Other stories below: A Tour of the New Geopolitics of Global Warming
Photo: RJ Sangosti, The Denver Post
98% of Colorado in a drought, say climatologists
Scarred by destructive wildfires and an arid March, Colorado needs a cold, wet shot of moisture. State water managers are begging for it. They are already eyeing dwindling snowpacks and wondering whether water restrictions should be clamped on the state’s towns and cities as warm temperatures persist. “This always makes us nervous,” said Aurora Water spokesman Greg Baker.
Many reservoir levels are actually in better shape than they were in 2002 — Colorado’s last significant drought year, Baker said. But Baker said he worries that a hot, dry 2012 would drain reservoirs and other water sources so much that not much could be left for 2013.
“It’s really next year we are concerned about,” he said. “We need the water — every little bit helps.”
Denver Water gets about half of its supply from the Colorado River and half from the South Platte River, and snowpack levels in both basins are very low. According to the Natural Resources Conservation Service, both basins are at about half their typical averages for this time of year.
Back in August, when General Motors began rolling out its tiny $14,000 Chevy Sonic from its retooled factory in Lake Orion, Mich., analysts were nervous.
The conventional wisdom was that no automaker could make money building a subcompact car in the United States. Toyota couldn’t do it. Honda couldn’t do it. True, GM had struck a deal with its union, the United Auto Workers, to reduce labor costs at the plant by paying 40 percent of the workers an “entry level” wage. And the ultra-light car, which gets 40 miles per gallon, was one of GM’s most innovative. But history was not in its favor.
Half a year later, GM’s gamble on the Sonic — part of the company’s push to develop smaller, more fuel-efficient cars — appears to be paying off. Sales of the Sonic have risen steadily in every month, reaching 8,251 units last month. And on Tuesday, the automaker announced a whopping 12 percent rise in overall vehicle sales for March over the previous year. Nearly half of that increase, the company said, was driven by demand for smaller cars and crossover vehicles that get better than 30 miles per gallon.
Christian climatologist tackles God and global warming at Hardin-Simmons University
In the Book of Revelation, Christian believers are promised, along with the return of Christ, a new heaven and a new earth,
But Christian climatologist Katharine Hayhoe said in an interview Tuesday that until the promise is fulfilled believers in the here and now aren’t excused from tending the planetary garden granted them.
“It may happen any day, but we don’t know when it is,” she said on the topic of Christ’s expected return. So in the meantime?
“Make wise choices,” said Hayhoe. The associate professor of atmospheric sciences at Texas Tech University spoke to Hardin-Simmons University students and others Tuesday on climate change and her role as director of the Climate Science Center at Tech.
A Tour of the New Geopolitics of Global Warming
Energy security and climate change present massive threats to global security, military planners say, with connections and consequences spanning the world.
Some scientists have linked the Arab Spring uprisings to high food prices caused by the failed Russian wheat crop in 2010, a result of an unparalleled heat wave. The predicted effects of climate change are also expected to hit developing nations particularly hard, raising the importance of supporting humanitarian response efforts and infrastructure improvements.
Here’s a look at several geopolitical hotspots that will likely bear the unpredictable and dangerous consequences of climate change and current energy policies.
Connie Hedegaard – ‘Polluter pays’ is the only principle that can limit aviation emissions
Why all the fuss about aviation? Why has Europe passed its own laws to make airlines reduce their CO2 emissions? And why don’t we have international rules for an international sector?
It’s right to ask these questions. The answers are important, too. Since 1997 we have been working to achieve an international agreement in this sector. No one can doubt that this will be the best way forward for this truly international sector.
Despite work and pressure from the EU, states in the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) have not yet agreed on a global solution to limit aviation emissions. No one has fought harder than the EU to find a global solution – and we are still trying to reach agreement.
But one thing the world did manage to agree on back in 2001 was that emissions trading could be a good thing for international aviation. After another three years of fruitless discussions on an international approach, ICAO concluded in 2004 that the most promising approach would instead be for countries and regions to incorporate aviation into their general CO2 trading systems (where they existed) with the ICAO providing guidance.
Titanic today might dodge better but would encounter more icebergs
The Titanic hit an iceberg off the coast of Newfoundland, but it probably didn’t hit one the size of Manhattan.
As oceans warm and global ambient temperatures rise, glaciers in Greenland and ice sheets in the Antarctic are calving bigger and more numerous icebergs. One the size of Manhattan floated free from Greenland in 2010, as seen in this video.
April 15 marks the 100th anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic, which sank after hitting an iceberg on its maiden voyage in 1912. Ships are less likely to hit an iceberg today than they were then – thanks mostly to radar – but as we move into a season of remembrance with the 3D re-release of the global blockbuster film “Titanic” and a number of other commemorative events, it’s important to realize that climate change has made the problem of icebergs clogging sea lanes worse, not better.
Previous in TP Climate Progress
Language Intelligence: Lessons on persuasion from Jesus, Shakespeare, Lincoln, and Lady Gaga
‘Very unusual’ start to tornado season http://usnews.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/04/04/11017358-very-unusual-start-to-tornado-season
Easter snow: Sheffield and South Yorkshire shivers in Arctic blast – VIDEO http://www.thestar.co.uk/news/local/easter-snow-sheffield-and-south-yorkshire-shivers-in-arctic-blast-video-1-4417009
The list of geopolitical hotspots leaves out Pakistan. A nuclear power with the sixth largest population it suffers chronic water and power shortages, its large unemployed young population struggles with constant bouts of crippling food inflation while the government struggles with endemic terrorism.
I think most nations near the equator are at high risk… like Indonesia which like Pakistan has one of the biggest populations on earth. The latest IPCC APX report notes in particular that developing countries have the highest count of GDP lose.
More than 10,000 waterfowl die in drought-related outbreak
At least 10,000 migrating snow geese and other waterfowl have died this spring at drought-plagued Lower Klamath and Tule Lake national wildlife refuges along the Oregon border with California.
In an area that’s increasingly stricken by drought, Cole said something needs to be done to protect the birds, and he warns of a more and larger die-offs in the years to come if the refuges don’t get increased water allocations as promised in a settlement that also includes plans to tear down four dams on the Klamath River.
Cole said cholera kills ducks and geese nearly every year, as the migrating birds congregate on the refuges, which they use as a feeding and resting point on their journey north.
http://www.standard.net/stories/2012/03/30/more-10000-waterfowl-die-drought-related-outbreak
Is this NYT article misleading?
For Owners of Electric and Hybrid Cars, a Cash Payoff Is Years Away http://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/05/business/energy-environment/for-hybrid-and-electric-cars-to-pay-off-owners-must-wait.html
I think they judge FEC fuel efficient cars, not electrics as the headline suggest, correct?
Does It Matter If Electric Car Maker Fisker Fails?
Tesla and new fuel-economy standards have already jump-started battery-powered vehicles. http://www.technologyreview.com/blog/energy/27699/?p1=A3
Nissan exec: Electric cars will succeed in U.S.
Ghosn says $4-a-gallon gasoline will help sales of Leaf http://www.marketwatch.com/story/nissan-exec-electric-cars-will-succeed-in-us-2012-04-04?reflink=MW_news_stmp
Mobility scooters becoming ‘credit crunch runabouts’ http://ecarvolution.com/item/mobility-scooters-becoming-credit-crunch-runabouts.html
Mass Die-Offs
3,000 Dolphins Found Dead On Peruvian Beaches In 2012 (VIDEO)
One theory is that powerful waves caused by oil exploration ships could have resulted in internal damage for the mammals, Carlos Yaipen Llanos, science director of the marine mammal rescue group Organización Científica para Conservación de Animales Acuáticos (ORCA), told the Peruvian news source, according to Discovery News.
The first hundred dolphins washed up on the shores in February. At that time, some hypothesized they had consumed toxic fish, though testing was unable to confirm this was the case.
Yaipen Llanos told MSNBC he believes acoustic testing produced a “sonic blast” which caused internal bleeding and loss of equilibrium for the dolphins, though he has “no definitive evidence” of this.
“It is a horrifying thought that these dolphins would die in agony over a prolonged period if they were impacted by sonic blast,” Hardy Johns, head of the conservation group BlueVoice.org, said in an statement obtained by MSNBC.
According to the Associated Press, the U.S. has paused similar acoustic testing for fear that it was having a fatal impact on the dolphin population.
In addition to the dolphins, MSNBC reported thousands of anchovies have also been found dead on Peruvian beaches. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/04/04/3000-dolphins-dead-peru-beach_n_1403041.html?ref=green
Germany’s Far-Right Turns to Environmentalism http://www.spiegel.de/international/zeitgeist/0,1518,825564,00.html
I would be very cautious with German environmentalism as well as government released information.
There is some not so kosher stuff, irregularity of information release and very strange bedfellows there.
Particularity within banking environmentalism and energy.
Can you please be more specific, maybe an article link? I know about some irregularities, but generalizations about banks and environment are not very helpful. For instance Deutsche Bank done great risk assessment and there are several banks, which particular specialized with financing sustainable projects, such as Umweltbank.de or Triodos Bank.
Its also the way things there seem to be interconnected that shouldnt except on a open and reasonable level – like banking, energy, politics government and scinece.
Of course im bitter about the nuclear thing and trhe whole inefficient way they went about solar but here is my sourced spiel on on the German anti nuke/NG thing and Gerhard Schröder.( http://diseaseclimate.blogspot.com/2012/03/natural-gas-bridge-end-of-beginning-or.html )
Then numbers like emissions and power generation by type are rather sparse this year after being released by many organizations last year. Also wasted energy / surplus Ive had a lot of trouble tracking down as well as imports and carbon trading information.
There was also the whole thing when Germany suggested Greece go into receivership on its dept and lose sovereignty as a nation – that rubbed me the wrong way. Especially after I felt they encouraged heavy spending and borrowing in Europe.
Oh, well that pipeline and Schröder /Fischer’s energy cooperation with russianare a real bummer. But times changed a bit, there are new people and it was shown that the russian connection is not reliable.
Russia cuts gas export to Germany/Europe because it needs his gas for home heating
So we learnd something very important: no gas / oil for export when it is very cold in Russia! http://peakoil.com/forums/russia-cuts-gas-export-to-germany-t64141.html
Yea at least they are acting like the big lab we should be running in this country and as the nuclear thing was irritating and cant be allowed to be repeated anywhere IMHO at least its motivating them to develop more base load like renewable tech all the faster.
But even if they left their nuclear in place and despite the hype they are still going too slow. From 2010:
“In 2010, gross power output was as follows: 42.4% from coal (of which 23.7% was from lignite and 18.7 % from hard coal), 22.6 % from nuclear, 13.6 % from natural gas, 16.5 % from renewable energy sources and 4.9% from other sources. This means that hard coal and lignite, as well as nuclear energy, are the mainstays of the German power industry.” ( http://www.euracoal.be/pages/layout1sp.php?idpage=72 )
Just for giggles I checked the LNG shipping scene there are about 375 tanker ships with about 50 more coming on line in the next few years. The US uses about 23 ships worth a day.
Regasification/liquefaction/port capacity in the US is growing by leaps and bounds with 2013 slated for a huge increase – over double what was added this year.
I doubt Europe will depend on so much on Russia ever again. Germany has huge underground storage capacity.
The energy secretary is BIG on NG exports and wall street is salivating.
Refs-
GOOD CHART OF SHIPS IN USE AND NEW ONES =>
( http://shipbuildinghistory.com/today/highvalueships/lngactivefleet.htm )
( http://www.ogj.com/articles/print/vol-110/issue-4/special-report-offshore-petroleum/lng-update-shale-east-africa.html )
( http://www.oilvoice.com/n/How_exporting_LNG_could_bring_serious_wealth_to_the_US/25638f773831.aspx )
Bankruptcies Have German Solar on the Ropes http://www.spiegel.de/international/business/0,1518,825490,00.html
The German solar industry is at a turning point. The bankruptcy of Q-Cells this week shows that the days of German solar cell production are numbered. Asian competitors took the lead years ago, and German government subsidies were part of the problem.
Ampera Wins 2012 Monte Carlo Rally http://ecarvolution.com/item/ampera-wins-2012-monte-carlo-rally.html
and the frackers have just outbid the farmers for water, make ya proud, (but hungry)
80 electric days – first world round trip race
http://ecarvolution.com/item/80-electric-days-first-world-round-trip-race.html
Currently in progress and more teams joining in..
Right Wing Volt Flip-Flop? Now It’s An Energy Security Hero! (Video) http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1074771_right-wing-volt-flip-flop-now-its-an-energy-security-hero-video
Henrik Fisker speaks about his sustainable philosophy at recent New York car show event http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EvmAOctN0vw&feature=youtu.be&a
Tune in at around minute 10:00..