Massive Coral Mortality Following Bleaching in Indonesia
The Wildlife Conservation Society has released initial field observations that indicate that a dramatic rise in the surface temperature in Indonesian waters has resulted in a large-scale bleaching event that has devastated coral populations.
WCS’s Indonesia Program “Rapid Response Unit” of marine biologists was dispatched to investigate coral bleaching reported in May in Aceh — a province of Indonesia located on the northern tip of the island of Sumatra. The initial survey carried out by the team revealed that over 60 percent of corals were bleached.
“Bleaching” — a whitening of corals that occurs when algae living within coral tissues are expelled — is an indication of stress caused by environmental triggers such as sea surface temperature fluctuations. Depending on many factors, bleached coral may recover over time or die.
Subsequent monitoring conducted by marine ecologists from WCS, James Cook University (Australia), and Syiah Kuala University (Indonesia) were completed in early August and revealed one of the most rapid and severe coral mortality events ever recorded. The scientists found that 80 percent of some species have died since the initial assessment and more colonies are expected to die within the next few months.
The event is the result of a rise in sea surface temperatures in the Andaman Sea — an area that includes the coasts of Myanmar, Thailand, the Andaman and Nicobar Island, and northwestern Indonesia. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Coral Hotspots website, temperatures in the region peaked in late May of 2010, when the temperature reached 34 degrees Celsius — 4 degrees Celsius higher than long term averages for the area….
Similar mass bleaching events in 2010 have now been recorded in Sri Lanka, Thailand, Malaysia and many parts of Indonesia.
“If a similar degree of mortality is apparent at other sites in the Andaman Sea this will be the worst bleaching event ever recorded in the region,” according to Dr. Andrew Baird of the ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies at JCU. “The destruction of these upstream reefs means recovery is likely to take much longer than before.”
“This is a tragedy not only for some of the world’s most biodiverse coral reefs, but also for people in the region, many of whom are extremely impoverished and depend on these reefs for their food and livelihoods,” said WCS Marine Program Director Dr. Caleb McClennen. “Immediate and intensive management will be required to try and help these reefs, their fisheries and the entire ecosystem recover and adapt. However, coral reefs cannot be protected from the warming ocean temperatures brought on by a changing climate by local actions alone. This is another unfortunate reminder that international efforts to curb the causes and effects of climate change must be made if these sensitive ecosystems and the vulnerable human communities around the world that depend on them are to adapt and endure.”
Photo credit: iStockphoto/Lee Chin Yong
EIA: U.S. Energy-Related Carbon Dioxide Emissions to Increase 3.4% in 2010
Carbon dioxide emissions from the burning of fossil fuels are projected to increase by 3.4% in 2010 over the previous year, according to a new report by DOE’s Energy Information Administration (EIA). The EIA’s “Short-Term Energy Outlook” (STEO), released on August 10, projects carbon dioxide emissions from burning coal to increase by 6% due to increased use of coal at electric power plants. Carbon dioxide emissions from burning natural gas are projected to increase by 3.9%, due to greater use of natural gas in the industrial and electric power sectors, while emissions from using petroleum are expected to increase by only about 1%. The STEO projects relatively low growth in all three fuels in 2011, leading to a projected growth in energy-related carbon dioxide emissions of 0.8%. Energy-related carbon dioxide emissions are the biggest contributor to U.S. greenhouse gas emissions and are generally a good indicator of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions trends.
Projecting the growth in energy-related carbon dioxide emission is a relatively recent addition to the STEO, which is release monthly. So far this year, the projections have varied widely. For 2010, the January STEO projected a 1.5% increase. That increased to 2.1% in April, dropped to 0.6% in May, bounced back to 2.9% in June, and has trended upward since. Meanwhile, the projected emissions growth for 2011 ranged from a high of 1.7% in the January STEO to a low of 0.8% in this month’s report. See the STEO, the accompanying chart of projected energy-related carbon dioxide emissions, and the STEO archive.
Global Clean Energy Investment Steady in Q2: Report
New investment in clean energy technologies, companies, and projects was steady in the second quarter (Q2) of 2010, according to a Bloomberg New Energy Finance report. The analysis, released on July 13, show that $33.9 billion flowed into clean energy, led by a “continuing boom” in China and some upward movement from the United States that helped offset a drop in European projects. Overall, Q2 investment fell 1.5% from the first quarter of the year, according to the report.
Asset financing provided the lion’s share””$28.9 billion of the $33.9 billion invested in Q2″”with China getting $11.5 billion in new asset financing during the quarter. Asset financing in the United States rose from $3.5 billion in the first quarter to $4.9 billion in Q2. And while public stock exchanges did not deliver the results some companies sought, Bloomberg said, Tesla Motors’ initial public offering (IPO) in June was an exception. Tesla reported that it priced its IPO on June 28 and closed the offering on July 2, raising approximately $184 million, net of commissions and expenses. Overall, Bloomberg New Energy Finance forecasted 2010 total new clean energy investment at $180-$200 billion. See the Bloomberg New Energy Finance press release and the Tesla press release….
China appears to be continuing its massive build-out of new clean energy capacity. The country, which installed 14,000MW of new wind last year, saw $11.5bn in new asset financing in Q2 2010. That represented a 9.6% rise over the prior quarter and a 72.1% jump from Q2 2009. U.S. asset financing also rose to $4.9bn, from $3.5bn in the prior quarter and from $4.3bn in Q2 2009.
‘Straddling Bus’ Offered as a Traffic Fix in China
HONG KONG “” What do you do if your roads are congested and polluted? Try designing a vehicle that takes up no road space. And make it partly solar powered.
A company in the southern Chinese town of Shenzhen has done just that. To address the country’s problems with traffic and air quality, Shenzhen Huashi Future Parking Equipment has developed a decidedly odd-looking, extra-wide and extra-tall vehicle that can carry up to 1,200 passengers.
Though it is called the “straddling bus,” Huashi’s invention resembles a train in many respects “” but it requires neither elevated tracks nor extensive tunneling. Its passenger compartment spans the width of two traffic lanes and sits high above the road surface, on a pair of fencelike stilts that leave the road clear for ordinary cars to pass underneath. It runs along a fixed route.
Huashi Future Parking’s outsize invention “” six meters, or about 20 feet, wide “” is to be powered by a combination of municipal electricity and solar power derived from panels mounted on the roofs of the vehicles and at bus stops.
Global warming: World’s highest island glacier vanishing
The glacier on Puncak Jaya in Papua, Indonesia, the Earth’s highest island, is quickly melting away, giving geologists little time to extract ice core samples.
Ice cores extracted in June from one of the last tropical glaciers in the Pacific recently arrived in the United States, where researchers will spend the coming months scrutinizing their every detail.
Glaciologists spent two grueling weeks drilling for the ice cores atop Puncak Jaya in Papua, Indonesia. Puncak Jaya is the Earth’s highest island peak and the tallest mountain between the Andes and the Himalayas at 16,000 feet (4,884 meters).
Reach team member Dwi Susanto of Columbia University said the excursion was “a lifetime achievement for me, as I usually work at sea level.”
The mission may have been a once-in-a-lifetime mission for another reason: The Puncak Jaya glacier is disappearing “” fast. The glaciologists who drilled through the cap, led by Lonnie Thompson of Ohio State University, said the ice field could vanish within the next few years.
These invaluable ice cores are like climate time capsules buried thousands of years ago that show successive layers of ice and snow that have been laid down on glaciers. They enclose tiny bubbles that contain samples of the atmosphere trapped when each layer of ice first formed. By unlocking their secrets, scientists will reveal how the climate has changed over thousands of years.
Australia strategy for Zero Emissions by 2020
The Zero Carbon Australia Stationary Energy Plan, a report released by the non-profit group Beyond Zero Emissions in conjunction with the University of Melbourne’s Energy Institute, provides a detailed roadmap to power Australia’s with 100-percent renewable-energy by 2020.
The research was published in July by the University of Melbourne and argues that a renewable energy mix of wind energy and solar power backed up by biomass and hydroelectric power can easily replace Australia’s fossil fuel-based electricity. One of the main tenants of the research shoots down the theory that climate change cannot happen quickly. Promoters of Zero Carbon Australia have called for the Australian government to take a more aggressive approach to climate policy.
Matthew Wright, executive director of Beyond Zero Emissions, was quoted in a June press release, saying, “Australia needs a nation-building climate change project with the scale and vision of a Snowy Mountains Scheme for the 21st century. This approach can win the hearts and minds of Australians and put us on track to restore a safe climate.”
Solar Powered Toothbrush Eliminates Need For Toothpaste
Solar gadgets are everywhere nowadays, but this might be the first time we’ve ever seen a solar powered toothbrush. And the best part? It doesn’t need any toothpaste.
Developed by Dr. Kunio Komiyama at the University of Saskatchewan and manufactured by Japan’s Shiken, the toothbrush is currently in a testing phase. The creators are searching for 120 teens to try out the paste-less brush in order to see if it can do a better job than traditional toothbrushes.
Dubbed the Soladey-J3X, the toothbrush features a solar panel at its base, which sends electrons up to the top via a led wire. These electrons then cause a reaction with chemicals in the mouth that clears away plaque, eliminating the need for any pesky toothpaste. “You see complete destruction of bacterial cells,” Komiyama told Canada.com. The device won’t work in the dark, however, and needs about as much light to work as a solar powered calculator.
The Country’s First Community-Owned Solar Garden
The country’s first community-owned solar installation began delivering clean, renewable electricity to the grid in El Jebel, Colorado. The 340-panel solar installation is unique because it is owned by an array of local residents rather than any single person, utility, developer or corporation. The El Jebel “solar garden” represents a budding trend, pioneered in Colorado, toward community solar power. The benefits are many, including lower costs and the distribution of clean electricity from the sun.
Better yet, the El Jebel facility is built on otherwise unusable land in the Roaring Fork Valley. It will produce 77.7 kilowatts of solar power at peak. Year-round and seasonal residents of the valley purchased individual portions of the array, which was developed by Clean Energy Collective and grid-connected in partnership with local electric cooperative Holy Cross Energy. Holy Cross collects the power produced by the solar garden and then directly credits owners’ utility bill each month at a rate of $0.11/kWh, with some owners paying as little as $725 per panel, or $3.15/kW, up front.
“It’s great to get local renewable energy off the ground,” said Del Worley, CEO of Holy Cross Energy. The utility has plans to meet 20 percent of its power through renewable resources by 2015 “” a goal more than twice as aggressive as statewide mandates for utility cooperatives in Colorado.
Previous in TP Climate Progress
Language Intelligence: Lessons on persuasion from Jesus, Shakespeare, Lincoln, and Lady Gaga
Lively Debate re Geoengineering as “Futurological Greenwashing” http://ieet.org/index.php/IEET/more/debate20100813
The solar toothbrush without toothpaste sounds awesome.
Information on “unsafe” toothpastes
You may have heard in the news media about certain “unsafe toothpaste” out in the marketplace.
It has been on various TV shows and in certain newspapers. Specific chemicals in the toothpaste have been named as dangerous.
One such chemical is diethylene glycol (DEB), an ingredient used in antifreeze. Some toothpastes coming in from certain countries are more likely to contain this chemical. http://www.hattiesburgamerican.com/article/20100818/LIFESTYLE/8180301
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FbBnoTMfYvs
Made in America:
High Def video of the president at ZBB Energy Corp. lithium battery manufacturer mentioned in previous “Energy and Global Warming News August 17, 2010.
“Investing in Clean Energy Manufacturing”
President talks about the importance of supporting and investing in clean energy manufacturing technologies as he visits the ZBB Energy Corporation’s manufacturing facilities in Menonomee Falls, WI. August 16, 2010.
Solar garden sounds like a great idea.
‘Geoengineering the world’ says we have lost the War on CO2.
“Futurological Greenwashing” … what a great term!
Sorta says it all.
Biochar 10.10.10 Campaign http://www.biochar-international.org/10.10.10campaign
Severe weather threatens world food supply
Extreme weather conditions across the globe are destroying crops, cattle and land, as nations struggle through things like droughts, floods and other natural phenomena. http://www.naturalnews.com/029505_climate_change_food_supply.html
San Francisco’s free ‘organic biosolids compost’ filled with toxic chemicals
The Food Rights Network (FRN), a nonprofit research group, recently issued a press release explaining the test results from a study of San Francisco’s free “organic biosolids compost”.These independent tests revealed that the free soil, given to the public by San Francisco’s Public Utilities Commission, is loaded with endocrine-disruptive chemicals.
Scientists found “appreciable concentrations” of polybrominated diphenyl ether (PBDE) flame retardants, triclosan, an antibacterial agent, nonylphenol detergent breakdown components, and other things in the compost.
According to the commission, the compost is derived from sewage sludge and given out to the public for use in home gardens and at schools. http://www.naturalnews.com/029504_organic_biosolids_toxic.html
Not everyone who writes or speaks about geoengineering has the same perspective, even those of us who approach it from a “futurological” point of view. But as geoengineering has moved from fringe fantasy (“space mirrors”) to sober consideration, one thing has become abundantly clear:
Geophysics doesn’t care about politics.
Climate systems are slow-change systems; we could stop putting any carbon into the atmosphere right this very second, globally and totally, and still see another 20-50 years of warming due to the carbon that’s already there, and the thermal inertia of heat accumulated in the oceans. That translates into at least another 1° C of warming guaranteed, and potentially another 3° C. And 3° C translates into catastrophe. http://www.openthefuture.com/2010/08/a_response_to_dale.html
The most destructive energy project on earth http://www.rethinkalberta.com/main.php
UN calls for urgent probe into weather shifts
UN officials have called on climate scientists to urgently look into changes in atmospheric currents linked to devastating floods in Pakistan and wildfires in Russia.
Ghassem Asrar, director of the World Climate Research Programme, said changes, known as blocking episodes, can prevent humidity or hot weather dispersing.
That intensified heavy rain or heatwaves and locked them over an area, he explained, potentially with a growing impact on extreme weather events that scientists expect to happen more frequently with global warming. http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2010/08/19/2986993.htm
Are there graphs showing the global extent of coral reefs over time like the ones for sea ice extent? It could be an effective visual aid. Some bleaching events are normal and reefs can grow back over time. But it seems to me there has been a general decline but that is just based on anecdotal evidence and one has to be careful about “confirmation bias.” Does anyone know of any general longer term survey articles?
The role of coral reefs in the carbon cycle would be interesting to know more about. I would guess reef loss would increase the rate of acidification and decrease the rate oceans absorb CO2 from the atmosphere. But I do not know if the numbers are significant.
Pakistan — a Sad New Benchmark in Climate-Related Disasters
UNITED NATIONS — Devastating flooding that has swamped one-fifth of Pakistan and left millions homeless is likely the worst natural disaster to date attributable to climate change, U.N. officials and climatologists are now openly saying. http://www.nytimes.com/cwire/2010/08/18/18climatewire-pakistan—-a-sad-new-benchmark-in-climate-re-4283.html
Ready or not, climate change, and climate displacement, is happening
What is clear is that the United States will be making a mistake of tremendous proportions if it waits for scientific certainty with respect to climate change before developing a coherent response. Rather, the important message we must take from these catastrophes is that climate change will likely place increasing pressure on a humanitarian system that is already stressed and woefully underfunded. http://thehill.com/blogs/congress-blog/energy-a-environment/114817-ready-or-not-climate-change-and-climate-displacement-is-happening
It will be interesting to see whether Spencer and Christy release a version 3 of their Channel 5 readings. It’s again showing temperatures well into record-breaking territory. Channel 4 is really spiking too.
http://discover.itsc.uah.edu/amsutemps/
Sea Murkiness Affects Hurricanes? When ‘Basic Research’ Pays Unexpected Dividends http://news.sciencemag.org/scienceinsider/2010/08/sea-murkiness-affects-hurricanes.html
New computer model advances climate change research
BOULDER–Scientists can now study climate change in far more detail with powerful new computer software released by the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR).
Scientists and engineers at NCAR, DOE laboratories, and several universities developed the CESM.
The new model’s advanced capabilities will help scientists shed light on some of the critical mysteries of global warming, including:
* What impact will warming temperatures have on the massive ice sheets in Greenland and Antarctica?
* How will patterns in the ocean and atmosphere affect regional climate in coming decades?
* How will climate change influence the severity and frequency of tropical cyclones, including hurricanes?
* What are the effects of tiny airborne particles, known as aerosols, on clouds and temperatures? http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2010-08/ncfa-ncm081810.php
Scientists establish first frozen repository of Hawaiian coral http://smithsonianscience.org/2010/08/first-frozen-repository-of-hawaiian-coral-established-by-scientists-at-the-smithsonian-and-univeristy-of-hawaii/
Yes let’s freeze everything!
AP Enterprise: Old-Style Coal Plants Expanding
Utilities across the country are building dozens of old-style coal plants that will cement the industry’s standing as the largest industrial source of climate-changing gases for years to come.
An Associated Press examination of U.S. Department of Energy records and information provided by utilities and trade groups shows that more than 30 traditional coal plants have been built since 2008 or are under construction. http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=129247678
Seriously …
The UAH channel 5 data (the one used for their official dataset) is now way above the previous all time record and still pointing Straight Up. This despite the onset of the La Nina.
[JR: Yes, but Christy e-mail me (and I reposted) that "Please be aware that the values displayed have not been completely calibrated for the entire period (this has to do with some matching between the two different channel weighting functions through the annual cycle that is done in our normal processing at the end of the month but which is not done on the day-to-day chart you show.) Improving the daily chart is work that is on-going." RSS data must now be considered more reliable month-to-month than UAH.]
#19 “The reason coal burns in this country is not because anyone likes the smog. It’s the cost,” said Daniel Scott, a coal industry analyst”
Puzzling out the subsidies to the coal business is as unnerving as edging through a dark mineshaft swarming with Velcro-winged bats. This is because a big chunk of the subsidies are not direct handouts, but packaged as tax credits, tax breaks, and other goodies too numerous to itemize here. The U.S. coal industry enjoyed subsidies of around $17 billion between 2002 and 2008, including tax credits for production of “nonconventional” fuels ($14.1 billion), tax breaks on coal royalties ($986 million), exploration, and development breaks ($342 million), according to a study by the Environmental Law Institute. http://sierraclub.typepad.com/mrgreen/2010/03/does-the-coal-industry-get-subsidies.html
Suntech, Chinese solar panel manufacturer, expects to deliver 1.5 GW (quite a power plant!) in 2010; a growth of 113% over last year: http://bit.ly/Sunt15
Anti-Climate Change Extremism in Utah
The Monckton Files: Just Biding His Time…
Ah, poor Lord Monckton. Given that he has influenced members of the U.S. Congress, among others, about climate change, scientists are now deciding not to just brush him off as a crackpot. Now we’re going into great detail to prove that he’s a crackpot. So of course, our favorite plucky Viscount is fighting back… by failing to adequately address the scientific criticisms of his claims and crying, “Personal attacks!!!” http://bbickmore.wordpress.com/2010/08/18/the-monckton-files-just-biding-his-time/
BP BP: An Indiana Refinery Product Pipeline Shut To Find Leak
-BP PlC (BP,BP.LN) shut a pipeline that sends finished products from its Whiting, Indiana, refinery to two Illinois terminals to find the source of a leak, a company spokesman said Wednesday.
The White Oak pipeline sends finished fuels from the 405,000-barrel-a-day Whiting refinery south through Hammond, Indiana, and over to terminals in Chicago and Manhattan, both in Illinois.
Residents in Hammond complained of gasoline odor in sewers near the White Oak pipeline over the weekend http://online.wsj.com/article/BT-CO-20100818-709488.html
Don’t ban offshore drilling, senate report says http://www.nationalpost.com/offshore+drilling+Senate+report+says/3413661/story.html
The Ministry of Oil Defense
The issue he raised is central to figuring out what we truly pay for a gallon of gas. The BP spill in the Gulf of Mexico has reminded Americans that the price at the pump is only a down payment; an honest calculation must include the contamination of our waters, land, and air. Yet the calculation remains incomplete if we don’t consider other factors too, especially what might be the largest externalized cost of all: the military one. To what extent is oil linked to the wars we fight and the more than half-trillion dollars we spend on our military every year? We are in an era of massive deficits, so it pays to know what we are paying for and how much it costs.
The debate often hovers at a sandbox level of did-so/did-not. Donald Rumsfeld, the former defense secretary, insisted the invasion of Iraq had “nothing to do with oil.” But even Alan Greenspan, the former Federal Reserve chairman, rejected that line. “It is politically inconvenient to acknowledge what everyone knows,” Greenspan wrote in his memoir. “The Iraq war is largely about oil.” http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2010/08/05/the_ministry_of_oil_defense
We had an extraordinary event in northern Pakistan, where ten times the normal annual rainfall for one of those areas fell in four days. This is unprecedented. And, of course, you see the similar sorts of things happening in Africa, in Asia, in Central America. The farmers no longer know when to plant, because the rains don’t come at the time they used to come. All these are the kind of effects of climate change that we’ve feared and are beginning to come to pass, I’m afraid. – John Holmes, UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator
Just to give you a sense of how bad the rain was that caused this flooding initially, on the 28th of July, there was 318 millimeters of rain just on one day. To put that into context, the record, all-time record, for rain in Peshawar, which is where this number is from, for one month, the month of July, was 217 millimeters. So it rained more in one day than it had ever rained in an entire month for the monsoon season. The floods that have ensued—and there’s been two waves of these floods now—there’s no government in the world that could have prepared for this or that could have responded to this in the way that we would have liked it to. – Mosharraf Zaidi columnist for The News of Pakistan and Al-Shorouk of Egypt http://initforthegold.blogspot.com/2010/08/when-it-rains-it-pours.html
Climate Extremes: Beyond Loaded Dice http://dotearth.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/08/18/climate-extremes-beyond-loaded-dice/
Australian miner in PNG eyes deep sea tailings
Australian based-Marengo Mining says it plans to dump mine waste from its proposed Yandera Gold and Copper mine into the pristine Basamuk Bay in Papua New Guinea’s Madang province. It’s Madang’s second deep sea tailings placement system, similar to the Chinese-owned Ramu Nickel mine which plans to dump slurry waste into the same bay. Landowners have successfully got a court order and delayed the Ramu mine from constructing a deep sea waste pipeline. http://www.radioaustralia.net.au/pacbeat/stories/201008/s2985616.htm
Don Blankenship: The Science Of Climate Change Is ‘Humorous,’ Mountaintop Removal ‘Small Afterdamage’ http://wonkroom.thinkprogress.org/2010/08/18/blankenship-straitjacket-villain/
Rep. Steve King Unloads On Climate Change Scientists: ‘Frauds’ Practicing ‘Modern Version Of The Rain Dance’ http://wonkroom.thinkprogress.org/2010/08/18/rep-steve-king-unloads-on-climate-change-scientists-frauds-practicing-modern-version-of-the-rain-dance/
Obama highlights Barton’s BP apology on campaign trail
“He apologized because I had said to BP you need to set aside $20 billion to make sure that we’re making fishermen and small-business owners whole as a consequence of your mistakes. This guy, he apologized to BP. He said, ‘Oh, the president shook you down — a Chicago-style shakedown.’ That’s what he called it,” Obama said Wednesday at a Columbus, Ohio, event for Gov. Ted Strickland (D). http://thehill.com/blogs/e2-wire/677-e2-wire/114887-obama-revives-bartons-bp-apology-on-campaign-trail
[One more time, without the blockquotes, etc.]
Joe,
Dr. Judith Curry is speaking her mind again at our favorite Houston news outlet.
http://blogs.chron.com/sciguy/archives/2010/08/judith_curry_on_antarctic_ice_climategate_and_skep.html
SciGuy: “Yes, you’ve certainly been raked over pretty good by certain sites like Real Climate and Climate Progress.”
JC: “Oh yes. Those guys are directly involved in Climategate so that’s not a huge surprise.”
Thought you’d like to know.
~IANVS
[JR: Hmm. That sounds libelous. I guess I should ask for a retraction.]
Missing the Chance for Big Energy Savings
Focusing on Small Changes, Consumers Set Their Sights Low
When they flick off light switches or ease off the gas pedal, many Americans feel they are doing their part to save energy. But the authors of a new survey say that consumers consistently ignore larger changes—buying more efficient appliances or vehicles, or insulating their homes—that would cut fuel consumption far more dramatically.
The research from Columbia University’s Earth Institute and the university’s Center for Research on Environmental Decisions is the latest attempt to probe the psychological roots of the energy problem, and to understand why it has been so hard to realize reductions in greenhouse gas pollution. http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2010/08/100818-energy-savings-earth-institute-survey/
Political Opposition to High Speed Rail is Beyond Stupidity
High speed rail remains a sort of punching bag when it comes to rhetoric about government spending and America’s unstoppable devotion to the automobile. I’m not one to get too political about sustainability since I think it should be a non-political common sense issue. But sometimes I have to let things fly. Even in an era of deep deficit, some government spending is a good thing, and High Speed Rail happens to be high on that list. http://www.triplepundit.com/2010/08/republicans-scott-walker-high-speed-rail-is-political-stupidity-2/
The image of the bleeched coral reminds me of an heart. A small fish is passing and the surrounding floor seems filled with cracked coral stuff.
Later people will ask, why we didn’t act on these warning signs.
Carcinogen Levels in Oil Sands Waste Water Increasing, Canada Admits
Newly released data from the Canadian government affirm that the booming oil sands industry in Alberta is leaving behind a rising environmental toll from toxic sludge ponds.
Figures released by the government-run Environment Canada reveal a jump in the level of carcinogens dumped in mining waste lakes, or “tailings ponds,” like arsenic, nickel, cadmium, benzene and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). http://solveclimate.com/blog/20100817/carcinogen-levels-oil-sands-waste-water-increasing-canada-admits
Illegal Logging by Pakistan’s Timber Mafia Increased Flooding Devastation
Forget for the moment about to what degree climate change has influenced the flooding in Pakistan. A new article in China Dialogue brings to light a new angle on one very aggravating factor on the overwhelming devastation: Illegal logging by the ‘timber mafia’ has increased erosion, landslides, and even sent felled trees floating down rivers damaging bridges and dams. http://www.treehugger.com/files/2010/08/illegal-logging-pakistan-timber-mafia-increased-flooding-damage.php
re: solar toothbrush. Hey! I’m glad we put that skylight in the bathroom now! :-)
The thing is pakistanis will be forced to use the most simple technologies now to rebuild their homes – this does include illegal logging.
Source Code for Studying Climate Change Released
CESM will be one of the primary climate models used by researchers
The CESM is one of about a dozen climate models worldwide that can be used to simulate the many components of Earth’s climate system, including the oceans, atmosphere, sea ice, and land cover. The CESM and its predecessors are unique among these models in that they were developed by a broad community of scientists. The model is freely available to researchers worldwide.
“With the Community Earth System Model, we can pursue scientific questions that we could not address previously,” says NCAR scientist James Hurrell, chair of the scientific steering committee that developed the model. “Thanks to its improved physics and expanded biogeochemistry, it gives us a better representation of the real world.” http://www.drdobbs.com/windows/226700457
Illegal Mining Scandals Embroil Indian Politics
Mining scandals have emerged in at least five Indian states, with more than 20,000 complaints of illegal mining filed nationally in just the past three months. Politicians in several states are accused of enriching themselves or their friends, including a former chief minister of the state of Jharkhand, who is charged with extorting huge bribes in exchange for granting mining leases. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/19/world/asia/19india.html?partner=rss&emc=rss
If we’re seeing massive bleaching at a .8C increase, we’re headed for big trouble.
I read the Curry interview. It’s hard to understand her continuing to throw bones to Watts and McIntyre, and describing them as honest seekers occupying a middle ground. According to Curry, scientists who scoff at them are guilty of “heresy”, about the worst word you could use to describe people like Schmidt and Hanson.
It’s not just that Watts and McIntyre have contributed nothing to understanding climate science. Their signature projects- broken hockey sticks and flawed temperature stations- have been decisively debunked. Curry is guilty of incredible naivete here.
The Devil’s Chaplain says: August 18, 2010 at 6:28 pm
SciGuy: “Yes, you’ve certainly been raked over pretty good by certain sites like Real Climate and Climate Progress.”
JC: “Oh yes. Those guys are directly involved in Climategate so that’s not a huge surprise.”
Directly involved in gatey-gate-gate-gate? Why oh why does she blurt out stuff like that, over and over?
Paraphrased JC: “I’m freely offering you a rake of my own making. Have at it.”
Joe, you were directly involved in ‘Climategate’? That’s a new one…
emergency housing can be cheaply and easily built with shipping pallets left from incoming emergency supplies. Homes for some lucky enough to access to pallets.
http://www.bsu.edu/web/wjanz/WesSite/I-Beam%20Procession.htm
http://www.i-beamdesign.com/projects/refugee/refugee.html
The more quotes I see from Judith Curry, the less informed she seems to be.
Unless she’s cultivating the agenda-driven crank demographic, but even that’s not working out well for her given her current savaging by Watts’ minions.
[JR: Unrequited love is always a painful thing to witness.]
The, that picture at the top of the post. That’s the
fish survey? I thought the rise to power was the
limitless bounty of our natural resources.
We well be humbled, I think.
And beyond.
From Nasa’s Modis program:
“According to the Sukachev Institute of Forest, as of August 13, the Moscow Region had lost 43,718 hectares (189 square miles) to fire, 94,950 hectares (367 square miles) in the Vladimir Region, and 300,047 hectares (1,158 square miles) in the Nizhny Novgorod Region. They also report the total acreage burned in the Russian Federation up to this date is 15,688,855 hectares (60,575 square miles).”
http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov/gallery/individual.php?db_date=2010-08-19
That official account of 15.69 MHa.s of Russian forests burned up to August 13 deserves to be worldwide news. The implications just as a feedback in its own right are stark, let alone its material contribution to arctic albido loss through soot deposition on vulnerable snow & ice.
Allowing a moderate 100 Ts C per hectare, x 3.67 for CO2, would imply a feedback emission from Russia in the first eight months of 2010 of:
15.69 x 367 = 5.758 GTs of CO2.
Added to which are the related volumes of CO, CH4, VHCs, etc.
Would anyone care to put that feedback emission of 5.76 gigatonnes of CO2 into context – say as a percentage of US anthro emissions, or of the Russian output, or by naming the nation whose annual output is nearest to that figure ?
Regards,
Lewis
Excellent news for the future huh?
Beyond Loaded Dice -
Increasing straight line wind speeds.
http://www.sott.net/articles/show/212269-Huge-undersea-volcano-discovered-by-HD-enabled-remote-submarine
Too bad, most people probably haven’t heard about, or don’t care about, the coral deaths. They play such an important part of the Earth’s ecosystems.
The straddling bus looks… interesting.