No-till farming reduces greenhouse gas
Cropland that’s left unplowed between harvests releases significantly smaller amounts of a potent greenhouse gas than conventionally plowed fields, according to a new study that suggests no-till farming can combat global warming.
Researchers said the findings could also help farmers make more efficient use of the costly nitrogen-based fertilizers used to promote plant growth. No-till farming apparently slows the breakdown of fertilizers in the soil, they said.
The three-year, federally funded Purdue University study looked at the amount of nitrous oxide released by no-till fields compared to plowed fields. No-till farmers don’t plow under their fields between crops and disrupt the soil surface as little as possible, although they do cut into it to plant seeds and inject fertilizers.
The study found no-till fields released 57 percent less nitrous oxide than chisel tilling, in which plants are plowed back into the soil after harvest, said Purdue agronomist Tony Vyn, who led the research. They also produced 40 percent less gas than fields tilled with moldboard plows, which turn the dirt over onto itself.
Last-ditch lawsuits against solar plants only increase the demand for coal [by Michael Kanellos, GreenTechMedia]
Green technology faces a number of barriers””high capital costs, entrenched incumbents, skepticism, bureaucratic and political roadblocks.
But, please, does the environmental community have to continue to be a problem?
The latest example comes in a lawsuit filed by the Sierra Club to hold up an already faltering solar plant slated for Calico, California.
The Calico project–which Tessera Solar sold to K Road Power last month–was improperly approved, alleges the suit, and could harm plant and animal species. Last month, the Quechan Tribe won an injunction to halt the Imperial project, another Tessera power plant, on the grounds that it could impair the habitat of the flat tailed horned lizard.
In 2010, BrightSource Energy had to scale back the Ivanpah solar thermal plant because of concerns about the habitat of the desert tortoise. And before that, solar and wind developers scotched plans to build in the Mojave after Senator Dianne Feinstein drew up plans to have 1 million acres of the Mojave Desert declared a part of a national monument area.
Look. I’m not against species protection. I think it’s important. But there are larger goals and considerations we must keep in mind. Namely:
1. Circumscribing solar and wind farms leads to only one thing: more natural gas, coal and nuclear plants. Although California has kept energy consumption per capita relatively flat for three decades, total power consumption has increased. And it will continue to increase as computer companies expand datacenters so we can shop at home instead of tooling around in gas-guzzling cars.
Greenhouse gases or pristine desert, which could get irreversibly destroyed as more greenhouse gases get injected into the atmosphere? The choice is yours.
2. Desert. There’s a lot of it. I grew up in Northern Nevada and spent my youth exploring the high desert. You know what’s there? A wealth of natural beauty, but also sagebrush, road signs peppered with shotgun blasts, rusted cars, cattle and guys in dune buggies.
It’s not the Arctic, or even Yosemite. Parts of it are more like an open air prison with a Terrible’s gas station thrown in. The lawsuits will have a chilling effect not only on these projects, but other ones where the environmental risks might be nil. And again, the alternative is more fossil fuel plants.
Federal and state regulators have signed off on the projects. The risks have been analyzed. At some point, the regulatory system has to be trusted.
3. Jobs. Instead of trying to build California power plants in the state, some want to build them in Arizona and Mexico. Parts of south-central California grapple with high unemployment, low education, few opportunities and drug addiction. Construction jobs remain one of the few hopes.
Will these projects will impair animal habitats? Yes. Could it be fatal to some species? Possible. But are these the kind of trade-offs that we need to make, even with the inherent risks? I think so.
In fact, we’ve already made these sort of compromises. California and most of the west wouldn’t exist as it does without an artificial reservoir system. If you live here and shower, you’ve already voted. I don’t advocate paving the desert or using ancient petroglyphs for skate ramps, but sacrificing small portions of already reviewed land seems necessary if California and the nation want to proceed on a reasonable time line for alternatives.
The renewable energy industry has often lacked cohesiveness. Many have argued that the alphabet soup of organizations have to coordinate their efforts better to get laws passed as well as to expose the subsidies offered to the coal and oil industries.
Some of these lawsuits could go away. The suits filed by the Native American tribes might actually be part of a larger effort to participate in the alternative energy economy. Tribal corporations in Alaska, Colorado and Arizona have already begun to invest in renewables. Hopefully that is the case. Many tribes own the land they do because it was considered worthless. Alternatives give them a chance to finally profit.
But right now, the people who will really benefit from these lawsuits sit on the boards of fossil fuel companies.
Related Posts: Does Sen. Feinstein get global warming, desertification, and California’s looming demise? and Green talk vs. green action: Sen. Feinstein’s scuttling of solar, wind projects a baffling mistake.
Politics: What to Expect from the Republicans on Energy Policy
At noon [yesterday], Republican John Boehner [was] sworn in as the 61st Speaker of the House of Representatives, and the GOP will take over partial control of the government. (Apparently the outgoing Speaker, Nancy Pelosi, actually hands over the gavel to the new leader, a ceremony that certainly has more gravitas than the Internet method for shifting leadership””changing your Twitter handle.) Though the heated news coverage might make it seem as if the well-tanned Boehner is about to assume dictatorial control over the government””with perhaps Sarah Palin getting veto power””the Democrats still control the White House and the Senate, even with a smaller majority, which means the Republican power to push through wholesale change won’t be limitless. We should discover that after the House votes for and passes a repeal of the health care reform law in one of its first actions, as expected, only to see it die in the Senate by Majority Leader Harry Reid’s hands, who proved in the last term that he is perfectly capable of ignoring House bills passed by his own party, let alone the opposition.
But the Republicans in the House will be able to shape the country’s legislative agenda, and when it comes to energy at least, that agenda can be summed up in one word: deregulation. The GOP line is that renewed regulation under the Obama Administration””often with a green motivation, under the newly energetic Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)””handcuffed business and kept companies from hiring, contributing to the miserable unemployment rate. The Republicans in the House will focus on pushing back agencies like the EPA, which is already coming under fire for its proposed regulations on greenhouse gas emissions. According to the Associated Press, California Republican Darrell Issa””the incoming chairman of the powerful House Oversight and Government Reform Committee even sent out a letter last month to 150 companies, trade associations and think tanks asking them to identify regulations that needed to be changed:
“In fiscal year 2010, federal agencies promulgated 43 major new regulations,” the California congressman wrote. “As a trade organization comprised of members that must comply with the regulatory state, I ask for your assistance in identifying existing and proposed regulations that have negatively impacted job growth in your members’ industry.”
Hu Jintao Visit to U.S. Pushes Wind-Power Subsidy Issue Into Spotlight
President Obama plans to roll out the red carpet when Chinese President Hu Jintao lands on American soil later this month, even as a heavy bundle of economic and trade issues weighs on the leaders’ summit.
On Jan. 19, when Hu meets with Obama at the White House, troubles on the Korean Peninsula could land top billing. But as the United States emerges from its economic recession and as China’s role in the global economy expands further, analysts say trade issues, including one dealing with China’s support for clean energy companies, will grab headlines.
The administration late last month said it is requesting consultations with China at the World Trade Organization to end China’s government subsidies to wind-power producers.
The United Steelworkers (USW) in September filed a 5,800-page petition with the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) that called on the Obama administration to launch a formal investigation into whether China has ignored international trade agreements to help its clean-energy technology sector. It cited a fleet of government export subsidies, including low-interest loans and access to cheap land, that allegedly give China’s lower-cost manufacturers an unfair advantage.
In explaining the Dec. 22 request for consultation with the Chinese on the wind-power subsidy issue, the USTR targeted a nearly $1 billion fund the United States claims could violate WTO rules.
“In particular, USTR has verified that China’s Wind Power Equipment Fund provides grants that appear to be contingent on the use of domestic over imported wind power equipment, and thus appears to be a prohibited subsidy,” the agency explained.
In the run-up to Hu’s visit, it’s unclear where the wind power case ranks among the fleet of complicated economic, trade and military issues expected to come up during talks. Still, the U.S. government’s clean energy gripe is part of a handful of China-related trade issues the administration has taken to the WTO, where disputes are adjudicated.
“Until the USTR decision, I would have said energy was one of the areas where there was great promise for cooperation,” said Kelly Sims Gallagher, professor of energy and environmental policy at the Fletcher School at Tufts University.
China improves energy efficiency 20 pct in 5 years
China met a five-year target to improve energy efficiency by cutting power to industry and imposing rolling blackouts, even though a massive economic stimulus increased energy use.
Energy consumption per unit of gross domestic product was reduced by 20 percent from 2005 levels by the end of 2010, said Zhang Ping, chairman of the National Development and Reform Commission. It is China’s top economic planning body.
The official Xinhua News Agency quoted Zhang on Thursday as saying detailed data have yet to be released.
Top Chinese officials said last year reaching the goal might be difficult because China sought to recover from the global economic crisis with a stimulus that focused on upgrading infrastructure that used steel, cement and other energy-intensive products.
China cut energy intensity by 14.4 percent in 2009, but its economic rebound pushed energy intensity back up by 0.09 percent in the first half of 2010, the first such increase since 2006.
Meeting the energy efficiency target was seen as a key marker of China’s commitment toward fighting global warming. It has surpassed the United States as the world’s largest producer of greenhouse gases, largely because its economic development over the past three decades has relied on labor- and energy-intensive growth.
Beijing’s leaders issued stern orders to meet the energy-savings targets in the second half of the year and sent inspectors to see the orders were carried out in the provinces. About 2,000 steel and cement mills and other factories with poor environmental controls were closed.
India poised for big solar power growth-report
As No. 1 global solar market Germany ratchets down subsidies for solar power this year, investors looking for the next hot market for the renewable energy source should be eyeing India, according to a report by Lux Research.
The report, released on Wednesday, looked at the growth potential of 15 emerging solar markets and found that India has massive potential because of government subsidies, a need for distributed generation and increasing energy demands.
“India comes away as by far the most attractive market for long term growth out of these that we looked at,” said Jason Eckstein, a Lux Research analyst and the report’s lead author.
Under its Solar Mission plan, unveiled last year, India is poised to add 20 gigawatts of solar power by 2022. The plan favors domestic manufacturers of crystalline silicon solar modules, including Moser Baer (MOSR.BO: Quote) and Tata BP Solar, a joint venture of Tata Power Co Ltd (TTPW.BO: Quote) and BP (BP.L: Quote).
In the United States, First Solar Inc (FSLR.O: Quote) is poised to benefit from India’s adoption of solar power because its solar panels are made of cadmium telluride and are not subject to the domestic content requirement.
State Dept. defends climate approach
The Obama administration remains committed to plowing ahead with international talks to address global warming, although it realizes that a broad, legally binding agreement similar to the Kyoto Protocol isn’t an option, a key State Department official said Wednesday.
Jonathan Pershing, the deputy special envoy for climate change, defended the administration’s push for a deal for countries to make voluntary cuts in greenhouse gas emissions with the idea that deeper cuts will develop over time.
That process “” first developed in the 2009 Copenhagen Accord “” was distressing to some because it creates a path that differs greatly from the mandatory cuts outlined in the Kyoto Protocol.
“Under Kyoto, which is the old model,” Pershing said, “emissions between 1990 and 2007, from [carbon dioxide], climbed on the order of 40 percent.” “So, if you think that that was a successful model, then you should think again. It didn’t work.”
Noting that the Kyoto Protocol was never ratified in the U.S., Pershing said that despite its popularity abroad, “it is equally clear that the structures of Kyoto would not work for us.
“It is clear that we would not work politically; we couldn’t move forward under that framework,” he added. “We need a different process.”
Pershing said the international push could help convince lawmakers that all isn’t lost on global warming.
“The State Department is trying to get an agreement globally “” which we got,” Pershing said. “The other things that I’m hopeful of is that the form and the structure of that agreement will make a difference here at home. I think it will.
As High Gas Prices Loom, New Congress Faces Pressure on Drilling
Party leaders in the new Congress have yet to unveil their full agenda, but lobbyists and observers see one issue they’ll likely confront: what to do about rising gas prices.
Pump prices jumped over the past six weeks, and some experts predict they will continue climbing. Former Shell Oil President John Hofmeister predicts that increased worldwide demand and lack of production could push gas prices in the United States to $5 per gallon by 2012.
“We continue to demand more,” Hofmeister said today, repeating comments he made that were first aired by “Platts Energy Week.” “The world continues to demand more, and the U.S. has no plan to address it. That could drive us to the kind of numbers that get to $5 a gallon in this country.”
While several energy economists and forecasters disagree with that prediction, it foreshadows the kind of rhetoric the new Congress will face, several people said. Oil companies and their trade group are rolling out a campaign to push for more production, said Tyson Slocum, director of Public Citizen’s Energy Program.
“They’re going to say we need an energy plan that focuses on fully developing U.S. energy,” Slocum said. “That means opening up more areas to offshore drilling and ensuring that we preserve the existing array of tax breaks and subsidies.”
The national average price for gasoline hit $3.12 per gallon yesterday, up 21 cents from the post-Thanksgiving price on Nov. 29.
Is Obama’s EPA trying to implement ‘backdoor cap-and-trade’? Um, no.
One conservative talking point that crops up with increasing frequency is that by using EPA to regulate greenhouse gases, Obama is effectively short-circuiting democracy, doing via regulatory fiat what Democrats could not accomplish via legislation. The Tea Party right is calling it “backdoor cap-and-trade.” Similar sentiment is reaching even the more reasonable quarters of conservative thought — James Joyner says it’s a “unilateral decision arguably outside the scope of [the president's] Constitutional power” and Conor Friedersdorf cast it as “disregarding separation of powers.”
This way of framing things has certain intuitive appeal as long as you don’t know much about what climate legislation would have done, what EPA plans to do, or the legal environment in which EPA is acting. Unfortunately, this describes the vast bulk of the U.S. political commentariat and, God help us, most legislators. From their distant and ideologically inflected perspective, one “carbon something something” is the same as another.
Just for the record, then, let’s put the “backdoor cap-and-trade” myth to rest.
Previous in TP Climate Progress
Language Intelligence: Lessons on persuasion from Jesus, Shakespeare, Lincoln, and Lady Gaga
Well, at least in the U.S., farmers who are able have been using no-till for 40 years.
Yeah, the species protection thing is a conundrum. But, as Desmond Tutu with regards addressing the Iraq War it is not about the numbers.
No quick answers, lots of difficult problems, in the quest to limit accelerating environmental damage.
Going Green: Digesting Tea Defends Against Alzheimer’s, Cancer
Drinking, or better yet digestion and the body’s ability to absorb key elements of green tea, may play a vital role in aiding the brain to fending off the development of Alzheimer’s, and can protect against cancer. http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/212969.php
Green tea is a great alternative for coffee.
But hurry …
Indian Tea Tastes Different Due to Climate Change
GAUHATI, India — Tea growers in northeastern India say climate change has hurt the country’s tea crop, leading not just to a drop in production but also subtly altering the flavor of their brew. http://www.irrawaddy.org/highlight.php?art_id=20462
Heavy floods leave at least 35 dead in Brazil
Heavy rains since Christmas in Sao Paulo, Rio de Janeiro and Espirito Santo states have killed more than 20 people and left about 20,500 homeless.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2011/01/06/AR2011010601732.html
New Science Panel Chairman to Probe ‘Quality’ of Climate Science
Texas Republican Rep. Ralph Hall would like you to know this: He is not a climate skeptic.
“I think it’s happening,” the incoming chairman of the House Science and Technology Committee said yesterday when asked if he believes climate change is real.
But others aren’t so sure. Hall, known in part for his strong support of the oil and gas industry, opposes cap-and-trade policies and U.S. EPA’s plans to regulate heat-trapping emissions. He said last month that, as chairman of the science panel, he would investigate “global warming or global freezing.”
And Hall has repeatedly suggested that so-called “Climategate” e-mails between climate scientists posted on the Internet in 2009 raise doubts about the quality of climate science, a belief that landed him on the liberal Center for American Progress’ list of “climate zombie” lawmakers who question the scientific consensus on global warming.
The former Democrat — who switched parties in 2004 — is also among new Republican committee chairmen in the House who have floated plans to investigate climate science. http://www.nytimes.com/cwire/2011/01/06/06climatewire-new-science-panel-chairman-to-probe-quality-44599.html
I don’t care which political agenda someone is, what matters is that the problem is tackled – with science. Climate Change is not up to political decision, no matter what personal believes suggest what is wrong or right.
Climate change should be addressed at grassroot level: Nobelist
Nobel Laureate Elinor Ostrom today said countries like India, China and the US should address the issue of climate change at grassroot level by encouraging participation of local people.
There are no ideal solutions to problems like climate change. The locals and communities must be made aware of the ways to manage ecosystems and usage of renewable resources to lessen the burden on environment, Ostrom said at a Foundation for Ecological Security function here.
Ostrom, aged 77 years, shared the Nobel Prize in Economics Sciences with Oliver E Williamson in 2009.
She was the first lady to receive this award and specialise in creation of common pool resources (CPRs) like forests and rivers which could be managed and supervised by the society together.
Asked about how to maintain a balance between development and displacement, she said: “Villagers need to attain a position where they can bargain and fight for their land rights.”
“They need to strengthened their voices. Villagers must know the asset value of their land and negotiate than taking Rs 5,000 for a piece of land,” Ostrom said. http://www.indianexpress.com/news/climate-change-should-be-addressed-at-grassroot-level-nobelist/734209/
That brings up memories of african tribes, where the village elder sells of land for uranium mining, for a bag of rice.
Mr Fenton said Brisbane Airport had already received its average January rainfall, just six days into the month.
Republicans kill global warming committee
Mother Jones: Republicans have disbanded the one committee devoted solely to climate change and energy issues. At least it went out on its own terms
The kick-off of the 112th Congress on Wednesday also marked the end of an era in the House – the demise of a committee devoted solely to climate change and energy issues. The Select Committee for Energy Independence and Global Warming, created by Nancy Pelosi in 2006, has been shuttered under the new Republican leadership. In the final days of the committee, staffers released a report on what the committee accomplished in its brief tenure – an epitaph of sorts.
Tackling issues from the politicisation of climate science to the explosion of the Deepwater Horizon, the committee held 80 hearings and briefings. It played a role in shaping policy for the 2007 energy bill, the 2009 stimulus package (which included $90bn [$58bn] in energy, efficiency, and other green elements), and, of course, the 2009 climate bill (the one that never became law, of course, because the Senate didn’t act on it).
The final report concludes with the question of whether the United States will respond to all the information that the committee has compiled during its lifespan on the climate and energy challenge:
Someday, our children and grandchildren will look back on the record of the Select Committee. That record will reflect a respectful and rigorous debate and an unprecedented understanding of the challenges before us. Whether or not they will see that this generation has taken the bold action required by these challenges remains to be seen.
Select Committee Chair Ed Markey (D-Mass) will now serve as the ranking member of the natural resources committee, so I’m sure we will be hearing more on the subject from him in the next two years.
There had been some talk among Republicans of keeping the committee alive so it could be used to mock climate change and harass scientists, but leadership put the kibosh on that idea. It went out on a high note, and on its own terms, so I suppose we can take some small comfort in that. http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2011/jan/06/republicans-kill-global-warming-committee
I’m ashamed to be in the same county as Darrell Issa, but I wish I were in his district so I could have voted against him. I’m in the neighboring district, and sadly, we re-elected our Republican representative despite my vote.
Re the Calico solar thermal project in the Imperial Valley:
A local tribe sued to stop not only that project, but 5 others, claiming “possible” impact on sacred sites and burial grounds. This action, brought by a group called La Cuna, is complete bullshit. I lived in the Mojave for 5 years and hiked in it for many more. The local Indians don’t have sacred sites or cremation locations in the proposed solar plants, because the plants were to be located on flat, barren, and windy hardpan or creosote habitat sites. Cremations and sacred sites are all around boulders or hilltops, which are bad places to site solar plants.
Once again, the natural gas and coal companies are exploiting someone- in this case a tribe- in order to make phony claims that will eventually be discredited in court. Problem is, by the time the truth comes out the projects will have died, because nascent solar companies cannot absorb the predevelopment and interest costs in multiyear delays. That means gas plants will move in to fill the void, which was the intent all along. Grist ran a piece on it, with a lot of comments:
http://www.grist.org/article/2010-12-29-native-american-group-sues-to-block-californias-big-solar
Someone needs to stop this nonsense. As with our government, it’s nothing but cynical destruction of our future by the owners of the fossil fuel companies. Using green groups and tribes as cover only makes them more horrific.
Climate News for Greater Hartford CT 2010
The numbers are in for the year 2010, and it was a record breaker. The average temperature for the year at Bradley International Airport was 52.9, which is 2.5 degrees above normal. This made 2010 the warmest year on record. It’s not hard to fathom, considering temperatures hit 93 in early April, every month except December had above average temps, there were a total of 34 days with 90+ highs, and the all time record high temperature of 102 was tied on July 6th. Total precipitation amounted to 44.35”, only 1.81” below normal. As for snow, 32” fell which is 14” below normal.
Winter Storm Adrianne was not a top ten snowstorm for Connecticut, but it will be remembered for its amazing winds. Winds gusted to 68 mph in New London and 60 mph in Bridgeport, Greenwich, Danbury, and New Haven. There was a gust to 59 mph in Groton, 56 mph in Madison, and 56 mph in Windsor Locks at Bradley International Airport. At one point, CL&P reported 35,000 customers without power due to wind damage. Snowfall ranged from as little as 5.0” or 6.0” in Ledyard Center and Norwich to as much as 18.0” in Wilton. Greenwich received 17.0” and 16.0” fell in Stratford and in Norwalk. While Western Connecticut hit the jackpot locally, 2 to 3 FEET of snow fell in portions of New Jersey and Eastern New York including the New York City area! Thus, Connecticut narrowly missed a record snowstorm! Officially, Bradley International airport received 13.9” of snow, but all of the top 10 snowstorms dumped more than 15” of snow in the Greater Hartford area.
Although summer officially ended on September 22nd, the meteorological or climatological summer ended August 31st and the numbers are in: As it turned out, this summer was the 3rd warmest on record with an average temperature of 73.7 degrees at Bradley International Airport – the warmest summer on record was in 1973 with an average temperature of 74.4 degrees.
This year, we had 34 days this year with a high temperature of at least 90 degrees. The record is 38 days in 1983. In second place is 2002 with 35 days. In third place is 1965 and 2010 with 34 days both years.
Why are climate scientists ignoring peak oil and coal
“Climate Progress’s Joseph Romm reports …”
I don’t think they are… but…
Thousands Evacuated as Flash Floods Swamp Medan
Kukuh said parts of Jakarta and Banten, most of Sulawesi and southern Sumatra should also prepare for flash floods because of high-intensity rains expected over the coming days.
http://www.thejakartaglobe.com/home/thousands-evacuated-as-flash-floods-swamp-medan/415519
Gang stole solar modules worth 850,000 euros
They rented a van and hit 19 times: A gang of thieves in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern (germany) during two years, stole solar panels worth 850,000 €. The perpetrators were more environmentally conscious and used the modules to their own use to produce electricity. http://is.gd/keUez
Global Warming: Winter Weirding
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M_lYbp2zxVg
Climate deniers like to claim that cold weather over eastern north america and eurasia somehow contradicts a warming planet.
In fact, scientists are now observing what may become a more frequent pattern, caused by declining northern sea ice – of frigid polar air being pushed out of the arctic regions, while warmer air is drawn to northern areas.
This may be a stupid question but does no till just delay the release of co2 until it is tilled or is it a longer term sequestering.
Oops in regard to my question in moderation #8 I should have said nitrous oxide and it looks like no till results with more ending up in plants. Is this a win win situation?
“Desert. There’s a lot of it. I grew up in Northern Nevada and spent my youth exploring the high desert. You know what’s there? A wealth of natural beauty, but also sagebrush…”
Well, gee, sagebrush ain’t beautiful in one person’s opinion, therefore sagelands are worthless?
Conservationists have been told for decades that we must sacrifice what remains of relatively untouched natural ecosystems on the altar of development. At times that altar is draped in black (oil and coal resources), at other times brown (timber and cattle production), and now, apparently, we’re supposed to accept that draping it in gren is somehow different, and therefore we should allow development on federal lands regardless of whether or not federal law is being followed. Conservationists file suit for one simple reason: we win more often than we lose, and the reason why is that the BLM (especially) and the USFS (not quite as bad these days) largely ignore the federal laws that govern management of federal lands.
You don’t like the law? Change it. Until you do, though, don’t bitch because conservationists force your government to follow the laws passed by our Congress and signed by our President.
Of course, Michael Kanellos’s NW Nevada has been heavily hammered by mining (most recently open-pit cyanide heap leach operations) and overgrazing of sheep and cattle, so chances are he wouldn’t recognize a reasonably untouched native ecosystem in the first place.
We need solar and wind power generation, but that doesn’t mean we should be sacrificing the principle that the feds must be required to manage its growth within the framework of laws governing the use of federal lands or species protections.
dhogaza,
Solar developers were able to achieve fast track reviews under Obama and Chu, but never proposed to avoid ESA and related statutes. It’s true that there were some slimy opportunists who locked up potential solar parcels looking to flip, but the sites that legitimate companies are trying to develop go through the normal development process.
In the Mojave this is mostly about tortoises, but also occasional rare plants and birds. When someone builds a housing development in the Mojave they are still allowed to do it if the tortoises are relocated, per the EIR and other species analyses. It’s almost unheard of that any plant or bird is unique to a single site, which is about 2,000 acres for the typical CSP location. I speak from experience here from past experience as a Mojave Desert housing developer, on a degraded infill site that still had some plant relocation and related issues to deal with.
The reason that faux green groups are not credible here- besides the urgent need to develop clean solar power- is that almost all of the proposed sites are quite barren, even by desert standards. Solar sites require level land with maximum insolation, which is mostly located at lower elevations. This in turn means either salty hardpan (preferred) or, more commonly, creosote habitat.
Creosotes end up as a virtual monoculture, because their roots secrete poisons that kill everything else (including baby creosotes) within about a 12 foot radius. The destruction of species claimed by solar development opponents is usually bogus. An example is the area around Barstow, a particularly hot and dead part of the desert that in any case is criscrossed by major roads. Feinstein stopped solar projects there, claiming the need for corridors, even thought there is already a wide highway there preventing migration. The current suit by the tribe is equally baseless.
As with anything, it’s about the details. Don’t be fooled by desert photos that turn out to be from a different location than proposed solar sites, something I’ve seen repeatedly. Once again, it’s the dark side at work, feverishly trying to kill the competition, and figuring the public and their pawns among green groups won’t know what’s actually going on at ground level.
Record Warmth in 2010, Despite Cooling Influences
No matter how you crunch the data, 2010 is certain to go down in history as one of the warmest — if not the warmest — years since the beginning of instrumental records in the late 19th century. This is despite the recent cold and snowy weather in much of the U.S. and across Europe.
http://www.climatecentral.org/blog/record-warmth-in-2010-despite-cooling-influences/
Arctic Sea Ice Hits New December Low, Related to “Arctic Paradox” Weather Pattern
Arctic sea ice extent fell to the lowest level observed during the month of December since the beginning of satellite monitoring in 1979, the U.S. National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC) announced today. While sea ice has been declining for the past few decades as Arctic air and water temperatures have warmed, NSIDC scientists say an additional contributor is an unusual weather pattern that has kept parts of the Arctic unusually warm, while simultaneously driving cold air and snowstorms into parts of the U.S. and Europe.
http://www.climatecentral.org/news/arctic-sea-ice-hits-new-december-low-related-to-arctic-paradox-weather/
Typically the federal agencies hire inexperienced staff to conduct regulatory reviews resulting in flawed work. Under GW Bush the best biologists left the agencies as recommendations they developed to avoid environmental harm when approving oil and gas exploration and production were continuously ignored. Everyone hates the regulator. Industry, the environmental groups, landowners, etc. An experienced biologist who is good with plant identification and knows the region’s ecology isn’t going to do a thankless desk job such as this.
The solar industry needs to stop trying to get around the regulations. They are there for a reason. Instead they should work with the BLM and Forest Service to hire some top biologists to map out areas with little value for wildlife and native plant populations. That’s where the site evaluation process needs to start.
Will there still be NIMBY groups? Yes, but they won’t have a leg to stand on.
Little heroes: bacteria gobble up 200,000 tonnes of potent greenhouse gas methane from BP oil disaster: http://wapo.st/BacCH4
Good? & bad news in excerpts from
DiscoveryNews: Bugs Ate Up Methane From Gulf Spill
Bacteria consumed all of the methane released from the Deepwater Horizon oil spill within about four months.
. . . estimates of the total amount of methane released from freshwater offset the amount of carbon sequestered by land sources by 25 percent.
. . . forested land with freshwater should not be assumed to absorb as much net carbon as previously estimated.
. . . we should be careful if we try to focus on preserving natural sinks instead of reducing fossil fuel emissions. We have to work on both fronts simultaneously
. . . helps explain where some of the unaccounted-for methane is coming from.
http://news.discovery.com/earth/gulf-oil-spill-methane-microorganisms-110106.html
Environmentally motivated obstructionist opposition to solar development reminds me of the yellow “caution” sign that proclaims in large letters “THIS SIGN HAS SHARP EDGES – HANDLE WITH EXTREME CAUTION”. In tiny letters at the bottom it says “SLOW DOWN – THE BRIDGE IS OUT AHEAD”.
Scrooge @ 16:
The idea is to never till and to do things that improve the soil so that organic matter will continue to build the top soil. There are many reasons to do this other than sequestering CO2. For one thing, it makes it harder for soil erosion to take place. This may not sound like a big deal, but Providence Canyon started out as an erosion problem that kind of got away from them. It is now billed as one of the seven natural wonders of Georgia.
Mike Roddy …
First of all, I wouldn’t characterize the Sierra Club as being a “faux green group”, they’re a conservation organization, and have a decent track record.
Suggesting they’re in the employ of the “dark side” is ludicrous.
I’m not qualified to comment on the tribal suit, and did not in my first post.
“Solar developers were able to achieve fast track reviews under Obama and Chu, but never proposed to avoid ESA and related statutes…”
Yes, fast-tracking is a time-[dis?]honored way of gaming ESA, NEPA, etc laws. The W administration did the same regarding oil and gas exploration in the equally unimportant and barren (sic) wildlands of Utah and the Powder River Basin.
As I said, we’re supposed to accept the sacrifice now that the sacrificial altar of development is (supposedly) draped in green, not black.
“Creosotes end up as a virtual monoculture, because their roots secrete poisons that kill everything else (including baby creosotes) within about a 12 foot radius. The destruction of species claimed by solar development opponents is usually bogus.”
In that case, court review will uphold development, and while some time may be lost, in the big picture timeframe, it doesn’t really matter …
However, your statement’s a bit misleading. Much of the mojave is dominated by creosote, but not as a “virtual monoculture”. Also, you’re implying that this is worthless habitat, that species living in creosote-dominated landscapes aren’t really there, apparently, as you claim that “claimed species destruction is usually bogus”, and not worth protection.
Efficacy of translocation of desert tortoise populations is, shall we say, a matter of some dispute? Of course, if there are no desert tortoises to protect, as you seem to imply above, then there wouldn’t be talk of mitigation via translocation from the Calico site in the first place …
“Don’t be fooled by desert photos that turn out to be from a different location than proposed solar sites, something I’ve seen repeatedly.”
Care to point out exactly which of the photos used by the Sierra Club wasn’t taken there, rather than try to sway me by innuendo? I’ve not been to the site, but I’ve spent plenty of time photographing and naturalizing in the Mojave desert, including around Barstow (if anyone other than me has ever seen a snow bunting just north of Barstow in winter, I’d like to meet them!), and the photos that are supposedly from the site seem fairly representative of the Mojave I’m aware of.
I see that the Sierra Club suit is actually filed against the State of California, not the feds …
We shall see. I’ll stand by my major point: people should stop insisting that conservation groups turn a blind eye to government agencies that do not follow the law. This doesn’t mean that they’re always right, or that the Sierra Club will win this particular action.
But the piece I was objecting to argues that conservation groups should shut up and let solar development go forward regardless of whether or not proper process has been followed. No. I disagree. Vehemently.
G’day,
Another non-informative BBC peice which doesn’t do much except have a headline meant for people who don’t read articles beyond the headline…?
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-12124895
At a whopping 10 sentances the articles fails to inform anyone of anything if they already had the desire to click the headline and read the article. The ‘poll’ of top automaker executives isn’t cited or referenced in scope in any way. The reporter could just be making it up or references a handful of candid coversations they had with the press offices of just a couple automakers.
All I see is headline damage and fodder for the ignorant to repeat what they saw on the BBC about how expensive electric cars are going to be. There is almost a style to it where they have a headline and then immediately contradict the main implications of the headline within the second sentance.
Looks like we’re off to another dismal year of coverage by the MSM on anything and everything climate and energy related.
Cheers,
spiritkas
BBC has failed its mandate big time.
dhogaza,
I wasn’t referring to the Sierra Club, but to the tribal lawsuit mentioned in my Grist link above. If the Sierra Club joined in, that’s news to me, because in general they have supported solar development, and I don’t have a problem with them. Remember, the tribal lawsuit is trying to stop 6 different major solar projects, based on “possible” sacred sites and burial grounds. Since you’ve been in the desert, you must know that cremation in a windy flat area is absurd, and sacred sites are in jumbled landscapes with caves, mountains, and springs. This is beyond frivolous.
As for photos- when I went to a meeting over Brightsource a couple of years ago local astroturf green groups showed photos of the Ivanpah Valley that was supposedly going to be desecrated, and the location was on the other side of I 15, about 25 miles from the proposed site.
I don’t support automatic rubber stamping of solar in the desert, but as you know the flat and low elevation areas that are suitable for thermal arrays (such as the one at Ca Four Corners) hold little in the way of wilderness values.
Remember, I’m an old developer. If the solar companies win in court in 2 or 3 years, it means they lost, because they can’t fade that kind of delay, and this kind of thing has a chilling effect on project finance. That’s why the gas companies are going after the market, especially with record (and possibly manipulated) low prices.
I always like your posts, and don’t mind an occasional disagreement. Maybe this time it’s about creosote. Some people like the smell of them after a rain, and yes, there are a few birds there. In the flat lower elevations, though, there’s not much else- an occasional rabbit or mouse, maybe, but not the coyote, bobcats, and reptiles that you see where I used to live at 2,700 feet, and not many hawks or roadrunners either. So maybe it’s a matter of taste.
But you also are well aware of how sensitive and fragile desert biota are. The worst thing you can do to them is change the climate- that’s why sajuaros are falling in the Sonora, and joshua trees and some yuccas will be gone from the lower Mojave in a century. Fighting for solar is fighting for deserts everywhere.
Seems like a good idea over at RealClimate.
“After perusing the comments and suggestions made last week, we are going to try a new approach to dealing with comment thread disruptions. We are going to try and ensure that there is always an open thread for off-topic questions and discussions. They will be called (as this one) “Unforced Variation: [current month]” and we will try and move all off-topic comments on other threads to these threads. So if your comment seems to disappear from one thread, look for it here.”
http://www.realclimate.org/index.php/archives/2011/01/unforced-variations-jan-2011/
Fossil fuels get more subsidies and tax breaks than renewables, they have an easier approval process, they have lobbyists to get around regulations. Renewables always get tied up by NIMBY and polluter lawsuits. And the TP and Republicans are complaining that renewables can’t compete with fossil fuels. When an attempt is made to make renewables more competitive by removing fossil fuel subsidies, the GOP votes it down. What hypocrites. Let oil go up to $5. That is going to be its true price.
On a side note, this seems to be the breakthrough year for energy efficiency.
http://solveclimatenews.com/news/20110105/cleantech-crystal-ball-sees-rash-ipos-energy-efficiency-focus
2 million fish found dead in Maryland
(CNN) — Authorities in Maryland are investigating the deaths of about 2 million fish in Chesapeake Bay.
“Natural causes appear to be the reason,” the Maryland Department of the Environment said in a news release. “Cold water stress exacerbated by a large population of the affected species (juvenile spot fish) appears to be the cause of the kill.”
The investigation comes days after the deaths of an estimated 100,000 fish in northwest Arkansas. Authorities suspect disease was to blame there, a state spokesman said.
Large winter kills of spot fish have occurred at least twice before in the state, in 1976 and 1980, the department said. http://edition.cnn.com/2011/US/01/06/maryland.fish.kill/
Birds Dying In Italy: Thousands Of Turtle Doves Fall Dead From Sky
On Wednesday, GeaPress reported hundreds — possibly thousands — of dead and dying birds in Italy. Countless turtle doves were found scattered in the streets, in flower beds and hanging tragically from trees “like Christmas balls” in the town of Faenza. Many of the birds that fell dead from the sky were discovered with a mysterious blue stain in their beaks.
In the past week, similar incidents of mass animal deaths have been reported across the world. Thousands of dead birds fell from the sky in Arkansas on New Year’s Eve, and similar incidents were reported on different days in Louisiana, Kentucky and Sweden. Two million fish were discovered dead in Maryland, with other fish kills also reported in Brazil, New Zealand and Arkansas — approximately 100 miles from the bird incident. 40,000 crabs washed up on England beaches in the past few days, as well.
While the events are likely unrelated, most still remain a mystery. Officials suggest fireworks are likely responsible for many of the bird deaths and that unusually cold weather could be to blame for the strange mass deaths of fish and crabs.
GeaPress suggests that the blue stains found in mouths of the dead and dying birds in Italy could be the result of poisoning or possibly signs of hypoxia. Both the local forest service and the WWF in Faenza have sent some of the dead birds for testing, though the results likely won’t be available for at least a week.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/01/06/birds-dying-in-italy-thou_n_805541.html
Mass animal death due to winter weirding?
Is it possible to have atmospheric dead zones? (hypoxia)
WikiLeaks: Secret whaling deal plotted by US and Japan
American diplomats proposed Japan reduce whaling in exchange for US help cracking down on the anti-whaling activists Sea Shepherd, leaked cables reveal
Japan and the US proposed to investigate and act against international anti-whaling activists from the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society as part of a political deal to reduce whaling in Antarctic waters.
Four confidential cables from the US embassy in Tokyo and the state department in Washington, released by WikiLeaks, show US and Japanese diplomats secretly negotiating a compromise agreement ahead of a key meeting last year of the International Whaling Commission, the body that regulates international whaling.
The American proposal would have forced Japan to reduce the number of whales that Japan killed each year in the Antarctic whale sanctuary in return for the legal right to hunt other whales off its own coasts. In addition, the US proposed to ratify laws that would “guarantee security in the seas” – a reference to acting against groups such as Sea Shepherd that have tried to physically stop whaling.
…
In a statement made yesterday from the Sea Shepherd flagship, Captain Watson said: “The US government may have very well looked into Sea Shepherd’s activities and if they did so, then they obviously did not find any irregularities or unlawful activities because Sea Shepherd was never contacted by any US government official in connection with this matter. For Sea Shepherd, the most important part of this document is the declaration by Japan that Sea Shepherd has been responsible for the whaling fleet not reaching their quotas for the last few years. This completely validates Sea Shepherd’s actions as effective.”
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2011/jan/06/wikileaks-secret-whaling-deal?CMP=twt_gu
Related Read
Sinking of the Rainbow Warrior
The sinking of the Rainbow Warrior, codenamed Opération Satanique,[1] was an operation by the “action” branch of the French foreign intelligence services, the Direction Générale de la Sécurité Extérieure (DGSE), carried out on July 10, 1985. It aimed to sink the flagship of the Greenpeace fleet, the Rainbow Warrior in the port of Auckland, New Zealand, to prevent her from interfering in a nuclear test in Moruroa. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sinking_of_the_Rainbow_Warrior
Explaining the Bee Decline: Leaked Documents Say EPA Knowingly Allowed Bee-Killing Pesticide
The world honey bee population has plunged in recent years, worrying beekeepers and farmers who know how critical bee pollination is for many crops. A number of theories have popped up as to why the North American honey bee population has declined–electromagnetic radiation, malnutrition, and climate change have all been pinpointed. Now a leaked EPA document reveals that the agency allowed the widespread use of a bee-toxic pesticide, despite warnings from EPA scientists.
The document, which was leaked to a Colorado beekeeper, shows that the EPA has ignored warnings about the use of clothianidin, a pesticide produced by Bayer that mainly is used to pre-treat corn seeds. The pesticide scooped up $262 million in sales in 2009 by farmers, who also use the substance on canola, soy, sugar beets, sunflowers, and wheat, according to Grist.
The leaked document (PDF) was put out in response to Bayer’s request to approve use of the pesticide on cotton and mustard. The document invalidates a prior Bayer study that justified the registration of clothianidin on the basis of its safety to honeybees:
Clothianidin’s major risk concern is to nontarget insects (that is, honey bees). Clothianidin is a neonicotinoid insecticide that is both persistent and systemic. Acute toxicity studies to honey bees show that clothianidin is highly toxic on both a contact and an oral basis. Although EFED does not conduct RQ based risk assessments on non-target insects, information from standard tests and field studies, as well as incident reports involving other neonicotinoids insecticides (e.g., imidacloprid) suggest the potential for long-term toxic risk to honey bees and other beneficial insects.
http://shatterlimits.com/explaining-the-bee-decline-leaked-documents-say-epa-knowingly-used-bee-killing-pesticide/
How to fuck up Society without Climate Change
BPA
Toxic Money: Carcinogenic BPA Found in 95% of Paper Money
EU to Ban Bisphenol A in Baby Bottles in 2011
Even Glass Jars Can Contain Toxic BPA Due to Lid Lining
Major Producers to Ditch BPA from Packaging as Consumers Become Aware of Risks
Mainstream Media Now Begins Reporting on BPA Dangers After Denying Previous Evidence
BPA Found in Plastics Wreaks Havoc on Sperm Health
Many Plastics Found to Contain Other Harmful Chemicals Besides BPA
Invisible Toxicity: BPA Endangers Health of Millions Worldwide on Daily Basis
Recipe for High Exposure to BPA: Canned Vegetables, Cigarettes and a Cashier Job
Canada Officially Labels BPA Chemical as “Toxic”
High Levels of BPA Found in Some Women as a Result of Cash Register Receipts
Human Exposure to BPA Grossly Underestimated
BPA and Common Chemical Linked to Obesity
BPA Leaches into Food Through Cans
Harvard Study Finds Bisphenol A in Dental Fillings and Sealants, Media Spin Begins
Corn-Based Ingredient Could Replace BPA in Plastics
Corn-Based Ingredient Could Replace BPA in Plastics
Canadian People Loaded with BPA
Gender-Bending Chemical Detected in 91 Percent of Canadians
Male Fertility Suffers from BPA
Puberty in Girls Hastened by Harmful Chemicals
40% of Receipts Found to Be Toxic
Living a Disease Free Life: Solutions to Daily Health Risks that Lead to Disease
Chemicals Like Bisphenol A Found on Receipts are a Danger to Male Hormone Levels
NRDC Sues FDA to Halt Harmful BPA Chemical in Food Packaging
Girls Now Begin Puberty Aged 9
http://shatterlimits.com/tag/bpa/
Small Government + Lack of Regulation =
Radioactive Smoke: A Dangerous Isotope Lurks in Cigarettes
The tobacco industry has known for decades how to remove a dangerous isotope from cigarettes but has done nothing about it. The government now has the power to force a change
In November 2006 former KGB operative Alexander Litvinenko died in a London hospital in what had all the hallmarks of a cold war–style assassination. Despite the intrigue surrounding Litvinenko’s death, the poison that killed him, a rare radioactive isotope called polonium 210, is far more widespread than many of us realize: people worldwide smoke almost six trillion cigarettes a year, and each one delivers a small amount of polonium 210 to the lungs. Puff by puff, the poison builds up to the equivalent radiation dosage of 300 chest x-rays a year for a person who smokes one and a half packs a day.
Although polonium may not be the primary carcinogen in cigarette smoke, it may nonetheless cause thousands of deaths a year in the U.S. alone. And what sets polonium apart is that these deaths could be avoided with simple measures. The tobacco industry has known about polonium in cigarettes for nearly 50 years. By searching through internal tobacco industry documents, I have discovered that manufacturers even devised processes that would dramatically cut down the isotope’s concentrations in cigarette smoke. But Big Tobacco consciously decided to do nothing and to keep its research secret. In consequence, cigarettes still contain as much polonium today as they did half a century ago. http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=radioactive-smoke
Video: NASA How Hard Are We Pushing The Land?
We may be becoming an ever more technologically advanced society, but we remain as dependent as ever — if not more and more so — on the natural world that surrounds us.
That is one takeaway from new NASA research that has found humans are using an increasing amount of the Earth’s total land plant production each year for food, fiber, building and packaging materials and biofuels.
his global map shows total consumption by region of photosynthetic plant material as a percentage of the plant material grown by region. Scientists call the plant “supply” net primary production, or NPP, and refer to the “demand” as Human Appropriation of Net Primary Production (HANPP). (Credit: Trent Schindler, Scientific Visualization Studio, NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center)
› Larger image
This remains a young data record, as one of the first global measurements tied to satellite data was published in 2004. That baseline-setting measurement was for the year 1995, when humans needed 20 percent of all plant growth for our various products. But the early returns are in, and despite uncertainties in the measurement, the signal is headed in a clear direction: up. From 1995 to 2005, global annual plant consumption rose from 20 percent to 25 percent of all plant production in those years.
As the human population continues to grow and more societies develop modern economies, this rate of consumption is increasing both as a whole and on a per capita basis globally, a NASA research group led by Marc Imhoff at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md., has found.
http://www.nasa.gov/topics/earth/features/carbon-capacity.html
China clouded in cigarette smoke
Beijing (CNN) — When I first came to China 39 years ago, airlines distributed cigarettes free of charge during flights. Hotel rooms were invariably furnished with free packs of cigarettes. At meetings and conferences, filter-tipped cigarettes were standard features on the podium alongside writing pads, pencils and ashtrays. Non-smoking cars were unheard of on trains.
Today, smoking remains a stubborn habit because it is an integral part of Chinese social life. Offering a cigarette is a common way to greet someone, a handy ice-breaker especially in awkward situations (I myself used to do that until I quit smoking 30 years ago).
More than 300 million people in China are regular smokers, most of them men, according to the Global Adult Tobacco Survey conducted in 2009-2010. Increasingly, large numbers of women and teenagers have also taken up the habit.
Smoking is estimated to kill more than one million Chinese a year. They die from chronic respiratory ailments like tuberculosis and emphysema, and from cancers affecting the lungs, mouth, liver and stomach.
Another report by Chinese and international experts led by China CDC deputy director Yang Gonghuan and Tsinghua professor Hu Angang projects that the deaths attributable to tobacco in China will rise to 3.5 million per year by 2030. http://edition.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/asiapcf/01/07/florcruz.china.smokers/
paulm #29, the BBC has not ‘..failed its mandate..’, not its real mandate, which is to serve as a propaganda organ brainwashing the British and global publics to the benefit of our neo-feudal rulers. That mandate the BBC slavishly follows, in every story. And the masters, for numerous reasons, do not wish the public to realise just how far down the road to perdition we have traveled.
Australia’s flood damage may take years to repair http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zdaMEfZUTI4&feature=player_embedded#!
Rockhampton prepares for more rain
Rockhampton has been drenched for weeks but there is more rain is on the way, with up to 50 millimetres of rain expected over the weekend.
Many locals thought the end was in sight when the Fitzroy River peaked, but further rain is frustrating efforts to repair the damage and putting even more pressure on the city’s already strained emergency services.
Rockhampton Mayor Brad Carter says his city is in recovery mode, but he says he cannot even begin to calculate how much the damage will cost.
Hundreds of homes have been damaged while farms and businesses are also suffering. http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2011/01/07/3108099.htm?section=justin
Australia floods: It’s like living in the middle of an ocean
The storms, cyclones and flooding are the latest examples of extreme weather to hit Australia, the driest inhabited continent on Earth, which is considered to be highly vulnerable to climate change. While Australians are the largest per capita carbon emitters on the globe, political debate over how to deal with global warming stalled last year after the then prime minister, Kevin Rudd, failed to push his carbon trading scheme through parliament. His successor, Julia Gillard, has since pledged to put a price on carbon, but faces strong opposition from Tony Abbott, the leader of the conservative Liberal-National coalition, who once said that climate change was “absolute crap”. However, the soaring cost of the floods – already estimated at $1 billion – could restart the discussion. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/australiaandthepacific/australia/8237656/Australia-floods-Its-like-living-in-the-middle-of-an-ocean.html
CNN FAIL
Flooding in Australia fueled by cyclone, La Nina
It is also unclear whether or not El Ninos and La Ninas are becoming more or less frequent in a changing climate, or if the intensity is at all affected by climate change.
It stands to reason that a warmer climate would lead to warmer ocean temperatures, thus enhancing the rainfall brought about by El Nino/La Nina even further. http://edition.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/asiapcf/01/04/australia.flooding.cause/?hpt=C2
La Nina blamed for weather upset, but climate link unclear (Update)
Others say that despite the unknowns, logic dictates that global warming is bound to have an impact on ENSO.
“With a warmer world, one would expect the atmosphere to hold more moisture, so that when it does rain, it is heavier,” said New Zealand specialist Jim Salinger.
“So La Nina rainfall events are expected to be more intense… (although) at this stage, it is not known whether La Nina events will become more frequent.” http://www.physorg.com/news/2011-01-australia-blames-la-nina-epic.html
France probes China link in Renault spy scandal
(Reuters) – French intelligence services are looking into the role China may have played in an industrial espionage scandal at carmaker Renault that a senior minister has said involved “economic warfare,” a government source told Reuters.
The suspension of three Renault executives, including one member of its management committee, has stoked fears about corporate spying and led the French government to warn of an “overall risk” to French industry.
The executives are suspected of leaking information related to the high-profile electric vehicle program, a key plank of the carmaker’s strategy in which, with its Japanese alliance partner Nissan, it is investing billions of euros. http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE70625O20110107
The Renault Plan
Better Place and Renault Delivering 115,000 Electric Cars in 2011
Electric automobile manufacturer Better Place has scored its latest coup: A deal with Renault to deliver 100,000+ electric cars to Danish and Israeli consumers. http://www.fastcompany.com/1709616/better-place-teams-up-with-renault
Incredible image gallery from reuters (from last 24h)
The first image shows a family livelihood floating entirely on water …
http://blogs.reuters.com/fullfocus/2011/01/06/editors-choice/#a=1
US Presidential Commission on BP Oil Spill Lays Blame
Disasters like the explosion of the Deepwater Horizon rig could happen again without significant reform, according to the conclusions of a U.S. presidential panel. http://www.newslook.com/videos/280502-us-presidential-commission-on-bp-oil-spill-lays-blame?autoplay=true
We should hold Boehner hostage until he cries over those killed and the damage done…
Around here no till eliminates at least three trips per year around the fields with the tractor. Saves lotsa diesel.
Dhogaza, Thank you for defending the desert.
I find myself caught in the middle of this issue, as I support some concentrated solar in the desert in appropriate places while many desert conservationists want absolutely no solar plants or new powerlines. Anywhere.
Part of the problem lies with the Bureau of Land Management encouraging energy companies to submit proposals on lands that never should have been considered suitable for development to begin with. So we have companies spending millions of dollars to meet federal deadlines for subsidies on projects that conservation groups will sue to stop. And rightfully so.
Too many people think our North American deserts are wastelands where we can park nuclear waste, coal-fired power plants (at least in the past), huge municipal dumps, and now unlimited renewable energy schemes.
Mike Roddy: could you identify any of the “local astroturf green groups” you claim falsify information? I have been working to protect California’s wildlands for more than 40 years, and I certainly can’t think of any astroturf groups working to stop energy projects in the desert.
And since you mention Ivanpah Valley, please check out the photos at http://www.basinandrangewatch.org/Ivanpah-Wildflowers.html
Our deserts are alive and diverse. Yes, our climate change crisis will require some areas to be developed, but shouldn’t we start with lands we already have screwed up (military bases and failed agricultural projects come to mind)?
A local private school decides to take action.
It just makes sense to put solar panels on the
roof of the school and now they have it.
Millhopper Montessori in Gainesville Fl.