Politics

China says climate change is a fact.

A deputy director of China's most powerful economic ministry has come out swinging against climate change denial. Senior Chinese government figures have described the view that climate change is not man-made as an "extreme" stance which is out of step with mainstream thought. Radio Australia

US governors ask Congress to stop EPA greenhouse-gas rules.

Governors of 18 U.S. states on Wednesday urged Congress to stop "harmful" Environmental Protection Agency regulation of greenhouse-gas emissions, saying the agency isn't equipped to deal with "the very real potential for economic harm." Dow Jones Newswires

Economics

Developers lament loss of federal wind subsidies in Canada.

The Canadian Wind Energy Association is expressing disappointment with the federal government’s recent decision not to expand or extend the so-called ecoEnergy program - which delivered subsidies to renewable energy developers - in its new budget. New York Times

How fundraising helped shape Obama's green agenda.

Once again, there are questions about whether a new President's approach to energy is a product of Washington's unchanged, pay-to-play culture in which political supporters are offered special access to the policymaking process. Time Magazine

Other News

Editorials

Going green vs. going broke.

Will cutting carbon kill jobs in California? Republicans say California can't afford its global warming law. But the real question should be: Can we afford not to cut pollution? Los Angeles Times

Climate of fear.

The integrity of climate research has taken a very public battering in recent months. Scientists must now emphasize the science, while acknowledging that they are in a street fight. Nature

In climate change hot seat: Van Schalkwyk may be able to make a difference.

Does Tourism Minister Marthinus van Schalkwyk have what it takes to bring together a deeply divided world long enough to agree to a legally binding global climate accord in two short years? Johannesburg Business Day

Opinion

Battle over biofuel strategy.

Legislate in haste, repent at leisure: is that the syndrome afflicting the EU's biofuels policy? One of the few points of agreement is that current biofuels policy looks like a serious mistake. BBC

Aviation emissions: Understanding the carbon offset market.

We've got to start offsetting and we've got to do it today. It's easy to do it and there are plenty of opportunities to do it. We share one planet and we haven't got a spare one. Fast Company

Only a carbon tax and nuclear power can save us.

What the world needs is a nation that will set an example, stop pandering to special interests, do what is necessary for the people and the rest of the life on the planet. Is it possible that Australia could provide that example, that moral leadership? Sydney Australian

Out of step.

OliBac/flickr

Recent changes in the seasonal timing of biological events such as flowering and migration have been linked to warmer temperatures. Now a study shows that such seasonal shifts are becoming increasingly common in the UK and could wreak havoc across ecosystems as they disturb the delicate balance of nature. Nature

Review of U.N. climate panel won't re-examine errors.

An outside review of a U.N. climate panel after flaws were uncovered in its most recent report on climate change will not recheck that report's conclusions and will instead focus on improving procedures for the future, officials said Wednesday. Washington Post

Introducing the newest scientific measurement: A "Rosenfeld" for energy savings.

It may not roll off the tongue like the ohm, watt or volt, but it would follow in their tradition. Many call Arthur Rosenfeld, a recently retired member of the California Energy Commission, the "godfather of energy efficiency." ClimateWire

Fashion muses on global cooling.

Chanel

Chanel trots out fake fur trousers and yeti boots to prepare for the coming ice age. "Have you felt any warming this winter?" design icon Karl Lagerfeld asked after the fashion house's autumn show Monday. "Maybe that's all nonsense, who knows." Reuters

Souring seas.

Marine plankton survived a period of intense ocean warming and acidification some 55 million years ago. But their future descendants might not be so lucky, suggests a new study. Nature

Settling the science on Himalayan glaciers.

The remote glaciers of the Himalayan mountains have been the subject of much controversy, yet little research. Mason Inman looks at the clues scientists have garnered on the fate of these glaciers from ground- and space-based studies. Nature

Oil execs chortle as Obama admin promotes renewables.

Renewable energy is being praised in Washington, but it is generating snickers in Houston, the nation's traditional energy capital, where oil, gas and utility leaders are gathered for a major industry conference. Greenwire

Now taxpayers face $100m bill to fix insulation mess.

Taxpayers will pay up to $100 million to remove foil insulation or install electrical safety switches in 50,000 homes in a bid to fix the government's suspended insulation scheme. Sydney Morning Herald

Deforestation conference to turn plans to action.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy will open a daylong conference Thursday of some 40 nations to start turning plans into action to save the world's forests and help rein in the noxious gases blamed for climate change. Associated Press

Water vapour warming.

A loss of water vapour in the Earth's upper atmosphere may have slowed the rate of global warming over the past decade, suggests new research. Although the decade 2000–2009 was the warmest on record, average global temperatures leveled off during this period despite a continued rise in greenhouse gas emissions. Nature


Inside TDC

Are you now or have you ever been a climate scientist?

The accusation of criminality "is a very intimidating thing and that is the point.”

Crikey 08 Mar
Economist 06 Mar

Thursday, March 11 2010

Top Consequences

Out of step.

Recent changes in the seasonal timing of biological events such as flowering and migration have been linked to warmer temperatures. Now a study shows that such seasonal shifts are becoming increasingly common in the UK and could wreak havoc across ecosystems as they disturb the delicate balance of nature. Nature

Souring seas.

Marine plankton survived a period of intense ocean warming and acidification some 55 million years ago. But their future descendants might not be so lucky, suggests a new study. Nature

Settling the science on Himalayan glaciers.

The remote glaciers of the Himalayan mountains have been the subject of much controversy, yet little research. Mason Inman looks at the clues scientists have garnered on the fate of these glaciers from ground- and space-based studies. Nature

Top Solutions

Introducing the newest scientific measurement: A "Rosenfeld" for energy savings.

It may not roll off the tongue like the ohm, watt or volt, but it would follow in their tradition. Many call Arthur Rosenfeld, a recently retired member of the California Energy Commission, the "godfather of energy efficiency." ClimateWire

Oil execs chortle as Obama admin promotes renewables.

Renewable energy is being praised in Washington, but it is generating snickers in Houston, the nation's traditional energy capital, where oil, gas and utility leaders are gathered for a major industry conference. Greenwire

Now taxpayers face $100m bill to fix insulation mess.

Taxpayers will pay up to $100 million to remove foil insulation or install electrical safety switches in 50,000 homes in a bid to fix the government's suspended insulation scheme. Sydney Morning Herald

Top Causes

Deforestation conference to turn plans to action.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy will open a daylong conference Thursday of some 40 nations to start turning plans into action to save the world's forests and help rein in the noxious gases blamed for climate change. Associated Press

Water vapour warming.

A loss of water vapour in the Earth's upper atmosphere may have slowed the rate of global warming over the past decade, suggests new research. Although the decade 2000–2009 was the warmest on record, average global temperatures leveled off during this period despite a continued rise in greenhouse gas emissions. Nature

Clarity on clouds.

Clouds are one of the largest sources of uncertainty in climate models. That's because global climate models cannot explicitly capture cloud formation. However, new research suggests that clouds should be explicitly represented in climate models for more accurate simulations of the climate. Nature

Top Politics

Review of U.N. climate panel won't re-examine errors.

An outside review of a U.N. climate panel after flaws were uncovered in its most recent report on climate change will not recheck that report's conclusions and will instead focus on improving procedures for the future, officials said Wednesday. Washington Post

China says climate change is a fact.

A deputy director of China's most powerful economic ministry has come out swinging against climate change denial. Senior Chinese government figures have described the view that climate change is not man-made as an "extreme" stance which is out of step with mainstream thought. Radio Australia

US governors ask Congress to stop EPA greenhouse-gas rules.

Governors of 18 U.S. states on Wednesday urged Congress to stop "harmful" Environmental Protection Agency regulation of greenhouse-gas emissions, saying the agency isn't equipped to deal with "the very real potential for economic harm." Dow Jones Newswires

From the Daily Climate Newsroom

Cyber bullying rises as climate data are questioned.

1 March 2010
Cyber bullying rises as climate data are questioned.
Bullying UK

The e-mails come thick and fast every time NASA scientist Gavin Schmidt appears in the press. Rude and crass e-mails. E-mails calling him a fraud, a cheat, a scumbag and much worse. more

Ethanol's contrasting carbon footprints.

12 February 2010
Ethanol's contrasting carbon footprints.
PXLated/flickr

The federal government last week concluded corn-based biofuels help reduce emissions; California regulators say they don't. Who's right? Oddly enough, both may be. more

US loses opportunity with home energy efficiency.

25 January 2010
US loses opportunity with home energy efficiency.
Great Lakes Home Performance

Despite EPA gains with its Energy Star program, some 99 percent of American houses remain "sick" – damp, drafty, expensive to heat and cool – and could be made at least 30 percent more energy-efficient with "highly cost-effective, tried-and-true" improvements, according to experts. more

Stern: Copenhagen Accord 'best way to make progress.'

15 January 2010
Stern: Copenhagen Accord 'best way to make progress.'
Demark Foreign Ministry

Lead U.S. climate negotiator Todd Stern said Thursday the Copenhagen Accord represents the best way forward for a binding global climate deal but that success likely rests with a smaller group of countries working outside the unwieldy, multi-national United Nations process. more

Disappearing options.

12 January 2010
Disappearing options.
Denmark Foreign Ministry

Climate policy has a tipping point. Failure to set and meet strict emissions targets over the next 40 years puts long-term goals – such as limiting planetary warming to 2ºC by 2100 – permanently out of reach, according to a study published Monday. more