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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):

But Wait, There’s More

Wal-Mart CEO announces new energy-focused sustainability initiative First Prince Charles jets across the Atlantic just to accept an eco-award, and now he’s hanging out with the likes of Wal-Mart chief Lee Scott. Is there anything His Royal Highness won’t do to piss off self-righteous greens? Has he considered biting the head off an endangered salamander? […]

Heart Trouble

High levels of pollution lead to increased heart disease in women, study finds News flash: pollution is bad. And women living in highly polluted areas are 76 percent more likely to die of a heart attack or stroke, according to a rigorous study published in the New England Journal of Medicine yesterday. “The magnitude of […]

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, […]

Now We’ve Done It

Humans “very likely” changing the climate, says long-awaited IPCC report A few weeks of leaks stole some thunder, but the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has released the first installment of its long-awaited fourth report, and the news is — well, not news, thanks to those meddling leakers. But let’s pretend. The news is out! […]

Policy-wise, that is

As Andrew mentioned, the hurricane folks are saying that hurricanes are going to be the huge controversy when the IPCC report is released. Does climate change strengthen them? Yes? No? Kindamaybe with full takebacks? Does this consensus statement say we’re 51% sure while this other one says 49%? Let me ask a simple question: what […]

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 […]