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U.S. EPA blocks California emissions waiver, judge restricts U.S. Navy’s sonar use, and more

Read the news items highlighted in this week’s podcast: Iowa Hearts Huckabee — and Obama Too Win, Lose, and Law EPA: Nay Runaway Sue Doing the Humpty Dance Hey, You Got Your Naval Pierced Read the articles mentioned at the end of the podcast: Rice Versa Do They Suck? In With the New

Streets of Naples fill with garbage, Italian army called in

The ongoing trash problem in Naples, Italy, has become so bad that the Italian army has been called in to bulldoze piles of rubbish that were blocking entry to city schools. Garbage collection stopped more than two weeks ago, for the simple reason that all of the area dumps are full to overflowing. The city […]

An interview with Andrew Rice, the Democrat challenging GOP Sen. James Inhofe

Andrew Rice. No national politician has done more to antagonize the environmental community than James Inhofe, Republican senator from Oklahoma. As chair of the Senate Environment Committee in the last Congress, and now as its ranking minority member, he has waged war on environmental legislation and acted as a one-man firewall stopping efforts to address […]

Climate skeptics claim no warming since 1998

Honestly, if anyone tells you "For nearly a decade now, there has been no global warming" -- as this Boston Globe columnist has -- they simply are not interested in seriously trying to understand and deal with the gravest problem facing humanity. They deserve the label "global warming denier" for willfully trying to confuse the public debate.

Let's look at the data, from NASA, presented last month (PDF):

Through the first 11 months, 2007 is the second warmest year in the period of instrumental data, behind the record warmth of 2005, in the Goddard Institute for Space Studies (GISS) analysis. The unusual warmth in 2007 is noteworthy because it occurs at a time when solar irradiance is at a minimum and the equatorial Pacific Ocean has entered the cool phase of its natural El Niño -- La Niña cycle.

Yes, in some global datasets -- not NASA's, however -- 1998 is still the peak year because that year we had global warming plus the warm phase of the natural El Niño-La Niña cycle. But guess what, deniers? Climate change is about a change in the "climate." A single year doesn't make the climate, that's why people use a running average -- in order to show the trend. Duh!

NASA points out:

We can consume less without sacrificing well-being

Something I meant to mention last week: Jared Diamond, author of the much-lauded book Collapse, had an op-ed in The New York Times making some simple and important points about consumption rates (along with some rather silly side arguments). The basic idea is that per-capita consumption in the West is very high; per-capita consumption rates […]

Today: Christopher Castro

In previous editions of the "Inhofe 400," we found one skeptic whose only qualification for being a "climate expert" was to have written an op-ed and another who argues that climate change must not be happening because God would never allow it.

We also found some economists who don't seem to doubt that humans are causing the climate to change.

Today's "skeptic," Prof. Christopher L. Castro, is a bonafide atmospheric scientist, so he clearly has relevant expertise on his resume.

I emailed Prof. Castro about being on this list, and he replied:

Since I'm asked about this often, my "official" position on global warming is given in my series of lectures I present in NATS 101 (accessible via my website link). You are free to quote my position from that if you like.

I went on his website and found these quotes from this lecture (MS PowerPoint file, slides 3 and 4):

Consumer electronics event showcases green products

The annual Consumer Electronics Show kicked off in Las Vegas last night with tech products both glitzy and green. Laptop cases made from corn instead of petroleum products are on display, as well as devices that help electronics only suck electricity when being used, universal chargers, easily recyclable batteries, and solar-powered cell phone speakers. Sessions […]

Increased CO2 in the atmosphere exacerbates the effects of air pollution

The primary reason EPA head Stephen Johnson rejected California’s waiver request is that the state did not face "extraordinary and compelling conditions" as defined under the Clean Air Act. The idea is that CO2 affects the entire atmosphere equally, so California didn’t face any particular dangers from it. Turns out, not only is that shoddy […]

Knut to star in Hollywood flick

This 245-lb. fluffball has stolen the spotlight since day one, but Knut may soon make a big-screen debut as the star of an upcoming animated feature. The Berlin Zoo has been approached with a $5 million movie deal for the year-old polar bear. (I assume that’ll be paid out in fish and other bear-friendly treats?) […]

Canada should consider adopting carbon tax, says panel

Canada should strongly consider adopting a carbon tax along with an emissions cap-and-trade system, a panel of experts advised the government today. The panel had been asked for advice on how Canada could meet its goal of reducing emissions by 45 to 65 percent of 2003 levels by 2050. Environment Minister John Baird put the […]