 http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2010/04jun_swef/ Earth and space are about to come into contact in a way that''s new to human history. To make preparations, authorities in Washington DC are holding a meeting: The Space Weather Enterprise Forum at the National Press Club on June 8th. Richard Fisher, head of NASA''s Heliophysics Division, explains what it''s all about: "The sun is waking up from a deep slumber, and in the next few years we expect to see much higher levels of solar activity. At the same time, our technological society has developed an unprecedented sensitivity to solar storms. The intersection of these two issues is what we' re getting together to discuss." The National Academy of Sciences framed the problem two years ago in a landmark report entitled "Severe Space Weather Events- Societal and Economic Impacts." It noted how people of the 21st- century rely on high- tech systems for the basics of daily ... Mon Jun 14 11:10:47 2010 EST http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/world/europe/10294649.stm From the Mediterranean coast to the bay of Arcachon on the Atlantic and now Brittany, farmers have been watching in dismay in recent weeks as the virus once again moved northwards, keeping pace with the rising sea temperature. In 2008 and 2009, the industry was ravaged by the same epidemic, with many farms losing 80-100% of their stocks of naissains - first- year spats. Because it takes three years to grow a commercially viable oyster, so far the economic impact of the crisis has been limited. But now all pre-2008 production has been depleted, so major shortages are predicted next winter when demand peaks around Christmas and New Year. Mon Jun 14 11:10:47 2010 EST http://blogs.ft.com/energy-source/2010/06/14/climate-talks-end-in-acrimony-for-saudi-arabia/ Two weeks of international talks in Bonn ended on something of a sour note when Saudi Arabia and two other Gulf fossil- fuel producers blocked a proposal for an updated report on the effect of a 1.5 degree increase in climate. Mon Jun 14 11:10:47 2010 EST http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/world/us_and_canada/10307782.stm US President Barack Obama says the oil disaster in the Gulf of Mexico will have the same impact on the US psyche as 9/11. Mon Jun 14 11:10:47 2010 EST http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/climateprogress/lCrX/~3/LDcdYjfibrI/ 'I am not willing to be the latest in a succession of Presidents telling you we' re going to end our addiction to oil. Finally, it''s time to begin. Oil is holding us all hostage, economically and physically. If terrorists had poisoned 40% of our wetlands and 25% of our fisheries, we wouldn' t ask, 'How much will it cost to fight back? The good news? At last we have ways to get far within a few years, not over decades! And it will cost much less than you think.' Tuesday night, President Obama will speak to the nation about the Gulf catastrophe. Mon Jun 14 11:10:47 2010 EST http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2010/jun/13/bp-energy-oil-recession-economy The Gulf of Mexico spill has made it imperative that we end our dependency on petrol. How much should we worry about running out of oil? Of late, there have been disparate predictions for our oil reserves, with some claiming that oil will last us for decades. In fact, the question is not so much: "When will there be no more oil left for us to take?" but, rather: "When will demand outstrip production?" And that could happen sooner than most people realise. This is an issue that governments around the world, including our own, are ignoring despite the potential risk to our economies. Conventional oil production has a limited capacity. Mon Jun 14 11:10:47 2010 EST http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2010/jun/13/ecological-tragedy-political-disaster Fifty days in, the backlash from the BP oil spill is being felt on both sides of the Atlantic. As the special relationship comes under strain, Obama invests an unprecedented amount of presidential time on a visit to the Gulf, while Cameron faces rightwing flak. The anger is palpable in the southern Louisiana towns where livelihoods are being slowly and inexorably choked by oil. Pickup trucks with "BP sucks" scrawled on their panels bounce along the roads. Anti- BP rallies are planned this weekend in communities too small to rate a petrol station but which now sport giant billboards advertising law firms touting for people who want to sue the oil giant for compensation. Mon Jun 14 11:10:47 2010 EST http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2010/jun/14/charlie-brooker-bp-oil-spill Americans used to love an English accent. The oil spill has somewhat destroyed its charm. Flippantly putting the grave environmental tragedy of it all to one side for a moment, the Deepwater Horizon oil leak isn' t just causing extensive damage to the Louisiana coastline. What about our accents? Our lovely British accents? Thanks to the BP link, they' ve been destroyed too. Don' t know about you, but whenever I' m around Americans, I tend to exaggerate my Britishness in a pathetic bid to win their approval. Those days are gone. The first time I visited the US, I ran into trouble at immigration. Half the group I was travelling with decided to get drunk on the plane, which probably would' ve been fine with all the other passengers if it hadn' t been for the unrelenting cackling and yelping and removal of trousers. Mon Jun 14 11:10:47 2010 EST http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2010/jun/14/police-compensation-kingsnorth-climate-protesters Kent police admit stop and search operation was a violation of human rights and agree to pay compensation to three protesters. Three activists at the Kingsnorth Power Station protest in 2008 are to receive compensation after Kent Police admitted they had been unlawfully stopped and searched. The three, including two 11-year- old twins, were stopped under laws requiring police officers to have 'reasonable suspicion' that an individual is carrying prohibited weapons or articles that could be used to cause criminal damage. However, during the case, brought against the police by the three protesters, it has now emerged that police had been conducting a blanket stop and search policy. Mon Jun 14 11:10:47 2010 EST http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2010/jun/13/sir-fred-goodwin-tony-hayward Companies like BP have more power than ever before " but there is a democratic deficit at the core of their governance. The transatlantic diplomatic pugilism over BP is only part of a much bigger story. The crisis has laid bare how our dangerous dependency on oil has led companies into ever riskier forms of extraction; unless we wean ourselves off this addiction more disasters seem inevitable. Deepwater has also exposed another dangerous dependency in which we are all complicit: our blind reliance on Tony Hayward, Sir Fred Goodwin and other corporate titans to provide for our welfare in old age. The environment is fragile, and so are our pensions. Mon Jun 14 11:10:47 2010 EST http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2010/jun/13/bp-britishness-not-most-important-issue President Obama''s attacks on "British Petroleum" and its chief executive, Tony Hayward, are deeply unedifying. Not because of the hypocrisy and misinformation involved, though there is plenty of that: BP has not been called British Petroleum for years and its controversial dividend is denominated in US dollars. Nancy Pelosi, the House Speaker, conjured up images of pound notes flowing into pinstriped pockets in the City when she suggested shareholders had "deeper pockets" than fishermen on the Gulf coast. But recipients of the divi are not all fat cats, and they are certainly not all British. About 40% of BP''s dividends are paid to US small investors and pension fund members, including teachers in California and Texas. Mon Jun 14 11:10:47 2010 EST http://www.joabbess.com/2010/06/14/fossil-fuels-versus-corn-ethanol/ So, digging up dirty old decaying fish causes massive coastland and marine pollution. Would bioethanol from corn be better ? [link] energy- source/2010/06/14/is- bps- oil- spill- an- opportunity- for- the- ethanol- lobby/ Not really. First there''s the amount of land required to grow all that corn to burn in all those tanks (see diagram at top of page). Then, there''s the competition between food and fuel that that will generate. Then there''s the continued hazard from airborne particulates that you get from burning anything in infernal, I mean, internal combustion engines :- [link] blog/20100609/new- questions- about- toxic- products- biofuel- combustion And last, and by no means least, Corn Ethanol production would keep Archer Daniels Midland in business, and that would mean they would own not only (unresearched ... Mon Jun 14 11:10:47 2010 EST http://www.joabbess.com/2010/06/13/bp-too-big-to-fail/ Phew ! That''s a relief ! The American President Barack Obama has personally spoken to British Prime Minister David Cameron apparently to reassure him he meant no harm to the reputation of Britain by blaming BP for the Gulf of Mexico oil spill :- [link] environment/2010/jun/13/gulf- oil- spill I should hope not ! BP stopped being 'British' Petroleum some time ago. Forty percent of BP''s business is in the United States :- [link] commentisfree/ cifamerica/2010/jun/10/us- bloodlust- bp- oil- spill The lack of speed and poor success in trying to cap and capture the undersea gusher from the Deepwater Horizon field has been relayed to our screens and laptops and newspapers in lurid, Jacques Cousteau- like inglory. Mon Jun 14 11:10:47 2010 EST http://www.mcclatchydc.com/2010/06/12/95793/ixtoc-the-gulfs-other-massive.html The oil was everywhere, long black sheets of it, 15 inches thick in some places. Even if you stepped in what looked like a clean patch of sand, it quickly and gooily puddled around your feet. And Wes Tunnell, as he surveyed the mess, had only one bleak thought: "Oh, my God, this is horrible! It''s all gonna die!'' But it didn' t. Thirty- one years since the worst oil spill in North American history blanketed 150 miles of Texas beach, tourists noisily splash in the surf and turtles drag themselves into the dunes to lay eggs. Mon Jun 14 11:10:47 2010 EST http://feeds.newscientist.com/c/749/f/10928/s/b258c99/l/0L0Snewscientist0N0Carticle0Cmg20A627640A0B80A0A0Ewhats0Ewrong0Ewith0Ethe0Esun0Bhtml0DDCMP0FOTC0Erss0Gnsref0Fclimate0Echange/story01.htm Right now our nearest star should be flaring up as never before. But instead it''s eerily calm " and we need to find out why Mon Jun 14 11:10:47 2010 EST http://www.realclimate.org/index.php/archives/2010/06/recent-trends-in-co2-emissions/ Guest commentary by Corinne Le Quéré, Michael R. Raupach, and Joseph G. Canadell There is a letter in Nature Geoscience this month by Manning et al (sub. reqd.) 'Misrepresentation of the IPCC CO2 emission scenarios' discussing some recent statements about the growth rates of CO2 emissions compared to the IPCC scenarios that informed the climate modeling in the last IPCC report. In it they refer to results published by us and colleagues in a couple of recent papers (Raupach et al. 2007; Le Quéré et al. 2009), and to statements made by others on the basis of our results (Ganguly et al. Mon Jun 14 11:10:47 2010 EST http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/YaleEnvironment360/~3/iu5n1f0aDkw/feature.msp The massive oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico is a warning, conservationists say, of what could happen in the Arctic as melting sea ice opens the Arctic Ocean to oil and gas drilling. Many experts argue that the time has come to adopt an Arctic Treaty similar to the one that has safeguarded Antarctica for half a century. BY ED STRUZIK Mon Jun 14 11:10:47 2010 EST http://www.vancouversun.com/news/Harper+pressured+climate+change+agenda/3149140/story.html CBC. ca. Harper pressured to put climate change on G8, G20 agenda. Vancouver Sun... some issues surrounding climate change. At the same time, the G20 isn' t expected to replace the United Nations (global- warming) negotiating process. ...International summits have become outdated. St. Thomas Times- Journal. National Affairs. Orangeville Citizenall 352 Mon Jun 14 11:10:47 2010 EST http://www.thenational.ae/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20100612/BUSINESS/706129937/1005 AFPOPEC takes flak for UN climate veto. National. Reuters Several OPEC nations have blocked a proposal for a UN inquiry into tougher action against global warming but not without a barrage of criticism from ...Saudis block call for global warming report. AFPSaudi placard vandalized, climate talks slowed further. Sify. Oil nations block switch to 1.5°C climate goal. EurActiv. Irish Times -Reuters UK -Indian Expressall 71 Mon Jun 14 11:10:47 2010 EST http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2012063258_bloomethanol13.html?syndication=rss A mile down an unpaved road on the outskirts of Canton, Ill., population 14,500, stands a shuttered ethanol plant. Mon Jun 14 11:10:47 2010 EST http://www.businessgreen.com/business-green/news/2264705/developing-countries-voice James Murray, Business. Green , Monday 14 June 2010 at 12:06:00 Leading diplomats slam "one- sided" and "imbalanced" draft negotiating text The improved atmosphere that dominated the latest round of international climate change talks in Bonn was marred somewhat on Friday after a new version of the draft negotiating text met with a mixed reception and the Saudi Arabian delegation was targeted in an ... Mon Jun 14 11:10:47 2010 EST http://www.twincities.com/national/ci_15282081?source=rss WALNUT CREEK, Calif. A few years ago, Ben Santer, a climate scientist with Lawrence Livermore Laboratory in Washington, answered a 10 p. m. doorbell ring at his home. After opening the door, he found a dead rat on the doorstep and a man in a yellow Hummer speeding away and shouting curses. Mon Jun 14 11:10:47 2010 EST http://www.pressherald.com/news/nationworld/warmer-climate-thaws-ice-cellars-in-arctic-villages_2010-06-13.html Residents who rely on a subsistence diet are having to throw out spoiled whale meat. Mon Jun 14 11:10:47 2010 EST http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2010/06/12/world/main6574774.shtml Southern Region''s Worst Drought in Century Followed by Torrential Storms That Swell Yangtze River; 140,000 Houses Collapse Mon Jun 14 11:10:47 2010 EST http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/06/13/INSD1DREGU.DTL California''s wet winter was a pleasant surprise after three years of drought. Yet most Californians will be surprised to know that, despite the heavy rain and snowfall, our state still is not able to meet all of our water needs. How is this possible?... California - Water - Drought - Rain - Water resources Mon Jun 14 11:10:47 2010 EST http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2010/06/13/2925712.htm Former federal Opposition leader Malcolm Turnbull has accused Kevin Rudd of being a coward on the issue of climate change. Mon Jun 14 11:10:47 2010 EST http://www.ekklesia.co.uk/?q=node/12380 Europe is behaving in a dangerously two- faced way when it comes to protecting the worlds climate, Christian Aid warned today (Thursday) as the UN climate talks in Bonn draw to a close. Mon Jun 14 11:10:47 2010 EST http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/opinion/2012093821_guest14knutson.html?syndication=rss The Deepwater Horizon disaster in the Gulf of Mexico is only one danger of continued U. S. dependence on oil for energy, write guest columnists Pete Knutson and Alan Parks. High levels of carbon dioxide are increasing the acidity of the world''s oceans, which affects commercial harvest. Mon Jun 14 11:10:47 2010 EST http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/13/opinion/13friedman.html?src=me&ref=homepage 'I' d like to join in on the blame game that has come to define our national approach to the ongoing environmental disaster in the Gulf of Mexico. This isn' t BP''s or Transocean''s fault. It''s not the government''s fault. It''s my fault. I' m the one to blame and I' m sorry. It''s my fault because I haven' t digested the world''s in- your- face hints that maybe I ought to think about the future and change the unsustainable way I live my life. If the geopolitical, economic, and technological shifts of the 1990s didn' t do it ... Mon Jun 14 11:10:47 2010 EST http://www.theage.com.au/national/scientists-to-tackle-scepticism-20100614-ya7j.html Scientists to tackle scepticism. The Age... discuss better communication of the science behind man- made climate change, in the wake of crumbling political and public consensus on global warming. ...Cut carbon, get healthy! Energy Collective (blog) Scientists want clear message on climate. Sydney Morning Heraldall 6 Mon Jun 14 11:10:47 2010 EST http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/science_and_environment/10276225.stm The incoming head of the UN climate convention says rich nations must pledge bigger emission cuts. Sat Jun 12 09:19:35 2010 EST 12th June 2010 http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/climateprogress/lCrX/~3/DFHgXJK3_ag/ A look at the culture of deregulation, self- regulation, and corruption ushered in by VP Dick Cheney underscores why the BP oil catastrophe should forever be remembered as Cheney''s Katrina, by CAP''s Joshua Dorner. Big Oil spent millions of dollars to sweep- and keep- George W. Bush and Dick Cheney in the White House. And it got its money''s worth. The new administration and its staunchly pro- oil congressional allies returned the favor by enacting one of the most pro- oil, anti- environment pieces of legislation in history: the Energy Policy Act of 2005-itself based on the recommendations of Cheney''s secret energy policy task force. Sat Jun 12 09:19:35 2010 EST http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/climateprogress/lCrX/~3/AASptdIpXzs/ This is the time, this is the Congress, and this is the moment. So if we retreat and try to just go to the energy only approach which will never yield the legislative results that I want on energy independence, then we just made the problem worse (2/3/10) In one of the fastest wholesale flip- flops in Senate history, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R- SC) has rejected his own climate bill and embraced an energy- only bill - just months after declaring such an approach intellectually dishonest and worse than meaningless. The Politico reports this morning: Sen. Lindsey Graham, who had earlier unsuccessfully negotiated to be part of the Kerry- Lieberman(-Graham) climate change bill, will join Sen. Sat Jun 12 09:19:35 2010 EST http://feeds.reuters.com/~r/reuters/environment/~3/SGE6YO_dnfM/idUSTRE6586TM20100609 WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Energy Secretary Steven Chu on Wednesday gave limited support to a Republican senator for introducing an alternative climate bill that would limit emissions by less than President Barack Obama wants to, but would also take steps to reduce U. S. dependence on oil. Sat Jun 12 09:19:35 2010 EST http://feeds.reuters.com/~r/reuters/environment/~3/Iz2_KgXWmqY/idUSTRE65843320100609 BONN (Reuters) - Climate negotiators gave a standing ovation to the outgoing head of the U. N. climate change secretariat Wednesday even after he told them they would be at risk of a red card in a soccer match for wasting time. Sat Jun 12 09:19:35 2010 EST http://feeds.reuters.com/~r/reuters/environment/~3/I1EGrJVWnCk/idUSTRE6584XN20100609 HELSINKI (Reuters) - The inventor of a new type of solar cell won the Finnish state and industry- funded Millennium Technology Prize, the prize''s foundation said on Wednesday. Sat Jun 12 09:19:35 2010 EST http://feeds.reuters.com/~r/reuters/environment/~3/WXtkmB_sCdg/idUSTRE6584FQ20100609 BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Palm oil grown on recently deforested land is unlikely to be acceptable for use in European biodiesel, a draft report from the European Commission shows. Sat Jun 12 09:19:35 2010 EST http://feeds.reuters.com/~r/reuters/environment/~3/UKfd1rFNZAw/idUSTRE6581CR20100609 LONDON (Reuters) - China could face increasing pressure in U. N. climate talks after data released on Wednesday showed the country''s carbon dioxide emissions from fossil fuel rose by 9 percent in 2009, bucking a global downtrend. Sat Jun 12 09:19:35 2010 EST http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/cif-green/2010/jun/09/oil-spill-credit-crunch-bp Small print of BP Statistical Review of World Energy is troubling. Big as BP''s problems are as a result of failed risk assessments, it will very probably soon become worse. Growing numbers of people doubt its annual review of oil reserves, published today. Society builds its oil dependency on key cultural statements of faith about secure supply, such as BP''s annual announcement that there is 40 years of supply or more, and no danger of supply falling short of demand, so ambushing oil- addicted economies. You would think that BP''s risk- assessment failures in the Gulf, and in US refineries, would make the company measured, given the stakes in this particular assessment. Sat Jun 12 09:19:35 2010 EST http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/cifamerica/2010/jun/09/deepwater-horizon-oil-spill-responsibility-bp It''s our addiction to cheap fuel that drives the high- risk, poorly regulated sector producing business models like BP' sWho''s to blame for the Gulf oil spill? Many commentators point the finger at BP and the United States government. This focus is understandable " but gives an incomplete picture of how moral responsibility is distributed in this kind of case. Getting a better idea of distribution is important for blame and punishment but also for prevention: we don' t want this to happen again. Ascribing responsibility here can be knotty, owing to the wide range of actors involved in oil production. What BP does in this context depends on other corporate actors. Sat Jun 12 09:19:35 2010 EST http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/michaeltomasky/2010/jun/09/congress-energy-democrats-and-lugar A lot has happened in the last few days on energy and climate change in the Senate, most of it not so great. But it sets up a classic half- a-loaf kind of dilemma for liberals. First, on Sunday, Chuck Schumer said the Senate would be aiming low on energy and that the Kerry- Lieberman mega- legislation, which puts a price on carbon emissions via cap- and- trade, wasn' t necessarily the template. He spoke a little prematurely and walked that back. Then, yesterday, Lindsey Graham, the only Republican who was playing ball here and whose name used to be on that legislation, said definitively that he wouldn' t support the current version of that bill. Sat Jun 12 09:19:35 2010 EST http://www.pheedcontent.com/click.phdo?i=23a96470f205ebd4acaf90fd75faf221 Of course debt is a serious issue for the future. But that''s why politicians see no gain in finding solutions in the present. United States - Government debt - Middle East - Credit rating - Climate change Sat Jun 12 09:19:35 2010 EST http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/science_and_environment/10297449.stm UN climate talks end in Bonn with talk of an improved mood but major gulfs remain between blocs. Sat Jun 12 09:19:35 2010 EST http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/science_and_environment/10288943.stm Melting glaciers in the Himalayas will have varying impacts on food security the region''s major river basins, a study says. Sat Jun 12 09:19:35 2010 EST http://www.climatechangenews.org/archive.php?p=walmart Wal-Mart, the original Black Hat, is going green. Or better said, sustainable. Let that sink in because it is true. Big time. So much so that Treehugger.com says It "could end up being one of the biggest motivators to make truly 'green' products ever." As in history of the world. Wal-Mart has made believers out of not just the biggest environmental organizations in the world -- like the Environmental Defense Fund and the World Wildlife Federation -- but also Wal-Mart's suppliers. It started five years ago when Wal-Mart announced three goals: 1) 100 percent renewable energy; 2) Zero waste; 3) Sustainable products. Sat Jun 12 09:19:35 2010 EST http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/science_and_environment/10286334.stm Campaigners accuse some rich nations of trying to gain carbon credits for "business as usual". Sat Jun 12 09:19:35 2010 EST http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/thereporters/richardblack/2010/06/from_the_un_climate_talks_1.html An overall goal is posited of reducing emissions globally by 50-85% from 1990 levels by 2050. Developing countries have repeatedly resisted calls for a global cap on emissions, because they deduce - accurately - that it implies a cap on their collective emissions: total cut minus industrialised countries' cuts equals their cuts. The maths says that when all is said and done, this would result in them accepting lower per- capita emissions for decades than Western nations, which they see as hindering their chances for equitable development. The call for parties to "co- operate in achieving the peaking of global and national emissions by 2020 at the latest" will also irk many developing countries. Sat Jun 12 09:19:35 2010 EST http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/climateprogress/lCrX/~3/JnGfqxmPlDU/ Lmonth tied May 1998 as the hottest on record in the NASA dataset. More significantly, following fast on the heels of easily the hottest April - and hottest Jan- April - on record, it''s also the hottest Jan- May on record [click on figure to enlarge]. Also, the combined land- surface air and sea- surface water temperature anomaly for March- April- May was 0.73°C above the 1951-1980 mean, blowing out the old record of 0.65°C set in 2002. The record temperatures we' re seeing now are especially impressive because we' ve been in 'the deepest solar minimum in nearly a century.' It''s just hard to stop the march of manmade global warming, well, other than by reducing greenhouse gas emissions, that is. Sat Jun 12 09:19:35 2010 EST http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/climateprogress/lCrX/~3/rA-gP7s2w3s/ This guest post is by John Englander, former CEO of The Cousteau Society. June 11th, marks Jacques- Yves Cousteau''s 100th birthday. 'The Undersea World of Jacques Cousteau' television specials were the 'must- see TV' of the 60's and 70's. The 'Captain' and his team aboard the Calypso enthralled us. For many generations, he was the exemplification of a conservationist, who was also a genius at communication. While he may be remembered as the premier underwater explorer, he actually evolved to focus on broader concerns for the planet, its inhabitants, and their quality of life. I keep thinking back to a private conversation we had, even before he hired me as CEO of The Cousteau Society. Sat Jun 12 09:19:35 2010 EST http://www.theecologist.org/News/news_round_up/505073/government_ignoring_rail_in_favour_of_domestic_flights.html Majority of UK Government departments are choosing to fly staff to destinations easily accessible by train, such as London to Glasgow, Edinburgh and Manchester Sat Jun 12 09:19:35 2010 EST http://www.theecologist.org/News/news_round_up/505072/uk_population_growth_needs_to_be_reversed.html Sustainability watchdog argues for an end to larger family tax benefits and a bigger political debate on reducing population growth and its impact Sat Jun 12 09:19:35 2010 EST http://energybulletin.net/node/53055 Mahatma Gandhi is widely regarded as the father of the Indian nation, which he was. But the founding of the nation was not his only aim. He was, as he freely admitted, using India to demonstrate to the whole world how nonviolence could change history. The swell of mostly nonviolent revolutions that has followed in the last 30 or so years would seem to indicate that his bold scheme worked. read more Sat Jun 12 09:19:35 2010 EST http://energybulletin.net/node/53058 Here''s the president on March 31st, announcing his plan to lift a longstanding moratorium on offshore drilling: "Given our energy needs, in order to sustain economic growth and produce jobs, and keep our businesses competitive, we are going to need to harness traditional sources of fuel even as we ramp up production of new sources of renewable, homegrown energy." read more Sat Jun 12 09:19:35 2010 EST http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/14609746/1h6kyw/alternet_environment~Apocalypse-Now-and-Next-From-Gulf-Spill-to-Nuke-Disaster We just ignited a disaster beyond our technical control. Why are we on the brink of doing it again? Sat Jun 12 09:19:35 2010 EST http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/14623390/1h6kyw/alternet_environment~Years-of-Internal-BP-Probes-Warned-That-Neglect-Could-Lead-to-Accidents Internal investigations warned BP for years that the company had created a culture of disregard for safety and environmental rules and risked a serious accident. Sat Jun 12 09:19:35 2010 EST http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/14597389/1h6kyw/alternet_environment~The-BP-Disaster-Marks-the-End-of-the-Age-of-Arrogance-About-the-Environment-Can-We-Change This spill will mark the time we started to learn about ecocide; a turning point in our realization that our industrial, carbon- dependent way of life cannot last. Sat Jun 12 09:19:35 2010 EST http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/gallery/2010/jun/10/greenpeace-bp-logo-competition Images from a Greenpeace competition to redesign the BP logo following the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico Sat Jun 12 09:19:35 2010 EST http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/video/2010/jun/10/water-powered-battery A battery that runs on water may be in our cars and homes in the very near future Sat Jun 12 09:19:35 2010 EST http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2010/jun/11/travel-and-transport-ethical-living Lightweight and with an expected pricetag of £6,000, will the fuel- efficient T25 pass the Jeremy Clarkson test? In the boom years of the 1990s, the workshop of Gordon Murray produced the 240mph Mc. Laren F1, one of the fastest and most coveted road cars in the world. This month, the same design team will unveil the next vehicle to roll off the Murray production line, but using a lot less fuel as it does so. While the drivers of the 106 F1 supercars that were built might struggle to travel more than a dozen miles on a gallon of petrol, the new car, dubbed the T25, can manage almost a hundred " significantly better than the most fuel- efficient cars on the market today. Smaller than a Smart car, the new T25 is Murray''s solution to city streets choked with traffic that belch out huge amounts of carbon ... Sat Jun 12 09:19:35 2010 EST http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2010/jun/11/confidence-climate-science-poll Survey shows 71% of Britons are concerned about climate, despite hacked emails, failure at Copenhagen and cold weather. Climate science''s winter of discontent has not made a large impact on the British public''s attitudes to global warming, according to poll of over 1,800 people. The poll, by researchers at the University of Cardiff, showed a small drop in public acceptance of climate change but not the major falls that some observers had predicted after a series of media controversies over the actions of climate scientists, combined with the failure of the Copenhagen summit and the record- breaking cold temperatures."By no means has there been a collapse in confidence in climate science," said Professor Nick Pidgeon, who led the study. Sat Jun 12 09:19:35 2010 EST http://www.nst.com.my/nst/articles//16rmp/Article/ OUR journey towards Vision 2020 is full of challenges and uncertainties at the global level. The global economic landscape today has changed significantly and Malaysia can no longer depend on a low- cost structure to remain competitive internationally. Sat Jun 12 09:19:35 2010 EST http://www.asiaone.com/News/AsiaOne News/World/Story/A1Story20100611-221474.html LONDON - Britain has become more sceptical about climate change, more supportive of nuclear power, and more worried about depending on energy imports, a poll by Cardiff University on Friday showed. Sat Jun 12 09:19:35 2010 EST http://www.usnews.com/articles/science/2010/6/11/wood-power-worse-polluter-than-coal.html?s_cid=rss:wood-power-worse-polluter-than-coal Wood- burning power plants release more greenhouse gases into the air than coal over time. Sat Jun 12 09:19:35 2010 EST http://www.huffingtonpost.com/bill-chameides/as-the-climate-turns_b_609270.html Crossposted with www. thegreengrok. com. The ups and downs of the climate debate strain credulity. Senate Does Not Approve of Disapproving The Senate hasn' t done much about climate.... Sat Jun 12 09:19:35 2010 EST http://www.skynews.com.au/eco/article.aspx?id=472797 A new round of climate talks has ended with rich and poor countries criticising a new text meant to pave the way toward a deal to halt global warming. Sat Jun 12 09:19:35 2010 EST http://feeds.newscientist.com/c/749/f/10928/s/b16d72d/l/0L0Snewscientist0N0Carticle0Cdn190A30A0Eprotected0Eforests0Eburn0Emore0Bhtml0DDCMP0FOTC0Erss0Gnsref0Fclimate0Echange/story01.htm Reducing the rate of deforestation often makes the number of forest fires go up, shows a study with implications for UN climate negotiations Sat Jun 12 09:19:35 2010 EST http://feeds.newscientist.com/c/749/f/10928/s/b12f087/l/0L0Snewscientist0N0Carticle0Cdn190A290Ehimalayan0Eice0Eis0Estable0Ebut0Easia0Efaces0Edrought0Bhtml0DDCMP0FOTC0Erss0Gnsref0Fclimate0Echange/story01.htm The glaciers that feed Asia''s largest rivers aren' t going to vanish soon " but 60 million Asians will suffer water shortages by 2050 Sat Jun 12 09:19:35 2010 EST http://feeds.newscientist.com/c/749/f/10928/s/b12c04b/l/0L0Snewscientist0N0Carticle0Cdn190A280Eus0Epollsters0Eargue0Eover0Epublic0Eview0Eon0Eclimate0Echange0Bhtml0DDCMP0FOTC0Erss0Gnsref0Fclimate0Echange/story01.htm A new survey suggests that climate science scandals don' t bother people in the US much " but hot words have been exchanged about global warming polls Sat Jun 12 09:19:35 2010 EST http://www.mcclatchydc.com/2010/06/11/95776/engineers-say-interior-changed.html A group of engineers and oil experts said Friday that the Interior Department changed the language of a high- profile oil spill report after they' d signed it, falsely signaling their support for a drilling moratorium that they thought went too far. Sat Jun 12 09:19:35 2010 EST http://www.mcclatchydc.com/2010/06/10/95709/senate-defeats-bid-to-limit-epa.html The Senate Thursday defeated 53-47 an effort to limit the Environmental Protection Agency''s authority to regulate greenhouse gas emissions, and President Barack Obama said the vote was a reminder of the need to pass more comprehensive climate change legislation. Sat Jun 12 09:19:35 2010 EST http://www.joabbess.com/2010/06/12/the-hottest-ever/ Image Credit : NASA GISS NASA GISS compute that the period January to May for 2010 has been the hottest ever on record. Of course, the Sun is the ultimate cause of rising temperatures on Earth. The energy from the Sun is the driving force behind all the weather systems, ocean currents, wind storms and cloud activity. But it''s the things you can' t see that are the most significant. Sunspots are theorised to indicate energy output from the Sun, that has an impact on temperatures on Earth. Higher sunspot activity would point to higher levels of energy reaching Earth. Sat Jun 12 09:19:35 2010 EST http://johannhari.com//2010/06/10/the-super-rich-ceo-scam-and-how-to-stop-it We are emerging now from a long dream- boom, built on a mess of financial trickery rather than on producing anything worthwhile. In the Nineties and the noughties we didn' t become more efficient or more productive " we simply became better at being conned. All the 'triumphs of deregulation' bragged about by market fundamentalists from Ronald Reagan to Tony Blair were built on a nitroglycerine- base of credit default swaps and subprime mortgages. The profits went almost entirely to the richest one per cent, while the bill after the burst goes to all of us. It will take years to drive out all the delusions that cropped up in the mirage years. Sat Jun 12 09:19:35 2010 EST http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/shell/lloC/~3/n9o5PX518Rg/ As the current round of UNFCCC talks continue this week in Bonn, albeit with little real chance of an immediate or even medium term breakthrough, progressive industry groups are picking up the pieces left behind after Copenhagen and seeking ways to move the debate forward. One particular challenge is to find a substantive mechanism to drive investment into developing countries, given the Copenhagen Accord pledge to channel $100 billion per annum in that direction by 2020. The reality of a post- recession developed world is debt, less government spending and general belt tightening all around which means that such funding is unlikely to come from the public purse. Sat Jun 12 09:19:35 2010 EST http://feeds.reuters.com/~r/reuters/environment/~3/FWW4ZJzFJWQ/idUSTRE6596C220100611 BONN, Germany (Reuters) - Rich and poor nations alike criticized a new blueprint for a U. N. climate treaty on Friday as two weeks of talks among 185 countries ended with small steps toward an elusive deal. Sat Jun 12 09:19:35 2010 EST http://feeds.reuters.com/~r/reuters/environment/~3/pmu2jEPTrZg/idUSTRE65A4XM20100611 LUXEMBOURG (Reuters) - Western European countries gave strong backing to deeper cuts to climate- warming emissions on Friday, but Italy''s environment minister said her peers were deluded. Sat Jun 12 09:19:35 2010 EST http://feeds.reuters.com/~r/reuters/environment/~3/xYgNQobjll0/idUSTRE65A33Z20100611 BONN, Germany (Reuters) - U. N. climate negotiators agreed to an investigation on Friday after protesters smashed a sign emblazoned "Saudi Arabia" and dropped it in toilet after Riyadh blocked a study of deeper cuts in greenhouse gases. Sat Jun 12 09:19:35 2010 EST http://feeds.reuters.com/~r/reuters/environment/~3/Gc_8fM5JGPc/idUSTRE65A29720100611 GRAND- LAHOU, Ivory Coast (Reuters) - When the ocean swallowed up their homes, it also divided the people of this sleepy Ivorian fishing village -- half of them moved inland, the other half stayed to brave the waves. Sat Jun 12 09:19:35 2010 EST http://feeds.reuters.com/~r/reuters/environment/~3/E2mBdaBJXZA/idUSTRE6596C220100610 BONN, Germany (Reuters) - Negotiators from 185 nations end two weeks of talks on a new climate treaty on Friday with a new blueprint for a pact that omits the most draconian options for greenhouse gas cuts by 2050. Sat Jun 12 09:19:35 2010 EST http://feeds.reuters.com/~r/reuters/environment/~3/lzyS9GH-904/idUSTRE65968620100610 LONDON (Reuters) - Britain has become more skeptical about climate change, more supportive of nuclear power, and more worried about depending on energy imports, a poll by Cardiff University on Friday showed. Sat Jun 12 09:19:35 2010 EST http://feeds.reuters.com/~r/reuters/environment/~3/ir7mwa86iNo/idUSTRE6594TG20100610 SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Increased melting of glaciers and snow in the Himalayas and Tibetan Plateau threatens the food security of millions of people in Asia, a study shows, with Pakistan likely to be among the nations hardest hit. Sat Jun 12 09:19:35 2010 EST http://feeds.reuters.com/~r/reuters/environment/~3/3E72je1TCuU/idUSTRE6593EP20100610 HAMMERFEST, Norway (Reuters) - In Hammerfest, a Norwegian town on Europe''s northernmost tip where reindeer often roam the streets, many feel the petroleum- fueled boom they are experiencing outweighs the risks of offshore exploration. Sat Jun 12 09:19:35 2010 EST http://feeds.reuters.com/~r/reuters/environment/~3/5JRyu7mfDtI/idUSTRE65843320100610 BONN (Reuters) - Climate negotiators gave a standing ovation to the outgoing head of the U. N. climate change secretariat Wednesday even after he told them they would be at risk of a red card in a soccer match for wasting time. Sat Jun 12 09:19:35 2010 EST http://www.physorg.com/news195400377.html (AP) -- Nearly 60 million people living around the Himalayas will suffer food shortages in the coming decades as glaciers shrink and the water sources for crops dry up, a study said Thursday. Sat Jun 12 09:19:35 2010 EST http://rss.feedsportal.com/c/266/f/3780/s/b14434c/l/0L0Sindependent0O0Cnews0Cuk0Chome0Enews0Cclimate0Ecampaigners0Ewin0Epolice0Epayout0E19974720Bhtml/story01.htm Police have agreed to compensate three people, including 13-year- old twins, who were unlawfully stopped and searched during a climate camp demonstration two years ago. Sat Jun 12 09:19:35 2010 EST http://feeds.grist.org/click.phdo?i=6f4f1a04d61b6d224b88e7dd58523673 by Tom Laskawy. The political (or at least the Senatorial) tides are running strongly against a muscular policy response to climate change. Now a top NOAA scientist tells us that even the winds are blowing in the wrong direction- actual winds, mind you, not political. Via Science Daily: A warmer Arctic climate is influencing the air pressure at the North Pole and shifting wind patterns on our planet. We can expect more cold and snowy winters in Europe, eastern Asia and eastern North America. 'Cold and snowy winters will be the rule, rather than the exception,' says Dr. Sat Jun 12 09:19:35 2010 EST http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/YaleEnvironment360/~3/eHU7_DDMTAw/feature.msp For years, free- market fundamentalists opposed to government regulation have sought to create doubt in the public''s mind about the dangers of smoking, acid rain, and ozone depletion. Now they have turned those same tactics on the issue of global warming and on climate scientists, with significant success. BY NAOMI ORESKES AND ERIK M. CONWAY Sat Jun 12 09:19:35 2010 EST http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/YaleEnvironment360/~3/N4VW_wcH1FU/digest.msp A group of powerful U. S. business leaders has called on the government to sharply increase funding of renewable energy research or risk falling far behind other nations in the race to replace fossil fuels with green technologies. The group, which includes Microsoft co- founder Bill Gates, General Electric CEO Jeffrey Immelt, and venture capitalist John Doerr, said the government should triple spending on energy research and development to $16 billion a year and create a national energy board to oversee investment decisions in renewable energy research. Gates, speaking for the group, the American Energy Innovation Council, said it was vital that the nation reduce its dependence on fossil fuels and slash greenhouse gas emissions by 80 percent by 2050. Sat Jun 12 09:19:35 2010 EST http://allafrica.com/stories/201006091119.html For centuries Somali culture has been shaped by the weather. Forecasters, called "Xidaars," are the most respected members of communities. Using an ancient combination of Persian and African astronomy to herald the rain and warn of oncoming drought, they define the crop and livestock cycles for pastorally based Somali communities. Although Somalis are no strangers to devastating droughts ... Sat Jun 12 09:19:35 2010 EST http://dotearth.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/06/10/heres-to-jacques-yves-cousteau/ An homage to a departed, but not forgotten, champion of the seas. Sat Jun 12 09:19:35 2010 EST http://dotearth.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/06/10/inside-the-beltway-climate-war/ A new book charts the troubling back story behind the struggle to craft laws limiting the human impact on climate. Sat Jun 12 09:19:35 2010 EST http://dotearth.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/06/09/climate-in-an-impolitic-world/ An all- day online discussion of climate, energy, communication and public attitudes. Sat Jun 12 09:19:35 2010 EST http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5jiJAAFVzsXFQuvAGaJT_qVuGUSoQ Reuters UKWorld still heading for 3 degree Celsius warming: study. AFP" The current pledges and loopholes give us a virtual certainty of exceeding 1.5 C (2.7 F), with global warming very likely exceeding 2 C (3.6 F) and a more ...New UN Climate Chief Urges Joint Action To Tackle Global Warming. RTT News. Forget pact: New UN climate boss. Hindustan Times. ANALYSIS - Rich face triple aid test on environment, poverty. Reuters India. Business Mirror -The Associated Press -Times of Indiaall 417 Sat Jun 12 09:19:35 2010 EST http://www.businessweek.com/news/2010-06-11/world-takes-baby-steps-toward-treaty-at-un-talks-update1-.html Reuters UKWorld Takes 'Baby Steps' Toward Treaty at UN Talks. Business. Week... Climate change envoys inched toward an eventual treaty, narrowing gaps between industrialized and developing nations during two weeks of global- warming ...New UN Climate Chief Urges Joint Action To Tackle Global Warming. RTT News. World still heading for 3 degree Celsius warming: study. AFPForget pact: New UN climate boss. Hindustan Times. Reuters India -The Associated Press -Oxfam Ireland News (press release) (blog) all 429 Sat Jun 12 09:19:35 2010 EST http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5hqI3wKPaGKW8M_EyY25KvXg1yGIQ Arabian. Business. com. Saudis block call for global warming report. AFPThe goal is receding as emissions of greenhouse gases rise and political problems for tackling climate change multiply. AOSIS, supported by the European ...Saudi placard vandalized, climate talks slowed further. Sify. Oil nations block switch to 1.5°C climate goal. EurActiv. Request for scientific data blocked by oil states. Irish Timesall 55 Sat Jun 12 09:19:35 2010 EST http://www.cnn.com/2010/OPINION/06/07/oreskes.climate.change/ Washington Post. Attack on climate scientist just latest in a long line. CNN... is more associated with global warming than Roger Revelle, mentor to Al Gore, who first warned of the risks of human- caused climate change in the 1950s. ...When in doubt, trust science. Record- Searchlight (blog) Unmasking disinformation, from tobacco to climate. Washington Post. Climate Science and the IPCC Fail Legal Cross Examination. Canada Free Press. Scoop. co. nz (press release) all 7 Sat Jun 12 09:19:35 2010 EST http://feeds.reuters.com/~r/reuters/blogs/environment/~3/BA_7TIMAutI/ Republicans may be coming around to former Vice President Al Gore''s way of thinking. Not on climate change, but on the "lockbox." During his failed 2000 presidential bid, Gore talked about setting aside Social Security tax surpluses and putting them in a kind of "lockbox" to keep them off limits for other government spending and tax cuts. NBC''s "Saturday Night Live" comedy show made great fun of the Democrat''s comment. Now Senate Republicans have revived the idea. Not for Social Security, but for the oil spill clean up fund. Democrats are proposing to increase the oil spill clean up fund tax to 41 cents a barrel from 8 cents a barrel. Sat Jun 12 09:19:35 2010 EST http://feeds.reuters.com/~r/reuters/blogs/environment/~3/LCLqshD7cqM/ -Kees Willemse is professor of off- shore engineering, Delft University. The opinions expressed are his own.- The news that a huge metal cap has been successfully placed over several of the leaking oil vents at the Deepwater Horizon site marks a potential turning point in the Gulf of Mexico crisis. It is already estimated that each day some 10-15,000 barrels of the oil that are spilling out into the ocean are being captured and diverted to ships on the sea surface. Despite this engineering success, a complete end to the oil leakage is unlikely until new relief oil wells are completed -- a drilling process that could take most of the summer, and potentially into the autumn. Sat Jun 12 09:19:35 2010 EST http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/leading-articles/leading-article-float-his-boat-1995929.html The reputation of the undersea explorer Jacques Cousteau has sprung a few leaks in recent years. But his achievement in bringing the glories and mysteries of the briny deep to a wide global audience still stands as solid as any underwater mountain range. So the appeal by Cousteau''s widow, Francine, for the French government to mark the centenary of the filmmaker''s birth next month by re- floating his ship, the Calypso (which sank in Singapore harbour in 1996) is a worthy one. Sat Jun 12 09:19:35 2010 EST http://liberalconspiracy.org/2010/06/11/obama-is-right-to-slam-bp-and-why-capitalists-should-too/ Put aside the environmental impact of the BP oil spill for a minute " massive as it is " because right- wingers don' t really care for little things like that. Instead they' re whinging that Obama is slamming their favourite oil company far too much. It hurts their pride you know. Oh and it hurts our pensions! Damn that Obama, does he not care for our goddamn pensions?. Who cares for those people whose livelihoods have been lost thanks to the obscene amounts of oil that is about to hit their shores? Certainly not these idiots. Ben Goldacre tweeted yesterday ... Sat Jun 12 09:19:35 2010 EST http://www.upi.com/Science_News/2010/06/10/New-yeast-can-ferment-more-sugar/UPI-80801276179300/ WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind., June 10 (UPI) -- U. S. biological engineers say they have developed a strain of yeast that is more efficient in producing biofuel from cellulosic plant material. Sat Jun 12 09:19:35 2010 EST http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20100609/sc_afp/oecdenvironmentwarming_20100609175101 Phasing out fossil fuel subsidies should cut greenhouse gas emissions by 10 percent from levels they would otherwise reach in 2050, the OECD said Wednesday. Sat Jun 12 09:19:35 2010 EST http://detnews.com/article/20100612/METRO/6120340/1409/rss36 With the ticks and swarms of mosquitoes -- both carriers of West Nile virus and Lyme disease -- there is much for area residents to be on the lookout for this year. It''s an active time for tiny troublemakers for plants, too: Gypsy moths and scales are beginning to damage trees. Sat Jun 12 09:19:35 2010 EST http://english.people.com.cn/90001/90778/90862/7023741.html Provisional corn reserves went on the market Friday in the government''s most recent effort to curb skyrocketing prices that have been buoyed by policy missteps and a weak harvest last year. Corn output is expected to reach 170 million tons this year, 6 million tons more than last year if there is no drought in major growing regions, said Sun Yu, a corn analyst with Galaxy Futures. But analysts ... Sat Jun 12 09:19:35 2010 EST http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/energy/oilandgas/7804922/BP-chief-Tony-Hayward-sold-shares-weeks-before-oil-spill.html The chief executive of BP sold £1.4 million of his shares in the fuel giant weeks before the Gulf of Mexico oil spill caused its value to collapse. Wed Jun 09 08:52:46 2010 EST 9th June 2010 http://www.mcclatchydc.com/2010/06/06/95398/activists-still-challenge-estimate.html As debate rages over the amount of oil pouring into the Gulf of Mexico from deepwater well leak BP can' t stop, plenty of oil spill watchdogs in Alaska think that the Exxon Valdez tanker spill in 1989 was nearly three times its official size of 11 million gallons. Complete coverage of the oil spill Wed Jun 09 08:52:46 2010 EST http://www.mcclatchydc.com/2010/06/05/95399/in-criminal-investigation-of-bp.html U. S. Attorney General Eric Holder promises an aggressive criminal investigation of BP and its contractors for their actions leading up to the massive Gulf of Mexico oil spill, already the worst environmental disaster in U. S. history. If history is any guide, however, don' t expect to see the chief executive of BP in handcuffs. Complete coverage of the oil spill Wed Jun 09 08:52:46 2010 EST http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2010/jun/06/scrap-pay-as-you-throw Con- Lib coalition also intends to halt 'garden grabbing' by developers by no longer classing gardens as brownfield land. Ministers are expected to announce that they are scrapping Labour plans to introduce "pay as you throw" rubbish schemes. Eric Pickles, the communities secretary, and Caroline Spelman, the environment secretary, will confirm that they will end schemes in which people are charged for household waste collections or for producing too much rubbish. On Wednesday the Con- Lib coalition will announce its intention to change planning law so that gardens are no longer classified as brownfield land that can be built on, in a move aimed at stopping "garden grabbing" by developers. Wed Jun 09 08:52:46 2010 EST http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2010/jun/06/my-bright-idea-spencer-wells Following the frugal example set by our hunter' gatherer forebears is the best way to combat today''s environmental challenges, says explorer Spencer Wells. Spencer Wells has a job that most people would kill for. He is explorer- in- residence for National Geographic and his work has taken him to every corner of the globe. His particular interests have nothing to do with wild places, however. His fascination lies with the people who inhabit these remote corners: how did they get there and what are their biological relations with other inhabitants of the planet? Wells is a geneticist and leader of the Genographic project, funded by National Geographic, which has traced the movements of human populations since we first emerged from our sub- Saharan homeland 100,000 years ago and colonised the planet. Wed Jun 09 08:52:46 2010 EST http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2010/jun/06/nuclear-fusion-iter-europe £1bn funding shortfall jeopardises hopes of producing cheap, non- polluting powerA £15bn international bid to harness the fusion process that powers the Sun is facing a major funding crisis. Scientists have revealed that the cost of the International Thermonuclear Experiment Reactor (Iter) has trebled from its original £5bn price tag in the past three years. At the same time, financial crises have beset all the nations involved in the project. As a result, construction of Iter " at Cadarache in France " has already been pushed back from 2015 to 2019, and further delays are likely. Some scientists say there is a risk that the entire project could be cancelled. Because it is hoped that fusion plants could one day supply the world with cheap, non- polluting power, the crisis facing Iter represents a substantial threat to plans to tackle the planet''s energy and climate problems. ... Wed Jun 09 08:52:46 2010 EST http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2010/jun/06/gm-crops-biotech-lobbyists-fsa Email trail shows how biotech group helped watchdog to draw up analysis of GM crops ... and prompted two advisers to quitA powerful lobbying organisation representing agribusiness interests helped draft a key government report that has been attacked by environmentalists for heavily favouring the arguments of the genetically modified food industry. The revelation comes after the resignation of two government advisers who have criticised the close relationship between the Food Standards Agency (FSA), the body that oversees the UK''s food industry, and the GM lobby. Emails between the FSA and the Agricultural Biotechnology Council (ABC) show the council inserted key sentences strengthening the case for GM food that ended up in the final report. The report, "Food Standards Agency work on changes in the market and the GM regulatory system", examines how GM products are entering the UK, where the growing of GM products is ... Wed Jun 09 08:52:46 2010 EST http://resourceinsights.blogspot.com/2010/06/addicts-excuse.html As I read Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal''s letter to President Obama and Interior Secretary Ken Salazar asking them to reconsider a six- month moratorium on deepwater oil drilling, I was reminded of a Wendell Berry essay I read several years ago. In "Word and Flesh" Berry wrote, "The great obstacle is simply this: the conviction that we cannot change because we are dependent on what is wrong. But that is the addict''s excuse, and we know that it will not do." Or do we? The Gulf of Mexico is currently experiencing the human equivalent of metastasizing cancer, and the governor of Louisiana proposes that the activities which resulted in that cancer be resumed immediately even as BP''s underwater gusher continues to flow into the gulf. Wed Jun 09 08:52:46 2010 EST http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/science_and_environment/10228989.stm Forest fires in the Amazon are increasing and could jeopardise efforts to curb forest- related emissions, a study finds. Wed Jun 09 08:52:46 2010 EST http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/climateprogress/lCrX/~3/8vYhpLi1Umw/ One of the country''s leading experts on the Arctic projects it will be essentially ice- free (in the fall) decades ahead of the projections of the climate models used in the 2007 IPCC report. And that has quite dire implications and consequences for the likely future rate of climate change compared to those models. The following chart is from Wieslaw Maslowski of the Naval Postgraduate School in a presentation at the March State of the Arctic Meeting (click to enlarge): *This projection is based on a combined model and data trendline focusing on ice volume. By 'ice- free,' Maslowski tells me he means more than an 80% drop from the 1979-2000 summer volume baseline of ~200,00 km^3. Wed Jun 09 08:52:46 2010 EST http://www.phillyburbs.com/news/local/courier_times/courier_times_news_details/article/28/2010/june/06/earth-friendly-job-friendly-1.html The Green Jobs Academy is now up and running to help provide green training to workers. Wed Jun 09 08:52:46 2010 EST http://www.financialexpress.com/news/Tread-cautiously-on-fossil-fuel-use-experts-to-govt/630285/ India Inc should end its dependence on fossil fuel and consumers should be more disciplined in their use of subsidised fuel, but the government has to be cautious while considering harsh disincentives to the use of fossil fuel such as a carbon tax. Wed Jun 09 08:52:46 2010 EST http://www.theage.com.au/national/carbon-sink-plans-sunk-by-stalling-of-emission-plan-20100605-xlxt.html Tree- planting schemes and carbon- offset projects could be abandoned at the end of the month, another casualty of the federal government''s delayed emissions trading scheme. Wed Jun 09 08:52:46 2010 EST http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2010/6/7/columnists/globaltrends/6414526&sec=globaltrends The past week saw the resumption of global climate talks in Bonn, with developed countries trying to evade their responsibilities while pushing the burden onto developing countries. Wed Jun 09 08:52:46 2010 EST http://www.huffingtonpost.com/alex-rafalowicz/update-from-bonn-the-craz_b_600468.html The EU used to be characterized by its 'ambition and contribution' to a strong international climate regime, but here in Bonn they are showing a distinct lack of courage, and as the German''s say, when you lose your courage you lose everything. Wed Jun 09 08:52:46 2010 EST http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2010/06/100606-energy-trucks-hybrid-electric/ With fuel costs a driving factor, analysts predict a surge of hybrid electric trucks and buses on the road in coming years. Electricity - Electric vehicle - Hybrid vehicle - Energy - Technology Wed Jun 09 08:52:46 2010 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/05/100526134247.htm Researchers have developed a new, more accurate method of calculating the change in greenhouse gas emissions that results from changes in land use. The new approach takes into account many factors not included in previous methods, such as the ecosystem''s ability to take up or release greenhouse gases over time and all of the greenhouse gases absorbed and released in the process of introducing ... Wed Jun 09 08:52:46 2010 EST http://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/radical-plan-to-combat-global-warming-may-raise-temperatures-1993281.html Radical plan to combat global warming 'may raise temperatures' Independent... as a serious topic of study, given the international failure to curb global emissions of carbon dioxide and the possibility of extreme climate change. ... Wed Jun 09 08:52:46 2010 EST http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/editorial_opinion/editorials/articles/2010/06/06/oil_spill_is_a_sign_to_congress_kick_the_fossil_fuel_habit/ WKRG- TVOil spill is a sign to Congress: kick the fossil- fuel habit. Boston Globe. IF THE threat of global warming doesn' t persuade Congress of the need to reduce America''s reliance on oil and coal, the vast slick now befouling the Gulf of ...Mr. President, lead now on fossil fuels. Los Angeles Timesall 167 Wed Jun 09 08:52:46 2010 EST http://www.newkerala.com/news/fullnews-122100.html Washington, June 5 : NASA is all set to embark on its first dedicated oceanographic research voyage. During the mission, scientists will study changing Arctic climate and ice conditions affecting ocean ecosystems. Wed Jun 09 08:52:46 2010 EST http://www.couriermail.com.au/rudd-accused-of-calling-chinese-fkers/story-e6frfku0-1225876391999?from=public_rss THE China- friendly image of Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd has been tarnished by claims he branded the Chinese "f**kers" at the Copenhagen Climate Summit. Wed Jun 09 08:52:46 2010 EST http://www2.ucar.edu/news/ocean-currents-likely-to-carry-oil-spill-along-atlantic-coast A detailed computer modeling study released today indicates that oil from the massive spill in the Gulf of Mexico might soon extend along thousands of miles of the Atlantic coast and open ocean as early as this summer. The modeling results are captured in a series of dramatic animations produced by the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) and collaborators. Wed Jun 09 08:52:46 2010 EST http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/sci/tech/8727863.stm Snakes may be declining across the world, according to a global study that found numbers falling steeply in the last two decades. Wed Jun 09 08:52:46 2010 EST http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/science_and_environment/10209492.stm Great apes were wiped out from ancient Europe when their environment changed drastically nine millions years ago. Wed Jun 09 08:52:46 2010 EST http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/climateprogress/lCrX/~3/xblk7G755lo/ Bill Mc. Kibben - counder of 350.org, long- time guest blogger, and the author most recently of the must- read book Eaarth - has an op- ed in the LA Times on the spill- to- bill pivot: Here''s the president on March 31, announcing his plan to lift a longstanding moratorium on offshore drilling: 'Given our energy needs, in order to sustain economic growth and produce jobs and keep our businesses competitive, we are going to need to harness traditional sources of fuel even as we ramp up production of new sources of renewable, homegrown energy.' And here he is on May 26, as political pressure started to really build over BP''s hole in the bottom of the sea ... Wed Jun 09 08:52:46 2010 EST http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/14518344/1gpx2l/alternet_environment~Is-Obama-Serious-About-Breaking-Our-Catastrophic-Oil-Addiction Has the President been transformed by the oil spill in the Gulf, or is he merely trying to ride out the public reaction? Wed Jun 09 08:52:46 2010 EST http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2010/jun/07/honeybee-collapse-stung-from-behind Distracted by a mysterious rash of dying bees, researchers may be overlooking a more insidious pollinator crisis. It has little to do with bees and everything to do with booming markets for raspberries, pears, and chocolate Fears for crops as shock figures from America show scale of bee catastrophe. Beekeeper Eric Olson has lost so many bees in the past few years, he''s had to consider closing shop. But nothing prepared him for what he found when he went out early one November morning to do a final check on "his girls," as he calls them. The first hive was dead - completely empty. Wed Jun 09 08:52:46 2010 EST http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/michaeltomasky/2010/jun/07/usa-bp You' d think the time was exactly right for a big new energy bill, right? I mean, if the American public is ever going to be attuned to these issues, it would be now, with all those images of those poor pelicans trying vainly to flap their oil- soaked wings. Well, things don' t work that way in 2010 America. Yes, it''s true, there''s a new poll out showing a majority opposing offshore drilling for the first time in a while. But look how close the numbers are: With oil continuing to stream into the Gulf, a majority of Americans - 51 percent -- say the costs and risks of increased offshore drilling are too great, according to a new CBS News poll. Wed Jun 09 08:52:46 2010 EST http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/cif-green/2010/jun/07/bp-oil-profits-future-disaster The energy industry has long dumped its damage and, like the banks, made scant provision against disaster. Time to pay up. Has BP ever made a profit? The question looks daft. The oil company posted profits of $26bn last year. There''s no doubt that BP has been pumping money into the pockets of its shareholders. The question is whether this money is what the company says it is. BP calls it profit. I call it the provision the firm should be making against future liabilities. Despite an angry letter from two US senators and a warning from Barack Obama about spending big money on their shareholders while nickel- and- diming coastal people, despite the fact that it has no idea what its total liabilities in the Gulf of Mexico will be, BP seems to be planning to pay a dividend this year. Wed Jun 09 08:52:46 2010 EST http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/cif-green/2010/jun/08/value-biodiversity This week, governments will meet in Korea to decide whether to establish an intergovernmental panel on biodiverisy services. It is all too easy to forget in the city- centred 21st century that human wellbeing is utterly dependent on the natural world. To state the obvious, we cannot survive without fresh water, food and fuel. And yet every day countless decisions are made whose ripple effects will degrade or destroy the vital goods and services that nature provides to people. Asian forests are cleared to boost timber exports, leading to erosion, landslides and the release of stored carbon that fuels climate change. Over- grazing by goats reared to meet overseas demand for cashmere clothing degrades grasslands in Mongolia. Wed Jun 09 08:52:46 2010 EST http://www.joabbess.com/2010/06/07/blackout-asia-crispy-baking/ While Europe has been enjoying an early Summer, elsewhere in the world high air temperatures have been record- breaking. When the heat gets this bad, public services need to provide air- conditioned community shelters as a key adaptational strategy. But any plans of this nature are being thwarted by power shortages, for example, in India and Pakistan :- [link] world/2010/06/01/200-dead- in- india- heatwave/ '200 Dead In India Heatwave', 01 June 2010 [link] commentisfree/2010/jun/07/pakistan- energy- policy- proving- deadly 'Pakistan''s heatwave and a deadly lack of energy policy ... Wed Jun 09 08:52:46 2010 EST http://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=51747 BONN, Jun 7 (IPS) - Six months after failing to reach a binding agreement on climate change, negotiators are meeting in Bonn to try to get the process back on track. But deep disagreement over measuring developing countries' emissions and finding funds for adaptation to climate change remain unresolved. Wed Jun 09 08:52:46 2010 EST http://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=51746 BERLIN, Jun 7 (IPS) - Europe seems hell- bent on burning the world''s forests for bioenergy, even as it offers billions of euros to save them, critics say. Wed Jun 09 08:52:46 2010 EST http://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=51741 BUENOS AIRES, Jun 7 (IPS/ IFEJ) - The Argentine hake fisheries of the southern Atlantic Ocean, among the world''s leaders in the white fish market, are on the verge of collapse due in part to the indifference of the Argentine people, who are apparently more interested in beef, a staple of their diet. Wed Jun 09 08:52:46 2010 EST http://feeds.grist.org/click.phdo?i=6e8c918844037580bdc5c953327459fd by Agence France- Presse. PARIS- The world community may need another 10 years to agree on carbon cuts deep enough to roll back global warming, the U. N.'s pointman for climate change warned on Monday. 'I don' t see the process delivering adequate mitigation targets in the next decade,' Yvo de Boer, executive secretary of the U. N. Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), said in a webcast from Bonn. 'Over the longer term, I think we will get this issue under control. Having said that, I do believe that it''s a longer journey.' De Boer spoke on the sidelines of a 12-day round of negotiations for a post-2012 treaty to curb the greenhouse gases that are disrupting Earth''s climate system. Wed Jun 09 08:52:46 2010 EST http://www.monbiot.com/archives/2010/06/07/the-money-gusher/ The oil industry''s decommissioning costs will dwarf those of nuclear power. The money being made now should be put aside to meet them. Wed Jun 09 08:52:46 2010 EST http://www.newscientist.com/blogs/shortsharpscience/2010/06/bp-turns-to-google-ads-to-save.html Gareth Morgan, technology news editor As daily clean- up costs to BP spiral to $37 million per day and its chief executive is vilified in the press, the company is trying to fight back - by buying search terms. So each time someone enters a relevant query - say "oil spill" - into a search engine such as Google, Yahoo or Bing, their results also include a paid- for link from BP. Typically, these sponsored links sit above the genuine results. Studies of the effectiveness of sponsored links suggests perhaps as many as 30 per cent of people will head to their marketing material. Wed Jun 09 08:52:46 2010 EST http://www.physorg.com/news195243955.html Researchers at Yale University have found that the risk of extinction for mountain birds due to global warming is greatest for species that occupy a narrow range of altitude. In fact, a species' vertical distribution is a better predictor of extinction risk than the extent of temperature change they experience, the researchers report in the June 9 issue of the Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences. Wed Jun 09 08:52:46 2010 EST http://www.physorg.com/news195243564.html Distinct populations of snake species on three continents have crashed over the last decade, raising fears that the reptiles may be in global decline, according to a study published Wednesday. Wed Jun 09 08:52:46 2010 EST http://www.physorg.com/news195236638.html Public concern about global warming is once again on the rise, according to a national survey released today by researchers at Yale and George Mason Universities. The results come as the U. S. Senate prepares to vote this week on a resolution to block the EPA from regulating carbon dioxide as a pollutant. Wed Jun 09 08:52:46 2010 EST http://feeds.reuters.com/~r/reuters/environment/~3/jVdu71URNPI/idUSTRE65765U20100608 WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A growing number of Americans want the United States to regulate greenhouse gas emissions as the largest oil spill in U. S. history helps boost interest in petroleum alternatives, a poll by two universities found on Tuesday. Wed Jun 09 08:52:46 2010 EST http://feeds.reuters.com/~r/reuters/environment/~3/TqtJo3h00nM/idUSTRE6574GO20100608 WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The White House on Tuesday threatened a presidential veto if Congress passes a measure to strip the Environmental Protection Agency of its authority to regulate greenhouse gas emissions. Wed Jun 09 08:52:46 2010 EST http://feeds.reuters.com/~r/reuters/environment/~3/Y2K01egZCmI/idUSTRE6571PQ20100608 TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan, the world''s fifth- biggest greenhouse gas emitter, can target deeper cuts in carbon dioxide emissions than first thought, a trade ministry panel said on Tuesday. Wed Jun 09 08:52:46 2010 EST http://rss.feedsportal.com/c/266/f/3780/s/b06a209/l/0L0Sindependent0O0Cnews0Cbusiness0Cnews0Cclimate0Egroups0Ecall0Eon0Eftse0Eto0Eremove0Ebp0Efrom0Eethical0Estock0Emarket0Eindices0E19949130Bhtml/story01.htm Environmental groups are calling for BP''s removal from stock market indices tracking socially and environmentally responsible companies. Wed Jun 09 08:52:46 2010 EST http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dale-pendell/an-economy-not-worth-savi_b_603590.html Let the recession come. The earth needs a recession, badly, globally. Wed Jun 09 08:52:46 2010 EST http://www.redorbit.com/news/science/1876682/icebreaker_voyage_to_probe_climate_change_impact_on_arctic/index.html?source=r_science NASA''s first dedicated oceanographic field campaign goes to sea June 15 to take an up- close look at how changing conditions in the Arctic are affecting the ocean''s chemistry and ecosystems that play a critical role in global climate change. The "Impacts of Climate on Ecosystems and Chemistry of the Arctic Pacific Environment" mission, or ICESCAPE, will investigate the impacts of climate change on ... Wed Jun 09 08:52:46 2010 EST http://feeds.reuters.com/~r/reuters/blogs/environment/~3/Cl5GfkybmpY/ By now, almost everybody - with the possible exception of Republican Senate candidate Carly Fiorina - realizes there''s a difference between climate and weather. Fiorina, running in the California primary and ultimately aiming to unseat Democrat Barbara Boxer, paid for and appeared in a campaign ad slamming the sitting senator for being 'worried about the weather' when there are serious concerns like terrorism to deal with. Take a look here: A few problems with this ad earned it the not- so- coveted beyond- false 'Pants on Fire' rating from Politifact, a Pulitzer- prize winning journalism website that checks on the truthfulness of political advertising. Wed Jun 09 08:52:46 2010 EST http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/YaleEnvironment360/~3/a3JgzAjqIuA/digest.msp Rising global temperatures over the past century are already causing large shifts in vegetation, with trees and plants increasingly moving toward the poles and up mountain slopes, according to a new study. Conduced by scientists at the University of California, Berkeley, and the U. S. Forest Service, the research combined data from hundreds of previous studies and found that 76 percent of the Earth''s land surfaces experienced significant temperatures increases in the 20th century, causing shifts in vegetation. The changes were most prominent in Arctic and sub- Arctic landscapes, where shrublands have been moving into tundra regions, and Click to enlarge. UC Berkeley/ Gonzalez, et al. Projected vegetation shift through 2100 in northern Africa''s Sahel region, where woodlands are giving way to grasslands. Wed Jun 09 08:52:46 2010 EST http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/YaleEnvironment360/~3/cYaOIa4fSCo/feature.msp As global warming intensifies, demands for human manipulation of the climate system are likely to grow. But carrying out geoengineering plans could prove daunting, as conflicts erupt over the unintended regional consequences of climate intervention and over who is entitled to deploy climate- altering technologies. BY MIKE HULME Wed Jun 09 08:52:46 2010 EST http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/09/opinion/09krosnick.html MLive. com. The Climate Majority. New York Times. Only 18 percent of respondents said they thought that policies to reduce global warming would increase unemployment and only 20 percent said they thought ...Is Global Warming Real? Discovery News. Seeds of doubt against climate science. Los Angeles Times. Climate bill pessimism. Washington Post (blog) Daily Republic -Release- news. com (press release) -National Post (registration) (blog) all 22 Wed Jun 09 08:52:46 2010 EST http://www.businessgreen.com/business-green/news/2264330/un-climate-chief-warns-2020 James Murray, Business. Green , Tuesday 8 June 2010 at 11:14:00 As advisory group mulls proposal for aviation carbon tax, Yvo de Boer warns the world is not moving fast enough to cut emissions Yvo de Boer, the outgoing UN climate change chief, has offered arguably the bleakest assessment yet of the chances of an ambitious international climate treaty being agreed, warning that the world is ... Wed Jun 09 08:52:46 2010 EST http://allafrica.com/stories/201006080297.html Developed countries have been accused of not being sincere with their climate funding commitments. A non- governmental organisation (NGO), Friends of the Earth International (FoI), has alleged at the ongoing United Nations Climate Talks in Bonn that much of the $30 billion fast- start fund promised is recycled aid money already committed for essential programmes in the developing world. Wed Jun 09 08:52:46 2010 EST http://www.eastbayexpress.com/ebx/rainwater-collective/Content?oid=1813885 In a sign of what''s to come, Berkeley issues its first permit for interior use of rainwater. by Nate Seltenrich In recent years, rain barrels have gone the way of the low- flow toilet: mainstream. Thanks to California''s three- year drought and a critical mass of interest in resource conservation, homeowners can drop $100 for a designer version at just about any local gardening store. They can take ... Wed Jun 09 08:52:46 2010 EST http://news.yahoo.com/s/usnw/20100608/pl_usnw/DC17528_1 BONN, Germany, June 8 /PRNewswire- USNewswire/ -- The following is being issued by Committee for a Constructive Tomorrow: Wed Jun 09 08:52:46 2010 EST http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/10258508.stm Leading economist Lord Stern recently suggested environmental risks including climate change should be factored into long- term investment decisions. "Investing long- term in 'dirty' technologies is actually risking their clients money," he said referring to pension funds. But is there an alternative? Wed Jun 09 08:52:46 2010 EST http://feeds.reuters.com/~r/reuters/environment/~3/UKfd1rFNZAw/idUSTRE6581CR20100609 LONDON (Reuters) - Global greenhouse gas emissions from energy use fell for the first time since 1998, as the economic recession slashed industrial production and fossil fuel consumption in most countries, BP said on Wednesday. Wed Jun 09 08:52:46 2010 EST http://feeds.reuters.com/~r/reuters/environment/~3/Nmp86OINiUI/idUSTRE6581DI20100609 PARIS (Reuters) - The OECD urged governments to end fossil fuels subsidies in a statement on Wednesday that argued this could cut greenhouse gas emissions by 10 percent and help deliver on G20 promises to combat global warming. Leaders of the Group of 20 economic powers meet in Toronto in late June and pledged last September in Pittsburgh to press for a phase- out over the medium term, the Organization for Economic Co- operation and Development said. Wed Jun 09 08:52:46 2010 EST http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/science_and_environment/10273566.stm Daily updates from key polar science conference in Oslo Wed Jun 09 08:52:46 2010 EST http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/climateprogress/lCrX/~3/5xsR9ggqbU0/ As the BP oil disaster drags on, the public''s desire for clean energy investments and increased oversight of corporate polluters has greatly intensified. CAP''s Daniel J. Weiss and intern Ariel Powell have the important data and charts from a major new poll. The League of Conservation Voters commissioned a poll by the Benenson Strategy Group, President Obama''s pollster in 2008, to measure public support for clean energy reform in the wake of the BP oil disaster. The central finding is that the public wants real changes in our energy policies: In the aftermath of the spill, people firmly believe Congress needs to do more than just make BP pay. Wed Jun 09 08:52:46 2010 EST http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/blog/2010/jun/09/food-miles-environment-expat-shopping How can it make financial or environmental sense for expats living in France to get their groceries delivered from the UK? Expat orders for British supermarket food surge on strength of euro. Warning: this blog could cause you to choke on your pain au raisin. As I reported in the Guardian today, there has been a surge in the number of expat Brits living in France buying their food online from UK- based supermarkets. The strength of the euro against the pound means that it now makes financial sense for many of these Britons with savings or pensions held in pounds to order most of their groceries from Asda, Sainsbury''s et al instead of via the local hypermarché or village shop. Wed Jun 09 08:52:46 2010 EST http://www.guardian.co.uk/news/datablog/2010/jun/09/bp-energy-statistics-consumption-reserves-energy The annual audi of the world''s energy supply from BP is out today. See what it says Get the data. BP may be struggling to manage the Deepwater Horizon oil spill but its poublication of key energy data goes on. The latest figures from BP''s annual Statistical Review of World Energy show that world oil consumption fell by 1.2m barrels per day (bpd) in 2009, the second consecutive annual decline and the largest volume since 1982.Other key findings are: The world''s oil production dropped by 2m bpd, or 2.6% - also the largest decline since 1982 Global oil refining capacity additions totalled 2m bpd, with the Asia- Pacific region accounting for 80% of the increase Proven oil reserves stood at 1.33 trillion barrels last year, an increase of 700,000m barrels from 2008 Gas reserves grew by 2.21tn cubic metres last year, while production ... Wed Jun 09 08:52:46 2010 EST http://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=51758 RIO DE JANEIRO, Jun 8 (IPS) - Electricity consumption in Brazil will rise by 5.9 percent a year until 2019, and hydroelectric plants will continue to be the main source of power because they generate it at a lower cost, the government announced. Wed Jun 09 08:52:46 2010 EST http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5i9TuMrvrknh-ZXwqmZ2N-48kff3wD9G7N3S00 AFPNew climate chief: 'no choice' but to take action. The Associated Press. BONN, Germany - The new UN climate chief says nations have no choice but to join forces to stop global warming, even after her predecessor said he doubts ...I had both failure and success: outgoing UN climate chief (Interview) Sify. UN climate chief forecasts missed targets on emissions. Irish TimesA gentle breeze of optimism detected at UN climate talks. Sydney Morning Herald. AFP -PR Newswire (press release) -Jakarta Globeall 254 Wed Jun 09 08:52:46 2010 EST http://biz.yahoo.com/ap/100609/as_thailand_rice.html?.v=1 The world''s largest rice exporter, Thailand, is facing major losses to its next crop of rice and a water crisis because of the worst drought in nearly two decades. Wed Jun 09 08:52:46 2010 EST http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/LDE6580Y1.htm Source: Reuters June 9 (Reuters) - China topped the league table in 2009 as the world''s top carbon emitter, data from the BP oil group showed on Wednesday, reflecting a startling contrast in trends between ... Wed Jun 09 08:52:46 2010 EST http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/world/us_and_canada/10206296.stm Firefighters in Canada are battling more than 50 forest fires that have sparked smog alerts across Quebec and parts of the north- eastern US. At least eight of the blazes north of Montreal were out of control, Quebec''s forest fire protection unit said. Smoke moved over Massachusetts and New Hampshire in the US, with the city of Boston covered in a haze on Monday. Officials in both countries have warned people with breathing problems to remain indoors until the smoke clears. The fires - sparked by lightning strikes - have raged for a week, and more than 1,300 firefighters were battling the blazes on Monday evening. Sat Jun 05 12:37:17 2010 EST 5th June 2010 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uqkuWQitM8k Sat Jun 05 12:37:17 2010 EST http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/10217289.stm The inventor is currently putting the final touches to a series of large kites, which he says will be able to harvest the fast crosswinds found at high altitude. His airborne wind turbines will take off and fly to around 2000 feet (600m), where they will float, generating power that can be transferred to the ground via a tether. "Global wind is a tremendous source of energy - carrying nearly 870 terrawatts in global tropospheric winds," says Mr Bevirt of Joby Energy, which is developing the wind turbine technology. "In comparison, the global demand is 17 terawatts. Harnessing a tiny fraction will transform the way we power our civilization." Sat Jun 05 12:37:17 2010 EST http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/wales/north_west_wales/10235242.stm Work is to begin next year off the coast of north Wales on what will be one of the world''s largest windfarms. Sat Jun 05 12:37:17 2010 EST http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/england/london/10213835.stm The Duke of Edinburgh opens a water desalination plant which aims to combat water shortages in the capital. Sat Jun 05 12:37:17 2010 EST http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/technology/10217289.stm Can wind turbines on giant kites ever work? Sat Jun 05 12:37:17 2010 EST http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/science_and_environment/10225937.stm The EU is more than half way towards cutting emissions by 20% from 1990 levels by 2020, a report shows. Sat Jun 05 12:37:17 2010 EST http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/thereporters/richardblack/2010/06/sustainability_choices_choices.html A group of experts convened under a UN umbrella has been taking a look at what aspects of our global society are the least sustainable; which things are depleting natural resources fastest, which are causing the most environmental damage, and which are the biggest threats to the prosperity of future generations. Cows. It''s bad news, I' m afraid, because the biggest culprits are the things we need most fundamentally: food and energy. We' re used to emissions from fossil fuels being fingered as the principal drivers of the man- made greenhouse effect. Sat Jun 05 12:37:17 2010 EST http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/climateprogress/lCrX/~3/BOiwbm8Fom4/ Note: Hansen wants comments on this draft, so keep 'em coming. NASA''s Goddard Institute for Space Studies (GISS) has released a revised draft of 'Global Surface Temperature Change,' by James Hansen et al. It is a must read for warming junkies. There''s also a a summary discussion of the paper (reprinted below), and two Power. Point posters of key figures like this one: Blue curve: 12-month running- mean global temperature. Note correlation with Nino index (red = El Nino, blue = La Nina). Large volcanoes (green) have a cooling effect for ~2 years. Sat Jun 05 12:37:17 2010 EST http://www.ndtv.com/news/environment/india-emerging-leader-in-wind-energy-29948.php?u=1143 On the very tip of mainland India near Kanya Kumari, there is money to be made literally from thin air, money that is green and environment friendly. Sat Jun 05 12:37:17 2010 EST http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/business/10215878.stm Green energy is all the rage, but who pays for reforms? Sat Jun 05 12:37:17 2010 EST http://www.desmogblog.com/christopher-monckton-brings-his-brand-crazy-bonn-climate-talks 1111puzzle-420x0.jpg Climate deniers often like to talk about 'global warming profiteers,' some mysterious breed led by Al Gore who, so the story goes, are out to make the big bucks off scaring people about climate change. But if there''s anyone making money off lying about global warming these days, it is 'Lord' Christopher Monckton, who continues his globetrotting tour to hawk confusion and misinformation at the Bonn climate talks this month. Monckton is leading a 'delegation' (nice attempt to sound official) from the Committee for a Constructive Tomorrow (C- FACT), a conservative think tank that has received money from Exxon, Chevron, and the Scaife and Carthage foundations. Monckton and the C- FACT gang are holding a 'seminar' in Bonn 'on the use of the internet to provide ordinary people with fact and opinions that have received scant ... Sat Jun 05 12:37:17 2010 EST http://www.theecologist.org/News/news_round_up/493887/us_airlines_mount_legal_challenge_to_eu_emission_cuts.html American aviation sector accused of using 'every trick in the book' to block the European Union''s efforts to reduce carbon emissions Sat Jun 05 12:37:17 2010 EST http://energybulletin.net/node/52971 Following the failure of the latest efforts to plug the gushing leak from BP''s Deepwater Horizon oil well in the Gulf of Mexico, and amid warnings that oil could continue to flow for another two months or more, perhaps it''s a good time to step back a moment mentally and look at the bigger picture- the context of our human history of resource extraction- to see how current events reveal deeper trends that will have even greater and longer- lasting significance. read more Sat Jun 05 12:37:17 2010 EST http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/14339862/1gdjsa/alternet_environment~Can-You-Be-an-Environmentalist-and-Still-Eat-Meat A recent debate between vegetarian- rancher Nicolette Hahn Niman and Howard Lyman focused on the ethics of eating meat and the environmental impacts of meat production. Sat Jun 05 12:37:17 2010 EST http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2010/jun/04/gm-crops-caroline-spelman In her first interview in charge of Defra, Caroline Spelman committed coalition to becoming most pro- GM government yet QA with Caroline Spelman. The wider growing and selling of genetically modified crops has received its strongest government backing to date from the new environment secretary, Caroline Spelman. At present no GM crops are commercially grown in the UK, and the previous Labour government was nervous of promoting GM foods because of fear of a renewed public backlash against "Frankenstein foods". But in her first interview in charge of the department of environment food and rural affairs, the minister committed the new coalition to becoming the most pro- GM government yet, saying she was in favour of GM foods "in the right circumstances"."GM can bring benefits in food to the marketplace. Sat Jun 05 12:37:17 2010 EST http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2010/jun/04/dark-mountain-douglas-adams Drawing people''s attention to the enormous challenges we face is one thing; revelling in the collapse of society is quite another. Dark Mountain could learn from Douglas Adams, says Solitaire Townsend... Paul Kingsnorth on why he started Dark Mountain George Monbiot: I' m not ready to climb the Dark Mountain' The End of the Universe is very popular', said Zaphod 'People like to dress up for it gives it a sense of occasion.'In Douglas Adams' The Restaurant at the End of the Universe diners enjoyed watching the obliteration of life, the universe and everything, whilst enjoying a nice steak. When I first discovered The Dark Mountain Project I couldn' t help secretly hoping a bunch of uber- cool hipsters were making an ironic analogy between our current climate challenge, and Adams' satire. Sat Jun 05 12:37:17 2010 EST http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/green-living-blog/2010/jun/04/carbon-footprint-beer Too much beer can add to your footprint as well as your waistline " especially if it''s imported More carbon footprints: nuclear war, cycling a mile, more Understand more about carbon footprints. The carbon footprint of a pint of beer:300g CO2e: locally brewed cask ale at the pub 500g CO2e: local bottled beer from a shop or foreign beer in a pub 900g CO2e: bottled beer from the shop, extensively transported. Beer is unlikely to dominate your carbon footprint but it can make a significant contribution. According to my calculations, a few bottles of imported lager per day might add up to as much as a tonne of CO2e per year " equivalent to around 50,000 cups of black tea. The beer at the low end of the scale is based on figures for the Keswick Brewing Company, a microbrewery quite near where I live. Sat Jun 05 12:37:17 2010 EST http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/blog/2010/jun/04/climate-sceptics-fringe-political-groups How can sceptical climate scientists expect to be taken seriously when they associate themselves with fringe political groups? Proof that professional climate sceptics swim in a narrow, shallow pond was provided last month in Chicago at the Heartland Institute''s Fourth International Conference on Climate Change. It turned out to be less Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon, more Two Degrees of Lord Monckton. But this month is set to provide further proof that it doesn' t take a particularly complex Venn diagram to map the interconnections between the various movers and shakers in the sceptic camp. On 11 June, in Orlando, Florida, an organisation called Doctors for Disaster Preparedness (DDP) meets for its AGM at the Sheraton Safari Hotel Suites. Sat Jun 05 12:37:17 2010 EST http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/georgemonbiot/2010/jun/03/monckton-climate-change Professor John Abraham''s withering scrutiny reveals how the gurus of climate scepticism repeat a pattern of manipulation Monckton takes scientist to brink of madness at climate talk. Another one bites the dust. Every so often, someone with a strong stomach and time to spare volunteers to devote weeks or months of their life to a grisly task: investigating the claims of a person who dismisses the science or significance of man- made climate change. Dave Rado did it with Martin Durkin''s film, the Great Global Warming Swindle. Howard Friel did it with Bjørn Lomborg. Ian Enting did it with Ian Plimer. It involves slow, painstaking work, following the sources, checking the claims against the science. Sat Jun 05 12:37:17 2010 EST http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2010/jun/02/edf-nuclear-waste-lobbying Reactors builder won big concessions on key issues Rethink on costs is in effect a subsidy, says Greenpeace. The nuclear industry is being offered what campaigners claim is a taxpayer subsidy on the disposal costs of waste from new reactors following a secret lobbying campaign, the Guardian has learned. The revelation will put further scrutiny on the new government''s promise that there will be no subsidy for nuclear power. Liberal Democrat Chris Huhne, the new energy and climate change secretary of state, admitted to the Guardian this week that the government already faces a £4bn funding black hole over existing radioactive waste. The previous government had planned to charge the industry a high, fixed, disposal levy tied to the amount of nuclear waste it produced. Sat Jun 05 12:37:17 2010 EST http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2010/jun/02/2010-could-be-warmest-year-ever Figures from US scientists show Arctic sea ice is at a record low, while land temperatures are likely to hit new highs Nasa scientist James Hansen condemns 'politicised' media. New data from some of the world''s leading climate researchers and institutions suggest that 2010 is shaping up to be one of the warmest years ever recorded. Scientists at the US National Snow and Ice Centre Data Centre (NSIDC) report today that Arctic sea ice " frozen seawater that floats on the ocean surface " is now at its lowest physical extent ever recorded for the time of year, suggesting that it is on course to break the previous record low set in 2007.Satellite monitoring by the NSIDC in Boulder, Colorado, shows that the melting of sea ice has been unusually fast this year, with as much as 40,000 sq km now disappearing daily. The melt season started almost ... Sat Jun 05 12:37:17 2010 EST http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/blog/2010/jun/02/nasa-scientist-james-hansen Climatologist also calls from more openness from researchers because data are 'too useful' to be kept 'under wraps' UK government chief scientist hits out at sceptics. The utterances of James Hansen, the Nasa climatologist who is widely credited with being the first scientist to successfully megaphone the risks of climate change to the wider world back in the 1980s, always attract attention. He is nothing less than a Marmite figure within the climate debate; sceptics hate him for his sometimes emotive political advocacy, whereas advocates for action on climate change respect his scientific authority and the role he has played in spelling out to our political masters the potential dangers of climate change. So a new draft paper (pdf), co- authored with colleagues at the NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies in New York, which has just been submitted to the journal Reviews of Geophysics, is sure to get ... Sat Jun 05 12:37:17 2010 EST http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/jun/01/pakistan-record-temperatures-heatwave Meteorologists record a temperature of 53.7C (129F) in Mohenjo- daro as heatwave continues across Pakistan and India. Mohenjo- daro, a ruined city in what is now Pakistan that contains the last traces of a 4,000-year- old civilisation that flourished on the banks of the river Indus, today entered the modern history books after government meteorologists recorded a temperature of 53.7C (129F). Only Al 'Aziziyah, in Libya (57.8C in 1922), Death valley in California (56.7 in 1913) and Tirat Zvi in Israel (53.9 in 1942) are thought to have been hotter. Temperatures in the nearest town, Larkana, have been only slightly lower in the last week, with 53C recorded last Wednesday. Sat Jun 05 12:37:17 2010 EST http://feeds.grist.org/click.phdo?i=8ed6d00f21af97bab597aef360cfeed7 by Tom Laskawy. The biggest loser in Michael Moss''s New York Times exposé of the food industry''s fight against salt restrictions isn' t the food industry. It isn' t government, either. In my view, the real loser is television chef Alton Brown: With salt under attack for its ill effects on the nation''s health, the food giant Cargill kicked off a campaign last November to spread its own message. 'Salt is a pretty amazing compound,' Alton Brown, a Food Network star, gushes in a Cargill video called Salt 101. 'So make sure you have plenty of salt in your kitchen at all times.' The campaign by Cargill, which both produces and uses salt, promotes salt as 'life enhancing' and suggests sprinkling it on foods as varied as chocolate cookies, fresh fruit, ice cream and even coffee. Sat Jun 05 12:37:17 2010 EST http://feeds.grist.org/click.phdo?i=ad314b20762fdbd6028427644c74c6a3 by David Roberts. A must- read article in The Hill details a classic rift among Senate Democrats: On one side are Democrats who want to use public anger at oil companies to pressure Republicans to support the American Power Act; on the other are 'centrists' who want to be nice to Republicans in hopes that they will join hands in bipartisanship. You know, 'cause of their devotion to the national interest. You might think the question of which strategy works better would have been settled by now. Repeatedly. Decisively. Republicans have voted against everything except those bills where they were under enormous pressure and at risk of embarrassment (see ... Sat Jun 05 12:37:17 2010 EST http://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=51726 WASHINGTON, Jun 4 (IPS) - An agreement reached at an international conference last week pledged over four billion dollars to the U. N.'s effort to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions that come from deforestation and forest degradation. But a study published Friday questions what impact that effort, called REDD, can have. Sat Jun 05 12:37:17 2010 EST http://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=51725 MEXICO CITY, Jun 4 (IPS) - With less than six months before Mexico hosts the next global climate change summit, Mexican environmental organisations hosting the parallel civil society forum are divided on how to carry it out -- which some fear could ultimately weaken their role at the negotiating table. Sat Jun 05 12:37:17 2010 EST http://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=51711 UNITED NATIONS, Jun 3 (IPS) - The Global Compact (GC), which celebrates its 10th anniversary with a summit meeting later this month, has been described as a key initiative of the United Nations to prod private companies and blue- chip corporations to pro- actively address environmental, social and governance (ESG) issues relating to the workplace. Sat Jun 05 12:37:17 2010 EST http://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=51710 BERLIN, Jun 3 (IPS) - Rising global wealth spells disaster for the planet, with environmental impacts growing roughly 80 percent with a doubling of income, reports the first comprehensive study of consumption. Sat Jun 05 12:37:17 2010 EST http://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=51709 GUATEMALA CITY, Jun 3 (IPS) - Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras, which form the so- called Central American Northern Triangle, have many weak points when it comes to natural disasters. The were exposed once again this week by tropical storm Agatha, which claimed nearly 200 lives and left millions of dollars in infrastructural damage. Sat Jun 05 12:37:17 2010 EST http://johannhari.com//2010/06/04/the-movement-to-smother-solidarity Should you shut up about human rights abuses because they are happening far away, to people you don' t know, who have a different culture or colour or creed? There is now a growing movement across the world saying that, yes, empathy should be cauterised at national borders. The world is carved into cultures, and they should not try to comment critically on each other. Instead, they should be "respectful." You can criticise Your Own Kind, but not Foreigners, because they are unbridgeably different to you. This claim is now made by a strange coalition stretching from the Israeli government to African dictators to Western multiculturalists " and they are trying to give it the force of law. Sat Jun 05 12:37:17 2010 EST http://www.mcclatchydc.com/2010/06/02/95239/obama-calls-for-higher-prices.html President Barack Obama said Wednesday that the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico has hardened his resolve to impose "a price" on carbon emissions to drive private investment away from fossil fuels and toward clean energy. Sat Jun 05 12:37:17 2010 EST http://www.newscientist.com/blogs/shortsharpscience/2010/06/wendy-zukerman-australasia-rep.html Wendy Zukerman, Australasia reporter A massive asteroid hit the Timor Sea around 35 million years ago - and the impact apparently contributed to the formation of the Antarctic ice sheets. So says Andrew Glikson, a specialist in the study of extraterrestrial impacts, from the Planetary Science Institute at the Australian National University in Canberra, who analysed a dome found 2.5 kilometres below the Timor Sea, about 300 kilometres off Australia''s north west coast. Based on the structure of the dome, called Mount Ashmore, there were two obvious explanations for its formation: from a mud volcano or from the movement of tectonic plates. Sat Jun 05 12:37:17 2010 EST http://feeds.newscientist.com/c/749/f/10928/s/af5c827/l/0L0Snewscientist0N0Carticle0Cmg20A6276340B50A0A0Eancient0Eoceans0Ebelched0Estagnant0Eco20Einto0Ethe0Eskies0Bhtml0DDCMP0FOTC0Erss0Gnsref0Fclimate0Echange/story01.htm At the end of the last ice age, atmospheric carbon dioxide levels shot up by nearly 50 per cent. But where did the CO2 come from? Sat Jun 05 12:37:17 2010 EST http://feeds.newscientist.com/c/749/f/10928/s/ae43759/l/0L0Snewscientist0N0Carticle0Cmg20A6276240B70A0A0Ehow0Eclimate0Escientists0Ecan0Erepair0Etheir0Ereputation0Bhtml0DDCMP0FOTC0Erss0Gnsref0Fclimate0Echange/story01.htm Climatologists can' t just hope that the public will regain trust in their work. They need to go on a PR offensive, says Bob Ward Sat Jun 05 12:37:17 2010 EST http://www.realclimate.org/index.php/archives/2010/06/climate-change-commitment-ii/ A couple of months ago, we discussed a short paper by Matthews and Weaver on the 'climate change commitment' " how much change are we going to see purely because of previous emissions. In my write up, I contrasted the results in M& W (assuming zero CO2 emissions from now on) with a constant concentration scenario (roughly equivalent to an immediate cut of 70% in CO2 emissions), however, as a few people pointed out in the comments, this exclusive focus on CO2 is a little artificial. I have elsewhere been a big advocate of paying attention to the multi- faceted nature of the anthropogenic emissions (including aerosols and radiatively and chemically active short- lived species), both because that gives a more useful assessment of what it is that we are doing that drives climate change, and also because it is vital information for judging ... Sat Jun 05 12:37:17 2010 EST http://www.physorg.com/news194921313.html The Canadian government quietly cut its greenhouse gas emissions target for 2010-2012 this week, unleashing a firestorm of criticism from the opposition on Friday. Sat Jun 05 12:37:17 2010 EST http://www.physorg.com/news194879451.html (Phys. Org. com) -- Vegetation around the world is on the move, and climate change is the culprit, according to a new analysis of global vegetation shifts led by a University of California, Berkeley, ecologist in collaboration with researchers from the U. S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service. Sat Jun 05 12:37:17 2010 EST http://www.physorg.com/news194683049.html How the world is fed and fueled will in large part define development in the 21st century as one that is increasingly sustainable or a dead end for billions of people. Sat Jun 05 12:37:17 2010 EST http://www.physorg.com/news194631276.html (Phys. Org. com) -- University of Maine anthropologist Brian Robinson and colleagues are looking at archaeological evidence of Atlantic salmon to better understand the effects of global warming. Sat Jun 05 12:37:17 2010 EST http://www.physorg.com/news194605512.html The problem of toxic algae is not just confined to the Nordic countries - in India algal blooms are threatening poor people''s access to food and their livelihoods, a problem that has been exacerbated by global warming. With funding from the Swedish Research Council for Environment, Agricultural Sciences and Spatial Planning and the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency, researchers from the University of Gothenburg are to attempt to reduce the effects of algal blooms. Sat Jun 05 12:37:17 2010 EST http://feeds.reuters.com/~r/reuters/environment/~3/WKt1r3zWL-c/idUSTRE65253020100603 OSLO (Reuters) - Brazilian farmers are setting more fires in parts of the Amazon where deforestation has slowed, according to a study on Thursday that shows weaknesses in a U. N. plan for slowing climate change. Sat Jun 05 12:37:17 2010 EST http://feeds.reuters.com/~r/reuters/environment/~3/shMqfwORxe4/idUSTRE6504YW20100601 CAIRO (Reuters) - Egypt''s farming and tourism sectors could be hurt as climate change takes its toll on the country, fuelling food security concerns in what is already the world''s largest wheat importer, an environment official said. Sat Jun 05 12:37:17 2010 EST http://feeds.reuters.com/~r/reuters/environment/~3/S95EW-MoVKs/idUSTRE65265I20100603 CALGARY, Alberta (Reuters) - The western Canadian province of Alberta moved to give greater protection to its small and declining population of grizzly bears on Thursday, designated the animals as a threatened species. Sat Jun 05 12:37:17 2010 EST http://feeds.reuters.com/~r/reuters/environment/~3/dCFyU4uj6r8/idUSTRE65121X20100602 OSLO (Reuters) - An overhaul of world farming and more vegetarianism should be top priorities to protect the environment, along with curbs on fossil fuel use, a U. N.-backed study said on Wednesday. Sat Jun 05 12:37:17 2010 EST http://rss.feedsportal.com/c/266/f/3780/s/aeee38a/l/0L0Sindependent0O0Cenvironment0Cclimate0Echange0Ccoral0Eislands0Ebigger0Edespite0Eoceans0Erise0E19910A170Bhtml/story01.htm Some South Pacific coral atolls have held their own or even grown in size over the past 60 years despite rising sea levels says new research. Sat Jun 05 12:37:17 2010 EST http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/YaleEnvironment360/~3/tmzDS1sK538/digest.msp An increase in fires in the Brazilian Amazon threatens to cancel out some of the carbon dioxide reductions achieved through UN forest management programs, according to a new study. An analysis of satellite data by the University of Exeter showed that fires have increased by 59 percent in areas that have experienced reduced deforestation through conservation efforts, including the UN program known as REDD (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation), according to the study published in the journal Science. The fires rarely occur naturally, but are typically the result of 'slash and burn' methods used by Brazilian farmers to create new fields from forests or clear new growth from fields. Sat Jun 05 12:37:17 2010 EST http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/YaleEnvironment360/~3/fHLXUP2FDEM/digest.msp A computer modeling study suggests that oil from the Gulf of Mexico spill could travel thousands of miles up the Atlantic coast and into the open ocean as early as this summer. Using a virtual dye tracer to project movement of the oil based on what is known about ocean currents and typical wind conditions, scientists at the Colorado- based National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) illustrated six possible dispersal paths. While the models are not a forecast, they suggest that the environmental impact of this spill could be greater than previously thought and 'is likely to reach VIDEO ... Sat Jun 05 12:37:17 2010 EST http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/10219505.stm The crop was harvested in the drought- and famine- prone Eastern Province and went bad because farmers lacked the appropriate storage facilities. Sat Jun 05 12:37:17 2010 EST http://www.americanprogress.org/issues/domestic/energy/index.html/index.rss Samuel Charap and Georgi V. Safonov outline Russia''s role in climate policy both at home and abroad. Sat Jun 05 12:37:17 2010 EST http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/shell/lloC/~3/3GREMQEAdHA/ Recently I referred back to the 2004 World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) document entitled Mobility 2030 as I recalled that it had an excellent table listing the well- to- wheels CO2 footprint of a variety of vehicle and fuel types. When I found the table in question what surprised me most of all was the complete lack of any information on electric mobility. But this was 2004 and hydrogen was all the rage. Remember when Iceland was due to become the world''s first hydrogen economy on the back of its vast geothermal energy potential and GM were investing heavily in hydrogen fuel cells? Sat Jun 05 12:37:17 2010 EST http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/leading-articles/leading-article-beware-the-personalisation-of-corporate-failure-1991795.html What do we want from the leaders of our biggest companies? The response of Tony Hayward, the chief executive of BP, to the catastrophic oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico in many ways has been a textbook example of the behaviour one might hope to see from the leader of a corporate giant confronted with this sort of crisis. Yet Mr Hayward has been pilloried, both in the United States and back home, facing not just calls for his resignation but some deeply unpleasant personal abuse. Sat Jun 05 12:37:17 2010 EST http://www.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/20100605/NEWS11/6050339?source=rss_localnews Hawaii: Climate change is a given for scientists converging this week at the University of Hawai' i at Hilo for the Pacific Congress on Marine Science and Technology. At issue: How best to mitigate the resulting damage to the oceans and find alternatives to fossil- fuel energy sources that spew carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. Sat Jun 05 12:37:17 2010 EST http://www.huffingtonpost.com/kevin-grandia/climate-financing-put-the_b_598540.html One of the major issues at the climate treaty talks underway in Bonn, Germany this week is a big idea encapsulated in a simple phrase:... Sat Jun 05 12:37:17 2010 EST http://www.langleyadvance.com/Naive humans burning planet/3112064/story.html As a motorcycle rider, I look forward to warm spring days. Sat Jun 05 12:37:17 2010 EST http://www.expressindia.com/latest-news/Ties-with-US-foremost-priority-Krishna-to-Obama/629423/ S M Krishna has said that India''s partnership With the US is destined to have a strong impact on global stability. Sat Jun 05 12:37:17 2010 EST http://dotearth.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/06/04/head-to-head-on-energy-and-climate/ An exchange of views on oil troubles, climate policy and other environmental issues. Sat Jun 05 12:37:17 2010 EST http://www.huffingtonpost.com/alex-rafalowicz/wheres-the-obama-era-chan_b_596444.html The deep dark secret of international climate change policy is that Obama has been worse than Bush. Worse for international climate law, and more importantly for the planet. Sat Jun 05 12:37:17 2010 EST http://www.canadaeast.com/rss/article/1076329 In its first major climate report to the United Nations in four years, the United States projected Tuesday that its climate- warming greenhouse gases will grow by 4 per cent through 2020. Sat Jun 05 12:37:17 2010 EST http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/opinions/the-numbers-say-it-all-canada-is-a-climate-change-miscreant/article1591592/?cmpid=rss1 The annual report required by all signatories to the original Kyoto Protocol is depressing Sat Jun 05 12:37:17 2010 EST http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20100604/sc_afp/germanyaerospacealternativeemissionscompanyeads_20100604115200 European aerospace giant EADS is poised to unveil a "hybrid" aircraft which runs on algae fuel, a world first, its technical director said on Friday. Sat Jun 05 12:37:17 2010 EST http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100603/ap_on_re_as/as_china_environment_1 China, the world''s biggest emitter of greenhouse gases, faces serious challenges to its efforts to cut environmental pollution, with one key pollutant increasing for the first time in three years, a senior Chinese official said Thursday. Sat Jun 05 12:37:17 2010 EST http://feeds.reuters.com/~r/reuters/blogs/environment/~3/-ufSCKNNO-A/ " David Rockefeller, Jr. is a philanthropist and CEO of Around the Americas and Chairman of Sailors for the Sea. Any views expressed here are his own. " When the Ocean Watch set sail from Seattle last May at the launch of our Around the Americas expedition, our greatest challenge was to make Americans start thinking about health of oceans. For too long, we have been taking our rich seafood supplies and scenic seascapes for granted. One year and 28,000 miles later, and now with the massive BP oil spill, much has changed. While I' d love to say that our expedition is responsible for finally turning around the slow drip of public concern for ocean health into a steady flow, I am fairly certain that the continuous flow of oil spilling into the Gulf of Mexico is, unfortunately, driving home what the captain and crew of Ocean ... Sat Jun 05 12:37:17 2010 EST http://www.gilmermirror.com/pages/full_story/push?article-Drought getting worse &id=7801233&instance=secondary_stories_left_column Prolonged dryness this spring has led to the development of Moderate drought conditions across all of North Louisiana and much of eastern Texas. Synopsis... Sat Jun 05 12:37:17 2010 EST http://content.usatoday.com/communities/greenhouse/post/2010/06/carly-fiorina-calls-climate-change-the-weather/1 Washington Post. Carly Fiorina calls climate change the "weather" USA Today. The Pentagon, in its quadrennial defense review in January, ranked global warming as a destabilizing force and directed direct military planners to keep ...The dumbing down of Carly Fiorina. Salon. California Senate Race: Carly Fiorina, Climate Change and an Idiotic Ad. Politics Daily (blog) Carly Fiorina injects global warming into her race with Barbara Boxer. American Thinker (blog) SF Weekly (blog) -Sacramento Beeall 109 Sat Jun 05 12:37:17 2010 EST http://www.montrealgazette.com/technology/believe+global+warming+natural/3077745/story.html 1 in 10 believe global warming is natural. Montreal Gazette... the least to climate change. Human waste, population increases, energy use and deforestation were listed as the worst contributors to global warming. ...and more Sat Jun 05 12:37:17 2010 EST http://www.salon.com/news/feature/2010/06/04/global_warming_carly_fiorina Modesto Bee. The dumbing down of Carly Fiorina. Salon. Fiorina''s first sentence -- willfully pretending that being concerned about the threat of global warming is the same as being worried about whether it''s ...California Senate Race: Carly Fiorina, Climate Change and an Idiotic Ad. Politics Daily (blog) Carly Fiorina injects global warming into her race with Barbara Boxer. American Thinker (blog) You Think Carly Fiorina Gives a F* ck About Global Warming? SF Weekly (blog) Sacramento Beeall 82 Sat Jun 05 12:37:17 2010 EST http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/06/03/MN691DPET2.DTL Warming threatens state''s coast, scientists say. San Francisco Chronicle. They proposed a greatly increased effort to inform the public about the effects of global warming on the complex ecology of a region where life in the ocean ...Report: climate change could affect ocean species off Marin''s shores. Marin Independent- Journalall 3 Sat Jun 05 12:37:17 2010 EST http://www.businessweek.com/news/2010-06-02/world-is-at-warmest-on-record-nasa-s-hansen-says-update1-.html Canada Free Press. World Is at Warmest on Record, NASA''s Hansen Says. Business. Week. Hansen''s paper 'looks like a modest addition to the continuing build- up of evidence' for global warming, Michael Grubb, a member of the UK Climate Change ...IPCC Obsession With Temperature Distorts Climate Change Science. Canada Free Press. Nasa scientist James Hansen condemns attacks from 'politicised' media. The Guardian (blog) Nasa analysis showing record global warming undermines the sceptics. Times Online. TG Dailyall 35 Sat Jun 05 12:37:17 2010 EST http://www.nature.com/news/2010/100601/full/465535a.html?s=news_rss National summit paves way for concerted action on global warming. Sat Jun 05 12:37:17 2010 EST http://www.theage.com.au/opinion/food-for-thought-while-millions-die-of-hunger-20100604-xkiw.html The world is rapidly moving towards disaster, whether you call it doomsday or apocalypse. But this is not the global financial crisis or the risk of financial problems in Greece and other European countries that may drag the rest of the world down with them. No, this is the global food situation. We face a global food shortage, the like of which the world has never seen. Sat Jun 05 12:37:17 2010 EST http://www.nationalpost.com/level could rise metre 2100 scientists/1374158/story.html The UNs climate change panel may be severely underestimating the sea- level rise caused by global warming, climate scientists said on Monday, calling for swift cuts in greenhouse emissions Sat Jun 05 12:37:17 2010 EST http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/climateprogress/lCrX/~3/_PbcTJ8Rchk/ Across the entire Atlantic Basin for the six- month season, which begins June 1, NOAA is projecting a 70 percent probability of the following ranges: * 14 to 23 Named Storms (top winds of 39 mph or higher), including: * 8 to 14 Hurricanes (top winds of 74 mph or higher), of which: * 3 to 7 could be Major Hurricanes (Category 3, 4 or 5; winds of at least 111 mph) NOAA''s Climate Prediction Center issued its seasonal outlook today. It is a worrisome. Administrator Lubchenco, says, 'If this outlook holds true, this season could be one of the more active on record.' What is the biggest uncertainty in the forecast? Tue Jun 01 08:38:22 2010 EST 1st June 2010 http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/climateprogress/lCrX/~3/c4MBpYta5vQ/ 'The number of errors Chris Monckton makes is so enormous it would take a thesis to go through every single one of them.' The Viscount Monckton of Brenchley (TVMOB) is a shameless purveyor of hate speech and anti- science disinformation (see links below). Nonetheless, you rarely sees such a thorough debunking of an anti- science disinformer as this astonishing point- by- point evisceration put together by John Abraham, an engineering professor at St. Thomas University in St. Paul, MN. One of the two reasons you rarely see this is because few people are willing to put in the time and effort that Prof. Tue Jun 01 08:38:22 2010 EST http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/climateprogress/lCrX/~3/bLBcRR-blXw/ Greenland''s Uplift: Evidence Of Rapid Ice Loss Scientists at the University of Miami say Greenland''s ice is melting so quickly that the land underneath is rising at an accelerated pace. According to the study, some coastal areas are going up by nearly one inch per year and if current trends continue, that number could accelerate to as much as two inches per year by 2025, explains Tim Dixon, professor of geophysics at the University of Miami Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science (RSMAS) and principal investigator of the study. 'It''s been known for several years that climate change is contributing to the melting of Greenland''s ice sheet,' Dixon says. Tue Jun 01 08:38:22 2010 EST http://energybulletin.net/node/52933 In June climate negotiators will reconvene in Bonn, Germany for an interim meeting to discuss the working text of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, or UNFCCC, the international treaty that aims to stabilize greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere at a level that would prevent climate change''s worst effects. A relatively new aspect of this conversation is how women can help adapt to climate change and their unique circumstances when it comes to the issue. They are severely affected by climate change yet underrepresented and not engaged in solutions. read more Tue Jun 01 08:38:22 2010 EST http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/science_and_environment/10178124.stm The UK''s Royal Society reviews its statements on climate change after 43 Fellows complained it had oversimplified its messages. Tue Jun 01 08:38:22 2010 EST http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/world/us_and_canada/10134964.stm As many as 14 hurricanes could hit the Atlantic basin this year, according to the US oceans and weather agency. Tue Jun 01 08:38:22 2010 EST http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/cifamerica/2010/may/27/cheap-oil-cost-developing-countries The Gulf disaster is only unusual for being so near the US. Elsewhere, Big Oil rarely cleans up its mess. Big Oil is holding its breath. BP''s shares are in steep decline after the debacle in the Gulf of Mexico. Barack Obama, the American people and the global environmental community are outraged, and now the company stands to lose the rights to drill for oil in the Arctic and other ecologically sensitive places. The gulf disaster may cost it a few billion dollars, but so what? When annual profits for a company often run to tens of billions, the cost of laying 5,000 miles of booms, or spraying millions of gallons of dispersants and settling 100,000 court cases is not much more than missing a few months' production. Tue Jun 01 08:38:22 2010 EST http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2010/may/27/scottish-parliament-emissions-cuts Scottish government told to draft tougher targets after MPs vote down mandatory annual targets. Alex Salmond''s government has been told to draft tougher climate change targets after the Scottish parliament decided that his ministers were failing to cut CO2 emissions quickly enough. Opposition MPs narrowly threw out the Scottish government''s plans to make modest immediate cuts in CO2 emissions, in an embarrassing rebuttal of Salmond''s repeated claims that Scotland has "world leading" climate change targets. His Scottish National party government is now under intensifying pressure to honour its manifesto promise to immediately start cutting Scotland''s emissions by at least 3% a year, after offering today to only reduce levels by 0.5% for each of the next two years and 1% in 2012.Today''s vote at Holyrood " by 64 votes to 62 " now means that Scotland currently has no legally binding annual reduction targets. Tue Jun 01 08:38:22 2010 EST http://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=51608 PUNTA DEL ESTE, Uruguay, May 27 (IPS) - Providing technology to communities to ensure food security doesn' t work if local traditions and social dynamics are not taken into account, concluded the participants in a forum here at the Fourth Assembly of the Global Environment Facility. Tue Jun 01 08:38:22 2010 EST http://johannhari.com//2010/05/28/and-so-camerons-first-victims-are So the yellowish liberal haze has now parted and we are Camer- on. The Prime Minister and George Osborne this week showed the first flick of their knife, marking out the areas they intend to cut much more deeply into over the next five years. Who have they decided can afford to take the pain first? Not rich people like them: they will continue to enjoy big state subsidies to build up their savings and maintain their estates. No. Step forward instead the unemployed, poor kids who are falling behind in their reading, children in care, the elderly, the disabled, and any feeble little steps we were making towards building a low- carbon economy. Tue Jun 01 08:38:22 2010 EST http://www.physorg.com/news194252845.html (AP) -- At this time of year, the Gadabeji Reserve should be refuge for the nomadic tribes who travel across a moonscape on the edge of the Sahara to graze their cattle. But the grass is meager after a drought killed off the last year''s crops. Now the cattle are too weak to stand and too skinny to sell, leaving the poor without any way to buy grain to feed their families. Tue Jun 01 08:38:22 2010 EST http://www.physorg.com/news194247987.html (Phys. Org. com) -- Victoria University research has found that a small sea snail may be causing significant damage to coral reefs in the Pacific, even more so than climate change or coral bleaching. Tue Jun 01 08:38:22 2010 EST http://www.physorg.com/news194193848.html (Phys. Org. com) -- A new class of materials with a record- shattering internal surface may have the right stuff to efficiently strip carbon dioxide from a power plant''s exhaust. Berkeley lab scientists hope to find out soon. Tue Jun 01 08:38:22 2010 EST http://www.physorg.com/news194187137.html Scientists have found the possible source of a huge carbon dioxide 'burp' that happened some 18,000 years ago and which helped to end the last ice age. Tue Jun 01 08:38:22 2010 EST http://www.agrimoney.com/news/us-faces-rising-heatwave-and-hurricane-threats--1772.html US faces rising heatwave and hurricane threats. Agrimoney. com... seasons on record", and a growing likelihood of a La Nina weather pattern, which often spells a crop- damaging heatwave, official forecasts have warned. ...and more Tue Jun 01 08:38:22 2010 EST http://feeds.reuters.com/~r/reuters/environment/~3/OIqOBjabJ68/idUSTRE64R1T420100528 COLOGNE, Germany (Reuters) - Senators are unlikely to pass legislation to tackle global warming this year as the time remaining to do so runs out, a panel of experts said on Friday at a carbon conference. Tue Jun 01 08:38:22 2010 EST http://feeds.reuters.com/~r/reuters/environment/~3/iuE2WTIY2EU/idUSTRE64Q3T420100527 WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Atlantic storm season may be the most intense since 2005, when Hurricane Katrina killed over a thousand people after crashing through Gulf of Mexico energy facilities, the U. S. government''s top climate agency predicted on Thursday. Tue Jun 01 08:38:22 2010 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/05/100528093212.htm Over the last decades, global warming has been accompanied by an increase in the taxonomic biodiversity of phytoplankton and zooplankton in the North Atlantic Ocean and a reduction in the average size of these organisms, according to researchers. They demonstrate that this structural modification of biological systems could bring about an alteration to the carbon sink in the North Atlantic and a ... Tue Jun 01 08:38:22 2010 EST http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/YaleEnvironment360/~3/6G4jSd9Jkgs/feature.msp The tropical forest conservation plan, known as REDD, has the potential to significantly reduce deforestation and carbon dioxide emissions worldwide. But unless projects are carefully designed and monitored, the program could be undercut by shady dealings at all levels, from the forests to global carbon markets. BY FRED PEARCE Tue Jun 01 08:38:22 2010 EST http://e360.yale.edu/content/digest.msp?id=2432 If the world''s major nations fail to enact significant changes in energy and climate policies, global carbon dioxide emissions will increase 43 percent by 2035, according to the U. S. Energy Information Agency (EIA). In its annual long- term energy outlook, the EIA projected that global emissions from burning fossil fuels would grow from 29 billion tons in 2007 to 42 billion tons in 2035. The EIA said that most of the increase in greenhouse gas emissions will come from developing economies such as China, India, and Brazil, whose energy consumption is expected to nearly double in the next 25 years. Tue Jun 01 08:38:22 2010 EST http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/news/article/2010/05/us-wind-growth-likely-to-drop-in-2010?cmpid=rss Following a record- breaking year of capacity additions in 2009with 9.8 GW of wind projects installedthe U. S. wind market finds itself confronting a growth- constrained 2010 and a near- term market landscape wrought with increased competition, according to a new market study, U. S. Wind Power Markets and Strategies: 2010-2025 from IHS Emerging Energy Research. Tue Jun 01 08:38:22 2010 EST http://search.japantimes.co.jp/rss/nn20100528f2.html Global competition to secure rare metals is heating up, fueled by their use in green products and surging demand in emerging economies like China. Rare metals are essential for energy- saving products a strong area for Japan including hybrid vehicles, electric cars, air conditioners and vacuum cleaners with less power consumption, and light- emitting diode illumination, and demand for all of ... Tue Jun 01 08:38:22 2010 EST http://www.vancouversun.com/believes+global+warming+natural/3079835/story.html Reuters India1 in 10 believes global warming is natural. Vancouver Sun... the least to climate change. Human waste, population increases, energy use and deforestation were listed as the worst contributors to global warming. ...Scientists decry attacks by skeptics of climate change. San Jose Mercury News. Carbon plays no role in climate change. Washington Times. Women''s role in a warming world. Energy Collective (blog) The American Culture -Times of India -Wall Street Journalall 50 Tue Jun 01 08:38:22 2010 EST http://www.upi.com/Science_News/Resource-Wars/2010/05/27/Australia-to-miss-emission-reduction-goals/UPI-42501275004992/ BRISBANE, Australia, May 27 (UPI) -- Australia''s Climate Change Department head Martin Parkinson warned that the nation will likely not meet its promised emission reduction targets. Tue Jun 01 08:38:22 2010 EST http://www.sys-con.com/node/1411887 read more Tue Jun 01 08:38:22 2010 EST http://www.newkerala.com/news/fullnews-116591.html Washington, May 28 : A British is looking into ways new 'visual strategies' can communicate climate change messages against a backdrop of increased climate scepticism. Tue Jun 01 08:38:22 2010 EST http://www.infozine.com/news/stories/op/storiesView/sid/41376/ World Bank Releases 2010 State and Trends of the Carbon Market Report Tue Jun 01 08:38:22 2010 EST http://www.officialwire.com/main.php?action=posted_news&rid=151458&catid=3 Merely switching to electric vehicles in the UK will not have a significant impact on carbon emissions, a new report has claimed. Tue Jun 01 08:38:22 2010 EST http://www.alternet.org/environment/147028/we_need_an_'emergency_mobilization'_to_fight_climate_change%3A_so_where's_the_support_for_the_kerry-lieberman_bill We Need an 'Emergency Mobilization' to Fight Climate Change: So Where''s the ...Alter. NetAt this point, tackling global warming will require focused efforts at the local level. In all fairness, the green lobby is in a tough position. ...Americans Are Becoming Global Warming SkepticsU. S. News World Report. Regarding climate change, Kerry should heed science. The Hill. Kerry- Lieberman resurrect Cap- and- Trade debate with new American Power Act. Examiner. com. Victoria Times Colonistall 56 Tue Jun 01 08:38:22 2010 EST http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/28/opinion/28baker.html The Earth''s Secrets, Hidden in the Skies. New York Times. In the process, it collects mounds of environmental data which, in the hands of climate scientists, could add greatly to our understanding of global warming ...and more Tue Jun 01 08:38:22 2010 EST http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/a-historic-moment-for-anyone-who-cares-about-the-environment-1985107.html History doesn' t always come in thunderclaps or cheering crowds, and yesterday it was made with very little outward fuss when a woman in a pale blue trouser suit got to her feet from a green leather bench and began to speak. It was precisely 3.30 in the afternoon, and the Deputy Speaker of the House of Commons, Hugh Bayley, had just issued a two- word invitation: "Caroline Lucas." And with that, the first MP of the Green Party, in fact the first MP of a new national party for many years, began her maiden speech and her party''s political life at Westminster. Tue Jun 01 08:38:22 2010 EST http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100528/ap_on_sc/af_niger_food_crisis GADABEJI, Niger " At this time of year, the Gadabeji Reserve should be refuge for the nomadic tribes who travel across a moonscape on the edge of the Sahara to graze their cattle. But the grass is meager after a drought killed off the last year''s crops. Now the cattle are too weak to stand and too skinny to sell, leaving the poor without any way to buy grain to feed their families. The threat of famine is again stalking the Sahel, a band of semiarid land stretching across Africa south of the Sahara. The U. N. World Food Program warned on Friday that some 10 million people face hunger over the next three months before the next harvest in September - if it comes. Tue Jun 01 08:38:22 2010 EST http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/science_and_environment/10178454.stm In his regular column, BBC environment analyst Roger Harrabin looks at the fall-out from complaints that some of the Royal Society had oversimplified its messages in public statements on climate change. Tue Jun 01 08:38:22 2010 EST http://www.joabbess.com/2010/05/30/trinity-sunday-many-as-one/ You may be familiar with the Christian theology of Trinity " God the Father, Jesus (Messiah or Christ) his Son and the Holy Spirit all somehow united, living together, one being together, different aspects of the same Goodly Godness. And you may be also be familiar with Communion, the communal ritual of eating bread and drinking wine as a church community, the coming together of the Children of God. 'Remain in me', says Jesus, talking about grafting his followers into this new and universal church Vine :- [link] passage/?search= John+15&version= NLT So now God has not just three characters, and seven messengers (the lampstands of the Revelation of St John), and the 144,000 redeemed Sons of Israel (also from the Revelation), he now has billions of souls somehow in his family. Tue Jun 01 08:38:22 2010 EST http://www.joabbess.com/2010/05/30/colin-challen-to-chris-huhne/ Ex- Members of Parliament and ex- Ministers of Government usually have a lot to say about Climate Change and Energy. Colin Challen, formerly MP for Morley and Rotherwell, is a prime case in point. What the world needs now is a new world order " a global framework for carbon emissions control " and that framework is Contraction and Convergence. Colin Challen has written a powerful statement to Chris Huhne MP, the new Minister for the Department of Energy and Climate Change, and would like us all to co- sign it :- [link] politics. html Naturally, I have already signed this letter, because I know that Contraction and Convergence has to be at the heart of future international negotiations on Climate Change :- [link]2010/04/30/the- price- of- carbon/ I hope you can all co- ... Tue Jun 01 08:38:22 2010 EST http://www.joabbess.com/2010/05/30/climate-change-robust-findings/ Image Credit : Skeptical. Science. com It should come as no surprise that the United Nations (under UNFCCC) commissioned a report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), way back in 2007. The revelation is that very few people appear to have read any of it. So I thought I would present just a little about the 'robust findings' of Working Group 1 (WG1 or WGI) of the Fourth Assessment Report (AR4). I think the IPCC''s science needs a wider public readership, and so I hope that this post in some way enables that. Tue Jun 01 08:38:22 2010 EST http://www.joabbess.com/2010/05/29/global-warming-versus-climate-change/ What''s the difference ? Why is Global Warming not the same as Climate Change ? And why do we call Global Warming 'anthropogenic' ? How do we know recent Global Warming is caused by mankind''s activities ? So, what is Global Warming ? 1. Carbo