Another Week of Climate Disruption News, July 21, 2013

By illconsidered on July 22, 2013.

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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Information Overloadis Pattern Recognition

July 21, 2013

Chuckles, COP19+, International Tax, Antarctic Reserve, Pollution Mortality
Bottom Line, Finance, Cook
Fukushima: Note, News
Melting Arctic, Methane, Geopolitics, Antarctica
Food: Crisis, Fisheries, Land Grabs, GMOs, Production
Hurricanes, Monsoon, Notable Weather, Extreme Weather, New Weather
Temperatures, Feedbacks, Aerosols, Paleoclimate
Oceans, Extinctions, Bees & CCD, Volcanoes, Satellites
Impacts, Forests, Desertification, Disease
Tornadoes, Wildfires, Corals, Glaciers, Sea Levels, Floods & Droughts
Mitigation, Transportation, Buildings, Geoengineering, Conservation, Adaptation
Journals, Other Docs, Misc. Science, Models, Hansen, Mann
International Politics: IPCC, Carbon Trade, Carbon Tax
Hormuz, South China Sea, Rare Earths, Solar Spat, Treaties, Misc.
Law & Activism, Activism, Polls, H2O Biz, Religioso, Education
National Politics: Britain, Europe, Australia, Carbon Law, Election, MDBP, India, China, Japan, Asia, South America
Canada, Remodelling, Lac-Mégantic, GM alfalfa, Northern Gateway, East-West, Salmon
BC, Tar Sands, Alberta, Sask, Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec, Maritimes, Canadiana
America, BP Disaster, Keystone, Mayflower, Carbon Tax, Birth Control, USAdmin, Congress, Lobbyists
Ecological Economics, IPAT, Apocalypso, Fixes, Media, Video, Courts, BP Trial
Energy, Transitions, Fracking, Coal, Oil & Gas, Corps, Pipelines, Independence, Peak Oil, Biofuel
Wind, Solar, Nukes, Nuclear Waste, Hydrogen, Grid, Cars, Energy Storage
Business, Insurance, Joe's List, Carbon Lobby, Clean Coal, Greenwashing, Misc., Useful Links
Shameless Self Promotion, A Simple Plea, .sig

We are definitely back in the black humour zone:

Looking ahead to COP19 and future international climate negotiations:

It will be interesting to see if nations can swing any kind of international tax or if the corporate states will (always) kill it:

2013/07/18: RTCC: Fossil fuels tax to fund climate efforts proposed at UN talks
Climate mitigation and adaptation funds worth US$ 600 billion could be raised by targeting monies paid to the coal, oil and gas sectors
UN climate finance talks in Manila ended on Wednesday with no new pledges but showed signs of progress in identifying new sources of funding, such as a levy on fossil fuels.

That plan to create a giant marine reserve around Antarctica got kiboshed. Again:

2013/07/19: TP:JR: Russia Blocks Bid To Establish Massive Antarctic Marine Reserves
2013/07/19: TheConversation: Antarctic marine reserves: how many ways can you say "Nyet"?
2013/07/17: ABC(Au): Russia blocks bid to establish protected marine environment near Antarctica
2013/07/17: Grist:Antarctic marine reserve plans scuppered by Russia
2013/07/16: DerSpiegel: Antarctic Angst: Russia Blamed for Failed Nature Reserve Talks
Hopes had been high for the creation of two vast nature preserves off the coast of Antarctica. But a key meeting in Germany ended without agreement. Environmental groups are pointing their fingers at Russia.
2013/07/16: CDreams: World's 'Last Ocean' Now Up for Grabs Following Russia No Vote
2013/07/15: DerSpiegel: Antarctica Conference: Deal Could Preserve Pristine Waters
Representatives of 24 nations are meeting in Germany this week to discuss proposals to create marine preserves in Antarctica. Can the rival camps reach a compromise to create the world's largest conservation area?
2013/07/16: EurActiv: Russian 'fishing interests' threaten bid for Antarctic conservation area
A vote today (16 July) on whether to declare a marine protection area over an Antarctic body of water seven times the size of Germany is hanging in the balance due to Russian and Ukrainian fishing interests, the head of a European delegation to the talks has told EurActiv.
2013/07/16: NatureN: Shock as Antarctic protection plans scuppered -- Russia vetoes proposals for huge marine reserves
2013/07/16: BBC: No deal on huge Antarctic marine reserves
International talks on establishing huge marine reserves in Antarctica have failed to reach a consensus.
Russia blocked attempts by western countries to set up the protected areas in the Ross Sea and Eastern Antarctica.
The Russian representative challenged the legal basis that would allow for the creation of such reserves, according to organisations at the talks in Germany.
2013/07/15: Grist: Good news for penguins: World's largest marine reserve could be established around Antarctica

Here is that study on pollution caused mortality:

2013/07/11: ERL: Global premature mortality due to anthropogenic outdoor air pollution and the contribution of past climate change by Raquel A Silva et al.
2013/07/18: GreenGrok: Human Health: Air Pollution Still Kills
2013/07/16: BBC: Air pollution kills millions each year, says study
Outdoor air pollution is estimated to contribute to more than two-and-a-half million deaths each year, a study has suggested.
It calculated that, each year, 470,000 people died as a result of ozone and 2.1 million deaths were linked to fine particulate matter.
Air pollution increased respiratory and heart disease risks, with the young, elderly and infirm most vulnerable.

And on the Bottom Line:

What are the global financial institutions up to?

2013/07/19: Grist: U.S. [Export-Import Bank] won't fund a massive coal plant in Vietnam
2013/07/18: OilChange: U.S. Export-Import Bank Rejects Dirty Coal Plant
2013/07/18: RTCC: Comment: the World Bank's coal ban is just a start
Financial institutions need to follow World Bank lead and cut investments in fossil fuels says WWF's Samantha Smith
2013/07/18: Grist: World Bank joins war on coal [except "in rare circumstances"]
2013/07/17: Guardian(UK): Can Jim Yong Kim end World Bank backing for coal-fired power?
2013/07/17: ABC(Au): World Bank to stop funding coal-fired power stations in developing countries
2013/07/17: OilChange: World Bank Shies Away from Coal But Embraces Natural Gas
2013/07/16: Reuters: World Bank to limit financing of coal-fired plants
The World Bank's board on Tuesday agreed to a new energy strategy that will limit financing of coal-fired power plants to "rare circumstances"...
2013/07/16: TripleCrisis: Foreclosing the Future: The World Bank and the Politics of Environmental Destruction

John Cook and friends continue their point-counterpoint articles:

A note on theFukushima disaster:

It is evident that the Fukushima disaster is going to persist for some time.
TEPCO says 6 to 9 months. The previous Japanese Prime Minister, Naoto Kan, said decades.
Now the Japanese government is talking about 30 years.
[Whoops, that has now been updated to 40 years.]
And the IAEA is now saying 40 years too.
We'll see.
At any rate this situation is not going to be resolved any time soon
and deserves its own section.
Meanwhile...
It is very difficult to know for sure what is really going on at Fukushima.
Between the company [TEPCO], the Japanese government, the Japanese regulator [NISA], the international monitor [IAEA], as well as independent analysts and commentators, there is a confusing mish-mash of information.
One has to evaluate both the content and the source of propagated information.
How knowledgeable are they [about nuclear power and about Japan]?
Do they have an agenda?
Are they pro-nuclear or anti-nuclear?
Do they want to write a good news story?
Do they want to write a bad news story?
Where do they rate on a scale of sensationalism?
Where do they rate on a scale of play-it-down-ness?
One fundamental question I would like to see answered:
If the reactors are in meltdown, how can they be in cold shutdown?

Not much good news coming out of Fukushima:

The Arctic melt continues to garner attention:

That Damoclean sword still hangs overhead:

As for the geopolitics of Arctic resources:

2013/07/17: Asia Times: Exploring China's Arctic icebreaker

While in Antarctica:

2013/07/11: SciNews: Taking Antarctica's temperature -- Frozen continent may not be immune to global warming

The food crisis is ongoing:

The state of the world's fisheries is a concern:

2013/07/19: BBC: Europe fish stocks 'heading for recovery', study claims
Many European fish stocks are on the road to recovery from overfishing, according to a major new study.
2013/07/17: EUO: EU blacklist fails to name fish pirates
Brussels - The European Commission has updated its list of fishing vessels banned from selling their catches in the EU, but pro-environment critics say it is not enough.
Commission president Jose Manuel Barroso on Monday (15 July) signed off the list as part of Brussels' wider efforts to stop over-fishing.
Some 66 boats, all flying non-EU flags, are on the list. Eight of them once belonged to a notorious Spanish family of fishing pirates.
2013/07/17: DD: Fishermen dump hundreds of dead stingrays on Mexico beach - Local mayor says fishermen dumped stingrays because they couldn't get a good price for them
2013/07/17: NatureN: Eco-label seafood body attempts to convince critics
[Marine Stewardship Council (MSC)] Group claims its sustainability label has produced environmental improvements worldwide.
2013/07/17: BBC: Hundreds of dead stingrays found on Mexico beach

So, are these land grabs Colonialism V2.0?

2013/07/15: UDW: Cargill Flouts Law to Secretly Build Land Bank in Colombia

Regarding the genetic modification of food:

2013/07/18: RT: Monsanto's Oregon GMO wheat scandal puzzles investigators
2013/07/18: BBC: Biotechnology giant Monsanto is scrapping plans to win approval to grow new types of genetically modified crops in the European Union
2013/07/19: Grist: Monsanto virtually gives up on growing GMO crops in Europe
2013/07/18: TreeHugger: The GMO debate is about more than Monsanto
2013/07/18: NatureNB: Monsanto drops bid to have GM crops approved in Europe
2013/07/18: ABC(Au): Monsanto drops bid to grow new GM foods in the European Union
2013/07/18: EurActiv: Monsanto to drop requests for GM approvals in EU
Monsanto said on Wednesday (17 July) it would withdraw all pending approval requests to grow new types of genetically modified crops in the European Union, due to the lack of commercial prospects for cultivation there.
2013/07/18: EUO: Monsanto to withdraw EU request for GMO crops
2013/07/17: NatureN: Hunt for mystery GM wheat hots up -- Investigators hope to track origins of the transgenic crop
2013/07/16: CBC: Farmers protest introduction of GM alfalfa
2013/07/15: Grist: Turf war: In the battle for our crops, superweeds are winning

And how are we going to feed 9 billion, 10 billion, 15 billion?

In the warm waters East of the Phillipines, Tropical Storm Cimaron spun up, skimmed Southern Taiwan and zapped mainland China:

2013/07/19: Xinhuanet: Tropical storm Cimaron brings downpours to E China
2013/07/19: Xinhuanet: Tropical storm Cimaron brings heavy rains to Fujian [pix]
2013/07/18: Eureka: NASA's 2 views of Tropical Storm Cimaron making landfall in China
2013/07/18: al Jazeera: More severe weather hits southeastern China
Tropical Storm Cimaron follows quickly after Typhoon Soulik causing further flooding across Taiwan.
2013/07/18: Xinhuanet: Tropical storm Cimaron lands on SE China coast
2013/07/17: NASA: NASA Sees Tropical Storm Cimaron Pass Between Taiwan and the Philippines
2013/07/17: Xinhuanet: Tropical storm Cimaron approaches South China

Last weekend it was Typhoon Soulik:

2013/07/16: Xinhuanet: Rains continue to wreck havoc in China
Beijing - Heavy rains continued to wreck havoc in China on Monday, leaving more than 10 people dead or missing, authorities said.
Typhoon Soulik, the seventh typhoon to hit the Chinese mainland this year, continued to bring heavy rains to most parts of southern Guangdong province Monday.
A meteorological station in Maoming reported the largest rainfall of 351.6 mm in 32 hours to 4 p.m. Monday, said Xue Dengzhi, chief forecaster with the Guangdong Meteorological Center.
2013/07/15: Eureka: NASA caught Soulik's visible eye before making deadly landfall
2013/07/15: al Jazeera: Typhoon Soulik hits eastern China
More than 500,000 people evacuated and 5,500 soldiers deployed as Fujian and Zhejiang provinces brace for heavy rains.
2013/07/14: BBC: Typhoon Soulik kills three in China's Guangdong region
While elsewhere in the hurricane wars:
2013/06/01: WoL:RS: (ab$) The use of reflected gps signals to retrieve ocean surface wind speeds in tropical cyclones by Stephen J. Katzberg et al.
2013/07/01: WoL:GRL: (ab$) On the impact angle of Hurricane Sandy's New Jersey landfall by Timothy M. Hall & Adam H. Sobel
2013/07/17: KSJT: How GPS can tell scientists how fast the wind is blowing in a hurricane...
2013/07/16: SciNow: A GPS for Hurricanes
2013/07/16: Guardian(UK): Disaster preparedness: lessons from cyclone Nargis
The reluctance of the military junta to allow aid into Burma slowed down the response of aid agencies, and showed that without local capacity, humanitarian assistance is often too late
2013/07/16: SlashDot: Hurricane Sandy a 1-in-700-Year Event Says NASA Study
2013/07/16: Wunderground: Wet June on the East Coast Raises Hurricane Flood Risk
And on the Monsoon front:
- 2013/07/16: CBC: 5,700 presumed dead in June floods in India
- 2013/07/16: ABC(Au): Death toll dramatically raised in India's June floods
- 2013/07/15: al Jazeera: Thousands still missing after India floods
  The government is set to pay compensation to the families of the dead after floods devastated northern India last month.
- 2013/07/15: Wunderground: India's June 2013 Flood: Earth's 4th Deadliest Weather Disaster Since 2000
- 2013/07/15: BBC: India floods: More than 5,700 people 'presumed dead'
  The government in the northern Indian state of Uttarakhand has said that more than 5,700 people missing after last month's devastating floods will now be presumed dead.
This week in notable weather:
- 2013/07/20: CBC: Thousands without power after storms hit Quebec, Ontario -- High winds leave 1 woman dead in Quebec
- 2013/07/19: TStar: 'The Maple Leaf Forever' no more: Storm knocks down tree tied to Canadian history
  The aged silver maple thought to have inspired "The Maple Leaf Forever" falls victim to Friday's storm and neighbours mark its passing.
- 2013/07/19: ABC(Au): Thousands of homes still without power as high winds whip South Australia
- 2013/07/18: ABC(Au): Severe weather causes wide blackouts across South Australia
- 2013/07/18: CBC: Thousands of Quebecers still without hydro after powerful storm -- Environment Canada expects more thunderstorms Friday
  About 10,200 Hydro-Quebec customers were still without power at 8 a.m. after a swift and intense thunderstorm swept across southern Quebec last night.
  At its height, the outage affected nearly 60,000 homes and businesses. Hydro-Quebec has not indicated when full service will be restored.
- 2013/07/18: WtD: Melbourne's warmest July on record: 10c above the average, follows Angry Summer and Autumn heatwave [notable]
- 2013/07/16: Xinhuanet: Jaw-dropping images of enormous supercell storm clouds [10 pix]
This week in the New Normal -- extreme weather:
- 2013/07/19: CCentral: 'Drunken' Weather Pattern Leads to Deadly Heat
- 2013/07/18: PI: The "new normal" in climate change and climate politics
Rossby Waves? Blocking Patterns? Arctic Oscillation?
What is the Arctic melt doing to our weather?
- 2013/07/16: RScribbler: Dr. Jennifer Francis, Top Climatologists Explain How Global Warming Wrecks the Jet Stream and Amps Up Hydrological Cycle To Cause Dangerous Weather [vid]
- 2013/07/14: RScribbler: Jet Stream Over US So Weak Weather Systems are Moving Backwards
How is the temperature record?
Yes we have feedbacks:
- 2013/07/19: P3: Climate Feedback to Energy Sector
Aerosols are making their presence felt:
- 2013/07/15: DD: Canada's 2nd largest fire on record spreading smoke to Europe
- 2013/07/15: MODIS: Smoke from Canadian fires over the Atlantic Ocean [on July 6]
While in the paleoclimate:
- 2013/07/16: BBC: Neolithic farmers used manure on crops
  Europe's first farmers used livestock manure on their crops 8,000 years ago, new research has found.
- 2013/07/16: SciNow: Researchers Discover First Use of Fertilizer
  Europe's first farmers helped spread a revolutionary way of living across the continent. They also spread something else. A new study reveals that these early agriculturalists were fertilizing their crops with manure 8000 years ago, thousands of years earlier than previously thought.
- 2013/07/14: Eureka: Scientists solve a 14,000-year-old ocean mystery
- 2013/07/14: PostMedia: Canada's Arctic islands yield new clues in ancient mass extinction
  Canadian scientists probing two sites in the High Arctic have found fresh evidence pointing to a fiery Siberian suspect in the greatest mass extinction of all time -- a planet-wide cataclysm that wiped out more than 90 per cent of the Earth's species about 250 million years ago.
  The so-called "Great Dying" at the end of the Permian geological era...
What's the State of the Oceans?:
- 2013/07/16: TreeHugger: Eelpocalypse: Tens of thousands of dead eels wash up on Guangdong beaches, nobody knows why...
And on the extinction watch:
The bees and Colony Collapse Disorder are a constant concern.
And then, there are the Neonicotinoids:
- 2013/07/18: Grist: E.U. bans another bee-killing insecticide [fipronil]
- 2013/07/18: Eureka: Widely used pesticide toxic to honeybees
- 2013/07/18: BBC: UK butterfly numbers at 'historic low', warns charity, Butterfly Conservation
- 2013/07/17: BBC: Imported bumblebees pose 'parasite threat' to native bees
- 2013/07/17: EurActiv: EU targets another insecticide linked to decline in bee population
  The European Union added a pesticide made by German chemical firm BASF to its blacklist of substances suspected of playing a role in declining bee populations.
  EU governments banned the use of agricultural insecticide fipronil to treat maize and sunflower seeds, the European Commission said on Tuesday (16 July).
- 2013/07/17: EUO: EU bans bee-killing pesticide - Fipronil
- 2013/07/16: Guardian(UK): EU to ban fipronil to protect honeybees
What's up with volcanoes this week?
- 2013/07/18: IOTD: Journey from the Center of the Earth
Meanwhile in near earth orbit:
- 2013/07/19: IOTD: Looking Beyond the Visible
More GW impacts are being seen:
And then there are the world's forests:
- 2013/07/21: ABC(Au): Vandals attack historic trees at Melbourne's Royal Botanic Gardens
- 2013/07/20: DD: Brazil's military takes on illegal loggers to protect nearly-extinct tribe
- 2013/07/18: RTCC: 80% of Malaysian Borneo's rainforests destroyed by logging
- 2013/07/17: CSM: Ash borer beetle shows up in Iowa (again)
- 2013/07/17: Vice: Brazilian Soldiers and Native Tribespeople Are Clashing in the Amazon
- 2013/07/16: GreenGrok: GMOs and the American Chestnut: Risky Business?
- 2013/07/15: BBC: Deadly oak disease 'spreading' in UK
  The government is stepping up monitoring of a disease thought to pose a serious threat to UK oak trees.
  Acute Oak Decline, which causes weeping patches on the stems of mature trees, is on the rise in England, particularly in the Midlands and the South East.
  [...]
  Scientists believe a beetle may be responsible for the disease.
- 2013/07/10: NSF: Changing Atmosphere Affects How Much Water Trees Need -- Increasing levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide alter how plants use water
Desertification looms as a threat:
- 2013/07/18: FAO: Building the African green wall, piece by piece -- Halting land degradation in Niger helps to tackle African desertification
Emerging diseases accompany ecological change:
- 2013/07/20: EPlawiuk: Climate Change and Super Bugs
- 2013/07/15: Eureka: Black-legged ticks linked to encephalitis in New York state
On the tornado front:
As for heatwaves and wild fires:
- 2013/07/21: IndiaTimes: Heat wave scorches US
- 2013/07/21: MODIS: Mountain Fire, southern California (afternoon overpass) [on July 17]
- 2013/07/21: BBC: Storms expected after temperatures peak early in week
  The UK heatwave will hit its highest temperatures on Sunday and Monday, before giving way to thunderstorms and potential flooding, forecasters say.
- 2013/07/20: CSM: Idyllwild wildfire: Thunderstorms could be wildcard
- 2013/07/19: BBC: Heatwave warnings extended to north-west England
- 2013/07/19: IndiaTimes: 37 forest fires ravage Britain
- 2013/07/19: BBerg: Heat Wave May Peak With Temperatures Near or at 100 in New York
- 2013/07/19: PLNA: Canada Reports Two Deaths Linked to Heat Wave
- 2013/07/18: ABC(Au): Heatwave alert issued in Britain as temperatures top 30 degrees Celsius
- 2013/07/18: CSM: Idyllwild fire grows to more than 35 square miles
- 2013/07/18: CSM: Heat wave spreads across US. When will it end?
- 2013/07/19: IndiaTimes: UK heatwave kills 760 in 9 days
- 2013/07/19: UW: Nighttime heat waves quadruple in Pacific Northwest
- 2013/07/19: NASA: California's Mountain Fire
- 2013/07/19: UCSUSA:B: Bigger, Hotter, and Longer Wildfires are the New Normal as the Climate Changes in the West
- 2013/07/19: RTCC: June 2013 fifth warmest since 1880 - NOAA data
  US drought continues to afflict 46% of country as NOAA report one of the hottest months of June since records started
- 2013/07/18: BBC: Heatwave warnings extended in England
  The heatwave warning has been raised to "level three" by the Met Office for south-west England and the West Midlands.
- 2013/07/18: CBC: California wildfire forces thousands to flee -- Hot, dry conditions persist as firefighters battle blaze
- 2013/07/18: CBC: Heat goes on in Ontario, Quebec -- Cooler, more seasonal temperatures expected to return by Saturday
- 2013/07/18: SciAm:Obs: Wildfires, Already Out of Control, Could Increase Sixfold
- 2013/07/17: TreeHugger: NASA captures huge wildfires burning in [Yukon] Canada
- 2013/07/18: ICN: After Wildfire Tragedy, Talk of Global Warming's Contribution Is a Delicate Matter
  Experts say it isn't whether media outlets should link extreme weather tragedies like the Yarnell blaze to global warming, but when.
- 2013/07/18: TP:JR: NBC: 'Scientists ... Said Climate Change Plays A Factor In What's Become A Deadly And Historic Fire Season'
- 2013/07/17: DD: 80 wildfires burn in the Yukon - Smoky conditions creating health risk
- 2013/07/17: TFTJO: Climate change perspective: Canada in flames
- 2013/07/17: NASA: Mountain Fire in California
- 2013/07/17: CSM: Idyllwild fire a 'rapidly changing animal'
- 2013/07/17: BBC: Heatwave: Met Office upgrades warning for South East
- 2013/07/17: al Jazeera: Hotting up in the USA -- 'Sauna-like' conditions grip the northeastern states [pix]
- 2013/07/17: CBC: Heat waves hit Ontario and Quebec
  3rd third straight day of high temperatures as Ottawa expects hottest day of year
- 2013/07/17: MODIS: Fires in northern Australia [on July 1]
- 2013/07/16: NASA: Fires in the Canadian Yukon [Territory]
- 2013/07/16: CapClimate: Record Heat in Northern Maine, Eastern Canada
- 2013/07/16: CBC: Heat bakes Canada's eastern half -- Ontario, Quebec and the Maritimes deal with hot, muggy weather for 2nd day
- 2013/07/15: CBC: Heat, storms grip large parts of Canada
  Hot, humid air mass hovers over Ontario and Quebec; Saskatchewan threatened by severe storms
- 2013/07/15: Guardian(UK): Blistering heatwave to bake US north-east for rest of the week
- 2013/07/15: BBC: Heatwave set to continue around UK
Corals are a bellwether of the ocean's health:
- 2013/07/21: RT: Fail: US drops bombs on Australia's Great Barrier Reef marine park
- 2013/07/21: BBC: US jets dropped bombs on Great Barrier Reef
  US fighter jets dropped inert bombs on the Great Barrier Reef off Australia's coast during a training exercise that went wrong, it has emerged.
- 2013/07/21: ABC(Au): Greens angry after US jets drop bombs on Great Barrier Reef Marine Park during Talisman Sabre exercise
- 2013/07/20: TheConversation: Governments are not protecting the Great Barrier Reef
- 2013/07/18: Resilience: Vale the reef
Glaciers are melting:
- 2013/07/19: Grist: Ice, ice, maybe: Snow and ice melting at record speed
- 2013/07/16: CCNY: Researchers Shed New Light on Supraglacial Lake Drainage
  Path water takes from surface to land beneath glacier can affect velocity, direction and extent of ice movement
- 2013/07/15: FaGP: Chernysheva Glacier Retreat, Novaya Zemlya
- 2013/07/15: DD: Massive ice sheets melting 'at rate of 300 billion tonnes a year', climate satellite shows
- 2013/07/15: ABC(Au): Rate of future ice loss remains uncertain
  At least another decade of satellite observations are needed before scientists can determine the rate at which ice sheets in Greenland and Antarctica are melting, according to a new report.
Sea levels are rising:
- 2013/07/16: RTCC: Sea levels set to rise for centuries
  Each degree of global warming may raise world sea levels by more than two metres, a new scientific study concludes
- 2013/07/15: PIK: Each degree of global warming might ultimately raise global sea levels by more than 2 meters
- 2013/07/15: OSU: Scientists outline long-term sea-level rise in response to warming of planet
- 2013/07/16: Xinhuanet: Each degree of global warming to raise sea level by 2 metres: study shows
- 2013/07/15: Guardian(UK): Sea levels may rise 2.3 metres per degree of global warming, report says
- 2013/07/15: Grist: Seas may rise 10 yards during centuries ahead
As for hydrological cycle disruptions [floods & droughts]:
- 2013/07/21: Xinhuanet: Heavy downpours continue to batter west China
  The heavy downpours seen in southwest China's Sichuan Basin and some areas in northwest are set to intensify, posing further threats to those regions that are already reeling from rain-triggered disasters, the country's meteorological authorities forecast Sunday.
- 2013/07/20: DD: Drought in U.S. West prompts feds to truck water and food to wild horses - 'Despite everything we are doing, it may not be enough to save them'
- 2013/07/20: DD: Video: Torrential rain triggers urban flooding in China
- 2013/07/17: TreeHugger: New Mexico's record drought forcing farmers to extremes
- 2013/07/16: DD: Nearly 300 dead or missing in China rain, typhoon
- 2013/07/16: Xinhuanet: 58 dead, 175 missing in Sichuan floods
- 2013/07/16: Xinhuanet: Rainstorm topples NE China bridge, 4 killed
  Shenyang - Heavy overnight rain has toppled a road bridge that formed part of a national expressway in the city of Fuxin, in northeast China's Liaoning Province, killing four people, local authorities said on Tuesday.
- 2013/07/15: Xinhuanet: 8 killed in rainstorm in NW China [Gansu] province
- 2013/07/14: al Jazeera: Torrential rain hits Korean Peninsula
  North and South Korea are braced for significant flooding after days of wet weather.
First, stop subsidizing fossil fuels
Second, put a price on carbon
Third, begin to reduce the human population
And elsewhere on the mitigation front:
- 2013/07/19: Guardian(UK): Mandatory carbon reporting: can it address climate change?
- 2013/07/18: Slate: Reach for the Sun
  Photosynthesis, in the form of biochar, may be one of our best defenses against climate change.
- 2013/07/18: SimpleC: Speeding poor countries' progress could halve farming emission growth
- 2013/07/18: Grist: Plant matters: Is photosynthesis the best defense against climate change?
- 2013/07/17: TreeHugger: More research shows sustainable agriculture can mitigate climate change
Consider transportation & GHG production:
- 2013/07/19: CalcRisk: DOT: Vehicle Miles Driven increased 0.9% in May [yoy]
- 2013/07/16: BBC: European car sales fell 5.6% in June
  New car sales in Europe suffered their worst June since 1996 with demand falling to 1.134 million vehicles, down 5.6% from the same month last year.
  It brought sales for the first half of the year to 6.205 million cars, a 6.6% fall, the carmakers' body ACEA said.
While in the endless quest for zero energy, sustainable buildings and practical codes:
Large scale geo-engineering keeps popping up:
- 2013/07/19: TDB: The Big Idea: Can We Outsmart Climate Change? by Clive Hamilton
  Politicians reluctant to cut emissions are tempted by an easy fix, but Clive Hamilton, author of the new book Earthmaster, says what we actually need is not less politics in the geoengineering debate -- but more.
- 2013/07/19: CE: [press review] CIA, NOAA, NASA, NAS are funding a study on CE
- 2013/07/18: SciAm: Has the Time Come to Consider Geoengineering?
- 2013/07/18: GEP: The CIA and Geoengineering?
- 2013/07/17: Grist: CIA backs $630,000 scientific study on controlling global climate
- 2013//: NAS: Project: Geoengineering Climate: Technical Evaluation and Discussion of Impacts
- 2013/07/17: FDL: CIA Funding Study To Develop Climate Control Technology
- 2013/07/15: GEP: EU-Funded IMPLICC Project Releases Synthesis Report
- 2013/07/15: Guardian(UK): Technology as our planet's last best hope [Pearce]
What's new in conservation?
While on the adaptation front:
- 2013/07/16: Grist: Here's an easy way to protect coastal communities from rising seas and storms
- 2013/07/15: Grist: Oysters, reefs, and swamps protect billions worth of real estate -- for free
- 2013/07/15: CSM: Unexpected ally against future hurricanes: nature?
- 2013/07/15: NatureN: Natural defences can sharply limit coastal damage
  Reefs, dunes and marshes are key to protecting lives and property against storm surges and long-term sea-level rise.
Meanwhile in the journals:
And other significant documents:
As for miscellaneous science:
- 2013/07/20: BBC: Key to ocean life shows large regional variations
  Iron, key for ocean plant plankton growth, shows larger variations than previously recognised, with implications for models of climate.
  Microscopic marine plants, phytoplankton, lock up atmospheric carbon dioxide, but a lack of iron limits photosynthesis.
  In Nature Communications, researchers report regional iron variations in the oceans of up to 10,000 times.
  This observation is expected to improve ocean-climate models.
- 2013/07/20: UKISS: Projected shifts of wine regions
- 2013/07/19: Eureka: Scientists discover new variability in iron supply to the oceans with climate implications
- 2013/07/19: WHOI: First global atlas of marine plankton reveals remarkable underwater world
- 2013/07/16: IsaacHeld: 39. FAT [Fixed Anvil Temperature hypothesis]
What's new in models?
- 2013/07/20: Wunderground: NHC's Tropical Weather Outlook: How Accurate are its Predictions?
Regarding Hansen:
- 2013/07/17: CCP: James Hansen at U.K. Environmental Audit Committee hearing, May 16, 2013
- 2013/07/16: RScribbler: James Hansen and the Three Categories of the Runaway Greenhouse: Earth Uninhabitable for Humans at ~5,000 Gigatons Fossil Fuel Burned
Regarding Mann:
The Fifth IPCC report is coming up:
- 2013/07/15: BVerheggen: The Dutch view on the future of the IPCC -- what it does and what it does not say by Hans Custers
And on the carbon trading front:
- 2013/07/18: TheDay: Northeast [RGGI] states tighten carbon emission rules for power plants
- 2013/07/18: BBerg: Carbon's Longest Rally to Persist on Supply Crunch
  The longest-ever rally in United Nations carbon prices shows little sign of easing as traders bet companies running emission-reduction projects will stop creating credits because it's no longer profitable to do so.
  UN-approved Certified Emission Reductions, or CERs, for December have more than doubled to 53 cents (70 cents) from a record low in April on the ICE Futures Europe exchange. It costs a combined 50 to 80 cents a ton to have emission cuts at clean-technology projects verified and the corresponding certificates issued by the UN, said Luca Bertali, an emissions broker in London at TFS Green, a unit of Cie. Financiere Tradition SA, one of the largest inter-dealer brokers.
  Prices for the credits used by 34 of the richest nations from Germany to Australia to offset domestic emissions by investing in greenhouse-gas-reduction projects elsewhere tumbled 98 percent since peaking at 23.38 euros in 2008 as the global economic slowdown cut demand. The number of CERs being issued by the UN in 2014 may drop 23 percent from this year, according to Bloomberg New Energy Finance.
- 2013/07/17: EnvEcon: "Environmental Economics 101 applied to EU ETS"
The idea of a carbon tax is still bouncing around:
- 2013/07/19: RTCC: China finance minister backs carbon tax
On the international political front, tensions continue as the empire leans on Iran:
- 2013/07/18: Asia Times: Economists launch Iran anti-sanctions bid
  Three prominent Iranian economists have called for the creation of a "civil movement" against US-led sanctions that have been imposed on Tehran over its nuclear program.
  The call comes as ordinary citizens bear the brunt of the sanctions that have crippled Iran's economy and contributed to soaring prices. It appears to be a sign of growing concern among Iran's elite over the damage the sanctions are inflicting on the country's economy and the life of Iranians.
- 2013/07/18: flc: Russia & China refuse expansion of [UN] sanctions against Iran
- 2013/07/18: ABC(Au): Indonesia to change visa requirements for Iranians entering the country
- 2013/07/16: CSM: US must not miss new opportunity to engage with Iran
South [& East] China Sea tension persists:
- 2013/07/19: CSM: Hot summer for Japan and China disputes
- 2013/07/19: Xinhuanet: China hopes for joint efforts to maintain South China Sea peace, official
- 2013/07/19: Asia Times: China's maritime stance shifts with tides
- 2013/07/18: Xinhuanet: Commentary: Stop sending wrong signals over South China Sea
  Beijing - China-Philippine relations are not expected to turn for the better as overseas Filipinos, apparently emboldened by recent U.S. moves in the region, are planning anti-China protests worldwide.
  The New York-based West Philippine Sea (South China Sea) coalition decided to launch protests shortly after Manila and Washington agreed to expand military cooperation.
  According to a latest agreement, the United States will build a naval base in Subic Bay in the Philippines to beef up support for Manila and enlarge U.S. military presence in the region.
  Such moves are easily interpreted as support for the Philippine government in territorial disputes with China, thus complicating the situation and jeopardizing stability of the Asia-Pacific region at large.
- 2013/07/18: Xinhuanet: Interview: Disputed islands with China not Japan's territories: Japanese scholar
- 2013/07/17: Xinhuanet: Japan urged to stop being provocative over Diaoyu Islands
- 2013/07/17: Asia Times: Chinese navy powers into new waters
- 2013/07/16: RT: US to get wider access to South China Sea for military warships and aircraft
  The US has expanded negotiations with Manila and is seeking to build facilities and storage sites in the Philippines, as well as gain greater access to bases for its aircraft and warships. Bases the US is considering are all facing the South China Sea.
  Talks for greater US military presence in the South China Sea comes as the territorial dispute between China and the Philippines is heating up. Since February, the Philippine military has complained that Chinese navy and government vessels have increased their presence in the disputed area.
- 2013/07/15: Asia Times: China plots strategic coup in the Pacific [East China Sea]
In the global competition for Rare Earths and other natural resources:
Oh Joy! Yet more solar squabbles:
- 2013/07/19: BBerg: India May Expand Solar Anti-Dumping Probe to EU, Japan
  Indian clean-energy companies that claim the U.S. and China dumped cheap solar cells on the market are seeking to extend their case to include imports from Europe and Japan.
  Indosolar Ltd., Jupiter Solar Power Ltd. and Websol Energy System Ltd. told a New Delhi hearing this week that they filed a petition to expand the investigation, said Jagdish Agarwal, secretary of the Solar Independent Power Producers Association, who attended the proceedings.
- 2013/07/19: RTCC: China ratchets up solar trade war with USA
  China imposes anti-dumping duties on solar products from the US and South Korea following eight month investigation
- 2013/07/18: NYT: China's Feud With West on Solar Leads to Tax [on solar-grade polysilicon]
- 2013/07/17: Xinhuanet: Xinhua Insight: New PV stimulus package to offset EU barriers
These 'free trade' treaties look like a stealth corporate takeover:
- 2013/07/18: NakedCapitalism: TransPacific Partnership to Let Foreign Investors Gut Regulations, Keep Big Ag Subsidies
- 2013/07/15: Guardian(UK): The US-EU trade deal: don't buy the hype
  In reality, this trade agreement is not about promoting prosperity for all, but powerful industry lobbies trying to dodge regulation
And in miscellaneous international political jousting:
- 2013/07/20: WSWS: US-China dialogue in shambles
- 2013/07/19: EurActiv: EU, China officials begin green growth talks in 'airpocalypse' smog
  The EU's top environment and industry officials are meeting Chinese leaders for talks on promoting green growth today (19 July), as Beijing advises the young, elderly and ill to remain indoors due to "heavy pollution" for the 68th time this year.
- 2013/07/18: EurActiv: EU, China to sign deal on curbing wildlife trafficking
  The EU and China's environment ministry are to sign an agreement tomorrow (19 July) to help combat the illegal trade of wildlife products, such as elephant and rhinoceros horns, the EU's top environment official, Janez Potoc(nik, has told EurActiv.
The issue of the law and activism is playing out around the world:
What are the activists up to?
- 2013/07/18: CCP: Google gives money to climate liar James Inhofe: Fight back!
- 2013/07/16: CCP: Colorado anti-fracking protesters cross political divide at Democratic Governors' Conference in Denver
- 2013/07/15: Guardian(UK): UK climate movement planning to 'relaunch' in spring 2014
  A confidential Stop Climate Chaos consultation document gives insight into climate change campaigners' strategy for 2013-16
- 2013/07/15: SMandia: Want to Help Our Climate Scientists? It's Simple: Here's How
- 2013/07/15: BBC: Greenpeace protests inside French nuclear plant
- 2013/07/15: CBC: Greenpeace activists break into France nuclear plant
  Intrusion raises questions about the security of France's 19 plants
- 2013/07/15: al Jazeera: Activists break into French nuclear plant
  Greenpeace campaigners enter Tricastin plant and project visuals protesting against atomic power on the building.
The move to divest from fossil fuel investments is growing slowly:
- 2013/07/19: ERabett:BSD: Climate divestment for the water district
Polls! We have polls!
Regarding Water Politics and Business; See also:
- 2013/07/20: BBerg: Egypt Calls on Ethiopia to Seek Solution on Nile Water Sharing
- 2013/07/19: Resilience: Why Our Energy Choices Matter in a Warming, Water-Constrained World
- 2013/07/19: BBC: South Asia disunity 'hampers flood warnings'
  A lack of co-operation between South Asian countries is preventing timely flood warnings that could save lives and property during the monsoon season.
  Erratic and extreme rainfall is causing catastrophic flooding, most recently in northwest India and Nepal following heavy rainfall in June.
  But the sharing of hydrological data can be a sensitive issue because of disputes over water use.
- 2013/07/18: Spectrum: Collision Between Water and Energy Is Underway, and Worsening
  [...]
  Power generation in the United States relies heavily on water. For some plants, like the ones that run on coal or nuclear power, the water is needed for cooling, while hydro directly uses water for energy production. More than 40 percent of fresh water used in the United States is withdrawn to cool power plants.
- 2013/07/18: Eureka: Climate change could deprive Volta Basin of water needed to boost energy and food production
  According to study, inaction will lead to 'major setback' in economic development and food security for the poorest people in Ghana, Burkina Faso and other countries in West Africa
- 2013/07/18: WSWS: Water supply to DC suburb restricted in midst of heat wave
- 2013/07/18: DeSmogBlog: Another Pennsylvania Wastewater Treatment Plant Accused of Illegally Disposing Radioactive Fracking Waste
- 2013/07/16: UCSUSA: Future Power Generation Could Further Endanger Water Supplies
- 2013/07/16: UCSUSA:B: Water-Smart Power: Why Our Power Plant Choices Matter in a Warming, Water-Constrained World
- 2013/07/14: JFleck: Why fighting over water isn't a bad thing
- 2013/07/14: JFleck: Stuff I wrote elsewhere: Farming cottonwoods
- 2013/07/15: CSM: Fracking at the corner of energy abundance and water scarcity
- 2013/07/15: CBC: Brian Stewart: Egypt's other existential crisis -- the Nile
  Ethiopia's construction of a giant hydro dam near the headwaters of the Nile has Egypt's leaders talking military action
Among the world's religions:
- 2013/07/19: RTCC: Evangelicals tackle US Congress on climate change
  Over 200 Evangelicals write to Congress about the religious imperatives for acting on climate change
- 2013/07/15: TP:JR: Evangelical Scientists Issue Faith-Based Call For Congress To Address Climate Change
So what's new on the education front?
- 2013/07/17: TPM: GOP Lawmaker In Utah [State Sen. Aaron Osmond (R)] Wants To End Compulsory Education In The State
While in the UK:
- 2013/07/19: Guardian(UK): Lynton Crosby's lobby firm linked to Australian fossil fuels
  Crosby Textor co-founder Mark Textor helps Australian Opposition leader Tony Abbott to shape his messages
- 2013/07/19: CDreams: UK Government Unveils World's 'Most Generous' Tax Breaks for Fracking
- 2013/07/19: Guardian(UK): George Osborne unveils 'most generous tax breaks in world' for fracking
  Environmental groups furious as chancellor sets 30% rate for shale gas producers in bid to enhance UK energy security
- 2013/07/19: OilDrum: British Geological Survey Bowland Shale Gas Assessment
- 2013/07/19: RT: UK offers 'most generous tax breaks in the world' for fracking
- 2013/07/18: BBC: Tax cut for shale gas firms planned
  The government has outlined plans to give tax breaks to companies involved in the UK's nascent shale gas industry.
- 2013/07/17: RTCC: Why did David Cameron promise to lead the 'greenest government ever'?
  The Prime Minister promised to put green issues at the top of his agenda, but the delivery has been disappointing
- 2013/07/16: BBC: Biomass fuel subsidies to be capped says energy secretary
  The government is turning away from its controversial policy of subsidising UK power stations to generate electricity from burning wood.
- 2013/07/16: BBC: Heathrow to hand third runway plan to Davies Commission
- 2013/07/16: RTCC: Chris Huhne: Treasury undermining key UK energy efficiency scheme
  Treasury's 'abominable no-man act' blamed for blocking incentives that could have unlocked Green Deal potential to thousands of households
- 2013/07/16: BBC: Household energy bills are likely to rise £100 a year more than the government projects, says the energy firm RWE Npower
And in Europe:
- 2013/07/19: EUO: EU signs South Africa [nuclear] energy deal
- 2013/07/19: EUO: EU commission denies encouraging nuclear power
- 2013/07/18: Grist: E.U. bans another bee-killing insecticide [fipronil]
- 2013/07/18: EurActiv: More countries to block Daimler sales in [R134a] air coolant row
  More EU countries could join France in blocking registrations of new Daimler AG vehicles using a banned coolant, after EU governments agreed yesterday (17 July) to take action against the German carmaker.
- 2013/07/17: EurActiv: EU targets another insecticide linked to decline in bee population
- 2013/07/17: EurActiv: EU green buildings debate moves beyond energy efficiency
  Green housing campaigners are excited by a new sustainable buildings debate the EU has kick-started, which aims to move certification schemes beyond the energy efficiency paradigm.
- 2013/07/17: EUO: EU blacklist fails to name fish pirates
- 2013/07/16: CSM: The dirty coal behind Germany's clean energy
- 2013/07/15: DerSpiegel: Unfair Competition? EU Takes on German Green Energy Law
  The European Commission plans to launch a probe this Wednesday into Germany's renewable energy law. Brussels says it breaches EU competition law because it exempts many companies from charges levied to fund green subsidies.
- 2013/07/15: EurActiv: Commission to probe German renewable energy laws: Report
  The European Union plans an investigation into Germany's renewable energy law due to concerns that exemptions for some firms from charges levied on power users breaches competition rules, a German magazine reported yesterday (14 July).
- 2013/07/15: EurActiv: EU court casts doubt on legality of Poland's shale gas licences
  Poland's shale gas business is facing a serious challenge after the EU's highest court ruled that Warsaw violated European law by allowing licences to be issued for the exploration and extraction of hydrocarbons, without fully open tenders.
- 2013/07/15: BBC: Shale gas ban in France to remain, says Hollande
  French President Francois Hollande has again ruled out exploration for shale gas during his presidency.
- 2013/07/14: Reuters: EU plans probe on German renewable energy law - Spiegel
- 2013/07/11: CC: Green Germany continues its shift away from coal power
- 2013/07/10: Platts: German coal-fired power rises above 50% in first-half 2013 generation mix
Meanwhile in Australia:
- 2013/07/19: ABC(Au): Fishing operators urged to adjust to planned marine parks
  The South Australian Government has opened a process for commercial fishing operators to voluntarily surrender their licences or entitlements, to help counteract the impact of a new marine parks network.
  The Primary Industries Department says submissions can be made until the end of August and operators should get a response on compensation by about October.
- 2013/07/18: ABC(Au): Australia's Chief Scientist [Ian Chubb] calls for greater collaboration between farmers and scientists
- 2013/07/19: WSWS: Australian electricity sell-off sets new benchmark for Labor's national privatisation agenda
  The Liberal-National state government in New South Wales has effectively set an extraordinary new benchmark nationally for handing over state-owned assets to the financial and corporate elite.
  On July 1, Premier Barry O'Farrell's state government announced that it would sell an electricity generator, Eraring Energy, whose assets include Eraring power station, one of Australia's largest, and the Shoalhaven Hydro power station, for just $50 million. Eraring's assets have been valued at more than $1 billion, including the cost of a recent $200 million upgrade; and it made nearly $140 million in profits last year.
  Not only that, but the buyer, Origin Energy, will actually receive $300 million from the state government, supposedly to compensate it for the termination of a contract to provide Eraring Energy with coal from a still-to-be developed mine.
- 2013/07/19: al Jazeera: Australia says no to more boatpeople
  All migrants arriving to Australia by boat to be sent to Papua New Guinea under new plan to curb influx of refugees.
- 2013/07/19: ABC(Au): Australia shuts door on asylum seekers
  Asylum seekers arriving in Australia by boat to be resettled in Papua New Guinea
- 2013/07/19: Guardian(UK): Australia's two major parties both score poorly on climate policy
- 2013/07/19: ABC(Au): Greens target Tarkine mine reassessment
- 2013/07/18: ABC(Au): Former prime minister Julia Gillard signs book deal
- 2013/07/18: ABC(Au): Federal Labor keeps final say on environmental approvals
  The Federal Government says it has no plans to give the states greater control over the environmental approvals process.
  That puts it at odds with big business, which has been pushing for a major overhaul of a system it says is costing projects and jobs, particularly in mining.
- 2013/07/18: ABC(Au): Farmers stiffen opposition to coal seam gas
- 2013/07/18: TheConversation: Why has nature become a niche issue?
- 2013/07/18: TheConversation: Revegetation helps fix the climate, but Australia would rather clear land
- 2013/07/18: Guardian(UK): Australia's love affair with cars is leaving public transport behind
- 2013/07/17: ABC(Au): Environmentalists stop new Tarkine mine
  A Tasmanian environment group has taken on the Federal Environment Minister and a mining company and won.
  The Federal Court has ruled invalid the Minister's approval of a new open cut mine iron ore in the state's north west.
  The site's in the Tarkine, known for rainforest, aboriginal archaeological remains, and wildlife.
- 2013/07/17: ABC(Au): Federal Resources Minister Gary Gray wants nuclear Australia debate
  Federal Resources Minister Gary Gray says the Government should not shy away from a debate about whether to develop a nuclear power industry in Australia.
  Mr Gray has previously spoken of his support for nuclear power and today told the Australian Uranium and Rare Earths conference in Perth that he believes there is a clear commercial market for nuclear power.
- 2013/07/16: PrecariousC: The greatest greenwash of our generation
  Newly reinstated Australian Labor Party leader and Prime Minister Kevin Rudd has today demonstrated yet again that he is the worst type of climate change denier: a skilled greenwasher.
- 2013/07/16: BNC: New critique of AEMO 100% renewable electricity for Australia report by Dr Ted Trainer
- 2013/07/16: TheConversation: Great Barrier Reef report in: time to make polluters pay
- 2013/07/15: ABC(Au): Expert says turbines can be turned off during fires
  A wind power industry spokesman says switching turbines off during fires would negate concerns about their impact on aerial waterbombers.
  The Aerial Agricultural Association of Australia, which represents volunteer fire fighting pilots, says it has written to the Federal Government asking for more research into wind farms.
- 2013/07/15: ABC(Au): New search for oil and gas in Tasmania
  The company Petratherm has applied for an exploration license for an area of land in the midlands of Tasmania covering some 3,900 square kilometres.
- 2013/07/15: ABC(Au): Dust-up over nuclear waste dump hits eight years
- 2013/07/15: ABC(Au): Energy efficiency would add billions to economy: report
  An improvement in energy efficiency of just 1 per cent would add $26 billion to Australia's economy by 2030, according to a new report.
  Research commissioned by the Climate Institute and US energy giant General Electric says Australia's poor investment in energy efficiency is costing tens of billions of dollars in potential economic growth.
There has been a lot of recalculating & repositioning after Rudd dumped the Carbon Tax:
- 2013/07/19: ABC(Au): Carbon capture & storage plans have angered SW locals
- 2013/07/18: ABC(Au):TDU: It's time to talk about alternatives to carbon pricing
  With Kevin Rudd announcing plans to introduce the floating carbon price system early, now is the time to critically examine the EU model. We must avoid Europe's mistakes, writes Gareth Bryant.
- 2013/07/18: ABC(Au): Carbon trading will impact La Trobe Valley
  The early introduction of an emissions trading scheme to replace the carbon tax is creating more uncertainty about the future of brown coal burning power generators in Victoria's La Trobe Valley.
- 2013/07/17: EconoSpeak: Carbon Money: A Data Point from Down Under
- 2013/07/17: JQuiggin: The return of the ETS
- 2013/07/17: ABC(Au):TDU: Will Rudd's ETS save the environment? It depends
  The fact that Kevin Rudd's decision to swap the carbon tax for an ETS may deliver a lower carbon price in 2014 has raised eyebrows but this concern ignores the fact that carbon prices are designed to drive long-term structural change, argues Erwin Jackson.
- 2013/07/16: ABC(Au):TDU: Rudd should stay strong on climate change
  The announcement that the ETS phase of the carbon price will be brought forward has got Abbott changing his tune, and makes Rudd look like he is running scared. It's not a good look for either of them, writes Sara Phillips.
- 2013/07/17: ABC(Au): Landcare says carbon cuts are 'disappointing'
  The volunteer National Landcare Network says it's disappointed by a Federal Government decision to cut the Biodiversity Fund and Carbon Farming Futures programs, saying it erodes what was an integrated approach to addressing climate change.
- 2013/07/17: ABC(Au): Kevin Rudd's emissions trading policy faces legislative hurdles, opposition from Greens and Coalition
- 2013/07/17: ABC(Au): Manufacturer doubts carbon changes to boost business confidence
- 2013/07/16: ABC(Au): Green group wants parties to keep carbon cutting commitment
- 2013/07/16: ABC(Au): WA Greens Senator Scott Ludlam says his party is unlikely to support changes to carbon pricing
- 2013/07/16: ABC(Au): Prime Minister Kevin Rudd to unveil budget cuts to pay for carbon rethink
- 2013/07/16: Guardian(UK): Kevin Rudd outlines plan to 'terminate' carbon tax in 2014
- 2013/07/16: CBC: Australia to scrap carbon tax in favour of emissions trading
- 2013/07/16: TheConversation: Labor keeps ETS compensation for big power users -- why?
- 2013/07/16: ABC(Au): Confidence in carbon farming takes another hit
- 2013/07/16: ABC(Au): Mixed reaction to emissions savings
- 2013/07/16: ABC(Au): Prof Ross Garnaut: The ETS fundamentals have been preserved
- 2013/07/16: ABC(Au): Rudd kills the carbon tax
  Prime Minister, Kevin Rudd, has announced that the carbon tax is to be replaced by an Emissions Trading Scheme which should save average families $380 a year.
- 2013/07/16: RTCC: EU and Australia set to accelerate emissions trading links
  Climate Commissioner Connie Hedegaard says discussions will be sped up after Kevin Rudd announces end of unpopular carbon tax
- 2013/07/16: BBC: Australia PM Rudd sets out carbon tax shift cost
  The Australian government says its plan to scrap an unpopular carbon tax will cost A$3.8bn ($3.5bn; £2.3bn).
- 2013/07/16: ABC(Au): Carmakers warn against scrapping fringe benefits tax to fund carbon price policy
- 2013/07/16: al Jazeera: Australia dumps unpopular carbon tax
  Prime Minister Kevin Rudd plans to bring forward emissions trading scheme in policy overhaul ahead of election.
- 2013/07/16: ABC(Au): PM Kevin Rudd reveals $3.8 billion price tag on decision to 'terminate' carbon tax
- 2013/07/15: TheConversation: From fixed price to ETS: the complications of reducing emissions
- 2013/07/15: ABC(Au): Business groups back move to axe carbon price
- 2013/07/14: CleanTechnica: Australia's Fixed Carbon Price Scrapped: New Prime Minister Saves Village By Destroying It
- 2013/07/15: ABC(Au): Coal industry body welcomes emissions policy about-face
- 2013/07/15: ABC(Au): Carbon tax change to cost Tasmania $60 million
- 2013/07/15: WSWS: Australian government announces ETS and end to carbon tax
- 2013/07/15: ABC(Au): Treasurer denies scrapping carbon price will leave $6bn budget hole
- 2013/07/14: al Jazeera: Australia plans to scrap carbon tax
  Key greenhouse gas emitter to replace fixed price on emissions with floating rate a year earlier than planned.
- 2013/07/14: PrecariousC: Rudd ignites carbon trading time bombs
Who knows when the election will be now?
- 2013/07/21: UKISS: Tony Abbott spin doctor is petroleum industry shill
- 2013/07/19: Guardian(UK): Lynton Crosby's lobby firm linked to Australian fossil fuels
  Crosby Textor co-founder Mark Textor helps Australian Opposition leader Tony Abbott to shape his messages
- 2013/07/19: CCurrents: CO2: The "Invisible Substance"
- 2013/07/19: ABC(Au): Federal election 2013: When will the date be?
- 2013/07/18: ABC(Au):TDU: An invisible nod to the climate change sceptics
  Tony Abbott's recent rhetoric on the move to an emissions trading scheme has been artfully chosen to reveal to climate change sceptics which side of the debate he still stands on, writes Jonathan Green.
- 2013/07/18: ABC(Au): Referendum comment leaves door open for early election
- 2013/07/16: Grist: Climate policy is dominating Australian election
- 2013/07/16: ABC(Au):TDU: Dumping the carbon tax without dumping anything
  The Coalition's attacks on the carbon tax have been more about broken promises than policy, allowing Kevin Rudd to "dump the tax" without actually dumping anything, writes Chris Berg.
- 2013/07/16: SkS: Carbon Dioxide's invisibility is what causes global warming
- 2013/07/16: ABC(Au): Prime Minister wants climate policy debate
  Prime Minister Kevin Rudd is continuing his campaign to clear the decks of contentious policy before he announces an election date. Today it was the carbon tax. Instead, he's moving early to an emissions trading scheme.
- 013/07/16: Xinhuanet: News Analysis: Rudd readjusts Labor's carbon tax policy for votes
- 2013/07/16: WtD: Invisible substance: latest Abbottism slams together cheap slogans and willed ignorance
- 2013/07/15: Guardian(UK): Tony Abbott caught wolf-whistling to climate change denialists
  Abbott's latest remarks on carbon pricing betray the fact that his views on climate change are inspired from the depths of the climate denier blogosphere
- 2013/07/15: WtD: Quote of the day: plugging into a medieval mistrust of scientists
- 2013/07/15: NewAnthropocene: Abbott's "Real Solutions" really lacking fact checking
- 2013/07/15: TheConversation: FactCheck: have power prices gone up 94% under Labor?
- 2013/07/15: ABC(Au): Tony Abbott says ETS a 'market in an invisible substance'; Labor denies scrapping carbon price will leave $6bn budget hole
- 2013/07/15: ABC(Au): Labor and Coalition neck and neck in latest Nielsen poll, Rudd leads as preferred PM
After years of wrangling, the Murray Darling Basin Plan is in place, but the water management fights are far from finished:
- 2013/07/18: ABC(Au): Vic Govt defends waterways strategy
  The Victorian Government says it will continue work on a new waterways strategy, despite pressure from environmentalists for an independent study.
- 2013/07/18: ABC(Au): Research shows Great Artesian Basin more extensive than thought
- 2013/07/18: ABC(Au): Residents want detail on Coke water decision
- 2013/07/18: ABC(Au): Turbines to keep Cotter Dam water clean
- 2013/07/17: ABC(Au): Push for lakes upgrade before NSW signs basin plan
  There are calls for the Federal Government to improve infrastructure at the Menindee Lakes before New South Wales signs up to the Murray-Darling Basin Plan.
  The NSW Office of Water has submitted a $100 million plan to reduce evaporation and improve the outlet capacity of the lakes.
- 2013/07/16: ABC(Au): Jigalong still awaiting water woes fix
While in the Indian subcontinent:
And in China:
- 2013/07/12: Science: (ab$) Revising China's Environmental Law by Guizhen He et al.
- 2013/07/19: RTCC: China finance minister backs carbon tax
  Lou Jiwei latest high ranking official to back pricing carbon as pressure grows on Beijing government to cut pollution
- 2013/07/17: V VattsUWT: The Mandate Of Heaven
- 2013/07/17: Xinhuanet: Xinhua Insight: New PV stimulus package to offset EU barriers
  Nanchang - The government has introduced a new stimulus package to boost the development of the domestic photovoltaic (PV) industry and offset the negative impact from punitive EU duties imposed in June.
  Just one year after announcing an increase in its cumulative PV capacity target to 21 million kilowatts (kw) for 2015, the government said Monday that it is raising the target to 35 million kw.
  To boost PV use in the domestic market, the government will build 100 distributed PV demonstration zones and 1,000 distributed PV demonstration towns and villages, according to the statement released by the State Council on Monday.
- 2013/07/16: Grist: China plans a major solar spree
- 2013/07/15: Reuters: China vows to quadruple solar generating capacity by 2015
While in Japan:
And elsewhere in Asia:
- 2013/07/17: ABC(Au): Fijian grandmothers educating locals on solar panel installation
  A group of grandmothers in Fiji are educating the younger generation on solar panel installation to generate electricity in their villages.
  The elderly women underwent training at the Barefoot College in India, an NGO that provides rural communities with training and education.
  Fiji's Womens Minister, Dr Jiko Luveni, has told Radio Australia's Pacific Beat program the training programme was specifically for grandmothers.
- 2013/07/14: APR: South Korea's Nuclear Energy Corruption Scandal Widens in Scope
And South America:
- 2013/07/15: CBC: Barrick Gold Chilean mine suspended over water issues
  Appeals court orders miner to keep its environmental promises
- 2013/07/15: PLNA: Ecuador Moves Forward in [Thermoelectric] Energy Development
In Canada, neocon PM Harper, aka The Blight, pushes petroleum while ignoring the climate and ecology:
- 2013/07/20: P3: Are YOU on Stephen Harper's #EnemyList?
- 2013/07/16: PaiD: Paranoia, Inc.
Harper remodelled his cabinet:
They're still finding bodies after the Lac Mégantic tragedy:
- 2013/07/20: MCrawford: Lac Megantic was a Disaster Waiting To Happen
- 2013/07/20: CTV: Death toll in Lac-Megantic disaster now set at 47
- 2013/07/19: BBerg: Canadian Investigators Says Failed Brakes Led to Crash
- 2013/07/19: CBC: 5 more Lac-Mégantic blast victims identified
- 2013/07/19: CBC: Lac-Mégantic investigators seek urgent rail safety review
  TSB urges review of rules surrounding securing of cars, dangerous goods
- 2013/07/19: G&M: Probe of Lac-Mégantic train disaster turns to composition of oil
- 2013/07/18: CBC: Irving Oil, Dakota Holdings added to Lac-Mégantic class action -- Plaintiffs add oil companies to lawsuit against MMA Railway
- 2013/07/18: CBC: Transport Canada mum on rail safety rules -- Companies won't share details following Lac-Mégantic rail disaster
- 2013/07/18: CBC: Lac-Mégantic toll rises to 42 -- Remains of 4 more victims recovered from red-zone
- 2013/07/17: WSWS: Canada's newspapers whitewash government culpability in Lac-Mégantic tragedy
- 2013/07/16: CBC: Inside Lac-Mégantic disaster zone: 'Everything is just smashed together' -- Rail cars 'look like toys' piled in centre of devastated town
- 2013/07/15: Reuters: Survivors of Quebec train crash to file class action suit
- 2013/07/15: LFPress: Class-action suit filed in Lac-Megantic explosion
- 2013/07/15: CBC: Lac-Mégantic survivors begin class-action lawsuit
  A group of Lac-Mégantic, Que., citizens is preparing a class-action against the owners of the Montreal, Maine and Atlantic Railway, after one of its trains carrying dozens of tank-cars of crude oil derailed and destroyed the town's core July 6.
  The petition was filed on behalf of Yannick Gagne, owner of the Musi-Café, which was destroyed by the blast, and Guy Ouellet, whose wife died in the disaster.
  The applicants are claiming compensation for material losses and moral damage suffered by the community.
- 2013/07/14: CBC: Death toll in Lac-Mégantic train disaster rises to 35
  9 people publicly identified, 35 bodies found
Farmers are worried about GM alfalfa:
The battle over the Northern Gateway pipeline rages on:
- 2013/07/20: CPW: Enbridge to delay required pipeline safety fix for three more years
- 2013/07/18: CoC: Access to Information request reveals Enbridge will delay required crude oil pipeline safety fix for three more years
And on the fabled West-East line:
- 2013/07/16: CBC: TransCanada pipeline would run through Ottawa
- 2013/07/15: CBC: Enbridge not answering important questions, McHattie says
  Enbridge Pipelines is ducking questions and concerns raised by city staff about its practices leading up to the National Energy Board (NEB) hearing about the Line 9B pipeline reversal, a Hamilton councillor says.
  "I'm quite surprised that Enbridge would behave this way," Ward 1 councillor Brian McHattie told CBC Hamilton. "Now that real concerns have been expressed, they're just turtling and refusing to answer."
  Enbridge says it is answering all relevant questions and suggests some of what is being asked of it amounts to a "fishing expedition."
The ISA/PRV/IHN/Alpha virus in Canadian waters is potentially disastrous:
- 2013/07/18: AlexandraMorton: Norwegian virus devastating to farmed salmon spreads to Canada and Chile: paper published Piscine reovirus previously reported only in the Atlantic Ocean
Now that Christy Clark has a mandate, what will she do?
Meanwhile in that Mechanical Mordor known as the tar sands:
Also in Alberta:
- 2013/07/18: CBC: Flood-ravaged Alberta continues to rebuild a month later -- Province releases long-term recovery plan
- 2013/07/17: SciAm:Obs: Anatomy of One of Canada's Worst -- and Most Costly -- Natural Disasters
- 2013/07/14: CBC: Alberta unveils new flood-proofing rules
  Homeowners who stay in high-risk zones would not get future disaster recovery money
  The province has created new flood-mapping standards in the hopes of preventing future flood events in Alberta.
  The new rules categorize areas in high-risk flood zones as being in either the floodway (red zone) or flood fringe (pink area).
While in Saskatchewan:
- 2013/07/15: CBC: Cleanup continues after Sask. hammered by hail, storms
  People in southeastern Saskatchewan are cleaning up and assessing the damage Monday after brutal storms on the weekend.
  Hailstones as big as grapefruit were reported in some areas. Streets were flooded, cars and buildings were damaged and many hectares of cropland were flattened.
- 2013/07/14: CBC: Grapefruit-sized hail hits southeastern Sask -- Unconfirmed reports of a tornado near Minton, Sask
And in Manitoba:
- 2013/07/18: CBC: Possible tornado reported at Manitoba First Nation -- Couple taken to hospital after home demolished
  Five homes at Sioux Valley First Nation have been hit by what residents are calling a tornado, which Environment Canada is still investigating.
  CBC reporter Jill Coubrough said the roof of one home was ripped off, and the couple inside have been taken to hospital in Brandon with minor injuries, according to Dakota Police.
- 2013/07/14: CBC: Severe storm, likely tornado hit southwest Manitoba -- Pipestone residents say community looks like a war zone
In Ontario, Wynne is struggling to establish herself. Energy still looms large:
- 2013/07/19: TStar: 'The Maple Leaf Forever' no more: Storm knocks down tree tied to Canadian history
  The aged silver maple thought to have inspired "The Maple Leaf Forever" falls victim to Friday's storm and neighbours mark its passing.
- 2013/07/17: SudburySteve: Ontario's New Energy Vision Misses the Mark on Climate Change
- 2013/07/16: CBC: Ontario G20 fence law still on books despite promises
  Ontario Ombudsman releases his 2012-13 annual report
  Ontario's ombudsman says the governing Liberals have failed to live up to their promise to replace a law that resulted in a "massive" violation of civil rights during the G20 summit in Toronto three years ago.
While in la Belle Province:
- 2013/07/19: CBC: Quebec woman, 21, killed as storm knocks down tree branch -- 6-year-old boy also suffered severe injuries
- 2013/07/17: CBC: Forest fires force evacuation of Quebec town
  Forest fires have forced 93 people from their homes on Quebec's north shore.
  Shortly after midnight on Tuesday, residents of Baie-Johan-Beetz were awakened by police and told to pack their bags.
  Police asked residents to seek safety in the town of Havre-Saint-Pierre, about an hour's drive west of their village.
In the Maritimes:
As for miscellaneous Canadiana:
- 2013/07/17: Rabble:DS: Rail, pipeline and climate disasters are symptoms of oily addiction
And on the American political front:
The BP disaster continues to twist US politics:
The Keystone XL wheel grinds slowly. And it grinds woe:
- 2013/07/19: AutoBG: Keystone XL pipeline could raise Midwest gas prices by $.40 a gallon
- 2013/07/19: BWeek: TransCanada Rebuffs U.S. EPA's Call for Clean Energy on Keystone
- 2013/07/18: G&M: TransCanada ramps up effort to sway U.S. on Keystone XL project
- 2013/07/18: DeSmogBlog: State Dept Keystone XL Enironmental Reviewer Claimed Delaware Tar Sands Refinery Made Air Cleaner
- 2013/07/17: ICN: Public Comments on Keystone Project Reveal Economic Woes of Small Towns
  Cash-strapped communities say they need Keystone tax revenue for health care and roads, while opponents argue the money will quickly disappear.
- 2013/07/16: TP:JR: Approving The Keystone Pipeline Could Cost U.S. Consumers $3-4 Billion Per Year in Higher Gas Prices
- 2013/07/16: Thehill:e2W: Top Senate Dem might conduct oversight of Keystone pipeline
  Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee Chairman Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) is weighing whether to conduct oversight of the Keystone XL oil sands pipeline.
  Wyden told reporters Tuesday that he's had "a number of conversations" with senators about oversight proceedings for the proposed Canada-to-Texas pipeline.
  "There are a host of questions with respect to Keystone, foremost of which is the evidence pointing to the fact that much of that energy is going to get exported," Wyden said after a Senate hearing, highlighting an issue that has divided the pipeline's backers and detractors.
- 2013/07/17: Grist:Keystone XL could hike gas prices as much as 40 cents a gallon
- 2013/07/16: ConsumerWatchdog: [link to 1.6 meg pdf] Consumer Watchdog Report Shows Keystone XL Raises American Gas Prices
- 2013/07/16: TreeHugger: Study finds Keystone XL will raise gas prices
- 2013/07/16: DeSmogBlog: Keystone XL Scandal: Obama Attorney's Law Firm Represents TransCanada's Pipeline in Alaska
The Mayflower oil spill continues to weigh heavily on the Keystone decision:
- 2013/07/16: ICN: Exxon's Secrecy Over Ruptured Pipeline Could Mask National Dangers
- 2013/07/15: ICN: Full Extent of Heavy Metal Contamination in Exxon Oil Spill Still Unknown
With the deficit hawks panicking about things financial, there has been talk of a carbon tax solution:
- 2013/07/18: 350orBust: Climate Heroes In Washington
- 2013/07/16: TheHill:e2W: Conservative [AEA] group launches broad anti-carbon tax campaign
The GOP War on Women continues. See also:
- 2013/07/18: CDreams: 'Shame!': Texas Codifies Attack on Reproductive Rights
- 2013/07/18: ACLU: Governor Perry Signs Sweeping Texas Anti-Abortion Bill Into Law
- 2013/07/17: WSWS: Texas enacts sweeping abortion restrictions
- 2013/07/15: BismarckTrib: N.D. judge: 2011 abortion law unconstitutional
- 2013/07/16: BalloonJuice: If It Quacks Like a Quack
- 2013/07/12: Reuters: Doctor must be present for drug-induced abortion in Missouri
  A doctor will have to be present for any drug-induced abortion in Missouri starting on August 28 because Governor Jay Nixon on Friday allowed a measure passed by the state legislature to become law without his signature.
The actions of the Obama administration are being watched closely:
- 2013/07/19: CSM: State department approves pipeline to Canada. No, it's not Keystone XL.
  The U.S. State Department approved on Wednesday a pipeline to Canada.
  However this was not the controversial Keystone XL pipeline that has been the subject of environmental and political battles in the United States Congress. Rather, it is a pipeline to carry ethane from the Bakken formation in North Dakota, through Saskatchewan, to Empress, Alberta.
  Ethane is extracted from natural gas and is used in various industrial processes. In Alberta, it will be used in the petrochemical industry, where it is key to the production of detergents, plastics, rubber, and other consumer products. (Related article: Next Shale 'Boom' - Our Money's on Russia)
  The pipeline concerned is called the Vantage Pipeline. It will be 430 miles long (of which 80 miles is in North Dakota before it crosses the international border) and cost an estimated $300 million to construct. It will mark the first time that liquids from this region of North Dakota's reservoirs will flow into existing Albertan infrastructure. Construction of the pipeline segment inside Canada has already been under way for some time, according to reports.
- 2013/07/19: TP:JR: Getting The U.S.-China Climate Partnership Right by U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry
- 2013/07/18: FuelFix: Poll finds broad public support for Obama's climate change plan
- 2013/07/18: UCSUSA:B: A Peek Inside the Administrator's Inbox -- Some of What's Waiting for Gina McCarthy as New EPA Administrator
- 2013/07/18: TP:JR: Senate Confirms McCarthy, Now The Real Work Can Start
- 2013/07/18: NOAANews: NOAA and Aquarium of the Pacific to host first-ever National Forum to shape a U.S. national ocean exploration program
- 2013/07/18: UCSUSA:B: The Social Cost of Carbon: Setting the Record Straight Ahead of Today's House Hearing
- 2013/07/18: HillHeat: Testimony of White House OMB OIRA Administrator Howard Shelanski on Social Cost of Carbon
- 2013/07/17: eNewsPF: Hundreds Intervene in Proceedings over Federal Review of Constitution Pipeline Project
- 2013/07/17: TheHill:RW: Interior chief defends 'fracking' rules amid GOP, industry attacks
  Interior Secretary Sally Jewell, facing fresh GOP criticism, on Wednesday defended plans to impose new regulations on oil and gas "fracking" on public lands.
- 2013/07/16: TheHill:e2W: Green group [FOE] sues State Department over Keystone lobbying documents
- 2013/07/17: TheHill:RW: White House regs chief defends 'social cost of carbon' boost
- 2013/07/17: RTCC: "Get off the fence" on coal ash, scientist tells US EPA
- 2013/07/17: TreeHugger: EPA Portfolio Manager gets major upgrade for better tracking of building water and energy use
- 2013/07/15: CSM: Fracking research: What's behind EPA's abandoned studies?
As for what is going on in Congress:
- 2013/07/19: Grist: Harry Reid blames climate change for fires ravaging his state
- 2013/07/19: ScienceInsider: Senate Panel Gives NSF an 8% Budget Boost
- 2013/07/19: UCSUSA:B: Refocusing the Farm Bill
- 2013/07/18: OilChange: Senate Beats Back Fossil Fuel Millions to Confirm Gina McCarthy for EPA
- 2013/07/18: TreeHugger: Senate finally confirms EPA chief, Gina McCarthy
- 2013/07/18: Grist:The EPA gets a new boss -- finally
- 2013/07/18: UCSUSA: Senate Confirms Gina McCarthy as Next EPA Administrator
- 2013/07/17: CCP: FRAC Act Reintroduced in the Senate
- 2013/07/17: TheHill:RW: [House] Energy panel votes to rein in EPA rules
- 2013/07/17: CCentral: [House] Bill to Shift NOAA Resources to Weather Marches On
- 2013/07/17: Grist: Angry birders: Farm bill in flux imperils feathered friends
- 2013/07/16: BBerg: Senators Grill Refiners Over High Prices Amid Oil Boom
- 2013/07/16: AutoBG: US House votes to keep $25b DOE loan program alive
- 2013/07/15: TP:JR: Shaheen-Portman: The Little Energy Efficiency Bill That Could. But Will It?
- 2013/07/15: SciAm:PI: Guest Post: House Cuts Clean Energy Funding, Dragging Down An Entire Community Of American Innovators
- 2013/07/15: EconView: GOP to Taxpayers: We're Against Subsidies, Except If They're For Rich Farmers
- 2013/07/14: NYT: Hunger Games, U.S.A.
  Something terrible has happened to the soul of the Republican Party. We've gone beyond bad economic doctrine. We've even gone beyond selfishness and special interests. At this point we're talking about a state of mind that takes positive glee in inflicting further suffering on the already miserable.
What are the lobbyists pushing?
- 2013/07/15: DeSmogBlog: What The Dirty Energy Industry Earns From Millions In Lobbying
The movement toward a long term ecologically viable economics is glacial:
IPAT [Impact = Population * Affluence * Technology]
raised its head once again:
- 2013/07/17: NBF: What could we do if human population kept going up and did not level off?
- 2013/07/15: MetaSD: Population Growth Up
  According to Worldwatch, there's been an upward revision in UN population projections.
Apocalypso anyone?
- 2013/07/15: CassandrasLegacy: The punctuated collapse of the Roman Empire
How are we going to deal with this mess?
- 2013/07/15: ArcticNews: Comprehensive and Effective Climate Plan
How do the corporate media measure up?
- 2013/07/20: RScribbler: The Economist Continues its Wallow Through Climate Sensitivity Denial
- 2013/07/19: Ph&Ph: "The Story Of Energy" - Physics Reporting At Its Worst!
- 2013/07/19: SkS: The Economist Screws Up on the Draft IPCC AR5 Report and Climate Sensitivity by dana1981
- 2013/07/18: TP:JR: Nonsense And Sensitivity: Top Climatologist Slams The Economist For Yet Another 'Flawed And Misleading' Piece
- 2013/07/18: Economist: Sensitive information -- A peek inside the next IPCC assessment
- 2013/07/18: CSW: The Economist zeroes in on climate sensitivity but misses bigger picture
- 2013/07/18: TP:JR: NBC: 'Scientists ... Said Climate Change Plays A Factor In What's Become A Deadly And Historic Fire Season'
- 2013/07/17: Guardian(UK): Andrew Neil - these are your climate errors on BBC Sunday Politics
  Andrew Neil made several errors in discussing our 97% climate consensus paper and global warming on his show
- 2013/07/16: CCP: Reuters purposely avoids climate change, the story of the century
- 2013/07/16: PSinclair: Climate of Denial at Reuters Mirrors Mainstream Media Climate Dithering
- 2013/07/16: TP:JR: Reuters Exposed: Publication Openly Hostile To Climate Coverage, Top Editor Doubts Climate Science
- 2012/10/28: Salon: How Fox News created a new culture of idiots
  Cable news has created an entirely new breed of blowhards -- and the style has infected banking and even the arts
And for your film & video enjoyment:
Meanwhile among the 'Sue the Bastards!' contingent. See also:
- 2013/07/18: RT: BP looks to minimize liability from 2010 Gulf spill, citing 'irreparable injustices'
- 2013/07/18: CBC: Irving Oil, Dakota Holdings added to Lac-Mégantic class action -- Plaintiffs add oil companies to lawsuit against MMA Railway
- 2013/07/17: TheConversation: Whaling in the Antarctic: the case concludes
- 2013/07/17: Guardian(UK): Barclays fights US [FERC] electricity price manipulation fine through the courts
  Bank intends to 'vigorously defend' $470m fine for allegedly manipulating electricity prices
- 2013/07/16: BBerg: Barclays, Traders Fined $487.9 Million by [FERC] U.S. Regulator
  Barclays Plc (BARC) and four of its former traders must pay a combined $487.9 million in fines and penalties, the U.S. Federal Energy Regulatory Commission said in a final order stemming from its investigation of alleged manipulation of energy markets.
  The agency directed the company and the traders to pay to the U.S. Treasury within 30 days $453 million in civil penalties, according to an 86-page order issued today. The London-based bank must also give up $34.9 million in profits, to be distributed to programs that help low-income homeowners pay energy bills in California, Arizona, Oregon and Washington, it said.
- 2013/07/16: TheHill:e2W: Green group [FOE] sues State Department over Keystone lobbying documents
- 2013/07/16: DeSmogBlog: Friends of the Earth Sues State Department on Keystone XL FOIA Delay, DeSmog Requests White House Financial Disclosure Forms
- 2013/07/15: Guardian(UK): Chevron granted access to environmental activists' email accounts
- 2013/07/15: Reuters: Survivors of Quebec train crash to file class action suit
- 2013/07/15: LFPress: Class-action suit filed in Lac-Megantic explosion
- 2013/07/15: CBC: Lac-Mégantic survivors begin class-action lawsuit
- 2013/07/12: Reuters: U.S. court says biofuel producers must face carbon emissions rules
It looks like this BP trial over the Gulf oil spill is going to take a long while:
- 2013/07/20: BBC: A US judge has rejected BP's request to suspend all payments related to the Gulf Coast oil spill
- 2013/07/19: CDreams: BP's Attempt to Avoid Gulf Victim Payments Blocked by Judge
- 2013/07/19: CBC: Judge blocks BP request to suspend Gulf Oil spill payments
  Reprimand for BP CEO who questioned lawyer's honesty
  A New Orleans judge refused Friday to temporarily shut down a multibillion-dollar settlement program for compensating victims of BP's 2010 Gulf oil spill, saying he has seen no evidence of widespread fraud among the tens of thousands of claims.
  The judge also said he was offended by what he saw as attempts to smear the lawyer administering the claims.
- 2013/07/19: BBerg: BP to Ask Judge to Suspend Oil Spill Settlement Payments
- 2013/07/17: TP:JR: BP Tries To Avoid Payments For Deepwater Horizon Disaster By Accusing Gulf Businesses Of Fraud
- 2013/07/17: BBC: BP asks for temporary halt to Gulf compensation payments
  BP has asked for a temporary halt to all compensation payments to people and businesses who say they lost money after the Gulf of Mexico oil disaster.
  In a New Orleans court filing, BP said further payouts should wait until an investigation into alleged misconduct over the settlement claims is complete.
  BP said many of the claims could be "tainted by fraud, corruption and malfeasance". Former FBI director Louis Freeh is investigating alleged misconduct.
Developing a new energy infrastructure is a fundamental challenge of the current generation:
- 2013/07/20: Grist: Climate-related power outages aren't just a coastal problem
- 2013/07/20: SwissInfo: Geothermal drilling leads to minor quake
  Drilling for geothermal power sources caused a minor earthquake early Saturday morning, which was felt across a large area of eastern Switzerland from St. Gallen to Appenzell. The project has been halted while the quake is investigated.
- 2013/07/19: CER:RRapier: Hydropower and Geothermal Status Update 2013 [from BP Statistical Review]
- 2013/07/19: RTCC: Coal-heavy South Africa eyes wind and solar sectors
  South African's main energy company Eskom is planning to add renewables to its coal portfolio
- 2013/07/19: RTCC: US renewable energy use soared in 2012 - report
  Wind made up 42% of newly installed electrical generation capacity in 2012, with solar and [natural] gas also increasing share
- 2013/07/18: LLNL: Americans continue to use more renewable energy sources
- 2013/07/17: TreeHugger: British scientists power cell phones with urine
- 2013/07/16: TreeHugger: World's most efficient semiconductor chip triples waste heat conversion
- 2013/07/16: BNC: New critique of AEMO 100% renewable electricity for Australia report by Dr Ted Trainer
- 2013/07/16: UCSUSA:B: Water-Smart Power: Why Our Power Plant Choices Matter in a Warming, Water-Constrained World
- 2013/07/15: Eureka: Ionic liquid breakthrough in thermal electrical energy
- 2013/07/15: RTCC: Food waste could power 600,000 UK homes
- 2013/07/08: AlterNet: The 7 States Leading the Charge for Clean Energy
What do you have in energy comparisons and transitions?
- 2013/07/18: CleanTechnica: Wind And Solar Competing With Nuclear
  The World Nuclear Industry Status Report 2013 (WNISR) was published last Thursday and revealed a measly growth of over 1.2 GW during 2012 globally, compared to 32 GW of solar growth in the same time.
- 2013/07/17: CleanTechnica: Is Solar Cheaper Than Grid Electricity? Yes. And No.
- 2013/07/16: TP:JR: Wind At Parity With New Coal In India, Solar To Join By 2018: HSBC
Hey! Let's contaminate the aquifer for thousands of years! It'll be a fracking gas!
- 2013/07/20: CDreams: Fracking's Democracy Disconnect
- 2013/07/19: DeSmogBlog: USGS Study Connects Earthquake Risk To Wastewater Injection, Fracking Advocates Say, "Who Cares?"
- 2013/07/19: BBC: Fracking 'could put gas and chemicals' in drinking water
  Drinking water could be contaminated with methane gas and chemicals due to fracking, water companies have warned.
  Water UK, which represents all major UK water suppliers, said the shale gas extraction method posed a threat if not "carefully planned and carried out".
  It also warned fracking's "huge" use of water could cause shortages in areas of low supply, like South East England.
- 2013/07/19: BBerg: Fracking Research Finding No Water Taint Near Drill Site
  [...]
  The Energy Department's study, which is still in progress and may be completed and released by the end of the year, is "far too preliminary to make any firm claims," Shelley Martin, a spokeswoman for the National Energy Technology Laboratory, said today in an e-mail. She declined to provide further information.
- 2013/07/19: OilDrum: British Geological Survey Bowland Shale Gas Assessment
- 2013/07/18: DeSmogBlog: Another Pennsylvania Wastewater Treatment Plant Accused of Illegally Disposing Radioactive Fracking Waste
- 2013/07/17: LA Times: California officials wrestle with handling trade secrets on fracking
- 2013/07/15: Philadelphia Inquirer: 2 companies pull out of Pa. natural gas leases
- 2013/07/15: BBC: US to begin exporting 'fracked' gas
- 2013/07/15: CSM: Fracking research: What's behind EPA's abandoned studies?
- 2013/07/15: OilChange: America's Frac-Sand Mining Boom
- 2013/07/14: TP:JR: Shale Shocked: Sharp Rise In U.S. Earthquakes Directly Linked To Fracking Wastewater Reinjection
- 2013/07/15: BBC: Shale gas ban in France to remain, says Hollande
On the coal front:
- 2013/07/17: BBC: NZ police will not file charges over Pike River mine blast
  New Zealand police have said that no individual will face criminal charges over a deadly mine blast in 2010 which killed 29 men.
  There was insufficient evidence for manslaughter charges against Pike River Coal management after an inquiry of more than two years, officials say.
  A court had earlier ordered the mine to pay compensation to victims' relatives.
- 2013/07/16: WSWS: The United Mine Workers and the Patriot Coal bankruptcy
On the gas and oil front:
- 2013/07/19: BBerg: Closing oil prices Friday
  OIL (US$/bbl)
  Dated Brent Spot....108.07
  WTI Cushing Spot....108.05
- 2013/07/19: CalcRisk: Brent and WTI Oil Futures: "The Spread is Dead"
- 2013/07/16: OilDrum: World Oil and Gas Production Forecasts Up to 2100 by Jean Lahérrere
In the gas and oil corps:
- 2013/07/15: TP:JR: 25 Years After Exxon Valdez Oil Spill, Company Still Hasn't Paid For Long-Term Environmental Damages
And in pipeline news:
- 2013/07/19: CSM: State department approves pipeline to Canada. No, it's not Keystone XL.
  The U.S. State Department approved on Wednesday a pipeline to Canada.
  However this was not the controversial Keystone XL pipeline that has been the subject of environmental and political battles in the United States Congress. Rather, it is a pipeline to carry ethane from the Bakken formation in North Dakota, through Saskatchewan, to Empress, Alberta.
  Ethane is extracted from natural gas and is used in various industrial processes. In Alberta, it will be used in the petrochemical industry, where it is key to the production of detergents, plastics, rubber, and other consumer products. (Related article: Next Shale 'Boom' - Our Money's on Russia)
  The pipeline concerned is called the Vantage Pipeline. It will be 430 miles long (of which 80 miles is in North Dakota before it crosses the international border) and cost an estimated $300 million to construct. It will mark the first time that liquids from this region of North Dakota's reservoirs will flow into existing Albertan infrastructure. Construction of the pipeline segment inside Canada has already been under way for some time, according to reports.
- 2013/07/19: Grist: Crude on the tracks: Oil spills from trains skyrocket
- 2013/07/18: EUO: Oil spill threatens Cyprus coast
  Some 100 tonnes of oil spilled off the northern Cypriot coast from a leaking pipeline...
- 2013/07/17: SciAm:PI: U.S. moves more oil out of North Dakota by rail than the Trans-Alaskan pipeline
- 2013/07/17: CBC: Enbridge seeks quick OK of new U.S. pipeline
  Flanagan South would move Canadian oil products to Cushing and then on to Gulf Coast refineries
- 2013/07/17: WpgFP: Enbridge seeks swift approval of 965-km [US] Midwest oil pipeline
- 2013/07/16: Resilience: The high cost of railroading unconventional crude
- 2013/07/15: TreeHugger: Study finds tar sands don't increase pipeline spills, but this doesn't mean the fuel is safe
- 2013/07/15: DetroitNews: Cleanup of Kalamazoo River oil spill nearing end
- 2013/07/14: DeSmogBlog: Whether By Train Or By Pipeline, Oil and Gas Transport Is Unsafe
A rush of American triumphalism pervades the energy independence PR campaign. Think it will last?
- 2013/07/15: SciAm:PI: Guest Post: Fossil Fuels - A New Normal
Yes we have a peak oil sighting:
- 2013/07/21: OilDrum: To Forbes - A Gentle Cough of Correction at TOD's end
- 2013/07/17: Forbes: No Peak Oil Really Is Dead
- 2013/07/16: Forbes: As Fracking Rises, Peak Oil Theory Slowly Dies
- 2013/07/16: DailyCamera: Evans: The danger in wishful thinking on oil
  James Howard Kunstler knows a lot of people think he's a fool right about now. He's OK with that. Just wait, he says.
- 2013/07/15: BBC: The receding threat from 'peak oil'
  Concerns about oil supplies running dry are receding, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA).
  Massive new discoveries in the US have led to a "dramatic" change in global prospects.
  The IEA's head of oil markets, Antoine Halff, says forecasts have had to be repeatedly revised upwards in the past two years.
  Declining US production has been reversed as oil extracted from shale and other new sources comes on stream.
  Mr Halff told BBC News that concerns about an approaching "peak" in oil production have been "moved to the back burner".
Biofuel bickering abounds:
- 2013/07/16: P3: Clearing Forests for Biofuel
- 2013/07/15: CleanTechnica: Investors Back Heliae's First Commercial-Scale Algae Production Facility
The answer my friend...
- 2013/07/18: RealEconomics: Wind Energy News Round-Up - 1st half 2013
- 2013/07/18: CleanTechnica: Europe Offshore Wind Sector Grows, But For How Long?
- 2013/07/18: PSinclair: Brilliant Wind Turbines - with OnBoard Storage
- 2013/07/18: Grist: Wind power is a steal: Big deals in Midwest show wind's affordability
- 2013/07/15: ABC(Au): Expert says turbines can be turned off during fires
  A wind power industry spokesman says switching turbines off during fires would negate concerns about their impact on aerial waterbombers.
  The Aerial Agricultural Association of Australia, which represents volunteer fire fighting pilots, says it has written to the Federal Government asking for more research into wind farms.
- 2013/07/15: RTCC: Flying wind turbines could cut costs and boost power generation
- 2013/07/14: TP:JR: Gamechanger: Next Generation Wind Turbines With Storage Are Cheap, Reliable And Brilliant
Meanwhile among the solar aficionados:
The nuclear energy controversy continues:
- 2013/07/18: APR: SCE serves Mitsubishi with Formal Notice of Dispute over SONGS Steam Generators
- 2013/07/15: CJR: Beyond San Onofre's closure
  The LA Times and U-T San Diego thoroughly covered the local nuclear power plant's closing, but the wider energy story is still waiting to be told
- 2013/07/14: GlobalPost: Radioactivity found in Swiss lake near nuclear plant
Nuclear waste storage requires _very_ long term thinking:
- 2013/07/17: EneNews: TV Journalist: Officials at U.S. nuclear site browbeat me for reporting on radioactive leaks... [waste]
- 2013/07/15: ABC(Au): Dust-up over nuclear waste dump hits eight years
  A Northern Territory traditional owner has vowed to keep fighting federal government plans for a radioactive waste dump on her land.
  Dianne Stokes is in Melbourne today for a scheduled Federal Court directions hearing on the Muckaty waste dump.
  Today also marks eight years since the Federal Government announced a plan to dump nuclear waste in the Territory.
Like a mirage, the dream of a Hydrogen Economy shimmers on the horizon:
More people are talking about the electrical grid:
Automakers & lawyers, engineers & activists argue over the future of the car:
As for Energy Storage:
- 2013/07/21: PeakEnergy: Zinc Battery Seen as Way to Cut Heat-Related Power Losses?
- 2013/07/20: PSinclair: More on Energy Storage Breakthrough Batteries
- 2013/07/18: PSinclair: Barrier Breaking Batteries Going Gangbusters
- 2013/07/15: Eureka: Air Force support for a new generation of lithium-ion batteries
  New graphene technique can significantly increase the storage capacity of lithium ion by combining graphene nanoribbons with tin oxide
The reaction of business to climate change will be critical:
- 2013/07/19: Guardian(UK): Decarbonising the economy: the pivotal role of the financial sector
  Investors must reallocate capital to low-carbon assets if there's any chance of transitioning to a low carbon economy. The opposite is happening
- 2013/07/20: DD: The era of corporate silence on climate policy is ending - 'Tackling climate change is one of America's greatest economic opportunities'
Insurance and re-insurance companies are feeling the heat:
- 2013/07/18: BBerg: Insurance Industry, Republicans Split on Climate Change
- 2013/07/15: BBerg: Colorado Wildfire Costs Insurers $292.8 Million
Joe Romm posts a daily list of top energy and climate stories:
Other (weekly) lists:
2013/07/20: SkS: 2013 SkS Weekly News Roundup #29B by John Hartz
2013/07/17: SkS: 2013 SkS Weekly News Roundup #29A by John Hartz
2013/07/19: BPA: 3 Picks: Soil Carbon Sequestration, Ag Robots, Rural Funding
2013/07/18: BPA: 3 Picks: Global Agriculture, GMO Literacy, Denmark's Biomethanol
2013/07/14: BPA: 3 Picks: California Heat, Agriculture Jobs, Grain Storage
The carbon lobby are up to the usual:

Note: You may notice my denialist coverage flagging. I am finding it
increasingly difficult to give any attention to these folks.
Meanwhile in the 'clean coal' saga:
2013/07/17: RTCC: "Get off the fence" on coal ash, scientist tells US EPA
2013/07/16: P3: Energy Company Buys Up Land Around Coal Waste Ash Site
And in the greenwashing chronicles:
- 2013/07/16: PSinclair: Big Oil Maintains Greenwashing While Stiffing Renewables
As for climate miscellanea:
- 2013/07/17: SciAm:GB: How to Survive a Climate Catastrophe [Prevent it]
- 2013/07/17: CBC: The humidex, the flawed Canadian way to calculate summer discomfort -- Canadian innovation among many attempts to calculate how blinking hot it is
- 2013/07/19: Guardian(UK): Morality is missing from the debate about sustainable behaviour
  Moral values, not facts and figures, will inspire support for tackling climate change, argues Adam Corner. Behaviour change will follow
- 2013/07/16: Maribo: Has global warming continued?
- 2013/07/16: ERabett:BSD: Simon's climatic battle over higher powers
- 2013/07/18: TBAS: Existential threats, fast and slow [nuclear and climate scientists compared]
- 2013/07/16: QuarkSoup: When Not to Argue [quote]
- 2013/07/15: TP:JR: Want to Help Our Climate Scientists? It's Simple: Here's How
And here are a couple of sites you may find interesting and/or useful:
Low Key Plug

My first novel _Water_ was published in May 2007.
An Introduction is available.
My most recent novel _The Bottleneck Years_ is being serialized online atmy siteand on AFTIC at Table of Contents
If you want further information, see A Gentle Introduction.
If you want a copy, see The Deal.
An overview of my writing is available here.

A Simple Plea

Webmasters, web coders and content providers have mercy on your
low bandwidth brethren.
Because I am on dial-up, I am a text surfer -- no images, no javascript
and no flash.
When you post a graphic, will you please use the alt text field ...
and when you embed a youtube/vimeo/flash video, please add some minimal description.
Thank you.

<regards>

-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.

I notice moyhu has set up a monster index to old AWoGWN on AFTIC.

"The problem that faces our societies is that we have developed
industries and policies that were appropriate at a certain moment, but now start to reduce human welfare, like for example the oil
and car industry. Their political and financial power is so great
and they can prevent change. It is my expectation that they will
succeed. This means that we are going to evolve through crisis, not through proactive change."
-Dennis Meadows
Last modified July 21, 2013

Another Week of Climate Disruption News, July 21, 2013

Information Overloadis Pattern Recognition

July 21, 2013

We are definitely back in the black humour zone:

Looking ahead to COP19 and future international climate negotiations:

It will be interesting to see if nations can swing any kind of international tax or if the corporate states will (always) kill it:

That plan to create a giant marine reserve around Antarctica got kiboshed. Again:

Here is that study on pollution caused mortality:

And on the Bottom Line:

What are the global financial institutions up to?

John Cook and friends continue their point-counterpoint articles:

A note on theFukushima disaster:

Not much good news coming out of Fukushima:

The Arctic melt continues to garner attention:

That Damoclean sword still hangs overhead:

As for the geopolitics of Arctic resources:

While in Antarctica:

The food crisis is ongoing:

The state of the world's fisheries is a concern:

So, are these land grabs Colonialism V2.0?

Regarding the genetic modification of food:

And how are we going to feed 9 billion, 10 billion, 15 billion?

In the warm waters East of the Phillipines, Tropical Storm Cimaron spun up, skimmed Southern Taiwan and zapped mainland China:

Last weekend it was Typhoon Soulik:

While elsewhere in the hurricane wars:

And on the Monsoon front:

This week in notable weather:

This week in the New Normal -- extreme weather:

Rossby Waves? Blocking Patterns? Arctic Oscillation? What is the Arctic melt doing to our weather?

How is the temperature record?

Yes we have feedbacks:

Aerosols are making their presence felt:

While in the paleoclimate:

What's the State of the Oceans?:

And on the extinction watch:

The bees and Colony Collapse Disorder are a constant concern. And then, there are the Neonicotinoids:

What's up with volcanoes this week?

Meanwhile in near earth orbit:

More GW impacts are being seen:

And then there are the world's forests:

Desertification looms as a threat:

Emerging diseases accompany ecological change:

On the tornado front:

As for heatwaves and wild fires:

Corals are a bellwether of the ocean's health:

Glaciers are melting:

Sea levels are rising:

As for hydrological cycle disruptions [floods & droughts]:

First, stop subsidizing fossil fuels Second, put a price on carbon Third, begin to reduce the human population And elsewhere on the mitigation front:

Consider transportation & GHG production:

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

Large scale geo-engineering keeps popping up:

What's new in conservation?

While on the adaptation front:

Meanwhile in the journals:

And other significant documents:

As for miscellaneous science:

What's new in models?

Regarding Hansen:

Regarding Mann:

The Fifth IPCC report is coming up:

And on the carbon trading front:

The idea of a carbon tax is still bouncing around:

On the international political front, tensions continue as the empire leans on Iran:

South [& East] China Sea tension persists:

In the global competition for Rare Earths and other natural resources:

Oh Joy! Yet more solar squabbles:

These 'free trade' treaties look like a stealth corporate takeover:

And in miscellaneous international political jousting:

The issue of the law and activism is playing out around the world:

What are the activists up to?

The move to divest from fossil fuel investments is growing slowly:

Polls! We have polls!

Regarding Water Politics and Business; See also:

Among the world's religions:

So what's new on the education front?

While in the UK:

And in Europe:

Meanwhile in Australia:

There has been a lot of recalculating & repositioning after Rudd dumped the Carbon Tax:

Rossby Waves? Blocking Patterns? Arctic Oscillation?
What is the Arctic melt doing to our weather?

The bees and Colony Collapse Disorder are a constant concern.
And then, there are the Neonicotinoids:

First, stop subsidizing fossil fuels
Second, put a price on carbon
Third, begin to reduce the human population
And elsewhere on the mitigation front:

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