A weekly service of CarbonEquity and the Climate Action Centre Melbourne www.carbonequity.info
Climate change media to 16 December 2009 QUOTABLE "Notwithstanding the dramatic increases in man-made CO2 emissions over the last decade, the world's warming has stopped." – Opposition leader Tony Abbott, 8 December 2009, http://www.businessspectator.com.au/bs.nsf/Article/Copenhagen-deal-could-cost-400b-Abbott-YK6CB "The year 2009 is likely to rank in the top 10 warmest on record since the beginning of instrumental climate records in 1850 ... The decade of the 2000s (2000–09) was warmer than the decade spanning the 1990s (1990–99), which in turn was warmer than the 1980s (1980–89)". – World Meteorological Organisation, Opposition leader Tony Abbott, 8 December 2009 PICKS OF THE WEEK ••••••• ••••••• Carbon emissions soar Gregg Borschmann, Adam Morton and Guy Pearce, The Age, 14 December 2009 Australia's annual greenhouse gas emissions have soared by more than four-fifths since 1990 - far exceeding the 8 per cent permitted by the Kyoto Protocol AND ••••••• Australia accused of cooking carbon books Gregg Borschmann, ABC Radio National, 14 December 2009 The Australian Government has been accused of accounting fraud in the reporting of its carbon emissions. Bushfire emissions feed climate change http://kempsey.iprime.com.au/index.php/news/prime-news/bushfire-emissions-feed-climate-change,233861 AND Green pot of carbon gold lures politicians ••••••• We Have a Real Emergency Mikhail Gorbachev, New York Times, 9 December 2009 As the climate change summit meeting moves forward in Copenhagen, it is increasingly clear that more than just the environment is at stake. ••••••• Rudd Leaves Island Nations For Dead Nic Maclellan, New Matilda, 15 December 2009 Kevin Rudd promised Pacific nations that he would act on climate change, but his key climate advisor now says it's inevitable that islands will soon be uninhabitable because of rising seas. ••••••• No time for tears in Copenhagen Bill McKibben, Grist, 13 December 2009 If all countries' plans now on the table were adopted the atmosphere in 2100 would be 770 ppm CO2 ••••••• Australia 'trying to kill Kyoto' Emma Alberici, ABC AM, 15 december 2009 Developing nations have staged a two-hour walkout at the Copenhagen climate talks, accusing the developed world, led by the European Union, Australia and Japan, of pushing to "kill the Kyoto Protocol". AND India lashes out at Australia's climate stance ••••••• Carbon Credit fraud causes more than 5 billion euros damage for European Taxpayer The Hague, 9 December 2009 The European Union (EU) Emission Trading System (ETS) has been the victim of fraudulent traders in the past 18 months. This resulted in losses of approximately 5 billion euros for several national tax revenues. It is estimated that in some countries, up to 90% of the whole market volume was caused by fraudulent activities. COPENHAGEN-------------- AOSIS AOSIS Proposal for KP Survival and New en Protocol - Final AOSIS announces their vision for Copenhagen(video) Maldives President Mohamed Nasheed is an Eco-Rock Star - Brings Down the House in Copenhagen Copenhagen negotiator accuses Rudd of lying Emma Alberici, ABC News, 15 December 2009 The chief negotiator for China and the small African nations at Copenhagen has accused Prime Minister Kevin Rudd of lying to the Australian people about his position on climate change. This is bigger than climate change. It is a battle to redefine humanity George Monbiot, Guardian, 14 December 2009 It's hard for a species used to ever-expanding frontiers, but survival depends on accepting we live within limits Obama’s Climate Position: A Lie Inside a Fib Coated with Spin Bill McKibben, Mother Jones, 10 December 2009 We have the ability to get global warming under control. But we don’t have the spine. Leaders of the rich world are enacting a giant fraud Johann Hari, The Independent, 11 December 2009 Corporate lobbyists can pressure or bribe governments to rig the system in their favour US: Who Needs a Binding Climate Treaty? David Corn, Mother Jones, 8 December 2009 At an off-the-record briefing in Copenhagen, a US climate negotiator claims second prize can be better than first. Copenhagen: the lessons we are being forced to learn Geoffrey Lean, UK Telegraph, 12 December 2009 The lessons taught by the Copenhagen Climate Change Conference. Mind the gap Mark New, Diana Liverman & Kevin Anderson, Nature Reports Climate Change, 3 December 2009 Policymakers must aim to avoid a 2 °C temperature rise, but plan to adapt to 4 °C. Copenhagen's Real Challenge: Technology to Meet the Targets Bryan Walsh, Time, 9 December 2009 There is one number that may not get discussed much at Copenhagen: $10.5 trillion. That is the additional investment needed between now and 2030 to set the world on the path to low-carbon development, according to the International Energy Agency. The End of "Developing Countries" Yael Borofsky, Ted Nordhaus, and Michael Shellenberger, 14 December 2009 Tuvalu's GDP is $15 million. China's GDP is $7.9 trillion Why are they both developing countries? ENERGY&INNOVATION-------------- Brumby cans coal projects Royce Millar, The Age, 10 December 2009 The Brumby Government has shelved its controversial plans to allow the mining and export of Victorian brown coal to India, amid fears of a voter backlash. Germany shows government role is key to thriving solar industry Henry Chu, LA Times, 12 December 2009 The nation has become the world's top leader in solar energy precisely because it did not leave the task of harnessing the sun to solely the private sector. Down in a troubled valley Royce Millar, the Age, 12 December 2009 Emissions trading plans mean an uncertain future for Latrobe Valley's battler towns. And the communities know it. So why aren't governments talking to them? SCIENCE&IMPACTS---------------- Climate simulator The idea behind our global climate simulator Climate change to drive up to 1 bln from homes: IOM Laura MacInnis, Reuters, 8 December 2009 Climate change stands to drive as many as one billion people from their homes over the next four decades, the International Organization for Migration said in a study Tuesday. Science of global warming not faked, inquiry decides Seth Borenstein, Raphael Satter and Malcolm Ritter, AP, Sunday, 13 December 2009 Emails stolen from climate scientists at the University of East Anglia show they stonewalled sceptics and discussed hiding data. But the messages don't support claims that the science of global warming was faked, an exhaustive review by the Associated Press has found. Portions of Arctic Coastline Eroding, No End in Sight, Says New Study ScienceDaily, 15 December 2009 The northern coastline of Alaska midway between Point Barrow and Prudhoe Bay is eroding by up to one-third the length of a football field annually because of a "triple whammy" of declining sea ice, warming seawater and increased wave activity, according to new study led by the University of Colorado at Boulder. Curbing emissions: cap and rate Steffen Kallbekken, Nathan Rive, Glen P. Peters & Jan S. Fuglestvedt, Nature Reports Climate Change, 19 November 2009 Climate policy should aim to limit the rate of warming, as well as setting a cap on total allowable emissions. Ocean acidification rates pose disaster for marine life, major study shows Severin Carrell, Guardian, 10 December 2009 Report launched from leading marine scientists at Copenhagen summit shows seas absorbing dangerous levels of CO2 REPORT VIDEO: Ocean acidification http://www.youtube.com/user/RepMarkey#p/u/4/U5gT1Wr4WGY Next year forecast to be hottest on record By Michael McCarthy, Friday, 11 December 2009 Global warming will resume its upward climb again next year, the UK Met Office predicted yesterday at the UN Climate Conference in Copenhagen – forecasting that 2010 will be the hottest year ever recorded for the world. Sunspots do not cause climate change, say scientists Steve Connor, Independent, 14 December 2009 Key claim of global warming sceptics debunked Black soot and the survival of Tibetan glaciers Xua, Caob, Hansen et al, PNAS, 8 december 2009 We find evidence that black soot aerosols deposited on Tibetan glaciers have been a significant contributing factor to observed rapid glacier retreat. Reduced black soot emissions, in addition to reduced greenhouse gases, may be required to avoid demise of Himalayan glaciers and retain the benefits of glaciers for seasonal fresh water supplies. DISCUSSION George Monbiot does Ian Plimer like a dinner ABC Lateline, 15 December 2009 Controversial climate change denier Professor Ian Plimer and The Guardian's George Monbiot join Lateline, after previously having a debate famously cancelled over the validity of climate science. Climate change media to 2 December 2009 Note:
The CPRS debate and the victory of the deniers in the Liberal Party
have dominated the media for more than a week, and impossible to avoid.
For that reason, this listing will not cover the issue in detail. PICKS OF THE WEEK ••••••• ••••••• Warming will 'wipe out billions' Jenny Fyall, Scotsman, 29 November 2009 MOST
of the world's population will be wiped out if political leaders fail
to agree a method of stopping current rates of global warming, one of
the UK's most senior climate scientists has warned. Professor Kevin
Anderson, director of the Tyndall Centre for Climate Change, believes
only around 10 per cent of the planet's population – around half a
billion people – will survive if global temperatures rise by 4C. ••••••• Why are Hadley and CRU withholding vital climate data from the public? Joseph Romm, Climate Progress, 30 November 2009 The
vital climate data that the Hadley Center and CRU are withholding from
the public is the warming taking place in the Arctic (see “What exactly
is polar amplification and why does it matter?“). And that missing
data is why NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies data are almost
certainly superior to CRU’s data “developed in conjunction with Hadley
Centre of the UK Met Office.” MORE ON POLAR AMPLIFICATION NATURE EDITORIAL ••••••• “Nothing
in the e-mails undermines the scientific case that global warming is
real — or that human activities are almost certainly the cause.” Climate Progress, 2 December 2009 ••••••• Climate sceptics have made their triumphant return Marian Wilkinson, Sydney Morning Herald, December 2, 2009 At
the recent United Nations climate summit in New York, Barack Obama told
his fellow leaders that ''the threat from climate change is serious, it
is urgent and it is growing''. The Russian President, Dmitry Medvedev,
calls the threat ''catastrophic'', the French President, Nicolas
Sarkozy, believes addressing it is ''crucial for the future of
mankind''. Just months ago Tony Abbott described the same threat as
''absolute crap''. ••••••• US, China climate pledges fall short-German adviser Erik Kirschbaum, Reuters, 28 November 2009 German climate adviser says U.S., China pledges lacking; Fears of 'green-washing' at Copenhagen climate summit. ••••••• COPENHAGEN BACKGROUND UN climate talks: The key players Factfile on UNFCCC, Kyoto Protocol, Copenhagen talks The 'people's summit' ENERGY&INNOVATION-------------- Solar panel costs 'set to fall' Roger Harrabin, BBC News, 30 November 2009 The cost of installing and owning solar panels will fall even faster than expected according to new research. Brumby urged to clear cloud over solar plant Mark Russell, Sunday Age, November 29, 2009 http://www.theage.com.au/environment/brumby-urged-to-clear-cloud-over-solar-plant-20091128-jy13.html THE
State Government is being pressured to step in to ensure Australia's
largest solar energy power plant goes ahead at Mildura, with
renewable-energy campaigners saying more than 1000 jobs are at stake. E.ON chief Paul Golby fears clean coal may never be viable Rowena Mason, UK Telegraph, 25 November 2009 Extra
funding and better market conditions must be created for clean coal if
it is ever to progress "beyond the blueprint" of trial plants, Dr Paul
Golby, chief executive of E.ON UK, has warned. The coal, hard facts on climate policy Margot O'Neill, ABC, 2 December 2009 So
a national climate showdown is looming. But while most of the focus has
been on the federal Coalition's contortions over the emissions trading
scheme, the Government is also struggling to launch the epic energy
revolution necessary to dramatically slash carbon emissions. POLITICS&POLICY---------------- Why Carbon Trading Is Losing Credibility Fast Brian Feeney, New Matilda, 25 November 2009 Rudd's
ETS is no different to other schemes around the world which have
achieved very little except to create dubious new securities that
speculators can trade, writes Brian Feeney The Long Road To Copenhagen http://newmatilda.com/2009/11/26/long-road-to-copenhagen David Spratt, New Matilda, 26 November 2009 How
did we reach this current impasse? And can negotiators at Copenhagen
avoid the deadlocks that bedevilled the Kyoto and Bali meetings? Carbon scheme better than it seems Ross Gittins, November 28, 2009 THIS
will come as a surprise to many Liberal politicians, but there are
still people who want to see effective action against climate change
and whose main worry is that the deal Kevin Rudd did with Malcolm
Turnbull earlier in this tumultuous week made his scheme worse, not
better. Australia's Copenhagen climate strategy is smoke and mirrors Fred Pearce, Guardian, 26 November 2009 Australian PM Kevin Rudd talks a good climate game, offering 25% emissions cuts. But do the numbers add up? In the long run for the planet … do we care? Melissa Fyffe, The Age, 29 November 2009 On a A recent Monday this month, Mark Hynes delivered a small speech at Parliament House, Canberra. Dirty business: polluters set to reap rewards Jacob Saulwick, SMH, 27 November 2009 There
will be plenty of money for polluting industries in the new emissions
trading scheme, plenty of money for households, but not everyone will
be a winner. Indonesia forestry graft threatens carbon trade-report Sunanda Creagh, Reuters, 30 November 2009 Indonesian
plans to set up a carbon trading market potentially worth billions of
dollars to protect rain forests may fail because of widespread
corruption in its forestry sector, Human Rights Watch said on Tuesday. SCIENCE&IMPACTS-------------- Satellite images of healthy sea ice prove to be thin "rotten" ice up close ERW, 27 November 2009 Arctic
sea ice has duped satellites into reporting thick multiyear sea ice
where in fact none exists, a new study by University of Manitoba
researcher David Barber has found. Rising sea levels: A tale of two cities Michael Hirst and Kate McGeown, BBC News, 24 November 2009 When
people talk about the impact of rising sea levels, they often think of
small island states that risk being submerged if global warming
continues unchecked. Rising sea levels cause legal issues for coastal councils Kyle Pollard, Geelong Advertiser, 26 November 2009 Local councils risk costly legal action in the future if they approve new developments in areas prone to sea-level rise. Marine scientists issue call to arms after devastating report Deborah Smith, The Age, 28 November 2009 More
than 70 Australian marine scientists have called for immediate action
to reduce greenhouse gas emissions after the release of the first
report card on the impact of climate change on the marine environment OVERVIEW REPORT Antarctica turns green REPORT Antarctic Climate Change and the Environment A contribution to the International Polar Year 2007-2008 Everything's dried up and communities begin to crack Josephine Tovey, SMH, November 28, 2009 River flows are being cut, and many will go without The eye of the storm Nature Reports Climate Change, 26 November 2009 Outspoken
climate scientist James Hansen has just completed his first book, due
for release in December. Interview by Keith Kloor. PSYCHOLOGY, STRATEGY AND CHANGE----------------- Climate change and the psyche ABC Radion, 21 November 2009 In
his new book, Why We Disagree About Climate Change, top British climate
scientist Mike Hulme wants to understand climate change as a
psychological and cultural force. Anthropologist Jonathan Marshall has
just edited a provocative collection of Jungian perspectives on climate
change. They join Natasha Mitchell to discuss mythology, mental ecology
and a changing climate. Cold comfort: the psychology of climate denial AFP/SMH, 2 December 2009 If
the evidence is overwhelming that man-made climate change is already
upon us and set to wreak planetary havoc, why do so many people refuse
to believe it?
•••••• Global temperatures will rise 6C by end of century, say scientists Most comprehensive CO2 study to date is expected to give greater urgency to diplomatic manoeuvring before Copenhagen Alok Jha, Guardian, Tuesday 17 November 2009 •••••• Ian Plimer's Mining Connections Bob Burton, PR Watch, 12 November 2009. Since
the publication in May of his book, ''Heaven and Earth: Global Warming
- The Missing Science,'' Ian Plimer has been the darling of
conservative media commentators and the global network of climate
change skeptics. •••••• The Coal Industry Wants Your Cash to Save Them Bob Burton, PR Watch, 16 November 2009 A
recently-released report by the World Coal Institute (WCI) on how to
finance the experimental Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) technology
for power stations, reminded me of a cartoon from years ago by the
Australian cartoonist, Patrick Cook. •••••• GFC does little to stem global emissions ABC Science, 18 November 2009 Despite
the global financial crisis, carbon emissions from fossil fuels rose 2%
last year, leaving the Earth on a worst-scenario track for global
warming, according to a new report. •••••• I'm sick of the CPRS. To hell with you all. Bernard Keane, Crikey, 16 November 2009 I
don't know about you (no, really, I don't) but I'm utterly over the
CPRS debate. It's been a long road since early last year, when Penny
Wong blithely called the Garnaut Review "one input" into the
Government's consideration, in effect spilling the beans, or giving the
game away, or belling the cat, or whatever cliché takes your fancy. ENERGY&INNOVATION-------------- Oil: future world shortages are being drastically underplayed, say experts Terry Macalister, Guardian, 12 November 2009 Swedish
academics slate IEA's report as 'political document' for countries with
vested interest in low prices; Oil production 'likely to be 75m barrels
a day rather than 105m' COMMENT The one thing depleting faster than oil is the credibility of those measuring it 'New' economy rolls forward Douglas Fischer, Daily Climate, 13 November 2009 The
low-carbon economy has already arrived on the windy prairie north of
this fast-growing Denver 'burb. It's here that Danish wind-turbine
giant Vestas converted 298 acres of hayfield into the West's largest
turbine factory – and turned Brighton into a magnet for "green" energy
companies. Earth, wind or fire Michael Bachelard, The Age, 15 November 2009 Margaret
Thatcher was an unlikely hero for a climate change movement that's
sometimes accused of left-wing, quasi-religious crusading. Is Geothermal The Baseload Alternative? David Hollier, New Matilda, 12 November 2009 Clean, cheap, and abundant: geothermal sounds too good to be true. Is it? The escape route Douglas Fischer, Daily Climate, 13 November 2009 Failure to confront hard decisions about emissions puts humanity in a box. But we have a way out. Call in the geoengineers. Feed the world sustainably by 2050? Yes, we can! Tom Laskawy, Grist, 11 November 2009 A
new study led by Germany’s prestigious Potsdam Institute for Climate
Impact Research takes on the question of whether we can “feed the
world” while preserving the planet come 2050. Short answer: Yes! Calling TRUenergy’s CPRS bluff Bernard Keane, Crikey, 12 November 2009 Yesterday
the Australian Conservation Foundation and Environment Victoria called
the bluff of the multinational power company playing a high stakes game
over the future of power generation in Victoria. POLITICS&POLICY---------------- Climate treaty delay opens Doha-style risks Alister Doyle, Reuters, 16 November 2009 UN, Denmark say strong deal still possible next month; But risks in admitting it will fall short of a treaty How 7.4% of Americans can block humanity's efforts to save itself David Roberts, Guardian, 13 November 2009 The absurd procedural chokepoints in the US Senate are what is really killing climate legislation Climate sceptics versus spin versus science Christine Milne, The Age, 13 November 2009 The
media storm over climate sceptics in the Coalition, triggered by Prime
Minister Kevin Rudd's Lowy Institute speech last Friday and the ABC's
Four Corners program on Monday night, is bringing much needed rain for
a government whose climate credentials were looking very dry. From hopeful climate to climate of despair Geoffrey Lean, Grist, 12 November 2009 In
the eyes of most of the world, the United States has again emerged as
the principal obstacle to a new international climate agreement, in
stark contrast to India, China and other rapidly industrializing
developing countries that, despite the widely held view of a year ago
that they would be unlikely to cooperate on drafting a new pact, have
actually moved further and faster to address the climate crisis. Climate Vulnerable Nations Go Carbon Neutral, Plead for Help ENS, 10 November 2009 Leaders
from countries most vulnerable to the adverse impacts of climate change
today concluded a two-day meeting at the idyllic Bandos Island Resort,
but they were not there to enjoy the white beaches and clear turquoise
Indian Ocean encircling the low-lying island. SCIENCE&IMPACTS-------------- State of the Climate Global Analysis October 2009 Australia: Climate Change Update Issue Two Download PDF at: Coastal habitats may sequester 50 times more carbon than tropical forests by area Jeremy Hance, mongabay.com, November 16, 2009 Highly
endangered coastal habitats are incredibly effective in sequestering
carbon and locking it away in soil, according to a new paper in a
report by the IUCN. World has only ten years to control global warming, warns Met Office Louise Gray, UK Telegraph, 15 November 2009 Pollution
needs to be brought under control within ten years to stop runaway
climate change, according to the latest Met Office predictions. Monsoon Model Indicates Potential for Abrupt Transitions ScienceDaily, 18 November 2009 A self-amplifying effect presently sustains monsoon winds, but it could also disrupt the circulation over land and sea Study Links Climate Change to California Droughts US News, 12 November 2009 California
experienced centuries-long droughts in the past 20,000 years that
coincided with the thawing of ice caps in the Arctic, according to a
new study. Global warming won't affect all deltas Richard A. Lovett, Nature, 10 November 2009 Whether
river deltas become swamped by rising sea levels will depend on a
multitude of factors, including the type of soil and the tectonic
action of any nearby plates, say researchers. Predictions sea levels could rise higher NZ TV, 12 November 2009 Sea levels may rise as much as 150cm by 2100, the latest figures show. It’s all about me (thane)! Gavin Schmidt, RealClimate, 12 November 2009 Climate change causing increased number of record high temperatures http://www.examiner.com/x-25061-Climate-Change-Examiner~y2009m11d13-Climate-change-causing-increased-number-of-record-high-temperatures Examiner, 13 November 2009 A
new study from the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR)
determined that the number of record high temperatures over the last
decade was much greater than the number of record low temperatures. Threats looming fast for vital facilities Marian Wilkinson, The Age, 14 November 2009 Sydney
Airport, the nation's busiest, sits surrounded almost entirely by
waterways. Botany Bay lies on the south, Botany Wetlands to the east,
Alexandra Canal to the north, and Cooks River to the west. Greenland ice loss accelerating: study Alister Doyle, Reuters, 13 November 2009 Greenland's
ice losses are accelerating and nudging up sea levels, according to a
study showing that icebergs breaking away and meltwater runoff are
equally to blame for the shrinking ice sheet. AND Greenland ice loss 'accelerating' PAPER Partitioning Recent Greenland Mass Loss van den Broeke et al. Science 13 November 2009: 984-986 PSYCHOLOGY, STRATEGY AND CHANGE------------------ We have met the deniers, and they are us Adam Sacks, Grist, 10 November 2009 The global climate change lobby: key findings Climate change media to 11 November 2009
••••••• Revealed: polluters' fear tactics on climate Marian Wilkinson and Flint Duxfield, SMH, November 6, 2009 Big
greenhouse polluting companies around the world, employing thousands of
lobbyists, are exerting heavy pressure on governments to weaken climate
change laws at home and slow progress on an international climate
agreement in Copenhagen, a global investigation reveals. ••••••• Browning down Australia Marian Wilkinson, Ben Cubby and Flint Duxfield, The Age, November 7, 2009 Not
long after Oleg Deripaska was named Russia's richest man for 2008, his
company's Australian chairman wrote to the Department of Climate Change
in Canberra with a dire warning: the oligarch's considerable investment
in Australia was being threatened by the plan being advanced by the
Rudd Government to tackle global warming. ••••••• Rapid change threatens foundations of human health – study http://wwwp.dailyclimate.org/tdc-newsroom/2009/11/Rapid-change-threatens-foundations-of-human-health Douglas Fischer, Daily Climate, 8 November 2009 Rapid
changes already underway to the Earth's climate, ecosystems and land
cover threaten the health of billions, undermining key human
life-support systems and threatening the core foundations of healthy
communities worldwide, according to a new report released Wednesday. ••••••• Friends of the Earth attacks carbon trading Ashley Seager, The Guardian, 5 November 2009 An
FoE report says 'cap and trade' carbon markets have done little to
reduce emissions but have been plagued by corruption and inefficiency. ••••••• Ethical travel company drops carbon offsetting Jerome Taylor, Independent, 7 November 2009 One
of Britain's leading ethical travel operators has launched a scathing
attack on the carbon offset industry and has decided to stop offering
offsets to its customers as a way of reducing their greenhouse gas
emissions. ••••••• We cannot change the world by changing our buying habits George Monbiot, The Guardian, 6 November 2009 Small actions allow people to overlook the bigger ones and still claim they are being environmentally responsible ••••••• New website on country by country commitments to Copenhagen http://www.climateactiontr acker.org The new website Climate Action Tracker provides
an up-to-date assessment of commitments and actions proposed by
individual countries for greenhouse gas emission reductions in
preparation for the UNFCCC conference in Copenhagen, December 2009. ENERGY&INNOVATION-------------- Clean coal unviable, says Macfarlane Alexandra Kirk, ABC AM, 10 November 2009 The
Opposition's emissions trading spokesman, Ian Macfarlane, says clean
coal technology has passed Australia by and will probably never work. Key oil figures were distorted by US pressure, says whistleblower Terry Macalister, Guardian, 9 November 2009 Exclusive: Watchdog's estimates of reserves inflated says top official Rees takes a shine to solar panel incentive Brian Robins, SMH, 10 November 2009 THE
State Government will increase the incentive for families installing
solar panels by about $1500, overturning its cautious approach to
supporting the technology. SolarReserve’s 24/7 solar power plant Todd Woody, Gristmill, 9 November 2009 Powering a Green Planet: Sustainable Energy, Made Interactive The
Web-only article below is a special rich-media presentation of the
feature, "A Path to Sustainable Energy by 2030", which appears in the
November 2009 issue of Scientific American. Forests in the desert: the answer to climate change? David Adam, Guardian, 4 November 2009 Climate
change could be cancelled out in a staggeringly ambitious plan to plant
the Sahara desert and Australian outback with trees Who Says Saving the Planet Has to Cost a Fortune? Juliane von Reppert-Bismarck, Spiegel, 5 November 2009 One
of the nagging issues in the run-up to the Copenhagen climate summit
are demands that the US and Europe provide massive aid so poorer
countries can buy expensive emissions-free technologies. Activist David
E. Martin claims many of the patents for today's low-carbon
technologies -- including some used in wind power and hybrid cars --
are already in the public domain. Solar power when the sun goes down — with help from United Technologies Joseph Romm, Climate progress, November 4, 2009 Concentrated solar thermal with storage (aka solar baseload) remains “The technology that will save humanity.” Gas-fired power plant 'by 2013' http://www.theage. com.au/environme nt/gasfired- power-plant- by-2013-20091108 -i3im.html Mathew Murphy, The Age, 9 November 9, 2009 Victoria and NSW could get two gas-fired power stations, with TRUenergy planning to spend more than $2 billion to slash emissions and provide cleaner power to about 1.2 million homes. High hopes for geothermal amid funds push Adam Morton, the Age, 7 November 2009 About
nine kilometres north of Anglesea there is a rolling piece of land
waiting to be broken open. A drilling rig will crack the surface and
churn through 3.5 kilometres of crust and rock until it hits an aquifer. The Hunter Valley town that breathes coal dust Michael Bachelard, The Age, November 8, 2009 There's
no mistaking Muswellbrook for anything but a working town. The New
England Highway is the main street, wide and practical. POLITICS&POLICY---------------- Coral reef scientist slams Brumby over 'reckless vandalism' Melisa Fyfe, The Age, 9 November 2009 One
of the world's leading coral reef scientists has slammed the Brumby
Government's proposal to export Victoria's brown coal to India as
"reckless vandalism". Coal giants backed on water bid Peter Ker and Sarah-Jane Collin, SMH, 9 November 2009 An
ambitious bid by coal-fired power generators to take more control of
Victoria's water resources has received a boost from within the cabinet
ranks of the Brumby Government. 'Civil disobedience has a role to play' Oliver Burkeman, The Guardian, 7 November 2009 Al
Gore was born to be the most powerful man on Earth, but fell just short
of his political destiny. Can the former law-maker now win his place in
history as the man who helped save the planet. Cap and Trade takes a Beating in Senate Committee Nate Kharrl, Ecofactory, 3 November 2009 Economists see threat in climate change Dan Vergano, USA Today, 5 November 2009 Researchers
who deal in cold numbers rather than warming climates believe the
"significant benefits from curbing greenhouse-gas emissions would
justify the costs of action," a new survey finds. Lifting the lid on climate change talks John Vidal, The Guardian, 7 November 2009 Rich countries bullying poorer ones, mud-slinging and back-stabbing - environmental summits can be vicious Copenhagen reality check: Gov’ts concede new climate treaty unlikely until 2010 Geoffrey Lean, Grist, 4 November 2009 Now
it’s out in the open. Key government leaders and U.N. officials are
finally, publicly admitting what they have long privately believed:
there is no chance of concluding a new climate treaty in Copenhagen
next month. CSIRO moves to put gag on scientists Nicola Berkovic, The Australian, 9 November 2009 THE
CSIRO has sought to secretly close a loophole that allows scientists to
publish research and comment in their private capacity about
politically sensitive issues. Climate talks in Barcelona end with threats of summit walkout John Vidal, Guardian, 6 November 2009 US and Europe on collision course with poorer nations; Copenhagen negotiations may continue into 2010 SCIENCE&IMPACTS-------------- El Niño-driven sea surface temperatures still soaring. Hottest decade poised to get even hotter Joseph Romm, Climate progress, November 9, 2009 Last
week I noted “El Niño-driven sea surface temperatures are soaring.
Forecast: Hot and then even hotter.” They are still soaring. Vanishing glaciers jolt smokestack China Michael Sheridan, The Sunday Times, November 8, 2009 AS
an expedition from Chinese state television worked its way across the
remote Tibetan plateau earlier this year, the explorers were amazed by
what they found. Insurance sector can't cope with climate change: trade group Sarah Hills, Reuters, 4 November 2009 The
general insurance industry may not be able to cope with the increased
frequency and severity of floods and typhoons brought about by climate
change, the Association of British Insurers (ABI) said on Wednesday. Past climate of the northern Antarctic Peninsular informs global warming debate PhysOrg, November 6, 2009 The
seriousness of current global warming is underlined by a reconstruction
of climate at Maxwell Bay in the South Shetland Islands of the
Antarctic Peninsula over approximately the last 14,000 years, which
appears to show that the current warming and widespread loss of glacial
ice are unprecedented. Incorporating nitrogen cycle leads to predictions of more atmospheric CO2 Change in climate modeling shrinks projected levels of carbon fixation by plants. Peatland Response to Global Change Changing Arctic Affecting Air, Ocean, And Everything In Between ScienceDaily, Nov. 9, 2009 Despite
the fact that summer 2009 had more sea ice than in 2007 or 2008,
scientists are seeing drastic changes in the region from just five
years ago and at rates faster than anticipated. The findings were
presented October 22 in the annual update of the Arctic Report Card, a
collaborative effort of 71 national and international scientists Arctic ice reaches historic seasonal low; “We are almost out of multiyear sea ice in the northern hemisphere.” Climate progress, November 8, 2009 The multiyear ice covering the Arctic Ocean has effectively vanished The Trillionth tonne PSYCHOLOGY, STRATEGY AND CHANGE------------------ The psychology of climate change Margot O'Neill, ABC blog, 6 November 2009 Organisers
of a youth rally told me earlier this year that climate change was the
activist issue for their generation and that young people would turn
out to protest in record numbers Time to prepare for The One Degree War Climate psychology in cartoons: clues for solving the messaging mystery Jonathon Hiskes, Grist, 5 October 2009 For
the climate-change message to finally sink in, for the 64 percent of
Americans who don’t believe in the problem (according to a recent Pew
poll) to start changing their minds, the place to begin might be the
local high-school gym. GUIDE The Psychology of Climate Change Communication (download) Beyond Hope Derrick Jensen, Orion Magazine Hope
is the antithesis of action. Hope expects that someone else will do the
hard work of change, that things will just...get better. |