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Opinions on the Fourth Assessment Report

Ahem, Scientific American, a few days ago: Global warming skeptics are already gearing up to deconstruct the IPCC report, whatever its conclusions. The Fraser Institute — a Canadian think tank devoted to denying climate change — plans to release its own independent summary on February 5, and conservative Sen. James Inhofe (R-Okla.) has decried the […]

The definitive word

RealClimate has a great post on today’s IPCC summary report that helps explain the process that developed it, put it in context, and identify what’s settled and what isn’t, science-wise. Required reading.

European NGO calls on the EU to abandon its proposed biofuel targets

A new European-based group calling itself "Biofuelwatch", on Wednesday issued an open letter addressed to the Council of the European Union, the European Commission, the European Parliament, and citizens of Europe, urging the EU to abandon its targets for biofuel use in Europe. Already, several other organizations and individuals have signed onto the letter.

The group is responding in part to a recent proposal by the European Commission to establish a mandatory minimum biofuel target of 10% of vehicle fuels by 2020.

Be afraid

There is a bombshell buried in the middle of the IPCC report. So far, it hasn't received the attention it deserves. In a bullet point on the bottom of page twelve, the report says that dangerous feedback mechanisms are a ticking timebomb, and require dramatic action now.

Translated into plain English, they are saying that we need to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions far more than previously expected -- up to 27% more -- or else it will be impossible to deal with global warming because of feedback mechanisms. This is one of the central premises of my book Hell and High Water, and there was little indication it was going to be in the report. It is a meaningful addition.

The key bullet from the report (bottom of page 12):

You Wanna Peace of Him?

Al Gore nominated for Nobel Peace Prize Three cheers for Al Gore, whose incessant blabbering about climate change has gotten him nominated for the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize. “Al Gore with his movie and his dedication and his active diplomacy among world leaders has really moved the issue forward,” says Boerge Brende, one of two […]

A Closer Look

In which we explain what the heck the IPCC is, and why it matters Chances are you’re not going to be able to turn around today without bumping into some reference to the new IPCC climate report. We’re not just saying that because we’re navel-gazing greens: try 1,624 news stories on Google, and counting. (OK, […]

An insider’s view

Over at a great new website called Terry (part of the Science Creative Quarterly), Sarah Burch has a great post elucidating the inner workings of this beast we call the IPCC. It's worth a read for anyone bemoaning the inaccuracy, slothfulness, or inefficiency of this oft-cited but little understood organization.

The title alone speaks volumes: "IPCC FAQ PART I (BURCH REMIX) (OR TAMING THE LEVIATHAN: HOW I LEARNED TO STOP WORRYING AND LOVE THE INTERGOVENMENTAL PANEL ON CLIMATE CHANGE)"

Or global comfortabling?

… or global comfortabling? Comedian Sarah Silverman explains in A Very Convenient Truth, her take on Gore’s Oscar-nominated film:

It’s gonna be bigger than American Idol!

As I’m sure everyone’s aware at this point, the IPCC has released its Summary for Policymakers (PDF). We’ll have a piece going up later today [here it is] explaining the basics of what the IPCC is and why you should care. Then Monday we’ll have a piece from Andrew Dessler on what the report says […]

Renewable uranium vs reality

Please be advised that nuclear power is neither a renewable nor a clean source of energy. For that matter, oil, coal, and natural gas are also not renewable or clean sources of energy.

Thusly does a letter from 100 groups and businesses admonish Mr. Bush for his cute "renewable" claim in the SOTU. That Bush is angling at subsidizing nuclear power under the banner of being green, though, is highly disturbing.