The Real Story Behind Fiji Water "Woes"

by Patric Juillet

Some of you may remember my piece on Fiji Water I did under my old handle: in Fiji, day in day out, over a million liters of fresh water are pumped from an aquifer beneath a rain forest on Vitu Levu, the largest island. It is odd when you think that a third of Fijians have no clean water and there are outbreaks of typhoid and dengue fever!

                           

Three years ago, the Fijian government announced a tax on bottled water designed to conserve the island’s depleting natural resources, but they caved in were forced to abort the project following pressure from the powerful water bottling lobby group. Fiji Water is currently owned by billionaires Stewart and Lynda Resnick who purchased the company from another billionaire, David Gilmour.

Why is this relevant you may ask? Fiji Water on Monday closed its operations saying it was being singled out by the military-led government for a massive tax increase.

continued at Daily Kos....

dailycancun: traffic justice

by boatsie

Buenas noches de Cancun, where Day 1 of COP16 ends in a mishmosh of mucha confusión, conexiones pobres de Internet y los problemas de transporte that befuddle the mind, even of the most seasoned climate negotiator.

Adopt a Negotiator? How about find one? Coercing one to talk to you on the record? No small feat, considering the fact that those press credentials I was expecting were not forthcoming on my arrival last night. Turns out my stint as a member of tck's official reporting team affords me  "Observor" status. Meaning I get coveted access to Cancunmesse, the spectacular array of COP16 side events and unlimited access to the hundreds of NGOs huddling under one roof in this huge new convention complex.

No small feat, catching an interview with official delegates, who are already separated from the press in the official Moon Palace talks four miles away. Still, they all have to pass through Cancunmesse at least  twice a day as they shuttle off behind the Mexican government's extraordinarily 'military curtain.'

Ah, but quizá they have no idea what they are in for when they grant an old school reporter even limited access. In New York, to get a story you had to have cahones grande! For me, that meant the work day began en route to work.

continued at Daily Kos....

Royal Society: 4C (Catastrophic) Global Warming by 2070

by FishOutofWater

Greenhouse gas emissions are on track to cause catastrophic global warming of 4 Celsius by 2070 devastating American agriculture and the earth's ecosystems according to a volume of reports published today by the Royal Society.

Temperature changes of between 4 and 8°C are projected in the summer across various temperate and tropical regions for a global 4°C temperature rise [42]. This suggests that these adaptive capacities might be exceeded, especially in the areas with the larger temperate rises such as the USA, the Mediterranean and many parts of Africa [42]. Many of these studies do not include damage caused by concomitant increases in tropospheric ozone and extreme weather events, and so the estimated adaptive capacities might be over-optimistic. For ecosystems, while adaptation to a 2°C world is considered feasible, the options for adapting, either naturally or with human assistance, to a 4°C world are extremely limited, since at these temperatures few ecosystems would be expected to be able to maintain their current functioning [43].

continued at Daily Kos....

COP16 Climate Talks Kick Off in Cancun, Mexico - So What?

by greenmedia

Cross-posted to Green Media News.

Representatives from countries around the world gathered today in Cancun, Mexico for the COP16 climate talks which will continue for the next 12 days. This is the first round of talks by the UNFCCC (United Nations Frameworks Conventions on Climate Change) since last year's COP15 conference in Copenhagen, Denmark.

COP15 last year failed to produce a world-wide agreement on reducing greenhouse gas emissions, which was expected by a large majority of the world's population. Therefore, expectations for COP16 this year are very low. Notably different this year is the stated intention of the non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to cooperate with politicians and negotiators rather than play an adversarial role.

continued at Daily Kos....

How to support President Obama

by erratic

(Note that this isn't a diary about whether to support President Obama, or why. If that's what you want to discuss, go do it somewhere else.).

It really is very simple. And I'm not saying that everyone should do this, just the people who would like to support President Obama. The rest of you, why don't you wander off and comment somewhere else, or even take the initiative to write your own diary? I can assure you, your comments will be irrelevant and unnecessary here. We're starting from the operating concept of "Be the change you want to see". Which means, it is incumbent upon you to initiate those changes you wish to see in the political landscape of America the Beautiful.

For all that many whine about the poor directions the White House is going in, few have shown effective or significant political pressure. This strikes me as ridiculously innocent, since anyone who has spent 5 minutes with a politician know s that they love being forced by a public majority to take significant beneficial action. I've been involved in such projects, and it's very satisfying for all involved.

continued at Daily Kos....

Gulf Watchers Monday -Fire Feinberg says one Gulf newspaper - BP Catastrophe AUV #433

by shanesnana

You are in the current Gulf Watchers BP Catastrophe - AUV #433. ROV #432 is here.

Bookmark this link to find the latest Gulf Watchers diaries.

Please RECOMMEND THIS DIARY, the motherships have been discontinued.

Gulf Watchers Diary Schedule
Monday - evening drive time
Wednesday - morning
Friday - morning
Friday Block Party - evening
Sunday - morning

Part one of the digest of diaries is here and part two is here.

Please be kind to kossacks with bandwidth issues. Please do not post images or videos. Again, many thanks for this.

continued at Daily Kos....

Will we face "our Sputnik moment"?

by A Siegel

Secretary of Energy Steven Chu just finished a speech at the National Press Club entitled: Is the Energy Race our new "Sputnik" moment?

Chu outlined ways in which the United States either has already ceded or is ceding leadership when it comes to clean energy -- in technology, manufacturing, and deployment.

Secretary Chu seeks to lay out a call to arms, as it may be, for Americans (and, more importantly, the political elite) to recognize that we either decide to invest for the long term in clean energy innovation or we risk abandoning future prosperity to others.

continued at Daily Kos....

Fonio: Africa’s Oldest Cereal Needs More Attention

by NourishingthePlanet

Crossposted from the Worldwatch Institute's Nourishing the Planet.

You may not have heard of fonio, but it is Africa’s oldest cereal. For the Dogon people of Mali, fonio is "the seed of the universe" – an appropriate name considering its high nutritional value, and adaptability to the region’s soil and climate. From Lake Chad to the savannah regions of Senegal and Guinea, fonio is an important source of food for some 4 million people across West Africa.

continued at Daily Kos....

DAILYCANCUN #1: What if They Threw a Climate Conference & Nobody Cared?

by todbrilliant

It's an exciting day for the global band of climate legislation watchers. We're few in number, and our quarry is rarer than an Ivory-billed woodpecker, but we press on through the thickets and brambles in the hopes that we get to witness, once in our lifetime, meaningful and binding climate legislation. Hats off to Boatsie aka Deborah Phelan for making her way all the way to Cancun for a premier viewing angle.

After going to Copenhagen last year and experiencing the lows and lows of being in the midst of an ill-organized clusterfuck, I realized that I'd been swept up in the ferver. That is, I thought EVERYONE knew about Copenhagen. When I got home and talked to friends in 'progressive' Sonoma County, I realized the only footage relayed of Denmark was of some minor rioting I'd witnessed. Alas. Alack. So this year I decided to proactively assess how many of my local citizens are tuned in to the great and heroic mission that our man in Cancun, Todd Stern (huzzah!), is leading up. And so...

A Man, A PhoneCam & An Hour Productions Presents: What if They Threw a Climate Conference and Nobody Cared?

continued at Daily Kos....

Climate Change News Roundup: 28 November 2010

by billlaurelMD

Looks like a duality of riches: CCNR#1

What elements of climate result in drought? And how is drought impacted by global warming?  Here's a diary on surface water balance, and then some recent findings from climate change researchers on drought that the "primer" on water balance will help you better understand why reduction of greenhouse gas emissions is a social, economic, and political imperative.

A graphic telling the tale is below. The original study by NCAR (Meehl et al, 2007) was published in the Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society.

continued at Daily Kos....

Calling all bloggers! Climate Conference in Cancun.

by rb137

The United Nations Climate Change Conference in Cancun, Mexico, will be held from November 29 to 10 December 2010, and it includes the sixteenth Conference of the Parties (COP 16) and the sixth Conference of the Parties serving as the Meeting of the Parties to the Kyoto Protocol (CMP 6), among other regular climate meetings (see link).

This 12-day conference kicks off tomorrow, when delegates the world over will talk about climate financial aid, energy, deforestation, and attempt to forge a path to a comprehensive, international climate deal. Among the key objectives is focusing on the climate impact on developing countries, and pointedly launching a "Green Fund" as a primary source for aid to poor countries that suffer the brunt of climate change, as promised at Copenhagen. The need is expected to reach $100 billion by 2020.

continued at Daily Kos....

Dawn Chorus: Fall in New England

by juliewolf

I love living in Vermont.  Our birds aren't as exotic as the Southwestern Species, and we don't commonly get the coastal excitement that they do over in NH and MA, but we get birds that are adaptable to the cold.  Fall in Vermont is especially interesting because we get boreal birds passing through as well as some occasional surprises.  One surprise happened to me just the other day in the form of this Barred Owl

                               

I didn't photograph it for long, but apparently it's been hanging out in this one spot, not far from my house (I could walk there without too much hassle), for months.  

Below the fold, I'll share some of our other local Fall birds, as well as a fairly major surprise/life bird.

continued at Daily Kos....

Gulf Watchers Sunday - More Agencies Point Fingers at BP - BP Catastrophe AUV #432

by Yasuragi

You are in the current Gulf Watchers BP Catastrophe - AUV #432. ROV #431 is here.

Bookmark this link to find the latest Gulf Watchers diaries.

Please RECOMMEND THIS DIARY, the motherships have been discontinued.

Gulf Watchers Diary Schedule
Monday - evening drive time
Wednesday - morning
Friday - morning
Friday Block Party - evening
Sunday - morning

Part one of the digest of diaries is here and part two is here.

Please be kind to kossacks with bandwidth issues. Please do not post images or videos. Again, many thanks for this.

continued at Daily Kos....

Today

by Miep

Funny how these are called diaries. That dates back some.

This is a diary. It's about my life, today, maybe last few days. Also about a lot of stuff I've been thinking and writing about.

I hope y'all appreciate this.

continued at Daily Kos....

Overnight News Digest: Science Saturday (Thanksgiving weekend edition)

by Neon Vincent

Welcome to Science Saturday, where the Overnight News Digest crew informs and entertains you with this week's news about science, space, and the environment.

No featured story tonight, just this Thanksgiving greeting from the OND volunteer editors.

Science, space, and environment stories after the jump.

continued at Daily Kos....

Eighteen Month Follow Up On The OTHER Dangerous Fossil Fuel Spill, the One in Tennessee.

by NNadir

On December 22, 2008, about a month before the end of the disasterous Presidency of George W. Bush, a containment dam at the Kingston, TN coal plant ruptured, releasing 3.7 million cubic meters of dangerous fossil fuel waste into the Emory River, a tributary of the Tennessee River.

The Tennessee River is a major source of drinking water for cities in the region, and is the drinking water supply for 4.7 million Americans.

A paper published in "ASAP" form in the current issue of the scientific journal Environmental Science and Technology reports on the leaching of heavy metals and toxic nonmetals, from this dangerous coal waste now in the river.  The elements discussed are arsenic, selenium, lead, barium, strontium and boron, uranium, manganese and iron.

Here is a link to the paper.  

Environmental Science and Technology is a publication of the American Chemical Society, the world's largest scientific society.

continued at Daily Kos....

Major data error in critical global temperature data set

by A Siegel

Anthony Watts (Watt's Up With That) and others have long argued that there are quite serious problems with temperature records, problems that are so serious that they call into question what science is / scientists are telling us is happening in our planetary climate system due to human influence (through greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, but also land use practices and other actions).  

Let me be the first to write this: according to recent reporting, Watts and his compatriots look to have been absolutely right.  

There has been, over the last decade or so, a systemic bias in a critical global temperature system that has created a serious error in reporting that has not been understood by scientists until quite recently.

continued at Daily Kos....

Climate scientist takes on AM radio host and wins!

by Keith Pickering

Until a few months ago, nobody ever heard of John Abraham, an engineering professor at St. Thomas University in St. Paul. Maybe you've never heard of him. But he's shaping up to be perhaps the biggest hero of the fight against global warming, evah.

On Tuesday, John was a guest of Jake Judd, radio host and climate skeptic on KDLM-AM in Detroit Lakes, MN. But in less than half an hour, Judd was waving the white towel.

"All right, all right," Judd said. "No matter what side you are on, most people agree that Earth is warming and we have to do something about it."

continued at Daily Kos....

SHOCKER!!! 11-year old wants NOT A THING for her birthday!

by citisven

Happy Black Friday,

Allow me to introduce you to my friend Sylvie, who is spending this fall with her parents and two sisters in Kathmandu, where she celebrated her 11th birthday last week.

Here's how she got there:

We're taking our family back to South Asia for a Fall Semester Sabbatical! Ever since our 2007 Fulbright semester in India, we've been saving up and planning for our return. We will enroll our own daughters, and teach at Manasarovar Academy, a charity school in Kathmandu serving children of Tibetan refugee families. Paul was granted unpaid leave from his teaching job, and Karen departed one month early from her summer park ranger position.

Their blog is worth checking out in its entirety, for inspiration on how a family of very modest means can offer their kids amazing experiences and opportunities.

I'd like to share the story of how sometimes the greatest gift can be to free a bird.

continued at Daily Kos....

Shimkus Lies: CO2 is Bad News For Food (and the Earth)

by Steven D

Remember the GOP propaganda pushed by Rep. John "God is infallible and science is not" Shimkus that more CO2 is good for us because it is "plant food?"

It's a lie, a lie of omission, but a lie nonetheless.  Here's the reality:

continued at Daily Kos....

In Which I Finally Make The Big Time!

by WarrenS

So back on November 12, I wrote my daily letter to the Newark Star-Ledger, pointing out Chris Christie's utter idiocy when it came to the science of climate change.

Asked by a man attending the event whether he thought mankind was responsible for global warming, Christie says he's seen evidence on both sides of the argument but thinks it hasn't been proven one way or another.

Christie says "more science" is needed to convince him.

What a Moran.

I figured I'd offer him a list of resources, and sent the following:

continued at Daily Kos....

To give thanks for Hopeful Pessimists

by A Siegel

For a long time, I described myself as a pessimistic optimist (or an optimistic pessimist -- just couldn't remember which ...).  This changed recently as I learned a critical definitional issue.  

An optimist is assuming things will work out and it doesn't necessarily rely on their efforts or necessarily require any special action to end up with the desired result.

Someone who is hopeful, on the other hand, understands -- often very clearly -- that there are challenges and risks to achieving a desired result with a conception that their actions can contribute to avoiding the dangers and coming out with a better result.

Thus, I have been transformed from optimist to hopeful -- even as my concerns over our ability to navigate the treacherous Perfect Storm of economic and climate chaos, anti-science mania, and Peak Oil give rise to my pessimistic side.

continued at Daily Kos....

Daily bigjac's new lover, Tonia, Poetry Slam

by bigjacbigjacbigjac

Wish me luck,
as they say.

Tonia is here.

25mg of Viagra,
made in India,
shipped from Barbados.
(I pay an office in Winnipeg)
is in my stomach.

If you feel
that this is
too
much
information,
keep in mind that I often,
really often,
try to convey
philosophy
and contraception.

But sex sells,
and truth is stranger than fiction,
so,
maybe,
if I get your attention,
you might read my next diary
on philosophy
or contraception.

continued at Daily Kos....

News from the Arctic: 21 November 2010

by billlaurelMD

This is the next in a series of diaries on the state of Arctic sea ice (and other topics as warranted) in memory of Johnny Rook, who passed away in early 2009. He was the author of the Climaticide Chronicles.

This diary will be relatively short; not the Climate Change News Digest, but just news from the Arctic last week.  Headlines:

• Ice extent increased more slowly than usual last week.
• The general circulation set up in something like what's called a positive Arctic Oscillation, with stronger-than-normal cyclonic circulation at high latitudes, and higher than normal pressures toward the south.
• Sea ice extent is less than it was after the record melt of 2007.

Here's a picture of the scene from the Barrow AK Arctic sea ice web camera taken last weekend.

More below the fold.

continued at Daily Kos....

Plastic state of mind

by A Siegel

PLASTIC
Fossil product all your crap's made of
There's one thing we can do
Ban bags made of plastic

Thanks to BenZolno ...  Full Lyrics after the fold along with thoughts re plastic in our lives ...

continued at Daily Kos....

Polar bears, clouds, and climate change: eKos Earthship Wednesday

by eKos

Welcome to the eKos Earthship, your one-stop-shop for green diaries and series.

Beneath the fold you will find news and notes, community announcements, and our eco-diary roundup.

Peruse the eKos Library to find previously listed diaries. You can also follow eKos on Twitter.

Tonight's editor: patrickz

With contributions from: citisven and WarrenS

continued at Daily Kos....

Night Train: Transporting a Lame Duck with the Oil Independence Tariff

by BruceMcF

Burning the Midnight Oil for Living Energy Independence

We are in the Lame Duck Period. We have real unemployment rates of approximately 14% (counting headline unemployment, marginally attached, and involuntary unemployment as roughly 50% employed, 50% unemployed), and if the economy still sucks this bad in November in two years times, all manner of absurdly idiotic reactions could be elicited from an angry electorate by skillful corporate marketers.

And if the the Republicans are willing to sabotage the security on loose nuclear bomb making material for political gain, surely they will sabotage the economy, as they have been doing.

And with transportation from the Recovery Act creating 630,000 direct and indirect jobs ~ a larger share of jobs than share of funding ... attacking transport funding is a critical step in sabotaging the economy.

So, an idea on what can be done about it.

continued at Daily Kos....

EPA: Three Letters to Be Thankful For

by Michael Brune

The Environmental Protection Agency celebrates its 40th anniversary next week. But I think it's worth taking a moment this week to be thankful for what the EPA has accomplished during four decades (and that's in spite of eight not-so-great years as part of the Bush administration). These are just some highlights.

For a start, Ohio's Cuyahoga River has stopped catching fire. Time magazine's 1969 cover story on the combustible, polluted river led to the Clean Water Act, the first Earth Day, and the creation of the EPA. Since then, the agency has been on the job to protect all of America's rivers, lakes, streams and, most importantly, drinking water. Factories and corporations don't always require clean drinking water, but wildlife and people do.

continued at Daily Kos....

Polar Bears Get Protected Habitat in Arctic!

by greendem

Here's a bit of great news for you greenies, animal lovers, and humans who want to protect the climate that is the basis for human civilization.

The Obama administration is setting aside 187,000 square miles in Alaska as a "critical habitat" for polar bears, an action that could add restrictions to future offshore drilling for oil and gas.

The total, which includes areas of sea ice off the Alaska coast, is about 13,000 acres less than in a preliminary plan released last year.

Tom Strickland, assistant Interior secretary for fish, wildlife and parks, said the designation would help polar bears stave off extinction, recognizing that the greatest threat is the melting of Arctic sea ice caused by climate change.

continued at Daily Kos....

Village Green: Giving Thanks to Builders of Hope, Creating Community with Recycled Houses

by Kaid at NRDC

Builders of Hope is a remarkable North Carolina-based charity that saves older houses from demolition (frequently moving them to a new site), thoroughly rehabbing them to green standards.  They then put the homes up for sale at below-market rates to qualifying buyers.  (In addition, some of the organization's homes are sold at market rates.)  Even better, although the organization benefits from a lot of volunteer help, they also make a concerted effort to hire homeless and other people in transitional situations for their moving and construction work.  That is worthy of a Thanksgiving post.

continued at Daily Kos....

Nourishing the Planet TV: Handling Pests with Care Instead of Pesticide

by NourishingthePlanet

Crossposted from the Worldwatch Institute's Nourishing the Planet project.

In this week’s episode, Nourishing the Planet research intern, Matt Styslinger, explains how farmers in Cambodia, with training from organizations supported by the UN Food & Agriculture Organization (FAO) and its Regional Vegetable Integrated Pest Management Program, are combining various strategies and practices to grow healthy crops without the aid of expensive and hazardous chemical inputs. This alternative approach is called Integrated Pest Management (IPM).

continued at Daily Kos....

Gulf Watchers Wednesday - Critical Commission Document Pulled - BP Catastrophe AUV #431

by peraspera

You are in the current Gulf Watchers BP Catastrophe - AUV #431. ROV #430 is here.

Bookmark this link to find the latest Gulf Watchers diaries.

Please RECOMMEND THIS DIARY, the motherships have been discontinued.

On this coming Thanksgiving weekend there won't be a morning Friday Gulf Watchers AUV diary but there will be a Gulf Watchers Friday Block Party.

Gulf Watchers Diary Schedule
Monday - evening drive time
Wednesday - morning
Friday - morning
Friday Block Party - evening
Sunday - morning

Part one of the digest of diaries is here and part two is here.

Please be kind to kossacks with bandwidth issues. Please do not post images or videos. Again, many thanks for this.

continued at Daily Kos....

DIY Climate Change: Ain't Nobody Else

by gmoke

Last week, I heard presentations from the chief climate person at the World Bank on the outlook for international agreement in Cancun, a Harvard economist on the national outlook under the new Congress, and an MIT systems dynamicist on an online model of climate change anybody can play, C-LEARN http://forio.com/...

continued at Daily Kos....

Extinction In 12 Years.

by Methinks They Lie

That's what scientists give the tiger. 12 years.

After that, look to textbooks and zoos to learn what a tiger was. The world our children will be inheriting will be an increasingly lonely one as we slowly (not so slowly it seems in terms of "normal" extinction rates) kill off the only planet we have.

continued at Daily Kos....

The BEST investment

by A Siegel

Very simply, across the economy, energy efficiency is almost certainly the top investment option -- as individuals, businesses, communities, government ... The rate of return possibilities are tremendous and unlike gambles to grow business or play the stock market, this is 'guaranteed' cash in the bank.

And, it is 'cash in the bank' in terms of cost savings. It is 'cash in the bank' in terms of job creation. It is 'cash in the bank' due to improved resiliency in the face of (manmade or natural) disaster. It is 'cash in the bank' due to reduced pollution impacts and reduced GHG emissions. It is 'cash in the bank' many times over in many different ways.

Sadly, too many people buy into the concept that we need some great invention to do anything meaningful on climate change.

Sadly, too many people falsely believe that there is some great unaffordable cost to Energy Smart practices.

We need to push those false notions aside to enable transformational opportunities toward a prosperous, climate-friendly future.

continued at Daily Kos....

Climate zombie Joe Barton defends plagiarism and incompetence

by DWG

USA Today ventured into investigative journalism in covering plagiarism in the Wegman report, which was commissioned by Texas Republican Joe Barton in 2006 when he was chair of the House Energy and Commerce Committee. The USA story was covered in detail in a diary by Keith Pickering. However, plagiarism is really the tip of the proverbial iceberg in the Wegman report.

Barton and staff brushed off the plagiarism in the Wegman report, claiming the conclusions were valid.

Lisa Miller, a spokeswoman for Barton, reiterated the congressman's support of the Wegman report on Monday, saying it "found significant statistical issues" with climate studies.

False. Absolutely false.

continued at Daily Kos....

Blogging Begins from New Beyond Coal Director Mary Anne Hitt

by Bruce Nilles

Today I am officially turning over the blog reins to Mary Anne Hitt, the new Director of the Sierra Club Beyond Coal Campaign. She will now be blogging weekly on important coal and clean energy issues - so I urge you to bookmark her blog. Her first post is up now.

Mary Anne has been with the Sierra Club for two years, serving first as the Deputy Director of the Beyond Coal Campaign. Before coming to the Club, she was the Executive Director of Appalachian Voices and co-founded ILoveMountains.org, an online campaign to end mountaintop removal coal mining that received national recognition for innovation and impact.

continued at Daily Kos....

Our Best Chance to Rein In Mountaintop Removal Coal Mining

by Mary Anne Hitt

This is my first post as director of the Sierra Club's Beyond Coal Campaign, and I'm focusing on mountaintop removal because I've lived in Appalachia for most of my life.

My new baby daughter is an 11th generation West Virginian, and I often wonder how many mountains will be left standing in the Mountain State by the time she has a family of her own. For too long, mining companies have enjoyed loopholes and rubber-stamped permits that have allowed them to flatten over 500 mountains across Appalachia.

Earlier this year, though, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued new guidance aimed at consistently protecting Americans from the pollution caused by mountaintop removal coal mining. I welcome these common-sense protections by EPA.

continued at Daily Kos....

Record drought in the Amazon

by SLKRR

In 2005, the Amazon region of Brazil confronted its worst drought in over a century.  Now in 2010, an even worse drought has struck.  The Rio Negro, the largest tributary of the Amazon above the city of Manaus, reached its lowest level since the beginning of record keeping in the 1800s.

Deforestation may not be the rain-forest's biggest enemy after all.  As weather patterns change due to global warming, more frequent and more severe droughts are punishing the Amazon basin.  Interspersed with these intense droughts are massive floods caused by record snow melt in the Andes - the Rio Negro reached its highest flood stage ever in 2009!  The annual rise and fall of the rivers that have been a part of Amazon life for centuries are being driven to greater and greater extremes.  How far before the balance is finally disrupted?

I apologize for the brevity of this diary, but as a picture is worth 1,000 words, I will leave you with this:

Follow this link for another "44,000 words."

continued at Daily Kos....

UPDATED: Van Jones' msg to liberals: Don't give in to despair! (now with hate mail!)

by Eclectablog

Cross-posted at Eclectablog.com.

Last week in Ann Arbor, Van Jones spoke at the Ecology Center's 40th anniversary. Held on the campus of the University of Michigan, the event was a fundraiser but also an opportunity for Van Jones to share his thoughts on Michigan's role in the environmental movement, the success of places like the Ecology Center and why now is not the time for progressive liberals to give in to despair. In fact, NOW, he said, is the time when we're most needed.

Ecology Center 40th Anniversary Celebration at the UofM Michigan League

continued at Daily Kos....

EcoJustice: The dam age is not yet done. Avatar needs help.

by citisven

The Brazilian government is about to decide whether to construct Belo Monte Dam on the Xingu River in the Brazilian Amazon, a massive project that would become the world's 3rd largest hydroelectric dam.

As any large scale engineering project that is going to alter the natural environment and uproot indigenous and riverbank communities en masse, there is a lot of controversy swirling around the proposition.

Last week, Avatar director James Cameron released his new film, "A Message from Pandora," a short film spotlighting the ecological, social and financial costs of this behemoth and the battle that is being waged to stop it. Here's a short preview:

direct link

Sign the petition to stop the Belo Monte dam and save the Amazon rainforest.

continued at Daily Kos....

Macca's Meatless Monday...Pie Baby Pie

by beach babe in fl

In this weekly series we have been discussing the many benefits of a vegetarian diet including: better health , food safety, animal rights (turkey) , global food crisis, frugal living and the immense contribution of meat production to climate change/resource depletion/public health

Join Dennis Kucinich for Thanksgiving Dinner

continued at Daily Kos....

Gulf Watchers Monday - Change in Oil Spill Fund Rules: Will BP Benefit? - BP Catastrophe AUV #430

by shanesnana

Bookmark this link to find the latest Gulf Watchers diaries.

Please RECOMMEND THIS DIARY, the motherships have been discontinued.

On Thanksgiving weekend there won't be a morning Friday Gulf Watchers AUV diary but there will be a Gulf Watchers Friday Block Party.

Gulf Watchers Diary Schedule
Monday - evening drive time
Wednesday - morning
Friday - morning
Friday Block Party - evening
Sunday - morning

Part one of the digest of diaries is here and part two is here.

Please be kind to kossacks with bandwidth issues. Please do not post images or videos. Again, many thanks for this.

continued at Daily Kos....

Rural Passenger Rail: Let a hundred Empire Builders bloom!

by RuralRoute

Yesterday we had freezing rain, this morning brought a dusting of snow. US Highway 14 received a bit of attention from MNDOT, resulting in a wet strip in the center in spots. The right hand ruts are iced up again though, and in spots the road is totally ice and snow covered. Thus on my 5 mile drive to get internet access at the Tyler library, 50 miles per hour was the fastest I drove. For the last couple days traffic along Minnesota Highway 23, viewable from my front window, has slowed to a crawl at times. The only drivers doing the 60 miles per hour speed limit are newbies to the frozen north and fools.The forecast for the next few days is for more snow... making the drive to visit the relatives for thanksgiving a frightening experience.

But the traffic on the parallel BNSF railway tracks has been moving at normal pace, in fact often outpacing the traffic on MN 23. A couple miles to the north, it's business as usual on CP's DM&E line as trainloads of grain, ethanol, and whatever move at a steady 40 MPH. But sadly, neither railroad carries authorized passengers on these lines... And those open coal and grain cars look like a pretty cold ride!

continued at Daily Kos....

Jobs should be blowing in the wind (and frying in the sun ...)

by A Siegel

Trends that go against 'common wisdom' are often hard for people to absorb and realize.  A journalist's job, however, should be to question (even challenge) common wisdom rather than simply parroting talking points that are, in fact, misleading if not outright false.  When it comes to energy and environmental reporting, sadly, such questioning often seems to fall by the wayside.

Part of the journalistic myth: fossil fuel (fossil foolish) policies are good on the jobs front.  Too many journalists seem to watch petroleum industry advertising rather than read serious reports that highlight how clean-energy investments outperform dirty energy in job creation per dollar of investment and per megawatt hour of electricity production. And, thus, those well-funded talking points get slipped into the mainstream consciousness and accepted as fact -- rather than assertions that might not stand up to scrutiny.

continued at Daily Kos....

Slouching Towards Ecotopia

by Dauphin

After reading Jerome a Paris' optimistic diary (the previous-to-last one) it got me thinking about social and economic processes which may ensure that, when all's said and done, we end up with sustainable economies, hopefully in time to avert the worst of global warming.

This may turn into a diary series, if there is interest. Since it's rattled around my head for a while, I'll address the oil issue in the first diary of the potential series.

continued at Daily Kos....

DailyCancun: Fossil Fuel Factual Fallacies: New York Times Called Out by Renowned Geoscientist

by todbrilliant

Enough is enough. Energy literacy is mandatory in 2010.

If the New York Times wants to continue to willfully position itself in the service of fossil fuel interests, so be it. But we're fighting back. Today's uppercut is thrown by geoscientist and PCI Fellow David Hughes.  

Read on for a detailed 'correction' of NY Times reporter Clifford Krauss' woefully misleading 17. Nov 2010 article, "There Will Be Fuel."

Full release with charts/graphs/data at http://www.postcarbon.org/...

continued at Daily Kos....

USA Today: Key climate denier report was plagiarism

by Keith Pickering

Back in 1998, climate scientists Michael Mann, Raymond Bradley, and Malcolm Hughes (hereafter MBH) published a famous paper on paleoclimate that showed that the Earth is warmer now than at any time in the past thousand years. This paper became known as the "Hockey Stick" because the graph of global temps looked roughly that shape: a long slow decline from 1000 AD, transitioning to a sudden warming during the 20th century.

The Hockey Stick became a shibboleth to the right-wing climate denier crowd: if MBH were right, that would mean we would actually have to do something about global warming. So the right set out to destroy the hockey stick. This attempt didn't start in academe. It started in the offices of certain Republican congressmen. They found a compliant statistician named Edward Wegman to write a report in 2006, and they fed him information from a congressional staffer. The result was an excoriation of MBH in the form of an official congressional report, read into the record at a subcommittee hearing.

One little problem: the information that the GOP staffer fed to Wegman was plagiarized. And the climate scientist whose textbook was ripped off was none other than Raymond Bradley, the B in MBH.

continued at Daily Kos....

The last most beautiful thing

by erratic

is back, and Your Faithful Diarist has lately been Wading in Beauty! He is currently queuing up a youtube playlist of his obsessive favorite songs, the ones he's listened to for hours on end, going back to the days when that required rewinding the cassette after each song. What are yours?

But that's not necessarily your Last Most Beautiful Thing, and it's not mine. Mine was a sweet environmental victory! I stood up at a government hearing and spoke in support of preserving some historic meadows, that were threatened with a plan to put in a 100 car parking lot, and 2 soccer fields. It was a terrible waste of one of the few remaining meadows in the area, and the days before this hearing, it seemed like the bulldozers were inevitable. But I've fought worse fights with stronger opponents, and I went into this hearing expecting to be one of the outnumbered few speaking in support of the meadows. I'd helped queue up some allies, had walked the site and met the current owners, and I knew that this place was worth fighting for.

continued at Daily Kos....

OMG: Gov. Schwarzenegger to Rescue of Climate Change Fiasco!

by Patriot Daily News Clearinghouse

The climate change news for this week is generally depressing because there is more evidence of the enormity of impacts that are not being addressed.  President Obama and Congress are being held hostage by a minority of GOP teabagging deniers determined to prevent comprehensive climate change legislation.

However, there is also much hope. President Obama has worked on measures that don't need Congressional OK and measures not dependent upon climate science.  I have discussed with friends how it really is irrelevant if someone is a denier or not because the measures that address climate change impacts also address crisis issues whose existence and validity is not dependent on climate science. Gov. Schwarzenegger brings it all together in a nice package as a good starting point.

Gov. Schwarzenegger's plan defeats the teabaggers because it is not dependent upon believing in climate change science but recognizing obvious related public crises:  Energy independence or national security, economic crisis, public health and energy conservation and efficiency.  While I did not vote for Schwarzenegger, California does have a climate change law that Attorney General Jerry Brown has been implementing for years to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

continued at Daily Kos....

Time For Ken Cuccinelli To Mann Up & Apologize

by TheGreenMiles

Remember Edward Wegman, the George Mason University statistician whose climate denial was repeatedly cited by Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli? The one who was under investigation on charges of plagiarism & inaccuracy?

continued at Daily Kos....

A More Ancient World: Twixt Land and Sea

by matching mole

In the best eKos tradition this is a recycled diary.  I wrote it for Dawn Chorus last weekend but didn't actually use it.  This is a virtual trip to Cumberland Island National Seashore, home to wild horses, armadillos, and the ever shifting boundary between the ocean and the firmament.

continued at Daily Kos....

Republicans Win, Mother Earth Loses

by stonehenge

As we all know, the Republicans now control the U.S. House of Representatives and have improved their Senate numbers, which means that efforts to control global warming are now dead for at least the dying days of the 111th Congress.  

John Boehner (R. Ohio), House speaker-designate, and Mitch McConnell (R. KY), the top Republican in the Senate, outlined their strategy for the remainder of President Obama's first term:  "His party's main goal is denying Obama re-election."  Thus, there is no way that the Republicans will allow Obama a legislative accomplishment on global warming or energy.

continued at Daily Kos....

Gulf Watchers Sunday - New Charges Against BP; Barton Eyes Energy Chair - BP Catastrophe AUV #429

by Yasuragi

You are in the current Gulf Watchers BP Catastrophe - AUV #429. ROV #428 is here.

Bookmark this link to find the latest Gulf Watchers diaries.

Please RECOMMEND THIS DIARY, the motherships have been discontinued.

On Thanksgiving weekend there won't be a morning Friday Gulf Watchers AUV diary but there will be a Gulf Watchers Friday Block Party.

Gulf Watchers Diary Schedule
Monday - evening drive time
Wednesday - morning
Friday - morning
Friday Block Party - evening
Sunday - morning

The digest of diaries is here.

Please be kind to kossacks with bandwidth issues. Please do not post images or videos. Again, many thanks for this.

continued at Daily Kos....

Daily bigjac Black Friday Poetry Slam

by bigjacbigjacbigjac

I work at Walmart.

So.

A pallet,
for those of you who only shop in stores,
and have never worked behind the scenes,
a pallet is about four feet
by a little less
than four feet
by however high it is stacked,
often about four feet,
sometimes five or six feet.

Some special displays
are four by four by four, almost exactly.

Anyway,
I have been dealing with these pallets
for about 18 years,
but more so just lately.

This is the first time I have been
assigned to the backroom inventory crew
in the weeks leading up to,
in the days leading up to,
Black Friday.

Black Friday Riots

continued at Daily Kos....

Gulf of Mexico Liveblog Digest (Part 2)

by Gulf Watchers

Gulf of Mexico Liveblog Digest (Part 1)

Since 26 May, a dedicated group of Kossaks have liveblogged the numerous attempts to kill the blown-out well on BP's Macando Lease. We've also talked about everything from geology, ecology, biology, and petroleum science to coastal culture, food, and history. In short, we have contributed to the historical record in our own special way, while giving everyone a place to discuss, contemplate, and mourn. Thousands of words, scores of motherships, and a fair number of photos and videos have been posted - most all with our blessings.

Many thanks to Ed at dKos tech support who was enormously helpful with the data used to compile this digest.

Please note:  THIS DIARY WILL NOT BE TENDED FOR COMMENTS.  It will serve as a directory or repository for all future mothership and ROV postings.

Please do not comment here - find the latest Gulf Watchers' diary here.

Signed - Gulf Watchers

continued at Daily Kos....

Overnight News Digest: Science Saturday (Vice President Joe Biden's birthday edition)

by Neon Vincent

Welcome to Science Saturday, where the Overnight News Digest crew informs and entertains you with this week's news about science, space, and the environment.

This week's featured story comes from MSNBC.

Happy Birthday: Joe Biden Turns 68

In honor of Vice President Joe Biden's birthday, we look back on 68 glorious years of mutton chops, embarrassing gaffes and winning smiles.

Happy Birthday, Mr. Vice President.  What do you have to say for yourself today?

That's the spirit!

This week's science, space, and environment stories after the jump.

continued at Daily Kos....

What To Do, What To Do?

by Miep

So many choices. Such an American thing, that.

This is an effort to parse such.

I spend almost no time around other humans, so I have lots of time to think. Here is some of what I've thought about.

(crossposted from Right of Assembly)

Also from firefly-dreaming.

continued at Daily Kos....

Earthship Saturday: Climate Change, Coral Bleaching and Coal Ash, the Consequences of Inaction

by eKos

Welcome to the eKos Earthship, your one-stop-shop for green diaries and series.

Beneath the fold you will find news and notes, community announcements, and our eco-diary roundup.

Peruse the eKos Library to find previously listed diaries. You can also follow eKos on Twitter.

Tonight's editor: ellinorianne

continued at Daily Kos....

Gulf of Mexico Liveblog Digest (Part 2)

by Gulf Watchers

Gulf of Mexico Liveblog Digest (Part 1)
Many thanks to Ed at dKos tech support who was enormously helpful with the data used to compile this digest.
Since 26 May, a dedicated group of Kossaks have liveblogged the numerous attempts to kill the blown-out well on BP's Macando Lease.  We've also talked about everything from geology, ecology, biology, and petroleum science to coastal culture, food, and history.  In short, we have contributed to the historical record in our own special way, while giving everyone a place to discuss, contemplate, and mourn.  Thousands of words, scores of motherships, and a fair number of photos and videos have been posted - most all with our blessings.

Please note:  THIS DIARY WILL NOT BE TENDED FOR COMMENTS.  It will serve as a directory or repository for all future mothership and ROV postings.

Please do not comment here - find the most recent mothership in the listing below and use that link to join the discussion on the most current ROV.

Signed - Gulf Watchers

continued at Daily Kos....

Opposition to GE Salmon grows as time ticks down

by calalum

The FDA is set to approve genetically engineered (GE) salmon for human consumption. It would be the first time that a genetically engineered animal would be approved for people to eat, yet consumers are not rolling over on this one. Over 360,000 consumers, other federal agencies, and members of congress are all saying no to GE salmon and the FDA's flawed approval process. There is still time for the Obama administration to put the breaks on the FDA and demand a more comprehensive review, but the clock is ticking.

continued at Daily Kos....

How many Billionaires can dance on a Pinnacle?

by jamess

The GOP often dangles this dream, before its far too loyal followers:

You too, could one day be a Millionaire, or perhaps even a Billionaire, so don't ruin it for everyone, by raising Taxes on the Wealthy. Afterall, someday it could be you.  In their America, anything's possible.

Most everyone, wants to be rich someday.  It's part of the American Dream -- or at least it used to be.  But the way things have been going lately it seems the Dream has been downsized to:

I just hope I can find/keep my Job.

Despite the somber work-a-day reality most people face, far too many still take the Republican dream, at face value.  By following their lead, they hope to strike it rich someday, too.

Perhaps we Dems, should address this rouse, and dare to ask:

What would really happen if we ALL struck it rich?

Because obviously there is only SO much room "at the top" ...

continued at Daily Kos....

DailyCancun: Applying the lessons of Copenhagen in Cancun

by boatsie

David Turnbull is Executive Director of the Climate Action Network - International, a network of over five hundred NGOs in dozens of countries working to develop and advocate for global solutions to the climate crisis. He joins DailyCancun this evening to reflect back on the failures of COP15 and forward as he presents a vision of what we've learned and a vision of realistic goals we can hope to achieve at COP16 in Cancun

continued at Daily Kos....

Gen Y Just Isn't That Into Cars

by greendem

Detroit may be feeling wind in their sails today, but they have a much bigger problem on the horizon.

A confluence of events — environmental worries, a preference for gadgets over wheels and the yearslong economic doldrums — is pushing some teens and twentysomethings to opt out of what has traditionally been considered an American rite of passage: Owning a car.

continued at Daily Kos....

Putting Classroom Theory into Practice

by NourishingthePlanet

Crossposted from the Worldwatch Institute's Nourishing the Planet.

"The idea was to bring a lot of expertise from the corporate world to help young social start ups," says Fred Rose when asked about his motivation for founding the Acara Institute two years ago.  As part of the Minnesota University’s Institute on the Environment, Acara has developed a classroom curriculum for universities in the U.S. and in India that challenges students to think creatively about how to use private businesses to solve pressing global issues such as hunger and poverty. But instead of  the semester culminating in an exam or a paper, Acara provides students the necessary tools to turn their best class work into reality.

continued at Daily Kos....

Gulf Watchers Friday - Criminal Negligence - BP Catastrophe AUV #428

by Lorinda Pike

You are in the current Gulf Watchers BP Catastrophe - AUV #428. ROV #427 is here.

Bookmark this link to find the latest Gulf Watchers diaries.

Please RECOMMEND THIS DIARY, the motherships have been discontinued.

On Thanksgiving weekend there won't be a morning Friday Gulf Watchers AUV diary but there will be a Gulf Watchers Friday Block Party.

Gulf Watchers Diary Schedule
Monday - evening drive time
Wednesday - morning
Friday - morning
Friday Block Party - evening
Sunday - morning

The digest of diaries is here.

Please be kind to kossacks with bandwidth issues. Please do not post images or videos. Again, many thanks for this.

continued at Daily Kos....

$100 billion/year: tax cuts for 1% or solutions for all?

by A Siegel

"Yes we can!"

Sadly, no we haven't.

Not that the Obama Administration with the support (and urging) of a Democratic House of Representatives and the drag of a Democratic controlled (???) Senate haven't tried to do tremendous things.

Note that, for the most part, President Obama has filled the Administration with competent -- incredibly competent --, dedicate, and ethical people who are interested in working diligently to solve real problems.

Sadly, no we haven't had the true simplicity and clarity of message that "Yes we can" ... "Hope" ... "Change" all represented in 2008.

Clarity, simplicity, stickiness lead to SUCCESs ...

Alan Grayson understands that.

And, looking to Grayson leads to a question: How would you spend $100 billion / year to help create solutions?

continued at Daily Kos....

eKos: America's Descent into Madness

by FishOutofWater

Conservative beliefs, which have not evolved from their agrarian tribal roots, are incompatible with a world population of 6.8 billion.
The first 10 months of 2010 tied with the same period in 1998 for the warmest combined land and ocean surface temperature on record.

Pew Poll Oct. 27, 2010

Views about climate change continue to be sharply divided along party lines. A substantial majority of Democrats (79%) say there is solid evidence that the average temperature on earth has been increasing over the past few decades, and 53% think the earth is warming mostly because of human activity. Among Republicans, only 38% agree the earth is warming and just 16% say warming is caused by humans. Roughly half of Republicans (53%) say there is no solid evidence of warming. These patterns are little changed from a year ago.

continued at Daily Kos....

dailycancun: mosaic:EARTH & HARMONY

by boatsie

"In a musical context, the word dissonance is defined as ‘a combination of tones contextually considered to suggest unrelieved tension requiring resolution.’ In other words, the creative resolution of dissonance is harmony.

Dissonance of the cognitive variety abounded at last week's G20 meeting in Seoul where world leaders once again declared they would "spare no effort" in addressing climate change. Yet when it came to acting on their promise to phase out fossil fuel subsidies, a measure which would cut nearly 6% of energy related CO2 while bolstering the growing clean energy sector, they were clearly not singing from the same hymn sheet."
Kelly Rigg, Executive Director of the GCCA

continued at Daily Kos....

Senators Tester and Baucus Support Palin

by FoundingFatherDAR

  Senators Jon Tester and Max Baucus have introduced Sen. bill 3864, which would delete protections of wolves in Idaho and Montana, allowing Sarah Palin and her blood hungry wolf hunter pals to decimate those populations.
 Description of S 3864 -

To remove a portion of the distinct population segment of the Rocky Mountain gray wolf from the list of threatened species or the list of endangered species published under the Endangered Species Act of 1973, and for other purposes.

 

continued at Daily Kos....

GOP Congress and climate: we are screwed

by psychbob

...Democratic and Republican, liberal and conservative and Tea-Party and Green and Libertarian, young and old, and for generations to come.  And yes, it is because of the election results.  With the Republicans back in charge of the House, and beholden to both the batshit-crazy anti-science know-nothings of their base on the one hand, and the fossil-fuel corporate giants who poured so much outside money into their campaigns, on the other, it is absolutely guaranteed that no meaningful action on climate change, cap-and-trade, and alternative-energy production will be taken over the next two years.  Even if the Democrats come roaring back in 2012, it will still take another year before they could cobble together and pass a useful bill to address this problem, and years after that to produce a meaningful impact.

continued at Daily Kos....

Last Chance to Tell EPA We Want Strong Coal Ash Safeguards

by Bruce Nilles

The comment period ends tomorrow for the Environmental Protection Agency's proposed federal safeguards for toxic coal ash.

Coal ash is the by-product of burning coal for electricity, and it contains a toxic mix of chemicals: mercury, arsenic, lead, chromium, selenium, and more.

We've been calling for strong federal safeguards from EPA during the comment period over the past few months. You've seen more than 2,000 people wanting protection from coal ash rally and then pack the eight EPA public hearings across the U.S. We've helped more than 118,000 concerned citizens send in their comments via email and postcard so far.

continued at Daily Kos....

LSU prof ambushed by right-wing video mash-up

by Keith Pickering

Last week, a right-wing think tank called the Leadership Institute snuck a non-student spy into the lecture of Dr. Bradley Schaefer of Louisiana State University. The spy had a video camera, and the Leadership Institute (and its offshoot called Campus Reform) boasts "state-of-the-art T.V. studios." The result: a Breitbart-style selectively edited ambush video that unfairly maligns a good teacher for doing his job.

continued at Daily Kos....

Outgoing ranking Republican blasts his Party's rejection of Climate Science

by Lefty Coaster

Ever since Tea Party candidate Trey Gowdy defeated six term South Carolina Republican Bob Inglis in a runoff election in June, Ingles hasn't been reluctant to slam the direction his Republican Party is heading. Yesterday in Washington Inglis ripped the Republicans rejection of Climate Science.

Outgoing Rep. Inglis Blasts GOP Skepticism on Global Warming

Outgoing Republican Rep. Bob Inglis (S.C.) broke with his party today and publicly vented his frustration about the apparent turn toward climate skepticism in the next Congress, when Republicans will take control of the House.

Inglis made his frustration clear this morning at a House Science subcommittee hearing on the science of climate change.

"To my free enterprise colleagues, whether you think it's all a bunch of hooey, what we talk about in this committee -- the Chinese don't, and they plan on eating our lunch in the next century, working on these problems," Inglis said. "We may press the pause button for a few years, but China is pressing the fast-forward button."

continued at Daily Kos....

Should the World Bank Go to the Brew Pub?

by gmoke

On the afternoon of November 16, 2010, Andrew Steer, special envoy on climate change for the World Bank, spoke at Harvard about "Why Developing Countries Urgently Need a Global Climate Deal ... and Why They Shouldn't Wait for One.”

There was a small reception afterwards with wine and cheese.  At six, Dr Steer was escorted to dinner.  That happened on Oxford Street, northwest of Harvard Square.

At 7, on the other side of Harvard Yard, at John Harvard's Brew Pub on Dunster Street, an Intercollegiate Energy Social for the local Energy Clubs began.  Invited clubs included the Babson Energy and Environment Club, Boston University Energy Club, Fletcher Energy Consortium, Harvard Business School Energy and Environment Club, Harvard Energy Journal Club, Harvard Kennedy School Energy and Environment Professional Interest Council, MIT Energy Club, MIT Sloan Energy & Environment Club, and Tufts Energy Forum.  The social was organized by the Collegiate Energy Association http://collegeenergy.org

What would have happened if Dr Steer had attended the Energy Social?  Should the World Bank have gone to the brew pub?

continued at Daily Kos....

Earthship: Lead balloon edition

by eKos

Welcome to the eKos Earthship, your one-stop-shop for green diaries and series.

Today's editor: LaughingPlanet

••
••
What's in a name?
Is there a trick to getting the GOP on board when it comes to climate change?

They must start by focusing on climate-friendly policies and stop assuming that we must first achieve unanimity on global warming science. People can support the transition to a carbon-free energy future without believing, or even knowing, that it might influence glaciers, coral reefs or Arctic ice.

Call it healthy, clean, or even green, just don't mention Al Gore.
••
••

Beneath the fold you will find news and notes, community announcements, and our eco-diary roundup.

All views expressed by today's editor do not necessarily represent those of eKos or eKos listed diarists.

continued at Daily Kos....

Time to Commit in the Arctic

by Michael Brune

President Obama needs to finish something that started the year before he was born. That's when President Eisenhower set aside the pristine wilderness in the northeast corner of Alaska that we know today as the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. It's the last truly unspoiled wilderness in the United States, and the only way to be sure it stays that way is to make it a National Monument.

continued at Daily Kos....

Village Green: Hilarious video on ‘gated communities’ (+ an extra)

by Kaid at NRDC

OK, this video is really funny.  Due credit to Jeff Speck and Ken Firestone for propagating it around urbanist Facebook circles, and to Andre Spino-Smith and JJ Kinsfather of the Buena Vista, Colorado development South Main, who are credited with putting it together.  Enjoy:

continued at Daily Kos....

Lamest Action of the Lame Ducks?

by A Siegel

From today's Senate calendar

At 11:00am, the Senate will resume consideration of the motion to proceed to S.3815, "The Promoting Natural Gas and Electric Vehicles Act of 2010", and immediately proceed to vote on the motion to invoke cloture on the motion to proceed to the bill.

Let's consider more appropriate names for S3815:

• The Dig The Hole Deeper With More Fossil Fuel Subsidies Act
• The T Boone Pickens Profitability Act
• The WTF Are You Thinking Act?

The United States Congress is in its last days of Democratic control of the House and a large D majority in the Senate.  After inadequate (Senate) action to address climate change, lack of action to reduce subsidies to the fossil foolish sector, the closing energy action might just be significant additional subsidies for fossil fuels?

Consider me not just dismayed but disgusted.

continued at Daily Kos....

Gulf Watchers Wednesday - BP Bribes Schools to Brainwash Kids & NOAA Helps - BP Catastrophe AUV #427

by peraspera

You are in the current Gulf Watchers BP Catastrophe - AUV #427. ROV #426 is here.

Bookmark this link to find the latest Gulf Watchers diaries.

Please RECOMMEND THIS DIARY, the motherships have been discontinued.

On Thanksgiving weekend there won't be a morning Friday Gulf Watchers AUV diary but there will be a Gulf Watchers Friday Block Party.

Gulf Watchers Diary Schedule
Monday - evening drive time
Wednesday - morning
Friday - morning
Friday Block Party - evening
Sunday - morning

The digest of diaries is here.

Please be kind to kossacks with bandwidth issues. Please do not post images or videos. Again, many thanks for this.

continued at Daily Kos....

Prosecuting Climate Change Criminals

by Patriot Daily News Clearinghouse

People from around the world will not sit in silence while the U.S. fiddles with providing real solutions to climate change impacts. There is a growing movement to push for accountability of governments who fail to take action; a fossil fuel industry that peddles widespread death, sickness and the destruction of economies and environment; and climate deniers who obstruct comprehensive climate change laws with campaigns of lies and disinformation.  Citizens are filing lawsuits while countries and activists advocate prosecution of climate change criminals, discuss proposals for international forums for prosecutions and litigation to obtain damages for harm under existing precedent.  

continued at Daily Kos....

Night Train: Losing HSR Battles while Winning the Transport War

by BruceMcF

Burning the Midnight Oil for Living Energy Independence

Last week I raised the certainty that Kasich will return $375m of Ohio's $400m grant for laying the 110mph 3C corridor track and running 79mph trains on them ... and the likelihood that Wisconsin's Governor-elect Jobs Walkabout will return all or most of Wisconsin's $810m for the Milwaukee to Madison Emerging HSR corridor.

Thing is, even if the opponents of HSR killed two (or, see inside, three): they had to kill them all. Every HSR line that gets finished will undermine their case, and raise intra-regional and inter-regional jealousies as a force ensuring that HSR funding is provided at the Federal level and matching funds are raised at the state level.

continued at Daily Kos....

How to reduce CO2 emissions without really saying so.

by hold tight

The Washington Post had an opinion piece this past weekend that caught my eye. It's about how we can work to reduce CO2 emissions regardless of our acceptance, or lack thereof, of climate change science: "How to stop global warming - even if you don't believe in it".

(h/t to boatsie, whose diary about COP16 included this link. Please visit their diary and recommend.)

This led to me to start blogging about something I've been meaning to for a some time...That is, the efforts happening right now, everywhere, outside the Beltway, to get a handle on GHG's. We'll do it, fer cryin' out loud, even if you won't help us, Senators!

continued at Daily Kos....

Is Schwarzenegger the New AlGore?

by Steven D

The Guvernator just announced that California is striking out on its own to enter into greenhouse gas emissions deals with developing countries in partnership with the United Nations.  So, keep reading.  You might be surprised.

(cont.)

(also available at Booman Tribune)

continued at Daily Kos....

dailycancun: #racetothefuture

by boatsie

Climate activists launch an opening salvo in their imaginative and visionary global campaign to inform and awaken the world to the urgency of the November 28-Dec. 10 UNFCCC talks.

"We have lost something very precious. That is an understanding of our interconnectedness with nature and a world beyond the material." - His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales

continued at Daily Kos....

On a warm San Franciscan night... (a photo journey)

by citisven

The last two days have been truly gorgeous in the City by the Bay. Warm, almost balmy November nights. Not completely unusual, but after a relatively cool summer and early fall, this has been an unexpected treat.

Now I know that there are a lot of problems in this world and that life can be incredibly difficult at times, but there are those moments when all the heavy burdens fall away and I'm just in awe at the stunning beauty of the planet we live on and how blessed we are to be alive.

continued at Daily Kos....

monday earthship

by eKos

Welcome to the eKos Earthship, your one-stop-shop for green diaries and series.

Beneath the fold you will find news and notes, community announcements, and our eco-diary roundup.

Peruse the eKos Library to find previously listed diaries. You can also follow eKos on Twitter.

Tonight's editor: boatsie

continued at Daily Kos....

Macca's Meatless Monday...pretty little pumpkins in a row

by beach babe in fl

In this weekly series we have been discussing the benefits of a vegetarian diet including : better health, animal rights, food safety, global food crisis, frugal living and the immense contribution of meat production to climate change/resource depletion (pdf)

continued at Daily Kos....

Science Tidbits

by possum

Welcome, welcome.  Monday is here once again right on schedule.  The time has come to gather around and take a well deserved hiatus from all the politics of the day.  Science talk is here.  New discoveries, new takes on old knowledge, and other bits of news are all available for the perusing in today's information world.  Over the fold are selections from the past week from a few of the many excellent science news sites around the world.  Today's tidbits include new analysis explains bulge on farside of the moon, the dynamics of cat lapping, extreme global warming in the ancient past, an invading weed threatens devastation to western range lands, drinking water contamination may be a risk of underground CO2 storage, and toxic algae found in open ocean water for the first time.  Pull up that comfy chair and sit by the fire.  There is plenty of room for everyone.  Get ready for one more session of Dr. Possum's science education and entertainment.

continued at Daily Kos....

Gulf Watchers Monday -Afternoon Edition - BP Catastrophe AUV #426

by shanesnana

You are in the current Gulf Watchers BP Catastrophe - AUV #426. ROV #425 is here
Bookmark this link to find the latest Gulf Watchers diaries.

Please RECOMMEND THIS DIARY, the motherships have been discontinued.

The digest of diaries is here.

Please be kind to kossacks with bandwidth issues. Please do not post images or videos. Again, many thanks for this.

PLEASE visit Pam LaPier's diary to find out how you can help the Gulf now and in the future. We don't have to be idle! And thanks to Crashing Vor and Pam LaPier for working on this!

continued at Daily Kos....

Monkey Oranges: Mouthwatering Potential

by NourishingthePlanet

Crossposted from the Worldwatch Institute's Nourishing the Planet.

Monkey oranges have all the characteristics of a successful crop–high productivity, high prices, extended shelf life, pest resistance, delicious flavor, and high demand. But , the fruit remains undomesticated and has rarely undergone organized cultivation.

continued at Daily Kos....

Climate Change News Roundup: 14 November 2010

by billlaurelMD

What's been going on in the Arctic?  First I'll show a picture from Barrow AK's Arctic sea ice webcam as I often do. This one is from 9:18 a.m. Alaska time on 13 November 2010. Snow on the ground of 3", and the near-shore sea ice is affixed to land, while you can see there is open water well-offshore.

More below.

continued at Daily Kos....

Water News

by Patric Juillet

"Water is fluid, soft, and yielding. But water will wear away rock, which is rigid and cannot yield. As a rule, whatever is fluid, soft, and yielding will overcome whatever is rigid and hard. This is another paradox: what is soft is strong." Lao Tse

A number of eco-writers - including me - have been called grim, unyielding Malthusians among other things, largely because of our collective emphasis on reporting dire news on climate change, rising populations, depleted soils and water resources. Well, I don't think any of us derive pure joy from writing about it as countries like Taiwan will be one of the first affected by rising sea levels which could leave many parts of the country under water while some low-lying islands in the Pacific are at risk of disappearing altogether.

The impact of water-related climate phenomena (e.g. drought, flooding, sea level rise) is so acute that China's cabinet declared that climate change threatens the country's development with increasing extreme-weather "events" and exacerbating water shortages.

As the promised climate change legislation is dead in the water for the foreseeable future, here is a sample of things to come:

continued at Daily Kos....

Hockey Stick and Climategate Revisited

by docmidwest

Among the many tortures in store for us over the next years, John Shimkus(R-IL) or Joe Barton (R-TX) will most likely be holding hearings on the "fraud" of human-caused global warming, expressing apologies to God and/or BP for any doubts that have been expressed about their environmental stewardship. Now may be a good time to help spread a little information on what actually became of the recent uproar over "Climategate" and the famous hockey-stick reconstruction of the temperature record over the last millennium.

First, we need to be clear about the role of these millennial reconstructions of climate history. They play no direct role in the modeling of the last century's temperature, for which we have have a combination of good thermometry records and physics-based theory. (see e.g. my little primer) Why then does anybody care enough about the "hockey stick" graph (showing roughly constant temperature, T, until the rise over the last 100 years), to make a fuss about it?

continued at Daily Kos....