A Few Things Ill Considered

A layman's take on the science of Global Warming featuring a guide on How to Talk to a Climate Sceptic.

Wednesday, December 27, 2006

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Another week of GW news - December 24, 2006

(Courtesy of H.E.Taylor, here is this week's GW news roundup
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The big story of the week is political -- the EU carbon taxing airlines:

In the hurricane wars:

Click here to read more

This is more human interest than science or news:

The Stern Review is still getting bounced around:

People just can't resist commenting on the unreleased AR4:

Meanwhile glaciers are melting:

And in near earth orbit:

While in the Antarctic:

More GW impacts are being seen:

Yes we have no wacky weather, except:

And speaking of floods & droughts:

The troubling matter of falling food production is not going away:

Elsewhere on the mitigation front:

How about 35 million years of climate proxy?:

Meanwhile in the journals:

The Pielke fan club is in fine fettle:

The 'everything is different' theme has morphed into a year end story:

As for the year end story proper:

While on the Kyoto front:

And the emissions trading front:

And on the American political front:

People may be disappointed by the incoming Democrats:

The politicization of science theme is still around:

This is liable to warm things up for the Republicans:

The Gore-apalooza is still bopping along:

Automobile manufacturers are in court:

Meanwhile in Europe:

And in Australia:

Some of these Aussies have a nice turn of phrase:

  • 2006/12/22: ClimateArk: Australia: Minister's backflip on wind farm
    THE long-running saga of the orange-bellied parrot and the Bald Hills wind farm has ended with Environment Minister Ian Campbell overturning his controversial decision to block the $220 million project.
    The reversal was variously hailed as a "humiliating backdown" by the Federal Opposition, a victory by the Victorian Government, a vindication by the developer, regrettable by the anti-wind farm Coastal Guardians and a "real blow" by the local federal MP, Liberal Russell Broadbent.
    State Planning Minister Justin Madden said: "It is a case of a yellow-bellied minister trying to save an orange-bellied parrot."

Canada gets a well deserved rap on the knuckles:

Now Harper is saying how important the environment is; as for what he does...:

As for how the media handles the science of climatology:

Developing a new energy infrastructure is the fundamental challenge of

Insurance and re-insurance companies are feeling the heat:

Although reinsureres are happy about 2006 & hurricanes:

The carbon lobby are up to the usual:

It will be interesting to see if anything comes of this:

  • 2006/12/24: Guardian(UK): Climate change sceptics issued with challenge
    Britain's leading climate scientist has challenged those who question the impact of the human population on global warming to defend their claims that car and factory emissions of carbon dioxide are not heating up the planet.
    Alan Thorpe, chief executive of the Natural Environment Research Council, said yesterday he planned to defeat so-called 'deniers', first on-line and later at a public debate.
    'We need, very urgently, to discuss what to do now to mitigate the effects of climate change,' he said. 'Yet a handful of scientists, politicians and writers are still claiming humans are not responsible at all. We have got to kill off this notion so we can get on with the real work: protecting ourselves from future climate change. That is why I am challenging these deniers. I want them to outline their case so that it can be judged by scientists. That is something these people have been reluctant to do so far.'

Coby Beck is continuing to post his excellent "How to Talk to a Global Warming Sceptic" series on GristMill:

Then there was the usual news and commentary:

And here are a couple of sites you may find interesting and/or useful:

--regards--

-het

PS. You can access the previous postings of this series here

--

"Every time history repeats itself, the price goes up." -stolen .sig

Global Warming: http://www.autobahn.mb.ca/~het/enviro/globalwarming.html

GW News: http://www.autobahn.mb.ca/~het/enviro/gwnews.html

GW News Archive: http://www.autobahn.mb.ca/~het/enviro/gwna.html

H.E. Taylor http://www.autobahn.mb.ca/~het/


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posted by coby @ 12/27/2006 01:32:00 PM   5 comments

Monday, December 25, 2006

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Tis the Season

Merry Christmas to all!
Happy Hanukkah!
Feliz Navidad!
Happy Holidays!
Joyeux Noel!
Merry Festivus!

However you prefer it said, all the best wishes of the season to the denizens of this corner of the blogosphere...

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posted by coby @ 12/25/2006 10:19:00 AM   6 comments

Monday, December 18, 2006

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Another week of GW news - December 17, 2006

(Courtesy of H.E.Taylor, here is this week's GW news roundup
skip to bottom

Beginning with some almost seasonal fun:

The big story of the week has to be the projection of an ice free Arctic by 2040:

Click here to read more

Although the temperature is still going up:

And the European ski slope theme is popular:

Whoops, sea level rise is accelerating:

Recent GHG statistics are not encouraging:

In the hurricane wars:

Anyone with any sense is waiting to see what the IPCC report [AR4] actually says before commenting, meanwhile:

The IODP reports that methane cathrates are found at shallower depths than expected:

Stern and his Review are still being batted around:

Glaciers are melting:

While on the el Niño front:

And in near earth orbit:

The changing atmosphere is projected to affect LEO spacecraft:

More GW impacts are being seen:

Then there are the tropical rainforests:

Yes we have no wacky weather, except:

Speaking of floods & droughts:

Bushfires are plaguing Australia:

The troubling matter of falling food production is not going away:

I expect this idea will tee off more than a few people:

Elsewhere on the mitigation front:

Large scale geo-engineering keeps popping up:

Meanwhile in the journals:

Before we get into politics, there was some science done:

On the 'everything is different' theme:

Meanwhile on the emissions trading front:

  • 2006/12/15: EBR: EU emissions trading failing in current climate
    Despite the fanfare at its launch, it seems the EU emissions trading scheme will ultimately fail to deliver in its current form. An over-allocation of emissions credits in the first phase continues to subdue the price of carbon below levels necessary to promote genuine investment in carbon abatement. Moreover, a lack of policy cohesion is undermining attempts to get phase two back on track.

And on the American political front:

The issue of political interference in science is gathering force:

The Gore-apalooza is still bopping along:

While on the UK political front:

A plan for a universal carbon trading system has been floated:

Meanwhile in Europe:

And in Australia:

And in Canada, minority neocon PM Harper continues his inaction:

Continuing with the theme of local action in the face of federal inaction:

The idea of a carbon tax is still bouncing around:

The movement toward ecologically based economics is glacial:

Bruce points to big changes coming down the pike:

As for how the media handles the science of climatology:

Here is an interesting contrast in headlines for the same story:

Wrestling over a new energy infrastructure continues unabated:

And then there is the question of what people do, as opposed to what they say:

While automakers, lawyers and activists argue over the future of the car:

The reaction of business to climate change will be critical:

Insurance and re-insurance companies are feeling the heat:

The carbon lobby are up to the usual:

It looks like India is in denial:

It seems Mr. Crichton has found a unique way to deal with literary critics:

Coby Beck is continuing to post his excellent "How to Talk to a Global Warming Sceptic" series on GristMill:

There should be some kind of prize for Eli's consistently sharp and informed missives:

Then there was the usual news and commentary:

And here are a couple of sites you may find interesting and/or useful:

--regards--

-het

PS. You can access the previous postings of this series here

--

"We are certainly not to relinquish the evidence of experiments for the sake of dreams and vain fictions of our own devising."

-Sir Isaac Newton, Principia, 1687

Global Warming: http://www.autobahn.mb.ca/~het/enviro/globalwarming.html

GW News: http://www.autobahn.mb.ca/~het/enviro/gwnews.html

GW News Archive: http://www.autobahn.mb.ca/~het/enviro/gwna.html

H.E. Taylor http://www.autobahn.mb.ca/~het/

Labels:

posted by coby @ 12/18/2006 11:16:00 PM   4 comments