Friday, December 30, 2011

Our Weather On Steroids: The Mind-Boggling Climate Disasters Of 2011

Our Weather On Steroids: The Mind-Boggling Climate Disasters Of 2011: pThe year 2011 brought the most billion-dollar climate disasters to the United States ever, piling history-making events on top of each other to catastrophic results. The litany of disaster included a scorching drought that rivaled the Dust Bowl summer of 1936, a tornado season twice as bad as the great 1974 tornado outbreak, and flooding [...]/p

Wednesday, December 28, 2011

Thom Hartmann: Brazilians Charge Big Oil For Spill.... Why Don't We?

No Time Left to Adapt to Melting Glaciers | Common Dreams

No Time Left to Adapt to Melting Glaciers | Common Dreams

Book Examines America's Turn from Science, Warns of Danger for Democracy | Common Dreams

Book Examines America's Turn from Science, Warns of Danger for Democracy | Common Dreams

Turbocharging Energy Efficiency 1: Utility Efficiency Program Budgets Double to $5.4 Billion

Turbocharging Energy Efficiency 1: Utility Efficiency Program Budgets Double to $5.4 Billion: pby Matthias Bell, RMI, and Dylan Sullivan of NRDC, cross-posted from the Rocky Mountain Institute This is part one in a three part series published at RMI on turbocharging energy efficiency programs. The utilities in Ohio will tell you that they’re nothing like the energy efficiency leaders in California, Oregon, Vermont, or Massachusetts. Their systems [...]/p

The Shocking Republican Attack on the Environment and Our Drinking Water | Water | AlterNet

The Shocking Republican Attack on the Environment and Our Drinking Water | Water | AlterNet

Report: Japan's Response To Fukushima Disaster Was A Mess

Report: Japan's Response To Fukushima Disaster Was A Mess

Portraits of the Southwest in the Shadow of Drought

Portraits of the Southwest in the Shadow of Drought: pNOTE:  NY Times readers who want to see an extended excerpt of my Nature article can go here: “Nature Publishes My Piece on Dust-Bowlification and the Grave Threat It Poses to Food Security.” The NY Times reviews two new books on Dust-Bowlification — A Great Aridness: Climate Change and the Future of the American Southwest, [...]/p

Thursday, December 22, 2011

Climate Sensitivity Higher Than We Thought, Researchers Find

Climate Sensitivity Higher Than We Thought, Researchers Find: pJR:  There’s been a lot of confusion this year on how sensitive the climate is to greenhouse gases (see Media Misleads On Flawed Climate Sensitivity Study: Avoiding “Drastic Changes Over Land” Requires Emissions Cuts ASAP).  Given all the media attention given to one (flawed) study, a little attention to other studies seems worthwhile.   by [...]/p

EPA Issues New Mercury and Toxic Emissions Rules After a 20 Year Wait

EPA Issues New Mercury and Toxic Emissions Rules After a 20 Year Wait

Thank the Obama Administration.

Jim Hightower | PR soap can't scrub off banker greed

Jim Hightower | PR soap can't scrub off banker greed

Season’s Greetings From the Fox News Climate Deniers

Season’s Greetings From the Fox News Climate Deniers: pby Jill Fitzsimmons, cross-posted from Media Matters As winter descends, Fox is keeping with its annual tradition of using snowstorms and cold temperatures to mock global warming. The suggestion that local winter weather somehow disproves global, long-term warming trends is a recurring theme at Fox, despite its faulty logic. During the hot summer months, Fox [...]/p

Breathe In, Breathe Out

Wednesday, December 21, 2011

EPA Rules Target Mercury Pollution, Toxics from Power Plants | Common Dreams

EPA Rules Target Mercury Pollution, Toxics from Power Plants | Common Dreams

On Fox News, Ed Whitfield Denies ‘Any Benefit’ To Babies And Pregnant Women From Reducing Mercury Levels

On Fox News, Ed Whitfield Denies ‘Any Benefit’ To Babies And Pregnant Women From Reducing Mercury Levels: pAs U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Administration Lisa Jackson announces the first-ever Clean Air Act rules to limit mercury pollution from coal-fired power plants, Republicans are already attacking this historic advance for public health. The health risks of this potent neurotoxin are enormously well-documented. Methylmercury from coal pollution accumulates in fish, poisoning pregnant women and small [...]/p

Saturday, December 17, 2011

Friday, December 16, 2011

Killing of Wolves from Air Draws Fire | Common Dreams

Killing of Wolves from Air Draws Fire | Common Dreams

Disgusting!

Climate Change May Modify Half Earth's Plants | Common Dreams

Climate Change May Modify Half Earth's Plants | Common Dreams

After 20 Years Of Poisoned Babies, EPA Will Finally Cut Coal Industry’s Toxic Mercury Pollution

After 20 Years Of Poisoned Babies, EPA Will Finally Cut Coal Industry’s Toxic Mercury Pollution: pLong-delayed rules to limit toxins like mercury and arsenic from coal-burning power plants will be approved today, after twenty years of delay that protected coal utility profits at the expense of American health. The Los Angeles Times reports that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency will finalize its mercury rule today, marking the end of an [...]/p

Whistleblowers: Software Monitoring Keystone XL Pipeline's Safety Contains Deliberate Errors | Truthout

Whistleblowers: Software Monitoring Keystone XL Pipeline's Safety Contains Deliberate Errors | Truthout

The Walmartization of America Redux: How the Relentless Drive for Cheap Stuff Undermines Our Economy, Bankrupts Our Soul, and Pillages the Planet | Common Dreams

The Walmartization of America Redux: How the Relentless Drive for Cheap Stuff Undermines Our Economy, Bankrupts Our Soul, and Pillages the Planet | Common Dreams

House GOP Voted 191 Times Against The Planet, Earning ‘Worst Environmental Record Of Any Congress’

House GOP Voted 191 Times Against The Planet, Earning ‘Worst Environmental Record Of Any Congress’: pHouse Republicans waged systematic war against the environment this year, attacking environmental protection through climate denial, oil drilling, weakening public lands and water protection, and obstructing responsible regulation — just to name a few. In summation, a House Committee on Energy and Commerce minority report reveals that the House voted 191 times to undermine the [...]/p

Monday, December 12, 2011

Are Privatized Water Utilities in Cahoots With Shale Gas Companies? | AlterNet

Are Privatized Water Utilities in Cahoots With Shale Gas Companies? | AlterNet

Rachel Pike: The Science Behind A Climate Headline

Solar Power Much Cheaper to Produce Than Most Analysts Realize, Study Finds

Solar Power Much Cheaper to Produce Than Most Analysts Realize, Study Finds: pThe public is being kept in the dark about the viability of solar photovoltaic energy, according to a study conducted at Queen’s University. “Many analysts project a higher cost for solar photovoltaic energy because they don’t consider recent technological advancements and price reductions,” says [co-author] Joshua Pearce, Adjunct Professor, Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering. [...]/p

Welcome to the new Arctic

Welcome to the new Arctic

Massey Gets Away With Murder: Time To Revoke their Charter | | AlterNet

Massey Gets Away With Murder: Time To Revoke their Charter | | AlterNet

Deal Reached in Durban But Scientists Say it Won't Avert Catastrophic Climate Change | Environment | AlterNet

Deal Reached in Durban But Scientists Say it Won't Avert Catastrophic Climate Change | Environment | AlterNet

Friday, December 9, 2011

NOAA Chief: U.S. Record of a Dozen Billion-Dollar Weather Disasters in One Year Is “a Harbinger of Things to Come”

NOAA Chief: U.S. Record of a Dozen Billion-Dollar Weather Disasters in One Year Is “a Harbinger of Things to Come”: pThe National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has released an analysis, “U.S. sets record with a dozen billion-dollar weather disasters in one year.”  They report: To date, the United States set a record with 12 separate billion dollar weather/climate disasters in 2011, with an aggregate damage total of approximately $52 billion. This record year breaks the [...]/p

Acid Test

Durban Climate Hero Abigail Borah: ‘I Am Speaking On Behalf Of The United States Of America Because My Negotiators Cannot’

Durban Climate Hero Abigail Borah: ‘I Am Speaking On Behalf Of The United States Of America Because My Negotiators Cannot’: pRead all the ThinkProgress coverage from the Durban climate talks. The delegates assembled in Durban, South Africa to tackle the civilizational challenge of manmade climate destruction burst into sustained applause on Thursday when a young American interrupted the proceedings to speak on behalf of the United States people. Abigail Borah, a 21-year-old student from Middlebury [...]/p

Naomi Klein: Addicted to Risk

How the US Is Undermining Critical Climate Talks and Putting the World in Jeopardy | Environment | AlterNet

How the US Is Undermining Critical Climate Talks and Putting the World in Jeopardy | Environment | AlterNet

U.S. Denounced For "Startling Level Of Obstruction And Defeatism"

"Get It Done": Urging Climate Justice Mic Check At UN Summit

U.S. Publicly Shifts Climate Stance in Face of Widespread Criticism -- Then Quietly Backtracks

U.S. Publicly Shifts Climate Stance in Face of Widespread Criticism -- Then Quietly Backtracks

Poll: Majority of Americans Understand Global Warming Worsens Extreme Weather and Want Nation to Act

Poll: Majority of Americans Understand Global Warming Worsens Extreme Weather and Want Nation to Act: pYale released the above chart in November.  Now they have released “the second and third reports from our latest national survey on Americans’ climate change and energy beliefs, attitudes, policy support, and behavior.”  Key findings: Public understanding that global warming is happening stayed at 63 percent, while belief that it is caused mostly by human activities [...]/p

Bill McKibben: Saving The Planet From The Bottom Up

Bill Mckibben: Eaarth Discussion

Blue Carbon: The Role of Oceans in Climate Change

Blue Carbon: The Role of Oceans in Climate Change: pOceans make up 70% of the earth’s surface and hold 90% of natural carbon. So why do they only make up a small portion of the research on the global impact of carbon emissions? The role of “blue carbon” in climate change is getting more interest from the international community. With a growing body of [...]/p

Thursday, December 8, 2011

Cannibal Polar Bears | Common Dreams

Cannibal Polar Bears | Common Dreams

Radiation From Cell Phones and WiFi Are Making People Sick -- Are We All at Risk? | Environment | AlterNet

Radiation From Cell Phones and WiFi Are Making People Sick -- Are We All at Risk? | Environment | AlterNet

The Wall Street Journal's /Unreliable Take On EPA's Air Pollution Limits

The emWall Street Journal's /emUnreliable Take On EPA's Air Pollution Limits

Fracking Compounds Found in Drinking Water | Common Dreams

Fracking Compounds Found in Drinking Water | Common Dreams

Naomi Klein’s Inconvenient Climate Conclusions | Common Dreams

Naomi Klein’s Inconvenient Climate Conclusions | Common Dreams

The Fanatics of the Center

The Fanatics of the Center

The Most Important News Story of the Day/Millennium | Common Dreams

The Most Important News Story of the Day/Millennium | Common Dreams

Fox Still Pushing Discredited Keystone XL Pipeline Jobs Claims

Fox Still Pushing Discredited Keystone XL Pipeline Jobs Claims

Australian Green Party Leader: U.S. Climate Denial Machine “Being Directed Straight into Australia” Via Murdoch’s News Corp

Australian Green Party Leader: U.S. Climate Denial Machine “Being Directed Straight into Australia” Via Murdoch’s News Corp: pThe Winning Aussie Strategy: Fighting Back Against Deniers and Talking About Climate Change If President Obama needs a role model for his stance (or lack thereof) on climate change, he should look no further than the Deputy Leader of Australia’s Green Party, Christine Milne. In a wide-ranging interview with Climate Progress at the COP 17 [...]/p

Toll from Weather Disasters in US This Year Hits $52 Billion | Common Dreams

Toll from Weather Disasters in US This Year Hits $52 Billion | Common Dreams

Noam Chomsky And Bill McKibben On Global Warming

Gas Company That Contaminated 18 Wells Through Fracking Refuses To Continue Providing Clean Water To Residents

Gas Company That Contaminated 18 Wells Through Fracking Refuses To Continue Providing Clean Water To Residents: pAs Republican lawmakers rush headlong to open up land to fracking, their constituents should heed the cautionary tale told by the town of Dimock, Pennsylvania. The small town of 1,400 people agreed to let Houston-based Cabot Oil & Gas Company employ hydraulic fracturing on local land to obtain natural gas in 2008. The result: 18 [...]/p

Koch Political Group Brags About Bullying GOP Lawmakers Into Denying Climate Science

Koch Political Group Brags About Bullying GOP Lawmakers Into Denying Climate Science: pIn its cover story this week, the National Journal explores a curious phenomenon: while the science supporting climate change has only gotten stronger, the onetime Republican consensus on the issue has fallen apart. The reason, quite simply, is the right-wing polluter Koch Industries and its political front group Americans for Prosperity. As Political Correction notes, [...]/p

Thom Hartmann: ALEC, Children And Rat Poison

Thom Hartmann: Climate Change Facts

Thom Hartmann: Climate Change vs Professional Wrestling

Acid Test

Sailing The Great Pacific Garbage Patch

Marching Off the Cliff | Truthout

Marching Off the Cliff | Truthout

She's Alive

The Great Pacific Garbage Patch

Saving Valentina



A very positive and heart warming video.

Fiddling on Climate | Common Dreams

Fiddling on Climate | Common Dreams

The Story Of Bottled Water

US College Student Shames US Climate Delegation in Durban | Common Dreams

US College Student Shames US Climate Delegation in Durban | Common Dreams

Polar Bears Are Turning To Cannibalism As Arctic Ice Disappears

Polar Bears Are Turning To Cannibalism As Arctic Ice Disappears: pPolar bears are now being observed by scientists resorting to cannibalism, and expect to see more as Arctic sea ice declines. In “Observations of cannibalism by polar bears (Ursus maritimus) on summer and autumn sea ice at Svalbard, Norway,” published in the journal Arctic, polar bear biologist Ian Stirling and photojournalist Jenny Ross describe seeing [...]/p

Saturday, December 3, 2011

The U.S. Wastes 7 Billion Gallons of Drinking Water Every Day

The U.S. Wastes 7 Billion Gallons of Drinking Water Every Day

What Would Ben Franklin Do?

What Would Ben Franklin Do?

Washington Post Edits Out Climate Change from Its Sea-Level Rise Story

Washington Post Edits Out Climate Change from Its Sea-Level Rise Story: pProjected sea level rise IF we don’t get off our current emissions path (which is between A2 and A1FI).  The WashPost omitted any mention of climate change in its sea level rise story, even though a key source talked about it with the reporter. by Elliott Negin, Union of Concerned Scientists, in a HuffPost repost. [...]/p

Fox Denigrates The “ ENTIRE Solar Industry“

Fox Denigrates The “ ENTIRE Solar Industry“

Thousands Protest in India Over Dow Chemical's Olympic Sponsorship | Common Dreams

Thousands Protest in India Over Dow Chemical's Olympic Sponsorship | Common Dreams

What Would Ben Franklin Do? Influences of America’s First Environmentalist

What Would Ben Franklin Do? Influences of America’s First Environmentalist: pby Lauren Simenauer, cross posted from Science Progress In the late 18th century, Benjamin Franklin was something of an icon in Europe. The French hung portraits of Franklin on their walls much in the same way college students pay tribute to John Belushi or Jim Morrison in their dorms. Everywhere Franklin went, his feisty personality [...]/p

Radiation From Cell Phones and WiFi Are Making People Sick -- Are We All at Risk? | Environment | AlterNet

Radiation From Cell Phones and WiFi Are Making People Sick -- Are We All at Risk? | Environment | AlterNet

Tuesday, November 29, 2011

Oxfam: Extreme Weather Has Helped Push Tens of Millions into “Hunger and Poverty” in “Grim Foretaste” of Warmed World

Oxfam: Extreme Weather Has Helped Push Tens of Millions into “Hunger and Poverty” in “Grim Foretaste” of Warmed World: pClimate Change Endangers Food Security Worldwide “Extreme weather like the droughts in Russia, China and Brazil and the flooding in Pakistan and Australia [in 2010] have contributed to a level of food price volatility we haven’t seen since the oil crisisof 40 years ago. Unfortunately, this could be just a taste of things to come [...]/p

Offshore Wind Could Meet 14% of Europe’s Energy Demand by 2030, Leveraging $193 Billion in Investments

Offshore Wind Could Meet 14% of Europe’s Energy Demand by 2030, Leveraging $193 Billion in Investments: pThe European Union, long the global leader in offshore wind, will likely stay that way for the next decade — even with the fast-growing wind market in China catching up. That’s according to new figures released by Europe’s wind trade group, the European Wind Energy Association. In a report issued earlier this month, EWEA projects [...]/p

Friday, November 18, 2011

Blockbuster IPCC Chart Hints at Dust-Bowlification, But Report Is Mostly Silent on Warming’s Gravest Threat to Humanity

Blockbuster IPCC Chart Hints at Dust-Bowlification, But Report Is Mostly Silent on Warming’s Gravest Threat to Humanity: pA USA Today (not IPCC) chart emphasizes the risk of drought in heavily populated areas. The IPCC Special Report “Managing the Risks of Extreme Events and Disasters to Advance Climate Change Adaptation (SREX)” is now online.  I had seen the previous draft and the changes to it, so I knew that it was a big [...]/p

Thursday, November 17, 2011

Solar For the 99%? Two Thirds of California Solar Installs Are in Median-Income Zip Codes

Solar For the 99%? Two Thirds of California Solar Installs Are in Median-Income Zip Codes: pThink solar is only for the 1%? Not so fast. New data from California shows that two thirds of solar PV installations from 2009 to 2011 were in zip codes with median household incomes between $40,000 and $84,000, according to analysis from PV Solar Report and SunRun. Solar PV is often criticized as an “eco-chic” [...]/p

Wednesday, November 16, 2011

Happy Birthday Clean Air Act: Thanks for Creating Jobs and Driving Innovation While Saving Millions of Lives

Happy Birthday Clean Air Act: Thanks for Creating Jobs and Driving Innovation While Saving Millions of Lives: pBy Jorge Madrid and Matt Kasper The modern version of the Clean Air Act turns 21 years old this week, and we have two trillion reasons to celebrate. The 1990 amendments to the original law were specifically designed to curb four major threats to the health of millions of Americans: acid rain, urban air pollution, [...]/p

Investment Continues to Flow into Marine Energy: Siemens and OpenHydro Ride the Tide

Investment Continues to Flow into Marine Energy: Siemens and OpenHydro Ride the Tide: pMarine resources — tidal, wave and ocean thermal — are ripe for providing massive amounts of energy to coastal communities. But the technologies are still budding, preventing companies from realizing that available potential. The International Energy Agency estimates that marine resources could feasibly provide 20,000 TWh of electricity each year. That’s more than today’s entire [...]/p

Monday, November 14, 2011

IEA’s Bombshell Warning: We’re Headed Toward 11°F Global Warming and “Delaying Action Is a False Economy”

IEA’s Bombshell Warning: We’re Headed Toward 11°F Global Warming and “Delaying Action Is a False Economy”: pInternational Energy Agency:  “On planned policies, rising fossil energy use will lead to irreversible and potentially catastrophic climate change.” “… we are on an even more dangerous track to an increase of 6°C [11°F]….  Delaying action is a false economy: for every $1 of investment in cleaner technology that is avoided in the power sector [...]/p

Friday, October 21, 2011

Massachusetts Is The Most Energy Efficient State

Massachusetts Is The Most Energy Efficient State: pAccording to the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy, Massachusetts has edged out California as the most energy efficient state, with scores of 45.5 and 44 out of 50 on ACEEE’s rankings. The council used six criteria to score each state: utility and public benefits programs and policies, transportation policies, building energy codes, combined heat [...]/p

Thursday, October 20, 2011

Hot Dog Bites Skeptical Man: Koch-Funded Berkeley Temperature Study Does “Confirm the Reality of Global Warming”

Hot Dog Bites Skeptical Man: Koch-Funded Berkeley Temperature Study Does “Confirm the Reality of Global Warming”: pFour new papers confirm that “the world is warming fast,” as the Economist summed it up.  One paper finds that “the effect of urban heating on the global trends is nearly negligible.”  Another finds that the work of the scientist-smearing denier Anthony Watts is pure BS. Okay, that’s all “dog bites man” stuff, which is [...]/p

Global Warming Study Finds No Grounds for Climate Sceptics' Concerns | Common Dreams

Global Warming Study Finds No Grounds for Climate Sceptics' Concerns | Common Dreams

Evidence Builds That Scientists Underplay Climate Impacts

Evidence Builds That Scientists Underplay Climate Impacts: pFar from being “alarmist,” predictions from climate scientists in many cases are proving to be more conservative than observed climate-induced impacts. The observed rate of Arctic ice loss exceeds the projections of all IPCC climate models — by NSIDC scientist Julienne Stroeve updated through 2011 (via Climate Crocks, click to enlarge). By Douglas Fischer, Daily [...]/p

Climate Ethicist: Why Should People in the Future Pay to Clean Up Our Mess?

Climate Ethicist: Why Should People in the Future Pay to Clean Up Our Mess?: pThe global challenge of climate change poses a perfect moral storm — by failing to take action to rein in carbon emissions, the current generation is spreading the costs of its behavior far into the future. Why should people in the future pay to clean up our mess? by Stephen Gardiner, in a Yale Environment [...]/p

A Big Source of Climate Confusion: The Factor of 3.67 Difference Between Carbon vs. Carbon Dioxide

A Big Source of Climate Confusion: The Factor of 3.67 Difference Between Carbon vs. Carbon Dioxide: pOne of the biggest source of confusion and errors in climate discussions concerns “carbon” versus “carbon dioxide.” I was reminded of this last week because of my post Economics Stunner: “Oil and Coal-Fired Power Plants Have Air Pollution Damages Larger Than Their Value Added.” I noticed that Skeptical Science innocently confused C and CO2. The [...]/p

Media Called to Arms in Green Battle | Common Dreams

Media Called to Arms in Green Battle | Common Dreams

Sunday, October 16, 2011

The New York Times Asks “Where Did Global Warming Go?” While Ignoring Its Own Failed Coverage

The New York Times Asks “Where Did Global Warming Go?” While Ignoring Its Own Failed Coverage: p  The New York Times is one of many major news outlets blowing the story of the century (see “Silence of the Lambs: Media herd’s coverage of climate change “fell off the map” in 2010“). The one-time “paper of record” cut coverage sharply since its peak in 2006 and 2007 and failed to connect the [...]/p

Thursday, October 13, 2011

Fox News' War On The EPA

Fox News' War On The EPA

Thom Hartmann: Climate Change Facts

Thom Hartmann: Climate Change vs Professional Wrestling

Saving Valentina



A very moving and positive video.

Eight Must-Have Charts Summarize the Evidence for a “Human Fingerprint” on Recent Climate Change

Eight Must-Have Charts Summarize the Evidence for a “Human Fingerprint” on Recent Climate Change: pClick to Enlarge The Yale Project on Climate Change Communications asked Americans “If you had the opportunity to talk to an expert on global warming, which of the following questions would you like to ask?” The top question, as reported in their “Global Warming’s Six Americas in May 2011” report, is “How do you know that [...]/p

Solar and Wind Could Power the West Right Now, All of America in 2026

Solar and Wind Could Power the West Right Now, All of America in 2026: pby John Farrell, in two posts that came from Energy Self-Reliant States The Germans have installed over 10,000 megawatts of solar panels in the past two years, enough to power 2 million American homes (or most of Los Angeles, CA).  If Americans installed local solar at the same torrid pace, we could already power most [...]/p

Victory at Sea - Governor Signs Protection of Sharks into Law | Francesca Koe's Blog | Switchboard, from NRDC

Victory at Sea - Governor Signs Protection of Sharks into Law | Francesca Koe's Blog | Switchboard, from NRDC

Koch Brothers Exposed: Koch Industries And Cancer

A Clip From The Cove

She's Alive

Acid Test

ABC News: The Great Pacific Garbage Patch

Charles Moore On The Great Pacific Garbage Patch

Where are US Global Warming Emissions Headed?

Where are US Global Warming Emissions Headed?

Record Heat Causes Peanut Butter Prices to Skyrocket: “I Don’t Remember A Year” We Had “So Little Moisture”

Record Heat Causes Peanut Butter Prices to Skyrocket: “I Don’t Remember A Year” We Had “So Little Moisture”: p“The drought conditions should sure that have plagued farmers this growing season have taken a toll on the area’s peanut crop. Withered blooms, burned pods and few undeveloped peanuts define this year’s peanut crop for many area farmers.” (Photo/Jaine Treadwell) First, we heard that climate change could decimate the chocolate industry. Now it’s peanut butter. [...]/p

Why the Whole Idea of the U.S Achieving 'Energy Independence' Is a Sham That Enriches Big Oil and Coal | Environment | AlterNet

Why the Whole Idea of the U.S Achieving 'Energy Independence' Is a Sham That Enriches Big Oil and Coal | Environment | AlterNet

Friday, October 7, 2011

Acid Test

Robert Bryce Raises Climate Denial To New Levels Of Stupid

Robert Bryce Raises Climate Denial To New Levels Of Stupid: p“The science is not settled, not by a long shot,” writes disinformer Robert Bryce in the Wall Street Journal. “Last month, scientists at CERN, the prestigious high-energy physics lab in Switzerland, reported that neutrinos might—repeat, might—travel faster than the speed of light. If serious scientists can question Einstein’s theory of relativity, then there must be [...]/p

Who Is Robert Bryce?

Who Is Robert Bryce?

People-Powered Testimony Against Keystone XL Tar Sands | Common Dreams

People-Powered Testimony Against Keystone XL Tar Sands | Common Dreams

Lawsuit: TransCanada is Illegally Clearing the Way for Keystone XL Pipeline | Truthout

Lawsuit: TransCanada is Illegally Clearing the Way for Keystone XL Pipeline | Truthout

Our Oceans Are in Dire Shape, But Without Them All Life on Land -- Human, Plant and Animal -- Is Totally Screwed | Water | AlterNet

Our Oceans Are in Dire Shape, But Without Them All Life on Land -- Human, Plant and Animal -- Is Totally Screwed | Water | AlterNet

Thursday, October 6, 2011

Media Bias: Solyndra v. Keystone XL

Media Bias: Solyndra v. Keystone XL: pIn recent weeks, email communications between Obama administration officials and corporate executives at energy companies have come to light. Television coverage of the Solyndra photovoltaic company’s bankruptcy has been wall-to-wall, with over 190 mentions and 10 hours of coverage (led by Fox News) between Aug. 31 and Sept. 23. Meanwhile, emails from the permitting process [...]/p

Top 10 Reasons Why Renewable Energy Wins — On Solyndra, Silver Bullets and Solar Buckshot

Top 10 Reasons Why Renewable Energy Wins — On Solyndra, Silver Bullets and Solar Buckshot: pThis GreenTechMedia repost is a joint effort of the solar industry supergroup:  Doug Payne, Donnie Fowler, Danny Kennedy, Ned Harvey, Tom McCalmont, Jigar Shah By now the financial, political, and emotional fallout from the recent Solyndra bankruptcy filing is running at full tilt. Print, online, and social media channels are filled with the appropriate questions about what [...]/p

Friday, September 30, 2011

Canadian Arctic Loses Nearly Entire Ice Shelf | Common Dreams

Canadian Arctic Loses Nearly Entire Ice Shelf | Common Dreams

NASA’s Hansen: “If We Stay on With Business as Usual, the Southern U.S. Will Become Almost Uninhabitable.”

NASA’s Hansen: “If We Stay on With Business as Usual, the Southern U.S. Will Become Almost Uninhabitable.”: pClimatologist Slams Media for “Silent Summer”:  Poor Coverage of Link Between Extreme Weather and Human-Caused Climate Change The nation’s top climatologist, NASA’s James Hansen, has a new paper out — and he has been speaking out.  At 350.org’s Moving Planet event in New York on Saturday, he said: “Climate change — human-made global warming — [...]/p

Wake Up Democrats: Independents Support Federal Investment in “Green Jobs” 2-to-1 Despite Solyndra Media Storm

Wake Up Democrats: Independents Support Federal Investment in “Green Jobs” 2-to-1 Despite Solyndra Media Storm: pIn dozens of focus groups we have conducted this month across the country on a wide variety of subjects, when voters are asked where they would like new jobs in their state to come from, the first words out of their mouths are almost always the same – clean energy and related technology.  Voters believe [...]/p

Too Hot for Chocolate? Climate Change Could Decimate the $9 Billion Cocoa Industry, Study Finds

Too Hot for Chocolate? Climate Change Could Decimate the $9 Billion Cocoa Industry, Study Finds: pGlobal warming threatens heat-sensitive cocoa trees, a Gates Foundation study finds Half of the world’s cocoa supply comes from the West African countries of Ghana and Côte d’Ivoire. But in the coming decades, climate change could severely limit production in the region — disrupting local farmers and squeezing global chocolate supply. A new report out [...]/p

An Illustrated Guide to the Science of Global Warming Impacts: How We Know Inaction Is the Gravest Threat Humanity Faces

An Illustrated Guide to the Science of Global Warming Impacts: How We Know Inaction Is the Gravest Threat Humanity Faces: pHumanity’s Choice (via M.I.T.):  Inaction (“No Policy”) eliminates most of the uncertainty about whether or not future warming will be catastrophic.  Aggressive emissions reductions dramatically improves humanity’s chances. In this post, I will summarize what the recent scientific literature says are the key impacts we face in the coming decades if we stay anywhere near [...]/p

Monday, September 26, 2011

We’re Poisoning the Oceans and It Threatens Our Food

We’re Poisoning the Oceans and It Threatens Our Food: pby Sheril Kirshenbaum, in a Science Progress cross-post Marine chemist Richard Feely, a senior scientist with the National Oceanic and Atmosphere Administration, has been collecting water samples in the North Pacific for over 30 years. He’s observed a decrease in pH at the upper part of the water column, notably the region where carbon dioxide [...]/p

Friday, September 23, 2011

Hottest Decade on Record Would Have Been Even Hotter But for Deep Oceans — Accelerated Warming May Be On Its Way

Hottest Decade on Record Would Have Been Even Hotter But for Deep Oceans — Accelerated Warming May Be On Its Way: pA composite of all the major global temperature records via Skeptical Science. The last decade was easily the hottest on record.  We’ve known that sulfate aerosols (from volcanoes and/or Chinese coal) and the “the deepest solar minimum in nearly a century” masked the rate of warming somewhat. Even so, NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies [...]/pjavascript:void(0)

Thursday, September 22, 2011

What Happened To The Republican Consensus On Climate Change?

What Happened To The Republican Consensus On Climate Change?

The Deniers’ Fantasy World: EIA Projects 40% Rise in CO2 Emissions by 2035

The Deniers’ Fantasy World: EIA Projects 40% Rise in CO2 Emissions by 2035: pThe U.S. Energy Information Administration issued its International Energy Outlook this week.  For anyone concerned about the uncontrolled rise in carbon emissions — the primary heat-trapping gas fueling dangerous global warming — it paints a very grim future. Under a business-as-usual climate science deniers’ fantasy scenario, the EIA projects that global carbon dioxide emissions will [...]/p

Wednesday, September 21, 2011

Contrary To GOP Claims, Research Shows Environmental Regulation Actually Spurs Economic Growth

Contrary To GOP Claims, Research Shows Environmental Regulation Actually Spurs Economic Growth: pBesides President Obama, Republicans vying for the presidential nomination have made government regulations their favorite punching bag on the campaign trail. Without exception, the candidates have scapegoated “burdensome regulation” for stifling job creation and economic growth — ignoring that a lack of regulation enabled the financial crisis that led to the Great Recession. Environmental regulations [...]/p

Tuesday, September 20, 2011

Global Warming May Cause Far Higher Extinction of Biodiversity Than Previously Thought

Global Warming May Cause Far Higher Extinction of Biodiversity Than Previously Thought: pIf global warming continues as expected, it is estimated that almost a third of all flora and fauna species worldwide could become extinct. Scientists … discovered that the proportion of actual biodiversity loss should quite clearly be revised upwards: by 2080, more than 80% of genetic diversity within species may disappear in certain groups of [...]/p

Super Weeds Pose Growing Threat to U.S. Crops | Common Dreams

Super Weeds Pose Growing Threat to U.S. Crops | Common Dreams

Wednesday, September 14, 2011

Official Investigation: BP’s Risky Efforts To Cut Costs Caused The Deepwater Horizon Disaster

Official Investigation: BP’s Risky Efforts To Cut Costs Caused The Deepwater Horizon Disaster: pThe federal investigation into the BP Gulf of Mexico oil disaster finds that cost-cutting measures by the oil giant led to the blowout of the Deepwater Horizon rig. The final report of the joint Coast Guard-Bureau of Ocean Energy investigation finds that BP and its contracting companies — Halliburton and Transocean — were responsible for [...]/p

Dire Warning Over Arctic Sea Ice Melt | Common Dreams

Dire Warning Over Arctic Sea Ice Melt | Common Dreams

Thursday, September 8, 2011

Arctic Death Spiral Continues: Sea Ice Volume Hits Record Low for Second Straight Year

Arctic Death Spiral Continues: Sea Ice Volume Hits Record Low for Second Straight Year: pThe Polar Science Center at the University of Washington has updated its calculations of Arctic sea ice volume.  As usual, Neven has the best graphs of the PSC’s data at his Arctic Sea Ice Blog, a must-read for cryosphere-junkies. The PSC recently improved their PIOMAS model, which combines the best observational data with their own analysis. [...]/p

Wednesday, September 7, 2011

Second giant ice island set to break off Greenland glacier

Second giant ice island set to break off Greenland glacier

Florida Gov. Rick Scott Supports Oil Drilling In The Everglades

Florida Gov. Rick Scott Supports Oil Drilling In The Everglades: pPresidential candidate Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN) has company in her call for oil drilling in the Florida Everdglades: the state’s governor supports it as well. Gov. Rick Scott (R) was speaking to members of the Economic Club of Florida when an audience member asked him if he agreed with Bachmann’s call for drilling in the [...]/p

Thursday, September 1, 2011

Scientist: “The Murdoch Media Empire Has Cost Humanity Perhaps One or Two Decades in Battle Against Climate Change.”

Scientist: “The Murdoch Media Empire Has Cost Humanity Perhaps One or Two Decades in Battle Against Climate Change.”: pThe Australian is the country’s biggest-selling national newspaper.  It is owned by Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp, which “also owns the sole dailies in Brisbane, Adelaide, Hobart and Darwin and the most popular metropolitan dailies in Sydney and Melbourne.” Michael Ashley investigates the national paper’s “seriously warped” op-ed policy in this extended excerpt. [R]eality becomes so [...]/p

Tuesday, August 30, 2011

The Case for Separation of Church and Weather | Crooks and Liars

The Case for Separation of Church and Weather | Crooks and Liars

Solar Stunner: America is a $1.9 Billion emExporter/em of Solar Products

Solar Stunner: America is a $1.9 Billion emExporter/em of Solar Products: pWith all the stories about China dominating the solar photovoltaics (PV) manufacturing sector, you might not think that America is a net exporter of solar products. But it is — to the tune of $1.8 billion. That’s a $1 billion increase over net exports documented in the solar sector last year. In fact, a report [...]/p

Green Jobs Reality Check: Clean Energy Still Means More and Better Jobs for American Workers

Green Jobs Reality Check: Clean Energy Still Means More and Better Jobs for American Workers: pby Adam James, Jorge Madrid, and Bracken Hendricks A lot of bogus numbers are flying around about green jobs these days.  It’s time to set the record straight:  Clean energy is a bright spot in the economic recovery, already creating large numbers of high quality U.S. jobs in emerging industries.  Cleantech (primarily clean energy) has [...]/p

Tuesday, August 23, 2011

McKibben and 100 Others Arrested at White House, Many Held Until Monday, “Lighting a Fire” Among Demonstrators

McKibben and 100 Others Arrested at White House, Many Held Until Monday, “Lighting a Fire” Among Demonstrators: pBill McKibben sends this message from jail: The only thing we need in here is more company. We don’t need your sympathy, we need your company. The U.S. Park Police have decided to take a get tough attitude with those protesting the Keystone XL Tar Sands Pipeline: On a phone call late this afternoon, U.S. [...]/p

Rick Perry Is Trying To Make Climate Denial A Faith-Based Issue

Rick Perry Is Trying To Make Climate Denial A Faith-Based Issue: pClimate science denial is one of the strongest anti-scientific currents running through today’s Republican Party. American conservatives, who tend to be most skeptical of the scientific consensus on greenhouse pollution, generally hold other politically relevant anti-science views, such as support for creationism and opposition to stem-cell research. As global warming touches all of our lives, [...]/p

Tuesday, August 9, 2011

Arctic Death Spiral: Sea Ice Passes De Facto Tipping Point Thanks to Deniers, Media Blow The Story, Again

Arctic Death Spiral: Sea Ice Passes De Facto Tipping Point Thanks to Deniers, Media Blow The Story, Again: "pArctic sea ice volume by month in cubic kilometers.  The bottom (black) line is September volume. The plot makes projections with simple quadratic trend lines (details here), which likely oversimplify matters as we approach zero volume (especially for non-summer months).  But reversal of the overall death spiral is highly implausible absent an even more implausible [...]/p"

Thursday, July 21, 2011

Relocating Alaska Natives: The Climate is Changing Faster Than Disaster Management and Adaptation Policies

Relocating Alaska Natives: The Climate is Changing Faster Than Disaster Management and Adaptation Policies: "pBy Christine Shearer In 2008, I took a tiny cargo plane to the Inupiaq village of Kivalina, in the northwest of Alaska above the Arctic Circle. I had heard the village would be lost to climate change from erosion, which I imagined to be a slow, gradual, and predictable process. Touring the island and speaking [...]/p"

Wednesday, July 20, 2011

Population And Enviroment

Climate Zombie Riders Pollute House Appropriations Bills

Climate Zombie Riders Pollute House Appropriations Bills: "pThe Tea Party-dominated House of Representatives is attaching a raft of provisions to its spending bills designed to block action to address greenhouse pollution and its deadly impacts. In addition to drastic cuts to clean energy investment and increases in subsidies for fossil energy, riders that kill off climate action are being added to the [...]/p"

Health for Sale: House EPA Bill Allows Pollution and Supporters Get Big Oil Donations

Health for Sale: House EPA Bill Allows Pollution and Supporters Get Big Oil Donations: "pRep. Cynthia Lummis (R-WY) added a provision in the EPA appropriations bill that would allow power plants to continue spewing mercury, arsenic, acid gases, and other hazardous pollutants. The representatives who voted for the provision received more than twice as many campaign contributions from mining and utility companies combined compared to those who opposed it.  [...]/p"

The Toxic 20: Which State Do You Live In?

The Toxic 20: Which State Do You Live In?: "pIn 2009, coal and oil-fired power plants emitted 49% of industrial air pollution in the U.S. — representing the dominant source of air toxics in 28 states around the U.S. The Natural Resources Defense Council issued a report today on the top 20 states with toxic emissions coming from the electricity sector. The top five [...]/p"

Car Makers Oppose Fuel Standards that Would Save Consumers $150 Billion

Car Makers Oppose Fuel Standards that Would Save Consumers $150 Billion: "pThe auto industry is starting a media blitz this week designed to fight new fuel economy standards that research groups say will create over a half million jobs, save consumers $150 billion and are supported by three quarters of Americans. The Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers is running radio ads in 6 states and the District [...]/p"

She's Alive

Tuesday, July 19, 2011

More Americans have Green Jobs Than Oil or Gas Jobs; Lighting Standards the GOP Wants to Kill Created 12,500 Jobs

More Americans have Green Jobs Than Oil or Gas Jobs; Lighting Standards the GOP Wants to Kill Created 12,500 Jobs: "pClimate Progress previously reported on a Brookings Institution study, “Sizing the Clean Economy.” It demonstrated the “Clean Economy” has started delivering on its promise of high-wage jobs. The Christian Science Monitor just did a nice article on the study, “Report: More Americans have green jobs than oil or gas jobs.”  They did a nice graphic [...]/p"

Saving Valentina

Monday, July 18, 2011

BP Spills 2,100 to 4,200 Gallons of Oil in Arctic Tundra

BP Spills 2,100 to 4,200 Gallons of Oil in Arctic Tundra: "pThis Saturday, BP put another notch in its prodigious polluter belt:   A toxic brew of methanol and crude oil spilling across Alaska’s North Slope tundra. Reuters reports: BP said on Monday that a pipeline at its 30,000 barrel per day Lisburne field, which is currently closed for maintenance, ruptured during testing and spilled a mixture [...]/p"

Thursday, July 14, 2011

House GOP Passes Dirty-Water Bill

House GOP Passes Dirty-Water Bill
The GOP continues to attack the EPA.

Tom Donahue And The U.S. Chamber Of Secrets

Tom Donahue And The U.S. Chamber Of Secrets: "pClimate activists are comparing the right-wing, corporate agenda of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce to the villains that bedevil Harry Potter in a new website. Chamber President Tom Donohue looms as a Lord Voldemort figure on the site. This mini-campaign was launched in conjunction with the final installment of the Harry Potter movies, like climate [...]/p"

Tuesday, July 12, 2011

Climate Change Reducing Ocean’s Carbon Dioxide Uptake

Climate Change Reducing Ocean’s Carbon Dioxide Uptake: "p“The ocean is taking up less carbon because of the warming caused by the carbon in the atmosphere,” says [Galen] McKinley, an assistant professor of atmospheric and oceanic sciences and a member of the Center for Climatic Research…. McKinley is the lead author of a new analysis in the journal Nature Geoscience (subs. req’d) that [...]/p"

Climate Change Could Kill One in 10 Species by End of the Century | Common Dreams

Climate Change Could Kill One in 10 Species by End of the Century | Common Dreams

Friday, July 8, 2011

Climate Disasters Batter Districts Of Climate-Denying GOP Appropriators

Climate Disasters Batter Districts Of Climate-Denying GOP Appropriators: "pOn Thursday, the House Appropriations Subcommittee for the Interior and Environment approved a slash-and-burn budget for land and environmental agencies. The FY 2012 budget bill includes several riders to prevent the federal government from protecting Americans from global warming pollution. The agencies whose budgets were cut, including the Environmental Protection Agency, U.S. Geological Survey, Bureau [...]/p"

Fracking Fatally Destroys Forests In As Little As Two Days

Fracking Fatally Destroys Forests In As Little As Two Days: "pA new study conducted by the U.S. Forest Service concluded that fracking causes alarming damage to the enviornment in as little as two days. The findings, which looked at the effects of land application of fracking fluids on a quarter-acre section of the Monongahela National Forest, found that within two days, all ground plants were [...]/p"

Tuesday, July 5, 2011

UN: Only Green Technology Can Avert 'Planetary Catastrophe' | Common Dreams

UN: Only Green Technology Can Avert 'Planetary Catastrophe' | Common Dreams

How climate science deniers spread doubt for political ends

How climate science deniers spread doubt for political ends: "pThe Galileo Movement co-opts the father of science’s name to pursue an anti-science agenda. Ian Enting, Professorial Fellow at Melbourne University, looks at the front groups and writings of Australia’s deniers . This is an extended excerpt from The Conversation series on climate. Many of us, including most of the authors of this series, have [...]/p"

How the Media Gets It Wrong on Climate Change: The False, the Confused and the Mendacious

How the Media Gets It Wrong on Climate Change: The False, the Confused and the Mendacious: "pThe debate may be fiery, but it’s also phony. AAP The Conversation wraps up its climate series with a statement from leading Australian acientists:  The debate is over. Let’s get on with it. Over the past two weeks The Conversation has highlighted the consensus of experts that climate change caused by humans is both real [...]/p"

Friday, July 1, 2011

Google: Delaying Clean Energy Transition “Only 5 Years Could Leave Trillions on the Table”

Google: Delaying Clean Energy Transition “Only 5 Years Could Leave Trillions on the Table”: "pGoogle, a leader of innovation in the digital economy, says that without a private and public focus on innovation in renewables, storage and electric vehicles, the cost of delaying the clean energy economy could be in the trillions of dollars to the U.S. Google released an analysis of the economic impact of clean energy innovation [...]/p"

Extreme Weather Link 'Can No Longer Be Ignored' | Common Dreams

Extreme Weather Link 'Can No Longer Be Ignored' | Common Dreams

Friday, June 24, 2011

Masters: Driven by Global Warming, “It Is Quite Possible That 2010 Was The Most Extreme Weather Year Globally Since 1816″

Masters: Driven by Global Warming, “It Is Quite Possible That 2010 Was The Most Extreme Weather Year Globally Since 1816″: "pWhere will Earth’s climate go from here? The pace of extreme weather events has remained remarkably high during 2011, giving rise to the question–is the “Global Weirding” of 2010 and 2011 the new normal? Has human-caused climate change destabilized the climate, bringing these extreme, unprecedented weather events? Any one of the extreme weather events of [...]/p"

Where Renewables Stack Up: Comparitive Chart on Levelized Cost of Energy and the “Value” of Clean Energy

Where Renewables Stack Up: Comparitive Chart on Levelized Cost of Energy and the “Value” of Clean Energy: "pA number of readers asked us for a chart on the levelized cost of electricity of renewables versus fossil resources. Here’s a good one just released by the Institute for Local Self Reliance with data from Lazard, a Wall Street advisory firm that tracks energy data. The chart includes the cost of renewables with and [...]/p"

Thou Shalt Not Pollute

Thou Shalt Not Pollute

Wednesday, June 22, 2011

NSF Study: Fastest Sea-Level Rise in Two Millennia Linked to Increasing Global Temperatures

NSF Study: Fastest Sea-Level Rise in Two Millennia Linked to Increasing Global Temperatures: "pNew research “points toward projected sea level rise lying at or near the upper range of current projections, more than a meter [100 cm, 39 inches] by the end of this century under business-as-usual carbon emissions,” says co-author Michael Mann. The National Science Foundation news release for the study, “Climate related sea-level variations over the [...]/p"

Monday, June 20, 2011

NSF Study: Fastest Sea-Level Rise in Two Millennia Linked to Increasing Global Temperatures

NSF Study: Fastest Sea-Level Rise in Two Millennia Linked to Increasing Global Temperatures: "pNew research “points toward projected sea level rise lying at or near the upper range of current projections, more than a meter [100 cm, 39 inches] by the end of this century under business-as-usual carbon emissions,” says co-author Michael Mann. The National Science Foundation news release for the study, “Climate related sea-level variations over the [...]/p"

Oceans in Distress Foreshadow Mass Extinction | Common Dreams

Oceans in Distress Foreshadow Mass Extinction | Common Dreams

Saturday, June 18, 2011

VIDEO: At Republican Leadership Conference, Obama Impersonator Tells Racist Jokes; Audience Laughs

VIDEO: At Republican Leadership Conference, Obama Impersonator Tells Racist Jokes; Audience Laughs: "pThe nation’s GOP elite gathered in New Orleans this weekend for the Republican Leadership Conference. In attendance were presidential candidates Michele Bachmann, Herman Cain, Newt Gingrich, and potential candidate Texas Gov. Rick Perry. Prior to a speech by RNC Chair Reince Preibus, an Obama impersonator took the stage and told a series of racist jokes. [...]/p"

Fake Science Advocate Has Fake Degree

Fake Science Advocate Has Fake Degree: "pThe self-proclaimed “No. 1 global climate change denier in Minnesota,” state senator Michael Jungbauer, is championing more misinformation than false climate science. His bachelor’s degree from the Moody Bible Institute with a “background in biochemistry”? More like a ministerial ordainment from the Christian Motorsports International, “a family of ministries conducts non-denominational chapel services at local [...]/p"

Wednesday, June 15, 2011

Tea Party Governor LePage Is Killing Maine’s Clean Energy Economy

Tea Party Governor LePage Is Killing Maine’s Clean Energy Economy: "pOur guest blogger is Kiley Kroh, Associate Director for Ocean Communications at the Center for American Progress Action Fund. Thanks to Gov. Paul LePage’s (R-ME) recent assault on jobs and innovation, investors at this week’s EnergyOcean International Conference in Portland, Maine are wondering if their money would be better spent elsewhere.  Portland was chosen for [...]/p"

Record 'Dead Zone' Predicted in Gulf of Mexico | Common Dreams

Record 'Dead Zone' Predicted in Gulf of Mexico | Common Dreams

North Carolina Looks to Discard State Regulations on Air Pollutants

North Carolina Looks to Discard State Regulations on Air Pollutants: "pFollowing efforts by North Carolina’s five largest emitters of toxic air pollutants, a bill proposing to discard the state’s clean air program will reach the House floor before the end of the week. Such a move, if approved by the Republican-controlled House and Senate, would eliminate the state’s own air pollutants standards and require instead [...]/p"

Tuesday, June 14, 2011

Green Jobs Are Real: German and American Solar Industry Both Employ More People Than U.S. Steel Production

Green Jobs Are Real: German and American Solar Industry Both Employ More People Than U.S. Steel Production: "pPeople want to know: Are green jobs real? The answer is resoundingly “yes.” With roughly 93,500 direct and indirect jobs, the American solar industry now employs about 20,000 more workers than the U.S. steel production sector. The American steel industry has historically been a symbol of the country’s industrial might and economic prosperity. But today, [...]/p"

NOAA: The New Normal is Hot

NOAA: The New Normal is Hot: "pNOAA’s National Climatic Data Center has just released an overview of its new “1981-2010 Climate Normals” (PDF here).   Meteorologist Paul Douglas, founder and CEO of Broadcast Weather, explains what this means: NOAA just released the latest climate “normals” for the USA. When you hear the “average high” or “average low”, it’s a running, 30-year average. [...]/p"

Italy’s Voters Scrap Nuclear Energy! | Common Dreams

Italy’s Voters Scrap Nuclear Energy! | Common Dreams

USGS: Global Warming Drives Rockies Snowpack Loss Unrivaled in 800 Years, Threatens Western Water Supply

USGS: Global Warming Drives Rockies Snowpack Loss Unrivaled in 800 Years, Threatens Western Water Supply: "pA US Geological Survey study released today suggests that snowpack declines in the Rocky Mountains over the last 30 years are unusual compared to the past few centuries. Prior studies by the USGS and other institutions attribute the decline to unusual springtime warming, more precipitation falling now as rain rather than snow and earlier snowmelt. [...]/p"

Monday, June 13, 2011

In Koch Country, Kansas Governor Brownback Begs Federal Government For Climate Disaster Relief

In Koch Country, Kansas Governor Brownback Begs Federal Government For Climate Disaster Relief: "pLike the rest of the nation — and the entire planet — the state of Kansas is suffering in our carbon-polluted climate. Most of Kansas is in moderate to severe drought. Southwestern Kansas has Dust Bowl conditions, crippling its wheat crop. On Gov. Sam Brownback’s request, the federal government declared a drought emergency for about [...]/p"

Saturday, June 11, 2011

Green diary rescue: Is the current bout of extreme weather an expression of climate change?

Green diary rescue: Is the current bout of extreme weather an expression of climate change?

After David Koch Leaves NIH Board, NIH Hands Down Long-Delayed Classification Of Top Koch Pollutant As A Carcinogen

After David Koch Leaves NIH Board, NIH Hands Down Long-Delayed Classification Of Top Koch Pollutant As A Carcinogen: "pLarge manufacturers and chemical producers have lobbied ferociously to stop the National Institutes of Health from classifying formaldehyde as a carcinogen. A wide body of research has linked the chemical to cancer, but industrial polluters have stymied regulators from action. Last year, the New Yorker’s Jane Mayer reported that billionaire David Koch, whose company Georgia [...]/p"

Mother Nature is Just Getting Warmed Up: June 2011 Heat Records Crushing Cold Records by 13 to 1

Mother Nature is Just Getting Warmed Up: June 2011 Heat Records Crushing Cold Records by 13 to 1: "pStanford climate scientists forecast permanently hotter summers The tropics and much of the Northern Hemisphere are likely to experience an irreversible rise in summer temperatures within the next 20 to 60 years if atmospheric greenhouse gas concentrations continue to increase, according to a new climate study by Stanford University scientists…. “According to our projections, large [...]/p"

Fox News Hates Solar

The Perils of Ignoring Science | Common Dreams

The Perils of Ignoring Science | Common Dreams

Thursday, June 9, 2011

Study of 800-year-old tree rings backs global warming | Seattle Times Newspaper

Local News | Study of 800-year-old tree rings backs global warming | Seattle Times Newspaper

Solar is Ready Now: ‘Ferocious Cost Reductions’ Make Solar PV Competitive

Solar is Ready Now: ‘Ferocious Cost Reductions’ Make Solar PV Competitive: "pMust-See Photovoltaic Industry Graphs on the Changing Economics of Solar There’s a joke in the solar industry about when “grid parity” – the time when solar becomes as cheap as fossil sources – will happen. Ron Kenedi, the former VP in Sharp Solar’s U.S. business liked to throw out random dates, telling me once “November [...]/p"

The complete guide to modern day climate change

The complete guide to modern day climate change: "pAll the data you need to show that the world is warming According to the IPCC 4th Assessment Report (2007): Warming of the climate system is unequivocal, as is now evident from observations of increases in global average air and ocean temperatures, widespread melting of snow and ice, and rising global average sea level. At [...]/p"

Yes, Climate Change Will Harm Your Health and Your Children’s: Rising Temperatures Worsen Ozone Pollution, Asthma Attacks

Yes, Climate Change Will Harm Your Health and Your Children’s: Rising Temperatures Worsen Ozone Pollution, Asthma Attacks: "pIn April the British Medical Journal warned that climate change “poses an immediate and grave threat, driving ill-health and increasing the risk of conflict, such that each feeds upon the other.”  The UK’s Hadley Center notes that on our current one related impact, “By the 2090s close to one-fifth of the world’s population will be [...]/p"

Hot, America? Climate Scientists Say, 'Get Used to It' | Common Dreams

Hot, America? Climate Scientists Say, 'Get Used to It' | Common Dreams

Wednesday, June 8, 2011