Our morning round-up of the latest in climate and clean energy. More links welcome.
The shadow of inexpensive natural gas hovered over the annual meeting of the Iowa Wind Energy Association in Des Moines on Tuesday. U.S. Rep. Bruce Braley, D-Ia., warned the association that “a war is being waged against renewable energy,” saying that “the oil and gas industry has enormous influence, and there is an increasingly competitive environment on energy legislation in Washington, D.C.” [DesMoines Register]
According to several leading climate scientists and public health researchers, global warming will lead to higher incidence and more intense versions of disease. The direct or indirect effects of global warming might intensify the prevalence of tuberculosis, HIV/AIDS, dengue and Lyme disease, they said, but the threat of increased health risks is likely to further motivate the public to combat global warming. [Yale Daily News]
Plummeting natural-gas prices are pushing U.S. industries into virgin terrain, even beginning to dislodge cheap Western coal from its once-untouchable perch as the nation’s favorite fuel for power production. [Wall Street Journal]
A conservative political action committee is going up with a new television commercial — backed by a $1.7 million ad buy — slamming President Obama’s energy policies. [The Hill]
As horizontal drilling and the controversial extraction technique known as fracking have made domestically produced natural gas more available and sharply cheaper, that gas has been widely embraced by industry, electric utilities and trucking fleets. [New York Times]
A new lab, where technology for the next generation of ground vehicles for the U.S. military will be developed and tested, officially opens today in Warren, as the Obama administration and its Defense Department unveil new programs to promote fuel savings and alternative energy. [Detroit Free Press]
Conservative activists on Tuesday urged Gov. Rick Scott to veto an energy bill pushed by a fellow top Republican, saying the measure violates free market principles by providing tax incentives to solar, wind and biofuel companies. [Palm Beach Post News]
One of the scariest possibilities is that major ocean currents could abruptly stop entirely, plunging areas like Western Europe into an abrupt deep-freeze. It’s happened before, tens of thousands of years ago, and while climate experts doubt that it will happen again anytime soon, they haven’t had especially powerful evidence to back their optimism. But now they do, thanks to a new paper just published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. [Climate Central]
A European Union law that charges airlines for carbon emissions is “a deal-breaker” for global climate change talks, India’s environment minister said, hardening her stance on a scheme that has drawn fierce opposition from non-EU governments. [Reuters]
A team of researchers will begin flights over Bering Sea ice to answer a basic question about four of the region’s most important species: How many ice-dependent seals are out there? [Associated Press]
Previous in TP Climate Progress
Language Intelligence: Lessons on persuasion from Jesus, Shakespeare, Lincoln, and Lady Gaga
Only a lefty could make abundant, clean, domestically produced energy a bad thing.
Projection much, Mr. righty?
The new green shade for the website is a bit intense, IMHO…
ANTARCTIC “BOTTOM WATER”
Although happy to hear about the optimistic assessment in one of these headlines – the one about low likelihood of major disruption to ocean currents – stay tuned for more about implications of the loss of the coldest water in the deepest ocean basins.
All,
Business Insider has a HUGE (and misleading) headline up “49 Former NASA Scientists Send A Letter Disputing Climate Change” on their front and center column. It’s got a lively comment section if anyone has some time this morning to post some actual facts.
http://www.businessinsider.com/#ixzz1rk5EhTfu
A greener air vehicle will support military ops and enable Arctic black oil and gas extraction, though it could be used for other purposes.
Hybrid Air Vehicles (HAVs) are far more fuel efficient than conventional aircraft. They can stay aloft for days and land vertically. HAVs are to be tried out for military surveillance in Afghanistan in late 2012. The Army’s term for one is Long Endurance Multi-intelligence Vehicle (LEMV).
The Hybrid Air Vehicles heavy lift capacity and long range proved attractive to Arctic gas exploration. Discovery Air, which serves Canadian mining activity in the far North, has contracted with HAV for vehicles. The HAVs are intended to move massive pipes and heavy equipment to the remote Arctic.
Sources:
http://www.ingenia.org.uk/ingenia/articles.aspx?index=756
http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/cpquery/?&sid=cp112TtjuH&r_n=sr026.112&dbname=cp112&&sel=TOC_289322&
Meanwhile Russia announced work on an Arctic oil pipeline.
http://www.upi.com/Business_News/Energy-Resources/2012/03/20/Russia-starts-work-on-arctic-oil-pipeline/UPI-72031332243991/
The ‘Doomsday shelter’ being built below Kansas prairie where millionaires will be able to sit out the Apocalypse in style
..global warming, strange weather and disasters are stoking fears.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2127759/Apocalypse-Doomsday-shelter-built-Kansas-prairie.html
The wealthy purchasers must still be thinking that they can personally outlive disasters.
“Hall is also installing an indoor farm to grow enough fish and vegetables to feed 70 people for as long as they need to stay inside and also stockpiling enough dry goods to feed them for five years.”
There absolutely is a war on renewable energy. About time someone says it.
49 Ex NASA employees (including 7 Apollo Astronuts, with denier Schmitty in there as usual) – in a letter organized by the Chairman of Plants need CO2 (fronted by the Coal industry) say NASA has taken an extreme position on climate change blah blah blah.
As the article points out nearly all the folks who signed were not scientists, rather engineers and were nearly all associated with the Manned Spaceflight center in Houston (not the centers involved with climate research).
While obviously a bunch of bunk – it will probably get some press so we should be aware of it.
http://news.nationalpost.com/2012/04/11/nasa-climate-change/