Interesting overview of research into past climates from my friends at Climate Central. NEEM Ice Drilling Project from Climate Central on Vimeo.
Climate Change
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G2 Weather Intelligence
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The Big Drill
3 Nov 2009 | 4:35 am -
CNBC: The Weather Influence on Holiday Shopping
2 Nov 2009 | 4:22 amHad a flurry of media activity over the past 2 weeks re: our estimate of the influence of weather on this year's holiday shopping season. Following is a synopsis: CNBC Five Reasons US Retailers May Have Jollier Holiday This Year... -
Fox Business News Appearance: Managing Climate Change
1 Nov 2009 | 4:34 amBrian Sullivan had a go at me re: my suggestion that Wal*Mart's efforts in sustainability is a good example of corporate leadership/innovation. No, I'm not a shill for Wal*Mart -- I do believe, however, that adaptation efforts will ultimately be... -
Global Cooling Heats up the Climate Debate
31 Oct 2009 | 4:32 amMy first post since mid-September. Been extremely busy in my new position at AER, but I plan on updating the blog periodically. Following is a good and relatively thoughtful (and unemotional) video from the WSJ describing the apparent slow down/downtrend... -
On 9/11
12 Sep 2009 | 5:10 amOrdinarily I wouldn't use the same author twice in a row, but it seems fitting to replay David Kotok's thoughts from last year on the anniversary of 9/11. Still fitting. Great read, one of David's best ... Reflections on 9/11...
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350.org - Movement Dispatches and Climate News
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We've all been thinking about our friends in the Philippines
6 Nov 2009 | 5:36 pmBecause they've been hit by one huge typhoon after another these last few months, with record rainfalls across many urban areas that have killed hundreds. And yet pictures keep rolling in from across the islands, like this one from Leyte City -
Moscow, Russia
6 Nov 2009 | 5:33 pmBut that's not it's final destination. This is a reef sculpture, that will be deployed underwater as part of an artificial reef. Thanks to Sergey Fedotov, president of the Artificial Reefs Foundation -
The Kalash Valleys, Northwest Frontier Province, Pakistan
6 Nov 2009 | 11:57 amAt the moment, much of the world is thinking about the mountains of Pakistan for other reasons. But for those who live in them, the threat of climate change is incredibly real. Here's a report from a farflung spot!CAMAT [Chitral Association for Mountain Area Tourism] celebrated International Climatic Day of Action, Oct 24, 2009 in the Kalash valley of Rumbor, district Chitral with a philosophy of ‘think globally, act locally’ in mind. The theme of the day was “The Impacts of Global Warming on the Kalash Communities”. Kalash ECOCLUB, school students, local leadership… -
What Would a War on Carbon Look Like?
6 Nov 2009 | 11:52 amPaul Gilding and Jorgen Randers (part of the original 'Limits to Growth' team) have just published what they call a One Degree or 350 War Plan, showing the steps they think necessary to return us to 350 ppm in relatively short order, and limit temperature increases to not much more than their current one degree.The bottom line: we can do it, though it will take a disruptive effort like the one the U.S. mounted at the start of World War II. It's well worth taking a look--and thanks to the authors for their hard work. -
United World Colleges join the 350 campaign around the world!
6 Nov 2009 | 11:06 amOn October 24th, high school students from the United World Colleges all around the world joined in the 350 day of action, hosting bike rides, tree plantings, and educational events from Croatia to Vancouver. Here's a bit more info and some photos from the UWC website: UWC students Sophie Hawley-Weld (Adriatic College) and Juan Pablo Hernandez (UWC Costa Rica) found out about the 350 Initiative when attending the Pearson Seminar on Youth Leadership in Canada in July 2009. “We wanted to start a UWC-wide action on October 24 to follow our UWC common mission closely and delve into…
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Watts Up With That
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Why Copenhagen Will Achieve Nothing
6 Nov 2009 | 7:06 pmGuest post by Willis Eschenbach The upcoming Copenhagen climate summit, officially and ponderously named “COP15 United Nations Climate Change Conference Copenhagen 2009″, is aimed at reducing the emissions of the developed world. The main players, of course, are the US and Western Europe. There is a widespread perception that if the US and Western Europe could only get our CO2 emissions under control, the problem would be solved. Nothing could be further from the truth. To see the gaping hole in this idea, it is only necessary to look at the historical record of carbon emissions. -
Boxer-Kerry: “climate” bill or green jobs program?
6 Nov 2009 | 6:58 pmIt seems difficult to figure out just what the Boxer-Kerry bill is these days. If nothing else, its a sloppy rush job, beyond that, is it climate, or something else? How much will it cost? Only the shadow knows. Photo by Chris Kleponis. NWF From Wall Street Journal Blogs Environmental Capital: By Keith Johnson Okay, so Sen. Barbara Boxer has moved the energy and climate bill out of the Environment and Public Works Committee and onto the Senate floor. That doesn’t get the bill any closer to garnering 60 votes, but as Sen. Boxer said, it can’t get 60 votes while stuck in committee, either. -
More “unprecedented” warming in the Antarctic
6 Nov 2009 | 5:38 pmVia a Euerekalert press release Past climate of the northern Antarctic Peninsular informs global warming debate IMAGE: The American icebreaker RV/IB Nathanial B. Palmer is shown off the South Shetland Islands. The drilling rig is clearly seen on the rear deck. Click here for more information. The seriousness of current global warming is underlined by a reconstruction of climate at Maxwell Bay in the South Shetland Islands of the Antarctic Peninsula over approximately the last 14,000 years, which appears to show that the current warming and widespread loss of glacial ice are… -
Copenhagen – not happening
6 Nov 2009 | 1:56 pmA summary from Dr. Benny Peiser’s daily newsletter: Delay is preferable to error. –Thomas Jefferson A world treaty on climate change will be delayed by up to a year and is likely to be watered down because countries with the highest greenhouse gas emissions are refusing to commit to legally binding reductions. The admission that no treaty will be signed at Copenhagen marks the failure of the process agreed at a UN meeting in Bali in December 2007, when industrialised countries agreed to deliver a binding climate-change agreement within two years. –Ben Webster, The Times, 6… -
2009 Weblog awards – nominations open
6 Nov 2009 | 11:32 amWell, it is that time of year again. Blog awards. Time to honor your favorites in many categories. The way it works is that we start with nominations. The blogs that get the most nominations wins a spot in the voting contest. From then on it’s a horse race to see how many blog readers can vote once each day to determine the winner. Last year, WUWT won “Best Science Blog”. I certainly didn’t expect it. Neither did many others. It made a few people angry. It was funny to watch. This year, I’m feeling that Steve McIntyre’s Climate Audit is more deserving of…
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Accuweather.com: Global Warming
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Positive Climate Feedback from Lightning?
6 Nov 2009 | 9:45 amNew research from NASA suggests that the bulk of nitrogen oxide (NOx) produced during lightning storms ends up significantly higher in the atmosphere, and thus has a stronger impact on ozone and the climate than previously thought. Photo courtesy of the Accuweather.com photo gallery. According to the NASA story, there are 1.2 billion lightning flashes in the world per year. Each lightning flash produces a puff of nitrogen oxide gas that reacts with sunlight and other gases in the atmosphere to produce ozone. Near Earth's surface, ozone can harm human and plant health; higher in the… -
Warm Winds in Early October Impacted Sea Ice Extent
5 Nov 2009 | 5:56 amThe growth rate of Arctic sea ice during the first half of October was slowed due to persistent south winds over central Siberia, according to the National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC). The winds prevented sea ice from forming along the Siberian Coast during that time, which allowed the sea ice extent to almost match the record low year of 2007. Low-level Arctic Temperature anomalies from October At this time, it does look like the progression of sea ice has resumed a more normal, seasonal increase. A comparison of Arctic sea ice extent (4 lowest years) from July through early November. -
Second Thoughts?
4 Nov 2009 | 6:20 amDr. Stephen Schneider, a Stanford University scientist inexplicably withdraws from a new climate change documentary. Why is that? Host Katie Fehlinger of AccuWeather.com's Headline Earth tells the story...............Here is the link to the video. Climate Depot also has more on this story right here. ---------- My opinion......it has been almost 40 years since his comments about cooling, and opinions change with new data and more computing power. However, it is unfortunate that the University stepped in and prohibited the filmmakers from using the audio and video of Schneider. -
Impact of Land-Use Changes on Climate
3 Nov 2009 | 6:50 amNo surprise here........... Research from the Universities of Maryland and Colorado, in addition to Purdue University, has found that a majority of land-use changes in the continental U.S. reduce vegetative cover and raise regional surface temperatures. Satellite views of different types of agricultural land-use But, any conversion of land, whether urban or forested, to agricultural use results in cooling, which is most likely due to increased evaporation. "What we highlight here is that a significant trend, particularly the warming trend in terms of temperatures, can also be partially… -
Status of Global Sea Ice Concentration
2 Nov 2009 | 11:50 amThanks to the University of Bremen in Germany, we can get a daily update of the sea ice concentration across the Arctic and Antarctic. Here are the latest images from Friday and from exactly one year ago for comparison. The more red and purple, the higher the sea ice concentration. October 30th, 2009 Arctic October 30th, 2008 Arctic It looks like there is less ice north of eastern Europe and northwest of Alaska compared to last year. October 30th, 2009 Antarctic October 30th, 2008 Antarctic From what I can tell, it looks like there is more ice this year compared to last year around the…
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Google News: Climate Change
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For a climate of security - Philadelphia Inquirer
7 Nov 2009 | 12:03 amguardian.co.ukFor a climate of securityPhiladelphia InquirerAl Gore made 'em laugh yesterday when he brought his climate-change road show to Philadelphia. Criticized by some observers for being too Gore urges Obama to take lead on climate change89.3 KPCCCivil unrest has a role in stopping climate change, says Goreguardian.co.ukPinoy college grad refutes Gore on climate changeManila TimesABC Online -DigitalJournal.com -Heritage.orgall 25 news articles » -
No climate for a change treaty - Norman Transcript
6 Nov 2009 | 11:21 pmguardian.co.ukNo climate for a change treatyNorman TranscriptHe says that unless a decisive agreement is reached at the 192-nation summit on climate change that opens Dec. 7 in Copenhagen, all is lost. Daunting task ahead for Copenhagen after Barcelona talks on climate changeXinhuaTalk can lead to action on climate change challengeWalesOnlineGlobal Climate Change Treaty DelayedVoice of AmericaCNN International -Mail & Guardian Online -Independentall 3,207 news articles » -
COP15 - United Nations Climate Change Conference - Culturekiosque
6 Nov 2009 | 9:14 pmCOP15 - United Nations Climate Change ConferenceCulturekiosqueCopenhagen hosts COP15 - the United Nations Climate Change Conference that will address strategies to help fight climate strategies. and more » -
Back to square one on climate change - Examiner.com
6 Nov 2009 | 7:00 pmLos Angeles TimesBack to square one on climate changeExaminer.comSenator Barbara Boxer's action in discharging the climate change bill from her Environment and Public Works Committee without and Republican committee Wisdom needed for climate legislation deliberationsThe Prairie StarClimate Bill Approved by Senate Committee Over Republican BoycottEco FactoryResearch and Markets: speedbriefing: The Kerry-Boxer Climate Change Bill ReutersPittsburgh Post Gazette -Washington Times -Billings Gazetteall 1,768 news articles » -
Hart: United, not divided, on climate change - GlobalPost
6 Nov 2009 | 6:49 pmguardian.co.ukHart: United, not divided, on climate changeGlobalPostHart said the United States needs to link those boxes, or issues together to create a substantial platform for 21st century solutions to climate change. Current Government Policies Are not Enough to Ward Off Climate ChangeSocialFunds.comENVIRONMENT: China's Climate Change Plan: The Debate Goes OnInter Press ServiceClimate change ministry signs up to campaignguardian.co.ukUN Dispatch -Off-Grid -DeHavilland (press release) (subscription)all 29 news articles »
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Climate Audit
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Taimyr and Yamal Location Maps
6 Nov 2009 | 10:21 amThe following two Google maps show Taimyr and Yamal on consistent scales, together with Schweingruber sites in the area. The Taimyr chronology in Briffa 2000, as you may recall, not only didn't have HS, but had a notable divergence problem. I've tried to accurately transcribe onto this location map the Naurzbaev 2002 sites (subfossil - white circles; [...] -
Finnish TV
5 Nov 2009 | 7:48 amJean S writes: Seems like Steve will be on Finnish TV next Monday ohjelmat.yle.fi/mot/etusivu I guess this image is from the CA headquarters Steve: Yes, this is indeed me at CA world headquarters. 9.11.2009 Klo 20:00 MOT: Ilmastokatastrofi peruutettu Kööpenhaminan ilmastokokouksen lähestyessä kauhumaalailu ilmastokatastrofin seurauksista kiihtyy. Mediat täyttyvät uutisista, jotka kertovat jäätiköiden sulamisista, meren pinnan noususta, myrskyistä ja [...] -
Core Count in Phil Trans B
5 Nov 2009 | 7:34 amThe Yamal reconstruction was introduced in Briffa 2000, a survey paper that did not include elementary information like core counts. As a result, users of the Briffa 2000 Yamal reconstruction (including Mann and Jones 2003, Moberg 2005, Hegerl 2007; D'Arrigo 2006, IPCC 2007, etc…) used it without any knowledge that the core counts did not [...] -
Response to Briffa #2
4 Nov 2009 | 1:24 pmAs noted at CA last week, Briffa published a partial response to Yamal issues at the CRU website, one post discussing the impact of the Yamal chronology in various studies and another post discussing the Yamal chronology itself. For a response to Briffa's online article on the impact of Yamal, I refer readers to [...] -
Sciencemag Enforces Data Archiving
3 Nov 2009 | 6:33 pmAs I surmised, Science has taken a dim view of Kaufman's failure to provide data that was supposedly "publicly available" and most of the problems have now been dealt with. There are still a couple of issues though. The three Finnish sediment series and one Canadian series have now been archived: ftp.ncdc.noaa.gov/pub/data/paleo/paleolimnology/europe/finland/nautajarvi2005.txt ftp.ncdc.noaa.gov/pub/data/paleo/paleolimnology/europe/finland/korttajarvi2003.txt ftp.ncdc.noaa.gov/pub/data/paleo/paleolimnology/europe/finland/lehmilampi2007.txt…
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ScienceDaily: Earth & Climate News
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Air Pollution Increases Infants' Risk Of Bronchiolitis
7 Nov 2009 | 8:00 amInfants who are exposed to higher levels of air pollution are at increased risk for bronchiolitis, according to a new study. -
Boosting Coastal Economics With Crustacean Molting On Demand
7 Nov 2009 | 2:00 amResearchers are close to unraveling intricate cellular pathways that control molting in blue crabs. The discoveries could revolutionize the soft-shell crab industry, generating new jobs and additional profits for the US fishing industry along the coastal Southeast. -
Bacteria Expect The Unexpected
6 Nov 2009 | 5:00 pmOrganisms ensure the survival of their species by genetically adapting to the environment. If environmental conditions change too rapidly, the extinction of a species may be the consequence. A strategy to successfully cope with such a challenge is the generation of variable offspring that can survive in different environments. For the first time scientists have now observed the evolution of such a strategy under lab conditions in an experiment with the bacterial species Pseudomonas fluorescens. -
Male Sabertoothed Cats Were Pussycats Compared To Macho Lions
6 Nov 2009 | 5:00 pmDespite their fearsome fangs, male sabertoothed cats may have been less aggressive than many of their feline cousins, says a new study of male-female size differences in extinct big cats. -
Genomes Of Biofuel Yeasts Reveal Clues That Could Boost Fuel Ethanol Production Worldwide
6 Nov 2009 | 5:00 pmAs global temperatures and energy costs continue to soar, renewable sources of energy will be key to a sustainable future. An attractive replacement for gasoline is biofuel, and in two new studies, scientists have analyzed the genome structures of bioethanol-producing microorganisms, uncovering genetic clues that will be critical in developing new technologies needed to implement production on a global scale.
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Google Blog Search: Climate Change
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Cap'n Transit Rides Again: Climate change
6 Nov 2009 | 10:05 pmClimate change. It's right there at the top of the blog: getting people to shift from cars to transit will reduce pollution. Transit is regularly cited as a potential strategy for reducing greenhouse gas emissions. ... -
The ChamberPost: Climate Change - Finding the Balance
6 Nov 2009 | 5:31 pmby Bruce Josten On Tuesday I sent a letter to Senators Boxer and Inhofe on climate change which reminded: "The US Chamber of Commerce believes climate change is an important issue for this Congress to address. The Chamber stands ready ... -
Climate Change and Public Health | Use Celsias.com - reduce global ...
6 Nov 2009 | 3:58 pmLast May I wrote a story based on a report on the “climate gap, “ based on a report by researchers at three California colleges that focused on how climate change will disproportionately affect the poor and minorities, especially those ... -
Lobbyists Accused of Blocking Climate Change Efforts | BNET Energy ...
6 Nov 2009 | 2:22 pmCould lobbyists really be working against the greater good? Say it ain't so. The Center for Public Integrity says it is so. The organization sen. -
PNM joins group devoted to passing climate change bill « New ...
6 Nov 2009 | 1:26 pmThe group currently includes “More than a dozen leading U.S. corporations — including Public Service Enterprise Group (PSEG), DB Climate Change Advisors (Deutsche Bank Group), Gap Inc., and National Grid,” according to a release (pdf) ...
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Climate Sanity
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Cap-and-Trade: A little bit of knowledge is a dangerous thing.
31 Oct 2009 | 10:27 amMuch has already been written about the recent Pew Research Center Poll on American attitudes on global warming. It has been widely reported that there has been a large drop in the number of Americans who believe that humans are largely responsible for global warming. Less reported, but more important, are American’s attitudes toward cap-and-trade. Here are the Pew numbers… American attitudes toward Cap and Trade, from Pew. The three columns on the left are for those who are well-informed, know a little bit, and know nothing about tap-and-trade. The thing that should… -
Bad professors, BAD. The truth about “Eat the Dog”
23 Oct 2009 | 12:01 amGuest post from Cocoa the dog I am told humans are smart, but sometimes I wonder. I was born back in ‘02, and I have learned a trick or two in my 49 years. But this old dog will never play the kind of trick that Brenda and Robert Vale are playing. They are off by a factor of 20 when comparing the energy to power an SUV with the energy to power a dog. Brenda and Robert Vale are professors at Victoria University in Wellington, New Zealand. They are either complete mathematical boneheads, or they have simply realized that in today’s world there is no limit to the… -
Twelve Years of Global Warming
20 Oct 2009 | 10:21 pmClick on image to enlarge. 1. Atmospheric CO2 levels in parts per million (ppm). Data is from the Mauna Loa Observatory in Hawaii. http://www.esrl.noaa.gov/gmd/ccgg/trends/co2_data_mlo.html 2. Global Accumulated Cyclone Energy (ACE). Data is from Florida State University http://www.coaps.fsu.edu/~maue/tropical/ Data has been smoothed with a one year FWHM Gaussian Filter. 3. Sea Level Rise Rate (mm/year) Original data is from the University of Colorado. http://sealevel.colorado.edu/results.php This graph is the time derivative of the original sea level data after it was smoothed… -
Sea level rise rate leads global temperature?
19 Oct 2009 | 11:39 amI have noticed a surprising (to me) correlation between the global average sea level and the global temperature. It appears to me that the sea level rise rate leads the temperature. The following plot shows sea level rise rate from the Jason and TOPEX satellites (from the University of Colorado web site) and the global temperature (from UAH) with a 1.1 year offset added to the temperature data to align it with the sea level rise data. This data shows that the sea level rise rate leads the temperature – just the opposite of what I expected. Perhaps this is already obvious to… -
Climate change doom data from the Southern Hemisphere
2 Oct 2009 | 12:00 amNews Flash!! Clear signs of climate doom in the Southern Hemisphere!! Satellite data used to measure the seasonal growing and shrinking of sea ice area in the Southern Hemisphere make a stark realization clear: Five of the six most extreme yearly sea ice extents ever measured in the Southern Hemisphere have occurred in just the last 10 years. As a planet and global community, we need to prepare for the worst. The time to dither and argue is over – the time to act is now. I call on the leading governments of the world, the United Nations, NGOs, environmental activists, and…
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Climate Skeptic
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Good Video
4 Nov 2009 | 2:40 pmI enjoyed this video from CO2 Science and the Idso family. It has much more in-depth science than most climate videos. For those of you who judge scientific issues based on ad hominem factors, the Idso’s are on ExxonSecret’s S-list, having had the temerity to accept Exxon money at some point in the past. For the rest of you, I think the video is good and worth the price. -
Lindzen & Choi
3 Nov 2009 | 9:02 amIn preparing for my climate presentation in Phoenix next week, I went back and read through Lindzen & Choi, a study whose results I linked here. The study claims to have measured feedback, and have found feedback to temperature changes in the natural climate system to be negative –opposite of the assumption of strong positive feedback in climate models. I found this interesting, as we often do of studies that confirm our own hypotheses. Re-reading the study, I was uncomfortable with the methodology, but figured I was missing something. Specifically, I didn’t understand… -
Regression Abuse
29 Oct 2009 | 10:58 amAs I write this, I realize I go a long time without getting to climate. Stick with me, there is an important climate point. The process goes by a number of names, but multi-variate regression is a mathematical technique (really only made practical by computer processing power) of determining a numerical relationship between one output variable and one or more other input variables. Regression is absolutely blind to the real world — it only knows numbers. What do I mean by this? Take the famous example of Washington Redskins football and presidential elections: For nearly three… -
Katrina Victims Have Standing To Sue Over Global Warming
20 Oct 2009 | 10:10 amFrom the WSJ: The suit was brought by landowners in Mississippi, who claim that oil and coal companies emitted greenhouse gasses that contributed to global warming that, in turn, caused a rise in sea levels, adding to Hurricane Katrina’s ferocity. (See photo of Bay St. Louis, Miss., after the storm.) For a nice overview of the ruling, and its significance in the climate change battle, check out this blog post by J. Russell Jackson, a Skadden Arps partner who specializes in mass tort litigation. The post likens the Katrina plaintiffs’ claims, which set out a chain of causation, to the… -
Not Evil Just Wrong Review
15 Oct 2009 | 12:08 pmI have ordered a copy of “Not Evil Just Wrong” for review. I am excited to see it, but am not going to immediately lend my support until I see the film. There are lots of folks out there who nominally share some of my conclusions but whom I wouldn’t want arguing the case for me. So we’ll see. I will post a review as soon as I have seen it.
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Journey to the Sinking Lands
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World Service
13 Oct 2009 | 1:38 amA version of the Journey of a Lifetime doco has been broadcast on the BBC World Service. I missed it (though with any luck some of the those I met in Papua New Guinea did not), but you can catch it here. -
Sounds of the islands
12 Oct 2009 | 6:52 amI’ve gone through the recordings I made while living on the Carterets islands and picked out a few to listen to here. They say the pictures are better on radio, and I agree: In church, on Sunday morning Walking through the food gardens with John Sailik and Ruth Marcella A school assembly Talking to Selina Bill A procession to celebrate the Virgin Mary Walking into the sea Note; the links above take you to the excellent archive.org. I haven’t been able to work out how to get them to open in a separate window, so any suggestions would be gratefully received. -
Big in Shrewsbury
8 Oct 2009 | 8:44 amThis is it, the big time. I’ve been interviewed by BBC Radio Shropshire about the Carterets and the broadcast is going out tonight. All of you within the county borders and in search of a little entertainment this evening, expect it anytime before six pm tonight. Seriously, it’s a privilege to be able to talk about the Carterets to any and every audience. The first of the two talks I’m giving to the Royal Geographical Society went well this week – or at least they haven’t said I can’t come back to give the second one. I was also asked to speak at the… -
An argument
16 Sep 2009 | 4:25 amI’m pulling together a talk I’m due to give to the Royal Geographical Society about the Carterets journey. I’m speaking twice, firstly to the Society’s City branch on October 6 and secondly at the RGS itself, on December 14. It’s proven to be a good opportunity to finally tie together some of the loose ideas I’ve been thinking about since before I left for the islands in April. At the time, I remember thinking there was something there, but couldn’t quite form it as a finished idea in my mind. My basic thinking goes link this (I hope to come back with more scientific data to… -
“Dan risked life and limb…”
7 Sep 2009 | 3:56 amIs Dan vain enough to put the reviews for his radio programme up on this blog? Yes he is… The Independent, Observer, Daily Telegraph, Times and Yorkshire Post all made the Journey of a Lifetime programme their Radio Choice (at least half the credit for this has to go to Simon Elmes, the programme’s BBC producer), and these papers also had this to say: Daily Telegraph Dan Box, winner of this year’s Journey of a Lifetime award, made jointly by the Royal Geographical Society and the BBC, chose to make his journey to the Carteret Islands, on the far west of Papua New Guinea. You can…
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The Island of Doubt
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Bjorn Lomborg launches campaign against logic
4 Nov 2009 | 10:54 am(Pseudo)-Skeptical Environmental Bjorn Lomborg advises in the Wall Street Journal that spending money on anti-malarial campaigns makes more sense than, and by implication is morally superior to, spending money on cutting carbon emissions. But to make his case, he has to abandon all hope of ever being invited to join the Vulcan Science Academy. It may be true that every dollar we spend combating the vectors of malaria and the treatments for it will save more lives than those who would be spared the disease if we spend it instead on avoiding catastrophic global warming. But Lomborg is abandons… -
The link between the climate denial and anti-vaccine crowds
30 Oct 2009 | 5:43 amRarely does a blogging day pass that I don't stumble upon some post or comment or email that champions the value of skepticism of anthropogenic global warming and the need for scientists to answer their critics. So it's refreshing to read a concise and cogent reminder of why such attacks are misguided. From UBC's Simon Donner we get this rejoinder, made in reference to demands that real-climatologist Michael "hockey stick" Mann answer the criticism of non-climatologist Steve McIntyre Think of it this way: wouldn't you rather that doctors spend their time actually developing treatments for… -
Climate control in Canada: And now the good news
29 Oct 2009 | 7:44 amThe costs of doing something about climate change are the subject of much debate these, and Canada is no exception. The federal government, like the ones before it, has shown little interest in honest analysis, so one of the country's biggest banks, TD Bank, decided to pay for a study all on its own. The results, which the bank's economists call "robust," represent perhaps the most comprehensive effort to nail down those costs, at least for one country. And what did the consultants they hired to write the report find? Good news, actually. Unless, of course, you happen to own a piece of the… -
Another nail in the Superfreakonomics coffin
27 Oct 2009 | 7:24 amBy now, I'd expect the authors of Superfreakonomics are having mixed feelings about their new book. On the one hand, they're making good money as the book enjoys healthy sales. On the other, just about every actual expert in the field to which Chapter 5 is devoted -- climate change -- has savaged their take on the subject. This week comes perhaps the most devastating criticism, from four statisticians whose analysis of global temperature trends demonstrates just how wrong Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner got the numbers. And an AP story on the statisticians' analysis raises some serious… -
Is 350 the right target for atmospheric CO2?
26 Oct 2009 | 8:48 amFor those who really grok the precautionary principle, aiming for a lower, and therefore inherently safer, maximum atmospheric carbon-dioxide concentration is the logical choice. Civilization arose over the last 10,000 years in a world in which CO2 represented just 280 of every million atoms we and every other respiring organism inhaled. Given the uncertainty over what level of the trace gas leads to dramatic changes in the climate -- we know there's a relationship but haven't been able to nail down the tipping point -- the closer to pre-industrial levels the better. But there's a problem.
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Climate Feedback
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Copenhagen conference: Call it a wrap
6 Nov 2009 | 9:53 amJeff Tollefson; cross-posted from In the Field Things are winding down here in Barcelona. The latest negotiating text is out, and everybody is waiting for the final plenary session. Negotiators seem to have coalesced on what needs to come out of Copenhagen, as opposed to what many would like to see. The basic idea, covered in a bit more detail in my last post, is that leaders could sign an agreement providing decisions on the big issues, including emissions targets, financing, technology, adaptation and deforestation, and then come back early next year to get the details for a formal treaty… -
Countdown to Copenhagen
6 Nov 2009 | 7:18 amKeith Kloor All hope for Copenhagen seems lost. According to The Times: “A world treaty on climate change will be delayed by up to a year and is likely to be watered down because countries with the highest greenhouse gas emissions are refusing to commit to legally binding reductions.” So if Copenhagen becomes just another rallying point for worldwide action, then where to after that? According to The Guardian: “Sources said a meeting in Mexico in December 2010 would be more likely to see the legal treaty sealed.” Whatever new roadmap emerges from Copenhagen, religious leaders meeting… -
Barcelona climate: Momentum builds for a "political agreement" in Copenhagen
5 Nov 2009 | 3:58 pmJeff Tollefson; cross-posted from In the Field The European Commission's chief negotiator, Artur Runge-Metzger, acknowledged this afternoon that Europe might have to settle for a political agreement rather than a binding legal treaty in Copenhagen (see my post this morning for a quick discussion of the issue). Everybody else has been talking about this possibility for some time, but it's not insignificant when the EU, which has always been the primary driver of this process, starts talking about it. Indeed, one environmentalist told me that once Europe gives up on the idea of a fully… -
Barcelona climate: New analysis shows progress in emerging economies
5 Nov 2009 | 3:50 pmJeff Tollefson; cross-posted from In the Field And now I'll take a look at the major developing countries, as promised both yesterday and today. A new analysis of climate commitments by the six biggest emerging economies - Brazil, China, India, South Africa, Mexico and South Korea - suggests that their cumulative emissions add up to a 25 percent reduction compared to "business as usual" projections for 2020. The report (not yet available on the web but discussed in a session on Tuesday) was commissioned by the German government and this portion was led by Niklas Hohne of the consultancy… -
Barcelona climate: Monitoring the (same old) debate
5 Nov 2009 | 10:18 amI’m sitting in the plenary session of the Kyoto Protocol, listening to an old debate over the baseline year used to assess emissions. The protocol is currently tied to 1990 emissions, but Japan, Australia and Canada have all suggested that expressing emissions reductions according to multiple baselines might be useful. The logic is that although the Kyoto Protocol is tied to 1990, many countries – including the United States - are now pegging their climate proposals to more recent years. That has the advantage of providing a picture of what each country plans to do moving forward. The US…
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Climate Change: Changing our World
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Online Climate Change Conference - Climate 2009
28 Oct 2009 | 6:26 amThe world's climate neutral Scientific Climate Conference 2-6 November 2009 online only.There´s no CO2 emissions due to travel to the venue. The Internet servers of the "CLIMATE 2009/KLIMA 2009" platform are powered by means of climate-neutral energy provision.Let the conference introduce you to the latest scientific findings on the social, economic and political aspects of climate change. Enter this platform on 2-6 November 2009 and read about new projects and innovative initiatives being undertaken in both industrialised and developing countries by universities and scientific institutions,… -
Global grassroots climate protest
25 Oct 2009 | 12:57 amCampaign Against Emissions Picks Number Ney York - October 24, 2009 Campaigners against global warming have drawn on an arsenal of visually startling tactics over the years, from posing nude on a Swiss glacier to scaling smokestacks at coal-fired power plants.Some 300 people gathered on the City Hall Square in Copenhagen on October 24, 2009 to form the logo of the 350 campaign, calling for call for carbon emissions cuts to 350 parts per million (ppm) during a protest on International Day of Climate Action about global warming.On Saturday, they tried something new with the goal of prodding… -
Human Security Implications of Climate Change
20 Oct 2009 | 7:31 amPresentation by Dr. Rolph Payet at the UNited Nations on Friday 23rd October 2009Human Security Implications of Climate ChangeView more presentations from Rolph Payet. -
Climate Change: Playing in the Major Leagues.
19 Oct 2009 | 1:36 pmGeorge Town, Cayman Islands - 19 October 2009 - Prime Minister Gordon Brown’s recent speech on climate change catastrophe in the Uk applies to the entire world.Climate change is the most serious peril that has faced humanity in its long history. However, are faced with more than climate change, there is peak oil and an out of control population, as well as concerns for water and food security in the years to come.As I said to a colleague earlier today “failing to plan is planning to fail”.Humanity is today playing in the major leagues. We are in a sink or swim situation. If we can keep… -
PM Gordon Brown Speaking on Climate Catastrophe
19 Oct 2009 | 7:37 am
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RealClimate
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An open letter to Steve Levitt
29 Oct 2009 | 9:37 pmDear Mr. Levitt, The problem of global warming is so big that solving it will require creative thinking from many disciplines. Economists have much to contribute to this effort, particularly with regard to the question of how various means of putting a price on carbon emissions may alter human behavior. Some of the lines of thinking in your first book, Freakonomics, could well have had a bearing on this issue, if brought to bear on the carbon emissions problem. I have very much enjoyed and benefited from the growing collaborations between Geosciences and the Economics department here at the… -
Putting the recent Antarctic snowmelt minimum into context
27 Oct 2009 | 11:43 amGuest Commentary by Andrew Monaghan and Marco Tedesco Our study published in mid October in Geophysical Research Letters (Tedesco and Monaghan, 2009) documents record minimum snowmelt for Antarctica during austral summer 2008-2009 and lower-than-normal melt for several recent years, based on a 30-year satellite microwave record. Numerous blogs have cited the results as a challenge to previous studies reporting Antarctic warming, while also steadfastly ignoring other studies with similar results (e.g. Barrett et al., 2009). They have overlooked that these studies show that Antarctic warming… -
350
27 Oct 2009 | 11:23 amI was quoted by Andrew Revkin in the New York Times on Sunday in a piece about the 350.org International Day of Climate Action (involving events in 181 countries). The relevant bit is: Gavin A. Schmidt, a climate scientist who works with Dr. Hansen and manages a popular blog on climate science, realclimate.org, said those promoting 350 or debating the number might be missing the point. “The situation is analogous to people trying to embark on a cross-country road trip to California but they’ve started off heading to Maine instead,” Dr. Schmidt said. “But instead of… -
Climate Cover-Up: A (Brief) Review
20 Oct 2009 | 11:50 amWe often allude to the industry-funded attacks against climate change science, and the dubious cast of characters involved, here at RealClimate. In recent years, for example, we’ve commented on disinformation efforts by industry front groups such as the “Competitive Enterprise Institute, the Cato Institute, the Fraser Institute, and a personal favorite, The Heartland Institute, and by industry-friendly institutions such as the Wall Street Journal editorial board, and other media outlets that assist in the manufacture and distribution of climate change disinformation. When it comes… -
Why Levitt and Dubner like geo-engineering and why they are wrong
18 Oct 2009 | 8:51 amMany commentators have already pointed out dozens of misquotes, misrepresentations and mistakes in the ‘Global Cooling’ chapter of the new book SuperFreakonomics by Ste[ph|v]ens Levitt and Dubner (see Joe Romm (parts I, II, III, IV, Stoat, Deltoid, UCS and Paul Krugman for details. Michael Tobis has a good piece on the difference between adaptation and geo-engineering). Unfortunately, Amazon has now turned off the ’search inside’ function for this book, but you can read the relevant chapter for yourself here (via Brad DeLong). However, instead of simply listing errors…
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the Air Vent
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Allahu Akbar
6 Nov 2009 | 5:33 pmI’ve got a nice post on Yamal in the works but in the meantime I’m ticked off again. Over 40 people shot on a military base by another Muslim extremist. Now the leftist politically correct idiots in the media are bending over backward to tell you it’s not a terrorist attack. Why? Can you figure it out? Imagine how Bush would have reacted to this, imagine how much better that would be than listening to Obama talk to the horribly oppressed Indians. Obama is way way over his head and has no clue how to react. The leftist media is covering and wants to tell you it was just… -
Invisible Elephants
5 Nov 2009 | 10:18 amGuest post by Tony Brown investigating the longest temperature records. Tony has put together a well referenced post containing an interactive graphic which allows clicking on a location to see the individual records. WordPress free version won’t allow it to function so check out the link. I think you’ll find it interesting. —————————– This graphic http://climatereason.com/LittleIceAgeThermometers/ Pic Snapped by Lucy Skywalker contains some 50 Instrumental temperature records that precede the 1850 Hadley Global… -
Who’s in Denial
5 Nov 2009 | 9:32 amWilliam Connolly has been gracious and not snipped any of my comments on the Tiljander debate at his blog. I’m about ready to add him to my blogroll so this isn’t an attempt to bash his blog, however he wrote a beauty of an explanation as to why it’s ok to read thermometers upside down again. It never ceases to amaze how far people can go to reason into almost any position. It’s like people who complain about the idiocy of government and continue to vote for more, like that will fix it. Anyway his rationale is entertaining. Imagine a climate proxy, accurate… -
Past Arctic Warming Also Created by Currents
4 Nov 2009 | 8:26 amI’ve stated here on several occasions that the ‘Recent’ Arctic ice thinning is more likely a current change issue rather than a temperature issue. Differences in flow change the transfer of vastly more energy than a couple of degrees of air temp, however changing air temperatures are a strong indicator of differences in regional water flow. This effect is very visible in the arctic ice videos posted here. Recently Dr. Arnd Bernaerts asked by email that I call attention to his paper on Arctic Warming for a period we don’t hear about enough. He has a shorter… -
Guest Post at Pielke Sr. on RSS UAH Differences
4 Nov 2009 | 7:38 amProfessor Ben Herman has done a guest post at Roger Pielke Sr’s blog on the differences we’ve seen in UAH and RSS. The land sea effect was noted in blogland by Chad at treesfortheforest (link on right) but the experts in this case have been paying very close attention to this substantial issue. Today I will add to this post a video showing the differences between UAH and RSS by month for 3 atmospheric levels. The video is still uploading. In the meantime check out Dr. Herman’s post below. Update: Video added. ————— Guest Post By Ben…
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Saturday, 7th November 2009
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LEDnovation Introduces LED A19 Light Bulbs For 60W & 75W Incandescent And CFL Replacements
6 Nov 2009 | 5:03 amLEDnovation, Inc. (LEDnovation) has introduced two new A19 LED bulbs for the North American Market for 60W and 75W incandescent and CFL replacements. The 60W equivalent delivers 600 Lumens with a typical efficiency of 79 Lumens/Watt and consumes 7.6 W. This LED lamp consumes 87% less power than a standard 60W incandescent bulb and 42% less than a standard 13W Compact Fluorescent. The 75W equivalent delivers 700 Lumens with a typical efficiency of 71 Lumens/Watt and consumes 9.8W. -
Australia's Resources Minister Ferguson Announce $235 Million For Four Renewable Energy Projects Under REDP Grant
5 Nov 2009 | 10:30 amAustralia's Resources Minister Martin Ferguson has announced $235 million under Renewable Energy Demonstration Program (REDP) to four companies which will together deliver 80 MW of energy. The companies to receive the funding includes Petratherm Limited (Petratherm), Geodynamics Limited (Geodynamics), Victorian Wave Partners Pty Ltd (Victorian Wave Partners) and the Hydro-Electric Corporation (Hydro Tasmania). -
Geodynamics Wins $90 Million In Funding Under REDP For Geothermal Power Plant In Cooper Basin
5 Nov 2009 | 10:30 amGeodynamics Limited (Geodynamics) has announced the award by the Federal Government of $90 million in funding under the Renewable Energy Demonstration Program (REDP). The funding will be staged over the life of the project with the final grant payment to be received following the commissioning of a 25 MW geothermal power plant in the Cooper Basin, expected to occur in late 2013. -
Paralana Geothermal Energy Project Receives $62.8 Million Grant
5 Nov 2009 | 10:30 amPetratherm Limited (Petratherm) and its joint venture partners Beach Petroleum Limited (Beach Petroleum) and TRUenergy Geothermal have announced that the Paralana Geothermal Energy Project has been awarded a $62.76 million (exclusive of GST) Renewable Energy Demonstration Program (REDP) grant. -
SAIC To Invest CNY6 Billion For R&D On New Energy Vehicles
5 Nov 2009 | 5:21 amShanghai Automotive Industry Corporation (SAIC) plans to invest CNY6 billion in the next two years for research and development (R&D) on new energy vehicles, ChinaCSR reported. The company will use CNY2 billion of the CNY6 billion investment, to set up a new energy vehicle R&D company, CNY2 billion will be used for manufacturing new energy vehicle parts and the remainder will be spent on building a car manufacturing plant.
