http://firstparish.info/HelpingOut/Green_Sanctuary.html News related to climate change collected by David Landskov for Sustainable Arlington and for the Climate Change Team at First Parish UU of Arlington MA. Maximum of 7 items per day. http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/05/16/us-climate-rain-midwest-idUSBRE84F1B120120516 The number of extreme rainstorms -- deluges that dump 3 inches or more in a day -- doubled in the U.S. Midwest over the last half-century, causing billions of dollars in flood damage in a trend climate advocates link to a rise in greenhouse gas emissions. http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/05/16/us-climate-rain-midwest-idUSBRE84F1B120120516 17 May 2012 10:60 EDT Reuters: Environment http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/05/120516120304.htm Today's mega forest fires of the southwestern U.S. are truly unusual and exceptional in the long-term record, suggests an unprecedented study that examined 1,500 years of ancient tree ring and fire data from two distinct climate periods. Researchers constructed and analyzed a statistical model and found that today's dry, hot climate combined with the past century of human fire suppression is causing megafires. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/05/120516120304.htm 17 May 2012 10:50 EDT ScienceDaily: Global Warming News http://www.ucsusa.org/news/press_release/ces-bill.html Senator Jeff Bingaman's bill that would establish a clean energy standard is a welcome step to reopen the conversation about increasing renewables and reducing carbon emissions, but the bill could do much more to spur a greater increase in clean energy power. http://www.ucsusa.org/news/press_release/ces-bill.html 17 May 2012 10:40 EDT Union of Concerned Scientists http://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/17/world/americas/brazils-president-dilma-rousseff-faces-defining-decision-over-forest-bill.html President Dilma Rousseff is facing one of the defining moments of her presidency as pressure builds on her to veto a bill that would open vast protected areas of forests to ranching and farming, potentially reversing Brazil's major gains in slowing Amazon deforestation. http://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/17/world/americas/brazils-president-dilma-rousseff-faces-defining-decision-over-forest-bill.html 17 May 2012 10:30 EDT ThinkProgress >> Green http://e360.yale.edu/digest/wildlife_in_tropical_regions_has_declined_60_percent_since_1970/3468/ Wildlife populations in the world's tropical regions have fallen by more than 60 percent during the last four decades, according to the latest version of the Living Planet Index. The Index -- which tracks populations of 2,688 vertebrate species in tropical and temperate regions worldwide -- found that species abundance in the tropics declined by about 44 percent on land, 62 percent in the oceans, and 70 percent in freshwater ecosystems from 1970 to 2008. Cumulatively, species abundance declined by about 1.25 percent annually every year compared with a 1970 baseline, according to the report, which is published by the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) and the Zoological Society of London. http://e360.yale.edu/digest/wildlife_in_tropical_regions_has_declined_60_percent_since_1970/3468/ 16 May 2012 20:20 EDT Yale Environment 360 http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/05/120516140004.htm Black carbon aerosols and tropospheric ozone, both humanmade pollutants emitted predominantly in the Northern Hemisphere's low- to mid-latitudes, are most likely pushing the boundary of the tropics further poleward in that hemisphere, new research shows. While stratospheric ozone depletion has already been shown to be the primary driver of the expansion of the tropics in the Southern Hemisphere, the researchers are the first to report that black carbon and tropospheric ozone are the most likely primary drivers of the tropical expansion observed in the Northern Hemisphere. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/05/120516140004.htm 16 May 2012 20:10 EDT ScienceDaily: Global Warming News http://sustainablearlington.org/sa15/sa-blog/climate-change-news _ Wednesday News Below _ http://sustainablearlington.org/sa15/sa-blog/global-warming-news?start=689 16 May 2012 20:00 EDT Sustainable Arlington http://green.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/05/16/a-new-skirmish-in-the-ethanol-wars/ A study backed by automakers contends that an ethanol blend approved by the Environmental Protection Agency damaged some car engines in tests. http://green.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/05/16/a-new-skirmish-in-the-ethanol-wars/ 16 May 2012 10:70 EDT NYT > Green Blog http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2012/may/15/energy-wind-google-cable A proposed $5bn transmission line connecting wind farms off the East coast of the US to the mainland is on track to come online by 2017, after the Google-backed project cleared another regulatory hurdle. http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2012/may/15/energy-wind-google-cable 16 May 2012 10:60 EDT ThinkProgress >> Green http://www.americanprogress.org/issues/2012/05/china_solar.html Tomorrow the U.S. Department of Commerce will announce its preliminary ruling on an "anti-dumping" petition filed by SolarWorld Industries America, Inc. against Chinese solar panel manufacturers. SolarWorld claims the Chinese government is providing subsidies to Chinese solar manufacturers that would be illegal under World Trade Organization rules, thereby artificially lowering the price of these panels, and then dumping the cheap panels on the U.S. market. http://www.americanprogress.org/issues/2012/05/china_solar.html 16 May 2012 10:50 EDT Center for American Progress - Energy and Environment http://www.americanprogress.org/issues/2012/05/epa_power_plants.html On April 13 the Environmental Protection Agency proposed the first-ever rules to limit carbon dioxide pollution from new power plants. Carbon dioxide is a major greenhouse gas that significantly contributes to climate change and threatens the health and safety of Americans. Existing power plants are responsible for adding more than 2 billion tons of carbon and other toxic pollutants into the air each year--nearly 13,000 pounds for every man, woman, and child in the United States. The new rules will reduce the pollution added by new power plants by 123 billion pounds annually. Make your voice heard: Urge the EPA to clean up our air now. http://www.americanprogress.org/issues/2012/05/epa_power_plants.html 16 May 2012 10:40 EDT Center for American Progress - Energy and Environment http://www.climatecentral.org/news/a-visual-tour-of-drought-in-the-us/ Fifty-six percent of the Lower 48 states were experiencing drought conditions as of May 8, almost twice the area compared to last year at this time, according to data from the U.S. Drought Monitor. http://www.climatecentral.org/news/a-visual-tour-of-drought-in-the-us/ 16 May 2012 10:30 EDT Daily Climate http://insideclimatenews.org/news/20120510/koch-industries-brothers-tar-sands-bitumen-heavy-oil-flint-pipelines-refinery-alberta-canada Many Koch businesses benefit from the brothers' efforts to push the center of American political discourse rightward, closer to their own convictions. At the top of the list are the Koch family's long and deep investments in Canada's heavy oil industry, which have been central to the company's initial growth and subsequent diversification since 1959. http://insideclimatenews.org/news/20120510/koch-industries-brothers-tar-sands-bitumen-heavy-oil-flint-pipelines-refinery-alberta-canada 16 May 2012 10:20 EDT http://www.eenews.net/public/climatewire/2012/05/16/1 China will fail to meet its carbon and energy intensity targets unless it makes dramatic changes to its electricity grid, a groundbreaking new report finds. http://www.eenews.net/public/climatewire/2012/05/16/1 16 May 2012 10:10 EDT ClimateWire - The Politics and Business of Climate Change http://sustainablearlington.org/sa15/sa-blog/climate-change-news _ Tuesday News Below _ http://sustainablearlington.org/sa15/sa-blog/global-warming-news?start=688 15 May 2012 20:00 EDT Sustainable Arlington http://e360.yale.edu/digest/major_us_companies_use_steel_linked_to_amazon_destruction/3464/ U.S. car makers such as General Motors, Ford, and Nissan are purchasing steel made from pig iron that is smelted using large amounts of illegally logged timber from the Amazon rainforest, according to a two-year investigation by Greenpeace. The environmental group also said that the pig iron smelting, fueled by charcoal produced from tropical forest trees, has resulted in virtual slave labor and illegal logging of indigenous lands in northeastern Brazil. http://e360.yale.edu/digest/major_us_companies_use_steel_linked_to_amazon_destruction/3464/ 15 May 2012 10:70 EDT Yale Environment 360 http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702304070304577398493215885010.html Wall Street Journal Letter to the Editor: Your recent editorials on the federal wind-energy Production Tax Credit (PTC) and renewable portfolio standard (RPS) ("Gouged by the Wind," May 5 and "Windy Republicans," May 7) are off the mark. The wind-power industry is an American success story that is helping us build our manufacturing base, create jobs, lower energy costs and strengthen our energy security. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702304070304577398493215885010.html 15 May 2012 10:60 EDT ThinkProgress >> Green http://www.eenews.net/tv/video_guide/1527 How would eliminating all fossil fuel subsidies affect the economy? During today's OnPoint, Bill McKibben, environmental author and founder of the grass-roots climate campaign 350.org, discusses new legislation introduced last week by Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Rep. Keith Ellison (D-Minn.) that would eliminate $113 billion in fossil fuel subsidies over 10 years. McKibben also weighs in on TransCanada Corp.'s recent reapplication for a Keystone XL pipeline permit. http://www.eenews.net/tv/video_guide/1527 15 May 2012 10:50 EDT E&ETV OnPoint http://content.usatoday.com/communities/sciencefair/post/2012/05/climate-change-global-warming-mammal-species-migration/1%23.T7IxFb8rOlI#.T7KCcMU2dqN Hundreds of species of mammals in the Western Hemisphere may not be able to migrate with the projected speed of climate change, according to a new study released Monday. http://content.usatoday.com/communities/sciencefair/post/2012/05/climate-change-global-warming-mammal-species-migration/1%23.T7IxFb8rOlI#.T7KCcMU2dqN 15 May 2012 10:40 EDT ThinkProgress >> Green http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/05/14/living-planet-report-2012_n_1515196.html Humans are currently using the equivalent of one and a half Earths to support our activities. This and other startling findings were revealed Monday with the release of World Wildlife Fund's 2012 Living Planet Report. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/05/14/living-planet-report-2012_n_1515196.html 15 May 2012 10:30 EDT Green on HuffingtonPost.com http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/05/120514152950.htm If the world's nations ever sign a treaty to limit emissions of climate-warming carbon dioxide gas, there may be a way to help verify compliance. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/05/120514152950.htm 15 May 2012 10:20 EDT ScienceDaily: Global Warming News http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/05/120513144632.htm A new study holds implications for the impact of biofuels production on deforestation and greenhouse gas emissions. The volume of greenhouse gas released when a forest is cleared depends on how the trees will be used and in which part of the world the trees are grown. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/05/120513144632.htm 15 May 2012 10:10 EDT ScienceDaily: Global Warming News http://sustainablearlington.org/sa15/sa-blog/climate-change-news _ Monday News Below _ http://sustainablearlington.org/sa15/sa-blog/global-warming-news?start=687 14 May 2012 20:00 EDT Sustainable Arlington http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2012/05/13/483247/james-hansen-is-correct-about-catastrophic-projections-for-us-drought-if-we-dont-act-now/ The response by NOAA's Martin Hoerling to James Hansen's recent op-ed does not reflect the scientific literature. http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2012/05/13/483247/james-hansen-is-correct-about-catastrophic-projections-for-us-drought-if-we-dont-act-now/ 14 May 2012 10:70 EDT ThinkProgress >> Green http://green.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/05/14/willing-to-pay-a-little-for-clean-energy/ A poll suggests that consumers are willing to pay somewhat more for "clean" energy, but not if that definition wraps in nuclear power or natural gas. http://green.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/05/14/willing-to-pay-a-little-for-clean-energy/ 14 May 2012 10:60 EDT NYT > Green Blog http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/budding-scientist/2012/05/11/evolution-and-climate-change-should-be-taught-in-schools-say-states/ One day after new test results showed that only 32 percent of U.S. 8th graders are proficient in science, a group of 26 states has helped draft a document that may bring about a major overhaul of science education in this country. http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/budding-scientist/2012/05/11/evolution-and-climate-change-should-be-taught-in-schools-say-states/ 14 May 2012 10:50 EDT Daily Climate http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2012/05/14/483432/us-coal-generation-drops-19-percent-in-one-year-leaving-coal-with-36-percent-share-of-electricity/ Power generation from coal is falling quickly. According to new figures from the U.S. Energy Information Administration, coal made up 36 percent of U.S. electricity in the first quarter of 2012 -- down from 44.6 percent in the first quarter of 2011. That stunning drop, which represented almost a 20 percent decline in coal generation over the last year, was primarily due to low natural gas prices http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2012/05/14/483432/us-coal-generation-drops-19-percent-in-one-year-leaving-coal-with-36-percent-share-of-electricity/ 14 May 2012 10:40 EDT ThinkProgress >> Green http://businessmirror.com.ph/home/green/27025-climate-change-and-marine-biodiversity-saving-the-oceans-web-of-life-under-threat A recent study on the distribution of 11,000 marine species in relation to water temperature supports that the current human-induced climate change has huge consequences for our marine ecosystems. And a 15 degrees C change is not even necessary. http://businessmirror.com.ph/home/green/27025-climate-change-and-marine-biodiversity-saving-the-oceans-web-of-life-under-threat 14 May 2012 10:30 EDT ThinkProgress >> Green http://www.skepticalscience.com/lindzen-clouded-vision-part2.html As Part 1 concluded, there is a slim chance that Lindzen and company are correct, that climate sensitivity is low and global warming is not a major concern. There is also a high probability that they are wrong, that future global warming will be substantial, and that the consequences will be bad if we don't do something about it. How we choose to address these scenarios is a question of risk management, which happens to be a big part of my day job. Unfortunately, as with his scientific positions, Lindzen's risk management arguments are ill-conceived. http://www.skepticalscience.com/lindzen-clouded-vision-part2.html 13 May 2012 20:20 EDT Skeptical Science http://www.skepticalscience.com/news.php?n=1449 Changes in the speed that ice travels in more than 200 outlet glaciers indicates that Greenland's contribution to rising sea level in the 21st century could be significantly less than the upper limits some scientists thought possible. http://www.skepticalscience.com/news.php?n=1449 13 May 2012 20:10 EDT Skeptical Science http://sustainablearlington.org/sa15/sa-blog/climate-change-news _ Sunday News Below _ http://sustainablearlington.org/sa15/sa-blog/global-warming-news?start=686 13 May 2012 20:00 EDT Sustainable Arlington http://www.businessweek.com/news/2012-05-11/companies-cut-two-switzerlands-of-emissions-in-wwf-pact The Coca-Cola Co., Nike, and more than 30 other companies have cut carbon dioxide emissions by more than 100 million metric tons since 1999 under a partnership agreement with the World Wildlife Fund, according to a new report. That's twice as much as the current annual emissions of Switzerland. http://www.businessweek.com/news/2012-05-11/companies-cut-two-switzerlands-of-emissions-in-wwf-pact 12 May 2012 20:30 EDT Daily Climate http://www.loe.org/shows/segments.html?programID=12-P13-00019&segmentID=2 The Environmental Protection Agency says that palm oil based biofuel does not meet renewable fuel standards. Some say that palm oil fuel emits more greenhouse gas emissions than other vegetable oils, and that the creation of palm plantations leads to deforestation. http://www.loe.org/shows/segments.html?programID=12-P13-00019&segmentID=2 12 May 2012 20:20 EDT Daily Climate http://www.desmogblog.com/canadian-environmental-groups-black-out-speak-out-against-government-threats-nature-democracy With full page ads in the Globe and Mail and La Presse national newspapers, a major coalition of Canadian environmental non-profits have come together to launch the Black Out Speak Out campaign (Silence, on parle! pour la Francophonie.) http://www.desmogblog.com/canadian-environmental-groups-black-out-speak-out-against-government-threats-nature-democracy 12 May 2012 20:10 EDT DeSmogBlog - Clearing the PR Pollution that Clouds Climate Science http://sustainablearlington.org/sa15/sa-blog/climate-change-news _ Saturday News Below _ http://sustainablearlington.org/sa15/sa-blog/global-warming-news?start=685 12 May 2012 20:00 EDT Sustainable Arlington http://ecocentric.blogs.time.com/2012/05/10/global-warming-an-exclusive-look-at-james-hansens-scary-new-math/ A new analysis by the NASA climatologist for the first time ties specific weather events to human-induced climate change. http://ecocentric.blogs.time.com/2012/05/10/global-warming-an-exclusive-look-at-james-hansens-scary-new-math/ 12 May 2012 10:70 EDT Ecocentric - Time http://www.spiegel.de/international/business/promising-carbon-capture-facility-launched-in-norway-despite-doubts-a-832284.html The world's largest facility for filtering carbon dioxide out of industrial emissions was inaugurated in Norway this week. While some see it as a godsend in efforts to reach environmental targets, others find the technology too dangerous and expensive. http://www.spiegel.de/international/business/promising-carbon-capture-facility-launched-in-norway-despite-doubts-a-832284.html 12 May 2012 10:60 EDT Daily Climate http://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/01/science/earth/clouds-effect-on-climate-change-is-last-bastion-for-dissenters.html The scientific majority believes that clouds will most likely have a neutral effect or will even amplify the warming, perhaps strongly, but the lack of unambiguous proof has left room for dissent. "Clouds really are the biggest uncertainty," said Andrew E. Dessler, a climate researcher at Texas A&M. "If you listen to the credible climate skeptics, they've really pushed all their chips onto clouds. http://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/01/science/earth/clouds-effect-on-climate-change-is-last-bastion-for-dissenters.html 12 May 2012 10:50 EDT NYT > Green Blog http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/greenpeace-head-naidoo-and-the-new-strategy-against-climate-change-a-832709.html The environmental movement is losing momentum and governments around the world are ignoring their responsibility for slowing climate change. Greenpeace head Kumi Naidoo, however, remains optimistic. In an interview, he explains his new vision for a sustainable world -- and how the pope can help. http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/greenpeace-head-naidoo-and-the-new-strategy-against-climate-change-a-832709.html 12 May 2012 10:40 EDT Daily Climate http://thoreaufarm.org/2012/05/climate-and-the-very-serious-cont/ One kind of "climate action" I didn't see or hear mentioned on Saturday is the highly controversial (some say crazy) idea of "geoengineering." For that, though, you can turn to this week's issue of The New Yorker, its splashy "Innovators" issue, and a big piece by Michael Specter titled "The Climate Fixers." http://thoreaufarm.org/2012/05/climate-and-the-very-serious-cont/ 11 May 2012 20:30 EDT Thoreau Farm http://www.forbes.com/sites/tomgroenfeldt/2012/05/10/zurich-insures-supplier-risk-as-climate-change-increases-natural-disasters/ Increased risks from flooding and other extreme weather events are driving the insurance industry to do more analytics and modeling. A shift of 2 degrees C, for instance, is calculated to increase the frequency of large rainfall events. Individual floods like those in Thailand this year, the second most costly natural disaster in history, are five to 10 times more likely. http://www.forbes.com/sites/tomgroenfeldt/2012/05/10/zurich-insures-supplier-risk-as-climate-change-increases-natural-disasters/ 11 May 2012 20:20 EDT Daily Climate http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/05/120511122101.htm The area of the globe covered by wetlands (swamps, marshes, lakes, etc.) has dropped by 6% in fifteen years. This decline is particularly severe in tropical and subtropical regions, and in areas that have experienced the largest increases in population in recent decades. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/05/120511122101.htm 11 May 2012 20:10 EDT ScienceDaily: Global Warming News http://sustainablearlington.org/sa15/sa-blog/climate-change-news _ Friday News Below _ http://sustainablearlington.org/sa15/sa-blog/global-warming-news?start=684 11 May 2012 20:00 EDT Sustainable Arlington http://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/10/opinion/game-over-for-the-climate.html Global warming isn't a prediction. It is happening. That is why I was so troubled to read a recent interview with President Obama in Rolling Stone in which he said that Canada would exploit the oil in its vast tar sands reserves "regardless of what we do." If Canada proceeds, and we do nothing, it will be game over for the climate. http://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/10/opinion/game-over-for-the-climate.html 11 May 2012 10:70 EDT NYT > Environment http://www.eenews.net/public/energywire/2012/05/11/1 The nuclear industry is starting to question whether persistent low natural gas prices could pose a serious competitive threat to older nuclear plants -- as cheap gas has already done to coal, wind and new nuclear generation. http://www.eenews.net/public/energywire/2012/05/11/1 11 May 2012 10:60 EDT EnergyWire http://e360.yale.edu/digest/study_calls_selective_logging_most_realistic_conservation_strategy/3460/ A new study says that well-managed selective logging may be the only realistic solution to conserving tropical forests in the face of a rapacious global demand for timber resources. In an analysis of more than 100 studies, researchers at the University of Florida found that while even selective logging has a significant impact on biodiversity in tropical forests and carbon storage capacity, those impacts are "survivable and reversible to a degree" if the forests are given time to recover. http://e360.yale.edu/digest/study_calls_selective_logging_most_realistic_conservation_strategy/3460/ 11 May 2012 10:50 EDT Yale Environment 360 http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2012/05/11/482660/saudi-arabia-unveils-100-billion-plan-to-make-solar-a-driver-for-domestic-energy-for-years-to-come/ A few months after Saudi Arabia's oil minister called global warming "among humanity's most pressing concerns," the country is rolling out an ambitious plan to source 41,000 megawatts of solar projects over the next two decades -- scaling up a domestic solar industry to support one third of electricity production by 2032. http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2012/05/11/482660/saudi-arabia-unveils-100-billion-plan-to-make-solar-a-driver-for-domestic-energy-for-years-to-come/ 11 May 2012 10:40 EDT ThinkProgress >> Green http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2012/05/10/482182/shortsighted-republicans-eliminate-international-climate-aid-funding-again/ The most anti-environmental House of Representatives in history is at it again. Yesterday, the House Foreign Affairs Appropriations Subcommittee passed the 2013 foreign operations budget, which for a second year in a row cut entire programs crucial for helping developing countries address climate change impacts and advance on a low-emission economic trajectory. http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2012/05/10/482182/shortsighted-republicans-eliminate-international-climate-aid-funding-again/ 10 May 2012 20:30 EDT ThinkProgress >> Green reuters.com/article/2012/05/10/us-science-lobbying-g-idUSBRE8491AI20120510 Scientists from 15 countries are calling for a better political response to the provision of water and energy to meet the challenge of feeding a world of 9 billion people within 30 years. reuters.com/article/2012/05/10/us-science-lobbying-g-idUSBRE8491AI20120510 10 May 2012 20:20 EDT Reuters: Green Business News http://www.climatecentral.org/news/hurricane-irene-ranked-most-costly-category-1-storm/ Hurricane Irene, which first made landfall in North Carolina on August 27, and went on to cause devastating flooding in several Northeastern states, is now ranked as the costliest Category One storm to strike the U.S. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Irene caused $15.8 billion in damage, much of it due to inland flooding. http://www.climatecentral.org/news/hurricane-irene-ranked-most-costly-category-1-storm/ 10 May 2012 20:10 EDT Climate Central - Breaking News, Blogs & Features http://sustainablearlington.org/sa15/sa-blog/climate-change-news _ Thursday News Below _ http://sustainablearlington.org/sa15/sa-blog/global-warming-news?start=683 10 May 2012 20:00 EDT Sustainable Arlington http://e360.yale.edu/digest/lack_of_profitability_drives_us_company_out_of_biofuels_business/3459/ A U.S.-based company that used genetic engineering to develop a technology to convert sugar into biofuel has announced that it will stop producing the fuel, at least temporarily, because the process simply isn't profitable. http://e360.yale.edu/digest/lack_of_profitability_drives_us_company_out_of_biofuels_business/3459/ 10 May 2012 10:50 EDT Yale Environment 360 http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2012/05/10/481523/cbo-report-boosting-oil-production-wont-protect-americans-from-gasoline-price-shocks/ More domestic drilling does not make America less susceptible to global supply disruptions or protect consumers from gasoline price volatility, according to a new analysis from the Congressional Budget Office. http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2012/05/10/481523/cbo-report-boosting-oil-production-wont-protect-americans-from-gasoline-price-shocks/ 10 May 2012 10:40 EDT ThinkProgress >> Green http://www.theatlantic.com/national/archive/2012/05/an-inconvenient-lawsuit-teenagers-take-global-warming-to-the-courts/256903/ Industry giants say their case is misguided. But that isn't stopping a group of high school students from using the legal system to make environmental demands. http://www.theatlantic.com/national/archive/2012/05/an-inconvenient-lawsuit-teenagers-take-global-warming-to-the-courts/256903/ 09 May 2012 20:30 EDT Daily Climate http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2012/05/09/480747/memo-group-create-fake-grassroots-wind-subversion-campaign-appear-as-a-groundswell/ The organization would combine efforts and create "what should appear as a 'groundswell' among grass roots" to counter legislation supporting wind energy on the federal, state and local levels. http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2012/05/09/480747/memo-group-create-fake-grassroots-wind-subversion-campaign-appear-as-a-groundswell/ 09 May 2012 20:20 EDT ThinkProgress >> Green http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/05/09/us-antarctica-global-warming-idUSBRE84811E20120509 Scientists are predicting the disappearance of another vast ice shelf in Antarctica by the end of the century that will accelerate rising sea levels. http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/05/09/us-antarctica-global-warming-idUSBRE84811E20120509 09 May 2012 20:10 EDT Reuters: Green Business News http://sustainablearlington.org/sa15/sa-blog/climate-change-news _ Wednesday News Below _ http://sustainablearlington.org/sa15/sa-blog/global-warming-news?start=682 09 May 2012 20:00 EDT Sustainable Arlington www.eenews.net/public/climatewire/2012/05/09/1 The era of U.S. coal-fired electric power generation will effectively end as new federal regulations limiting carbon dioxide emissions from fossil plants take effect, a new analysis from Bloomberg Government concludes. The report, from energy analyst Rob Barnett, posits that the new U.S. EPA rule, rolled out last month and open for public comment until June 12, will effectively ban the construction of new coal-fired power plants because the CO2 emission rates required of fossil plants are so strenuous that no conventional coal plant could meet them. www.eenews.net/public/climatewire/2012/05/09/1 09 May 2012 10:70 EDT ClimateWire - The Politics and Business of Climate Change http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/technology/microsoft-pledges-to-go-carbon-neutral/2012/05/08/gIQAGVE4AU_story.html Microsoft has pledged to make all of its data centers, software development labs and any other direct operations carbon neutral, starting in fiscal 2013. http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/technology/microsoft-pledges-to-go-carbon-neutral/2012/05/08/gIQAGVE4AU_story.html 09 May 2012 10:60 EDT ThinkProgress >> Green http://www.eenews.net/tv/rss/2012/05/09/ Can renewables survive without subsidies? How can the United States change its policy on subsidies to move the industry toward a sustainable, independent path? During today's OnPoint, Letha Tawney, senior associate for innovation and clean technology policy at the World Resources Institute, discusses the new report "Beyond Boom and Bust: Putting Clean Tech on a Path to Subsidy Independence." http://www.eenews.net/tv/rss/2012/05/09/ 09 May 2012 10:50 EDT E&ETV OnPoint http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2012/may/08/conservative-thinktanks-obama-energy-plans Confidential memo seen by Guardian calls for climate change sceptics to turn American public against solar and wind power. http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2012/may/08/conservative-thinktanks-obama-energy-plans 09 May 2012 10:30 EDT Green on HuffingtonPost.com http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2012/05/08/480253/report-us-environmental-satellite-system-is-at-risk-of-collapse-and-could-decline-75-by-2020/ The Nation's leading scientists have issued a stark warning: America's ability to monitor the environment is rapidly diminishing. And if we don't properly fund our satellite capabilities, the country could lose three quarters of its Earth observation systems by 2020. That alarming conclusion comes from the National Research Council in a new report assessing the progress of the nation's Earth observation programs. http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2012/05/08/480253/report-us-environmental-satellite-system-is-at-risk-of-collapse-and-could-decline-75-by-2020/ 09 May 2012 10:20 EDT ThinkProgress >> Green http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/05/120508173517.htm As people pump groundwater for irrigation, drinking water, and industrial uses, the water doesn't just seep back into the ground -- it also evaporates into the atmosphere, or runs off into rivers and canals, eventually emptying into the world's oceans. This water adds up, and a new study calculates that by 2050, groundwater pumping will cause a global sea level rise of about 0.8 millimeters per year. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/05/120508173517.htm 09 May 2012 10:10 EDT ScienceDaily: Global Warming News http://sustainablearlington.org/sa15/sa-blog/climate-change-news _ Tuesday News Below _ http://sustainablearlington.org/sa15/sa-blog/global-warming-news?start=681 08 May 2012 20:00 EDT Sustainable Arlington http://www.wunderground.com/blog/JeffMasters/comment.html?entrynum=2089 The past twelve months were the warmest twelve months in U.S. history, said NOAA's National Climatic Data Center (NCDC) on Tuesday, in their monthly "State of the Climate" report. Temperatures in the contiguous U.S. during May 2011 - April 2012 broke the previous record for warmest 12-month period, set November 1999 - October 2000, by 0.1 degrees F. http://www.wunderground.com/blog/JeffMasters/comment.html?entrynum=2089 08 May 2012 10:70 EDT Dr. Jeff Masters' WunderBlog http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2012/05/07/479224/national-clean-energy-standard-would-lower-power-sector-co2-emissions-44-by-2035/ A new analysis from the Energy Information Administration of a Clean Energy Standard (CES) proposed by New Mexico Senator Jeff Bingaman finds that strong clean energy targets would reduce carbon dioxide emissions in the electricity sector by 44 percent over the next two decades. http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2012/05/07/479224/national-clean-energy-standard-would-lower-power-sector-co2-emissions-44-by-2035/ 08 May 2012 10:60 EDT ThinkProgress >> Green http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/news/article/2012/05/massachusetts-sets-strict-regulations-for-biomass-will-this-influence-further-restrictions?cmpid=rss The Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources released a new set of strict standards for biomass in early May that have the potential to cut subsidies for developing plants. According to these new requirements, all qualifying biomass plants must generate power at 50 percent efficiency to qualify for one-half Renewable Energy credit (REC) per MWh, and 60 percent for one full REC. These new standards are up from the previous 25 percent efficiency requirements. Plants will also be required to analyze lifecycle emissions to demonstrate at least 50 percent reductions over 20 years. http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/news/article/2012/05/massachusetts-sets-strict-regulations-for-biomass-will-this-influence-further-restrictions?cmpid=rss 08 May 2012 10:50 EDT Renewable Energy News http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/technology/2012/05/hug-the-monster-for-realistic-hope-in-global-warming-or-how-to-transform-your-fearful-inner-climate/ "Hug the monster" is a metaphor taught by U.S. Air Force trainers to those headed into harm's way. If your mind has been prepared in advance to recognize the psychological grip of fear, focus on it, and then transform its intense energy into action -- sometimes even by changing it into anger -- and by also engaging the thinking part of your brain to work the problem, your chances of survival go way up. Around the world, a growing number of people are showing signs of hugging the monster of what the world's experts have plainly shown to be a great crisis facing us all. http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/technology/2012/05/hug-the-monster-for-realistic-hope-in-global-warming-or-how-to-transform-your-fearful-inner-climate/ 07 May 2012 20:40 EDT ThinkProgress >> Green http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2012/05/08/479526/our-massive-marine-energy-potential-scouring-the-tropics-for-thermal-energy/ The world's largest untapped source of solar energy doesn't lie on the vast sands of the Sahara or even atop the high chaparral of the desert Southwest. Instead, it stretches across at least 23 million square miles of earth's tropical oceans; the uppermost layers of which make a prime natural source of thermal energy. http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2012/05/08/479526/our-massive-marine-energy-potential-scouring-the-tropics-for-thermal-energy/ 08 May 2012 10:30 EDT ThinkProgress >> Green http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/05/120507151209.htm One popular climate record that shows a slower atmospheric warming trend than other studies contains a data calibration problem, and when the problem is corrected the results fall in line with other records and climate models, according to a new study. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/05/120507151209.htm 07 May 2012 20:20 EDT ScienceDaily: Global Warming News http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/05/120507102324.htm Sauropod dinosaurs could in principle have produced enough of the greenhouse gas methane to warm the climate many millions of years ago, at a time when the Earth was warm and wet. That's according to calculations reported in the May 8 issue of Current Biology, a Cell Press publication. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/05/120507102324.htm 07 May 2012 20:10 EDT ScienceDaily: Global Warming News http://sustainablearlington.org/sa15/sa-blog/climate-change-news _ Monday News Below _ http://sustainablearlington.org/sa15/sa-blog/global-warming-news?start=680 07 May 2012 20:00 EDT Sustainable Arlington http://content.usatoday.com/communities/driveon/post/2012/05/us-german-makers-agree-on-electric-car-charging-/1%23.T6eb2b8rOlI#.T6fEu8UhNqN Major U.S. and German automakers have agreed on a common electric-car charging standard that will speed the recharging of batteries in as little as 20 minutes. http://content.usatoday.com/communities/driveon/post/2012/05/us-german-makers-agree-on-electric-car-charging-/1%23.T6eb2b8rOlI#.T6fEu8UhNqN 07 May 2012 10:70 EDT ThinkProgress >> Green http://green.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/05/06/n-r-c-falls-short-on-financial-oversight-audit-says/ The government does a poor job of estimating what it will cost to tear down a nuclear reactor, Congressional auditors say, and it may not be overseeing plant owners well enough to assure that they set aside enough money to do the job. http://green.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/05/06/n-r-c-falls-short-on-financial-oversight-audit-says/ 07 May 2012 10:60 EDT ThinkProgress >> Green www.eenews.net/public/climatewire/2012/05/07/2 The Heartland Institute's failed billboard campaign attacking the existence of climate change is driving a surge of corporate donors to abandon the group and prompting a mutiny among its Washington-based staff, which is decamping for less volatile surroundings, according to sources. At the center of the retreat is a contingent of insurance companies and trade groups that donated more than $1 million over the last two years to the libertarian group's Center on Finance, Insurance and Real Estate in Washington, D.C., for programs related to federal insurance reform. www.eenews.net/public/climatewire/2012/05/07/2 07 May 2012 10:50 EDT ClimateWire - The Politics and Business of Climate Change http://e360.yale.edu/feature/could_a_changing_climate_set_off_volcanoes_and_quakes/2525/ A British scientist argues that global warming could lead to a future of more intense volcanic eruptions and earthquakes. And while some dismiss his views as preposterous, he points to a body of recent research that shows a troubling link between climate change and the Earth's most destructive geological events. http://e360.yale.edu/feature/could_a_changing_climate_set_off_volcanoes_and_quakes/2525/ 07 May 2012 10:40 EDT Yale Environment 360 http://www.skepticalscience.com/news.php?n=1435 Richard Lindzen is one of the relatively more credible climate contrarians (although he has a long history of taking contrarian positions on nearly every climate-related issue, and being almost universally wrong on those issues). Lindzen embodies the low climate sensitivity fallback position perfectly, but as we will see here, the basis of Lindzen's argument, which itself is the basis of all remaining relatively credible climate contrarianism, is entirely false and undermined by three inescapable flaws. http://www.skepticalscience.com/news.php?n=1435 07 May 2012 10:30 EDT Skeptical Science http://www.greencarcongress.com/2012/05/sisn-20120507.html Researchers from General Motors Global R&D Center, and colleagues from HRL Labs and MEDA Engineering and Technical Services, have developed a new class of Si-Sn nanocomposites for Li-ion battery electrode materials. A report on their work is published in the Journal of Power Sources. http://www.greencarcongress.com/2012/05/sisn-20120507.html 07 May 2012 10:20 EDT Green Car Congress www.eenews.net/public/climatewire/2012/05/07/1 As state-owned energy enterprises in China continue to have a big say in policy matters, the country's goal to cut greenhouse gas emissions may not hit Beijing's desired statistical target. www.eenews.net/public/climatewire/2012/05/07/1 07 May 2012 10:10 EDT ClimateWire - The Politics and Business of Climate Change http://sustainablearlington.org/sa15/sa-blog/climate-change-news _ Sunday News Below _ http://sustainablearlington.org/sa15/sa-blog/global-warming-news?start=680 06 May 2012 20:00 EDT Sustainable Arlington http://www.eenews.net/public/climatewire/2012/05/04/2 Roads and bridges are crumbling across the nation, and while Congress negotiates a new federal transportation and infrastructure bill, climate change is further damaging the systems that keep America moving. Making climate adaptation a priority in city planning is a challenge, especially at a time of tight budgets, according to a report released this week. http://www.eenews.net/public/climatewire/2012/05/04/2 05 May 2012 20:50 EDT ClimateWire - The Politics and Business of Climate Change http://www.trust.org/alertnet/news/climate-scepticism-threatens-people-planet-ipcc-chief Continuing scepticism about climate change in some parts of the world threatens the planet and the people on it, according to Rajendra K. Pachauri, chief of the Nobel-prize winning Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. http://www.trust.org/alertnet/news/climate-scepticism-threatens-people-planet-ipcc-chief 05 May 2012 20:40 EDT Daily Climate http://www.npr.org/2012/05/04/152026805/is-thorium-a-magic-bullet-for-our-energy-problems This is Science Friday. I'm Ira Flatow. What if there was a nuclear reactor that was meltdown safe, generated power inexpensively, created no weapons-grade byproducts and burnt up existing nuclear waste stockpiled? http://www.npr.org/2012/05/04/152026805/is-thorium-a-magic-bullet-for-our-energy-problems 05 May 2012 20:30 EDT Science Friday http://www.climatecentral.org/blogs/sea-level-rise-may-raise-groundwater-levels According to the study, as sea level rises, so will groundwater levels, and since underground infrastructure -- including sewer pipes and utility equipment -- was built with historical groundwater levels in mind, this could lead to expensive headaches for coastal communities. http://www.climatecentral.org/blogs/sea-level-rise-may-raise-groundwater-levels 05 May 2012 20:20 EDT Climate Central - Breaking News, Blogs & Features http://green.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/05/05/safeguarding-massive-trees-champs-of-the-ecosystem/ Mammoth trees accounted for only 1 percent of trees in a research plot but stored half of the area's biomass, researchers in Yosemite National Park found. http://green.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/05/05/safeguarding-massive-trees-champs-of-the-ecosystem/ 05 May 2012 20:10 EDT NYT > Green Blog http://sustainablearlington.org/sa15/sa-blog/climate-change-news _ Saturday News Below _ http://sustainablearlington.org/sa15/sa-blog/global-warming-news?start=679 05 May 2012 20:00 EDT Sustainable Arlington http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2012/05/04/478357/interior-department-releases-draft-fracking-rule-lacking-basic-public-right-to-know-measures/ Friday morning the U.S. Department of the Interior released new draft regulations on oversight of natural gas drilling on public lands. The rule specifically addresses public disclosure of drilling chemicals, well-construction techniques, and "flowback" water that returns to the surface after drilling. http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2012/05/04/478357/interior-department-releases-draft-fracking-rule-lacking-basic-public-right-to-know-measures/ 04 May 2012 20:70 EDT ThinkProgress >> Green http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2012/05/04/478219/a-new-application-for-the-keystone-xl-tar-sands-pipeline-means-a-new-review-process/ The State Department announced that it has received an application from TransCanada for a Presidential Permit for the northern segment of its proposed Keystone XL tar sands pipeline that the President rejected back in January. Tar sands pipelines also appear to pose higher risks -- both in number and severity of pipeline spills. http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2012/05/04/478219/a-new-application-for-the-keystone-xl-tar-sands-pipeline-means-a-new-review-process/ 04 May 2012 20:60 EDT http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2012/05/03/476039/t-boone-pickens-the-biggest-deterrent-to-an-energy-plan-in-america-is-koch-industries/ Billionaire energy investor T. Boone Pickens has a bone to pick with the country's leading pollutocrats. Pickens said in an interview Wednesday with Yahoo's Daily Ticker that Koch Industries, the company owned by Charles and David Koch, is the major stumbling block to a coherent U.S. energy policy http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2012/05/03/476039/t-boone-pickens-the-biggest-deterrent-to-an-energy-plan-in-america-is-koch-industries/ 04 May 2012 20:50 EDT ThinkProgress >> Green http://www.wunderground.com/blog/JeffMasters/comment.html?entrynum=2086 We've loaded the dice towards some types of extreme weather events, by heating the atmosphere to add more heat and moisture. This can bring more extreme weather events like heat waves, heavy downpours, and intense droughts. What's more, the added heat and moisture can change atmospheric circulation patterns, causing meanders in the jet stream capable of bringing longer-lasting periods of extreme weather. http://www.wunderground.com/blog/JeffMasters/comment.html?entrynum=2086 04 May 2012 20:40 EDT Dr. Jeff Masters' WunderBlog http://www.eoearth.org/news/view/174193/?topic=49491 Even if humankind manages to limit global warming to 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit)--as the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change recommends--future generations will likely have to deal with a completely different world. One with sea levels 40 to 70 feet higher than at present, according to research results published in the journal Geology. http://www.eoearth.org/news/view/174193/?topic=49491 04 May 2012 20:30 EDT Climate Change - Encyclopedia of Earth http://www.eenews.net/tv/2012/05/04/ With water safety continuing to be a critical issue in the fracking discussion, can fracking water be treated to be free of chemicals? During today's OnPoint, Charles Vinick, CEO of Ecosphere Technologies, discusses his company's technology, which replaces chemicals and eliminates disposal of water used for fracking. Vinick explains why he believes the technology, which is currently being used by Newfield Exploration Co. and Southwestern Energy Co., has the ability to be a game changer for fracking. http://www.eenews.net/tv/2012/05/04/ 04 May 2012 20:20 EDT E&ETV OnPoint http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2012/05/120502-southeast-asia-climate-change/ Climate change is predicted to cause more intense and frequent floods and droughts in Southeast Asia, threatening the world's rice bowl and millions of people who live there unless preventive actions are taken soon, scientists warn. According to the World Bank, global warming could reduce agricultural productivity in the region by 10 to 50 percent in the next 30 years. http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2012/05/120502-southeast-asia-climate-change/ 04 May 2012 20:10 EDT Climate Matters @ Columbia http://sustainablearlington.org/sa15/sa-blog/climate-change-news _ Friday News Below _ http://sustainablearlington.org/sa15/sa-blog/global-warming-news?start=678 04 May 2012 20:00 EDT Sustainable Arlington http://www.eenews.net/public/Greenwire/2012/05/03/1 Climate change and oil dependence are issues of national security, and the Pentagon will take a lead role in shifting the way the country uses energy, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said Wednesday night. http://www.eenews.net/public/Greenwire/2012/05/03/1 04 May 2012 10:70 EDT Greenwire - The Leader in Energy & Environmental Policy News http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2012/05/04/477921/heartland-institute-compares-climate-science-believers-and-reporters-to-mass-murderers-and-madmen/ The Heartland Institute has launched one of the most offensive billboard campaigns in U.S. history. The Chicago-based anti-science think tank is comparing all those who accept climate science -- and the journalists who report on it accurately -- to Charles Manson, the Unabomber, and Osama Bin Laden. http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2012/05/04/477921/heartland-institute-compares-climate-science-believers-and-reporters-to-mass-murderers-and-madmen/ 04 May 2012 10:60 EDT ThinkProgress >> Green http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/industries/federal-coal-lease-sales-in-powder-river-basin-draw-lawsuit-from-environmental-groups/2012/05/03/gIQA0Q0mzT_story.html Environmentalists have filed a lawsuit seeking to derail efforts by the federal government to lease an estimated 2 billion tons of coal near two major Wyoming mines. http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/industries/federal-coal-lease-sales-in-powder-river-basin-draw-lawsuit-from-environmental-groups/2012/05/03/gIQA0Q0mzT_story.html 04 May 2012 10:50 EDT ThinkProgress >> Green http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2012/05/03/476400/shale-energy-boom-puts-america-in-the-top-ten-gas-flaring-countries-boosting-global-warming-pollution/ The dramatic boom in shale gas and shale oil production is increasing flaring of waste gas at drilling operations, a practice that emits large amounts of carbon dioxide pollution. The increase is mostly due to the rise in shale oil exploration in North Dakota, propelling the United States into the top 10 gas flaring countries along with Russia, Nigeria and Iraq. http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2012/05/03/476400/shale-energy-boom-puts-america-in-the-top-ten-gas-flaring-countries-boosting-global-warming-pollution/ 03 May 2012 20:40 EDT ThinkProgress >> Green http://www.propublica.org/article/new-study-predicts-frack-fluids-can-migrate-to-aquifers-within-years A new study has raised fresh concerns about the safety of gas drilling in the Marcellus Shale, concluding that fracking chemicals injected into the ground could migrate toward drinking water supplies far more quickly than experts have previously predicted. http://www.propublica.org/article/new-study-predicts-frack-fluids-can-migrate-to-aquifers-within-years 03 May 2012 20:30 EDT ThinkProgress >> Green http://green.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/05/03/more-on-the-science-of-clouds-and-climate/ The basic problem in understanding the relationship between clouds and climate change is that scientists only have a decade of detailed data to work with. http://green.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/05/03/more-on-the-science-of-clouds-and-climate/ 03 May 2012 20:20 EDT NYT > Green Blog http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/05/02/us-plants-climate-idUSBRE84114220120502 Plants are flowering faster than scientists predicted in response to climate change, research in the United States showed on Wednesday, which could have devastating knock-on effects for food chains and ecosystems. http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/05/02/us-plants-climate-idUSBRE84114220120502 03 May 2012 20:10 EDT Reuters: Green Business News http://sustainablearlington.org/sa15/sa-blog/climate-change-news _ Thursday News Below _ http://sustainablearlington.org/sa15/sa-blog/global-warming-news?start=677 03 May 2012 20:00 EDT Sustainable Arlington http://green.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/05/02/lights-out-for-research-satellites/ Experts warn that the nation's capability to collect data from space, vital to understanding the Earth's environment and preparing for the future, is in "precipitous decline." http://green.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/05/02/lights-out-for-research-satellites/ 03 May 2012 10:70 EDT NYT > Green Blog http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2012/05/02/475170/why-fighting-coal-export-terminals-matters/ The health of the U.S. coal industry hinges on its ability to increase exports to China and India. There are six new coal ports proposed for the West Coast. The proposed coal export facilities in the Northwest will result in more coal consumption in Asia and undermine China's progress towards more efficient power generation and usage. Decisions the Northwest makes now will impact Chinese energy habits for the next half-century. http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2012/05/02/475170/why-fighting-coal-export-terminals-matters/ 03 May 2012 10:60 EDT ThinkProgress >> Green http://www.npr.org/templates/rundowns/rundown.php?prgId=13&prgDate=05-02-2012 In Private Empire, investigative journalist Steve Coll explains how ExxonMobil has used its money and power to wield significant influence in Washington, D.C., concerning issues like climate change. http://www.npr.org/templates/rundowns/rundown.php?prgId=13&prgDate=05-02-2012 03 May 2012 10:50 EDT Fresh Air http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2012/05/02/475270/alecs-top-five-anti-environment-model-laws/ The American Legislative Exchange Council, a "stealth business lobbyist" that helps corporations write state and federal legislation supporting their interests, has taken major heat for its backing of controversial laws. While the controversy around these laws has been widely reported, ALEC's efforts to help corporate interests cut down climate legislation, renewable energy, and environmental protections are only now being heavily scrutinized. Funded by coal and oil companies, ALEC has made it a priority to stop any changes to the fossil-fueled status quo. http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2012/05/02/475270/alecs-top-five-anti-environment-model-laws/ 03 May 2012 10:40 EDT ThinkProgress >> Green http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2012/05/03/475705/mexico-sets-legally-binding-carbon-reduction-targets/ Since Mexico's legislative body passed sweeping climate change legislation on April 19, Mexico joins the UK as the only two countries in the world with legally binding emissions goals to combat climate change. http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2012/05/03/475705/mexico-sets-legally-binding-carbon-reduction-targets/ 03 May 2012 10:30 EDT ThinkProgress >> Green http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/05/120502091834.htm Climate change puts spruce forests at greater risk of bark beetle attacks. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/05/120502091834.htm 02 May 2012 20:20 EDT ScienceDaily: Global Warming News http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/05/120502133106.htm Loss of biodiversity appears to impact ecosystems as much as climate change, pollution and other major forms of environmental stress, according to a new study. There has been growing concern that the very high rates of modern extinctions -- due to habitat loss, overharvesting and other human-caused environmental changes -- could reduce nature's ability to provide goods and services like food, clean water and a stable climate. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/05/120502133106.htm 02 May 2012 20:10 EDT ScienceDaily: Global Warming News http://sustainablearlington.org/sa15/sa-blog/climate-change-news _ Wednesday News Below _ http://sustainablearlington.org/sa15/sa-blog/global-warming-news?start=676 02 May 2012 20:00 EDT Sustainable Arlington http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/05/120501134327.htm It's a message no one wants to hear: to slow down global warming, we'll either have to put the brakes on economic growth or transform the way the world's economies work. That's the implication of an innovative study examining the evolution of atmospheric CO2, the most likely cause of climate change. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/05/120501134327.htm 02 May 2012 10:70 EDT ScienceDaily: Global Warming News http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2012/05/01/474711/independent-analysis-confirms-that-hydraulic-fracturing-caused-drinking-water-contamination-in-wyoming/ A recent study from the Environmental Protection Agency showing that chemicals from hydraulic fracturing had contaminated groundwater has just been validated by an independent hydrology expert. http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2012/05/01/474711/independent-analysis-confirms-that-hydraulic-fracturing-caused-drinking-water-contamination-in-wyoming/ 02 May 2012 10:60 EDT ThinkProgress >> Green http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/05/02/us-energy-gas-flaring-idUSBRE8410US20120502 The shale energy boom is fuelling a rise in the burning of waste gas after years of decline, a World Bank source told Reuters ahead of the release of new data, giving environmentalists more ammunition against the industry. http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/05/02/us-energy-gas-flaring-idUSBRE8410US20120502 02 May 2012 10:50 EDT Reuters: Green Business News http://www.desmoinesregister.com/article/20120502/BUSINESS/305020043/2-Iowa-ethanol-facilities-weigh-switch-to-butanol A joint venture of DuPont and BP announced Tuesday that two Iowa ethanol plants are considering converting their operations to production of biobutanol, a fuel with higher energy content than ethanol that can be made from either fossil fuels or renewable sources. http://www.desmoinesregister.com/article/20120502/BUSINESS/305020043/2-Iowa-ethanol-facilities-weigh-switch-to-butanol 02 May 2012 10:40 EDT Daily Climate http://www.americanprogress.org/issues/2012/05/global_clean_energy.html This past week the Clean Energy Ministerial met in London and had its most successful meeting to date, greatly expanding a number of its climate-friendly technology cooperation commitments, while also intruducing new initiatives, including a partnership to utilize renewable energy and energy efficiency through smart grids. http://www.americanprogress.org/issues/2012/05/global_clean_energy.html 02 May 2012 10:30 EDT Center for American Progress - Energy and Environment http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/05/02/us-carbon-korea-idUSBRE8410TN20120502 South Korea's lawmakers approved a national emissions trading scheme on Wednesday to tackle its growing greenhouse gas emissions, overcoming strong industry opposition and joining a growing number of nations to put a price on carbon. http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/05/02/us-carbon-korea-idUSBRE8410TN20120502 02 May 2012 10:20 EDT Reuters: Green Business News http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/05/120502091932.htm The ongoing rapid retreat of Arctic sea ice is often interpreted as the canary in the mine for anthropogenic climate change. In a new study, scientists have now systematically examined the validity of this claim. They find that neither natural fluctuations nor self-acceleration can explain the observed Arctic sea-ice retreat. Instead, the recent evolution of Arctic sea ice shows a strong, physically plausible correlation with the increasing greenhouse gas concentration. For Antarctic sea ice, no such link is found -- for a good reason. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/05/120502091932.htm 02 May 2012 10:10 EDT ScienceDaily: Global Warming News http://sustainablearlington.org/sa15/sa-blog/climate-change-news _ Tuesday News Below _ http://sustainablearlington.org/sa15/sa-blog/global-warming-news?start=675 01 May 2012 20:00 EDT Sustainable Arlington http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/scientist-worrry-that-warming-seas-may-be-harming-the-endangered-right-whale/2012/04/30/gIQA1wREsT_story.html Critically endangered North Atlantic right whales, which usually arrive in late March or early April to graze on shrimplike plankton in New England, began arriving before Christmas, as water temperatures hovered several degrees above normal, dispersing only recently. http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/scientist-worrry-that-warming-seas-may-be-harming-the-endangered-right-whale/2012/04/30/gIQA1wREsT_story.html 01 May 2012 10:70 EDT ThinkProgress >> Green http://e360.yale.edu/digest/oil_and_gas_companies_see_offshore_wind_potential_in_north_sea/3444/ An increasing number of oil service companies are working with renewable energy companies to develop offshore wind projects in the North Sea as the region's fossil fuel resources dwindle and demand for clean energy rises. According to a report by Bloomberg News, companies such as Technip and Subsea 7 are seizing on the similarities between developing deepsea oil installations and building offshore wind platforms. http://e360.yale.edu/digest/oil_and_gas_companies_see_offshore_wind_potential_in_north_sea/3444/ 01 May 2012 10:60 EDT Yale Environment 360 http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2012/04/30/446908/global-warming-is-doubling-bark-beetle-mating-boosting-tree-attacks-up-to-60-fold-study-finds/ Long thought to produce only one generation of tree-killing offspring annually, some populations of mountain pine beetles now produce two generations per year, dramatically increasing the potential for the bugs. Because of the extra annual generation of beetles, there could be up to 60 times as many beetles attacking trees in any given year, their study found. And in response to warmer temperatures at high elevations, pine beetles also are better able to survive and attack trees that haven't previously developed defenses. http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2012/04/30/446908/global-warming-is-doubling-bark-beetle-mating-boosting-tree-attacks-up-to-60-fold-study-finds/ 01 May 2012 10:50 EDT ThinkProgress >> Green www.eenews.net/public/climatewire/2012/04/30/1 Watery eyes, runny noses and puffy faces will abound this year as a warm winter, human development and climate change converge to create a brutal allergy season that will likely get worse for years to come, according to experts. This increases risks for people who are already sensitized and threatens those with respiratory problems. The spread of allergies can have tremendous economic consequences as patients with reactions fill clinics and emergency rooms and as afflicted workers stay home. www.eenews.net/public/climatewire/2012/04/30/1 01 May 2012 10:40 EDT ClimateWire - The Politics and Business of Climate Change http://www.eenews.net/tv/2012/04/30/ Today's OnPointWith water safety continuing to be a critical issue in the fracking discussion, can fracking water be treated to be free of chemicals? During today's OnPoint, Charles Vinick, CEO of Ecosphere Technologies, discusses his company's technology, which replaces chemicals and eliminates disposal of water used for fracking. Vinick explains why he believes the technology, which is currently being used by Newfield Energy Co. and Southwestern Energy Corp., has the ability to be a game changer for fracking. http://www.eenews.net/tv/2012/04/30/ 01 May 2012 10:30 EDT E&ETV OnPoint http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2012/04/30/473744/three-charts-that-illustrate-why-solar-has-hit-a-true-tipping-point/ A new report from the prominent global consulting firm McKinsey shows why solar photovoltaics have hit a tipping point. As the economics of solar PV continue to improve steadily and dramatically, McKinsey analysts conclude that the yearly "economic potential" of solar PV deployment could reach 600-1,000 gigawatts (1 million megawatts) by 2020. In the year 2000, the global demand for solar PV was 170 megawatts. http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2012/04/30/473744/three-charts-that-illustrate-why-solar-has-hit-a-true-tipping-point/ 01 May 2012 10:20 EDT ThinkProgress >> Green http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/04/120430152045.htm Large wind farms in certain areas in the United States appear to affect local land surface temperatures, according to a new article. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/04/120430152045.htm 30 Apr 2012 20:10 EDT ScienceDaily: Global Warming News http://sustainablearlington.org/sa15/sa-blog/climate-change-news _ Monday News Below _ http://sustainablearlington.org/sa15/sa-blog/global-warming-news?start=674 30 Apr 2012 20:00 EDT Sustainable Arlington http://cleantechnica.com/2012/04/28/75-of-americans-support-regulating-co2-60-support-carbon-tax/ There is a huge disconnect between what Republican voters actually want and what Republican politicians push and allow. The vast majority of Americans support clean energy, support reducing pollution, and support fighting global warming, including a very large percentage of Republican voters. Somehow, though, Republican politicians have turned these things into enemy #1 (perhaps due to the fact that they get a ton of their campaign money and all kinds of other nice perks from oil and coal companies). http://cleantechnica.com/2012/04/28/75-of-americans-support-regulating-co2-60-support-carbon-tax/ 30 Apr 2012 10:70 EDT CleanTechnica http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/04/30/nuclear-safety-advocates-_n_1464812.html Until now, requiring a filtered vent in the concrete containment buildings surrounding nuclear reactors has been an optional feature for American plant operators, but in March, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission issued its first orders since undertaking a review of safety systems and procedures at American plants in the aftermath of the disaster in Japan. Among the orders was a requirement that reactors of similar pedigree to those used at Fukushima should have containment vents installed. For reactors that already have them, steps should be taken to ensure they operate in an emergency, officials declared. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/04/30/nuclear-safety-advocates-_n_1464812.html 30 Apr 2012 10:60 EDT Green on HuffingtonPost.com http://www.ghanabusinessnews.com/2012/04/30/new-initiatives-approved-for-fast-and-scaled-up-action-on-black-carbon-methane-and-hfcs/ Five transformational initiatives aimed at accelerating and scaling-up action against a range of health, crop and climate-damaging pollutants were given the go-ahead by ministers meeting in the Swedish capital Stockholm, on Tuesday April 24, 2012. http://www.ghanabusinessnews.com/2012/04/30/new-initiatives-approved-for-fast-and-scaled-up-action-on-black-carbon-methane-and-hfcs/ 30 Apr 2012 10:50 EDT Daily Climate http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HTAZue6ylZ8 Scientists have been examining the problem of extreme weather intensely over recent years, as Europe, America, and Asia have all been subject to wave after wave of record breaking weather events. Now the picture is coming into focus. Video. Second of two parts. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HTAZue6ylZ8 30 Apr 2012 10:40 EDT Yale Environment 360 http://earthsky.org/earth/oecd-environmental-outlook-for-2050-is-grim Grim news from the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). A report by them released in March, 2012 warns that societies will incur costly consequences by the year 2050 in the areas of climate change, biodiversity, water and health if actions are not taken to help put the world on a more sustainable path. http://earthsky.org/earth/oecd-environmental-outlook-for-2050-is-grim 30 Apr 2012 10:30 EDT Daily Climate http://www.dailykos.com/story/2012/04/29/1087310/-Climate-Change-has-hit-home- PBS recently aired a segment on their Need To Know program about how the smallish US city of Norfolk, Va, population 242803(2010 census) is having to deal with the climate change influenced issue of rising seas. In Norfolk, where this is happening now, the issue is non-partisan. In this must see video it shows realistically how a community must come to gripes with a problem that will require unprecedented life changing decisions. It shows the massive expense involved in adaptation methods. http://www.dailykos.com/story/2012/04/29/1087310/-Climate-Change-has-hit-home- 29 Apr 2012 20:20 EDT Climate Hawks http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/04/120429152253.htm Scientists have predicted that ocean temperatures will rise in the equatorial Pacific by the end of the century, wreaking havoc on coral reef ecosystems. But a new study shows that climate change could cause ocean currents to operate in a surprising way and mitigate the warming near a handful of islands right on the equator. As a result, these Pacific islands may become isolated refuges for corals and fish. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/04/120429152253.htm 29 Apr 2012 20:10 EDT ScienceDaily: Global Warming News http://sustainablearlington.org/sa15/sa-blog/climate-change-news _ Sunday News Below _ http://sustainablearlington.org/sa15/sa-blog/global-warming-news?start=673 29 Apr 2012 20:00 EDT Sustainable Arlington http://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/27/world/study-hints-at-greater-threat-of-extreme-weather.html New research suggests that global warming is causing the cycle of evaporation and rainfall over the oceans (the global water cycle) to intensify more than scientists had expected, an ominous finding that may indicate a higher potential for extreme weather in coming decades. http://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/27/world/study-hints-at-greater-threat-of-extreme-weather.html 28 Apr 2012 20:70 EDT NYT > Environment http://www.eenews.net/public/climatewire/2012/04/27/1 The historic drought that has gripped Texas for more than a year is slowly easing, but the relief could be temporary if the current La Nina weather pattern persists into a third year, scientists said yesterday. http://www.eenews.net/public/climatewire/2012/04/27/1 28 Apr 2012 20:60 EDT ClimateWire - The Politics and Business of Climate Change http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2012/04/28/473228/american-enterprise-institute-and-brookings-must-read-the-republicans-are-the-problem/ Norman Ornstein and Thomas Mann tell the media "a balanced treatment of an unbalanced phenomenon distorts reality." http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2012/04/28/473228/american-enterprise-institute-and-brookings-must-read-the-republicans-are-the-problem/ 28 Apr 2012 20:50 EDT ThinkProgress >> Green www.eenews.net/public/Greenwire/2012/04/27/2 A space-based sensor that records a nearly continuous 3-D movie of water vapor in the atmosphere -- along with temperature, air pressure and other gases -- could be one of the most important weather sensors most people have never heard of. An advanced hyperspectral sounder was scheduled to launch on a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration satellite, but the instrument was jettisoned for being too technically challenging and expensive. Enter GeoMetWatch, a commercial company formed specifically to pick up where the U.S. government left off. www.eenews.net/public/Greenwire/2012/04/27/2 28 Apr 2012 20:40 EDT Daily Climate http://www.desmogblog.com/coal-ash-sites-posing-increasing-dangers-water-supplies-public-health Last year, the Environmental Integrity Project (EIP) released several reports showing that drinking water near coal ash disposal sites in states across America contained dangerous levels of heavy metals and other toxins, including arsenic. In total, last year's report revealed 53 sites in the United States where coal ash had polluted drinking water supplies. A new report this year has identified a total of 116 coal ash sites in America that are leaching deadly toxins into the environment. http://www.desmogblog.com/coal-ash-sites-posing-increasing-dangers-water-supplies-public-health 28 Apr 2012 20:30 EDT DeSmogBlog - Clearing the PR Pollution that Clouds Climate Science http://green.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/04/26/will-the-stars-align-for-small-nuclear-reactors/ A company that wants to build a new kind of nuclear reactor, one small enough that it could be delivered by truck, has found a potential customer. The Westinghouse Electric Company has lined up Ameren, a St. Louis-based electric company, as a partner for its small modular reactor project. http://green.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/04/26/will-the-stars-align-for-small-nuclear-reactors/ 28 Apr 2012 20:20 EDT NYT > Green Blog http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/04/120425140353.htm Warm ocean currents are the dominant cause of recent ice loss from Antarctica, new research shows. New techniques have been used to differentiate, for the first time, between the two known causes of melting ice shelves - warm ocean currents attacking the underside, and warm air melting from above. This finding brings scientists a step closer to providing reliable projections of future sea-level rise. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/04/120425140353.htm 28 Apr 2012 20:10 EDT ScienceDaily: Global Warming News http://sustainablearlington.org/sa15/sa-blog/climate-change-news _ Saturday News Below _ http://sustainablearlington.org/sa15/sa-blog/global-warming-news?start=672 28 Apr 2012 20:00 EDT Sustainable Arlington http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/epa-faces-crucial-climate-decision-on-diesel-made-from-palm-oil/2012/04/27/gIQAD1THmT_story.html Which country is the world's third-largest emitter of greenhouse gases, after the United States and China? The answer, at least in recent years, has been Indonesia. http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/epa-faces-crucial-climate-decision-on-diesel-made-from-palm-oil/2012/04/27/gIQAD1THmT_story.html 28 Apr 2012 10:70 EDT Daily Climate http://www.eenews.net/public/energywire/2012/04/26/1 At a time when the Keystone XL pipeline has become a hot political topic for national environment groups, politicians and oil industry officials, Utah has been quietly paving the way for U.S. tar sands production on state lands. http://www.eenews.net/public/energywire/2012/04/26/1 27 Apr 2012 20:60 EDT Daily Climate http://insideclimatenews.org/news/20120426/keystone-xl-nebraska-sandhills-ogallala%20aquifer-heineman-transcanada Nebraska landowners say their primary goal to protect the region's water supply was forgotten in the focus only on the Sandhills. http://insideclimatenews.org/news/20120426/keystone-xl-nebraska-sandhills-ogallala%20aquifer-heineman-transcanada 27 Apr 2012 20:50 EDT Daily Climate http://www.skepticalscience.com/news.php?n=1419 The accelerating development of the huge bitumen resources in Alberta has produced a great deal of recent public interest, due mainly to controversial proposals to build two big new pipelines: one connecting Alberta to the US Gulf Coast (Keystone XL) and the other to the Pacific coast of British Columbia (Northern Gateway). for the purposes of this article, I will focus only on the effect of bitumen sand exploitation on climate change. http://www.skepticalscience.com/news.php?n=1419 27 Apr 2012 20:40 EDT Skeptical Science http://ecocentric.blogs.time.com/2012/04/26/whole-food-blues-why-organic-agriculture-may-not-be-so-sustainable/ A new meta-analysis in Nature comes to a hard conclusion: organic farming yields 25% fewer crops on average than conventional agriculture. More land therefore needed to produce fewer crops--and that means organic farming may not be as good for the planet as we think. For rain-watered legume crops like beans or perennial crops like fruit trees, organic trailed conventional agriculture by just 5%. Yet for major cereal crops like corn or wheat, as well as most vegetables--all of which provide the bulk of the world's calories--conventional agriculture outperformed organics by more than 25%. http://ecocentric.blogs.time.com/2012/04/26/whole-food-blues-why-organic-agriculture-may-not-be-so-sustainable/ 27 Apr 2012 20:30 EDT Ecocentric - Time http://www.dailykos.com/story/2012/04/27/1086872/-eSci-Global-Cooling-Record-Cold-Jan-Mar-2012- Global lower stratospheric temperatures in January to March 2012 were the coldest ever measured (by satellites) according to Remote Sensing Systems (RSS). A cooling lower stratosphere is strong evidence of a strengthening greenhouse effect caused by increasing levels of greenhouse gases in the lower atmosphere (the troposphere). Heat from the lower atmosphere is radiated upwards at lower temperatures as increasing levels of greenhouse gases trap more heat in the troposphere. The lower stratosphere, which lies just above the troposphere receives less heat from below. The combination of a warming troposphere and cooling lower stratosphere cannot be explained by external factors such as a warming sun or more cosmic rays. A warming sun would warm both the troposphere and the lower stratosphere. http://www.dailykos.com/story/2012/04/27/1086872/-eSci-Global-Cooling-Record-Cold-Jan-Mar-2012- 27 Apr 2012 20:20 EDT Climate Hawks http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2012/04/27/472713/germany-fighting-climate-change-and-phasing-out-nuclear-power-are-two-sides-of-the-same-coin/ Germany and Japan are known for a nuclear shutdown path. That obviously must lead to rising emissions, the Washington Post claims. Germany's "electricity sector emits more carbon than it must after eight reactors shut down last year." If you look at the most recent emissions data, however, the opposite is happening. Germany reduced its carbon emissions in 2011 by 2.1 percent despite the nuclear phase out. How can that be? http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2012/04/27/472713/germany-fighting-climate-change-and-phasing-out-nuclear-power-are-two-sides-of-the-same-coin/ 27 Apr 2012 20:10 EDT NYT > Green Blog http://sustainablearlington.org/sa15/sa-blog/climate-change-news _ Friday News Below _ http://sustainablearlington.org/sa15/sa-blog/global-warming-news?start=671 27 Apr 2012 20:00 EDT Sustainable Arlington http://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/27/world/study-hints-at-greater-threat-of-extreme-weather.html New research suggests that global warming is causing the cycle of evaporation and rainfall over the oceans to intensify more than scientists had expected, an ominous finding that may indicate a higher potential for extreme weather in coming decades. http://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/27/world/study-hints-at-greater-threat-of-extreme-weather.html 27 Apr 2012 10:70 EDT NYT > Green Blog http://www.dailykos.com/story/2012/04/27/1086846/-Oregon-Governor-Kitzhaber-asks-for-a-environmental-review-of-Obama-s-awful-coal-export-policy In a courageous move that puts him at odds with the president from his own party, Oregon Governor John Kitzhaber is challenging the Obama Administration's policy of supporting a massive increase of exports of American coal, regardless of drastic consequences an increase of coal exports of this magnitude would have for Climate Change. http://www.dailykos.com/story/2012/04/27/1086846/-Oregon-Governor-Kitzhaber-asks-for-a-environmental-review-of-Obama-s-awful-coal-export-policy 27 Apr 2012 10:60 EDT Climate Hawks http://www.dailykos.com/story/2012/04/26/1086446/-We-Are-The-1- The Royal Society published Thursday a landmark report 21-months in the making - that it says is the "first substantive offering" in its 350-year history on the topic of the "impacts of human population and consumption on the planet". The Earth faces a century of disasters, the report warns unless rich countries cut consumption and global population stabilizes. http://www.dailykos.com/story/2012/04/26/1086446/-We-Are-The-1- 27 Apr 2012 10:50 EDT Climate Hawks http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2012/04/26/472061/fact-check-americans-for-prosperity-announces-61-million-ad-buy-to-push-totally-false-green-jobs-claims/ After pouring more than $8.4 million into bogus energy attack ads since November, the oil industry front group Americans For Prosperity announced yet another major ad buy of $6.1 million in eight states. The latest ad is based on a set of mistruths about green jobs that have been widely debunked. http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2012/04/26/472061/fact-check-americans-for-prosperity-announces-61-million-ad-buy-to-push-totally-false-green-jobs-claims/ 27 Apr 2012 10:40 EDT ThinkProgress >> Green http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2012/04/27/469776/mali-migration-militias-coups-and-climate-change/ The world is suddenly paying attention to the oft-ignored North African country of Mali, as it is racked by its most recent in a long string of crises: a coup d'etat. This political and constitutional crisis sits atop an already extremely vulnerable situation -- a volatile mix of climate change, drought, food shortages, migration and immobility, armed insurrection and heavy weapons proliferation that threaten to plunge the country into a state of instability not unlike Somalia. As the international community, including the UN Security Council, moves to act on this crisis, it will be important to consider all the identifiable sources of Mali's insecurity in order to get the solutions right. http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2012/04/27/469776/mali-migration-militias-coups-and-climate-change/ 27 Apr 2012 10:30 EDT ThinkProgress >> Green http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/04/26/us-peru-climate-idUSBRE83P1H820120426 Peru became the latest developing country to enact a domestic climate change initiative in the absence of a binding global pact, adopting a resolution on Thursday to lower carbon emissions in its fast-growing economy. http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/04/26/us-peru-climate-idUSBRE83P1H820120426 26 Apr 2012 20:20 EDT Reuters: Green Business News http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/04/120426155117.htm Climate scientists have discovered that particulate pollution in the late 20th century created a "warming hole" over the eastern United States -- that is, a cold patch where the effects of global warming were temporarily obscured. The findings have implications for industrial nations (like China) that have not yet tightened air quality regulations. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/04/120426155117.htm 26 Apr 2012 20:10 EDT ScienceDaily: Global Warming News http://sustainablearlington.org/sa15/sa-blog/climate-change-news _ Thursday News Below _ http://sustainablearlington.org/sa15/sa-blog/global-warming-news?start=670 26 Apr 2012 20:00 EDT Sustainable Arlington http://www.eenews.net/public/climatewire/2012/04/26/1 The world is far behind on delivering the low-carbon energy it needs, and unless urgent action is taken, calamitous climate change is certain, the International Energy Agency told a meeting yesterday of energy ministers whose countries account for 80 percent of global energy demand. http://www.eenews.net/public/climatewire/2012/04/26/1 26 Apr 2012 10:70 EDT ClimateWire - The Politics and Business of Climate Change http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2012/04/26/471840/poll-75-of-americans-support-co2-regulation-60-support-revenue-neutral-carbon-tax/ A new national survey confirms strong public support for funding renewable energy research, regulating carbon pollution, and signing a global treaty to slash emissions. The study, conducted by the Yale Project on Climate Change Communication and the George Mason University Center for Climate Change Communication, found a remarkable 75% of Americans support "regulating carbon dioxide (the primary greenhouse gas) as a pollutant." http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2012/04/26/471840/poll-75-of-americans-support-co2-regulation-60-support-revenue-neutral-carbon-tax/ 26 Apr 2012 10:60 EDT ThinkProgress >> Green http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/mr-obama-needs-to-show-hes-serious-about-climate-change/2012/04/25/gIQASGlkhT_story.html So far, dealing forthrightly with the world's rising temperatures has been far down the list of priorities in Washington, and the president has shown little willingness to stick his political neck out on the issue. http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/mr-obama-needs-to-show-hes-serious-about-climate-change/2012/04/25/gIQASGlkhT_story.html 26 Apr 2012 10:50 EDT ThinkProgress >> Green http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2012/04/25/470940/obama-stunner-climate-change-will-be-a-campaign-issue-we-need-to-do-much-more-to-combat-it/ In a Rolling Stone interview published today, President Obama broke out of his self-imposed silence on climate change. He made some remarkable statements, including his belief that the millions of dollars pouring into the anti-science disinformation campaign will drive climate change into the presidential campaign. http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2012/04/25/470940/obama-stunner-climate-change-will-be-a-campaign-issue-we-need-to-do-much-more-to-combat-it/ 25 Apr 2012 20:40 EDT ThinkProgress >> Green http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/04/25/state-of-the-air-2012-american-lung-association_n_1446786.html Four cities were newcomers to the list of cities most polluted by particle pollution: Wheeling, W. Va.; Atlanta; Fairmont, W. Va.; and Davenport, Iowa. Although the cities were added in part because other cities made greater improvements in reducing pollution levels, the list includes cities "where some of the cleanup measures haven't been put in place as much, where you've had a lot of pollution from coal plants," said Nolen. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/04/25/state-of-the-air-2012-american-lung-association_n_1446786.html 25 Apr 2012 20:30 EDT ThinkProgress >> Green http://www.civilsocietyinstitute.org/media/042512release.cfm Washington out of Step with public? Little confidence seen in national lawmakers finding solutions is evident in across-the-board political support for grassroots drive to take back issue. http://www.civilsocietyinstitute.org/media/042512release.cfm 25 Apr 2012 20:20 EDT Climate Hawks http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/04/120424142259.htm As the Earth's climate warms, a melting ice sheet produces a distinct pattern of sea level change known as its sea level fingerprint. Now, geophysicists have found a way to identify the sea level fingerprint left by a particular ice sheet, and possibly enable a more precise estimate of its impact on global sea levels. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/04/120424142259.htm 25 Apr 2012 20:10 EDT ScienceDaily: Global Warming News http://sustainablearlington.org/sa15/sa-blog/climate-change-news _ Wednesday News Below _ http://sustainablearlington.org/sa15/sa-blog/global-warming-news?start=669 25 Apr 2012 20:00 EDT Sustainable Arlington http://www.wunderground.com/blog/JeffMasters/comment.html?entrynum=2079 An unprecedented April heat wave brought a second day of sizzling temperatures to the Western U.S. yesterday, where temperatures ranging 20 - 30 degrees above normal have toppled numerous all-time April heat records. http://www.wunderground.com/blog/JeffMasters/comment.html?entrynum=2079 24 Apr 2012 20:30 EDT Dr. Jeff Masters' WunderBlog http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/04/120424100032.htm As climate change in the near future is likely to bring raised temperatures at northern latitudes, the characteristics of permafrost could greatly change. Changes to permafrost could have serious impact on existing and future northern infrastructures such as pipelines and could significantly affect northern communities. This study provides one of the first summaries of climate and permafrost temperature relations across northern Canada and provides valuable information needed to prepare for future. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/04/120424100032.htm 24 Apr 2012 20:20 EDT ScienceDaily: Global Warming News http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/04/120423162459.htm Palm assemblages we find in the tropics today are to a large extent formed by climatic changes of the past, taking place over millions of years. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/04/120423162459.htm 24 Apr 2012 20:10 EDT ScienceDaily: Global Warming News http://sustainablearlington.org/sa15/sa-blog/climate-change-news _ Tuesday News Below _ http://sustainablearlington.org/sa15/sa-blog/global-warming-news?start=668 24 Apr 2012 20:00 EDT Sustainable Arlington http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2012/04/24/469934/alec-plans-to-craft-legislation-to-take-down-state-renewable-energy-targets/ Two leading conservative political organizations say they are stepping up coordinated efforts to repeal state-level renewable energy targets. The American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) -- a "stealth business lobbyist" that works with corporate interests to help them write and implement "model" legislation -- says it may soon start crafting laws designed to kill or weaken state targets for renewable electricity, heating and fuels. http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2012/04/24/469934/alec-plans-to-craft-legislation-to-take-down-state-renewable-energy-targets/ 24 Apr 2012 10:70 EDT ThinkProgress >> Green http://www.ucsusa.org/news/press_release/report-crop-insurance-1384.html USDA is urging Americans to eat substantially more fruits and vegetables, but its crop insurance and credit programs handicap produce growers and instead promote commodity crops that are disproportionately used in heavily processed junk food, according to UCS. http://www.ucsusa.org/news/press_release/report-crop-insurance-1384.html 24 Apr 2012 10:60 EDT Union of Concerned Scientists http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/04/24/government-files-first-criminal-charges_n_1449303.html Mix has been charged with obstruction of justice for allegedly deleting text messages after the spill. The texts were related to the amount of oil gushing onto the Gulf. Mix will make his first appearence in court today. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/04/24/government-files-first-criminal-charges_n_1449303.html 24 Apr 2012 10:50 EDT Green on HuffingtonPost.com www.eenews.net/public/climatewire/2012/04/24/2 Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology have created a stable catalyst that can convert carbon dioxide to fuel while using only a trickle of electricity. The material can be used to recycle waste gases, curbing greenhouse emissions as well as creating a useful product. These products, like methane, can be sold to offset pollution reduction costs and provide another energy source. The researchers published their results earlier this month in the journal Chemical Communications. www.eenews.net/public/climatewire/2012/04/24/2 24 Apr 2012 10:40 EDT ClimateWire - The Politics and Business of Climate Change http://www.springerlink.com/content/02256h3g70817h64/ Climate data suggest greater warming over the Arctic than lower latitudes, and the most abundant direct source of black carbon and other climate-relevant pollutants over the Arctic is cross-polar flights by international aviation. Most of the associated black carbon and other emissions were removed faster because they were now over latitudes of greater precipitation and lesser stability. Rerouting also reduced fuel use and emissions within the Arctic Circle by 83% and delayed pollutant transport to the Arctic. http://www.springerlink.com/content/02256h3g70817h64/ 23 Apr 2012 20:30 EDT http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2012/04/23/469392/wendell-berrys-earth-day-speech-people-who-own-the-world-outright-for-profit-will-have-to-be-stopped/ Speaking at the National Cathedral Sunday, famed environmental writer Wendell Berry delivered a clear message for Earth Day: We have a moral obligation to protect the environment. http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2012/04/23/469392/wendell-berrys-earth-day-speech-people-who-own-the-world-outright-for-profit-will-have-to-be-stopped/ 23 Apr 2012 20:20 EDT ThinkProgress >> Green http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/04/120423184154.htm When it comes to adapting to climate change, diversity is the mammal's best defense. That is one of the conclusions of the first study of how mammals in North America adapted to climate change in "deep time" -- a period of 56 million years beginning with the Eocene and ending 12,000 years ago with the terminal Pleistocene extinction when mammoths, saber-toothed tigers, giant sloths and most of the other "megafauna" on the continent disappeared. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/04/120423184154.htm 23 Apr 2012 20:10 EDT ScienceDaily: Global Warming News http://sustainablearlington.org/sa15/sa-blog/climate-change-news _ Monday News Below _ http://sustainablearlington.org/sa15/sa-blog/global-warming-news?start=667 23 Apr 2012 20:00 EDT Sustainable Arlington http://e360.yale.edu/feature/insurance_companies_face_increased_risks_from_warming/2519/ If the damages related to climate change mount in the coming decades, insurance companies may face the prospect of paying larger disaster claims and being dragged into global warming lawsuits. But many firms, especially in the U.S., have barely begun to confront the risks. http://e360.yale.edu/feature/insurance_companies_face_increased_risks_from_warming/2519/ 23 Apr 2012 10:60 EDT Yale Environment 360 http://www.skepticalscience.com/news.php?n=1405 Chip Knappenberger cites a paper he co-authored that found that heat-related deaths are less common in hotter cities. This makes sense, as hotter cities have the infrastructure (i.e. air conditioning units) to cope with hotter temperatures. They do not have to adapt - they are already adapted to the heat, whereas most heat-related deaths come in regions which experience uncommon heat events (but are now experiencing them more and more frequently due to global warming). http://www.skepticalscience.com/news.php?n=1405 23 Apr 2012 10:50 EDT Skeptical Science http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5ixm9S_tTZuAUL7i_XypUb-I63g3g UN chief Ban Ki-moon made a call to double global consumption of renewable energy over the next two decades in order to ensure sustainable economic development. http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5ixm9S_tTZuAUL7i_XypUb-I63g3g 22 Apr 2012 20:40 EDT Daily Climate http://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/23/business/climate-change-effect-seen-for-corn-prices.html A study suggests that unless American farmers develop more heat-tolerant corn varieties or move production into Canada, frequent heat waves will cause sharp price spikes. http://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/23/business/climate-change-effect-seen-for-corn-prices.html 22 Apr 2012 20:30 EDT NYT > Environment http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.cfm?release=2012-110&rn=news.xml&rst=3345 The Arctic region is home to large reservoirs of the potent greenhouse gas methane. A new study with NASA contributions finds the Arctic Ocean may be an important source. http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.cfm?release=2012-110&rn=news.xml&rst=3345 22 Apr 2012 20:10 EDT NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory - News and Features http://sustainablearlington.org/sa15/sa-blog/climate-change-news _ Saturday/Sunday News Below _ http://sustainablearlington.org/sa15/sa-blog/global-warming-news?start=666 22 Apr 2012 20:00 EDT Sustainable Arlington http://eenews.net/public/climatewire/2012/04/20/1 As part of IBM's Battery 500 project -- an initiative started in 2009 to produce a battery capable of powering a car for 500 miles -- Big Blue has successfully demonstrated a light-weight, ultra-high-density, lithium-air battery. In it, oxygen is reacted with lithium to create lithium peroxide and electrical energy. When the battery is recharged, the process is reversed and oxygen is released -- in the words of IBM, this is an 'air-breathing' battery. While conventional batteries are completely self-contained, the oxygen used in a lithium-air battery comes from the atmosphere, so the battery itself can be much lighter. The main thing, though, is that lithium-air energy density is a lot higher than conventional lithium-ion batteries: the max energy density of lithium-air batteries is theorized to be around 12 kWh/kg, some 15 times greater than li-ion -- and more importantly, comparable to gasoline. http://eenews.net/public/climatewire/2012/04/20/1 21 Apr 2012 10:70 EDT ClimateWire - The Politics and Business of Climate Change http://blogs.kqed.org/climatewatch/2012/04/19/thinking-long-term-about-power-plants/ The nation's power plants are aging. An increasing number require replacement parts; others can't keep up with new environmental regulations. http://blogs.kqed.org/climatewatch/2012/04/19/thinking-long-term-about-power-plants/ 21 Apr 2012 10:60 EDT Daily Climate http://www.nola.com/news/gulf-oil-spill/index.ssf/2012/04/regulatory_overhaul_may_be_gul.html Embarrassing revelations about the lack of regulation in the wake of the BP spill hastened a regulatory overhaul. The government's Minerals Management Service engineer Frank Patton, for example, didn't know that the regulations called for a blowout preventer. http://www.nola.com/news/gulf-oil-spill/index.ssf/2012/04/regulatory_overhaul_may_be_gul.html 21 Apr 2012 10:50 EDT Daily Climate http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/blogs/national-affairs/the-koch-brothers-exposed-20120420 The Koch Brothers are the plutocrats from central casting -- oil-and-gas billionaires ready to buy any congressman, fund any lie, fight any law, bust any union, despoil any landscape, or shirk any (tax) burden to push their free-market religion and pump up their profits. http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/blogs/national-affairs/the-koch-brothers-exposed-20120420 21 Apr 2012 10:40 EDT Green on HuffingtonPost.com http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2012/04/20/468297/a-real-solution-to-high-gas-prices-new-fuel-economy-standards-could-save-consumers-68-billion-by-2030/ According to a new analysis from the Natural Resources Defense Council, increasing our average vehicle fleet efficiency to 54.5 miles per gallon would save consumers $68 billion per year after 2030 when new mileage standards have been fully met. http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2012/04/20/468297/a-real-solution-to-high-gas-prices-new-fuel-economy-standards-could-save-consumers-68-billion-by-2030/ 20 Apr 2012 20:30 EDT ThinkProgress >> Green http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2012/04/20/468659/states-in-northeast-cap-and-trade-program-reduce-co2-faster-grow-gdp-other-states/ Northeastern states participating in America's first carbon cap and trade program have outperformed the rest of the country in GDP growth and reduction in global warming pollution. http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2012/04/20/468659/states-in-northeast-cap-and-trade-program-reduce-co2-faster-grow-gdp-other-states/ 20 Apr 2012 20:20 EDT ThinkProgress >> Green http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/04/120419143115.htm A pan-European study published in Science shows that mountain plants across the continent are moving to higher altitudes. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/04/120419143115.htm 20 Apr 2012 20:10 EDT ScienceDaily: Global Warming News http://sustainablearlington.org/sa15/sa-blog/climate-change-news _ Friday News Below _ http://sustainablearlington.org/sa15/sa-blog/global-warming-news?start=665 20 Apr 2012 20:00 EDT Sustainable Arlington http://www.americanprogress.org/issues/2012/04/bp_reasons.html Five Reasons We Can't Forget About the BP Oil Spill http://www.americanprogress.org/issues/2012/04/bp_reasons.html 20 Apr 2012 10:60 EDT Center for American Progress - Energy and Environment http://e360.yale.edu/digest/151_planned_dams_threatens_balance_of_andean_amazon_study_says/3427/ A new study warns that 151 hydroelectric dams planned along six major rivers in the Amazon basin over the next two decades, including dozens of so-called mega-dams, could significantly disrupt the region's ecological connectivity. http://e360.yale.edu/digest/151_planned_dams_threatens_balance_of_andean_amazon_study_says/3427/ 20 Apr 2012 10:50 EDT Yale Environment 360 http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2012/04/19/466673/can-we-stop-the-collapse-of-federal-clean-energy-support-without-talking-about-climate-change-or-a-carbon-price/ As a well-researched but jaw-droppingly incomplete new report published by the Brookings Institution points out, spending levels for deploying clean energy technologies aren't being gradually phased out; the industry is getting pushed off a cliff wearing cement shoes. http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2012/04/19/466673/can-we-stop-the-collapse-of-federal-clean-energy-support-without-talking-about-climate-change-or-a-carbon-price/ 20 Apr 2012 10:40 EDT Climate Progress http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/04/120418135308.htm A large, global move to produce more energy from forest biomass may be possible and already is beginning in some places, but scientists say in a new analysis that such large-scale bioenergy production from forest biomass is unsustainable and will increase greenhouse gas emissions. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/04/120418135308.htm 20 Apr 2012 10:30 EDT ScienceDaily: Global Warming News http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/04/120419163557.htm Scientists have developed a new monitoring system to analyze and compare emissions from human-made fossil fuels and trace gases in the atmosphere, a technique that likely could be used to monitor the effectiveness of measures regulating greenhouse gases. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/04/120419163557.htm 20 Apr 2012 10:20 EDT ScienceDaily: Global Warming News http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/04/20/us-africa-water-idUSBRE83J0W520120420 Huge reserves of underground water in some of the driest parts of Africa could provide a buffer against the effects of climate change for years to come, scientists said on Friday. http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/04/20/us-africa-water-idUSBRE83J0W520120420 20 Apr 2012 10:10 EDT Reuters: Green Business News http://sustainablearlington.org/sa15/sa-blog/climate-change-news _ Thursday News Below _ http://sustainablearlington.org/sa15/sa-blog/global-warming-news?start=664 19 Apr 2012 20:00 EDT Sustainable Arlington http://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/19/science/earth/epa-caps-emissions-at-gas-and-oil-wells.html Oil and gas companies will have to capture toxic and climate-altering gases from wells, storage sites and pipelines under new air quality standards issued on Wednesday by the Environmental Protection Agency. The rule is the first federal effort to address serious air pollution associated with the natural gas drilling process known as hydraulic fracturing, or fracking http://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/19/science/earth/epa-caps-emissions-at-gas-and-oil-wells.html 19 Apr 2012 10:50 EDT NYT > Environment http://www.climatecentral.org/news/senate-testimony-on-sea-level-rise-by-climate-centrals-ben-strauss "In my testimony today, as in my research, I will address two topics: first, how sea level rise is amplifying the risk from coastal storm surges, and then, what communities and assets are exposed at the lowest elevations." http://www.climatecentral.org/news/senate-testimony-on-sea-level-rise-by-climate-centrals-ben-strauss 19 Apr 2012 10:40 EDT Climate Central - Breaking News, Blogs & Features http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-clean-tech-funding-20120418,0,6119048.story Federal spending on clean technologies is drying up, with little sign of additional help coming from Congress, according to a report. As a result, more clean-tech companies are likely to go bankrupt or be consolidated, according to the new study. http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-clean-tech-funding-20120418,0,6119048.story 19 Apr 2012 10:30 EDT Daily Climate http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/sns-rt-us-coalbre83i0ak-20120419,0,3853975.story U.S. coal exports to China could more than double to over 12 million tonnes in 2012 thanks to depressed freight rates and a fall in domestic demand in the United States, the chief of top U.S. coal exporter Xcoal Energy & Resources said. The expected increase in coal shipments could further push down coal prices in Asia where a supply glut following a deluge from the United States and Colombia has forced prices to slump recently. http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/sns-rt-us-coalbre83i0ak-20120419,0,3853975.story 19 Apr 2012 10:20 EDT Climate Progress http://cleantechnica.com/2012/04/19/renewable-energy-rivers-ocean-pressure-retarded-osmosis/ The process by which a river flows into the ocean is known as pressure-retarded osmosis (PRO). It was examined for its power-generation potential by Ngai Yin Yip and Menachem Elimelech from the Department of Chemical and Environmental Engineering at Yale University in the most recent edition of the journal Environmental Science & Technology. http://cleantechnica.com/2012/04/19/renewable-energy-rivers-ocean-pressure-retarded-osmosis/ 19 Apr 2012 10:10 EDT CleanTechnica http://sustainablearlington.org/sa15/sa-blog/climate-change-news _ Wednesday News Below _ http://sustainablearlington.org/sa15/sa-blog/global-warming-news?start=663 18 Apr 2012 20:00 EDT Sustainable Arlington http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2012/04/18/466621/poll-large-majority-of-americans-understand-global-warming-made-several-major-extreme-weather-events-worse/ A new survey finds that by 2-to-1 Americans accurately understand global warming makes a number of extreme weather events worse. http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2012/04/18/466621/poll-large-majority-of-americans-understand-global-warming-made-several-major-extreme-weather-events-worse/ 18 Apr 2012 10:40 EDT Climate Progress http://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/18/science/earth/bp-oil-spill-panel-faults-congress-for-inaction.html Members of the presidential panel that investigated the 2010 BP oil rig explosion and spill sharply criticized Congress on Tuesday for refusing to act on any of its recommendations and gave the Obama administration and the oil industry mixed marks. http://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/18/science/earth/bp-oil-spill-panel-faults-congress-for-inaction.html 18 Apr 2012 10:30 EDT NYT > Environment http://e360.yale.edu/digest/new_solar_panel_system_could_double_as_a_tinted_window/3423/ A German startup has developed a new type of lightweight solar panel its developers say can be integrated into the design of buildings and even used in electricity-producing tinted windows. http://e360.yale.edu/digest/new_solar_panel_system_could_double_as_a_tinted_window/3423/ 18 Apr 2012 10:20 EDT Yale Environment 360 http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/04/120418135343.htm Jellyfish are increasing in the majority of the world's coastal ecosystems, according to the first global study of jellyfish abundance. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/04/120418135343.htm 18 Apr 2012 10:10 EDT ScienceDaily: Global Warming News http://sustainablearlington.org/sa15/sa-blog/climate-change-news _ Tuesday News Below _ http://sustainablearlington.org/sa15/sa-blog/global-warming-news?start=662 17 Apr 2012 20:00 EDT Sustainable Arlington http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2012/04/17/462000/climate-change-cripple-new-york-transportation-system/ Klaus Jacob, a senior research scientist at the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory at Columbia University and the lead author of a state-sponsored report that examined the climate change-related exposure of New York's transportation infrastructure, warns of rapidly increasing vulnerabilities facing the metro area. http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2012/04/17/462000/climate-change-cripple-new-york-transportation-system/ 17 Apr 2012 10:60 EDT Climate Progress http://www.newenergyfinance.com/PressReleases/view/210 New index shows price of vehicle-grade lithium-ion batteries is dropping rapidly, due to excess manufacturing capacity and weak demand http://www.newenergyfinance.com/PressReleases/view/210 17 Apr 2012 10:50 EDT Reuters: Green Business News http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2012/04/16/465287/government-saves-countless-lives-from-tornadoes-in-koch-and-inhofe-country/ As Dr. Jeff Masters wrote on Friday: The record-warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico are a key reason for the high risk of severe weather over the Plains this weekend. http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2012/04/16/465287/government-saves-countless-lives-from-tornadoes-in-koch-and-inhofe-country/ 16 Apr 2012 20:40 EDT ThinkProgress >> Green http://www.ucsusa.org/news/press_release/illegal-logging-threatens-economy-and-environment-1383.html A new report released Monday by the UCS outlines how illegal logging threatens the U.S economy and endangers tropical ecosystems. http://www.ucsusa.org/news/press_release/illegal-logging-threatens-economy-and-environment-1383.html 16 Apr 2012 20:30 EDT Union of Concerned Scientists http://www.huffingtonpost.com/scott-dodd/crude-secrets-tar-sands-kalamazoo_b_1424036.html In July 2010, more than a million gallons of tar sands crude spilled into Michigan's Kalamazoo River. A fired cleanup worker with a dark past claims he was ordered to cover up oil to meet federal deadlines. His case goes to trial next week. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/scott-dodd/crude-secrets-tar-sands-kalamazoo_b_1424036.html 16 Apr 2012 20:20 EDT Green on HuffingtonPost.com http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/04/120416135056.htm Like snow sliding off a roof on a sunny day, the Greenland Ice Sheet may be sliding faster into the ocean due to massive releases of meltwater from surface lakes, according to a new study by the University of Colorado Boulder-based Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/04/120416135056.htm 16 Apr 2012 20:10 EDT ScienceDaily: Global Warming News http://sustainablearlington.org/sa15/sa-blog/climate-change-news _ Monday News Below _ http://sustainablearlington.org/sa15/sa-blog/global-warming-news?start=661 16 Apr 2012 20:00 EDT Sustainable Arlington http://www.greencarcongress.com/2012/04/epaghg.html The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has released the 17th annual US greenhouse gas (GHG) inventory. The final report shows overall emissions in 2010 increased by 3.2% from the previous year. EPA attributes the trend to an increase in energy consumption across all economic sectors, due to increasing energy demand associated with an expanding economy, and increased demand for electricity for air conditioning due to warmer summer weather during 2010. http://www.greencarcongress.com/2012/04/epaghg.html 16 Apr 2012 10:70 EDT Green Car Congress http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2012/04/16/463760/chart-of-the-day-wind-power-strong-increase-in-us-renewable-electricity-generation/ Over the last decade, the number of states generating more than 10% of electricity from non-hydro renewable energy has increased from two to nine. The main driver? Wind. According to the Energy Information Administration, there are now 20 states generating more than 5% of electricity from non-hydro renewables. http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2012/04/16/463760/chart-of-the-day-wind-power-strong-increase-in-us-renewable-electricity-generation/ 16 Apr 2012 10:60 EDT ThinkProgress >> Green http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2012/04/16/463231/drought-flooding-and-outbreaks-of-pests-threaten-to-reduce-asian-agricultural-output-50/ Two of Southeast Asia's most valuable crops -- rice and cassava -- are under pressure from multiple, simultaneous threats fueled by climate change. In the last week, the CGIAR Research Program on Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security issued two pieces of research highlighting the devastating impacts that warming-fueled extreme weather is having on Asia's agriculture. http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2012/04/16/463231/drought-flooding-and-outbreaks-of-pests-threaten-to-reduce-asian-agricultural-output-50/ 16 Apr 2012 10:50 EDT ThinkProgress >> Green thinkprogress.org/climate/2012/04/15/462803/caldeira-only-ethical-path-is-to-stop-using-the-atmosphere-as-a-waste-dump-for-greenhouse-gas-pollution/ Climatologist Ken Caldeira slammed those who support a "fundamentally immoral" policy of delivering a hothouse climate to future generations, especially since avoiding the worst outcomes requires means redirecting at most 2% of our wealth. He expressed his views with a bluntness that is becoming increasingly common among climate scientists. thinkprogress.org/climate/2012/04/15/462803/caldeira-only-ethical-path-is-to-stop-using-the-atmosphere-as-a-waste-dump-for-greenhouse-gas-pollution/ 15 Apr 2012 20:40 EDT ThinkProgress >> Green http://www.nature.com/news/renegade-glaciers-gain-ice-1.10448 One of the world's biggest glacier regions has so far resisted global warming that has ravaged mountain ice elsewhere, scientists reported on Sunday. http://www.nature.com/news/renegade-glaciers-gain-ice-1.10448 15 Apr 2012 20:20 EDT PHYSorg.com: Environment News http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2012/04/15/460400/warming-atlantic-primes-the-amazon-for-fire/ Fires are a major source of carbon emissions in the Amazon, and scientists are beginning to worry that the region could become a net emitter, instead of a carbon sink. New findings link rising ocean temperatures off the northern coast of Brazil to changing weather patterns: As the Atlantic warms, it draws moisture away from the forest, priming the region for bigger fires. http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2012/04/15/460400/warming-atlantic-primes-the-amazon-for-fire/ 15 Apr 2012 20:10 EDT ThinkProgress >> Green http://sustainablearlington.org/sa15/sa-blog/climate-change-news _ Sunday News Below _ http://sustainablearlington.org/sa15/sa-blog/global-warming-news?start=660 15 Apr 2012 20:00 EDT Sustainable Arlington http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2012/04/14/463702/socals-new-sustainability-strategy-is-an-impressive-step-forward/ Southern California is a region much better known for environmental problems than solutions, which is precisely why its new, 25-year Sustainable Communities Strategy, adopted unanimously last week by the Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG), is so significant. SCAG is the nation's largest metropolitan planning organization, representing six counties: Los Angeles, Orange, San Bernardino, Riverside, Ventura and Imperial. Its planning area covers an astounding 38,000 square miles, including 191 cities and more than 18 million residents. If southern California were a state, it would be the 5th most populous in the nation. If it were a country, it would have the world's 16th largest economy. http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2012/04/14/463702/socals-new-sustainability-strategy-is-an-impressive-step-forward/ 15 Apr 2012 10:70 EDT ThinkProgress >> Green http://www.earth-policy.org/book_bytes/2012/wotech13_ss1 Moving the global economy off its current decline-and-collapse path depends on reaching four goals: stabilizing climate, stabilizing population, eradicating poverty, and restoring the economy's natural support systems. These goals--comprising what the Earth Policy Institute calls "Plan B" to save civilization--are mutually dependent. All are essential to feeding the world's people. It is unlikely that we can reach any one goal without reaching the others. The key to restructuring the economy is to get the market to tell the truth through full-cost pricing. http://www.earth-policy.org/book_bytes/2012/wotech13_ss1 15 Apr 2012 10:60 EDT EPI Releases http://www.treehugger.com/biomimicry/breakthrough-rivals-speed-natural-photosynthesis-could-revolutionize-solar-energy.html Harvesting solar energy just got one step closer to rivaling the efficiency of nature. http://www.treehugger.com/biomimicry/breakthrough-rivals-speed-natural-photosynthesis-could-revolutionize-solar-energy.html 15 Apr 2012 10:50 EDT TreeHugger http://alum.mit.edu/pages/sliceofmit/2012/04/10/liquid-metal-battery/ MIT Professor Don Sadoway, an expert in materials chemistry, brought his astonishing battery idea to the recent talks at TED 2012: Full Spectrum. While most new battery inventions target spaces inside smartphones or electric cars, Sadoway's idea is big. Gigantic, in fact. He and his team have invented a Liquid Metal Battery that could be a warehouse-size repository of energy generated by renewable and other power resources. Watch his TED talk for an accessible explanation of the battery and its potential uses. http://alum.mit.edu/pages/sliceofmit/2012/04/10/liquid-metal-battery/ 15 Apr 2012 10:40 EDT CleanTechnica http://newsroom.ucla.edu/portal/ucla/which-plants-will-survive-droughts-231567.aspx New research by UCLA life scientists could lead to predictions of which plant species will escape extinction from climate change. http://newsroom.ucla.edu/portal/ucla/which-plants-will-survive-droughts-231567.aspx 15 Apr 2012 10:30 EDT Skeptical Science http://www.trust.org/alertnet/news/scientists-examine-a-hot-epoch-to-forecast-climate-future To figure out what is likely to happen to Earth's climate this century, scientists are looking 3 million years into the past. They have concluded that the most revealing slice of time is the Pliocene Epoch, a warm, wet period between 3.15 million and 2.85 million years ago, when the world probably looked and felt much as it does now. http://www.trust.org/alertnet/news/scientists-examine-a-hot-epoch-to-forecast-climate-future 14 Apr 2012 20:20 EDT AlertNet News - Climate http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5j52PVP3QbvNxWweExPkNGUNMHW3g Sea levels in the southwest Pacific started rising drastically in the 1880s, with a notable peak in the 1990s thought to be linked to human-induced climate change, according to a new study. http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5j52PVP3QbvNxWweExPkNGUNMHW3g 14 Apr 2012 20:10 EDT ThinkProgress >> Green http://sustainablearlington.org/sa15/sa-blog/climate-change-news _ Saturday News Below _ http://sustainablearlington.org/sa15/sa-blog/global-warming-news?start=659 14 Apr 2012 20:00 EDT Sustainable Arlington http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/parched-western-states-rush-to-prepare-for-a-dangerous-fire-season-thats-already-under-way/2012/04/12/gIQAtt6NDT_story.html Fire experts say this year's drought, low snowpack and record-high temperatures in much of the West portend a dangerous installment of what has become a year-round wildfire threat. http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/parched-western-states-rush-to-prepare-for-a-dangerous-fire-season-thats-already-under-way/2012/04/12/gIQAtt6NDT_story.html 13 Apr 2012 20:70 EDT ThinkProgress >> Green http://green.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/04/13/a-new-oversight-panel-on-fracking/ President Obama calls for the creation of an interagency task force to ensure the "safe and responsible development" of natural gas drilling even though hydraulic fracturing is regulated at the state level. Representatives of the oil and gas business, who were briefed on the new task force at the White House on Friday, welcomed the president's move. http://green.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/04/13/a-new-oversight-panel-on-fracking/ 13 Apr 2012 20:60 EDT NYT > Green Blog http://e360.yale.edu/digest/wind_farms_little_threat_to_most_bird_species_new_study_says/3419/ A new study has found that wind farms do not have long-term detrimental effects on most bird species, but that populations of some species can decline during site construction. In a long-term analysis of breeding and population trends for 10 bird species at 18 wind farms across the UK, a team of conservationists found that most species were able to co-exist with the wind turbines. http://e360.yale.edu/digest/wind_farms_little_threat_to_most_bird_species_new_study_says/3419/ 13 Apr 2012 20:50 EDT Yale Environment 360 http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2012/04/13/463874/top-three-ways-that-american-taxpayers-subsidize-dirty-coal-development/ In a study last year, Dr. Paul Epstein of the Center for Health and the Global Environment at Harvard Medical School attempted to quantify how harmful coal is: Our comprehensive review finds that the best estimate for the total economically quantifiable costs, based on a conservative weighting of many of the study findings, amount to some $345.3 billion, adding close to 17.8 cents/kWh of electricity generated from coal.... These and the more difficult to quantify externalities are borne by the general public. http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2012/04/13/463874/top-three-ways-that-american-taxpayers-subsidize-dirty-coal-development/ 13 Apr 2012 20:40 EDT ThinkProgress >> Green http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/04/13/nasa-climate-change-denier-stunts_n_1424492.html When former NASA administrators, astronauts and engineers released a letter earlier this week attacking the science of climate change, its veneer of legitimacy kicked off a media blitz. Yet none of the letter's 49 signatories are climate scientists, and with more than 18,000 people currently working for NASA, to say nothing of the tens of thousands more who are retired, the letter seems more than anything like a empty publicity stunt -- for which there's considerable precedent. "This is an old stunt," explained Michael Mann, a well-known climate scientist and Penn State professor. "When you have an area of the science where there is a consensus like in climate change, where the problem is real and the scientific implications are on a collision course with vested interests like the fossil fuel industry, you often see this." http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/04/13/nasa-climate-change-denier-stunts_n_1424492.html 13 Apr 2012 20:30 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/04/120413122204.htm A study by the scientists found that increased seawater carbon dioxide levels, resulting in more corrosive ocean water, inhibited the larval oysters from developing their shells and growing at a pace that would make commercial production cost-effective. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/04/120413122204.htm 13 Apr 2012 20:20 EDT ScienceDaily: Global Warming News http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/04/120413100859.htm A new study found that meat consumption in the developed world would need to be cut by 50 percent per person by 2050, and emissions in all sectors -- industrial and agricultural -- would need to be reduced by 50 percent if we are to meet the most aggressive strategy set by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), to reduce the most potent of greenhouse gases, nitrous oxide (N2O). http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/04/120413100859.htm 13 Apr 2012 20:10 EDT ScienceDaily: Global Warming News http://sustainablearlington.org/sa15/sa-blog/climate-change-news _ Friday News Below _ http://sustainablearlington.org/sa15/sa-blog/global-warming-news?start=658 13 Apr 2012 20:00 EDT Sustainable Arlington http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2012/04/13/463799/new-science-reveals-agricultures-true-climate-impact/ Now, a group of scientists at the University of California, Berkeley have found a way to "fingerprint" various sources of nitrous oxide -- and they've determined that the accelerated increase in atmospheric nitrous oxide in the last few decades has indeed been due to synthetic nitrogen fertilizer use. http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2012/04/13/463799/new-science-reveals-agricultures-true-climate-impact/ 13 Apr 2012 10:70 EDT ThinkProgress >> Green http://www.usatoday.com/weather/drought/story/2012-04-11/mild-winter-expands-usa-drought/54225018/1 The USA hasn't been this dry in almost five years. Still reeling from last year's devastating drought that led to at least $10 billion in agricultural losses across Texas and the South, the nation is enduring another unusually parched year. The drought is expanding into some areas where dryness is rare, such as New England. http://www.usatoday.com/weather/drought/story/2012-04-11/mild-winter-expands-usa-drought/54225018/1 13 Apr 2012 10:60 EDT Daily Climate http://www.businessweek.com/news/2012-04-12/u-dot-s-dot-clean-energy-policies-risk-losing-lead-over-china The U.S. government is creating a "boom and bust" in renewable energy investment that threatens to undermine its lead over China, the Pew Charitable Trusts said in a report. Phyllis Cuttino, Pew's clean energy director, said "In the absence of long-term policy, it's hard to see how the U.S. can grow significantly in the future." http://www.businessweek.com/news/2012-04-12/u-dot-s-dot-clean-energy-policies-risk-losing-lead-over-china 13 Apr 2012 10:50 EDT ThinkProgress >> Green http://www.eenews.net/public/climatewire/2012/04/12/2 Re-engineering the Mississippi River will stem catastrophic economic and environmental losses from human development and climate change while raising billions of dollars in value, according to a report released Thursday. http://www.eenews.net/public/climatewire/2012/04/12/2 13 Apr 2012 10:40 EDT ClimateWire - The Politics and Business of Climate Change http://grist.org/climate-change/public-understanding-of-climate-change-getting-warmer/ Many polls indicate a rebound in public understanding of climate science. Krosnick attributes some of the rebound to the coverage of climate during the GOP presidential contest. Brookings -- and the public itself -- puts the rebound on the amazing spate of extreme weather. As Climate Progress reported in late February, Americans are attributing their increased belief in global warming to their (correct) perception that the planet is warming and the weather is getting more extreme. Roughly half of people who believe in global warming said that these were the primary influence http://grist.org/climate-change/public-understanding-of-climate-change-getting-warmer/ 12 Apr 2012 20:30 EDT Grist - the latest from Grist http://www.greencarcongress.com/2012/04/eia-20120412.html The US Energy Information Administration (EIA) reports that between 1980 and 2010, global consumption of dry natural gas rose from 53 trillion cubic feet (Tcf) to 113 Tcf. Although consumption in North America saw the slowest regional growth in percentage terms (29%) from 1980 to 2010, the region accounted for more than 25% of the world's natural gas consumption during all years in the period. The Middle East had the highest growth rate, increasing more than ten-fold from 1.3 Tcf in 1980 to 13.2 Tcf in 2010. http://www.greencarcongress.com/2012/04/eia-20120412.html 12 Apr 2012 20:20 EDT Green Car Congress http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/04/120412105227.htm Researchers have found that residents of Louisiana and Florida most acutely and directly affected by the BP Deepwater Horizon disaster -- the largest marine oil spill in U.S. history -- said they have changed their views on other environmental issues as a result of the spill. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/04/120412105227.htm 12 Apr 2012 20:10 EDT ScienceDaily: Global Warming News http://sustainablearlington.org/sa15/sa-blog/climate-change-news _ Thursday News Below _ http://sustainablearlington.org/sa15/sa-blog/global-warming-news?start=657 12 Apr 2012 20:00 EDT Sustainable Arlington http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2012/04/12/463436/insurance-giant-lloyd-london-warns-of-unique-and-hard-to-manage-risk-of-arctic-ocean-oil-drilling/ Lloyd's of London, a large UK-based insurance pool, issued a report today outlining the severe environmental and economic risk of oil and gas drilling in Arctic waters. The stunning report comes as Royal Dutch Shell prepares for exploratory drilling operations in the Arctic -- even while leading experts warn that there's virtually no infrastructure in place to clean up an oil spill in the fragile region. http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2012/04/12/463436/insurance-giant-lloyd-london-warns-of-unique-and-hard-to-manage-risk-of-arctic-ocean-oil-drilling/ 12 Apr 2012 10:50 EDT ThinkProgress >> Green http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2012/04/12/463110/sea-level-rise-and-extreme-weather-are-happening-faster-than-we-thought-says-energy-sec-chu/ Energy Secretary Steven Chu said Wednesday that scientific evidence of climate change is getting more and more powerful, comments that come as global warming legislation remains moribund in Congress and Environmental Protection regulations are facing ongoing GOP assaults. http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2012/04/12/463110/sea-level-rise-and-extreme-weather-are-happening-faster-than-we-thought-says-energy-sec-chu/ 12 Apr 2012 10:40 EDT ThinkProgress >> Green http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/04/120411161628.htm New research suggests that actually buying coal, oil and other dirty fossil fuel deposits still in the ground could be a far better way to fight climate change. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/04/120411161628.htm 11 Apr 2012 20:30 EDT ScienceDaily: Global Warming News http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/04/11/us-army-renewable-energy-development-lab_n_1417162.html The U.S. Army unveiled a new laboratory Wednesday that can simulate Afghanistan's desert heat and Antarctica's extreme cold in an effort to discover how to save energy and make combat vehicles fuel-efficient. At an event to unveil the research complex at the Detroit Arsenal in Warren, Maj. Gen. Kurt Stein said energy security is an increasingly important military function. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/04/11/us-army-renewable-energy-development-lab_n_1417162.html 11 Apr 2012 20:20 EDT Green on HuffingtonPost.com http://www.greencarcongress.com/2012/04/licht-20120411.html A team at George Washington University has demonstrated a new solar process that can produce lime (CaO) for cement without any emission of carbon dioxide, and at lower projected cost than the existing cement industry process. Production of cement accounts for 5-6% of all anthropogenic CO2 emissions, generating 9 kg of the greenhouse gas for each 10 kg of cement produced, notes Dr. Stuart Licht and his colleagues in a paper on their process accepted for publication in the RSC journal Chemical Communications. The majority (about 60%) of those CO2 emissions result from the production of lime. http://www.greencarcongress.com/2012/04/licht-20120411.html 11 Apr 2012 20:10 EDT Green Car Congress http://sustainablearlington.org/sa15/sa-blog/climate-change-news _ Wednesday News Below _ http://sustainablearlington.org/sa15/sa-blog/global-warming-news?start=656 11 Apr 2012 20:00 EDT Sustainable Arlington http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2012/04/11/462277/climate-on-steroids-media-coverage-of-extreme-weather-and-climate-change/ The March heat wave finally caught the attention of major television news outlets. In recent weeks, ABC and NBC have run stories linking the "unprecedented" heat wave to climate change. They join PBS, which has been the only network consistently drawing the connection between extreme weather and greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. The Weather Channel has also picked up on the story, featuring a number of stories about the influence of human activity on extreme weather. http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2012/04/11/462277/climate-on-steroids-media-coverage-of-extreme-weather-and-climate-change/ 11 Apr 2012 10:60 EDT Climate Progress http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2012/04/11/462218/study-no-relationship-between-renewable-energy-targets-and-higher-electric-rates/ Renewable Energy Standards Deliver Affordable, Clean Power; Right-Wing Attacks Are Misguided http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2012/04/11/462218/study-no-relationship-between-renewable-energy-targets-and-higher-electric-rates/ 11 Apr 2012 10:50 EDT ThinkProgress >> Green http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/04/120409103253.htm Global warming may initially make the grass greener, but not for long, according to new research. A new study shows that plants may thrive in the early stages of a warming environment but begin to deteriorate quickly. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/04/120409103253.htm 11 Apr 2012 10:40 EDT ScienceDaily: Global Warming News http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2012/04/10/461167/march-came-in-like-a-lamb-went-out-like-a-globally-warmed-lion-on-steroids-who-smashed-15000-heat-records/ It's official. This was "the warmest March on record" since records began in 1895, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. How hot was it? It was so hot that NOAA reports "there were 15,272 warm temperature records broken (7,755 daytime records, 7,517 nighttime records)." http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2012/04/10/461167/march-came-in-like-a-lamb-went-out-like-a-globally-warmed-lion-on-steroids-who-smashed-15000-heat-records/ 10 Apr 2012 20:30 EDT ThinkProgress >> Green http://e360.yale.edu/digest/study_natural_gas_drilling_fracking_causes_sizeable_methane_leaks/3414/ A new study says that methane leaks from natural gas drilling, particularly hydraulic fracturing, are likely higher than previously estimated and concludes that converting vehicles from gasoline to compressed natural gas will actually produce more greenhouse gas emissions unless methane leaks are significantly reduced. http://e360.yale.edu/digest/study_natural_gas_drilling_fracking_causes_sizeable_methane_leaks/3414/ 10 Apr 2012 20:20 EDT Yale Environment 360 http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/04/120410145956.htm The second-largest mass extinction in Earth's history coincided with a short but intense ice age. Although it has long been agreed that the so-called Late Ordovician mass extinction was related to climate change, exactly how the change produced the extinction has not been known. Now, scientists have determined that the majority of extinctions were caused by habitat loss due to falling sea levels and cooling of the tropical oceans. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/04/120410145956.htm 10 Apr 2012 20:10 EDT ScienceDaily: Global Warming News http://sustainablearlington.org/sa15/sa-blog/climate-change-news _ Tuesday News Below _ http://sustainablearlington.org/sa15/sa-blog/global-warming-news?start=655 10 Apr 2012 20:00 EDT Sustainable Arlington http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2012/04/10/461246/gallup-americans-have-more-guts-than-obama-support-mandatory-controls-on-co2-emissions/ What's amazing is that even though essentially none of the major national "influencers" in the public arena -- the President, Congress, media and so on -- has been using their bully pulpit to talk about mandatory controls on carbon dioxide pollution for almost two years now, the public still supports it overwhelmingly. A full 65% of Americans support "imposing mandatory controls on carbon dioxide emissions/other greenhouse gases." http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2012/04/10/461246/gallup-americans-have-more-guts-than-obama-support-mandatory-controls-on-co2-emissions/ 10 Apr 2012 10:70 EDT ThinkProgress >> Green http://health.msn.com/health-topics/aging/articlepage.aspx?cp-documentid=100288854 Even small swings in temperatures could put elderly people with chronic illnesses such as diabetes, heart failure and lung disease at greater risk of death throughout the coming summer, a new study indicates. Researchers from the Harvard School of Public Health in Boston found temperature fluctuations related to climate change could claim thousands of lives every year. http://health.msn.com/health-topics/aging/articlepage.aspx?cp-documentid=100288854 10 Apr 2012 10:60 EDT ThinkProgress >> Green http://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/08/opinion/sunday/friedman-the-other-arab-spring.html The Arab awakening was driven not only by political and economic stresses, but, less visibly, by environmental, population and climate stresses as well. If we focus only on the former and not the latter, we will never be able to help stabilize these societies. http://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/08/opinion/sunday/friedman-the-other-arab-spring.html 10 Apr 2012 10:50 EDT Climate Progress http://thinkprogress.org/romm/2012/04/06/459894/lawmakers-want-the-wind-tax-credit-extended/ Bipartisan support for the production tax credit continues to pour in from around the country. This week, the National Governor's Association sent a letter to Congressional leaders urging them to extend key tax credits for wind and other renewables. http://thinkprogress.org/romm/2012/04/06/459894/lawmakers-want-the-wind-tax-credit-extended/ 10 Apr 2012 10:40 EDT ThinkProgress >> Green http://www.desmogblog.com/tar-sands-united-states-what-you-need-know Think that that dirtiest oil on the planet is only found up in Alberta? You might be surprised then to hear that there are tar sands deposits in Colorado, Utah and Wyoming, much of which are on public lands. http://www.desmogblog.com/tar-sands-united-states-what-you-need-know 10 Apr 2012 10:30 EDT DeSmogBlog - Clearing the PR Pollution that Clouds Climate Science http://www.interfaithactiononclimatechange.org/ As people of faith and spirituality we are deeply concerned about the effects of climate change ravaging our planet, and we are compelled by our traditions and collective conscience to take action together on this deeply moral challenge. Therefore, we call for interfaith actions across the USA during the week of April 21-27 to awaken our nation's elected officials, as well as all civic and business leaders and households, to the urgent need for immediate and effective action to address the climate emergency. http://www.interfaithactiononclimatechange.org/ 09 Apr 2012 20:20 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/04/120409204414.htm The swirling flows of tens of thousands of ocean currents were captured in this scientific visualization created by NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/04/120409204414.htm 09 Apr 2012 20:10 EDT ScienceDaily: Global Warming News http://sustainablearlington.org/sa15/sa-blog/climate-change-news _ Monday News Below _ http://sustainablearlington.org/sa15/sa-blog/global-warming-news?start=654 09 Apr 2012 20:00 EDT Sustainable Arlington http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/not-just-march-but-start-of-2012-shatter-us-records-for-heat-worrying-meteorologists/2012/04/09/gIQAdlbJ5S_story.html Temperatures in the lower 48 states were 8.6 degrees above normal for March and 6 degrees higher than average for the first three months of the year, according to calculations by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. That far exceeds the old records. http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/not-just-march-but-start-of-2012-shatter-us-records-for-heat-worrying-meteorologists/2012/04/09/gIQAdlbJ5S_story.html 09 Apr 2012 10:60 EDT ThinkProgress >> Green http://e360.yale.edu/digest/california_might_reap_billions_of_dollars_from_cap-and-trade_auctions/3411/ The state of California stands to raise billions of dollars annually -- and as much as $14 billion a year by 2015 -- after it launches its ambitious carbon cap-and-trade system later this year. According to a report by the state's Legislative Analyst's Office, the auctioning of CO2 pollution credits, which will begin this fall, could raise $1 billion to $3 billion in 2012 and 2013, and jump to $14 billion within three years. By comparison, the current state budget deficit is $9 billion. State officials say, however, that they will be limited to spending the funds on projects related to reducing greenhouse gas emissions. In addition, several business and taxpayer groups are preparing lawsuits to kill the system altogether. The auctions are part of the state's ambitious Global Warming Solutions Act, passed in 2006, which commits the state to cutting greenhouse gas emissions by 80 percent by 2050. Beginning this year, the law allows companies to bid for emissions allowances. http://e360.yale.edu/digest/california_might_reap_billions_of_dollars_from_cap-and-trade_auctions/3411/ 09 Apr 2012 10:50 EDT Yale Environment 360 http://www.greencarcongress.com/2012/04/manganaro-20120408.html Given a sufficiently large production scale, liquid fuels such as diesel produced from crop residue could be economically competitive with petroleum-derived fuels at current price levels, suggests a new study by a team from the Stevens Institute of Technology. Their analysis is published in the ACS journal Energy & Fuels. http://www.greencarcongress.com/2012/04/manganaro-20120408.html 09 Apr 2012 10:40 EDT Green Car Congress http://e360.yale.edu/feature/the_folly_of_big_agriculture_why_nature_always_wins/2514/ Large-scale industrial agriculture depends on engineering the land to ensure the absence of natural diversity. But as the recent emergence of herbicide-tolerant weeds on U.S. farms has shown, nature ultimately finds a way to subvert uniformity and assert itself. http://e360.yale.edu/feature/the_folly_of_big_agriculture_why_nature_always_wins/2514/ 09 Apr 2012 10:30 EDT Yale Environment 360 http://wwwp.dailyclimate.org/tdc-newsroom/2012/04/amazon-burning Scientists used to think the rain forest, especially in the western Amazon, was too wet to burn. But a warming Atlantic Ocean is drawing moisture away from the Western Amazon, drying the rain forest and catching residents by surprise. http://wwwp.dailyclimate.org/tdc-newsroom/2012/04/amazon-burning 09 Apr 2012 10:20 EDT Daily Climate http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/04/120408212319.htm Fossil fuel derived carbon dioxide has a serious impact on global climate but also a disturbing effect on the oceans, know as the other CO2 problem. When CO2 dissolves in seawater it forms carbonic acid and results in a drop in pH, the oceans acidify. A wealth of short-term experiments has shown that calcifying organisms, such as corals, clams and snails, but also micron size phytoplankton are affected by ocean acidification. The potential for organisms to cope with acidified oceanic conditions via evolutionary adaptations has so far been unresolved. Scientists have now for the first demonstrated the potential of the unicellular algae Emiliania huxleyi to adapt to changing pH conditions and thereby at least partly to mitigate negative effects of ocean acidification. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/04/120408212319.htm 09 Apr 2012 10:10 EDT ScienceDaily: Global Warming News http://sustainablearlington.org/sa15/sa-blog/climate-change-news _ Sunday News Below _ http://sustainablearlington.org/sa15/sa-blog/global-warming-news?start=653 08 Apr 2012 20:00 EDT Sustainable Arlington http://www.postcarbon.org/blog-post/783915-talking-happiness Clearly there is rapidly growing interest in the "new economy," due in no small degree to the ongoing disintegration, and worsening dysfunction, of our present economic system. The UN conference on "High Level Meeting on Wellbeing and Happiness: Defining a New Economic Paradigm," organized by the nation of Bhutan, was especially noteworthy. http://www.postcarbon.org/blog-post/783915-talking-happiness 07 Apr 2012 20:60 EDT Post Carbon Institute Publications http://www.americanprogress.org/issues/2012/04/energy_solutions.html By transitioning our energy infrastructure from capital-intensive, risky, and often highly polluting energy sources to clean, labor-intensive energy sources we can create many new jobs, grow our middle class, ensure greater energy security, and protect our nation and planet from the predictable ravages of unchecked climate change. In fact, as we argue in this paper, we can take steps today that will get us on the path toward achieving three critical goals: 1) Producing more clean energy to grow the economy. 2) Reducing pollution while saving energy and dollars. 3) Building more resilient and balanced economies and communities. -- These goals remain achievable even in today's gridlocked political environment. http://www.americanprogress.org/issues/2012/04/energy_solutions.html 07 Apr 2012 20:50 EDT Center for American Progress - Energy and Environment http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2012/apr/06/nasa-scientist-climate-change Prof Jim Hansen: 'We're handing future generations a climate system which is potentially out of their control'. http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2012/apr/06/nasa-scientist-climate-change 07 Apr 2012 20:40 EDT Climate Progress http://www.skepticalscience.com/news.php?n=1393 A team of UK climate experts has published a critique of a talk given by climate skeptic scientist Richard Lindzen a few weeks ago. The event was organised by the Campaign To Repeal the Climate Change Act. Lindzen, a Professor of Meteorology at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, was speaking at the House of Commons in a meeting chaired by Christopher Monckton. While the authors of the critique could agree with Lindzen on some grounds, they also found some pretty glaring inaccuracies in his talk. http://www.skepticalscience.com/news.php?n=1393 07 Apr 2012 20:30 EDT Skeptical Science http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/ezra-klein/post/sucking-carbon-dioxide-out-of-the-air-neat-idea-but-infeasible/2012/04/05/gIQA3t8rxS_blog.html Humanity is making dismal progress on curbing its greenhouse gas emissions. That's led some scientists to dream up zany geoengineering schemes to avert drastic climate change. One promising idea involved sucking carbon dioxide out of the air. Alas, new research suggests, this isn't very practical http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/ezra-klein/post/sucking-carbon-dioxide-out-of-the-air-neat-idea-but-infeasible/2012/04/05/gIQA3t8rxS_blog.html 07 Apr 2012 20:20 EDT Daily Climate http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/04/120406082850.htm For more than 30 years, scientists at the Harvard Forest have scaled towers into the forest canopy and measured the trunks of trees to track how much carbon is stored or lost from the woods each year. This treasure trove of data is part of the national Long-Term Ecological Research (LTER) Network, which is celebrating more than three decades of research this month. This important milestone is marked by six new papers just released in a special issue of the journal BioScience. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/04/120406082850.htm 07 Apr 2012 20:10 EDT ScienceDaily: Global Warming News http://sustainablearlington.org/sa15/sa-blog/climate-change-news _ Saturday News Below _ http://sustainablearlington.org/sa15/sa-blog/global-warming-news?start=652 07 Apr 2012 20:00 EDT Sustainable Arlington http://www.slate.com/articles/technology/future_tense/2012/04/heat_resistant_seeds_ecological_agriculture_growing_food_after_climate_change_.html Genetically modified seeds aren't enough. We have to change the entire agricultural system. http://www.slate.com/articles/technology/future_tense/2012/04/heat_resistant_seeds_ecological_agriculture_growing_food_after_climate_change_.html 07 Apr 2012 10:70 EDT Slate Articles http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-04-05/electric-drive-vehicle-demand-recharged-by-gas-prices.html Electric-drive vehicles, including hybrids, plug-in models and pure battery-powered cars, were the fastest-growing segment in the U.S. auto market in the first quarter, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. Sales of those models rose 49 percent to 117,182 vehicles in the first quarter, from 78,527 a year earlier before Japan's earthquake and tsunami pinched output. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-04-05/electric-drive-vehicle-demand-recharged-by-gas-prices.html 07 Apr 2012 10:60 EDT Daily Climate http://www.nrdc.org/water/readiness/ California is one of only nine states that have developed comprehensive strategies and implemented policies to deal with water shortages, droughts, a shrinking snowpack and other water-related problems that are expected to occur if global temperatures increase this century as predicted by scientists, the Natural Resources Defense Council report said. http://www.nrdc.org/water/readiness/ 06 Apr 2012 20:50 EDT ThinkProgress >> Green http://www.earth-policy.org/data_highlights/2012/highlights27 A new picture is emerging in the U.S. power sector. In 2007, electricity generation from coal peaked, dropping by close to 4 percent annually between 2007 and 2011. Over the same time period, nuclear generation fell slightly, while natural gas-fired electricity grew by some 3 percent annually and hydropower by 7 percent. Meanwhile, wind-generated electricity grew by a whopping 36 percent each year. http://www.earth-policy.org/data_highlights/2012/highlights27 06 Apr 2012 20:40 EDT EPI Releases http://thinkprogress.org/romm/2012/04/05/458893/bill-mckibben-how-you-subsidize-the-energy-giants-to-wreck-the-planet/ President Obama is now calling for an end to oil subsidies at every stop on his early presidential-campaign-plus-fundraising blitz -- even at those stops where he's also promising to "drill everywhere." And later this month Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders will introduce a much more comprehensive bill that tackles all fossil fuels and their purveyors (and has no chance whatsoever of passing this Congress). http://thinkprogress.org/romm/2012/04/05/458893/bill-mckibben-how-you-subsidize-the-energy-giants-to-wreck-the-planet/ 06 Apr 2012 20:30 EDT Climate Progress http://motherjones.com/blue-marble/2012/04/cryosphere-global-warming Global average air temperature has warmed by 1 degree Celsius over the past century, and in response, the cryosphere--the part of the Earth's surface most influenced by ice and snow--is changing. Specifically, alpine glaciers are retreating, the expanse of Arctic sea ice has been shrinking, the thickness and duration of winter snowpacks are diminishing, permafrost has been melting, and the ice cover on lakes and rivers has been appearing later in the year and melting out earlier. Although these changes are relatively well documented, the ecological responses and long-term consequences that they initiate are not. http://motherjones.com/blue-marble/2012/04/cryosphere-global-warming 06 Apr 2012 20:20 EDT Blue Marble Feed | Mother Jones http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/04/120406082846.htm As global temperatures rise, the most threatened ecosystems are those that depend on a season of snow and ice, scientists say. In semi-arid regions like the southwestern United States, mountain snowpacks are the dominant source of water for human consumption and irrigation. New research shows that as average temperatures increase in these snowy ecosystems, a significant amount of stream water is lost to the atmosphere. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/04/120406082846.htm 06 Apr 2012 20:10 EDT Daily Climate http://sustainablearlington.org/sa15/sa-blog/climate-change-news _ Friday News Below _ http://sustainablearlington.org/sa15/sa-blog/global-warming-news?start=651 06 Apr 2012 20:00 EDT Sustainable Arlington http://www.bna.com/judge-allows-business-n12884908791/ Key Holding: Federal judge allows two business groups to intervene in a lawsuit seeking to require the federal government to place an immediate cap on greenhouse gas emissions. Potential Impact: The lawsuit asks the court to list the atmosphere as a resource under the public trust doctrine, which could affect entities that emit carbon dioxide. http://www.bna.com/judge-allows-business-n12884908791/ 06 Apr 2012 10:70 EDT Daily Climate http://www.eenews.net/public/Greenwire/2012/04/05/3 Two years after the Obama administration blocked a new method of financing home energy retrofits, the Department of Energy is asking regulators to let pilot programs proceed in an attempt to break an administration impasse over the stalled program. The new set of comments to the Federal Housing Finance Agency shows DOE hasn't given up on the Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) model, which began to catch on in 2009 and 2010 with agency money and guidelines. http://www.eenews.net/public/Greenwire/2012/04/05/3 06 Apr 2012 10:60 EDT Daily Climate http://thinkprogress.org/romm/2012/04/06/459328/cape-wind-project-reduce-wholesale-electricity-costs-over-250-million-per-year/ One fourth of Cape Wind's power will be sold into the competitive daily wholesale electricity market overseen by New England's electric grid operator, ISO-New England. Cape Wind's bids into the market will be among the lowest-priced electricity because generators can only bid the actual production costs of their electricity. http://thinkprogress.org/romm/2012/04/06/459328/cape-wind-project-reduce-wholesale-electricity-costs-over-250-million-per-year/ 06 Apr 2012 10:50 EDT Climate Progress http://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/06/business/energy-environment/energy-department-to-revitalize-a-loan-guarantee-program.html Six months after the expiration of a federal loan guarantee program that backed $16 billion in loans to solar, wind and geothermal energy projects, the Energy Department has decided to offer a smaller set of similar guarantees by tapping another pot of money appropriated by Congress last year. http://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/06/business/energy-environment/energy-department-to-revitalize-a-loan-guarantee-program.html 06 Apr 2012 10:40 EDT ThinkProgress >> Green hinkprogress.org/romm/2012/04/05/456978/us-global-warming-denial-will-help-china-overtake-america-experts-say/ ABC News: U.S. prestige falling as world has 'pretty well given up' on any American leadership facing climate change. hinkprogress.org/romm/2012/04/05/456978/us-global-warming-denial-will-help-china-overtake-america-experts-say/ 05 Apr 2012 20:30 EDT Climate Progress http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/04/05/us-usa-power-coalash-idUSBRE83410Y20120405 A coalition of environmental groups filed a lawsuit on Thursday to force the Obama administration to finalize new rules regulating the containment and disposal of coal ash, a power plant byproduct activists say threatens public health. http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/04/05/us-usa-power-coalash-idUSBRE83410Y20120405 05 Apr 2012 20:20 EDT Reuters: Green Business News http://thinkprogress.org/green/2012/04/05/458478/frackers-outbid-farmers-for-water-in-colorado-drought/ Colorado is facing drought not seen since 2002, following the fourth-warmest and third-least-snowy winter in US history. Colorado State University scientists report that 98 percent of the state is facing these drought conditions. Colorado's hydrofracking boom -- a technology that heavily relies on water -- only adds additional strain as farmers and drillers bid for a scarce resource. http://thinkprogress.org/green/2012/04/05/458478/frackers-outbid-farmers-for-water-in-colorado-drought/ 05 Apr 2012 20:10 EDT ThinkProgress >> Green http://sustainablearlington.org/sa15/sa-blog/climate-change-news _ Thursday News Below _ http://sustainablearlington.org/sa15/sa-blog/global-warming-news?start=650 05 Apr 2012 20:00 EDT Sustainable Arlington http://motherjones.com/environment/2012/04/climate-action-cheap-david-kennedy A UK report confirms the cost of preventing climate change would cost the average citizen just pennies a day. http://motherjones.com/environment/2012/04/climate-action-cheap-david-kennedy 05 Apr 2012 10:70 EDT Blue Marble Feed | Mother Jones http://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/05/opinion/cleaner-fuels-cleaner-cars.html In late December, the Environmental Protection Agency drafted a set of rules that would force petroleum refiners to reduce the amount of sulfur in gasoline by two-thirds. That change would enhance the effectiveness of catalytic converters in both old and new cars, resulting in substantial cuts in soot and smog-forming pollutants from automobile tailpipes. But the rules are on hold because the White House has yet to review them. The White House is being too timid. http://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/05/opinion/cleaner-fuels-cleaner-cars.html 05 Apr 2012 10:60 EDT NYT > Green Blog http://wwwp.dailyclimate.org/tdc-newsroom/2012/04/climate-infections Diarrhea, cholera and tick-borne illness: As the climate changes, a host of health threats are predicted to escalate, experts say. Environmental changes already underway are allowing public health experts to establish stronger links between global warming and infectious disease. http://wwwp.dailyclimate.org/tdc-newsroom/2012/04/climate-infections 05 Apr 2012 10:50 EDT Daily Climate http://thinkprogress.org/romm/2012/04/04/458570/nature-past-extreme-warming-events-linked-to-massive-carbon-release-from-thawing-permafrost/ Between about 55.5 and 52 million years ago, Earth experienced a series of sudden and extreme global warming events (hyperthermals) superimposed on a long-term warming trend. The first and largest of these events, the Palaeocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum (PETM), is characterized by a massive input of carbon, ocean acidification and an increase in global temperature of about 5 degrees C [9 degrees F] within a few thousand years. "The standard hypothesis has been that the source of carbon was in the ocean, in the form of frozen methane gas in ocean-floor sediments," DeConto says. "We are instead ascribing the carbon source to the continents, in polar latitudes where permafrost can store massive amounts of carbon that can be released as CO2 when the permafrost thaws." http://thinkprogress.org/romm/2012/04/04/458570/nature-past-extreme-warming-events-linked-to-massive-carbon-release-from-thawing-permafrost/ 04 Apr 2012 20:40 EDT Climate Progress http://thinkprogress.org/romm/2012/04/04/457802/cnn-meteorologist-strange-spring-extremes-become-the-norm-is-the-climate-change-we-are-seeing/ CNN meteorologist Alexandra Steele said Tuesday that in fact all this extreme weather we are seeing is due to climate change. http://thinkprogress.org/romm/2012/04/04/457802/cnn-meteorologist-strange-spring-extremes-become-the-norm-is-the-climate-change-we-are-seeing/ 04 Apr 2012 20:30 EDT Climate Progress http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/04/04/us-climate-carbon-iceage-idUSBRE8330ZE20120404 Some 11,700 years ago, planet-warming carbon dioxide emissions helped heat the planet and end the last ice age, scientists reported on Wednesday. These emissions were similar to those caused by burning fossil fuels and other human activities now. http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/04/04/us-climate-carbon-iceage-idUSBRE8330ZE20120404 04 Apr 2012 20:20 EDT Reuters: Green Business News http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/04/120404102257.htm Climate change has increased vegetation in Arctic tundra regions. According to a recent study, the increase in vegetation in tundra regions may further accelerate global warming. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/04/120404102257.htm 04 Apr 2012 20:10 EDT ScienceDaily: Global Warming News http://sustainablearlington.org/sa15/sa-blog/climate-change-news _ Wednesday News Below _ http://sustainablearlington.org/sa15/sa-blog/global-warming-news?start=649 04 Apr 2012 20:00 EDT Sustainable Arlington http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/auto-industrys-higher-sales-reflect-demand-for-smaller-more-fuel-efficient-cars/2012/04/03/gIQA0I8xtS_story.html GM's gamble on the Sonic -- part of the company's push to develop smaller, more fuel-efficient cars -- appears to be paying off. Sales of the Sonic have risen steadily in every month, reaching 8,251 units last month. And on Tuesday, the automaker announced a whopping 12 percent rise in overall vehicle sales for March over the previous year. Nearly half of that increase, the company said, was driven by demand for smaller cars and crossover vehicles that get better than 30 miles per gallon. http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/auto-industrys-higher-sales-reflect-demand-for-smaller-more-fuel-efficient-cars/2012/04/03/gIQA0I8xtS_story.html 04 Apr 2012 10:70 EDT Climate Progress http://thinkprogress.org/green/2012/04/03/457463/koch-funded-alec-behind-state-attempts-to-reclaim-your-public-lands/ Recently a handful of state legislators introduced bills that demand Congress turn over millions of acres of public lands to the states or face a lawsuit. Utah has taken this idea the furthest, where two weeks ago Governor Gary Herbert (R) signed a bill into law demanding that Congress give 30 million acres of federal land located in Utah to the state by 2015 or it will sue. But buried under the headlines is the fact these bills are being quietly drafted and promoted by the American Legislative Exchange Council, a right-wing corporate front group that provides draft legislation to state lawmakers and is funded by some of America's biggest corporations including Koch Industries, BP, Exxon Mobil, and Shell. http://thinkprogress.org/green/2012/04/03/457463/koch-funded-alec-behind-state-attempts-to-reclaim-your-public-lands/ 03 Apr 2012 20:60 EDT ThinkProgress >> Green http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/04/120403193733.htm A new synthesis of reports from thousands of scientists in 60 countries who took part in the International Polar Year (IPY) 2007-08, is the first in over 50 years to offer a benchmark for environmental conditions and new discoveries in the polar regions. Among the major findings is that global warming is changing the face of Antarctica and the Arctic faster than expected. For example, in 2007 scientists documented a 27 percent loss of sea ice in a single year http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/04/120403193733.htm 03 Apr 2012 20:50 EDT ScienceDaily: Global Warming News http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/04/120403153606.htm The least expensive way for the Western US to reduce greenhouse gas emissions enough to help prevent the worst consequences of global warming is to replace coal with renewable and other sources of energy that may include nuclear power, according to a new study. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/04/120403153606.htm 03 Apr 2012 20:40 EDT ScienceDaily: Global Warming News http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/04/120403140410.htm A project running almost 10,000 climate simulations on volunteers' home computers has found that a global warming of 3 degrees Celsius by 2050 is 'equally plausible' as a rise of 1.4 degrees. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/04/120403140410.htm 03 Apr 2012 20:30 EDT ScienceDaily: Global Warming News http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/04/120403153850.htm Scientists have found a large reduction in the amount of the coldest deep ocean water, called Antarctic Bottom Water, all around the Southern Ocean using data collected from 1980 to 2011. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/04/120403153850.htm 03 Apr 2012 20:20 EDT ScienceDaily: Global Warming News http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/04/120403135516.htm Coral off Tahiti has linked the collapse of massive ice sheets 14,600 years ago to a dramatic and rapid rise in global sea-levels of around 14 meters. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/04/120403135516.htm 03 Apr 2012 20:10 EDT ScienceDaily: Global Warming News http://sustainablearlington.org/sa15/sa-blog/climate-change-news _ Tuesday News Below _ http://sustainablearlington.org/sa15/sa-blog/global-warming-news?start=648 03 Apr 2012 20:00 EDT Sustainable Arlington http://thinkprogress.org/romm/2012/04/03/457098/march-heat-records-crush-cold-records-scientists-global-warming-loaded-the-dice/ The final data are in for the unprecedented March heat wave that was "unmatched in recorded history" for the U.S. (and Canada). New heat records swamped cold records by the stunning ratio of 35.3 to 1. http://thinkprogress.org/romm/2012/04/03/457098/march-heat-records-crush-cold-records-scientists-global-warming-loaded-the-dice/ 03 Apr 2012 10:70 EDT Climate Progress http://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/03/business/global/gas-leak-costing-total-2-5-million-a-day.html Total, the French oil company, said Monday that a natural gas leak off the coast of Scotland was costing it $2.5 million a day and that it was too early to say when it could be stopped. http://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/03/business/global/gas-leak-costing-total-2-5-million-a-day.html 03 Apr 2012 10:60 EDT NYT > Green Blog http://e360.yale.edu/digest/uk_revives_1_billion_pound_competition_to_boost_carbon_capture_sector/3402/ The UK has re-launched a 1 billion pound ($1.6 billion) competition to promote the large-scale adoption of carbon-capture technology, an investment that government officials hope will make the UK a global leader in the emerging low-carbon energy sector. http://e360.yale.edu/digest/uk_revives_1_billion_pound_competition_to_boost_carbon_capture_sector/3402/ 03 Apr 2012 10:50 EDT Yale Environment 360 http://www.wgbh.org/includes/playerPopStream.cfm?station=obj897FM&MM=1 The American intelligence community recently released a report warning that problems with water could destabilize various regions of the world over the next decade. The earth's rising population, climate change, and poor water management ... http://www.wgbh.org/includes/playerPopStream.cfm?station=obj897FM&MM=1 03 Apr 2012 10:40 EDT WGBH - Innovation Hub RSS http://wwwp.dailyclimate.org/tdc-newsroom/2012/04/climate-security Climate policy may be a minefield in U.S. politics, but the Pentagon sees liabilities of a different kind and is forging ahead with plans to reduce the military's carbon footprint and prepare for climate impacts. 'It's about returning more of our brave sailors and Marines.' http://wwwp.dailyclimate.org/tdc-newsroom/2012/04/climate-security 03 Apr 2012 00:30 EDT Daily Climate http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/04/120402144930.htm Chemists have analyzed the isotopic composition of nitrous oxide -- a greenhouse and ozone-destroying gas - in air samples from as far back as 1940 and found the fingerprint of nitrogen-based fertilizer. This fingerprint proves definitively that the 20 percent increase in atmospheric nitrogen since the Industrial Revolution is largely due to the Green Revolution, when use of synthetic fertilizers ramped up. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/04/120402144930.htm 03 Apr 2012 00:21 EDT ScienceDaily: Global Warming News http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/04/120402124442.htm A series of global warming events called hyperthermals that occurred more than 50 million years ago had a similar origin to a much larger hyperthermal of the period, the Pelaeocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum (PETM), new research has found. The findings represent a breakthrough in understanding the major "burp" of carbon, equivalent to burning the entire reservoir of fossil fuels on Earth, that occurred during the PETM. The work confirms that the PETM was not a unique event - the result, perhaps, of a meteorite strike - but a natural part of Earth's carbon cycle. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/04/120402124442.htm 03 Apr 2012 00:10 EDT ScienceDaily: Global Warming News http://sustainablearlington.org/sa15/sa-blog/climate-change-news _ Monday News Below _ http://sustainablearlington.org/sa15/sa-blog/global-warming-news?start=647 02 Apr 2012 20:00 EDT Sustainable Arlington http://thinkprogress.org/romm/2012/04/02/456268/heat-stroke-house-energy-action-plan-reads-like-a-bad-april-fools-joke/ Last May, Think Progress reported on the creation of a House Energy Action Team (HEAT), a group of more than two dozen House Republicans pushing an "all of the above" approach to energy. But it should really be called an "all of the below" strategy -- as it focuses exclusively on carbon-based fuels buried in the ground. HEAT has just released its latest messaging plan for House Republicans to use while working in their districts on recess this summer. It's no surprise that the plan calls for greater domestic use of fossil fuels. But the document reveals just how disconnected Washington politicians are from what scientists are telling us about global warming. http://thinkprogress.org/romm/2012/04/02/456268/heat-stroke-house-energy-action-plan-reads-like-a-bad-april-fools-joke/ 02 Apr 2012 10:70 EDT Climate Progress http://www.wunderground.com/blog/JeffMasters/comment.html?entrynum=2065 Earth has seen some highly unusual weather patterns over the past three years, and three new studies published this year point to Arctic sea loss as a potential important driver of some of these strange weather patterns. http://www.wunderground.com/blog/JeffMasters/comment.html?entrynum=2065 02 Apr 2012 10:60 EDT Dr. Jeff Masters' WunderBlog http://www.greencarcongress.com/2012/04/epabc-20120402.html The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has submitted its final Report to Congress on Black Carbon, in response to an October 2009 request from Congress to advance efforts to understand the role of black carbon (BC) in climate change. The EPA report concluded that, despite some remaining uncertainties about BC that require further research (such as the sign--i.e., positive or negative--and magnitude of net climate forcing from BC emissions), currently available scientific and technical information provides a strong foundation for making mitigation decisions to achieve lasting benefits for public health, the environment, and climate. http://www.greencarcongress.com/2012/04/epabc-20120402.html 02 Apr 2012 10:50 EDT Green Car Congress http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/amid-fragile-recovery-threatened-by-high-energy-prices-obama-convenes-north-american-leaders/2012/04/02/gIQAHdZJqS_story.html President Barack Obama is convening a summit with leaders from Mexico and Canada on Monday that aims to boost a fragile recovery and grapple with thorny energy issues against a backdrop of painfully high gas prices. http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/amid-fragile-recovery-threatened-by-high-energy-prices-obama-convenes-north-american-leaders/2012/04/02/gIQAHdZJqS_story.html 02 Apr 2012 10:40 EDT Climate Progress http://e360.yale.edu/feature/bill_mckibben_on_keystone_congress_and_big-oil_money/2512/ Author/activist Bill McKibben says environmentalists cannot ease up after their recent victory in the fight against the Keystone XL pipeline. In a conversation with Yale Environment 360 contributor Elizabeth Kolbert, he talks about what he's learned about the power of the fossil fuel industry -- and why the battle over Keystone is far from over. - by Elizabeth Kolbert http://e360.yale.edu/feature/bill_mckibben_on_keystone_congress_and_big-oil_money/2512/ 02 Apr 2012 10:31 EDT Yale Environment 360 http://www.desmogblog.com/investors-no-more-flaring-fracked-oil-and-gas-bakken-shale We are a group of 37 investors, representing $500 billion in total assets, who are concerned about the financial risks associated with the flaring of natural gas that has accompanied fast-proliferating oil production from shale formations in North Dakota, Texas and elsewhere in the U.S. We are concerned that excessive flaring, because of its impact on air quality and climate change, poses significant risks for the companies involved, and for the industry at large, ultimately threatening the industry's license to operate. http://www.desmogblog.com/investors-no-more-flaring-fracked-oil-and-gas-bakken-shale 02 Apr 2012 00:20 EDT DeSmogBlog - Clearing the PR Pollution that Clouds Climate Science http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/04/120401135345.htm A new study contrasting ocean temperature readings of the 1870s with temperatures of the modern seas reveals an upward trend of global ocean warming spanning at least 100 years. The research shows a .33-degree Celsius (.59-degree Fahrenheit) average increase in the upper portions of the ocean to 700 meters (2,300 feet) depth. Modern data is derived from the international Argo program. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/04/120401135345.htm 02 Apr 2012 00:10 EDT ScienceDaily: Global Warming News http://sustainablearlington.org/sa15/sa-blog/climate-change-news _ Sunday News Below _ http://sustainablearlington.org/sa15/sa-blog/global-warming-news?start=646 01 Apr 2012 20:00 EDT Sustainable Arlington http://grist.org/news-2/we-lost-eco-warriors-green-stars-throw-in-towel/ More signs that the movement to stop global warming has run out of gas emerged yesterday as Bill McKibben, the 350.org founder and Keystone XL Pipeline opponent, announced that he was hanging up his hat. The surprise retirement capped a hectic week for the environmental movement, during which one leader after another declared they were giving up on the cause (this April Fools Day). http://grist.org/news-2/we-lost-eco-warriors-green-stars-throw-in-towel/ 01 Apr 2012 10:50 EDT Grist - the latest from Grist http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/03/120330123218.htm The decline of Caribbean coral reefs has been linked to the recent effects of human-induced climate change. However, new research suggests an even earlier cause. The bad news -- humans are still to blame. The good news -- relatively simple policy changes regarding land use and fishing activity can hinder further coral reef decline. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/03/120330123218.htm 01 Apr 2012 10:41 EDT ScienceDaily: Global Warming News http://e360.yale.edu/feature/us_fossil_fuel_boom_dims_glow_of_clean_energy/2511/ A surge in gas and oil drilling in the U.S. is helping drive the economic recovery and is enhancing energy security. But as the situation in Ohio shows, cheaper energy prices and the focus on fossil fuels has been bad news for the renewable energy industry. http://e360.yale.edu/feature/us_fossil_fuel_boom_dims_glow_of_clean_energy/2511/ 01 Apr 2012 00:30 EDT Yale Environment 360 http://thinkprogress.org/romm/2012/03/31/455464/renewable-energy-backed-securities-coming-soon-to-a-solar-system-near-you/ At its core, a solar system is a piece of equipment that generates a steady, relatively predictable stream of electricity over a 20- to 30-year period, with a dollar value attached to each electron produced. So why can't we simply bundle up electricity purchases from PV systems and "securitize" them like we do with movie ticket sales? It turns out there are a number of reasons, mostly related to investor risk and a lack of data on rooftop solar. RMI's solar team is currently working with industry to address these various risks and help distributed solar PV developers access currently inaccessible financial markets. http://thinkprogress.org/romm/2012/03/31/455464/renewable-energy-backed-securities-coming-soon-to-a-solar-system-near-you/ 01 Apr 2012 00:20 EDT Climate Progress http://www.greencarcongress.com/2012/03/smartdrive-20120331.html Transit fleets could reduce fuel consumption on average by as much as 18.7% by engaging in fuel-efficient, eco-driving best practices, according to a Public Transit Fuel Efficiency Study released by SmartDrive Systems, a provider of fleet management and driver safety systems and services. http://www.greencarcongress.com/2012/03/smartdrive-20120331.html 01 Apr 2012 00:10 EDT Green Car Congress