Politics
Consequences
Other NewsEditorialsReduce gas escapes at well sites.Natural gas is widely touted as a clean alternative to coal and other fossil fuels. But evidence that the drilling process itself releases quantities of dangerous methane gas into the atmosphere should prompt a closer look at the supposed advantages of natural gas' role in the energy supply. Stroudsberg Pocono Record Global warming alarmists chilled.The Earth's temperature hasn't increased significantly in about 15 years, which wouldn't be big news except global warming extremists had predicted temperatures would soar during that time because of manmade greenhouse-gas emissions. Marysville-Yuba City Appeal-Democrat Can Californians afford cleaner cars?California's history-bending rules will do what they are designed to do - reduce pollution and cut greenhouse gases - only if the public buys the clean cars in the volumes predicted. That's the big uncertainty. Modesto Bee OpinionEd Davey's promotion is a great opportunity for a greener future.A new energy secretary for the UK means a new chance for Prime Minister David Cameron to mend fences with the coalition and reaffirm his commitment to making "the greenest government ever." The Guardian Climate consensus cracking open - or not.Is there or isn't there a scientific consensus on climate change? And does it matter? A problem is the absence of clarity over which consensus we are talking about; consensus that the Earth is warming, consensus that greenhouse gas emissions are the main reason, or consensus that it's a problem requiring urgent solution, to name but three? BBC Fulsome fossil fuels and the 'Peak Oil' myth.With “Peak Oil” exposed as yet another Chicken-Little fallacy, those of us who rejected the idea of CO2-caused planetary meltdown and instead embraced reduced dependence on foreign oil as a reason for widespread vehicle electrification are seemingly left with a solution, but no credible problem. Forbes |
Special report: Peak everything.By 2030, the global middle class is expected to grow by two-thirds. That’s 3 billion more shoppers. They'll all want access to goods, including water, wheat, coffee and oil. Is there enough for everybody? Can business satisfy demand and avoid hitting "peak everything?" Bloomberg News Russians drill into untouched lake miles below Antarctica's surface.Russian scientists have drilled into the vast, dark and never- before-touched Lake Vostok 2.2 miles below the surface of Antarctica, the state-run Russian news agency RIA Novosti said Monday. Washington Post Take zap! Tech geeks, starved for more battery power, give themselves a charge.Any geek can tell you that battery life hasn't kept up with gadget innovations. But not to worry: Inventors are figuring out how to turn geeks into batteries. Wall Street Journal Swept from Africa to the Amazon.The story of dust is actually about the challenges of trying to figure out what is happening to the planet we inhabit. It shows how an influence on one area of the earth’s ecosystem can have outsize effects on other areas. Scientific American Americans gaining energy independence.The US is the closest it has been in almost 20 years to achieving energy self-sufficiency, a goal the nation has been pursuing since the 1973 Arab oil embargo triggered a recession and led to lines at gasoline stations. But the expansion in oil and natural gas production isn’t without a downside. Bloomberg News Another green energy company stumbles.Fisker Automotive, maker of exotic electric sports cars being built with help from a $529 million federal loan, has announced layoffs at its Delaware plant as it tries to persuade the Department of Energy to continue backing it with public money. Center for Public Integrity Britain's most wasteful cities: New thermal images show huge amounts of energy being wasted across the country.A series of thermal images have been released showing energy wastage in Britain's cities, as part of a British Gas initiative to cut power use by small and medium-sized firms. London Daily Mail Energy efficiency: How do you overhaul the way buildings use energy?Jim Freihaut and his team have a five-year charter – one year already down – and $122 million from the federal government to meet this challenge: Convince the Philadelphia construction industry to do deep energy retrofits on some 7,000 commercial buildings, by proving it makes good business sense. ClimateWire UK emissions rose 3.1% as economy recovered in 2010.The dramatic fall in greenouse gas emissions caused by the recession has proved to be a blip, with UK emissions rising 3.1% in 2010 as the economy recovered. The UK's emissions have been falling over the past decade as energy generation has switched to less carbon-intensive gas power, but this is the first time emissions have risen since a modest rise in 2003. The Guardian Electric cars: 'Plug-ins' look for spark in 2012.Automakers in 2012 will launch 13 plug-in vehicles, running on electricity alone all or most of the time. This is the year that will tell whether the electric car market has a roaring liftoff or a slow-rolling start, analysts say. Christian Science Monitor |
Inside TDC
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The Guardian 07 Feb
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Attack of the blobs.Jellyfish will bloom as ocean health declines, warn biologists. Are they already taking over?
Nature 07 Feb
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National Geographic News 06 Feb
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Mother Jones 07 Feb
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When cooking can be deadly.Three billion people - half the globe - use an open fire to cook and heat. But there's a problem: the smoke.
CNN 07 Feb
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Reuters 03 Feb
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Tuesday, February 7 2012
Top ConsequencesRussians drill into untouched lake miles below Antarctica's surface.Russian scientists have drilled into the vast, dark and never- before-touched Lake Vostok 2.2 miles below the surface of Antarctica, the state-run Russian news agency RIA Novosti said Monday. Washington Post Study: Minorities face greatest climate-change impacts.The California Department of Public Health has released a study finding that heat events, flooding and wildfires — events associated with anticipated future climate change — will impact Fresno County's minorities the greatest. Fresno Business Journal Rise in Bangalore's temperature attributed to high carbon emissions.Bangalore, which was once known for its salubrious climate, is getting hotter by the day because of the rise in global and local pollution levels, according to J. Srinivasan, Chairman of the Divecha Centre for Climate Change, and Professor at the Centre for Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences. Hindu In fast-track technology, hope for a second green revolution.With advances in a technique known as fast-track breeding, researchers are developing crops that can produce more and healthier food and can adapt and thrive as the climate shifts. Yale Environment 360 Top SolutionsAnother green energy company stumbles.Fisker Automotive, maker of exotic electric sports cars being built with help from a $529 million federal loan, has announced layoffs at its Delaware plant as it tries to persuade the Department of Energy to continue backing it with public money. Center for Public Integrity Energy efficiency: How do you overhaul the way buildings use energy?Jim Freihaut and his team have a five-year charter – one year already down – and $122 million from the federal government to meet this challenge: Convince the Philadelphia construction industry to do deep energy retrofits on some 7,000 commercial buildings, by proving it makes good business sense. ClimateWire Electric cars: 'Plug-ins' look for spark in 2012.Automakers in 2012 will launch 13 plug-in vehicles, running on electricity alone all or most of the time. This is the year that will tell whether the electric car market has a roaring liftoff or a slow-rolling start, analysts say. Christian Science Monitor Top CausesSpecial report: Peak everything.By 2030, the global middle class is expected to grow by two-thirds. That’s 3 billion more shoppers. They'll all want access to goods, including water, wheat, coffee and oil. Is there enough for everybody? Can business satisfy demand and avoid hitting "peak everything?" Bloomberg News Swept from Africa to the Amazon.The story of dust is actually about the challenges of trying to figure out what is happening to the planet we inhabit. It shows how an influence on one area of the earth’s ecosystem can have outsize effects on other areas. Scientific American Top PoliticsUK Labour party accuses Tory right of 'contempt' for the environment.Labour has accused the chancellor of the exchequer of "actively revelling in contempt for environmental protection", in the latest broadside in the row over green policies that has consumed the coalition since the resignation of Chris Huhne on Friday. The Guardian Anti-nuclear Tokyo mayor challenges big utilities.Setagaya’s mayor is determined to turn this city ward of 840,000 people, the largest in Tokyo, into the front-runner of a movement that will put an end to Japan’s reliance on atomic power and accelerate the use of renewable energy. Wall Street Journal Climate protesting president of Maldives resigns under political pressure.Mohamed Nasheed, the president of Maldives who resigned Feb. 7, was best known as a passionate advocate of climate change, going as far as holding the world's first underwater cabinet meeting to highlight the cause. Al Jazeera |
From the Daily Climate NewsroomIt's the economy. And politics. And not much else.Economics and political cues dictate climate change concern for a public that has a remarkably short attention span on the topic, researchers find. Science-based education efforts have 'only a minor effect.' more Authors of Wall Street Journal climate piece downplay industry ties.
DailyClimate.org
Half of the 16 scientists who penned a controversial Wall Street Journal opinion piece proclaiming there is "no need to panic" about global warming have ties to either the oil and gas industry or groups dedicated to debunking climate science, a DailyClimate.org investigation has found. more Shareholders boost carbon disclosure – study.Disclosures about greenhouse gas emissions and carbon-reduction strategies can lift a company's economic value, a new study has found. more The scientist: Jim Hansen risks handcuffs to make his research clear.NASA's chief climate scientist built his career studying Earth's atmosphere and modeling humans' potential impacts on climate. Then he realized that laboratory work was only part of the equation. A Climate Query. more Low-carbon cement paves a development path (or sidewalk).Carbon emissions from cement are set to grow explosively as developing countries such as India create a "first-world" infrastructure. Scientists and entrepreneurs are struggling to push alternative technologies out of the lab and onto the street. more |
