Another Week of GW News, November 4, 2007

By illconsidered on November 5, 2007.

Sipping from the internet firehose...

This weekly posting is brought to you courtesy of H.E.Taylor. Happy reading, I hope you enjoy this week's Global Warming news roundup

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Top Stories, Mexican Floods, Mayors Meeting, Carbon Cycle
Melting Arctic, ICAP, Ocean Sink, California Wildfires
Hurricanes, GHGs, Temperatures, Glaciers, Sea Levels, ENSO, Satellites
Impacts, Rainforests, Corals, Wildfires, Floods & Droughts, Food vs. Biofuel
Mitigation, Transportation, Building, Sequestration, Geoengineering
Journals, Misc. Science
Kyoto-2, Carbon Trade, Carbon Tax, Optimal Carbon Reduction Strategy
Politics, International, Security, Levels of Gov't, America, Britain, Europe, Australia, China, Canada
Ecological Economics, Apocalypso, Lovelock, Media, Books, Video, Courts
Energy, Solar, Coal, Biofuel, Nukes, Efficiency, Cars, Business, Insurance, Carbon Lobby
The Usual, Useful Links
Shameless Self Promotion
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The big story this week has to be the extraordinary flooding in Tabasco, Mexico:

2007/11/04: CNN: Mexico flood toll rises to eight
Death toll rises to eight, authorities say - Health officials warn against epidemics of cholera, other diseases - 900,000 people's homes flooded, damaged or cut off - Weeklong heavy rain overflows rivers, flooding 80 percent of Tabasco state
2007/11/04: ENN: Thousands perched on rooftops in Mexico floods
2007/11/03: CBC: Thousands remain stranded by Mexico floodwaters
2007/11/04: AFP: Hungry Mexico flood victims turn to looting
2007/11/04: SMH: Monster deluge leaves 800,000 homeless
2007/11/02: QuarkSoup: Mexican floods
2007/11/03: AFP: More than a million affected by floods in southern Mexico
2007/11/03: BBC: Mexico head pledges disaster aid
Mexican President Felipe Calderon has pledged the full support of his government to help more than a million people hit by floods in Tabasco state. Mr Calderon said on a visit to Tabasco that the entire air force was involved in shifting supplies to the region where more than 800,000 are homeless. Some 80% of the state is under water in the worst flooding for 50 years. Heavy rain is forecast for the weekend and there are concerns that disease could spread in the murky waters
2007/11/03: Guardian(UK): Million people hit as Mexico flood waters continue to rise -- more rain is forecast
2007/11/03: AP: Hundreds of Thousands Flee Mexico Floods
2007/11/02: ENN: Tens of thousands trapped in Mexico floods
2007/11/02: BBC: Flooding traps 300,000 in Mexico
2007/11/02: CBC: 300,000 stranded by flooding in Mexico - 'Situation is extraordinarily grave,' says president
2007/11/02: AP: Floods in Mexico Strand Thousands
2007/11/02: BBC: Race to save Mexico flood victims
A massive rescue operation is under way in the southern Mexican state of Tabasco after rains caused the worst flooding there in more than 50 years. As many as 700,000 people are believed to be affected by the floods, and almost half that number are thought to be trapped in their homes. Most of the state is under water...
2007/11/01: BBC: Floodwaters swamp Mexican state
Tens of thousands of people have been forced to flee their homes in Mexico where massive floods have swamped much of the south-eastern state of Tabasco. "We have lost 100% of our crops and 70% of the state is under water," Tabasco's governor said. Rescuers have been using boats and helicopters to try to reach people stranded on rooftops
2007/11/01: Guardian(UK): Fears grow for 150,000 people as flood chaos hits Mexico
The US Conference of Mayors went down in Seattle this week:
2007/11/04: SMH: New York set to tax carbon emissions
New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg proposed a national "pollution pricing" plan that would tax companies directly for the greenhouse gases they release. "If you really want to reduce carbon emissions, tax carbon at the source, which would mean at the mine head, at the oil well, whatever," Bloomberg told more than 100 other mayors at a climate summit sponsored by the US Conference of Mayors. Bloomberg suggested a fee of $US15 ($A16.5) for every ton of greenhouse gas companies emit, with the money used to reduce payroll taxes and finance tax credits for companies that reduce their greenhouse gas pollution
2007/11/01: SeattlePI: U.S. mayors meet in Seattle to push for a green revolution
2007/11/02: KSJT: Seattle PI, Times, etc: Those weenie CFL bulbs were just climate change training wheels. Now, Mr. Mayor, for the real work?
2007/11/02: PhysOrg: Clinton, Wal-Mart Push 'Green' Cities
2007/11/02: GristMill: U.S. Mayors Climate Conference: Clinton I - Clinton and Gore, fox and hedgehog
2007/11/02: GristMill: U.S. Mayors Climate Conference: Gore VI - Gore: What we can learn from the ozone hole
2007/11/02: GristMill: U.S. Mayors Climate Conference: Gore V - Gore: Population is one of the causes of climate change, but it's not one of the policy solutions
2007/11/02: GristMill: U.S. Mayors Climate Conference: Gore IV - Gore: no more coal plants without sequestration
2007/11/02: GristMill: U.S. Mayors Climate Conference: Gore III - Gore: It's not Kyoto but its successor that needs political support
2007/11/02: GristMill: U.S. Mayors Climate Conference: Gore II - Gore: carbon credits and offsets a good thing if used responsibly
2007/11/01: GristMill: U.S. Mayors Climate Conference: Gore I - Gore addresses mayors via satellite
2007/11/02: BBC: US mayors meet on climate change
More than 100 US mayors are attending a summit in the western city of Seattle to share and develop policies aimed at tackling climate change. Seattle's own mayor said it was up to individual cities to take on the principles of the Kyoto Protocol, which the US government has not signed up to. "Our federal government has ignored the problem," Greg Nickels said. Seattle says it has exceeded Kyoto goals itself, cutting greenhouse gas emissions to 8% below 1990 levels
2007/10/30: TruthOut: Seattle Reports Milestone in Cutting Emissions
2007/10/30: SeattlePI: Global Warming: Learning by doing
Consider the gathering later this week of U.S. mayors in Seattle to talk about global warming a learning opportunity. When it comes to combating climate change, the mayors are among those who have the best plans and are doing something with their ideas. While containing global warming is likely to require efforts at every level from international to individual, cities have made some of the strongest commitments to change. Seattle's Greg Nickels has had an impressive role leading the U.S. mayors' efforts. While we wish that Congress and President Bush would bestir themselves to appropriately strong action against global warming, we have to lean heavily on cities, counties and states
2007/10/29: SeattlePI: City beats its goal, but auto emissions still are growing - It's now residents' turn to reduce our carbon footprint
2007/10/30: STimes: Seattle reports milestone in cutting emissions
Seattle is one of the first major U.S. cities to claim it has cut greenhouse-gas emissions enough to meet the targets of the international Kyoto treaty aimed at combating global warming. The achievement, at a time when the city has enjoyed a boom in population and jobs, sets Seattle apart both from the nation as a whole and other cities that have seen greenhouse gases soar in recent years

Low Key Plug

My first novel Water was published in Canada May, 2007. The American release is coming up in October. An Introductionto the novel is available, along with the Unpublished Forewordand the Launch Talk. An overview of my writing is available here.

-het

P.S. Recent postings can be found in the week archive and the ancient postings can be accessed here, which should open to this.

"Action is the best antidote to despair." -Joan Baez

Last modified November 4, 2007

Another Week of GW News, November 4, 2007

Sipping from the internet firehose...

The big story this week has to be the extraordinary flooding in Tabasco, Mexico:

The US Conference of Mayors went down in Seattle this week:

A paper on the carbon cycle in the boreal forest raised a few eyebrows:

The Arctic melt continues to get a lot of attention:

The International Carbon Action Partnership held their first meeting in Spain:

Late comment on Canadella & the ocean carbon sink:

Late comment on the Southern California wildfires:

Noel raised a ruckus in the Caribbean and up the east coast:

Meanwhile GHGs are still going up:

As for the temperature record:

While on the ENSO front:

Glaciers are melting:

Sea levels are rising:

Meanwhile in near earth orbit:

More GW impacts are being seen:

And then there are the tropical rainforests:

Corals are dying:

As for heatwaves and wild fires:

And speaking of floods & droughts:

The conflict between biofuel and food persists:

And the troubling matter of falling food production is not going away:

Elsewhere on the mitigation front:

Consider transportation & GHG production:

While in the endless quest for sustainable building codes:

As for carbon sequestration:

Large scale geo-engineering keeps popping up:

Meanwhile in the journals:

Before we get into politics, there was some science done:

Meanwhile on the Kyoto-2 front:

And on the carbon trading front:

The idea of a carbon tax is still bouncing around:

The debate over the optimal strategy [carbon trading, carbon offsets and/or a carbon tax] to use in dealing with GHGs continues:

Meanwhile on the international political front:

It looks like the GW & security theory will get a major airing next week:

This pattern is common in several jurisdictions -- national governments refuse to act, so lover levels try to take over their responsibilities:

And on the American political front:

The Warner-Lieberman bill is inching toward it's veto:

The 2008 campaign is not making much climate news:

Late comment on the Whitehouse censoring CDC testimony:

The Gore-apalooza is still bopping along:

While in the UK:

Labour introduced a new climate change bill:

I just love it when politicians use this 'black is white' logic:

And in Europe:

Meanwhile in Australia, accusations, innuendo and blarney are flying thick & fast in the Nov 24th federal election campaign:

While in China:

And in Canada, minority neocon PM Harper is still doing as little as possible:

It looks like the BC green plan is a work in progress:

The tricky question of the tar sands looms:

The movement toward a long term ecologically viable economics is glacial:

Apocalypso anyone?

James Lovelock has a fan club:

As for how the media handles the science of climatology:

Here is something for your library:

And for your film & video enjoyment:

Meanwhile among the 'Sue the Bastards!' contingent:

Wrestling over a new energy infrastructure continues unabated:

Meanwhile among the solar afficianados:

The arithmetic of coal carbon is striking home:

Biofuel bickering abounds:

The nuclear energy controversy continues:

Yes we have a peak oil sighting:

And then there is the matter of efficiency & conservation:

Automakers & lawyers, engineers & activists argue over the future of the car:

Meanwhile in the greenwashing chronicles:

Insurance and re-insurance companies are feeling the heat:

The carbon lobby are up to the usual:

Then there was the usual news and commentary:

And here are a couple of sites you may find interesting and/or useful:

Low Key Plug

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