Climate Climate & Energy
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First commercial ship sails through Northwest Passage
CBC News reports: The Canadian Coast Guard has confirmed that in a major first, a commercial ship travelled through the Northwest Passage this fall to deliver supplies to communities in western Nunavut. The MV Camilla Desgagnés, owned by Desgagnés Transarctik Inc., transported cargo from Montreal to the hamlets of Cambridge Bay, Kugluktuk, Gjoa Haven and […]
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Fossil CO2 impacts will outlast Stonehenge and nuclear waste
Every few years, people need to be reminded that carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere from fossil fuel combustion lasts a long, long, long time. How long? A 2005 study by Geophysicist David Archer, “Fate of fossil fuel CO2 in geologic time,” ($ub. req’d.) concluded that a large fraction of the CO2 emitted by humans […]
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Hansen and Danny Bloom inspire vicious hate speech on web
I interviewed author Mark Bowen a year ago about James Hansen, the great climatologist, with whom Bowen wrote the book Censoring Science. The discussion turned to the intensity of reaction against Hansen from those who refuse to accept the reality of global warming. Bowen mentioned that Hansen has gotten some death threats, though he considered […]
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Busy, destructive Atlantic hurricane season blows over
The Atlantic hurricane season officially ended Sunday, marking the close of the second-most-costly season since 2005, and the fourth-busiest season overall since 1944. This year was “the only year on record in which a major hurricane existed in every month from July through November in the north Atlantic,” according to the National Climatic Data Center.
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On eve of U.N. climate conference, official warns against dirty energy
On the eve of the next round of United Nations climate-treaty talks in Poznan, Poland, U.N. climate chief Yvo de Boer warned the world’s nations against a “cheap and dirty” fix for the economy that could set back climate progress. “We must now focus on the opportunities for green growth that can put the global […]
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Is an economic downturn the perfect time for cap-and-trade?
The NYT has a piece about how the economic downturn may "limit moves on clean energy." This piece, like most of its ilk (they’re catnip to the media), is about 80 percent vaporware, built on quotes from people or countries that were resisting "moves on clean energy" before the downturn anyway. But it’s an excuse […]
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Another climate impact comes faster than predicted
Energy companies remove the tops of entire mountains. Now it turns out humanity’s use of that coal is removing the tops of entire glaciers. Climate models have repeatedly underestimated the speed and scale of major climate change impacts (see list below). That is why climate scientists — and indeed everyone but the blinkered deniers — […]
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Some final thoughts on Politico, skeptics, and the next con
Earlier this week, Politico, the influential Beltway newspaper, ran an awful story on climate change skeptics (two, actually). I kind of, um, flipped out, and Politico got bashed by Joe Romm, Brad Johnson, Ezra Klein, Matt Yglesias, Steve Benen, Curtis Brainard, and Adam Siegel. Now Politico has run a long letter by Russ and me […]
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Government says it’s ‘diffiult’ to reduce the emissions from Canada’s oil sands
I’m about to reveal Canadian state secrets: William Shatner is an overacting jerk. The tar sands are an unfixable climate disaster. Lock me up in Gitmo! Or wherever the Canadian version of that hellhole is. I’m guessing Athabasca. The Onion CBC News reports: CBC News has obtained a government document that says reducing greenhouse gases […]
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Vatican goes solar
The 2,400 solar panels covering the roof of a giant concert hall in the Vatican were activated on Wednesday. And seeing that now the pope is open to solar systems, Galileo shook his fist in his grave.
