Another Week of GW News, August 26, 2007

Courtesy of H.E.Taylor, here is this week's GW news roundup
(skip to bottom)

• Top Stories, Nasty Weather, Greek Crematorium, Arctic, Modelling
• Hurricanes, Dean, Sepat, Sea Levels, Satellites
• Impacts, Rainforests, Wacky Weather, Floods & Droughts, Biofuel & Food
• Mitigation, Transportation, Architecture, Sequestration, Adaptation, Geoengineering
• Journals, Misc. Science
• Kyoto, Carbon Trade, Carbon Tax, Optimal Carbon Reduction Strategy
• Politics, International, APEC, ASEAN, Security, Yvo de Boer, WCI, America, Britain, Europe, Germany, Australia, China, Japan, Asia, Canada
• Ecological Economics, Media, Books, Video, Courts, Betting
• Energy, Coal, Biofuel, Nukes, Efficiency, Cars, Business Carbon Lobby
• The Usual, Useful Links
• Shameless Self Promotion
• .sig

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Here's a wee chuckle for ye:

• 2007/08/22: uComics: (cartoon - Toles) A Rising Tide Lifts All Ice Floes

  Nasty weather continues to be a big story this week, first in the US Midwest:

• 2007/08/26: CNN: Midwest storms deliver knockout punch to power lines
  Tornado warnings issued Saturday for parts of central, southeast Ohio - About 100,000 in northern Illinois remained without power Saturday - Flooding from Minnesota to Ohio has been blamed for at least 18 deaths
• 2007/08/26: AP: 100,000-Plus Without Power in Midwest
• 2007/08/25: CNN: Storms' effects weigh on Midwest - 500,000 get power back; 120,000 still waiting
• 2007/08/25: People's Daily: At least 16 dead in U.S. Midwest flooding
• 2007/08/25: BBC: Flood misery engulfs US Midwest
  Floods from a week of thunderstorms in the US Midwest have swamped thousands of homes and cut power to hundreds of thousands of people
• 2007/08/24: AP: Heavy Rain, Flooding Plagues Midwest
• 2007/08/24: CNN: Storms play havoc with travel in Midwest, Southeast
  Passengers wait for hours on diverted planes - Two children die reportedly after being left in hot cars in Midwest - Severe weather in Chicago, Illinois, cuts power, cancels hundreds of flights - More storms in forecast for Friday; flooding possible
• 2007/08/24: ClimateP: Record Flooding Slams Midwest
• 2007/08/23: TerraDaily: Death toll mounts as floods, heat wave batter US
• 2007/08/24: PlanetArk: More Deaths in Central US Flooding
• 2007/08/24: BBC: Midwest awash after heavy storms
  Storms have continued to drench the US Midwest, which is already enduring record floods that are reported to have killed at least 25 people. Meanwhile, a heatwave in south-eastern states is also setting records and has been blamed for a similar death toll. States from Iowa to Texas have all been deluged, some suffering the aftermath of Tropical Storm Erin, followed by other heavy storm systems
• 2007/08/23: CBC: Thousands homeless in Midwest flooding
• 2007/08/23: AP: More Storms Hit Flooded Midwest
• 2007/08/23: MTobis: More Extraordinary Flooding [Wisconsin]
• 2007/08/23: PlanetArk: Eight Dead as Floods Plague Central United States
• 2007/08/23: HuffPo: Over 1,000 Displaced by Midwest Flooding
• 2007/08/23: AP: Over 1,000 Displaced by Midwest Flooding
• 2007/08/22: AP: Hundreds Displaced by Midwest Flooding
• 2007/08/22: BBC: US Midwest suffers deadly floods
  The US Midwest is counting the cost of flooding which has killed 22 people and damaged thousands of homes. The floods came after the remnants of Tropical Storm Erin and a second storm dumped heavy rains over several days. Oklahoma, Texas, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Ohio and Missouri are among the worst affected, with the damage expected to mount to tens of millions of dollars
• 2007/08/21: Yahoo: Midwest flooding death toll reaches 22
• 2007/08/20: PlanetArk: Remains of Erin Flood Oklahoma, 2 Confirmed Dead

  And South Asia:

• 2007/08/26: SwissInfo: Toll rises in South Asia floods
  Flood victims in eastern India were eating raw wheat flour to survive as devastating monsoon flooding in South Asia continued to spread misery among millions. Nearly 2,000 people have been killed by snake bites, drowning, diarrhoea and in house collapses since July when swollen rivers burst their banks, inundating huge areas in eastern India and Bangladesh. The toll rose by 74 over the weekend.
• 2007/08/23: PlanetArk: Smell of Floating Corpses Adds to South Asia Flood Woes
• 2007/08/23: ArabNews: Corpses' Smell Adds to S. Asia Flood Miseries
• 2007/08/22: PlanetArk: Fresh Floods Kill 80 More People in South Asia

  Then elsewhere:

• 2007/08/25: DailyIndia: Severe weather kills 50 in Yemen
• 2007/08/25: BBC: North Korea flood toll increases
  At least 600 people are dead or missing after devastating floods in North Korea this month, state media has reported. One million people have been affected by the downpours, with thousands injured and many more left homeless, Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said
• 2007/08/23: ArabNews: Sudan Floods Death Toll Reaches 89

  Greece is being plagued by wildfires:

• 2007/08/26: HuffPo: Greek Fires Race Toward Ancient Olympia And Temple Of Apollo
• 2007/08/26: SwissInfo: Greek fires kill 51 and threaten Olympia
• 2007/08/26: BBC: Greek fires threaten ancient city
  There are fears for the ancient ruins of Olympia, a world heritage site and home to the first Olympics, as Greece's devastating forest fires close in. Water-bombing planes are trying to suppress the flames near the site, and nearby villages have been evacuated. More than 50 people have died since fires burst out on Friday. They are still burning and nearing villages in the south, on islands and near Athens
• 2007/08/26: AFP: Fires engulf southern Greece, at least 51 dead
• 2007/08/26: AP: Winds Relent as Greeks Battle Blazes
• 2007/08/25: BBC: Fires prompt Greek national alert - A nationwide state of emergency has been declared in Greece, amid a rising death toll from raging forest fires
• 2007/08/26: Guardian(UK): Fires sweep Greece turning villages to ash and killing 46
• 2007/08/25: CNN: Greek leader suggests political extremists set fires
  Greek government declares a state of emergency for the entire country - Death toll revised to 44 for fires sweeping southern Greece
• 2007/08/25: PhysOrg: Greek fire toll climbs to 37
• 2007/08/25: HuffPo: Death Toll From Greek Fires Reaches 46
• 2007/08/25: DeutscheWelle: Greek PM declares state of emergency - At least 44 people have died in the worst wildfires to hit Greece in a decade.
• 2007/08/24: Turkish Press: Deadly fires hit parts of southern Europe
• 2007/08/25: BBC: Death toll mounts in Greek fires
  Greek emergency workers continue to find the charred bodies of people burned to death by forest fires that are raging in the south of the country. Officials raised the death toll from the fires over the past two days to 46. Searches of burnt cars, houses and fields were still turning up the remains of those who could not escape. Prime Minister Kostas Karamanlis called the situation "an unspeakable tragedy". The government appealed for EU help and later declared a state of emergency. Greek newspapers are calling the southern Peloponnese region a "crematorium"...
• 2007/08/25: CBC: Forest fires kill 41 in Greece - At least 9 die while trapped in traffic jam
• 2007/08/25: AFP: Worst wildfires in Greece in a decade claim 44 lives
• 2007/08/25: AP: Forest Fires Kill 37 in Southern Greece
• 2007/08/24: BBC: At least 15 people have been killed in southern Greece on the deadliest day of wildfires this year
• 2007/08/25: Guardian(UK): At least 12 killed as fires rage across south [of Greece]

  More on the Arctic:

• 2007/08/24: KSJT: Reuters: Could'a seen this coming. First the N. Pole undersea flag. Now the geology to legitimize it
• 2007/08/22: NSIDC: Overview of current sea ice conditions
• 2007/08/24: Wunderground: One third of Arctic ice cap now missing; Midwestern floods; tropical update
• 2007/08/23: ENN: [A Russian] Scientist says tests back Russia Arctic claim
• 2007/08/22: Atmoz: East Siberian Sea Ice Extent
• 2007/08/22: KSJT: The Guardian: Suddenly, Svalbard is a hotspot for research
• 2007/08/22: Guardian(UK): Research boom in Arctic village as oil reserves draw big powers
• 2007/08/21: TruthOut: Islands Emerge As Arctic Ice Shrinks to Record Low
• 2007/08/21: TerraDaily: Russia's New Research Station In Arctic To Open In Late September
• 2007/08/20: Yahoo: Islands emerge as Arctic ice shrinks to record low
• 2007/08/21: OilChange: Now Denmark Eyes North Pole
• 2007/08/20: Globe&Mail: Unknown islands pop up in Norway's Arctic
  Previously unknown islands are appearing as Arctic summer sea ice shrinks to record lows, raising questions about whether global warming is outpacing UN projections, experts said
• 2007/08/20: KSJT: NYTimes, AP, etc: Arctic sea ice hits record low and it's not done yet

  Joe did a three part series you might find relevant:

• 2007/08/23: ClimateP: Are Scientists Overestimating - or Underestimating - Climate Change, Part III
• 2007/08/22: ClimateP: Are Scientists Overestimating - or Underestimating - Climate Change, Part II
• 2007/08/21: ClimateP: Are Scientists Overestimating - or Underestimating - Climate Change, Part I

  A couple of articles on different models:

• 2007/08/21: FergusB: Model behaviour
• 2007/08/20: RealClimate: Musings about models
• 2007/08/21: TerraDaily: Scientists Verify Predictive [sCast] Model For Winter Weather
• 2007/08/20: PhysOrg: Scientists Verify Predictive Model for Winter Weather
• 2007/08/20: NSF: Scientists Verify Predictive Model for Winter Weather - Snow cover in Siberia has been linked to U.S. winter temperatures.

  The hurricane wars are warming up with Dean in the Caribbean:

• 2007/08/25: France24: Mexico's Pemex restores 81 percent of oil production after storm [Hurr. Dean]
• 2007/08/24: DailyGreen: Hurricane Dean's Wake: Death And Cold Water
• 2007/08/22: Xinhuanet: Hurricane Dean will paralyze oil extraction in Mexico
• 2007/08/24: PlanetArk: Hurricane Dean Rains Pound Mexico, Nine Dead
• 2007/08/23: Turkish Press: Death toll rises as remnants of Hurricane Dean cause landslides in Mexico
• 2007/08/24: BBC: Mexico is braced for more flooding, landslides and high winds as stormy weather caused by Hurricane Dean continues to move westwards
• 2007/08/23: CCM: Can Hurricane Dean "Wake" Up Fisheries?
• 2007/08/23: CCM: Hurricane Dean's Cold Wake
• 2007/08/23: DeSmogBlog: Could Dean Be Our Destiny?
• 2007/08/23: Wunderground: The aftermath of Dean
• 2007/08/22: KSJT: AP: Hurricane Dean had third-lowest measured barometer reading ever seen at landfall
• 2007/08/22: ClimateP: Global Warming and Hurricane Preparedness [panel upcoming]
• 2007/08/22: PhysOrg: Dean Third-Most Intense Hurricane Ever
• 2007/08/22: PhysOrg: Hurricane Dean pounds Mexico for a second time
• 2007/08/22: CCM: Crazy Atlantic, Crazy Dean
• 2007/08/21: TerraDaily: Hurricane Dean hits oil-rich Gulf of Mexico heading for second landfall
• 2007/08/22: TerraDaily: Weakened Hurricane Dean set for second Mexico landfall
• 2007/08/22: Wunderground: Dean's final landfall
• 2007/08/21: SciDaily: Texas-Sized Powerful Hurricane Dean Hits Mexico's Yucatan
• 2007/08/21: RigZone: Dean Only Seen Causing Mild Disruptions to Mexico Oil Ops
• 2007/08/22: OilChange: Dean Batters Mexican Oil Industry
• 2007/08/22: BBC: Hurricane slams into Mexico again
  Hurricane Dean has reached Mexico for the second time this week, bringing winds of up to 100mph (160km/h) to the eastern state of Veracruz. Dean struck near the town of Tecolutla, after strengthening to a Category Two storm over the Gulf of Mexico where it hit oil and gas platforms
• 2007/08/22: AFP: Hurricane Dean makes second Mexico landfall
• 2007/08/22: AP: Dean Batters Mexico's Oil Industry
• 2007/08/21: OilDrum: Hurricane Dean Makes Landfall in Mexico Today: Cantarell Now Directly in Dean's Sights
• 2007/08/21: AP: Dean Bears Down on Mexico's Oil Industry
• 2007/08/22: Guardian(UK): Mexico escapes devastation as Dean cools off
• 2007/08/21: CNN: Dean prepares for a second landfall in Mexico
• 2007/08/21: ClimateP: Hurricane Dean on the March
• 2007/08/21: SciBlog: Hurricane Dean's Global Warning
• 2007/08/21: DailyGreen: Hurricane Dean: 1 Of 10 Most Intense Atlantic Hurricanes Ever Measured
• 2007/08/21: CCM: Hurricane Dean: Six of the Ten Most Intense Atlantic Hurricanes Occurred In the Past Decade
• 2007/08/21: CCM: Hurricane Dean: "SOME HISTORIC NOTES ARE IN ORDER HERE"
• 2007/08/20: CCM: National Hurricane Center: Dean at 140 Knots, Maybe Stronger
• 2007/08/20: CCM: Hurricane Dean: Preparing for a Catastrophic Category 5 Landfall on the Yucatan
• 2007/08/20: TerraDaily: Hurricane reaches monstrous category five as it barrels to Mexico
• 2007/08/21: Wunderground: Hurricane Dean--9th strongest hurricane on record
• 2007/08/21: Wunderground: Dean hits Category 5
• 2007/08/21: ESA: Hurricane Dean tracked from space
• 2007/08/21: BDL: Chris Mooney: Hurricane Dean Is the Ninth Most Intense Atlantic Hurricane Ever Measured
• 2007/08/21: HuffPo: What We Can and Can't Say About Global Warming and Hurricane Dean
• 2007/08/21: BBC: Hurricane Dean has struck Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula near the border with Belize, toppling trees and bringing lashing rain
• 2007/08/21: AFP: Hurricane Dean slams into Mexico, barrels across Yucatan Peninsula
• 2007/08/21: CTV: Hurricane Dean weakens to Category 3 over Mexico
• 2007/08/21: Guardian(UK): Mexico braces for Hurricane Dean as battered Jamaica declares state of emergency
• 2007/08/20: MongaBay: Could a hurricane hit California?
• 2007/08/20: NewScientist: Hurricane Dean intensifies as it heads for Mexico
• 2007/08/20: CCM: Hurricane Dean: 918 Millibars, But Not Category 5 (Yet)
• 2007/08/20: CCM: Hurricane Dean Glimpsed from the Space Shuttle
• 2007/08/20: Wunderground: Dean intensifying, near Category 5 strength
• 2007/08/20: Wunderground: Dean roars towards the Yucatan -- Erin's remains kill 6 in Oklahoma
• 2007/08/19: Wunderground: A very bad day in Jamaica
• 2007/08/20: OilChange: Hurricane [Dean] Forces Mexico to Evacuate Oil Rigs
• 2007/08/20: Xinhuanet: Hurricane haunted, Texas gets ready for Dean
• 2007/08/20: BBC: Mexico is bracing itself for the impact of Hurricane Dean after the storm battered Jamaica
• 2007/08/20: CBC: Dean on collision course with Mexico
• 2007/08/20: AFP: Hurricane Dean surges towards Mexico
• 2007/08/20: BBC: Trees have been uprooted and roofs ripped off houses in southern Jamaica, as Hurricane Dean's devastating journey through the Caribbean continues
• 2007/08/20: Guardian(UK): Thousands seek shelter as Hurricane Dean hits Jamaica

  And Sepat in the Pacific:

• 2007/08/23: PlanetArk: China Storm [Typhoon Sepat] Death Toll Rises to 39
• 2007/08/21: PlanetArk: Sepat Targets Inland China After Killing Over 20
• 2007/08/20: CBC: Typhoon [Sepat] weakens after lashing Chinese coast, killing 24
• 2007/08/19: BBC: Typhoon Sepat has been battering south-eastern China killing 15 people, after almost a million were evacuated, state media has reported

  Sea levels are rising:

• 2007/08/24: TruthOut: Sea Rise Seen Outpacing Forecasts Due to Antarctica
• 2007/08/24: CCM: The Sky's Not Falling but The Sea Is Rising!
• 2007/08/24: ENN: Global Warming Causing Mediterranean Sea to Rise, Threatening Egypt's Lush Nile Delta
• 2007/08/23: PlanetArk: Sea Rise Seen Outpacing Forecasts Due To Antarctica
  A thaw of Antarctic ice is outpacing predictions by the UN climate panel and could in the worst case drive up world sea levels by 2 metres (6 ft) by 2100, a leading expert [Chris Rapley, outgoing BAS head] said on Wednesday. Millions of people, from Bangladesh to Florida and some Pacific island states, live less than a metre above sea level. Most of the world's major cities, from Shanghai to Buenos Aires, are by the sea.
• 2007/08/22: ENN: Antarctic Ice Thawing Faster Than Predicted
  A thaw of Antarctic ice is outpacing predictions by the U.N. climate panel and could in the worst case drive up world sea levels by 2 meters (6 ft) by 2100, a leading expert said on Wednesday. Millions of people, from Bangladesh to Florida and some Pacific island states, live less than a meter above sea level. Most of the world's major cities, from Shanghai to Buenos Aires, are by the sea. Chris Rapley, the outgoing head of the British Antarctic Survey, said there were worrying signs of accelerating flows of ice towards the ocean from both Antarctica and Greenland with little sign of more snow falling inland to compensate. "The ice is moving faster both in Greenland and in the Antarctic than the glaciologists had believed would happen," Rapley told Reuters during a climate seminar in Ny Alesund on a Norwegian Arctic island 1,200 km from the North Pole.
• 2007/08/20: ClimateP: A meter of sea level rise by 2100?

  Meanwhile in near earth orbit:

• 2007/08/23: TerraDaily: UK Satellite Mission To Improve Accuracy Of Climate-Change Measurements Gains Global Support [TRUTHS]
• 2007/08/20: TerraDaily: NASA Ozone Instrument TOMS Laid To Rest After Three Decades

  More GW impacts are being seen:

• 2007/08/25: PhysOrg: Climate Change Is a Mixed Bag for Inuit
• 2007/08/24: Guardian(UK): 'We're in meltdown' - Sea ice in the Arctic is approaching a record low - and the locals wear T-shirts in the summer.
• 2007/08/23: PlanetArk: Brush Fires Spread In Southern Italy, 3 Dead
• 2007/08/22: TreeHugger: Rising Temperatures Hindering the Growth of Tropical Trees
• 2007/08/22: SciDaily: Global Warming Threatens Moose, Wolves
• 2007/08/20: CCurrents: Brutal Lessons From An Antarctic Summer
• 2007/08/20: ABC(Au): Changing climate may make way for cotton crops
• 2007/08/20: PhysOrg: Hot Weather Impacts Animal Reproduction
• 2007/08/20: PlanetArk: Climate Change Ruffles Britain's Winter Birds
• 2007/08/18: CanWest: Pine beetles' progress spawns fear to the east
  Seen up close, the extent of British Columbia's pine plague awes visitors and rings alarm bells in Central Canada
• 2007/08/20: BBC: US Midwest heatwave kills dozens
  A two-week heatwave in the southern and Midwestern US has resulted in the deaths of at least 43 people, many of whom were elderly, officials have said

And then there are the tropical rainforests:

• 2007/08/22: PlanetArk: Brazil Rejects Reports of Amazon Logging in Camps
• 2007/08/22: BBC: Brazil denies Amazon logging link
  Brazil's government has promised to investigate allegations that its policy of settling landless communities in the Amazon is encouraging deforestation
• 2007/08/21: TruthOut: Amazon Forest Sold Off in Housing Scam, Claims Greenpeace

  Yes we have no wacky weather, except:

• 2007/08/22: PhysOrg: Where did English summer go?

  And speaking of floods & droughts:

• 2007/08/25: ClimateP: Tragic Irony in Chinese Mine Flooding
• 2007/08/23: WilmingtonStar: Governor [Mike Easley] asks North Carolinians to cut water use by 20 percent
• 2007/08/25: JFleck: Climate Change and Colorado Water
• 2007/08/24: JFleck: Not Melting So Much After All?
• 2007/08/23: ABC(Au): Things not looking good for River Murray
• 2007/08/22: ABQJournal: California Drought
• 2007/08/19: JFleck: Drought: The Supply and Demand Question
• 2007/08/20: PhysOrg: High temperatures, low precipitation creating many problems
• 2007/08/20: SciDaily: High Temperatures, Low Precipitation Creating Many Problems
• 2007/08/19: SMH: Drought returns to many parts of NSW
• 2007/08/18: DNN: Farmers hit hard by drought across U.S.

  The conflict between biofuel and food persists:

• 2007/08/26: Times(UK): To eat . . . . or to drive?
  Farmers all over the world are finding a sudden boom in demand for their crops --- but as fuel for cars rather than as food
• 2007/08/21: REA: Food & Fuel: Biofuels Could Benefit World's Undernourished

  And the troubling matter of falling food production is not going away:

• 2007/08/23: TerraDaily: Global warming to decimate China's harvests [up to 10% by 2030]
• 2007/08/24: PlanetArk: Climate Change to Strain China Food Supply By 2030
• 2007/08/24: BBC: Wheat prices reach record level
  Wheat prices have hit record highs on global commodity markets, bringing the threat of rising bread prices. Bad weather in key grain growing areas such as Canada and parts of Europe has limited supplies as demand has risen, sparking fears of a supply shortfall. Surging prices are also expected to have widespread fallout for consumers. While it will mean higher bread prices, it could also trigger an increase in meat and dairy prices as farmers battle to pass on rising feed costs. Global wheat stockpiles will slip to their lowest levels in 26 years as a result, official US figures predicted earlier this month.
• 2007/08/23: DeSmogBlog: China's harvests face decimation due to global warming
• 2007/08/23: Yahoo: Global warming to decimate China's harvests
• 2007/08/22: ChinaDaily: Bad weather could eat into autumn harvest

  And in other agricultural issues:

• 2007/08/07: Culinate: Wheat, forever? Perennial wheat crops may end the era of monocrops, topsoil runoff, and aquatic dead zones
• 2007/08/24: TruthOut: Farming the Concrete Jungle - In cities across the country urban farmers are growing communities, greening the landscape and revolutionizing food politics
• Topsoil Loss - Causes, Effects, and Implications: A Global Perspective
• 2007/08/21: UIUC: Do higher corn prices mean less adherence to ecological principles?

  Elsewhere on the mitigation front:

• 2007/08/22: MongaBay: Could peatlands conservation be more profitable than palm oil?
• 2007/08/20: AbqJournal: Tech Scientist's Idea Could Offset Warming
• 2007/08/21: SciDaily: Ecological Restoration: A Global Strategy For Mitigating Climate Change
• 2007/08/20: C411: Beat global warming, a slice at a time [wedges]

  Consider transportation & GHG production:

• 2007/08/24: AfterGutenberg: Hero eBike
• 2007/08/23: GristMill: Transportation is a big honking deal - Responsible climate policy means reducing transportation emissions
• 2007/08/21: Yahoo: Does Flying Harm the Planet?

  The Plane Stupid Climate Camp is done; the news continues:

• 2007/08/24: ZMag: Giving The Climate Camp A Good Telling Off! Guardian Environment Editor Lambasts the Heathrow Climate Camp's "Media Mismanagement"
• 2007/08/21: Guardian(UK): Beneath Heathrow's pall of misery, a new political movement is born
• 2007/08/21: EnergyBulletin: Climate camp's media mismanagement
• 2007/08/21: Guardian(UK): Climate change protests spread for a day of disobedience
• 2007/08/21: Stoat: Climate protests at Heathrow: why?
• 2007/08/21: PlanetArk: Climate Protest Spreads to Sizewell Nuclear Plant
• 2007/08/20: ABC(Au): Police converge on Heathrow climate change protest
• 2007/08/20: OilChange: Six Hurt in [Heathrow/BAA] Climate Protest
• 2007/08/20: Xinhuanet: Climate change protesters clash with police near Heathrow airport
• 2007/08/19: Guardian(UK): Heathrow protesters clash with riot police
• 2007/08/19: BBC: Climate change campaigners have been involved in minor scuffles with police as they targeted the offices of Heathrow Airport operator BAA

  As for the role of building codes:

• 2007/08/25: Yomiuri: Eco-home is where heart is / Such houses cut energy consumption, but out of reach for many
• 2007/08/23: EnvFin: Builders overestimate cost of going green [underestimate their impact on climate change] -- WBCSD
• 2007/08/22: AfterGutenberg: Improving Energy Efficiency in Buildings
• 2007/08/21: SciDaily: Building Green For Less Green: Design Team Plans Lower-cost, Energy-efficient Housing

  And carbon sequestration:

• 2007/08/24: AfterGutenberg: To reach further and inject deeper
• 2007/08/22: PlanetArk: Blue Source To Capture Kansas CO2, Up Oil Output

  While on the adaptation front:

• 2007/08/25: TreeHugger: Sundarbans [an alluvial archipelago spread across Bangladesh and West Bengal] Arms Itself Against Global Warming

  Large scale geo-engineering keeps popping up:

• 2007/08/24: PhysOrg: Geoengineering plan is criticized
• 2007/08/24: NEN: Fertilize plankton? Geoengineering might work but that is no reason to do it! Fix the cause, not the effect!
• 2007/08/23: MongaBay: Wind-blown dust boosts biological productivity of ocean
• 2007/08/20: PhysOrg: Scientist Unveils Plan on Climate Change

  Meanwhile in the journals:

• 2007/08/24: CPD: Information on the early Holocene climate constrains the summer sea ice projections for the 21st century by H. Goosse et al.
• 2007/08/24: ACP: Geophysical validation of temperature retrieved by the ESA processor from MIPAS/ENVISAT atmospheric limb-emission measurements by M. Ridolfi et al.
• 2007/08/23: ACP: An Asian emission inventory of anthropogenic emission sources for the period 1980-2020 by T. Ohara et al.
• 2007/08/20: ACP: A case study on biomass burning aerosols: effects on aerosol optical properties and surface radiation levels by A. Arola et al.
• 2007/08/20: ACP: First direct observation of the atmospheric CO2 year-to-year increase from space by M. Buchwitz et al.
• 2007/08/24: ACPD: Clouds and aerosols in Puerto Rico -- a new evaluation by J. D. Allan et al.
• 2007/08/23: ACPD: A climatology of surface ozone in the extra tropics: cluster analysis of observations and model results by O. A. Tarasova et al.
• 2007/08/21: GRL: (ab$) Significance of trends toward earlier snowmelt runoff, Columbia and Missouri Basin headwaters, western United States by Johnnie N. Moore et al.
• 2007/08/22: GRL: (ab$) Recent volume loss of British Columbian glaciers, Canada by E. Schiefer et al.
• 2007/08/21: CP: Mid-Holocene climate change in Europe: a data-model comparison by S. Brewer et al.
• 2007/08/21: ACPD: On the attribution of stratospheric ozone and temperature changes to changes in ozone-depleting substances and well-mixed greenhouse gases by T. G. Shepherd & A. I. Jonsson
• 2007/08/20: ACPD: Modelling the impact of sub-grid scale emission variability on upper-air concentration by S. Galmarini et al.
• 2007/08/20: ACPD: An episode of extremely high PM concentrations over Central Europe caused by dust emitted over the southern Ukraine by W. Birmili et al.
• 2007/08/21: PNAS: Variations in behavior and condition of a Southern Ocean top predator in relation to in situ oceanographic conditions by M. Biuw et al.
• 2007/08/21: PNAS: Empirical evidence for a recent slowdown in irrigation-induced cooling by Céline Bonfils & David Lobell
• 2007/08/21: PNAS: Flexible energy storage devices based on nanocomposite paper by Victor L. Pushparaj et al.

  Before we get into politics, there was some science done:

• 2007/08/23: TU Delft: Highly sensitive weather radar a gain for climate research
• 2007/08/23: PlanetArk: Study Casts Doubt on Earlier Ice Caps Research [41 mya]
• 2007/08/23: DailyIndia: New marine lab begins new coral study
• 2007/08/22: PhysOrg: Climate change goes underground
• 2007/08/22: Eureka: Climate change goes underground
  Scientists are hoping early research showing groundwater impacts will help underground climate change surface as a full-fledged part of the global system
• 2007/08/22: JOIScience: ODP scientists say no large Northern Hemisphere ice sheets 41 million years ago
• 2007/08/13: RSMAS: Corals and Climate Change - Lab offers new way to look at bleaching, ocean acidity, and global warming
• 2007/08/20: PhysOrg: 8,200-year-old cooling is analyzed
• 2007/08/20: TerraDaily: Ocean Supergyre Link To Climate Regulator
• 2007/08/20: PlanetArk: Australian Scientists Call For Ocean Network Probe
• 2007/08/20: SciDaily: Meta-analysis Examine Factors Associated With Death From Heatstroke
• 2007/08/20: UAF: Scientists: Polar [Noctilucent] ice clouds may be climate change symptom

  The Pielkes fan club is fading:

• 2007/08/26: FergusB: End of an era? "Climate Science" closing down

  Meanwhile on the Kyoto front:

• 2007/08/22: ENN: Kyoto gives chemical plants [HFC22] windfall: UNEP

  And on the carbon trading front:

• 2007/08/25: TreeHugger: Climate Care Delivers One Million Tonnes of Offsets
• 2007/08/24: TreeHugger: Chicago Climate Futures ExchangeTM to Launch Certified Emission Reductions (CERs)
• 2007/08/24: PlanetArk: Chicago Climate Exchange to Offer Kyoto Contracts
• 2007/08/23: EnvFin: Carbon Trust delivers 10.8Mt of carbon savings [since 2001]

  The idea of a carbon tax is still bouncing around:

• 2007/08/20: CharlotteObserver: Should Congress consider universal energy tax? NO: Dingell's mock proposal is nothing but a ruse to scare voters
• 2007/08/20: CharlotteObserver: Should Congress consider universal energy tax? YES: At least Dingell's economy-wrecking plan is honest about sacrifice
• 2007/06/21: ChrisTindal: Steep carbon tax could actually stimulate economy: report

  The debate over the optimal strategy [carbon trading, carbon offsets and/or a carbon tax] to use in dealing with GHGs continues:

• 2007/08/23: ClimateP: Rule Four of Offsets: No Enhanced Oil Recovery

  Meanwhile on the international political front:

• 2007/08/24: PlanetArk: UN Voices Concern Over US, Australia on Climate
  US and Australian calls for a new world deal to fight climate change and ditch the United Nations' Kyoto Protocol misrepresent key elements of the UN plan, the global body's top climate official said on Thursday. "I've read some things recently which rather concern me," Yvo de Boer said of US and Australian criticisms of Kyoto.
• 2007/08/20: CSM: Who resolves Arctic oil disputes? Antarctica provides a model for settling competing claims
• 2007/08/20: IndiaTimes: [West Bengal chief minister] Buddhadeb [Bhattacharjee] blames US for global warming

  The APEC climate policy statement for the upcoming September meeting has been leaked:

• 2007/08/22: Maribo: Leak of Asia-Pacific [APEC] climate policy
• 2007/08/20: GristMill: APEC's weak brew on climate
• 2007/08/20: PlanetArk: APEC to Back "Aspirational" Climate Targets - Report
• 2007/08/17: GreenPeace(Au): Leaked copy of APEC Leaders Statement
• 2007/08/20: CanWest: Emissions plan 'bogus,' Green leader charges
  A leaked draft of next month's planned APEC leaders' declaration on the environment shows Prime Minister Stephen Harper is poised to back a "bogus" new global plan for cutting greenhouse gas emissions, charges Green party leader Elizabeth May. [...] The leaked copy of the declaration -- now posted at the Greenpeace-Australia website -- states the leaders will "agree that a long-term aspirational global emissions reduction goal will be a key component of the post-2012 framework" for fighting climate change. The declaration would acknowledge "national decisions" made by some countries to set specific reduction targets. "The notion of 'aspirational' targets is bogus," Ms. May told the Citizen yesterday. "This is really dangerous stuff. We need to be negotiating serious targets."

ASEAN held a conference this week:

• 2007/08/23: Yahoo: Renewable energy can save East Asia two trillion US dollars in fuel costs [over the next 23 years]
• 2007/08/22: TerraDaily: Nuclear energy safety on top of ASEAN energy ministers' agenda

  The security and conflict under GW meme has been active:

• 2007/08/20: WaPo: Warming Will Exacerbate Global Water Conflicts
• 2007/08/24: KSJT: Wash. Post: Hotter earth means more rain -- but where? Results won't be peaceful, either.
• 2007/08/24: ClimateP: Warming Will Worsen Water Wars
• 2007/08/23: CCM: Overheard in the Hart Senate Office Building
• 2007/08/22: TreeHugger: Climate Change Called Security Issue
• 2007/08/22: PlanetArk: Climate Change Called Security Issue Like Cold War
• 2007/08/21: Yahoo: Climate change called security issue like Cold War
• 2007/08/21: ENN: Climate change called security issue like Cold War
  Climate change is the biggest security challenge since the Cold War but people have not woken up to the risks nor to easy solutions such as saving energy at home, experts said on Tuesday. "We're not yet collectively grasping the scale of what we need to do," British climate change ambassador John Ashton told a seminar of 40 scientists and officials from 13 nations in Ny Alesund, Norway, about 1,200 km (750 miles) from the North Pole. He said global warming should be recast as a security issue, such as war or terrorism, to help mobilize support for tougher global action to cut emissions of greenhouse gases from burning fossil fuels.
• 2007/08/20: DeSmogBlog: Global warming cited as a cause of strife in Darfur and elsewhere

  UNFCCC head, Yvo de Boer, made some statements that are bound to get twisted:

• 2007/08/25: TreeHugger: Paying Poorer Countries to Cut Emissions so We Don't Have to
• 2007/08/24: PlanetArk: Climate Fight Must Be Won in Developing Nations - UN
• 2007/08/23: Yahoo: Bush climate meeting must stay within UN fold: official
• 2007/08/22: ABC(Au): Cut emissions where it's cheapest: UN official [Yvo de Boer]
• 2007/08/22: OilChange: Rich Should "Pay Poor to Cut Carbon"
• 2007/08/22: BBC: Rich 'can pay poor to cut carbon'
  Rich nations should be absolved from the need to cut emissions if they pay developing countries to do it on their behalf, a senior UN official has said. The controversial suggestion from Yvo de Boer, head of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), has angered environmental groups. They say climate change will not be solved unless rich and poor nations both cut emissions together. But Mr de Boer said the challenge was so great that action was needed now.

I suppose it is the role of diplomats to be endlessly optimistic, but really:

• 2007/08/26: Yahoo: "Momentum building" for new climate deal: U.N.
• 2007/08/20: DeSmogBlog: UN chief says U.S. is finally listening to urgent call to arms on climate change

  The WCI set some GHG reduction targets this week to much commentary:

• WCI: Western Climate Initiative
• 2007/08/23: TruthOut: West Goes Wild in Battle Over Greenhouse Gas Emissions
• 2007/08/24: TCE: Western States, BC and Manitoba Join In Climate Goal
• 2007/08/23: EnvFin: North America states, provinces announce GHG goal
• 2007/08/24: HuffPo: The Right Climate Target
• 2007/08/23: WarmingLaw: 350 Million Metric Tons
• 2007/08/23: DeSmogBlog: Western States, Provinces Join New Carbon-Cutting Pact
• 2007/08/23: PlanetArk: US, Canadian West Set Joint Carbon-Cutting Target
• 2007/08/23: AfterGutenberg: Western Climate Initiative
• 2007/08/23: SeattlePI: States set target for reducing emissions
• 2007/08/23: SF Gate: West goes wild in battle over greenhouse gas emissions [WRCAI]
• 2007/08/23: USAToday: 6 states set greenhouse gas reduction goal
  Six western states and two Canadian provinces announced a regional goal Wednesday to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 2020. The Western Climate Initiative includes Arizona, California, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah and Washington and the provinces of British Columbia and Manitoba. The group wants emissions cut by 15% over 2005 levels within 13 years
• 2007/08/23: CanWest: Doer pushes green deadline back to 2020
• 2007/08/22: ENN: North American group [WCI: Western Regional Climate Action Initiative] agrees 2020 carbon cut

  And on the American political front:

• 2007/08/23: GristMill: Alternative information - GA state legislature tries to figure out whether climate change is real
• 2007/08/24: WarmingLaw: Will Phoenix Also Rise? Or Maybe Santa Fe? Salt Lake City?
• 2007/08/23: HuffPo: Alternative Information
• 2007/08/23: ClimateP: Introducing Congressman Jay Inslee with an Environmental Victory [court orders admin report]
• 2007/08/22: TruthOut: Priority Changes on Green Policies
  Democrats in Congress turn to lower-profile projects to combat global warming and aim to boost funding 33 percent.
• 2007/08/22: GristMill: Big Oil's biggest toadies - Big Oil's influence on individual members of Congress
• 2007/08/21: DeSmogBlog: Yet another case of Bush administration science suppression
• 2007/08/22: CDreams: Voluntary "Carbon Offsetting" as Strategy for Privatizing America's Public Lands
• 2007/08/21: ABC(Au): Bush changes tack on global warming (sic)
• 2007/08/20: HillHeat: Senator [Harry] Reid (D-Nev) Calls for Global Coal Plant Moratorium
• 2007/08/18: SF Gate: Global warming watchdog invests in oil, coal, utilities
  Investments will be put in a blind trust, chairwoman of Air Resources Board says. The new chair of the California Air Resources Board owns stocks in several oil, coal and utility firms, some of which are likely to be affected by rules the agency implements as part of the state's groundbreaking law to fight global warming...

The courts came down against the Bush administration again this week:

• 2007/08/25: CSpin: Bush Administration ordered to produce climate report
• 2007/08/21: ABC(US): Court Rebukes Bush Administation on Global Warming - Groups Say Administration Suppressed Climate Change Findings
• 2007/08/23: KSJT: AP, SF Chronicle, etc: Federal judge says White House is illegally foot-dragging on global warming reports
• 2007/08/22: MongaBay: Court rebukes Bush Administration on global warming report
• 2007/08/22: TruthOut: Court Rebukes Bush Administration on Global Warming
• 2007/08/22: PhysOrg: U.S. Told to Issue Global Warming Plans
• 2007/08/22: TreeHugger: President Bush Ordered to Release Overdue Global-Warming Plan
• 2007/08/22: Yahoo: Environmentalists win White House suit - Judge orders the Bush administration to issue two scientific reports on global warming...
• 2007/08/22: CDreams: AP: Bush Must Release Global Warming Reports
• 2007/08/22: SF Gate: Administration breaking law by withholding global warming report, judge rules
• 2007/08/21: Yahoo: Judge Orders Bush Administration to Issue Global Warming Report
  The Bush administration violated U.S. law by failing to produce a study on the impact of global warming and must issue a summary by March, a federal judge ruled. District Judge Saundra Armstrong in Oakland, California, said the U.S. government "unlawfully withheld action" required under the Global Change Research Act of 1990 to update a research plan and scientific assessment of climate change.

The Bush administration changed the rules on mountaintop removal this week:

• 2007/08/23: TruthOut: Rule to Expand Mountaintop Coal Mining
• 2007/08/23: IHT: Bush's 'parting gift to the coal industry' - a regulation that would extend the coal mining practice of mountaintop removal

  Meanwhile Detroit continues its relentless campaign to make itself obsolete:

• 2007/08/25: DelawareOnline: Carmakers fight fuel-efficiency bill - Detroit pushes less stringent alternative to Senate measure

  While in the UK:

• 2007/08/24: Stoat: NERC strategy [Natural Environment Research Council]
• 2007/08/23: PlanetArk: Britain Set to Miss Climate Change Targets - Report
• 2007/08/23: OilChange: UK "May Miss 2020 Target for CO2"
• 2007/08/23: BBC: UK 'may fail 2020 target for CO2'
  Further promises by the government to meet greenhouse gas targets look likely to be broken, a think tank has warned. Cambridge Econometrics were one of the first to forecast that the government would miss its target to cut CO2 by 20% for 2010. Ministers rejected the think tank's claims for several years before finally conceding it was correct. The latest report says at the current rate of progress this target will not even be reached by 2020. By then, the government is theoretically striving to cut CO2 by a minimum of 26%.
• 2007/08/21: PlanetArk: No New UK Nuclear Power Likely Before 2020 - Poyry [Energy Consulting]
• 2007/08/20: BBC: Government asks EU for flood cash
  The government has formally applied to the European Commission for money to help deal with the floods crisis which hit parts of England. The government has lodged an application for support under the European Union Solidarity Fund (EUSF) for coping with natural disasters. Flood Recovery Minister John Healey said the total cost of the flood damage was now estimated at £2.7bn. The likely EUSF donation has been put at between £60m and £125m

And in Europe:

• 2007/08/24: ENN: Climate Fight Brings Mega Profits to EU Power Firms
  European power companies are making billions of euros in excess profits in the European Union's battle to beat global warming by cutting emissions of carbon gases, and consumers are paying for it, economists say. The electricity generators are given, free of charge, permits to emit millions of tonnes of carbon dioxide which are currently worth around 20 euros a tonne, but are then charging consumers as if they had been made to pay for the permits. Michael Grubb, Chief Economist at the Carbon Trust and Director of Climate Strategies, calculates that this practice which he says is economically justifiable gives the industry windfall profits of some 20 billion euros ($27.14 billion) a year.
• 2007/08/21: TerraDaily: EU ponders paying Britain up to 145 million euros in flood damage aid
• 2007/08/21: PlanetArk: EU Gives 2 Million Euros to Relieve Sudan Floods

  Specifically in Germany:

• 2007/08/24: DeutscheWelle: German Cabinet Approves Ambitious Climate Plan
  Two years into its term, Germany's governing coalition on Thursday approved a 30-point package intended to improve climate protection and help meet its CO2 reduction goals. Environment Minister Sigmar Gabriel called the package a "quantum leap." He said on Friday morning on German public broadcaster ARD that it would contribute to a 35 to 36 percent reduction in CO2 emissions by the year 2020, compared to 1990. With additional government programs, Germany would reach its goal of 40 percent reduction in emissions by 2020
• 2007/08/25: DeutscheWelle: Germany Trains Floodmasters to Deal With Future Crises
  In August 2002, Germany saw some of the worst floods in its history. From the devastation, a new hope in the form of a university degree course in dealing with floods arose from the murky waters
• 2007/08/24: PlanetArk: Germany Plans Energy Savings Measures
• 2007/08/24: PlanetArk: German Government Backs Measures to Battle Climate Change
• 2007/08/24: PlanetArk: [Leading German gas supplier, E.ON] Ruhrgas Fears German Climate Plan is Unfair to Gas
• 2007/08/23: PlanetArk: German Ministers Agree to Cut CO2 Emissions 36 Percent
  Germany's economy and environment ministers have agreed that Germany should reduce carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions by 36 percent by 2020 compared with the level of emissions in 1990, the environment minister said on Wednesday
• 2007/08/23: ENN: [German Chanellor Angela] Merkel to focus on climate, business in China, Japan

  Meanwhile in Australia:

• 2007/08/25: ABC(Au): Conference looking at climate change and pulp mill
  A conference in Launceston today is examining the issues of climate change, the proposed pulp mill and the loss of agricultural land. The head of the Australian Conservation Foundation, Professor Ian Lowe, addressed delegates this morning on the potential effects and challenges of climate change
• 2007/08/24: SMH: The great desert dream
  Often seen as the most desolate part of the county, Australia's north may yet prove to be an oasis for the drought-stricken agricultural industry
• 2007/08/24: ABC(Au): Forests key to climate change battle
• 2007/08/24: ABC(Au): Labor ad campaign attacks Govt's nuclear agenda
  Federal Labor has launched a series of television advertisements attacking the Howard Government's plan to build more than 25 nuclear power plants across Australia. The campaign begins in Queensland tonight and questions the Federal Government's claims that nuclear energy is a solution to climate change
• 2007/08/24: ABC(Au): White Cliffs solar energy glory recognised
• 2007/08/24: ABC(Au): Attitude to nuclear power will change, PM [Howard] says
• 2007/08/08: CarbonEquity: Climate advocacy and the 2007 election
• 2007/08/21: BYMNews: Australia. Far north Queensland plan to include climate change forecasts
• 2007/08/22: ABC(Au): North [Australia] not immune from climate change: WWF
• 2007/08/21: ABC(Au): Coal miners [CFMEU] try to address climate change
• 2007/08/20: ABC(Au): Differences emerge in Coalition over nuclear power
  Fission is developing in the federal Coalition over the issue of nuclear power, with the Nationals candidate for Richmond and Prime Minister John Howard holding different views on the future of the industry in Australia. Nationals candidate for Richmond, Sue Page, in northern New South Wales, has promised voters that her party will not allow nuclear power stations or waste dumps anywhere in Australia. That is in contrast to Prime Minister John Howard's support for the expansion of Australia's nuclear industry as a possible antidote to climate change

While in Asia:

• 2007/08/23: Yahoo: SKorea sets up greenhouse gas fund
  South Korea said Thursday it has set up a 200-billion-won (212 million dollar) fund to cut greehouse gas emissions blamed for global warming. The fund will finance projects to reduce carbon dioxide emissions such as solar energy and waste heat recovery projects, said Cho Seok, head of the energy and resources policy bureau at the energy ministry
• 2007/08/15: Yahoo: China, India face water risk from biofuel: IWMI
  Present plans by China and India for biofuel production could mean they face water scarcity by 2030, a researcher said. Charlotte de Fraiture, a Colombo-based scientist with the International Water Management Institute (IWMI), said in an interview that she did not "see a lot of potential for biofuel production in either China or India because of the water. "It's not that I'm saying don't go for biofuels. It's just that India and China are two water-short countries."

And in China:

• 2007/08/26: TreeHugger: China: Choking on Growth
• 2007/08/23: PlanetArk: Coal Dependency Seen Braking China's Climate Drive
  China will have trouble cutting its dependence on coal despite growing pressures to fight global warming, a leading Chinese official [Yue Ruisheng, a deputy director general at China's State Environmental Protection Administration] told an international panel of experts on Wednesday on an Arctic island
• 2007/08/20: Yahoo: Young Chinese worried about global warming, but want cars

  And in Canada, the minority Conservatives are struggling to do nothing:

• 2007/08/26: TStar: Credibility essential for climate program
• 2007/08/23: Globe&Mail: Ignoring Kyoto law could bring down Conservatives, opposition warns
• 2007/08/23: TCE: Opposition Could End Government Over Kyoto
• 2007/08/24: TStar: Dion challenges PM on clean air - Urges Conservatives to revive climate change legislation before ending parliamentary session
• 2007/08/24: CanWest: Poor climate for MP's laws [Cons & Kyoto law]
• 2007/08/23: PlanetArk: Canada Report Defends Saying No To Kyoto Target
• 2007/08/23: Globe&Mail: Ignoring Kyoto law could bring down Tories, opposition warns
• 2007/08/23: CanWest: Kyoto plan for the birds, Tories say - Conservative Report Appears To Ignore New Law
• 2007/08/22: CTV: Feds thumb nose at opposition's Kyoto bill
  The Conservative government has thumbed its nose at the opposition's legislative attempts to force compliance with the Kyoto Protocol, simply republishing its own greenhouse-gas reduction plan as an official response. The reaction is likely to spur a fresh political and even legal battle over what the government is required to do.
• 2007/08/22: CanWest: Analysis questions Baird's Kyoto warnings - Statistics on economic impact 'made to order,' critic says

  While the tricky question of the tar sands looms:

• 2007/08/25: RigZone: Alberta Oil, Gas Land Sales Revenues Slump [60%] in 2007
• 2007/08/20: CanWest: Fight over oilsands will shake Canada - Former Alberta premier's warning foreshadows coming constitutional fracas

  And other issues percolate:

• 2007/08/24: GeorgiaStraight: A methane battle is brewing
• 2007/08/20: ChrisTindal: What They Knew Could Hurt Them - The line from the Conservatives is...
• 2007/08/21: Globe&Mail: The green rebate debacle

  The movement toward a long term ecologically viable economics is glacial:

• 2007/08/16: RepublicEastVan: There is sufficient money for global warming
  Governments last week raised half a trillion dollars to head off a threat to bonuses for speculators
• 2007/08/20: ClimateP: RFF Must Read: The Stern Report Got It Right

  Apocalypso anyone? or Utopiate?:

• 2007/08/22: EarthMeanders: The Depauperate World of 2049 - And what an equitable, just and ecologically sustainable society will look like

  As for how the media handles the science of climatology:

• 2007/08/24: GristMill: You call this wonkery? New article fails to shed light on state renewable portfolio standards
• 2007/08/23: Deltoid: Another meltdown at the Australian
• 2007/08/22: CSpin: Newsweek editor's pre-apology

  The cynic in me wants to say the big boys are taking control:

• 2007/08/25: CTB: Media Buy-outs Going Green

  Here is something for your library:

• 2007/08/22: EnergyBulletin: Immunize yourself against future hype [Book Plug] _Future Hype -- The Myths of Technology Change_ by Bob Seidensticker

  And for your film & video enjoyment:

• 2007/08/24: CDreams: HuffPo: The 11th Hour: Something To Talk About
• 2007/08/21: CDreams: The 11th Hour: The Climate Is Changing?
• 2007/08/20: HuffPo: The 11th Hour: The Climate Is Changing...

  Meanwhile in the 'Sue the Bastards!' contingent:

• 2007/08/22: WarmingLaw: California v. San Bernardino Co. Lawsuit Settled
• 2007/08/22: LA Times: Court rules governments can require greener vehicles in fleets
  Manufacturers fear ruling on Southern California regulations could lead other cities and states to demand costly alternative technologies.
• 2007/08/22: LA Times: State reaches settlement on gas emissions
  Officials agree to measure how much the [San Bernardino County] region contributes to global warming and set goals to cut greenhouse gas.
• 2007/08/21: WarmingLaw: San Bernardino [Vs. the State of California] suit may settle today
• 2007/08/21: WarmingLaw: Court OKs State and Local Purchases of Clean Cars

  Brian is having fun trying to scare up a bet:

• 2007/08/21: BSD: An open letter to Fred Thompson
• 2007/08/19: BSD: Hoping to bet Rush Limbaugh

  Wrestling over a new energy infrastructure continues unabated:

• 2007/08/26: SciDaily: Hydrogen Economy? Organic Polymer Stores Hydrogen Safely
• 2007/08/22: FuturePundit: Future Old Car Batteries To Power Houses?
• 2007/08/25: TreeHugger: California Developers Making Solar Roofing A Standard Item
• 2007/08/23: CNN: Biography: Gerhard Knies
  Gerhard Knies is the co-founder and coordinator of TREC [Trans-Mediterranean Renewable Energy Cooperation] TREC promotes renewable energy in Europe, the Middle East and North Africa - Knies sees solar power as a source of income for poorer countries When he retired from his research into particle physics in 2001, Knies was concerned that the planet's impending energy crisis was not being solved. "I think it is insane to organize collective suicide and to participate in that," he told CNN. "The fossil fuel system and our economy are doing that right now. We cannot survive in this way."
• 2007/08/23: Forbes: Energy Sources Of The Future
• 2007/08/24: ClimateP: Make your own wind and solar power systems
• 2007/08/24: NEN: Solar: Getting bigger, more affordable everyday
• 2007/08/23: EnvFin: [Danish wind turbine giant] Vestas [Wind Systems] rides favourable wind to 1 billion euros sales
• 2007/08/23: Eureka: 'Thin-layer' solar cells may bring cheaper 'green' power
• 2007/08/23: TerraDaily: Pellets Of Power [solid ammonia borane] Designed To Deliver Hydrogen To Future Cars
• 2007/08/22: PlanetArk: Construction Begins on Uganda's $799 Million Hydro Dam
• 2007/08/22: Eureka: Carnegie Mellon researchers look at fossil fuel impacts - Urge US officials to consider alternatives
• 2007/08/21: GristMill: Pricey oil, more carbon
• 2007/08/21: NEN: Green Cowboy
  "The folks who sell oil, coal, and nuclear reactors spend tremendous amounts of money convincing the American people that what they sell is economical, safe, and clean. They contribute huge sums of money to the politicians who repeat their propaganda. How often have you heard phrases such as 'clean coal,' 'safe nuclear power,' 'clean diesel,' or 'low-level radioactive waste'? These phrases are images invented by highly paid, highly skilled advertising firms. But these claims are lies. There are even ads on TV and in the newspapers featuring pristine landscapes and young, freshly scrubbed spokespeople advertising coal as a clean energy resource. This is ridiculous. Coal is inherently filthier than dirt itself. The current energy industry has quite masterfully succeeded in lulling many Americans to sleep on the dangers of the poisons they sell while portraying renewables as a distant dream." -S. David Freeman, author and star of "Who Killed The Electric Car?"
• 2007/08/20: GristMill: Regular oil cleaner than ethanol
• 2007/08/20: TreeHugger: Greening The Heartland: Wind Energy On Show At The Iowa State Fair
• 2007/08/20: Eureka: Silicon nanoparticles enhance performance of solar cells
• 2007/08/20: Eureka: Working toward new energy with electrochemistry
• 2007/08/20: Eureka: Coal and black liquor can produce energy from papermaking
• 2007/08/20: Eureka: Coal-based fuels and products hit the refinery

  Another major article from The Oil Drum:

• 2007/08/24: OilDrum: Energy Grades and Historic Economic Growth by Douglas Reynolds

  The arithmetic of coal carbon is striking home:

• 2007/08/26: WaPo: Coal - What It Costs Us
• 2007/08/25: GristMill: Killing coal: A live option - Why does everyone assume that coal mining in Appalachia must continue?
• 2007/08/24: HuffPo: Blood Coal, Not "Clean Coal"
• 2007/08/20: GristMill: Everything you need to know about liquid coal
• 2007/08/20: HuffPo: Coal Myths

  Biofuel bickering abounds:

• 2007/08/23: AfterGutenberg: Black Liquor to dimethyl ether
• 2007/08/20: LA Times: Drunk on ethanol - Basing energy policy on corn could fuel a potential disaster.
• 2007/08/21: GristMill: Big Ethanol
• 2007/08/21: EnvEcon: Ethanol dominoes keep falling

  Nuclear controversies keep piling up:

• 2007/08/23: ENewsCourier: Heat still hinders nuclear plant
• 2007/08/22: TruthOut: Tennessee Nuclear Fuel Problems Kept Secret
• 2007/08/22: BostonGlobe: Yankee plant closed but its waste remains
  With the site of one of the country's first nuclear power plants finally considered safe for public use, all that remains of the reactor that stood for 47 years in the woodsy town of Rowe is its radioactive waste. The federal government announced this month that the Yankee Rowe site had been officially decommissioned. But 266,000 pounds of spent fuel is still sitting on about 3 acres of land, sealed in protective barriers in the Western Massachusetts town teetering on the Vermont border.
• 2007/08/21: AP: Tenn. Nuclear Fuel Problems Kept Secret
  A three-year veil of secrecy in the name of national security was used to keep the public in the dark about the handling of highly enriched uranium at a nuclear fuel processing plant - including a leak that could have caused a deadly, uncontrolled nuclear reaction. The leak turned out to be one of nine violations or test failures since 2005 at privately owned Nuclear Fuel Services Inc., a longtime supplier of fuel to the U.S. Navy's nuclear fleet. The public was never told about the problems when they happened. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission revealed them for the first time last month when it released an order demanding improvements at the company, but no fine.
• 2007/08/20: SandersResearch: Desperately seeking uranium
• 2007/08/20: GristMill: A hot time in the old town tonight
• 2007/08/20: MTobis: Nasty feedback loop
• 2007/08/23: TerraDaily: Japan set for emergency plan to meet power demand [due to the suspension of a giant nuclear plant following an earthquake]

  Yes we have a peak oil sighting:

• 2007/08/26: SF Gate: After oil supplies dry up, what's Plan B? Extreme scarcity could be disastrous for U.S. economy
• 2007/08/25: SLTrib: The end of oil is not a possibility but a certainty
• 2007/08/20: GristMill: How bad is peak oil, really?

  And then there is the matter of efficiency & conservation:

• 2007/08/24: CSM: As an energy-saver, the clothesline makes a comeback - A 'Right to Dry' movement is growing, with some states introducing legislation to override clothesline bans
• 2007/08/23: GristMill: NYT columnists drinking the efficiency Kool-Aid - And it's goood...

  Automakers & lawyers, engineers & activists argue over the future of the car:

• 2007/08/25: AfterGutenberg: Waiting for Godot to arrive in a Chevy Volt
• 2007/08/21: ENN: Global Electric Motorcars, A Chrysler Company, Wins California Eco Award

  Meanwhile in the "every problem is an opportunity in disguise" crowd:

• 2007/08/21: ClimateP: Dole goes bananas for offsets
• 2007/08/20: GristMill: We like pina coladas (and getting caught in the rain)
• 2007/08/21: ABC(Au): Eco-millionaires see boom times ahead
• 2007/08/13: Ceres: Investors Achieve Record Results in 2007 in Spurring Corporate Action on Climate Change
• 2007/08/19: Yahoo: Eco-millionaires see boom times ahead
• 2007/08/19: AfterGutenberg: Profitable Business-Led Climate Solutions

  The carbon lobby are up to the usual:

• 2007/08/26: ClimateP: Is Climate Progress "low carbon" and does it matter?
• 2007/08/24: DeSmogBlog: Fox News continues spreading misinformation on climate change
• 2007/08/23: GristMill: Risk mismanagement - Bjorn Lomborg's new book misunderstands risk and investment
• 2007/08/23: CCM: Rightwingers Need to Stop Claiming Me as an Ally
• 2007/08/23: DeSmogBlog: The Grand Canyon State has a Grand Denier Congressman [John Shadegg (R-Az)]
• 2007/08/23: CSM: Change in hottest year fuels global warming skeptics [GISS]
• 2007/08/22: ERabett: Cool station of the day
• 2007/08/22: MTobis: They Have One Point
• 2007/08/22: TreeHugger: Global Warming: Still Happening
• 2007/08/22: DeSmogBlog: Utah's "Sutherland Institute" joins the Heartland misinformation campaign
• 2007/08/22: DeSmogBlog: Random Sampling - Part 2 of "Ew, I just stepped in a Heartland study!"
• 2007/08/20: CSpin: The deniers screamed and nobody listened
• 2007/08/20: MTobis: How Do They Sleep?
• 2007/08/21: Deltoid: The Australian's War on Science IX
• 2007/08/21: BCLSB: Will The Real Climate Change Denier Please Adjust His Toupe?
• 2007/08/21: DeSmogBlog: Schwartz study leaves James Inhofe utterly breathless
• 2007/08/20: DeSmogBlog: Come on, why let mere facts ruin your day?
• 2007/08/20: Atmoz: Royal Society Combats Climate Change Controversies [8 myths refuted]
• 2007/08/20: Atmoz: Audit the Auditor
• 2007/08/20: MTobis: Delusionist Arguments Ranked
• 2007/08/19: Deltoid: This week in Global Warming Denial
• 2007/08/20: DeSmogBlog: Hansen on Usufruct and Deniers
• 2007/08/20: DeSmogBlog: Hey Newsbusters, show us your science

  Because it sounds silly at first, the deniers love this kind of story:

• 2007/08/22: GristMill: Moose Tracks
• 2007/08/22: TreeHugger: Bullwinkle and Climate Change

  Then there was the usual news and commentary:

• 2007/08/26: FergusB: "Doing my bit" for the climate; why bother?
• 2007/08/24: MTobis: The Missing Feedback
• 2007/08/24: GristMill: The right target - How much should we aim to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions?
• 2007/08/24: TCE: Think CO2 is "Just Plant Food"? Think again.
• 2007/08/09: EarthMeanders: If Climate Change and Global Ecology Are Really So Bad, Where Is the Urgency?
• 2007/08/23: Oikos: Can markets predict global warming?
• 2007/08/24: CCurrents: A Climate Change Wiki
• 2007/08/23: SciBlogging: Urgency and Global Warming: An Interview with Martin I. Hoffert
• 2007/08/23: Stoat: Projection / Prediction
• 2007/08/23: FergusB: Oop North
• 2007/08/22: C411: Beyond Climate: Carbon and Cows
• 2007/08/21: ClimateP: Climate Progress and John Stossel meet again
• 2007/08/21: GristMill: Brit's Eye View: Are we too obsessed with climate change?
• 2007/08/21: Stoat: Runaway tipping elements of no return
• 2007/08/17: ESMG: Tipping points in the Earth system
• 2007/08/21: C411: Baking in Bakersfield: How much heat can we stand?
• 2007/08/19: BostonGlobe: US castoffs resuming dirty career - Old plants, buses are sold to poorer nations
• 2007/07/: PopSci: Konrad Steffen -- The Global Warming Prophet
• 2007/08/20: GristMill: Roberts First Law of Sustainability Politics [Sustainability is a choice]
• 2007/08/20: FergusB: Sea level, the GIS, tipping points and scepticism?
• 2007/06/06: ChrisTindal: Steal These Ideas
• 2007/08/23: NewScientist: Saltier North Atlantic should give currents a boost
• 2007/08/23: RealClimate: Who ya gonna call?
• 2007/08/20: DeSmogBlog: Alpine Glacier Hanging In -- Barely!
• 2007/08/21: Guardian(UK): Insurer Hiscox stays cool as hurricanes wreak havoc

  And here are a couple of sites you may find interesting and/or useful:

• UNL: U.S. Drought Monitor
• EarthMeanders
• Carbon Equity: carbon rationing and personal carbon allowances Australia
• CPD: Climate of the Past - Papers in Open Discussion [note change of address]
• WCI: Western Climate Initiative
• Aquafornia - The Southern California water blog!
• Wiki: Hurricane Dean
• Yahoo: Climate Change
• Wiki: Wexelblat disaster
• GreenPeace - Australia
• DNN: Disaster News Network
• Millennium Ecosystem Assessment
• World Radiation Centre
• NGDC.NOAA: Solar Irradiance Data
• Exxpose Exxon
• SciAmP: SciAm Perspectives

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Low Key Plug

My first novel Water was published May, 2007. An Introductionto the novel is available, along with the Unpublished Forewordand the Launch Talk. An overview of my writing is available here.

<regards>
-het

PS. You can access the previous postings of this series here

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"When you talk about thousands of miles of streams being polluted, well, burying the streams is a very extreme form of pollution." -Vernon Haltom, referring to mountaintop removal coal mining

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