Posted by: Kory Raftery

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

Climate scientists have long declared that global warming could potentially release methane previously frozen in to the Arctic permafrost, setting off significant increases in warming trends. Now researchers at the University of Alaska, Fairbanks, and elsewhere say this change is underway in a little-studied area under the sea, the East Siberian Arctic Shelf, west of the Bering Strait. Scientists contend that while carbon dioxide is far more abundant and persistent in the atmosphere, ton for ton, atmospheric methane traps at least 25 times as much heat.

Nearly 570 concerned scientists have signed a letter urging Congress to “oppose an imminent attack on the Clean Air Act.” The scientists' plea comes as several coalitions of lawmakers attempt to overturn the endangerment finding using the Congressional Review Act, which establishes special procedures for disapproving regulations from federal agencies. The lawmakers claim the “Clean Air Act was never intended to regulate something like carbon dioxide.”

Is your cup of Joe on the outs? Coffee producers are creating a buzz with claims that global warming is adding risk to the long term sustainability of the industry. Many growers at the World Coffee Conference held in Guatemala this week predicted that if temperatures continue to rise, supplies of the world famous bean will decline. They contend higher temperatures are forcing their industry peers to seek higher, more costly land, driving costs up from the farm to your cup. 

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:

The man responsible for leading worldwide global warming negotiations is leaving his post. The United Nations announced that Yvo de Boer, often called the United Nations Climate Chief, will step aside as of July 1, 2010. Recently, de Boer expressed discontent as to the outcome of the Copenhagen conference. Those who worked alongside de Boer claim they were not surprised by his decision to resign, saying he was “exhausted and frustrated.”

While you may not want it building up on your windowsill, new research claims dust could protect us from the harmful effects of global warming. That theory is being discussed at the annual scientific meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, taking place this year in San Diego, California. Scientists presenting at the conference assert that dust may limit the amount of solar radiation that reaches the Earth's surface.

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R., S.C.) is pushing for a bill that he claims some lawmakers may accept as an alternative to renewable energy mandates. He calls it a broader clean energy standard that would require utilities to supply increasing amounts of power from specific sources, including wind, solar, biomass, clean coal and new nuclear generation. The big energy and climate bill the House approved last year includes a renewable electricity standard, and so does broad energy legislation the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee approved last June.

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:

Just weeks after world leaders came to an accord at the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen, UN secretary-general Ban Ki-moon is calling on the leaders of various countries to take immediate action on their pledges to stop global warming. "While I am satisfied that we sealed a deal, I am aware that the outcome of the Copenhagen conference, including the Copenhagen Accord, did not go as far as many have hoped," he said. "The leaders were united in purpose, but they were not united in action."

British billionaire Richard Branson wants to wage a war on global warming.  Agreeing with the position of many scientists and environmentalists - and upset by what he called the blasé attitudes of global governments - Branson claims businesses must bear the brunt of moving away from burning oil and fossil fuels. "There are some of us who believe that the problem of (global) warming is as bad as the First and Second World Wars combined," he said.  Branson's operation will start by addressing carbon emissions from a significant but little-known source that is not covered by any national or international regulations: global marine shipping.

New research claims global warming is the culprit when it comes to an alarming increase in cases of malaria on the slopes of Mount Kenya in Africa. Average temperatures in the region have increased by roughly four degrees in the last 20 years, allowing the disease to creep into communities at higher altitudes, where people have little or no immunity to the disease. Before the 1990's, when average temperatures never rose above 64.4 degrees, malaria was absent from the region.

Posted by: Kory Raftery

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

Stolen emails have fueled the fire for global warming cynics who claim scientists staged a cover-up but those who study climate data feel the numbers on the thermometer over the past ten years cannot be masked. This week at the Copenhagen climate change summit, Britain's Meteorological Office and the United Nations World Meteorological Organization testified that the last decade has been the warmest since records began 160 years ago.

A bipartisan group of senators has agreed on the framework for climate change legislation and sent it to President Obama ahead of his trip to Denmark. The lawmakers assert that the bill will create millions of jobs while simultaneously cutting greenhouse gas emissions and making America more energy independent.

Google announced it has developed a non-profit product that will allow us to see the effects of deforestation in real time. The company is combining satellite images from Google Earth with heavy computational analysis in the cloud. Google plans to give scientists access to it for free as it is classified as not-for-profit. Last week, the company unveiled a tool that has the ability to forecast the damaging effects of global warming on the state of California.

Posted by: Kory Raftery

If Jimmy Buffett were writing a theme song for PG&E's renewable energy department, his lyrics might read, "Mother, Mother Ocean: I have heard you call. I wanted to pull the power from your waters since I was three feet tall."

Looking to add to its diverse power mix, Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) has just signed an agreement with the U.S. Air Force that will let the utility investigate the feasibility of a wave energy project off the coast of northern Santa Barbara County near Vandenberg Air Force Base. The project is part of the PG&E WaveConnect™ program, which includes a pilot study underway in Humboldt County.

PG&E has filed a preliminary permit application with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to study the southern site for three years. If findings are favorable, the utility could seek a license to install wave energy conversion devices capable of producing as much as 100 megawatts of electricity. The clean power would feed into the existing electrical grid at Vandenberg Air Force Base, which in turn is connected to the PG&E grid.

Experts believe that wave energy off the 745 mile California coastline could produce more than a fifth of the state's energy needs. The Santa Barbara County Community Environmental Council's renewable energy blueprint calls for more than eight percent of the county's future energy mix to come from the ocean. But there are many hurdles to jump before arriving at those targets, including environmental and land use concerns,  grid connections and design evolution.

"You can't develop a technology unless you can test it," said Roger Bedard, ocean energy leader with Electric Power Research Institute. "In this country, we are challenged with inferior infrastructure in testing ocean energy devices. PG&E's WaveConnect™ projects will provide the infrastructure needed to test and refine emerging technologies."

Throughout the process, PG&E will continue to work closely with local communities and elected officials to understand and address their interests and concerns. The project is expected to have no significant impact on existing coastal activities such as surfing, hiking or whale watching. Development will only move forward if technical studies support its feasibility and if environmental studies show that the project will not have significant negative environmental and economical effects.

Currently, the Earth's oceans produce roughly 300 megawatts of electricity from various devices that convert energy from water movement or the natural temperature and salinity changes into usable power. Next year that number is expected to skyrocket when a 250 megawatt seawall dam comes online in South Korea. But wave power will continue to lag other renewable technologies without development assistance.

Ultimately, PG&E's WaveConnect™ projects will help emerging technology companies develop reliable and cost-effective wave energy devices, find funding and help PG&E and other utilities bring this innovative new source of clean energy to customers.

"If a utility is going to make it happen in this country, it's going to be PG&E," Bedard said.

Posted by: Kory Raftery

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

The world's two largest polluters have agreed to work together to lessen their greenhouse gas emissions. A joint statement released this week claims that U.S. and Chinese scientists and engineers will join forces to speed the widespread use of electric cars, energy efficient buildings, and "coal-fired plants that don't pump out gases that cause global warming." The agreement left out how much each country will contribute to emissions cuts.

A recent University of Saskatchewan study asserts that roughly 12,800 years ago, it only took six months to turn Europe's climate from warm and sunny into an ice age. Researchers previously believed the freeze took place over a much longer period. Lead researcher William Patterson put the new findings into perspective by saying the temperature change would equate to "taking Britain and moving it to the Arctic over the space of a few months."

Can you imagine an Italy without pasta? A report released by the British Meteorological Office can. The five-year study on the impact of global warming on eating habits in Europe predicts that increasing temperatures and decreasing rain will cause Italy's durum wheat crop to disappear in the second half of this century. The same report warns that Polish wheat and potato crops, French champagne and Spanish fruits and vegetables could also be at risk.

The Forest Service claims our nation's forests can be used as a "carbon sink" where trees absorb carbon dioxide to help slow global warming. Currently, forests store enough carbon to offset about 16 percent of the nation's fossil fuel emissions. But Forest Service Chief Tom Tidwell told the Senate Public Lands and Forestry Subcommittee that the number could change. "Disturbances such as fire and insects could dramatically change the role of forests, thereby emitting more carbon than currently sequestered by tree stands across the country," Tidwell said. 

Posted by: Kory Raftery

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

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce said it supports most of the principles outlined in a bipartisan climate change bill sponsored by Senators John Kerry (D., Mass.) and Lindsey Graham (R., S.C.). In a letter sent to senators in the Environment and Public Works Committee earlier this week, the Chamber stated it is open to considering a federal cap on emissions. Surprised by the letter, committee chair Senator Barbara Boxer (D., Calif.) called the Chamber's position "a game-changer," especially after big companies such as PG&E Corp (PCG), Exelon Corp. (EXC), Apple Inc. (AAPL) and Levi Strauss & Co. recently resigned from the organization citing a fundamental disagreement with the Chamber's position on global warming.  

An article detailing a new study published by Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences reports glaciers atop the African peak Mount Kilimanjaro are rapidly shrinking and could disappear within the next 20 years. The study suggests global warming is the culprit, as scientists used historic aerial photos, satellite data and ice cores to determine the melting has taken place during recent years. 

Some of the nation's top penny-pinchers are starting to see global warming as a risk to the health of the economy, according to a New York University survey that collected data from 144 economists. About 75 percent of the economists support greenhouse gas controls. And more than 90 percent support a tax on emissions or a "cap and trade system." To read the entire study, click here.

Posted by: Kory Raftery

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

It seems there is one thing politicians can agree on - it is likely that the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Denmark will not produce a treaty. Meantime, the BBC reported British Prime Minister Gordon Brown said that European leaders had come to an agreement on what to offer other countries at December's UN conference in Copenhagen. Skeptics of the agreement argue European leaders are struggling over how much money to offer developing nations to fight the effects of global warming.  

While global warming is set to take center stage in Copenhagen, an article recently published by Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences suggests you don't have to wait on global leaders to make an impact in the fight against climate change. The article conveys that simple changes such as upgrading heating and cooling technology, using more efficient vehicles and drying your laundry on a line for the next ten years could help the U.S. cut its carbon footprint by around 7.4 percent - which equates to 123 million metric tons of carbon and is more than the annual emissions produced by France.

According to a recent Reuters article, only five states have published a strategic climate change plan that includes a public health response. The five states with public health response plans included in their larger climate change plans are California, Maryland, New Hampshire, Virginia, and Washington. 28 states have published strategic climate change plans that do not include a public health response. 17 states and the District of Columbia have not published a strategic climate change plan. To read the full report, click here.

Many global warming skeptics say the Earth has actually cooled off in the past few years. New studies commissioned by Associated Press suggest that is not true. Scientists agree temperatures were hotter in 2005 than they were in 2008 - but a closer look at the numbers over the last ten years shows that temperatures have dipped, soared, fallen again and are now rising once more. Statisticians say that when sizing up climate change, it's important to look at moving averages of about 10 years. "To talk about global cooling at the end of the hottest decade the planet has experienced in many thousands of years is ridiculous," said Ken Caldeira, a climate scientist at the Carnegie Institution at Stanford.