Climate Climate & Energy
All Stories
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The one clean-tech breakthrough that could lead to a core climate solution: Thermoelectricity
The buzzwords of the day: TE with high TZ. The world doesn’t need a major technology breakthrough to cost-effectively cut carbon emissions in half by mid-century. Indeed, most such breakthroughs would be difficult to deploy fast enough and on a large enough scale to make a large difference in that time frame. Other key medium-term […]
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A little noted provision of the new Farm Bill
The federal Farm Bill that was passed and signed into law in June contains a little noted provision directing the USDA to establish a framework that would facilitate participation of farmers and landowners in emerging environmental services markets. At a time when the American market system seems to be collapsing all around us, how should […]
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Two reasons climate/energy policy assessments frequently undercount benefits
I forgot two other things I wanted to note about the CARB study showing that California’s climate program will positively benefit the economy and public health. First, and crucially, the press release notes that "the bulk of the economic benefits are the result of investments in energy efficiency that more than pay for themselves over […]
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Climate-wise, August was a pretty dull month
Last month, NOAA’s National Climatic Data Center reported, “the globally-averaged combined land and sea surface temperature was … the ninth warmest for the January-July year-to-date period” (out of 129 years), as I reported here. The first seven months of the year were +0.45°C (+0.81°F) warmer than the 1961-1990 average. Now here’s the shocking news. The […]
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Despite cooler weather, Arctic ice retreat just misses last year’s mark
Although “This year was cooler and other weather conditions weren’t as bad” as last year, the Arctic sea-ice minimum came within 150,000 square miles of last year’s record decline. This is clear evidence that last year was no fluke and that human-caused global warming has become a major — if not the dominant — driver […]
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Is the American Physical Society a crack in the climate change consensus?
(Part of the How to Talk to a Climate Skeptic guide) Objection: The American Physical Society with tens of thousands of member scientists no longer believes that the science of global warming is conclusive. So what about that so called consensus? Answer: The APS has not reversed its position on climate change: Emissions of greenhouse […]
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Passing the buck or paying the piper
We have just gone through a period in the U.S. when very little new public infrastructure was built (with the exception of wired and wireless telecommunications infrastructure). Led by a generation and a half of politicians and economic theorists — as well as our own inclinations — Americans have become used to believing that a […]
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Oldest Utah newspaper: Bark-beetle driven wildfires comprise a vicious climate cycle
Deseret News, owned by the Mormon Church and “usually described as moderate to conservative” may have begun the slow march toward climate reality. A story this month titled, “Bark beetles are feasting on Utah forests” begins: A vicious cycle is brewing in Utah: Bark beetles are killing a lot of trees in the state. Dead […]
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Scotland, Northern Ireland, and Wales are pursuing dramatically different environmental strategies
Over the past decade, the current British government has taken a crack at devolution, giving Scotland, Northern Ireland, and Wales a level of operational government unseen for a century or more. The fledgling administrations of these three “devolved nations” have embarked on very different policy trajectories on the environment, among other policy areas. The sustainable […]
