Posted by: Kory Raftery

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

Global Warming could be a major contributor to the demise of the rainforest as we know it. A new study in the journal Conservation Letters claims by the year 2100, nearly half of the plant and animal life in rainforests will not be able to exist as they do today because of deforestation and climate change. The study suggests the Amazon Basin alone could see changes in biodiversity for nearly 80 percent of the region. The report consists of studies done in Central and South America, Asia and Africa.

Just about a week after roughly 300 of the world’s top climate scientists revealed that they have all concluded man-made global warming is “undeniable,” the Arctic discovery of a well-preserved British ship has some oil companies looking past shrinking glaciers and other the negative impacts of global warming to see a lucrative silver lining. Canadian parks officials say they were only able to locate the vessel, which sank 155 years ago, because the ocean is almost completely ice free. Shortly after the ship was found, three huge oil companies announced they are joining forces to more efficiently look for oil and natural gas deposits under the sea close to where the boat was located off Canadian shores.

UN climate talks aimed at curbing the threat of global warming seem to be moving in the wrong direction after a week-long session in Germany. Even as evidence mounts that continued warming could yield deadly impacts, negotiators are reporting that chances for a compromise are giving way to finger pointing. Record global temperatures, forest fires in Russia and deadly floods in Pakistan "are all consistent with the kind of changes we could expect from climate change, and they will get worse if we don't act quickly," said the top U.S. negotiator. "Unfortunately, what we have seen is that some countries are walking back from the progress made in Copenhagen.”

Posted by: Leonard Anderson

Several items relating to the business and technology of clean energy and the environment caught our attention this week:

Employees planting tomatoes and squash on their break? Companies across the country are creating vegetable gardens, with employees taking home fresh produce, serving vegetables in the cafeteria, helping local food banks, and holding team-building activities in the gardens. Google and Yahoo in Silicon Valley put in gardens some time ago, and more companies are joining in. Kohl's department stores in Milwaukee provide vegetables from organic gardens for a food bank and a child care center. In New York, PepsiCo set up a large plot to grow peppers and tomatoes, while in Minneapolis a PR firm sponsored an employee garden and helped start a movement  called Employee Sponsored gardens which have websites and information on other gardens.

Envision Solar, the leading U.S. developer of 1,000-square-foot solar carports generating energy from photovoltaic panels, aims to install solar canopies with charging stations for plug-in hybrids and electric cars. "Parking lots are this wasteland -- they're the last thing that gets attention," says Robert Noble, an architect specializing in sustainable design and founder of San Diego-based Envision Solar. "Here's a market the size of Alpha Centuri that's never been tapped." The company is working on a pilot project with the Department of  Energy's National Renewable Energy Lab and also working with Coulomb Technologies, developer of charging stations.

More shareholders this year voted for proxy proposals encouraging U.S. companies to  lower  greenhouse gas emissions and improve disclosure of their carbon footprints, according to a survey by Ceres, an activist investor group. Of 42 climate-related resolutions voted on at 2010 shareholder meetings, 16 received 30 percent or more of the vote, compared with 6 of 28 that got that level of support in 2009. On average, the resolutions received 24.6 percent of shareholder votes, up from 21.7 percent in  009. "If our portfolio companies are to provide long-term shareholder value, they need to be proactive, not reactive, in addressing climate change and other ESG (environmental, social and governance) matters," says Jack Ehnes, CEO of No. 2 U.S. pension fund California State Teachers Retirement system.

Posted by: Kory Raftery

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

Sweltering heat waves like the one that has hit the Washington D.C. area are spanning the globe and climate scientists are starting to sound like an old Carpenters’ record, singing “We’ve Only Just Begun.” The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration reports that global temperatures for January through May were the hottest on record. American ice cream cones are melting faster as well. The National Center for Atmospheric Research released a study claiming daily record high temperatures occurred twice as often as record lows over the last decade across the continental U.S. Scientists predict the ratio of record highs to lows is likely to increase dramatically in coming decades if emissions of greenhouse gases continue to climb.

The wave of public support for setting clean energy and global warming policies is gaining momentum as it rolls to Capitol Hill. A new study shows that this summer, most Americans are calling for lawmakers to get off the beach, wax up their hypothetical surfboards and take a ride on the wave of action. The latest Wall Street Journal-NBC poll found overwhelming support for comprehensive clean energy legislation that includes carbon pollution reductions. It also found that cleaning up the BP oil disaster and energy reform is currently the number two priority of Americans. Finally, it registered another drop in support for the expansion of offshore oil drilling.

The gavel dropped on nine climate protesters in Scotland as a jury in Aberdeen found them guilty of disrupting a busy airport. The nine people participated in what they named the “Plane Stupid” protest in March of 2009, campaigning against airport expansion and future carbon emissions that would be produced by a larger facility. Their demonstration delayed 350 flights, including an emergency ambulance flight. “We fully accept people's right to object to issues such as climate change, and to make their voices heard,” said an Aberdeen Airport spokesperson. But “this sends out a strong message that the action of these individuals was not acceptable.”

Posted by: Kory Raftery

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

The fight against global warming received some support from many American leaders quite familiar with preparing for battle. 33 retired U.S. military generals and admirals sent a letter to Senate leadership and placed an ad in targeted publications which states climate change is threatening national security. The communication details how the clean energy industry can supplant our dependence on foreign oil and create millions of domestic jobs in the process.

The beach is almost out of reach - and the EPA resident expert on sea level rise claims global warming is responsible for removing most of the sand from a common summertime east coast hangout near Washington DC. Jim Titus asserts natural sinking of the shoreline and slow but steady sea-level rise, mostly due to climate change, has driven the bay’s water more than a foot higher over the past century. Now, the following account from a 1900 brochure is inaccurate. “The bathing beach has a frontage of three miles, and is equal, if not superior, to any beach on the Atlantic Coast.” Not anymore.

A prominent green winemaker claims global warming should be studied and acted on but not necessarily for the health of his grapes. John Williams, the founder of Frog’s Leap in Napa Valley claims he’s worried about climate change for the sake of humanity and not the sake of cabernet. And Williams has done his fair share in reducing his impact. He’s installed 1,000 solar panels on the winery, his heating and cooling comes from a geothermal system and he refuses to install an irrigation system. Still scientists project the premium wine-grape production in Napa could decline substantially over the next 50 years due to global warming and few winemakers are making changes to protect their business. “Most of us are not very good at recognizing our risks until we are hit by them,” said one British climate expert.

Posted by: Kory Raftery

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

Volcanic ash spewing from Iceland has had an adverse effect on air travel over the last couple weeks but climate scientists don’t anticipate the volcano doing much to alter the Earth’s temperatures. A 1991 volcanic eruption in the Philippines is linked with a global surface temperature decline of one degree Fahrenheit in the two years following the eruption. Due to the incredible plume of ash in Iceland, many have wondered if a similar cool down is on the way. Climate scientists claim most of the volcanic material in Iceland has remained in the troposphere, where chemical processes and precipitation can disperse it in a matter of days, rather than entering the stratosphere where it would have a more enduring influence on the climate.

Carbon dioxide (CO2) may be changing the chemistry of the oceans and eroding coral reefs in the process. A new report released by the National Research Council asserts that the oceans are a valuable resource in the fight against global warming because they absorb CO2. But it warns the salt-water bodies are more acidic now than they’ve ever been. Scientists claim the acidity affects underwater photosynthesis, nutrient acquisition, growth, reproduction and individual survival of fish and other sea life. They also believe the rising acid levels could potentially dissolve the heart of biodiversity in the oceans, otherwise known as coral reefs.

The executive producers of the Oscar-winning 2006 film “An Inconvenient Truth,” premiered their new film about global warming at the Tribeca Film Festival in New York.  “Climate of Change” focuses on the efforts by individuals from around the world to reduce their personal carbon footprint while fighting business interests that threaten the environment. The director claims the movie is intended to give audiences a different feeling than its climate predecessor. "I wouldn't exactly call it a feel-good film about climate change, but the idea was not to make a film that was scary," said Brian Hill. "We've got people doing something, people reacting to the kind of messages in films like 'An Inconvenient Truth.'”

Posted by: Kory Raftery

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

More than three months after stolen emails caused climate change skeptics to believe leading climate scientists staged a cover-up, a new study commissioned by the British House of Commons Science and Technology Committee finds that Professor Phil Jones was not “trying to subvert the peer review process.” The study also asserts that Jones “should not be criticized for making informal comments on academic papers.” Jones’ reputation has been hit hard since reports of an alleged cover-up surfaced in December. His scientific colleagues are calling the report a general “exoneration” of Jones.

A new survey from the Economist Intelligence Unit claims the corporate response to global warming is fractured due to the “climategate” email scandal, a disappointing end to the UN summit in Copenhagen and the global recession. The survey polled more than 540 senior executives revealed about half are committed to investing in low carbon goods and services, while the other half feel the jury is still out when it comes to the court of the scientific community. The majority of respondents claimed they wanted to see “more climate change regulation.”

The Obama administration approved new rules that ramp up fuel economy in cars and crack down on emissions standards linked to global warming. As part of the plan, the EPA and National Highway Traffic Safety Administration announced that by 2016, cars, SUVs and minivans will be required to average more than 35 miles per gallon while cutting their greenhouse gas emissions by more than 30 percent. If automakers are forced to comply, initial studies project the savings could amount to taking 21.4 million cars off the road.

Posted by: Kory Raftery

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

Global warming may be having an adverse effect of hundreds of species of migratory birds in the United States. In the latest version of the annual State of the Birds report, the Interior Department claims that climate change is one of many environmental factors threatening bird populations by destructing natural avian habitats and lessening the availability of wetlands. The report asserts that coastal birds are the most directly threatened due to rising sea levels and rapidly changing marine environments.

Debate over the economic effects of California's first-in-the-nation global warming law flared this week, as a report was released claiming the law potentially will contribute to short-term job losses. Meantime, Lisa Jackson, the head of the Environmental Protection Agency claims there is a “misconception” in regards to the relationship between economic recovery and protecting the environment – with some people feeling the need to choose one or the other. “This is about rising to meet our most urgent environmental and economic challenges - not shrinking from them with the excuse that it’s just too hard,” Jackson said.

Lower levels of oxygen are being reported in the oceans and scientists are linking the findings to global warming. They warn that the oceans' complex undersea ecosystems and fragile food chains could be disrupted. In some areas in the Pacific Northwest, the almost complete absence of oxygen has left piles of Dungeness crab carcasses littering the ocean floor and killed off 25-year-old sea stars. In other spots, such as off the Southern California coast, oxygen levels have dropped roughly 20 percent over the past 25 years. Researchers recognize that areas of low oxygen have long existed in the deep ocean but say the depletion of oxygen recently reported is “striking.”

Posted by: Kory Raftery

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

PG&E Corporation Chairman, CEO and President Peter Darbee and Carnegie Institution climate change expert Christopher Field released a short whitepaper for business leaders and policy makers on the scientific and economic issues central to the current conversation on global climate change and the need for a response by government and business. “My hope is that it serves to inform and engage more leaders in this issue and, ultimately, helps drive the adoption of smart climate and energy policies for our country,” said Darbee.

Want to see scientific evidence supporting global warming? There’s an app for that. Australian solar physicist John Cook of Skeptical Science has created an iPhone app that includes numerous climate skeptic arguments as well as the science-based counterarguments. So far, there are 90 climate skeptic arguments included and, of course, the scientific responses to those. You can see graphs and links to scientific papers or other sources in there as well. Cook calls the app “imperative” to the climate debate and “pretty cool.”

The non-partisan United States Geological Survey recently reported that the ice shelves on the southern Antarctic Peninsula have been retreating at an increased pace threatening coastal communities and low-lying islands worldwide. Scientists claim the pattern could lead to further accelerated glacier retreat on the continent and ultimately, sea level rise. Scientific data shows every ice front in this section of the peninsula has been retreating from 1947 to 2009, but the most dramatic changes have come since 1990.
 

Posted by: Kory Raftery

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

Recent polls show public support for global warming is declining but British Prime Minister Gordon Brown is denouncing warming deniers calling them “anti-science, flat-earth climate skeptics.” Brown will co-chair the United Nations High Level Advisory group on Climate Change Financing.  The group aims to raise cash to halt deforestation, encourage low-carbon development and adapt to rising sea levels, extreme weather events and higher temperatures.

President Obama wants to develop a new government agency that would focus specifically on Climate Change. During his campaign, he promised the American people he would devote a good portion of his administration’s time to fighting global warming. Obama announced that in an effort to live up to that promise, he was ordering the creation of a new organization. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Climate Service will actually be a branch of the existing NOAA but will have its own director and specific agenda.

For the next couple weeks, Olympic hopefuls will adorn their colors and put their boots into bindings in the mountains overlooking Vancouver. And they’ll be racing and jumping towards medals in mostly man-made snow. January of 2010 was the warmest January on record in Vancouver, with temperatures averaging 44.8 degrees. This is in stark contrast to recent snow storms on the east coast of the United States, which have fueled the fire for global warming skeptics. Scholars of climate science argue that neither example is proof of anything.  Instead they would point to longer term trends showing a gradual warming of the whole earth over the last thirty years.  
 

Posted by: Kory Raftery

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

A white roof may look like a painted masterpiece to those who want to reduce urban heat. The National Center for Atmospheric Research recently completed a study demonstrating that white roofs can be an effective method for cooling. The study’s simulations provide an idealized view of different types of cities around the world and indicate that, if every roof were entirely painted white, the urban heat island effect could be reduced by 33 percent.

According to a new report released by a leading Canadian environmental group, the city of Vancouver, which will host the 2010 Olympic Winter Games, would earn a bronze medal if fighting climate change were an Olympic sport. The report claims the event’s organizers have done a good job building energy efficient venues, but have fallen a tad short when it comes to offsetting carbon emissions surrounding the Winter Games. Environment is one of the three “official pillars” of the Olympic movement.

Just before athletes from around the world will have a chance to earn their gold, silver and bronze medals, athletes from Indianapolis and New Orleans will go after the Vince Lombardi trophy. And it is estimated that this year’s Super Bowl – which the NFL says is more environmentally responsible than in the past – will produce 310,000 pounds of carbon emissions. In addition, researchers claim the stadium in Miami will use 187,000 KW of electricity and the television sets of home viewers will consume roughly 10,004,603 KW of energy. And speaking of green, it is estimated that close to 54 million pounds of avocados will be consumed by guacamole loving fans.