Another Week of GW News, April 19, 2009

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Another week of Climate Disruption News

April 19, 2009

• Chuckle, Top Stories:Rapid Sea Level Rise, Endangerment Finding, Red River Flooding
• Melting Arctic, Arctic Geopolitics, Antarctica, Cash4Clunkers, Aerosols, Grumbine, Copenhagen Survey
• Food Crisis, Food vs. Biofuel, Food Production
• Hurricanes, GHGs, Temperatures, ENSO, Sea Levels, Satellites
• Impacts, Forests, Corals, Climate Refugees, Wildfires, Floods & Droughts
• Mitigation, Transportation, Buildings, Sequestration, Geoengineering
• Journals, Misc. Science
• Kyoto, Kyoto-2, Carbon Trade, Carbon Tax, Optimal Carbon Reduction Strategy
• Politics:International, Security, America, Obama, Britain, Europe, Australia, New Zealand, India, Brazil, Canada
• Ecological Economics, IPAT, Apocalypso, Media, Video
• Energy, SPS, Wind, Solar, Coal, Biofuel, Nukes, Peak Oil, Grid, Cars, Business, Greenwashing, Romm Lists
• Carbon Lobby, Miscellaneous Climate, Useful Links
• Shameless Self Promotion, .sig

It's always nice to start with a chuckle:

• 2009/04/18: TI:CF: (cartoon - Roberts) Industry Exhales
• 2009/04/17: TI:CF: (cartoon - Roberts) When Fixes Need Fixing?
• 2009/04/16: TI:CF: (cartoon - Roberts) Any Questions?
• 2009/04/14: TI:CF: (cartoon - Roberts) Deep Cover

  A disconcerting paper in Nature reports that sea level rise could happen a lot faster than previously realized:

• 2009/04/16: Nature: [Letter $] Rapid sea-level rise and reef back-stepping at the close of the last interglacial highstand by Paul Blanchon et al.
• 2009/04/16: OTF: The Sea Level Rise Mystery
• 2009/04/16: Nature: Ancient seas 'rose fast'
• 2009/04/16: NatureCF: Sea-level rise: Greetings from Yucatán
• 2009/04/16: ABC(Au): A new study of prehistoric coral reefs has found that global warming could lead to a much more drastic rise in sea levels than previously estimated
• 2009/04/16: KSJT: Lots of ink: New evidence for rapidly rising seas
• 2009/04/16: DM:CCM: Sea Level Rise at 20 Inches Per Decade?
• 2009/04/16: ENN: New warning over 'catastrophic' sea level rise, scientists claim
• 2009/04/15: BBerg: 'Catastrophic' Sea-Level Rise Possible, Reef Reveals
• 2009/04/15: CBC: Climate change can boost sea level suddenly, fossil record shows
• 2009/04/15: ClimateP: Nature sea level rise shocker: Coral fossils suggest "catastrophic increase of more than 5 centimetres per year over a 50-year stretch is possible." Lead author warns, "This could happen again."
• 2009/04/15: DotEarth: Do Old Corals Hint at a Fast Sea Rise?
• 2009/04/15: PhysOrg: Catastrophic sea levels 'distinct possibility' this century: study
  A breakthrough study of fluctuations in sea levels the last time Earth was between ice ages, as it is now, shows that oceans rose some three meters in only decades due to collapsing ice sheets. The findings suggest that such an scenario -- which would redraw coastlines worldwide and unleash colossal human misery -- is "now a distinct possibility within the next 100 years," said lead researcher Paul Blanchon, a geoscientist at Mexico's National University.

With the Senate having closed the door on passing climate legislation by reconciliation, Obama has exercised another option:

• 2009/04/19: JQuiggin: Good news from the EPA
• 2009/04/19: CrTimber: Good news from the EPA
• 2009/04/19: BCLSB: The EPA Moves To Regulate CO2
• 2009/04/18: ClimateP: New York Times and Washington Post confuse public with coverage of EPA endangerment finding
• 2009/04/18: ABC(Au): US moves to regulate carbon emissions
• 2009/04/18: DotEarth: CO2 = Pollution. Now What?
• 2009/04/17: WarmingLaw: A Big Day for Global Warming [EPA CO2]
• 2009/04/18: OilDrum: EPA Ruling and Where We are Headed
• 2009/04/17: AutoBG: Auto Alliance responds to EPA's CO2 warning
  Today's EPA's decision to put CO2 on the list of greenhouse gases that endanger human health sets up a totally predictable confrontation with the Auto Alliance. The reason is that if CO2 can be regulated, then there is the potential for individual states (i.e., California) to enact their own greenhouse gas regulations. This, of course, could result in the Alliance's dreaded "patchwork" situation.
• 2009/04/17: CleanBreak: U.S. EPA declares CO2 a "threat to public health"
• 2009/04/18: ENN: EPA Finds Greenhouse Gases Pose Threat to Public Health, Welfare / Proposed Finding Comes in Response to 2007 Supreme Court Ruling
• 2009/04/17: CBC: Greenhouse gases bad for health: U.S. agency
  Cars, power plants and factories in the United States could all soon face much tougher pollution limits after a government declaration Friday set the stage for the first federal regulation of gases blamed for global warming. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency took a big step in that direction, concluding that carbon dioxide and five other greenhouse gases are a major hazard to Americans' health.
• 2009/04/17: CSM: Carbon emissions pose danger, EPA finds -- Agency's move lays the foundation for expanding US regulation of thousands of companies
• 2009/04/17: CNN: Greenhouse gases pose health hazard, EPA says
  EPA official says "concentrations of these gases are at unprecedented levels" - Environmentalists say announcement is important step in reduction efforts - Critic: Finding may help destroy jobs, raise energy prices, cut U.S. competitiveness - The House is will begin discussing the American Clean Energy and Security Act
• 2009/04/17: UNDispatch: U.S. EPA submits findings on GHGs
• 2009/04/17: NatureN: US environment agency declares greenhouse gases a threat -- Decision paves the way for climate regulation by the Obama administration
• 2009/04/17: ClimateP: EPA finds carbon pollution a serious danger to Americans' health and welfare requiring regulation
• 2009/04/17: ClimateP: Obama EPA explores using Clean Water Act to restrict CO2 emissions, ocean acidification -- a fatal blow to geoengineering?
• 2009/04/17: AFTIC: EPA Proposes Regulating Greenhouse Gas Emissions
• 2009/04/17: DM:CCM: We Are Endangered
• 2009/04/17: CommonTragedies: Endangered(ment) Species
• 2009/04/17: TreeHugger: It's Official: EPA Finds Greenhouse Gases Endanger Public Health
• 2009/04/17: TreeHugger: EPA Declares Greenhouse Gases Threat to Human Health
• 2009/04/17: EarthTimes: US rules global warming threatens public health
• 2009/04/17: WSJ:EnvCap: EPA: 'Overwhelming' Cause to Regulate Greenhouse-Gas Emissions
• 2009/04/17: AutoBG: Officially Official: EPA rules greenhouse gases are harmful to human health
• 2009/04/17: STimes: EPA finds greenhouse gases pose a danger to health
• 2009/04/17: TP:WonkRoom: After Years Of Delay, EPA Recognizes Global Warming Pollution Endangers 'Health And Welfare' Of American Public
• 2009/04/17: BBC: Obama to regulate 'pollutant' CO2
  The US government is to regulate carbon dioxide emissions, having decided that it and five other greenhouse gases may endanger human health and well-being

The Red River has yet to crest in Manitoba:

• 2009/04/18: CBC: Manitoba towns nervously wait for Red River cresting
• 2009/04/16: CBC: Worst of flood may be over in Winnipeg: officials
• 2009/04/15: CBC: Manitoba flood to be 2nd worst in 100 years: forecasters
• 2009/04/16: CBC: State of emergency declared in parts of Winnipeg
• 2009/04/16: WpgFP: Mayor Sam Katz has signed an order declaring a state of emergency in Winnipeg as the Red River continues to rise
• 2009/04/15: CBC: Flood 2009 already Manitoba's third worst in 100 years: officials
• 2009/04/15: CBC: Flooding forces 60 people from homes on Peguis First Nation
• 2009/04/14: CBC: Flooded Manitobans await approach of fluctuating river crest
• 2009/04/15: WpgFP: Flood Watch
• 2009/04/14: CBC: Some Manitoba residents returning to homes damaged by flood
• 2009/04/13: CBC: Rain, warm weather add to Red River Valley flood fears -- Flooding from Red River tributaries a growing concern

  The Arctic melt continues to garner a lot of attention:

• 2009/04/18: Stoat: Wandering across the Arctic
• 2009/04/18: Guardian(UK): UK team sets sail for first carbon-neutral Greenland crossing -- Research expedition on three-week, 2,000-mile crossing of Greenland ice cap
• 2009/04/17: NewScientist: Melting Arctic may be poisoning its people
• 2009/04/16: Guardian(UK): Climate change research: Weather hampers [Caitlin] Arctic mission
• 2009/04/14: Stoat: Ice, again
• 2009/04/15: CBC: One status doesn't fit all when it comes to polar bears: WWF
• 2009/04/14: BBC: Arctic team gives up on ice radar
  Half-way through their expedition to survey the Arctic sea-ice, British explorers have been jinxed by yet more technical problems and are resorting to old-fashioned techniques to carry out research. On Day 44 of the trek, both a radar device meant to measure the ice thickness and a satellite communications unit to relay the data are still not working - despite being brought back to the UK for repairs and then delivered to the team last week. As a result, the explorers are now drilling more sampling holes than planned, which means they are progressing more slowly than hoped.
• 2009/04/13: Eureka: Mathematics and climate change -- Gaining insights into the nature of sea ice
• 2009/04/13: RedTory: Greenland Hearts Global Warming

  As for the geopolitics of polar resources:

• 2009/04/18: ABC(Au): Treaty signatories agree to new Antarctic tourism rules
• 2009/04/17: PhysOrg: Scientists issue warning on future of central Arctic
• 2009/04/16: NatureTGB: Norway's undersea dominions just got larger
  Norway has successfully claimed a huge swathe of seabed in the North Sea. The United Nations has gifted the country the rights to an additional 235,000 square kilometres of seabed potentially including lucrative oil reserves.
• 2009/04/16: PlanetArk: Oslo Sets Limit On Arctic Seabed, Short Of North Pole

  While in Antarctica:

• 2009/04/18: ENN: Change is a cold certainty [Antarctic]
• 2009/04/18: Australian: Revealed: Antarctic ice growing, not shrinking
• 2009/04/13: NewScientist: Driller thriller: Antarctica's tumultuous past revealed [ANDRILL]

  The cash for clunkers policy is being debated in several countries:

• 2009/04/19: AutoBG: Environmental Transport Association blasts proposed car scrapping scheme in UK
• 2009/04/17: BBC: Scrappage criticism mounts in Germany
• 2009/04/13: TreeHugger: Cash for Clunkers Debate Continues - Details Needed

  More on aerosols:

• 2009/04/16: NYT: Third-World Stove Soot Is Target in Climate Fight
  [...] While carbon dioxide may be the No. 1 contributor to rising global temperatures, scientists say, black carbon has emerged as an important No. 2, with recent studies estimating that it is responsible for 18 percent of the planet's warming, compared with 40 percent for carbon dioxide. Decreasing black carbon emissions would be a relatively cheap way to significantly rein in global warming -- especially in the short term, climate experts say.
• 2009/04/15: RealClimate: Aerosol effects and climate, Part II: the role of nucleation and cosmic rays
• 2009/04/14: GreenGrok: Is Soot Melting the Ice?
• 2009/04/12: MTobis: More on Black Carbon and Secondary Forcings
• 2009/04/13: RealClimate: Aerosol formation and climate, Part I

  Rob Grumbine continues his gentle educational series:

• 2009/04/15: AFTIC: 0h for two, melting sea ice and GW alarmism
• 2009/04/13: MGS: Ice and sea level

  Late coverage of that Copenhagen scientists survey:

• 2009/04/15: OilChange: Poll: Majority of Scientists Believe 2C Rise Inevitable
• 2009/04/14: ENN: World will not meet 2C warming target, climate change experts agree
• 2009/04/14: Guardian(UK): Scientists fear worst on global warming
  Poll admission that official targets are unrealistic -- Public doesn't realise 'how serious climate change is'
• 2009/04/14: Guardian(UK): World will not meet 2C warming target, climate change experts agree

  The food crisis is ongoing:

• 2009/04/17: CCurrents: On Globalization, Economics, And The History of Food Crises
• 2009/04/18: VoxEU: Is the global food crisis over? by Pedro Conceição & Ronald U. Mendoza
  The global economic crisis shifted attention away from high food and oil prices. But this column says that the global food crisis persists. International food prices are still above their average levels, and domestic food prices in many countries have remained "sticky". The poor still have many reasons to worry, as many of the factors that contributed to high and volatile prices remain unaddressed.
• 2009/04/14: GG&G: Climate change impacts on agriculture and biotech crops
• 2009/04/17: AlterNet: 1,500 Indian Farmers Commit Mass Suicide: Why We Are Complicit in these Deaths
• 2009/04/13: NPR: India's Farming 'Revolution' Heading For Collapse
• 2009/04/16: PlanetArk: Climate Change May Halve Southern Africa Cereal Crop
• 2009/04/16: TreeHugger: Crop Failure Drives 1,500 Indian Farmers to Suicide
• 2009/04/15: PhysOrg: Changing climate will lead to devastating loss of phosphorus from soil
• 2009/04/15: PhysOrg: Climate change may wake up 'sleeper' weeds
• 2009/04/15: PeakEnergy: 'Green Revolution' Trapping India's Farmers In Debt

  The conflict between biofuel and food persists:

• 2009/04/18: EarthTimes: Food security and bio-fuels top G8 agriculture talks

  And how are we going to feed 9 billion?

• 2009/04/: YesMag: Food Rebellions: 7 Steps to Solving the Food Crisis
• 2009/04/15: PhysOrg: Corn, soy yields gain little from genetic engineering: study
• 2009/04/14: DerSpiegel: Monsanto Uprooted -- Germany Bans Cultivation of GM Corn
• 2009/04/15: DerSpiegel: The World from Berlin -- 'There Was No Reason to Accept The Risks of GM Corn'
• 2009/04/13: UN: UN food agency [WFP] to reach out to 9 million Afghans in 2009
• 2009/04/13: ProMedMail: Wheat viruses - New Zealand: 1st reports [Wheat streak mosaic virus (WSMV; genus Tritimovirus)]
• 2009/04/12: MNT: Impending Skills Shortage In Agricultural Science Puts World Food Supply At Risk

  Cyclone Bijli stalked up the North Indian ocean:

• 2009/04/19: EarthTimes: Cyclone Bijli misses Myanmar
  Yangon - Cyclone Bijli was downgraded to a storm when it reached western Myanmar this weekend, causing heavy rains but no damages, state media reported Sunday.
• 2009/04/18: EarthTimes: Cyclone Bijli kills three in Bangladesh
• 2009/04/17: EarthTimes: Cyclone Bijli hits Bangladesh coast
• 2009/04/17: EarthTimes: Bangladesh evacuates island residents as cyclone nears
• 2009/04/17: EarthTimes: Myanmar issues weekend cyclone warning
• 2009/04/16: PlanetArk: Bangladesh Warns Of Storm In Bay Of Bengal

  While elsewhere in the hurricane wars:

• 2009/04/14: PhysOrg: Mangroves Save Lives In Storms [and super cyclones]
• 2009/04/14: Eureka: Mangroves save lives in storms, study of 1999 super cyclone finds
• 2009/04/14: Wunderground: Outspoken hurricane scientist Ivor van Heerden cut loose by LSU
• 2009/04/13: Eureka: NASA experiment stirs up hope for forecasting deadliest cyclones

  As for GHGs:

• 2009/04/17: PlanetArk: Russia CO2 Emissions Up [0.3%] In 2007, But Lag GDP Growth
• 2009/04/16: USO: Russia keeps to Kyoto levels
  Russia's greenhouse gas emissions rose by 0.3% in 2007, but even with the increase the nation is still keeping to its Kyoto commitment, data submitted to the United Nations shows. Emissions edged up to 2.192 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent in 2007 from 2.185 billion in 2006, according to official figures filed to the UN Climate Change Secretariat in Bonn. Russia is the world's number three emitter of greenhouse gases, mainly from burning fossil fuels, behind China and the US, a Reuters report said. The 2007 level was the highest since 1994 but still 33.94% below emissions in 1990, the benchmark in the UN's Kyoto Protocol. Russia's emissions tumbled in the 1990s with the collapse of Soviet-era smokestack industries.
• 2009/04/17: TreeHugger: EU Greenhouse Gas Emissions Decline in 2007... Due to Warmer Weather
• 2009/04/16: PlanetArk: US Greenhouse Emissions Rose 1.4 Pct In 2007 - EPA
• 2009/04/: EPA: [pdf links] 2009 U.S. Greenhouse Gas Inventory Report -- Inventory of U.S. Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Sinks: 1990-2007
• 2009/04/15: EPA: EPA Publishes Annual U.S. Greenhouse Gas Inventory Report
• 2009/04/15: TreeHugger: US Greenhouse Gas Emissions Up 1.4% in 2007, Says EPA Report
• 2009/04/15: ENN: EPA Publishes Annual U.S. Greenhouse Gas Inventory Report
• 2009/04/13: ENN: San Francisco Pilots Cisco's Carbon-Tracking Tool

  And the temperature record:

• 2009/04/18: DeepClimate: 20-year surface trends: close to models
• 2009/04/16: NOAANews: March 2009 Tenth Warmest on Record for Global Temperatures
• 2009/04/13: ClimateP: A (Hopefully) Clarifying Note on Temperature

  While on the el Niño/la Niña [ENSO] front:

• 2009/04/17: PlanetArk: Hot Summer, Absent El Nino Set To Aid India Monsoon
• 2009/04/17: Wunderground: La Niña conditions end; 10th warmest March on record for the globe

  Sea levels are rising:

• 2009/04/17: AlterNet: Sea Levels Are Rising: It's Time to Decide Which Coastal Cities Are Worth Saving

  Meanwhile in near earth orbit:

• 2009/04/15: NatureN: NASA ponders 'carbon copy' of crashed [OCO] mission -- Replica spacecraft for monitoring carbon dioxide could fly in a couple of years if money can be found

  More GW impacts are being seen:

• 2009/04/19: Guardian(UK): Climate change threat to rare black grouse in Scotland
• 2009/04/17: TreeHugger: Rising CO2 Levels Alter Plant Growth World Wide: Human & Ecological Impacts May Be Significant
• 2009/04/16: Guardian(UK): Plight of the penguins -- Already threatened by global warming, harvesting krill to supply omega-3 oil means danger for Antarctica's penguins
• 2009/04/13: UIowa: UI biologist studies ocean plant cell adaptation in climate change
• 2009/04/15: NatureCF: Birds face longer migrations due to climate change
• 2009/04/15: PlanetArk: Birds Face Longer Migrations Due To Climate Change
• 2009/04/15: PhysOrg: Researchers study ocean plant cell adaptation in climate change
• 2009/04/13: TerraDaily: Analysis: Warming could devastate [US National] parks
• 2009/04/15: Guardian(UK): Birds face longer migration due to climate change, experts warn
• 2009/04/14: Guardian(UK): Breaking the silence about spring
• 2009/04/13: ClimateP: Yes, the science says on our current emissions path we are projected to warm most of U.S. 10 - 15°F by 2100, with sea level rise of 5 feet or more, and the SW will be a permanent Dust Bowl
• 2009/04/14: Guardian(UK): Climate change explained - the impact of temperature rises [by the degree, Mark Lynas]
• 2009/04/12: ClimateP: Absolute must read: Australia today offers horrific glimpse of U.S. Southwest, much of planet, post-2040, if we don't slash emissions soon
• 2009/04/13: PhysOrg: Faced with global warming, can wilderness remain natural?
• 2009/04/13: ENN: For Alaska's Inupiat, Climate Change and Culture Shock [as whales move North]

  And then there are the world's forests:

• 2009/04/14: FuturePundit: Massive Carbon Dioxide Release From Clearing Rain Forests
• 2009/04/18: BBC: Forests' role as massive carbon sinks is "at risk of being lost entirely", top forestry scientists have warned
• 2009/04/16: NatureN: Dying trees may exacerbate climate change -- Forests could emit more carbon than they store if temperatures rise
• 2009/04/17: PlanetArk: Forests Could Become Source of Warming: Report
• 2009/04/17: TerraDaily: Forests could flip from sink to source of CO2: study
• 2009/04/17: ENN: New study warns damage to forests from climate change could cost the planet its major keeper of greenhouse gases
• 2009/04/17: G&M: Climate change could mean a walk in the Arctic woods
  While global warming is expected to endanger most of the globe's woodlands, trees may prosper in Canada's Far North, scientists say
• 2009/04/15: KSJT: Time Mag, Alb. Journal, Ariz. Republic, etc: Drought test - Put trees in a hothouse and don't water them much ; watch them die
• 2009/04/15: PlanetArk: Cattle, Not Soy, Drives Amazon Deforestation - Report
• 2009/04/15: DM:80Beats: Drought + Warmer Temperatures = a "Double Whammy" of Tree Death
• 2009/04/13: MongaBay: Trees in trouble: massive die-offs predicted with global warming
• 2009/04/14: PhysOrg: Biosphere 2 experiment shows how fast heat could kill drought-stressed trees
  Widespread die-off of piñon pine across the southwestern United States during future droughts will occur at least five times faster if climate warms by 4 degrees Celsius, even if future droughts are no worse than droughts of the past century, scientists have discovered in experiments conducted at the University of Arizona's Biosphere 2.
• 2009/04/13: JFleck: Tree Death and Climate Change
• 2009/04/14: ENN: The Dire Fate of Forests in a Warmer World
• 2009/04/14: SciDaily: Global Warming: Heat Could Kill Drought-stressed Trees Fast

  Corals are dying:

• 2009/04/17: TerraDaily: Fragility Of The Coral Revealed

  Climate refugees are becoming an issue:

• 2009/04/13: UNDispatch: If seven African migrants drown off the coast of Yemen...

  As for heatwaves and wild fires:

• 2009/04/17: SMH: Firefighter suspect in Marysville blaze
• 2009/04/12: AfterGutenberg: On CP, LP on a Roll [wildfires]
• 2009/04/14: KFSM: Insurance expert estimates insured losses from grass fires at $20 million
• 2009/04/15: OColly: Wildfires leave some Oklahomans homeless
• 2009/04/14: ABC(Au): Bushfire season reaches official end -- The ACT Emergency Services Agency has confirmed the official bushfire season will end tomorrow.

  As for disruptions of the hydrological cycle[floods & droughts]:

• 2009/04/15: USGS: Historic Flood Crest Flows Down Suwannee River
• 2009/04/18: JFleck: The Incredible Shrinking Lake Mead
• 2009/04/17: NatureTGB: Africa 'must brace for mega-droughts'
• 2009/04/17: DM:80B: West Africa Is Prone to "Mega-Droughts," But People Aren't Prepared
• 2009/04/17: ENN: Climate change could worsen African "megadroughts"
• 2009/04/17: AlterNet: The Latest Absurdity in the Fight to Conserve Water: Making Rainwater Harvesting Illegal
• 2009/04/09: Yale360: Retreat of Andean Glaciers Foretells Global Water Woes
• 2009/04/16: BBC: Severe droughts lasting centuries have happened often in West Africa's recent history, and another one is almost inevitable, researchers say
• 2009/04/17: Guardian(UK): Australia's Murray river close to running dry -- Adelaide could run out of water within two years -- Meteorologists predict drought will continue
• 2009/04/16: MongaBay: Droughts lasting over centuries in West Africa are commonplace
• 2009/04/16: NewScientist: Africa trapped in mega-drought cycle
• 2009/04/16: Eureka: West African droughts are the norm, not an anomaly -- Some droughts lasted centuries in the past, and a warming planet may make future droughts more devastating
• 2009/04/16: Eureka: Severity, length of past megadroughts dwarf recent drought in West Africa
• 2009/04/16: Eureka: Megadroughts in sub-Saharan Africa normal for the region -- Global warming may intensify the age-old pattern of recurring severe droughts
• 2009/04/15: PKedrosky: The End of Cheap Water
• 2009/04/15: EarthTimes: Heavy rain kills 14, injures 10 in Pakistan

  Elsewhere on the mitigation front:

• 2009/04/19: ABC(Au): Stay slim to save the planet, scientists say
• 2009/04/17: NatureN: Asian nations unite to fight dust storms -- South Korea, China and Japan pool forecasting efforts and science amid worsening dust storms
• 2009/04/14: TerraDaily: Massive emissions cuts can save Arctic ice: [NCAR] study
• 2009/04/15: DeSmogBlog: New study finds emissions cuts can still tame most serious of global warming effects
• 2009/04/14: MongaBay: Cutting greenhouse gases now would save world from worst global warming scenarios
• 2009/04/14: Eureka: Decline in greenhouse gas emissions would reduce sea-level rise, save Arctic Sea ice
• 2009/04/14: UCAR: Global Warming: Cuts in Greenhouse Gas Emissions Would Save Arctic Ice, Reduce Sea Level Rise

  Consider transportation & GHG production:

• 2009/04/17: NoozHawk: Why Are We Cutting Public Transit Funding? Amid a recession and with ridership growing, now is not the time to discourage commuters
• 2009/04/14: TreeHugger: "Just 15 of the world's biggest ships may now emit as much pollution as all the world's 760m cars"
• 2009/04/09: AAR: Weather, Slow Economy Produce Rail Freight Traffic Decline
  Bad weather in Wyoming and the Upper Midwest combined with the slow economy to produce another down week for U.S. rail freight traffic during the first week of April, the Association of American Railroads reported today. U.S. railroads reported originating 262,624 cars during the week, down 20.5 percent from the comparison week in 2008, with loadings down 19.4 percent in the West and 22.0 percent in the East. Intermodal volume of 184,845 trailers or containers was off 14.7 percent from last year, with container volume falling 9.0 percent and trailer volume dropping 34.0 percent. Total volume was estimated at 27.9 billion ton-miles, off 19.1 percent from 2008.

While in the endless quest for zero energy, sustainable buildings and practical codes:

• 2009/04/16: GreenGrok: Buildings, a Better Future
• 2009/04/15: NewScientist: Future-proof homes for a warmer world
• 2009/04/13: MontereyHerald: Lawmaker wants new homes to make energy
  If state Assemblywoman Lori Saldana has her way, buyers of California homes built a little more than a decade from now would not have to worry about paying big electricity bills. The homes would produce power themselves. The San Diego Democrat has introduced legislation that would require all homes built starting in about 2020 to be so-called zero net energy buildings. That means they would be extremely energy efficient and produce enough power to offset any electricity they draw from the grid.

And on the carbon sequestration front:

• 2009/04/18: NYT: A Plan for U.S. Emissions to Be Buried Under Sea
• 2009/04/17: NatureN: Australia launches carbon capture institute -- Organization hopes to spur commercial demonstrations worldwide
• 2009/04/16: Guardian(UK): Engineers set to convert carbon dioxide into solid rock -- Icelandic experts hope to dispose of 30,000 tonnes of the greenhouse gas each year
• 2009/04/16: ABC(Au): Carbon capture a 'waste of time, money'
  Greenpeace is accusing the Federal Government of wasting time and money on carbon capture and storage (CCS) technology.
• 2009/04/13: HillTimes: Carbon capture and storage 'being oversold as a panacea' -- But critics and experts say there are geological risks, it's a waste of taxpayers' money and the 'economics are deadly.'
• 2009/04/14: TStar: Tiny Saskatchewan town turns carbon trap into cash -- Weyburn, pop. 10,000, pushes province onto global warming frontier
  Carbon dioxide has breathed new life into this small southern Saskatchewan city. The odourless, tasteless gas and major global warming ingredient is pumped in from a coal gasification plant in North Dakota to help push untapped oil reserves to the surface and extend the life of an old oil field by 25 years. Thousands of nodding oil pump jacks dot the landscape well into the Saskatchewan horizon, many of them assisted by the cast-off gas.

Large scale geo-engineering keeps popping up:

• 2009/04/18: TruthOut: Toward Climate Geoengineering?
  Preamble: That global climate change has reached an impasse whereby the "powers-to-be" are entertaining climate geoengineering mitigation, instead of the urgent deep reduction of carbon emissions required by science, represents the ultimate moral bankruptcy of institutions and a failure of democracy.
• 2009/04/19: BNC: Towards climate geoengineering?
• 2009/04/16: PhysOrg: Probing Question: Can humans control the weather?
• 2009/04/17: WorldChanging: Don't Wait for the Lifeboat: A Response to Geoengineering
• 2009/04/15: Guardian(UK): The emissions reductions gospel is failing - we need something more -- NGOs who oppose geo-engineering are running the risk of climatic catastrophe
• 2009/04/15: WiredSci: Report From Antarctica: Geoengineering the High Seas
• 2009/04/15: DotEarth: Weather Experts Weigh Climate Engineering
• 2009/04/15: TWTB: Geo-engineering discussion continued, AMS draft Policy Statement edition
• 2009/04/08: 2020Sci: Geoengineering goes mainstream
• 2009/04/14: GG:GE: AMS Draft Statement on Geoengineering the Climate System

  Meanwhile in the journals:

• 2009/04/15: CPD: Tree ring-based February-April temperature reconstruction for Changbai Mountain in Northeast China and its implication for East Asian Winter Monsoon by H. F. Zhu et al.
• 2009/04/15: ACP: Estimating surface CO2 fluxes from space-borne CO2 dry air mole fraction observations using an ensemble Kalman Filter by L. Feng et al.
• 2009/04/14: ACPD: An assessment of the accuracy of the RTTOV fast radiative transfer model using IASI data by M. Matricardi
• 2009/04/14: PNAS: Elevated CO2 stimulates marsh elevation gain, counterbalancing sea-level rise by J. Adam Langley et al.
• 2009/04/14: PNAS: Global warming-enhanced stratification and mass mortality events in the Mediterranean by Rafel Coma et al.
• 2009/04/14: PNAS: Historical forest baselines reveal potential for continued carbon sequestration by Jeanine M. Rhemtulla et al.
• 2009/04/16: Nature: [Letter $] Rapid sea-level rise and reef back-stepping at the close of the last interglacial highstand by Paul Blanchon et al.
• 2009/04/: EPA: [pdf links] 2009 U.S. Greenhouse Gas Inventory Report -- Inventory of U.S. Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Sinks: 1990-2007

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

• 2009/04/13: JEB: Comment on "Aerosol radiative forcing and climate sensitivity deduced from the Last Glacial Maximum to Holocene transition", by P. Chylek and U. Lohmann
• 2009/04/13: NCM: Published Comments on Rahmstorf 2007
• 2009/04/12: Tamino: Multiple Regression
• 2009/04/14: CCP: Henry D. Adams et al., Temperature sensitivity of drought-induced tree mortality portends increased regional die-off under global change-type drought
• 2009/04/13: CCP: Kenneth M. Golden, Climate Change and the Mathematics of Transport in Sea Ice
• 2009/04/13: CCP: David Pollard & Robert M. DeConto, Nature, 458, Modelling West Antarctic ice sheet growth and collapse through the past five million years

  Meanwhile on the Kyoto front:

• 2009/04/16: PhysOrg: Kyoto treaty is 'failing the world's poor', say scientists -- investors choose stronger, more stable states like China, India and Brazil instead of much poorer nations such as Chad, Nigeria and Sudan

  And on the Kyoto-2 front:

• 2009/04/16: Reuters: Carbon deal seen key to Amazon preservation
• 2009/04/17: ENN: Global Warming Study: Nations Need to Cut Emissions by 70 Percent
• 2009/04/16: EurActiv: EU ministers offer 'co-leadership' on climate
  European Union environment ministers said they would offer the United States and other developed nations "co-leadership" in the fight against global warming if they were to match the EU's ambitious emissions reduction goals later this year. Meeting informally in Prague on 14-15 April, ministers from the 27-member bloc stressed that the EU was still the only region in the world that has adopted ambitious objectives on climate change after the adoption of a package of measures in December last year
• 2009/04/15: UN: Climate change poses challenges, offers economic opportunities, says Ban
• 2009/04/15: Reuters: Positive signs seen on new climate pact
  There are positive signs a climate summit in December will forge a broader pact between rich and poorer nations to fight global warming, a top Australian official and an influential Chinese expert said on Wednesday
• 2009/04/15: JakartaGlobe: Hopes Set High for Ocean Declaration
  The final draft of the world's first declaration on oceans -- crucial in getting oceans included in climate change talks -- has been completed and sent to other countries for review, an official said on Monday. The draft is expected to be signed at the World Ocean Conference that will be held in Manado, North Sulawesi Province, from May 11 to 14. As many as 5,000 people from 121 countries are expected to attend. "The draft has been sent to other countries and we hope there will be no major changes so it can be signed at the conference," said Indroyono Soesilo, secretary of the inaugural WOC. Once signed, the Manado Ocean Declaration would seek to address four points: The impact of climate change on oceans, the role of the oceans in regulating global climate change, adaptation and mitigation, and opportunities for regional and international cooperation. The declaration, Indroyono said, would pave the way for oceans and coastal areas to be discussed at the 15th United Nations Climate Change Conference, set to be held in Copenhagen, Denmark, in December.
• 2009/04/13: WaPo: India Rejects Calls For Emission Cuts -- Officials Say Growth Will Be Compromised
• 2009/04/15: NatureCF: Little progress seen at climate talks
• 2009/04/14: FTimes: India demands climate change cash pledge
  India has thrown down the gauntlet to developed nations in the latest round of climate change talks, saying the developing world wants to see pledges of cash before it is prepared to discuss emissions curbs. The move draws battle lines between rich and poor countries and threatens to halt progress on climate change: rich countries insisted that they cannot name sums before getting commitments that future emissions will be reduced.
• 2009/04/14: AntiguaSun: UN Ambassador elected to chair environment working group
  Antigua and Barbuda's Ambassador to the United Nations, Dr. John W. Ashe, was unanimously elected last week to serve as Chairman of the Ad Hoc Working Group on Further Commitments for Annex I Parties under the Kyoto Protocol (AWG-KP).
• 2009/04/14: NatureN: Little progress seen at climate talks -- Money and targets separate developed and developing countries
• 2009/04/13: TNN: Climate change meet in Bonn: Bangladesh calls for right to survival
• 2009/04/14: BizMirror(Ph): Little progress as Bonn talks end
• 2009/04/13: EuroNews: Environment ministers thrash out climate position
  The EU's environment ministers are in for a hot week as they set out to analyse Europe's negotiating position on climate change. Their are building towards a global pact to replace the Kyoto protocol with tough pledges to cut greenhouses gases.
• 2009/04/14: People's Daily: SIPRI [Stockholm International Peace Research Institute] expert: China takes climate change very seriously
• 2009/04/08: EmbassyMag: Obama's Pragmatic Suicide
• 2009/04/13: TreeHugger: Rich Countries' Greenhouse Gas Emission Targets Unambitious, UN Official [UNFCCC head, Yvo de Boer] Says
• 2009/04/13: Forbes: Don't Expect Much From The Next Kyoto
  The Copenhagen Climate Convention is months away, but likely DOA already. Here's why. [...] American politics.

On the carbon trading front:

• 2009/04/15: BBC: Time to act on carbon markets
  Despite a volatile beginning, carbon markets promise to be a key player in the fight against climate change , says Professor Michael Grubb. However, he warns that governments must not "snatch defeat from the jaws of victory" by failing to take the necessary steps to ensure their longevity

The idea of a carbon tax is still bouncing around:

• 2009/04/13: ECC: Should the Obama Administration Implement a CO2 Tax?
• 2009/04/16: IR^2: Does This Look Familiar?
• 2009/04/15: TStar: Carbon tax battle may not be over
  In an economic crisis, it's easy to forget that very recently the environment was our major concern. Barely a year ago, spurred by the public's concerns over climate change, Canadians were debating a carbon tax as a possible remedy. The rest is history. Weighed down by their unpopular former leader, Stéphane Dion, the federal Liberals went down to electoral defeat -- and the carbon tax with it. In an unholy alliance between the Conservatives and the federal New Democrats, the tax was demonized as economic suicide at a time of soaring energy prices -- despite backing for the idea from mainstream economists and environmentalists.
• 2009/04/13: ALeigh: Petrol Taxes and Global Warming

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

• 2009/04/13: CSM: Cap and trade is still the right call
  Forget trivial tax politics. When it comes to limiting pollution, cap and trade -- not a carbon tax -- has a record of success.
• 2009/04/14: Belfer: The Making of a Conventional Wisdom
• 2009/04/13: NEN: Cap and dividend

  Meanwhile on the international political front:

• 2009/04/13: TerraDaily: Bangladesh experts to investigate India dam plan
• 2009/04/13: UNDispatch: UNCLOS For the Rest of the World, But Not U.S?

  As for GW & security:

• 2009/04/18: TMoS: Are We On the Road to [Climate] War?

  And on the American political front:

• 2009/04/19: PhysOrg: Desert clash in [US] West over solar potential, water
• 2009/04/18: AutoBG: CO2 vehicle standards could reduce the price of oil
• 2009/04/17: GG&G: The cost of CAFE standards: Not as high as we thought?
• 2009/04/17: Guardian(UK): Just what is it with evangelical Christians and global warming?
  A poll this week showed that only 34% of America's white evangelical Protestants accepted there is solid evidence that global warming is real and that it is attributable to humans
• 2009/04/17: OilChange: California says "No" to Offshore Drilling
• 2009/04/17: AutoBG: DOE announces $41.9 million investment into fuel cell technology
• 2009/04/16: TP:WonkRoom: GOP Rebuke: If Our Party Continues To Promote Pollution, We'll End Up 'On The Wrong Side Of History'
• 2009/04/16: Columbian: House OKs revised climate bill
  Lawmakers resurrected at least some of the goals of Gov. Chris Gregoire's climate change bill Wednesday after a heated debate on the House floor that ended with a 59-37 approval in the wee hours. The amended measure, personally brokered by the governor, imposes no cap on carbon emissions and sets forth no proposal for trading carbon emission credits. But it would keep Washington at the table as a participant in the Western Climate Initiative, a regional plan to reduce greenhouse gases.
• 2009/04/15: SeattlePI: Washington House approves limits on gas emissions
  Olympia -- Working into the early hours, the state House passed a bill Wednesday taking steps toward curbing greenhouse gas emissions. But creating a regional "cap and trade" system for pollution credits was not among them. The significantly altered version of what started out as a cap and trade bill passed 59-37. The bill passed the Senate a month ago, but only after it was watered down to direct the state to study the issue more and look at other ways to curb emissions, reporting back to the Legislature next year. The two chambers will now reconcile differences.
• 2009/04/15: ClimateP: Gov. Sebelius stuck in coal-powered version of Groundhog's Day
• 2009/04/15: CSW: Should Utah student activist Tim DeChristopher go to jail for nonviolent monkey-wrench tactics?
• 2009/04/15: TP:WonkRoom: $199.5 Million Spent On Energy Ads Since Obama's Inauguration
• 2009/04/14: WarmingLaw: Will the Fourth Time Be a Sunflower Charm? [Kansas coal]
• 2009/04/13: TP:WonkRoom: Among Plutocrats Fueled By Coal, Climate Bill Sends Chill
• 2009/04/13: BCLSB: Talk About Unintended Consequences [paper co looking for US tax credits]
• 2009/04/13: MontereyHerald: Lawmaker wants new homes to make energy
  If state Assemblywoman Lori Saldana has her way, buyers of California homes built a little more than a decade from now would not have to worry about paying big electricity bills. The homes would produce power themselves. The San Diego Democrat has introduced legislation that would require all homes built starting in about 2020 to be so-called zero net energy buildings. That means they would be extremely energy efficient and produce enough power to offset any electricity they draw from the grid.
• 2009/04/13: Forbes: Doom Or Boom? Let's grow our way out a carbon-based economy
• 2009/04/12: PPH:MaineToday: Sides debate climate measure's timing
  State House: A bill would force the state to weigh many projects' effects on global warming. Maine lawmakers Tuesday will take up one of the most far-reaching anti-global-warming bills to go before any state Legislature in the country.

The Obama chatter is nonstop:

• 2009/04/17: Guardian(UK): Obama administration breaks with the years of 'climate change denial'
• 2009/04/15: WaPo: Obama wants climate bill mindful of WTO rules: [U.S. Trade Representative Ron] Kirk
• 2009/04/15: PlanetArk: Obama Mulls Cap-And-Trade By Decree: John Kemp
• 2009/04/14: Reuters: Obama open to discussion about CO2 rules
• 2009/04/15: NEN: Obama to go around Senate for climate change bill?
  Summary - The Obama administration could use the authority of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), under the legal dictates of the Clean Air Act (CAA), to enforce greenhouse gas (GhG) emissions reductions if it is blocked from passing comprehensive climate change legislation. A minority in the Senate, exercising the power of the filibuster, could block proposed legislation even if a majority in the House pass it and a majority in the Senate favor it.
• 2009/04/14: TP:WonkRoom: President Obama Asks America To Close The Carbon Pollution Loophole
• 2009/04/14: ClimateP: In today's big economic speech, Obama reaffirms his commitment to a clean energy economy and strong climate bill: "The only way to truly spark this transformation is through a gradual, market-based cap on carbon pollution"
• 2009/04/13: KSJT: USNews & World Report, NPR Science Friday: Is Obama waffling on climate change legislation?
• 2009/04/13: TreeHugger: Where Does Obama Stand on Climate Legislation?
• 2009/04/13: DeSmogBlog: Will Obama's Administration Be Stampeded into Geoengineering?

  Obama outlined a high-speed passenger rail plan this week:

• 2009/04/16: Guardian(UK): Barack Obama annouces high-speed rail plan for 10 busiest US routes
  New trains could reach speeds of 100 miles per hour -- President Barack Obama has asked for additional funds for rail
• 2009/04/16: ClimateP: "Make no little plans": Obama lays out ambitious high-speed rail plan
• 2009/04/16: PhysOrg: Obama vows to fast track high speed rail
• 2009/04/16: CNN: Obama unveils high-speed passenger rail plan
  He says it's needed to to unclog traffic, cut oil dependence, improve environment - Proposal identifies 10 likely high-speed rail corridors for federal funding - He cited success of high-speed rail in Europe as positive example for U.S. - Funding would come from stimulus plan, five-year investment in high-speed rail
• 2009/04/16: WSJ:EnvCap: Working on the Railroad: Obama's Green Pitch for High-Speed Trains
• 2009/04/14: Reuters: U.S. readies plans for high-speed rail development
• 2009/04/16: AmericaBlog: Obama outlined high-speed rail plans today

  The actions of the Obama administration are being watched closely:

• 2009/04/19: PhysOrg: U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu is warning that if countries don't do something about climate change, "some island states will simply disappear."
• 2009/04/17: PlanetArk: EPA Seeks Public Comment On US Ethanol Blend Rate
• 2009/04/16: WaPo: Energy Secretary Chu, on Power Sources Old and New
• 2009/04/16: EarthTimes: US climate agency to rule that greenhouse gases pose danger
• 2009/04/16: ENN: EPA Administrator Jackson to Lead U.S. Delegation to Annual G8 Environment Ministers Meeting in Siracusa, Italy
• 2009/04/15: GreenGrok: New Guidelines: Chip, Chip, Chipping Away at Carbon Emissions [EPA]
• 2009/04/16: TWTB: Energy Secretary Steven Chu embraces coal
• 2009/04/14: CSW: EPA climate endangerment finding clears White House review
• 2009/04/15: ENN: EPA Evaluates Ocean Acidification as a Threat to Water Quality Under Clean Water Act
• 2009/04/14: ClimateP: Endangerment finding clears White House review, official announcement expected Earth Day
• 2009/04/14: PlanetArk: Risk Of EPA Move Smoothes Way For U.S Carbon Law: Rep [Edward Markey (D-Mass)]
• 2009/04/13: USNWR: [President's adviser on energy and climate change issues, Carol] Browner: Climate Change Law Would Bolster U.S. Role at Global Warming Talks
• 2009/04/11: CoStar: DOE Launches Commercial Real Estate Energy Alliance -- Coalition Includes Leading CRE Services Firms, Associations
• 2009/04/13: TP:WonkRoom: Top Obama Officials To Testify Next Week On Behalf Of Clean Energy Legislation

  The Obama administration is still undoing Bush's midnight regulation changes:

• 2009/04/18: Yahoo: Salazar reviews 'midnight' endangered species rule

  While in Congress:

• 2009/04/19: PhysOrg: Congress considers major global warming measure
• 2009/04/18: TP:WonkRoom: Rep. Bob Latta (R-Oh): With Cap And Trade, Obama 'Has Declared War On Ohio And Indiana'
• 2009/04/17: BBerg: Waxman Won't Compromise on 20% Carbon Cap in Climate Measure
  House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Henry Waxman said he won't compromise on his proposed 20 percent reduction in greenhouse gases over the next decade in the face of criticism from lawmakers who say the economy could suffer
• 2009/04/16: TP:WonkRoom: Pete Du Pont Claims Obama's 95% Cap-And-Dividend Plan Is 'Opposite' Of 100% Cap And Dividend
• 2009/04/16: WarmingLaw: Waxman & Markey Climate Bill Makes Industry an Offer
• 2009/04/14: DeSmogBlog: [Rep.] Jim Sensenbrenner (R-Wisc): Full of Opinion and Hyperbole on Climate Change Legislation but Very Few Facts
• 2009/04/13: Yahoo:IBD: Dems Divided On Climate Bills: Cap-And-Trade Or Carbon Tax
• 2009/04/13: FTimes: Heat grows on US Congress over climate
  President Barack Obama's administration is preparing to ratchet up pressure on Congress to pass climate change legislation this year by declaring its authority to regulate greenhouse gas emissions through the Environmental Protection Agency. The EPA has been considering its approach to global warming since a Supreme Court ruling in 2007 found it was entitled to regulate carbon dioxide emissions under existing air pollution laws.

While in the UK:

• 2009/04/19: AutoBG: Environmental Transport Association blasts proposed car scrapping scheme in UK
• 2009/04/19: Guardian(UK): [Letters] The big issue: climate change -- Don't belittle greens for telling the truth
• 2009/04/18: Guardian(UK): Ed Miliband plans clean coal scheme worth millions - Energy minister hopes to defuse global warming row - Cabinet support for plan, but Treasury balks at cost
• 2009/04/16: Guardian(UK): Budget will be last chance to change to low-carbon economy, Tories warn
• 2009/04/16: BBC: Bank chief 'wrong' about science
  The head of Britain's largest science university says the Bank of England's governor was wrong to caution against more spending on science. Professor Sir Roy Anderson says that investment in science is "one of the few options" the government has to kick-start the economy. He thinks there should be a big rise in science spending as part of a new high technology industrial strategy. Professor Anderson is the rector of Imperial College.
• 2009/04/16: BBC: Governments fall out over nuclear
  Battlelines have been drawn between the UK and Scottish governments over nuclear power. Prime Minister Gordon Brown and his ministers have gathered in Glasgow for the cabinet's first meeting in Scotland for almost 90 years. Energy secretary Ed Miliband told BBC Radio Scotland the Scottish Government's opposition to new nuclear power stations in Scotland was wrong. But First Minister Alex Salmond said renewable energy was the way forward
• 2009/04/15: Guardian(UK): Nuclear power plant construction site options unveiled
• 2009/04/15: Guardian(UK): Possibility of new nuclear power plants in Lake District sparks eco concerns
• 2009/04/14: Guardian(UK): Government may countermand Boris Johnson over air quality fears

  The Labour govt. has announced a substantial electric car subsidy:

• 2009/04/16: BBC: [UK] Plan to boost electric car sales
  Motorists will be offered subsidies of up to £5,000 to encourage them to buy electric or plug-in hybrid cars under plans announced by the government
• 2009/04/16: CBC: U.K. announces $9,000 electric car subsidy
• 2009/04/16: Guardian(UK): Electric cars: the expert's view of government transport policy
• 2009/04/16: Guardian(UK): Labour's £5,000 sweetener to launch electric car revolution
• 2009/04/15: Guardian(UK): Electric cars get a kick-start
• 2009/04/15: Guardian(UK): UK charges up for electric car future
  [Transport Secretary] Geoff Hoon announces incentives of up to £5,000 for consumers to buy electric cars and plans for cities to become testing grounds

More of the police trying to restrict legitimate protest:

• 2009/04/19: Guardian(UK): The public are fast losing patience with thuggish policing
• 2009/04/19: Guardian(UK): The crushing of eco-protest brings shame on our police
• 2009/04/15: PlanetArk: Suspected [UK] Power Station Protesters Bailed
• 2009/04/14: Guardian(UK): Police raid dozens of homes as climate change activists arrested
• 2009/04/14: Guardian(UK): The web reacts to power station protest arrests
• 2009/04/14: Guardian(UK): Nottinghamshire power station protest - the activists' story
• 2009/04/14: NatureTGB: Police pre-empt 'climate protest'
• 2009/04/14: TreeHugger: 114 Anti-Coal Activists Preemptively Arrested by UK Police
• 2009/04/14: Guardian(UK): Mass arrests over power station protest raise civil liberties concerns
  Police use of surveillance and informers increased -- School swoop follows rise in environmental activism -- Police have carried out what is thought to be the biggest pre-emptive raid on environmental campaigners in British history, arresting 114 people believed to be planning direct action at a coal-fired power station. The arrests - for conspiracy to commit criminal damage and aggravated trespass - come amid growing concern among protesters about increased police surveillance and infiltration by informers.

And in Europe:

• 2009/04/14: CarbonFinance: EU ETS 2008 data 'masks pain' of 2009 economy
  The shortfall of EU allowances (EUAs) in 2008 was greater than many analysts expected, providing support to carbon prices -- but the data does not reflect the extent of economic contraction, participants have warned.
• 2009/04/17: BBC: Scrappage criticism mounts in Germany
• 2009/04/15: EarthTimes: EU urges major economies to commit to fighting climate change
• 2009/04/14: EurActiv: EU 'cheating' the world on climate, says WWF

  Meanwhile in Australia:

• 2009/04/19: ABC(Au): Labor committed to ETS: Wong
  Federal Climate Change Minister Penny Wong says she is determined to push ahead with the proposed emissions trading scheme despite strengthening opposition to the plan.
• 2009/04/18: PeakEnergy: Fixing Australian energy policy
• 2009/04/17: ABC(Au): South-east Queensland producers say they still do not know to what extent they will be affected by the State Government's land clearing moratorium
• 2009/04/14: MTobis: See? It's the Gold, I Tell you!
• 2009/04/14: ABC(Au): Brown to push 'greening of the economy' ideas
  Greens Leader Bob Brown says he will take a raft of policy ideas to tackle climate change to a meeting with senior Government ministers this week. Senator Brown will hold talks with Climate Change Minister Penny Wong tomorrow and Prime Minister Kevin Rudd on Thursday.
• 2009/04/13: ABC(Au): New car fleet: Govt opts for Aussie-made over climate-friendly
  The Northern Territory Government has refused to switch its car fleet to the most environmentally-friendly models on the market because they are not made in Australia

The Rudd government has announced the formation of the A$100 million Global Carbon Capture and Storage Institute:

• 2009/04/17: NatureN: Australia launches carbon capture institute -- Organization hopes to spur commercial demonstrations worldwide
• 2009/04/16: ABC(Au): Carbon capture a 'waste of time, money'
  Greenpeace is accusing the Federal Government of wasting time and money on carbon capture and storage (CCS) technology.
• 2009/04/16: TreeHugger: Australian Carbon Capture and Storage Research Institute Opens: Just PR Spin?
• 2009/04/16: Yahoo: Australia launches 'clean coal' institute
  Australia has launched what it described as a major initiative to develop clean coal technology, saying it could play a major role in reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Prime Minister Kevin Rudd said the Global Carbon Capture and Storage Institute's launch showed Australia was facing up to its responsibilities as the world's largest coal exporter. Rudd said the institute, founded with 100 million dollars (70 million US) of government money, would help develop technology that allowed coal emissions to be captured and safely stored. "Carbon capture and storage is not the only answer to the climate change challenge," he said. "But it is a very important part..."
• 2009/04/16: ABC(Au): Govt digs deep to vindicate 'clean coal' [CCS]
  The Federal Government has begun a $100 million research effort to try to prove that so-called 'clean coal' technology can deliver the big cuts in greenhouse emissions that it is promising.

The Green & Coalition sponsored senate inquiry into the CPRS [aka Aus-ETS] kicked off this week:

• 2009/04/17: PlanetArk: Australia CO2 Scheme "Weak, May Be Worthless" [says Garnaut]
• 2009/04/17: SMH: Garnaut's climate change agonising -- Have another crack at ETS later: Garnaut
  The Government climate change adviser Ross Garnaut says judging whether it would be better to pass the emissions trading system as it stands or start again would be a line-ball call. In front of a Senate inquiry yesterday, Professor Garnaut urged senators to make significant changes to the system. He had previously voiced displeasure at the extent of largesse directed towards industries exposed to a carbon trading system, but yesterday went further and said he had been agonising about whether the Government's plan was preferable to starting again.
• 2009/04/17: ABC(Au): [Rudd] Government undeterred by Garnaut's emissions scheme criticism
  Federal Climate Change Minister Penny Wong has brushed aside criticism the Government's proposed emissions trading scheme is so flawed, it may be better to dump it. The Government's former climate change adviser, Professor Ross Garnaut, says that unless there are significant changes to the proposed scheme, it might be better to start from scratch
• 2009/04/16: SMH: Climate scientists living in Pollyanna world: senator
  National Party senator Ron Boswell repeatedly clashed with some of Australia's leading climate scientists yesterday, accusing them of living in "a Pollyanna world" and putting jobs in jeopardy by calling for deep cuts to the country's greenhouse gas emissions. "Jobs are on the line," Senator Boswell said. "You've got to be practical". But Professor David Karoly, who worked with the UN's peak scientific body on climate change, replied that dangerous climate change in Australia would have serious long-term effects, including the loss of life from increased heatwaves and bushfires. Mike Raupach, of the CSIRO, told Senator Boswell consequences of not cutting greenhouse emissions globally would mean a severe decline in rainfall and water in the Murray-Darling Basin, the collapse of the Great Barrier Reef and coastal communities succumbing to rising sea levels. Senator Boswell expressed surprise when Dr Raupach told him that sea-level rise was already occurring. The scientists were arguing for deep cuts to emissions during the opening day of the Senate inquiry into the Government's climate change policy. They were often at odds with the Rudd Government's policy as well as Senator Boswell during hearings, with the former senior CSIRO scientist Graeme Pearman arguing Australia should cut emissions by 30 per cent on 1990 levels by 2020.
• 2009/04/15: JQuiggin: Climate Policy Submission
• 2009/04/15: SMH: Scientists on attack over Rudd emissions plan
  Three of CSIRO's most eminent climate scientists have told a Senate inquiry that the Prime Minister's targets to cut greenhouse gas emissions will not achieve even a "limited" level of protection against climate change and are "much weaker" than the cuts developed countries need to make. In a big embarrassment for Kevin Rudd and the Climate Change Minister, Penny Wong, the globally recognised scientists have made a joint submission to a new inquiry on the Government's carbon trading scheme, which begins hearings today in Canberra. The scientists are John Church, an expert on sea level rise, Pep Canadell, who runs the global carbon project and has published on greenhouse gas releases, and Michael Raupach, the co-chairman of the same project who writes on greenhouse gas levels. They stress their submission is personal and not endorsed by CSIRO. But they say the Government's plan to cut emissions by between 5 and 15 per cent below 2000 levels by 2020 and 60 per cent by 2050 is "much weaker than required of developed nations".
• 2009/04/15: ABC(Au): Jobs on agenda at ETS inquiry
  An unlikely pairing of the Coalition and the Greens is set to begin hearings at an inquiry into the Federal Government's plan to tackle climate change. The inquiry is examining the design and effectiveness of the emissions trading scheme (ETS), which the Government wants passed through Parliament by mid-year. With 8,000 submissions, the inquiry is set to hear the gamut of opinions, but threatening to overshadow them all is the issue of jobs.

And in New Zealand:

• 2009/04/15: BBerg: New Zealand's Emissions Cuts May Beat Kyoto Target

  While in India:

• 2009/04/15: DeSmogBlog: Global Warming policy heats up in India's National Election
• 2009/04/13: WaPo: India Rejects Calls For Emission Cuts -- Officials Say Growth Will Be Compromised
• 2009/04/14: FTimes: India demands climate change cash pledge
  India has thrown down the gauntlet to developed nations in the latest round of climate change talks, saying the developing world wants to see pledges of cash before it is prepared to discuss emissions curbs. The move draws battle lines between rich and poor countries and threatens to halt progress on climate change: rich countries insisted that they cannot name sums before getting commitments that future emissions will be reduced.

And in Brazil:

• 2009/04/14: ENS: Brazil Requires Fossil Fuel Power Companies to Plant Trees
• 2009/04/15: TreeHugger: Brazil's New Plan to Fight Climate Change: Coal and Oil Companies Must Plant Trees
• 2009/04/14: BBC: Dirty energy threat to green Brazil
  Brazil boasts of being one of the world's "greenest" energy suppliers, but recent policy initiatives could jeopardise its desire to be a big player in future climate change discussions. [...] As its economy has expanded, so has its demand for energy, but even now, 46% of Brazil's energy production is from renewable sources. This compares with the global average of only 13%...

In Canada, minority neocon PM Harper, continues his do-nothing policy:

• 2009/04/18: OttawaSun: Green denial won't work anymore
  In Stephen Harper's first couple of years in office, climate change was among the issues that dogged him most. All three opposition parties insisted he needed to do more, faster, to combat greenhouse gas emissions. Then two things happened. Former Liberal leader Stephane Dion and his Green crusade imploded at the ballot box. And the economy tanked. Climate change, politicos opined, was no longer a front-burner issue for Canadians. That's about to change, and rather quickly -- not because of another sea change in public opinion, but because of events to the south.
• 2009/04/14: NYT:CW: Canada Reconsiders Offer for Continental Climate Deal

  The National Roundtable on Energy and the Environment published a report on climate policy this week:

• 2009/04/17: PlanetArk: US Moves Mean Canada Needs Carbon Pricing - [NRTEE] Panel
• 2009/04/16: CBC: Control greenhouse emissions or face trade sanctions, [NRTEE] panel tells governments
• 2009/04/17: CanWest: Make industries, consumers pay for pollution: Panel
• 2009/04/16: G&M: Climate panel [NRTEE] presses for cap-and-trade system
  Ottawa urged to target entire economy, not just heavy industry, and do away with patchwork approach to emissions adopted by provinces

More than 2,000 researchers have signed an open letter to Harper & Ignatieff urging financial support for Canadian science:

• 2009/04/16: APOV: Pressuring Harper-The-Clown In Restoring Science Funding
• 2009/03/16: DLCB: Open letter to the Prime Minister and Leader of the opposition
• 2009/04/16: CBC: Scientists urge PM to restore research funds
  More than 2,000 Canadian researchers have added their signatures to a letter asking the federal government to reconsider funding cuts included in the January budget, calling them "a huge step backward for Canadian science."
• 2009/04/16: G&M: PM urged to restore science funds -- More than 2,000 scientists galvanized into 'Don't leave Canada behind' campaign
  More than 2,000 researchers, including some of the country's most respected scientists, have signed an open letter to the Prime Minister calling the funding cuts in the January budget "huge steps backward for Canadian science."

The May 12 BC election is getting global exposure because of the carbon tax:

• 2009/04/15: ElectionPredictionProject: British Columbia - 2009 Provincial Election
• 2009/04/16: PEF: How green are BC's climate policies?
• 2009/04/17: Tyee: Activist Berman quits NDP over 'Axe the Tax' stance
• 2009/04/17: Tyee: BC's carbon tax kerfuffle goes global
• 2009/04/18: DeSmogBlog: David Suzuki speaks up personally for the carbon tax
• 2009/04/17: DeSmogBlog: Tzeporah Berman leading the climate policy charge
• 2009/04/17: DeSmogBlog: National Roundtable Climate Expert challenges NDP policy position
• 2009/04/17: DeSmogBlog: Center for Policy Alternatives Economist sees BC Carbon Tax as good first step
• 2009/04/17: BCLSB: NDP And Reform: Together At Last
• 2009/04/16: DeSmogBlog: Standing on Principle: Explaining the DeSmogBlog's Position on the BC Election
  An election campaign is unfolding in the Canadian province of British Columbia over the next month, the outcome of which could have important implications all over North America and, ultimately, around the world. A central issue in this provincial political squabble is a carbon tax - according to most analysts, the least-expensive, most effective and most transparent of climate change solutions... But if carbon taxes are popular among economists, they are widely regarded as toxic among voters - as any new tax is likely to be. That's why the B.C. election is so important. For people outside this jurisdiction, it is being seen not so much as a minor election in a distant place, but as a referendum on carbon taxes.
• 2009/04/16: Straight: Gordon Campbell leaves environment out of Liberal platform's six pillars
• 2009/04/17: MoD: In defence of DeSmogBlog
• 2009/04/17: CanWest: Key supporter quits NDP over carbon tax -- Environmentalist feels 'deeply betrayed'
  Prominent environmentalist and longtime NDP supporter Tzeporah Berman fired off an angry e-mail to Carole James Thursday, attacking the Opposition leader for putting politics before the planet by opposing Premier Gordon Campbell's carbon tax. Berman told James she feels "deeply betrayed" by the NDP. "You have put politicking before the planet in the most hypocritical fashion," she wrote. "I have had to watch the embarrassing display as you pulled a 180 on your earlier strong positions to the reactionary ones you advocate now," Berman said in the e-mail, obtained by The Vancouver Sun. Division over the carbon tax has made the environment a wedge issue early in the campaign leading up to the May 12 provincial election.
• 2009/04/16: DeSmogBlog: Global TV's Keith Baldry: NDP sells environmental soul
• 2009/04/16: DeSmogBlog: Leading Canadian climate scientist [Andrew Weaver] calls BC NDP policies "regressive and counter-productive"
• 2009/04/15: DeSmogBlog: Toronto Star Backs BC Carbon Tax
• 2009/04/15: DeSmogBlog: BC NDP Voted Against Cap and Trade Legislation in 2008
• 2009/04/15: PEF: BC's Carbon Tax Clash
• 2009/04/15: TStar: Carbon tax battle may not be over
  In an economic crisis, it's easy to forget that very recently the environment was our major concern. Barely a year ago, spurred by the public's concerns over climate change, Canadians were debating a carbon tax as a possible remedy. The rest is history. Weighed down by their unpopular former leader, Stéphane Dion, the federal Liberals went down to electoral defeat -- and the carbon tax with it. In an unholy alliance between the Conservatives and the federal New Democrats, the tax was demonized as economic suicide at a time of soaring energy prices -- despite backing for the idea from mainstream economists and environmentalists.
• 2009/04/14: BCLSB: What Remains Of The [BC] NDP When They Abandon The Environment?
• 2009/04/13: DeSmogBlog: Top environmental groups denounce BC's New Democratic Party
• 2009/04/14: G&M: B.C. election campaign takes off
  As the B.C. election campaign gets under way today, top environmentalists have set their sights on punishing Carole James, the New Democratic Party Leader, for her populist promise to scrap Liberal Leader Gordon Campbell's carbon tax on fossil fuels.
• 2009/04/13: DeSmogBlog: NDP Environment Critic brushes off former NDP Government Advisor
• 2009/04/13: DeSmogBlog: BC NDP's Cap and Trade Proposal Nothing New
• 2009/04/13: DeSmogBlog: Top Environmental Group Lambastes BC NDP Climate Change Platform
• 2009/04/13: DeSmogBlog: BC Election Watch: BC NDP Climate Policies

  Ontario is still wrestling with its energy policy:

• 2009/04/15: CBC: Regulations will keep low-speed electric vehicles off Ontario roads
  It looks as if low-speed electric vehicles will not make it onto Ontario's roads. The Ministry of Transportation has finalized its safety rules for a pilot project that would have allowed electric cars on the road, but the companies that make the cars say those regulations are too strict. [...] Catherine Scrimgeor of Toronto-based ZENN Motors, the maker of an electric vehicle, says for her company it's the final straw. "The ZENN [electric car] as it exists right now -- the ZENN car that we sell in Quebec and the United States -- will not be marketed in Ontario," she said.
• 2009/04/14: CBC: Wind turbines causing health problems, some Ont. residents say

  Meanwhile in that Mechanical Mordor known as the tar sands:

• 2009/04/16: TreeHugger: Carbon Capture and Storage "Oversold as Panacea" by Tar Sands Industry
• 2009/04/13: HillTimes: Carbon capture and storage 'being oversold as a panacea' -- But critics and experts say there are geological risks, it's a waste of taxpayers' money and the 'economics are deadly.'
• 2009/04/15: BBerg: Petro-Canada to Cut 200 Employees on Stalled Oil-Sands Project
• 2009/04/15: NewScientist: Can oil from tar sands be cleaned up?
• 2009/04/15: CanWest: Anti-oil sands calendar has Edmonton mulling legal action
  Edmonton is considering legal action after discovering that a municipal facility is shown in an anti-oil sands calendar, the cover of which shows a model -- wearing only black underwear and smeared head-to-toe with what appears to be oil -- holding what's supposed to be a duck.

As for miscellaneous Canadiana:

• 2009/04/14: TStar: Tiny Saskatchewan town turns carbon trap into cash -- Weyburn, pop. 10,000, pushes province onto global warming frontier
  Carbon dioxide has breathed new life into this small southern Saskatchewan city. The odourless, tasteless gas and major global warming ingredient is pumped in from a coal gasification plant in North Dakota to help push untapped oil reserves to the surface and extend the life of an old oil field by 25 years. Thousands of nodding oil pump jacks dot the landscape well into the Saskatchewan horizon, many of them assisted by the cast-off gas.

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

• 2009/04/16: EnvFin: Business reports on 'Stern review' of nature
  A major study on the economic importance of nature is seeking input from businesses across all sectors. The economics of ecosystems and biodiversity (TEEB) initiative was launched by environment ministers at the G8+5 meeting in March 2007, and was partly inspired by the early action and policy change achieved by the Stern Review on the Economics of Climate Change
• 2009/04/16: TheEcologist: The end of consumerism
• 2009/04/12: BSD: Discounting dilemma for enviros - Reilly and Stern can't both be right (I think)
• 2009/04/13: NwV: How can you kill a planet -- And still live on it! PART 1 of 2

  IPAT [Impact = Population * Affluence * Technology] raised its head once again:

• 2009/04/18: SciDaily: Worst Environmental Problem? Overpopulation, Experts Say
• 2009/04/17: CCurrents: Consumption Dwarfs Population As Main Environmental Threat
• 2009/04/16: IV: Population growth poses threat to stability
• 2009/04/14: AlterNet: Consumption, Not Population Is Our Main Environmental Threat
• 2009/04/14: Guardian(UK): Attenborough becomes patron for Optimum Population Trust
• 2009/04/13: ClimateP: Consumption dwarfs population as main global warming threat
• 2009/04/13: BBC: Attenborough warns on population
  The broadcaster Sir David Attenborough has become a patron of a group seeking to cut the growth in human population. On joining the Optimum Population Trust, Sir David said growth in human numbers was "frightening".
• 2009/04/12: EnergyBulletin: Malthus and vice

  Apocalypso anyone?

• 2009/04/16: Times(UK):Env: How civilisation will collapse - and when [Book Discussion] _Future Scenarios_ by David Holmgren

  As for how the media handles the science of climatology:

• 2009/04/16: CJR: Wish He Was a Baller -- Friedman fumbles with last-minute call for a carbon tax
  As virtually all of America knows by now, Tom Friedman is a big environmentalist. He loves nature, green things, responsible business practices, stuff Europe does, and so on. That's how America knows the New York Times columnist is a good guy, despite the fact that he's otherwise pretty much a shill for global corporations.
• 2009/04/17: KSJT: Raleigh News & Observer : Another good one, out the door...
• 2009/04/15: KSJT: SF Chronicle: For stories on space power, wave power, etc -- who you gonna call?
• 2009/04/15: ClimateP: UK Guardian: "To stop a climate catastrophe ... Scientists must stop sanitising their message"
• 2009/04/14: ClimateP: David Broder is the sultan of the status quo, stenographer of those centrists who are fatally uninformed about global warming

  And for your film & video enjoyment:

• 2009/04/14: SMH: Fiddling at the edges as climate goes into tailspin [The Age Of Stupid]

  Developing a new energy infrastructure is a fundamental challenge of the current generation:

• 2009/04/14: FuturePundit: How To Transition Away From Oil?
• 2009/04/13: IR^2: The 2009 EIA Energy Conference: Day 2
• 2009/04/17: ABC(Au): Hot rocks power plant nears completion
  A geothermal company [Geodynamics] says work on powerlines between the northern South Australian town of Innamincka and its pilot power plant should be complete in time for commissioning later this month.
• 2009/04/16: KSJT: Washington Post: A renewable paradox
• 2009/04/16: Eureka: Singapore researchers first to transform carbon dioxide into methanol -- 'Green' method for sequestration and conversion of greenhouse gas
• 2009/04/16: OilDrum: The 2009 EIA Energy Conference: Day 2
• 2009/04/16: OilDrum: Further Evidence of the Influence of Energy on the U.S. Economy
• 2009/04/16: PeakEnergy: Could the Gulf Stream Provide Florida with Renewable Energy?
• 2009/04/16: WSJ:EnvCap: Are Stationary Fuel Cells the Energy Answer?
• 2009/04/15: TreeHugger: New Chinese Biomass Power Plant Will Use Native Plants to Replace 80,000 Tons of Coal a Year
• 2009/04/15: PeakEnergy: Investigating Methane Hydrate Extraction On Alaska's North Slope
• 2009/04/14: WSJ:EnvCap: [Phil] Radford: New Greenpeace Boss on Climate Change, Coal, and Nuclear Power
• 2009/04/13: ClimateP: Another coal plant to be replaced by a 'plant' plant!
• 2009/04/13: TreeHugger: $2.1 Million Given to UCLA Professor for On-Campus Hydrogen Fueling Station
• 2009/04/13: BBC: Oil falls as demand set to slow
  The price of oil has fallen sharply after the International Energy Agency predicted that the global recession would cut demand for crude this year. The IEA said on Friday that world oil demand would fall by 2.4 million barrels a day to 83.4 million barrels. US light crude fell by $3.26 to $48.98 a barrel. London Brent oil was down by $3.02 at $51.04.
• 2009/04/06: SKarbuz: The US Military Energy Consumption in 2008 [DoD Energy Management Report]

  PG&E raised a few eyebrows this week by announcing a solar power satellite [SPS] project:

• 2009/04/15: FuturePundit: California Utility To Buy Solar Satellite Power?
• 2009/04/16: Guardian(UK): Space, the final frontier -- and California's latest source of low-carbon electricity
• 2009/04/16: Guardian(UK): US power company to tap solar energy in space -- Orbiting solar farms will be commercially viable within next seven years, says group
• 2009/04/15: ENN: California Utility Considering Space-based Solar Arrangement [SPS]
• 2009/04/14: ClimateP: PG&E signs first-of-a-kind space solar power deal. Why?
• 2009/04/14: PeakEnergy: Space Solar Power: The Next Frontier?
• 2009/04/14: WSJ:EnvCap: Space Race: Are Solar Satellites the Next Big Thing? [SPS]

  The answer my friend...:

• 2009/04/19: ENN: First Wind Files Permit Application to Build a Proposed 51 Megawatt (MW) Wind Project in Maine
• 2009/04/13: TreeHugger: Iowa Moves Into Second Place, Behind Texas, In US Wind Power Capacity Race
• 2009/04/13: NEN: U.S. wind manufacturing has bull potential
• 2009/04/13: WSJ:EnvCap: Wind Power: Everything's Bigger in Texas
• 2009/04/12: Yahoo: Texas is king, but Iowa breezes past California
  Texas continues to blow away the competition, but Iowa can now generate more wind power than California, according to a new industry report to be released Monday. The Lone Star state's 7,118 megawatts dwarfs Iowa's 2,791 megawatts and California's 2,517 megawatts, but wind power has grown into a key part of the energy infrastructure in Minnesota and Iowa, where each state generates more than 7 percent of their electricity from turbines, the American Wind Energy Association study said. States are trying to lure wind energy companies and the jobs that come with them, especially with new federal requirements that will require more power from alternative sources in coming years. While jobs in the wind industry jumped by 70 percent to 85,000 last year, the association's chief executive warned that more must be done to prevent the industry from stalling.

Meanwhile among the solar aficionados:

• 2009/04/15: REA: Action Plan for 50%: How Solar Thermal Can Supply Europe's Energy
  The solar thermal sector's strategy to reach a 50% contribution to Europe's space and water heating requirements by 2050
• 2009/04/15: TreeHugger: 48 Megawatt Solar Power Plant Expansion in Nevada Will Be (Maybe) Nation's Largest
• 2009/04/15: TreeHugger: Phoenix Area Concentrating Solar Power Plant "On Line" In 2011
• 2009/04/15: WSJ:EnvCap: Desert Sun: Sempra, First Solar Look for More Gold in El Dorado
• 2009/04/14: PlanetArk: Florida To Get First Solar-Powered City
• 2009/04/13: AlterNet: A Solar Revolution May Be Coming to Your Town

  The arithmetic of coal carbon is striking home:

• 2009/04/15: Reuters: Peabody misses estimates, cuts coal production
  Coal miner Peabody Energy Corp (BTU.N) said on Wednesday it would cut production because of weak demand and its stock dropped 10 percent after first-quarter profit fell far short of Wall Street estimates. The results were severely affected by a 23 percent drop in global steel production, which brought a sharp reduction in production of steel-making metallurgical, or coking, coal in Australia, the company said. [...] In a press release, Peabody said net earnings were $170 million, or 63 cents per share, compared with $57 million, or 21 cents per share, in the same quarter of 2008. Income from continuing operations was 50 cents per share. Revenue rose 15 percent to $1.46 billion, the St. Louis-based company reported.

Biofuel bickering abounds:

• 2009/04/18: WSJ: The Ethanol Bubble Pops in Iowa -- More evidence the fuel makes little economic sense
• 2009/04/17: PlanetArk: Singapore Scientists Say Can Turn CO2 Into Biofuel
• 2009/04/15: ENN: Midwestern ethanol plants use much less water than western plants, U of Minnesota study says
• 2009/04/13: SacBee: As industry struggles, Pacific Ethanol is running on fumes
• 2009/04/15: DerSpiegel: Boeing Executive [William Glover] -- Algae Could 'Supply Entire World with Aviation Fuel'
• 2009/04/14: PlanetArk: Water Worries Cloud Future For U.S. Biofuel
• 2009/04/14: CommonTragedies: Strike Three for Ethanol (this week)
• 2009/04/14: TreeHugger: Biomass Can Only Offer Major Emission Reductions if Best Practices Are Followed, New UK Report Says
• 2009/04/14: Blackwell: Biofuels Could Hasten Climate Change
• 2009/04/14: BBC: Biomass energy 'could be harmful'
  Biomass power - such as burning wood for energy - could do more harm than good in the battle to reduce greenhouse gases, the [UK] Environment Agency warns
• 2009/04/12: H&RB: Ethanol Industry Burning Through Equity

  The nuclear energy controversy continues:

• 2009/04/17: NatureTGB: Japan's nuclear woes
• 2009/04/15: BBC: New nuclear site options unveiled -- The government has released a list of 11 sites in England and Wales where new nuclear power stations could be built
• 2009/04/14: EarthTimes: Japan to assist Jordan in nuclear energy development
• 2009/04/14: OLJ: Yet another $50 billion for rust-bucket nukes?

  Yes we have a peak oil sighting:

• 2009/04/16: EnergyBulletin: The peak oil crisis: sustainability
• 2009/04/14: DerSpiegel: Energy Executive Michel Mallet on the End of Oil -- 'We Have to Save, Save, Save'
  The world could run out of oil in 20 years. This grim scenario is not the prediction of environmentalists, but of Michel Mallet, the general manager of French energy giant Total's German operations. In an interview, Mallet calls for radical reduction of gas consumption and a tax on aviation fuel.
• 2009/04/14: PeakEnergy: The elephant in the middle of the freeway: peak oil

  More people are talking about the electrical grid:

• 2009/04/17: PhysOrg: Challenges to grow with electric cars' sales: Aging grid needs to handle more power
• 2009/04/17: PlanetArk: Growing Wind, Solar Power Challenge US Grid - Study
• 2009/04/16: ClimateP: Huge 'Green Power Express' wind grid gains federal rate incentives
• 2009/04/15: TreeHugger: Smart Grid Tech Taking Hold in Australia
• 2009/04/13: WSJ:EnvCap: Better Batteries: General Electric, A123 and the Power Grid

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

• 2009/04/18: FuturePundit: Electric Hummers Coming To Save Us
• 2009/04/13: FuturePundit: Chevy Volt Battery Overengineered Due To Unknowns
• 2009/04/18: AutoBG: Smith Electric Vehicles US choose Kokam as battery supplier
• 2009/04/17: ClimateP: One more reason you'll be driving electric vehicles and plugs in soon -- not hydrogen fuel cell cars
• 2009/04/17: Guardian(UK): Tesla's Elon Musk: the democratisation of electric cars is speeding up
  The automotive industry has reached a clear consensus that the future is electric and is offering consumers more affordable and effective vehicles
• 2009/04/16: Guardian(UK): Toyota Prius hybrid owners convert their cars to plug-ins
• 2009/04/15: USAToday: Government challenges firms to build better batteries
• 2009/04/16: OilChange: [UK] Labour to Bump-Start Electric Vehicle Revolution
• 2009/04/16: BBC: [UK] Plan to boost electric car sales
  Motorists will be offered subsidies of up to £5,000 to encourage them to buy electric or plug-in hybrid cars under plans announced by the government
• 2009/04/16: BBC: The future of electric motoring
• 2009/04/16: BBC: Euro car sales still in reverse
  Sales of new cars across Europe fell by 9% in March 2009 compared with a year ago, according to the European Automobile Manufacturers' Association
• 2009/04/15: Guardian(UK): Behind the wheel of a TH!NK City -- Nippy and hassle-free, this could be the car to make Britain think again about electric motoring
• 2009/04/15: ClimateP: Automotive Task Force consultants are plug-in hybrid electric vehicle skeptics
• 2009/04/15: PhysOrg: The electric car: a power bank
• 2009/04/14: PlanetArk: Nissan, Renault To Provide China With Electric Cars
• 2009/04/14: CNN: The great electric car race
  High oil prices, green regs, and better batteries are behind the mad dash to create the ultimate electric automobile. So far, Asian manufacturers are leaving U.S. rivals in the dust.
• 2009/04/13: TreeHugger: Cash for Clunkers Debate Continues - Details Needed
• 2009/04/13: AutoBG: Mazda plans to boost fuel efficiency 30 percent, add hybrids and EVs by 2015

  The reaction of business to climate change will be critical:

• 2009/04/15: PRWatch: Industry Celebrates Obama's Climate Caution, Enviros Self-Censor
• 2009/04/16: ClimateP: Forbes: "The best country for business in the world" is one with a very strong carbon cap and a 20% renewable standard for 2011

  Meanwhile in the greenwashing chronicles:

• 2009/04/15: PRWatch: Free Ride for Greenwashers
• 2009/04/17: TreeHugger: 98% of Green Labeled Products are Actually Greenwashed
• 2009/04/17: TStar: Eco-friendly labelling? It's a lot of 'greenwash' -- 98% of product claims fail 'sin-free' test, marketing experts say
• 2009/04/16: PlanetArk: Most Green Products Make Some False Claims: [TerraChoice Environmental Marketing] Report

  Joe Romm posts a daily list of top energy and climate stories:

• 2009/04/17: ClimateP: Energy and Global Warming News for April 17
• 2009/04/16: ClimateP: Energy and Global Warming News for April 16
• 2009/04/15: ClimateP: Energy and Global Warming News for April 15
• 2009/04/14: ClimateP: Energy and Global Warming News for April 14
• 2009/04/13: ClimateP: Energy and Global Warming News for April 13

  The carbon lobby are up to the usual:

• 2009/04/18: ERabett: End of the road [G&T]
• 2009/04/18: Deltoid: The Australian's War on Science 35
• 2009/04/16: BNC: The war against science while Rome is burning
• 2009/04/17: ERabett: The Cato Institute has one of them...a Sokol generator...
• 2009/04/17: Guardian(UK): Just what is it with evangelical Christians and global warming?
  A poll this week showed that only 34% of America's white evangelical Protestants accepted there is solid evidence that global warming is real and that it is attributable to humans
• 2009/04/16: ClimateP: Deniers who live in greenhouses shouldn't throw stones
• 2009/04/15: DeSmogBlog: Steven Milloy: The Climate Teabagger
• 2009/04/15: DeSmogBlog: Sarah Palin vows to fight global warming... by drilling for oil
• 2009/04/15: ABC(Au): Science behind Garnaut Report flawed, inquiry told [Carter]
• 2009/04/15: TreeHugger: Sarah Palin Now Wants to Fight Global Warming - By Drilling for Oil
• 2009/04/15: LA Times: Palin sees gas drilling as step to curb global warming
  Alaska's governor steps away from past denials and tells Interior Secretary Ken Salazar at an Anchorage hearing that natural gas could ease 'the transition to green energy alternatives.'
• 2009/04/14: Guardian(UK): George Will's global meltdown
  The venerable Washington Post columnist's climate change denial is taking its toll on his newspaper's credibility
• 2009/04/14: ClimateP: Anadarko CEO: "The histrionic and maniacal focus on carbon dioxide is intellectually repugnant to me."
• 2009/04/13: Deltoid: Windschuttle, hoaxed again?
• 2009/04/13: MTobis: Morano vs Montana
• 2009/04/13: FTimes: US green policy will kill economy, says oil chief [James Hackett, Anadarko CEO]

  Then there was the miscellaneous news and commentary:

• 2009/04/17: KSJT: NYTimes, wires, BBC, etc: Global warming, meet natural variabilit[y] - in West Africa
• 2009/04/17: NewScientist: Cheap and noisy chips could improve climate predictions [by adding a degree of randomness]
• 2009/04/16: DDC: Economist/activist [Rifkin] says world on cusp of third industrial revolution
• 2009/04/15: ClimateP: Has the IPCC rendered itself irrelevant?
• 2009/04/16: DotEarth: Debate Over Climate Risks - Natural or Not
• 2009/04/16: BCLSB: The Effect Of Galactic Cosmic Rays On Earth's Climate = Sweet FA
• 2009/04/16: BBC: A study into spam has blamed it for the production of more than 33bn kilowatt-hours of energy every year, enough to power more than 2.4m homes
• 2009/04/15: CCurrents: Climate Risks: Lessons From The Financial Crisis
  [...] The likelihood of cataclysmic climate change under business as usual emissions scenarios is far greater than the likelihood of a once in a hundred years financial crisis - to borrow the words of a chastened Alan Greenspan.
• 2009/04/14: Guardian(UK): To stop a climate catastrophe we must first believe we can make a difference
• 2009/04/14: Deltoid: Climate scientists expect political failure
• 2009/04/14: MIT:TheTech: Urgency of Climate Change, New Research Emerges at MIT Forum

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

• ECC: The Economics of Climate Change
• Deep Climate
• 350 Conference: Saturday May 2nd, 2009
• ClimateLab [wiki]
• DLCB: Don't Leave Canada Behind
• Weblog van Evert Wesker [mostly in Dutch]
• Wiki: List of proposed geoengineering projects
• Jules' KlimaatBlog
• UN:LOS: Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf (CLCS)
• UN: Oceans and Law of the Sea
• DOE:EERE: Net-Zero Commercial Building Initiative: Commercial Building Energy Alliances
• Optimum Population Trust -- Towards environmentally sustainable populations
• C&I: Climate and Insurance News
• The Climate Registry
• OtF: Open the Future
• ScienceNews

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

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

"President-elect Obama's goal of reducing emissions to 1990 levels by 2020 falls short of the response needed by world leaders to meet the challenge of reducing emissions to levels that will actually spare us the worst effects of climate change." -Dr. Rajendra Pachauri, IPCC chairman

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