NOAA’s National Climatic Data Center reports today that this January to August is the warmest year-to-date on record for the contiguous United States. As Climate Central shows in this chart, the U.S. will easily beat the previous record warm year, 1998 — unless the rest of the year is unusually cold:

Graphic illustrating temperature anomalies for some of the warmest years on record in the U.S., and how much cooler than average the September through December period would need to be to avoid setting a record for the warmest year. Credit: Climate Central/NCDC.

Climate Central notes “according to The Weather Channel, taking only the years since World War II, the odds of not surpassing the warmest year are just 7 percent.” But that estimate, of course, downplays the effect on the odds of the recent manmade warming.

Finally, January through December is a somewhat arbitrary demarcation. We already blew past the record for warmest 12-months period in August, as NCDC shows in this chart:

The August 2011-July 2012 temperature beat the previous pre-2012 record by over half a degree Fahrenheit!

Of course, if we keep doing nothing about human-caused greenhouse gas emissions, these records will be broken on an increasingly frequent basis — see Our hellish future: Definitive NOAA-led report on U.S. climate impacts warns of scorching 9 to 11°F warming over most of inland U.S. by 2090 with Kansas above 90°F some 120 days a year — and that isn’t the worst case, it’s business as usual!

And for those who actually care about future generations, there is every reason to believe that the Earth would just keep getting hotter and hotter:

• Science stunner — On our current emissions path, CO2 levels in 2100 will hit levels last seen when the Earth was 29°F (16°C) hotter:  Paleoclimate data suggests CO2 “may have at least twice the effect on global temperatures than currently projected by computer models.”

by Ronnie Citron-Fink

The year I graduated high school and drove a beat-up orange Datsun over the George Washington Bridge to discover a brave new world — college — was the same year the image above was shot.

Across the country, images like this one became the environmental story that was sure to define our future. In this toxic soup of pollution that ranged from horrific air quality mirrored in the scene above, to chemically polluted waterways, some of which were sickeningly catching on fire; environmental consciousness was born.

In a collective, bipartisan roar that transcended politics (as it hit home for everyone — legislators and their constituents), it was concluded that our environment was dying a rapidly polluted death.

Don’t Go Backwards

I was reminded of this scene when I learned it was Pollution Protection Week. This week highlights the efforts of the EPA, its partners, and the public in making pollution prevention a cornerstone of sustainability. This realization became America’s official policy in 1990 with the Federal Pollution Prevention Act’s declaration that, “Pollution should be prevented or reduced at its source, whenever possible.”

Let’s go back and take a closer look…

What Has the EPA Done for Us?

The EPA was established on December 2, 1970. Since is inception, the EPA has been working to protect the health and well-being of Americans. But government agencies often bear the brunt of political bashing. Sometimes warranted. Sometimes not. Either way, at this point in time, when there are so many important regulations on the chopping block and a presidential election looming, it’s valuable to revisit why we must protect the EPA.

The Facts:

Read more

Click on the image below to begin an interactive quiz created by Franke James, an artist who blends visual storytelling and science to inspire people to take action. (Click “Start Quiz” at the bottom of the post upon continuation).

Read more

The future of wind tax credits is still tied up in Congress as the clock runs down to extend the production tax credit for wind (PTC) expiring at the end of the year. This week, 47 House Republicans urged House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) to let them expire.

Although GOP districts hold 81 percent of the nation’s wind power capacity, Republicans are deeply split on investing in wind (Mitt Romney, for example, drew criticism from fellow Republicans for opposing the PTC). Boehner’s home state supports up to 6,000 wind jobs.

The GOP remains less divided on issues favoring Big Oil.

Of the 47 Republicans asking Boehner to end the wind investments, 46 voted in March 2011 against closing tax loopholes that let Big Oil collect $4 billion in annual subsidies. The one outlier, GOP Rep. Richard Hanna, was a no-vote that day. According to OpenSecrets, these representatives have received a total $2.2 million from the oil and gas industry, in an election cycle where Republicans have collected 89 percent of the oil industry’s contributions. Republicans have maintained these tax breaks are “essential” to an industry posting record-breaking profits.

Yet their letter claims wind is too expensive for investment. An excerpt reads:

Today, when the U.S. is more than $15 trillion in debt and borrowing $0.40 of every dollar it spends, we cannot afford to borrow money to subsidize the operations of a politically preferred technology. In the case of wind, doing so would not only be costly to taxpayers but ultimately would hurt consumers by distorting energy markets.”

The letter’s arguments echoes Americans for Prosperity’s campaign to end PTC. The Koch-funded organization called wind tax credits “deplorable.”

The PTC allots wind farms to draw on the 2.2 cents per kilowatt hour of electricity they produce in the first decade of operation. The Associated Press recently compared wind investments to government support of shale gas, which existed for decades before today’s natural gas boom. The oil and gas industry has long taken advantage of these and other tax breaks — fought for and maintained by Republican allies — that outnumbered federal support for renewables in the first 15 years of available subsidies.

by Kiley Kroh

Total SA, the fourth largest publicly traded oil and gas company in the world, has become the first major oil producer to admit that offshore drilling in Arctic waters is a risky idea, telling the Financial Times yesterday that such operations could be a “disaster,” and warning other companies against drilling in the region.

The company’s CEO, Christophe de Margerie, said the risk of a potentially devastating oil spill was too high and that “a leak would do too much damage to the image of the company.” His note of caution marks the first time a major oil company has spoken out publicly against offshore exploration in the remote and fragile region.

Total’s message to a growing list of influential voices publicly expressing their opposition to offshore drilling in the Arctic Ocean.

• Last week a British parliamentary committee called for a halt to drilling in the Arctic Ocean until necessary steps are taken to protect the region from the potentially catastrophic consequences of an oil spill.  “The shocking speed at which the Arctic sea ice is melting should be a wake-up call to the world that we need to phase out fossil fuels fast,” said committee chair Joan Walley MP. “Instead we are witnessing a reckless gold rush in this pristine wilderness as big companies and governments make a grab for the world’s last untapped oil and gas reserves.”
• German bank WestLB announced it would not provide financing to any offshore oil or gas drilling in the region, saying the “risks and costs are simply too high.”
• Insurance giant Lloyd’s of London issued a report warning that responding to an oil spill in a region that is “highly sensitive to damage” would present “multiple obstacles, which together constitute a unique and hard-to-manage risk.”

After spending nearly $4.5 billion and over five years pursuing exploratory drilling off Alaska’s northern coast, Shell Oil announced earlier this month that it would be forced to postpone exploratory drilling until next year after a series of mishaps with equipment and unpredictable sea ice in the region. But the debate is far from over. The company plans to use the remainder of the season drilling preparatory wells in order to resume exploratory operations as quickly as possible in 2013.

Though Total plans to continue with its natural gas ventures in the Arctic, saying gas leaks are easier to contain than oil spills, de Margerie’s warning should not be taken lightly. In addition to severe and unpredictable weather and the gaps in our scientific knowledge about oil spills there, the region also lacks the basic infrastructure necessary to respond to a disaster.

Watch a short documentary on the lack of infrastructure:

If the challenges posed by the fragile and untested Arctic — coupled with the warnings of major insurers, financiers, and legislative bodies — aren’t enough to hit the pause button on exploratory drilling in the Arctic Ocean, then perhaps a fellow oil company expressing its concern is final proof that the risks are too great to rush into drilling the world’s last unspoiled frontier.

Kiley Kroh is the Associate Director of Ocean Communications at the Center for American Progress.

by Jessica Goad

The National Wildlife Federation has issued a new poll outlining the priorities and opinions of America’s sportsmen (and women).  Conducted by a Republican polling firm, the poll asked hunters and anglers who vote questions about conservation, public lands, energy, and climate change.

One of the most important findings is that 59% of sportsmen agree that “global warming is occurring,” while 69 percent say that we should reduce carbon emissions that are contributing to the problem.

The fact that outdoorsmen — 50 percent of whom identify as conservative — are firmly aware of the changes on our natural resources from global warming makes sense.  As Theodore Roosevelt IV put it:

The nation’s fishermen and hunters are in the frontline of our field naturalists. Doing what they love best they see firsthand the impact of climate change on natural systems and our wildlife.  Their conclusions are based on observations made over years spent in the out of doors.

Sportsmen also strongly value public lands and want to see a balanced energy policy that includes conservation — 88 percent believe that before the government issues oil and gas leases, it should analyze the impact of that energy development on access to and quality of hunting and fishing.

And when asked to compare the use of public lands for recreation as opposed to energy development, they overwhelmingly favor recreation. In total, 49 percent agree with the statement that “Protection of our public lands should be given priority, even at the risk of limiting the amount of energy supplies such as oil, gas and coal that the United States produces.”

The value of protecting special places for sportsmen and women should not be underestimated: 47 percent believe that conservation is just as important as gun rights.

The tension between the use of public lands for hunting and fishing and energy development is a major issue today.  For example, in Wyoming’s Noble Basin in Wyoming, a natural gas company has proposed drilling 136 wells in one of the state’s most wild and important big game hunting areas, causing local sportsmen great concern. Watch a short documentary about the issue here:

Additionally, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service released data last month showing that the number of hunters and anglers is now climbing after “decades of decline.”  Currently 37 million Americans hunt and fish, contributing billions of dollars to the economy every year.

The value of the sportsmen voting block has not been lost on politicians, who take the time to reach out to them. In February, Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney sent a press release announcing support of a “renowned conservationist.”  And Democratic candidate Barack Obama’s campaign website includes a section specifically for sportsmen.

Despite this pandering, it is clear after seeing the results of this poll that if candidates truly seek the sportsmen vote, they would do well to support the policies that this group of people supports — addressing climate change, balancing energy development and conservation, and ensuring that future generations of American sportsmen can enjoy this important component of our heritage.

Jessica is the Manager of Research and Outreach for the Public Lands Project at the Center for American Progress Action Fund.

By 2030, up to 90 percent of the world’s coral reefs will be under threat from fishing, extraction industries, shipping, warming waters, and ocean acidification. This would be an ecological and economic tragedy. Coral reefs make up only 0.1 percent of the total ocean area, but host 25 percent of the world’s marine life — driving fishing industries, tourism and protecting coastal communities from storms.

In an effort to capture these unique ecosystems, Google has unveiled a new “Street View” series that maps parts of the Great Barrier Reef, an ancient boulder coral in the Philippines, and a coral reef in Maui.

Here’s how Google described the project on its blog:

Today we’re adding the very first underwater panoramic images to Google Maps, the next step in our quest to provide people with the most comprehensive, accurate and usable map of the world. With these vibrant and stunning photos you don’t have to be a scuba diver—or even know how to swim—to explore and experience six of the ocean’s most incredible living coral reefs. Now, anyone can become the next virtual Jacques Cousteau and dive with sea turtles, fish and manta rays in Australia, the Philippines and Hawaii.

We’re partnering with The Catlin Seaview Survey, a major scientific study of the world’s reefs, to make these amazing images available to millions of people through the Street View feature of Google Maps. The Catlin Seaview Survey used a specially designed underwater camera, the SVII, to capture these photos.

This is just the first iteration. But the project may spawn entirely new mapping capabilities that will give people another look at our world’s most precious ecosystems — before it’s too late to view them.

You can find all the maps here. Below is a short video showing the mapping interface and the cameras used:

by A. Siegel, via Get Energy Smart!

Arev Yom Kippur … The eve of the Day of Atonement. After the period of reflection and engagement with others between Rosh HaShanah and Yom Kippur, this is a moment to turn to internal considerations and the relationship between the individual and G-d.

As part of the prayers for the Day of Atonement, the Vidui, the Al Cheyt or recital of sins, is perhaps the most important. (Modern Judaism being what it is, there are a myriad of translations and modern variations on the Vidui/Al Chet.) A key word: Ashamnu … “we have sinned” is a recognition of individual and communal failures. The Al Cheyt is a recognition and statement about sins by ourselves (and our community) against others, against oneself, against G-d through action … and inaction.

It is clear: one can do wrong through action and words … and one can do wrong through inaction and silence.

And, there is a silence that bears heavily on the heart at this time: the silence in our political leadership and among too many of us on the damage we are doing to the planetary system, the risks of climate change, and the urgent necessity for meaningful change to change our path toward something that enables sustainable prosperity for humanity.

From a Yom Kippur sermon leading into a Viddui recitation,

This is Yom Kippur. This is a night for confession. So let us be honest. If ever there was a time for candor, this is it. We humans are not good with limits. We are pushing the planet and its animal resources to the limit. We want what we want when we want it. We pretty much take, hunt, fish, and consume until someone or something stops us or until there is no more to be taken.

Do you remember the Viddui we will be reciting in a few minutes? It’s the Confession prayer that lists our sins alphabetically.

a…b…c…

We abuse. We besmirch. We consume. We destroy. We excuse ourselves. We forget the consequences of our actions. We are greedy.

I could continue through the alphabet, and I should go on because, as the saying goes, although religion ought to comfort the afflicted, religion also needs to afflict the comfortable. And we truly do need to be uncomfortable tonight. Remember an alternate name for Yom Kippur is Yom Ha-Din…the Day of Judgment. This night is meant to be a time for severity.

“a time of severity”. We are living in a time of consequences, a time where humanity’s future (and our own, unless you are on your deathbed, futures) require confronting Inconvenient Truth, and acting in this regard.

The individual matters and we need, for Yom Kippur, to judge ourselves with “severity” — to push our own comfortable ways as to whether we ’sin’ and damage and harm unknowingly or knowingly.

We, however, live within a society. And, while each of us has a voice and role in that society, there are leaders. And, we expect leaders to show leadership. Truthfully, there is no such thing as that perfect person (take a look and reflect on the Al Cheyt) nor is there such a thing as a perfect leader. But, we should recognize our own faults and seek to change our patterns. And, we should look to our leaders’ faults and seek to help them change for the better.

Most of all, we cannot afford more of the same timid politics when the future of our planet is at stake. Global warming is not a someday problem, it is now.

Who said this? Senator Barack Obama in 2007.

Where, however, is President Barack Obama and Presidential-candidate Barack Obama in 2012?

There is no question that President Barack Obama is better on environmental and climate issues than a tea-party ruled Mitt Romney conceivably could be. However, this is an incredibly low bar of judgment.

Even though climate change is an arena of incredibly stark differentiation between the parties (and candidates); even though President Obama’s one-liner about climate change was one of the best received lines during his DNC speech; even though “the future of our planet is at stake”, the silence about climate change from Presidential candidate Barack Obama and Vice Presidential candidate Joe Biden is simply deafening.

We sin … we do wrong through action and words. We sin, we do wrong through inaction and silence.

It is past time to end the climate silence.

A. Siegel blogs in the domains of energy and environment at Get Energy Smart! NOW. This piece was reprinted with permission.

Climate change is already contributing to the deaths of nearly 400,000 people a year and costing the world more than $1.2 trillion, wiping 1.6% annually from global GDP, according to a new study. [Guardian]

Air pollution caused by the use of fossil fuels is also separately contributing to the deaths of at least 4.5m people a year, the report found.

The 331-page study, entitled Climate Vulnerability Monitor: A Guide to the Cold Calculus of A Hot Planet and published on Wednesday, was carried out by the DARA group, a non-governmental organisation based in Europe, and the Climate Vulnerable Forum. It was written by more than 50 scientists, economists and policy experts, and commissioned by 20 governments.

By 2030, the researchers estimate, the cost of climate change and air pollution combined will rise to 3.2% of global GDP, with the world’s least developed countries forecast to bear the brunt, suffering losses of up to 11% of their GDP.

Hundreds of thousands of active oil and gas wells go without government inspection in any given year, and fines for regulatory violations are too small to change drilling company behavior, according to an energy watchdog group’s review of regulation and enforcement activities in six states. [Huffington Post]

Duane Braesch’s cornfields are prime evidence of how unforgiving the elements have been for him and so many others across the Midwest this summer. To demonstrate the hardship, the 79-year-old Nebraska farmer let The Associated Press show the world what he’s weathered during the worst U.S. drought in decades. [Associated Press]

Although official drought outlooks failed to provide Americans with advanced notice of one of the worst droughts to strike the U.S. since the Dust Bowl-era — a drought that is still ongoing — there were some computer models that got the forecast right. [Climate Central]

An updated ground and aerial survey indicates about 301 million trees have died in rural Texas because of the 2011 drought. [Associated Press]

For good reason, there has been significant media focus on how a warming sea gobbles up the ice that is polar bear habitat and reduces the area’s capacity to reflect the sun’s rays. But far less attention has been placed on what a naked Arctic Ocean means for its closest neighboring ecosystem: the Arctic tundra. [CNN]

Although leaders around the world, including Obama, have agreed climate change is by far the most serious threat to mankind, it is getting short shrift in the presidential election of the world’s most powerful economy and one of its biggest polluters. [Windsor Star]

Shale gas has jolted traditional roles in the planet’s climate drama, giving cleaner fuel to the United States, whose displaced coal has headed to Europe to pollute the old continent. [Reuters]

Two-thirds of solar panels — 18.5 gigawatts — were installed in Europe last year, a project that totaled roughly $84 billion and grew Europe’s solar photovoltaic industry by an average of more than 40 percent annually. [Huffington Post]