Jan 30 2009

Climate Changes

Posted by: Jonathan Marshall

Several stories on the science and politics of global warming caught our eye this week:

• The world could face "irreversible" drought and sea level increases in the next century even if greenhouse gas emissions are controlled, warns a new study led by Susan Solomon at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The negative effects of global warming already underway will be felt for centuries to come, the team of scientists concluded in a paper published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
• A heat wave is scorching southern Australia, with temperatures reaching a record 111 degrees Fahrenheit in Melbourne. Thousands of commuters were stranded when rail lines buckled and trains were canceled.
• The Washington Post and Los Angeles Times this week both endorsed higher gas taxes as an important policy tool to encourage motorists to buy more fuel-efficient and alternative-fuel vehicles. Revenues could also pay for overdue infrastructure repairs and improvements to public transit and rail networks.
• Calling President Obama's commitment to curbing global warming "tremendously encouraging," the European Union's environment commissioner, Stavros Dimas, suggested that the United States join Europe in a vast carbon trading scheme, similar to the system that has operated in the EU since 2005. "America has the diplomatic and financial resources that, when added to the efforts of the EU, can help bring the rest of the world on board," he said.
• Senator James Imhofe, R-Oklahoma, denounced as "environmental thuggery" President Obama's decision to reconsider requests by California and other states to impose tougher fuel economy standards. In 2003, Imhofe derided warnings about global warming as "the greatest hoax ever perpetrated on the American people."

 

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