We Protect Endangered Wildlife, Why Not Endangered People?

by Patriot Daily News Clearinghouse

On Monday, right-wing contrarian Bjorn Lomborg argued that we have "twenty to forty years" to spend on researching new technology for global warming.

He argues that "efforts to reduce global warming pollution can wait, because 'coping with climate change is something we know how to do.'"  Go tell this to Pakistan flood victims.

I guess "coping" now means death, illness, economic deficits, job losses, hunger, national security risks, environmental destruction, wildlife extinction and environmental racism.  

It also means allowing nations to face the threat of extinction. When wildlife is threatened by extinction, our endangered species law may provide protected status while recovery remedies are implemented to save the wildlife.  What about people threatened with rising sea levels that might swallow up entire nations?  Are people as important as our wildlife?

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....

The Ever-Looming Water Crisis

by Patric Juillet

Oddly enough, not many politicians are paying attention to the incoming water crisis. Think about this: water is the essence of life, sustaining every single being on this planet and without it there would simply be no plants, animals or people. As a few of us have written here before, the global water supply isn't just at risk, it's already in crisis. This week's NYT article on Syria & Iraq is a harbinger of things to come.

Syria — The farmlands spreading north and east of this Euphrates River town were once the breadbasket of the region, a vast expanse of golden wheat fields and bucolic sheep herds. Now, after four consecutive years of drought, this heartland of the Fertile Crescent — including much of neighboring Iraq  — appears to be turning barren, climate scientists say. Ancient irrigation systems have collapsed, underground water sources have run dry and hundreds of villages have been abandoned as farmlands turn to cracked desert and grazing animals die off. Sandstorms have become far more common, and vast tent cities of dispossessed farmers and their families have risen up around the larger towns and cities of Syria and Iraq.

continued at Daily Kos....

Climate Collaboration Contest

by gmoke

To members of the Climate CoLab community,

We are pleased to announce the launch of a new Climate CoLab contest, as well as a major upgrade of our software platform.

The contest will address the question: What international climate agreements should the world community make?

The first round runs through October 31 and the final round through November 26.

In early December, the United Nations and U.S. Congress will be briefed on the winning entries.

We are raising funds in the hope of being able to pay travel expenses for one representative from each winning team to attend one or both of these briefings.

We invite you to form teams and enter the contest--learn more at http://climatecolab.org.

We also encourage you to fill out your profiles and add a picture, so that members of the community can get to know each other.

And please inform anyone you believe might be interested about the contest.

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The Amazing charity: water, in Photos

by Patric Juillet

Last year I wrote a little noticed diary about a man who is bringing clean, potable water to thousands of folks in parts of the world where it's badly needed. Read about Scott Harrison's charity: water. I posted it on New Year's Eve and that might explain the slow traffic.

                                                 

This story is personal to me as one of my uncles lived in the Central African Republic, in Bangui, where he was stationed in the fifties and sixties to teach farming. As a kid I remember watching in awe the grainy B&W films he used to send to us twice a year.

Despite the economic downturn, charity: water has managed to perform miracles for the Bayaka in the Central African Republic.

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National Snow and Ice Data Center: August 2010 ice

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.

The National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC) has issued its report on [http://nsidc.org/ August 2010 arctic sea ice condition. If you've been following my diaries, you can probably guess at its gist. Headlines from the report:

1. August 2010 had the second-lowest Arctic sea ice extent since satellite records began in 1979.

Sea level pressure anomalies resembled the pattern that results in quickly vanishing Arctic sea ice; low pressure over Siberia and high pressure over the Arctic western hemisphere.

Arctic sea ice volume at 31 August was about 9,400 km³ below normal.

Much of the sea ice remaining is slushy and easily moved and melted.

More below.

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Pakistan Crisis Deepens, Water Rising, More Rains Falling

by FishOutofWater

U.S. Marines, the Pakistani military the UN and NGO's are desperately trying to get food and aid to flood victims but the Indus river has taken a new channel, the water is still rising and the it's one foot from cutting off a the Indus highway and number of towns.

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Climate News: Week of 5 September 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 week, the climate news diary I usually do will be out a little early, since I'm writing up the more general one for Patriot News Clearinghouse today. So the latest news may be a bit briefer than usual. First, the Barrow AK Arctic Sea Ice webcam from this a.m. (5:17 Alaska Time). Weather is nasty as one would expect ... but actually a shade warmer than normal.

The rest of the Arctic story this week below.

continued at Daily Kos....

Climate News: 29 August 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.

Arctic sea ice is in the forefront of the news I have today.  But I also have a graphic of the globally integrated near-surface temperature to show you all below.

Global Mean Temperature Time Series from U of Alabama Huntsville, 1998-2010

All but a few days in July have been warmer in 2010 than any of the previous 12 years. This is something not at all surprising given the kind of climate year we've had to date. That this is the case as we have transitioned to a La Niña from an El Niño in the last few months, however, may well be unprecedented.

More below.

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News from the Arctic: Belated from weekend of 31 July

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.

I was away in, of all places, Ft. Lauderdale FL this past weekend, so I didn't do a diary right away. I was at a yearly conference for the National Asssociation of Black and White Men Together Annual Convention for 2010. This group at one time had as many as 1200 or so members and 30-some-odd chapters in the U.S. and elsewhere (when known as the INTERnational Association of Black and White Men Together). Now we only have about 10 chapters and maybe one-hundred members. What happened is the topic of another diary I may do some day.

Headlines from last week:

• Rate of ice loss increases
• Strong low pressure anomaly forms over west Siberia
• Anomalous southerly flow from the Asian continent over central and east Siberia
• Off-Arctic: Record heat wave and drought in European Russia, Ukraine, adjacent countries; Moscow hits 101°F; first time ever over 100°F.

Follow me below the fold.

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Sunday Train: A Dime A Gallon Tariff on Imported Oil for Energy Independent Transport

by BruceMcF

Burning the Midnight Oil for Living Energy Independence

The big news from July was: Senate's energy bill: What a disappointment (LA Times Editorial):

Amid tough fights over healthcare and financial reform, Obama's push for cleaner energy ran out of gas long ago. It looked like a losing battle anyway; with Senate Republicans universally opposing a cap-and-trade program or other efforts to reduce greenhouse gases, and some Democrats in heavy manufacturing states also opposed, it may have been impossible to round up the 60 votes needed to overcome a filibuster on a Senate energy bill as strong as the one passed by the House last year. But that doesn't excuse Obama or Reid for surrendering so easily, or so completely.

The strategy to stitch together a complex, multiple part, massive sprawling Energy Bill has failed in precisely the way its opponents intended it to fail: this is a big reason why Big Oil was so heavily invested in the fight against health care reform, to push the Energy Bill back into election year politics.

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Conservative Columnist Rejects Climate Denial Party Line

by A Siegel

Canada's version of Faux News and the Washington  Times, The National Post, has been a fountain of misinformation and deceit when it comes to climate science.  The National Post's pages have been filled with truthiness dribble from those rejecting science and seeking to distort the science into the public discussion.  Last week, The National Post published a piece grounded in reality, rather than partisan delusion, castigating science denial and asserting that Anti-Science Syndrome suffering Haters Of a Livable Economy are causing harm to conservative causes.

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Two Hundred. Two Hundred and One....

by WarrenS

I had an idea one day in December.  The new year was coming up, and I wondered if I had what it took to sustain a daily discipline that wasn't about practicing music or doing the dishes (not that I necessarily do those every day, nowadays, but...).

For a few years I had been following the news about climate change.  JohnnyRook was the person who woke me up.  Reading his diaries and learning about him was transformative.  Unfortunately, it seemed to transform me at first into a pretty gloomy guy, because all I ever saw was politicians squandering opportunities and media figures abandoning their responsibilities, while the scientific evidence mounted higher and higher.

Understand: I am the child of scientists.  While I am by profession a musician, I know enough about science to know that when scientists say something like, "Well, we have observed significant correlations between atmospheric CO2 and increased global mean temperature," in a soft, calm, slightly hesitant voice, what they are doing is screaming is "HOLY SHIT!!! EVERYBODY!!! WAKE THE F**K UP!!! NOW!!!"  That is, phrases like "significant correlation" and "robust" are scientists' way of shouting.

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Front Page Quotes Village Truthiness ... need to look behind the curtain

by A Siegel

On the front page, Kagro X (David Waldman) quotes from a Washington Post article about how the oil in the Gulf isn't shifting public opinion on energy issueslike environmentalists desire.

Not surprisingly, the article is rather mediocre in a balanced journalism sort-of way: legitimate and interesting material is balanced with mediocrity and truthiness.  

To be clear, David's key point is one that I agree with:

File this for use the next time somebody tells you that the key to getting people fired up in this country is letting things go to hell so they can see for themselves how bad things have gotten.

E.g., simply saying 'let things go to hell' and people will wake up and magically become progressives as about as reality based as planning on the Washington Nationals making it to the World Series this year ...

continued at Daily Kos....

Renewable Energy: The left hand giveth while the right hand taketh away.

by jpmassar

PACE (Property Assessed Clean Energy) is an acronym for a set of programs designed to allow homeowners to finance renewable energy systems in their homes.

It is conceptually quite simple: Instead of a homeowner having to borrow $20,000 for a solar energy system (or come up with it out-of-pocket), and then get partial rebates or tax credits, the city, county or state where the owner lives would front the money (using funds typically raised from bonds).  The homeowner would pay back the money so lent over a period of years through an additional property tax assessment, so much per year.  If the property is sold, the tax assessment remains -- the debt is transferred to the new owner.

continued at Daily Kos....

June Smashes Temp Record, Today may be All Time High

by FishOutofWater

June smashed global high temperature records according to official figures released today by the U.S. government.

Moreover, unofficial satellite temperature calculations (by climate change skeptic Dr. Roy Spencer) of the lowest atmospheric layer around the earth's surface show the past 3 days may be the hottest days ever measured on earth. Try this link to make your own graph.

The orange line on top is 2010. The blue line that set the previous high is 2009. The other lines are 1998-2008.

continued at Daily Kos....

Preventive vs Reactive: A dysfunctional society?

by A Siegel

Perhaps it is simply human nature or perhaps driven by the skewed nature of early 21st century capitalism or perhaps simply an oddity of American society, but there is a fundamental societal challenge that undermines our ability to pursue sensible policy objectives: the often huge hurdles to investing just a little bit today to avoid higher (often catastrophically higher) costs tomorrow.

We have, in the United States, a system that thrives on reactive responses to repair the situation as opposed to the less exciting but far more effective proactive (preventive) response to invest to avoid the problem and prevent (or, at least, reduce) having to rush to 'repair' the situation.

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News from the Arctic: U.S. Independence Day 2010

by billlaurelMD

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

I'm starting this diary on Friday night of the Holiday weekend, having spent a nice day with my partner beginning the arduous task of putting together one of those new-fangled raised gardens in a box (well, in two boxes actually, full of cedar-scented wood panels, hardware, hoses and assorted other parts).  We've had it for a month and 1/2, but between being sick and the heat this June, we just couldn't get it together to start working on it.  Today and tomorrow will be it, though ... it's supposed to be 95°F on Sunday and close to 100°F Monday.  Hot hot hot for the foreseeable future.  By the way, June broke a record for highest average temperature in D.C., and averaged over 80°F for the first time.  

There'll be a report on June climate more generally in a couple of weeks, once the compilations are done. For now, follow me below to see the most recent week's trend in Arctic sea ice.

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The ECSTASY of Growing Your Own — A DIY Garden Project

by WarrenS

E.C.S.T.A.S.Y. — End Consumption, Save The Air & Sea, Y'all!

A support group and discussion forum for those who want to kick the habits of consumption that are damaging the world we live in.

It's Independence Day!  And while I have some diaries plotted for this series that will be profound and erudite and full of depth and insight...today I'm just going to brag on my garden a little.

Our little household will never be able to get off the food grid entirely (can't grow rice in the Boston suburbs!  No room for the spaghetti trees!) but we've been getting better at it every year.

Let me describe our layout.  We live on the side of a hill.  47 steps lead from street level to our front door.  When we bought the house, the front yard was a very steep slope, covered with weeds and debris.  There is a garage at street level, inset into the hill.  When we bought the house, the garage had a peaked roof in wretched condition.

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Oil Enters Food Chain & Deep Dead Zones Grow in Gulf

by FishOutofWater

Oil spewing from the blown BP well is entering the food chain. Marine biologists have discovered oiled crab larvae in uncontaminated marshes. Oil from the Gulf is being taken into otherwise uncontaminated areas by contaminated crabs.

Offshore, in deep water, methane levels as high as 10,000 above normal have been confirmed by new data.

On June 26, a lake of oil built offshore of Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and the Florida panhandle, before winds and waves from hurricane Alex swept across the Gulf.

continued at Daily Kos....