Grist | Topics | 33 Results

RESULTS		Results 1 – 25 of 33
Page:1 2
Headline	Author	Published	Section
The dogma whisperer A possible consensus perspective on the tax vs. cap debate	Ken Johnson	02 Jul 2008	Gristmill
In his recent Congressional testimony, James Hansen talked about a 'perfect storm' of climatological tipping points that may soon converge to yield global cataclysm. But another kind of perfect storm is brewing: a technology storm that could rapidly displace fossil fuels and restore global climate sustainability. Effective regulatory policy could provide the kind of incentives and stable investment climate that are needed to facilitate the clean-ener ...
Topics: climate, climate change impacts, climate science, greenhouse-gas emissions, James Hansen (all these topics)

Anti-science conservatives must be stopped New global warming denier article in Salon	Joseph Romm	30 Jun 2008	Gristmill
That's the title of my new article in Salon. I had proposed 'The political fight of the century,' but the editors wanted a stronger headline -- and subhead: Americans must not allow global warming deniers to block the policies needed to avert catastrophic climate change. Our future is at stake. Now that the relevant science is settled -- namely that failing to quickly embrace strong greenhouse gas reduction policies would be the greatest act of self-destructi ...
Topics: climate science, climate change skepticism, greenhouse-gas emissions, climate (all these topics)

Slip of the tundra CO2 released from disappearing permafrost must be factored into climate projections	Joseph Romm	23 May 2008	Gristmill
What is the point of no return for the climate -- the level of CO2 concentrations beyond which catastrophic outcomes are virtually unstoppable? No one knows for sure, but my vote goes for the point at which we start to lose a substantial fraction of the tundra's carbon to the atmosphere -- substantial being 0.1 percent per year! As we saw in my last post, frozen away in the permafrost is more carbon than the atmosphere currently contains (and much of that is in the fo ...
Topics: Arctic, climate, climate change impacts, climate science, greenhouse-gas emissions (all these topics)

The permafrost won't be perma for long More carbon in the Arctic than previously thought	Joseph Romm	23 May 2008	Gristmill
The tundra is probably the single most important amplifying carbon-cycle feedback. None of the IPCC's climate models, however, include carbon emissions from a defrosting tundra as a feedback. Yet, as NOAA reported last month, levels of methane (a far more potent greenhouse gas than CO2) rose last year for the first time since 1998, which may be an early indication of thawing permafrost. So it seems like a good a time for a review and update of what we know. The tund ...
Topics: Arctic, climate, climate change impacts, climate science, greenhouse-gas emissions (all these topics)

Me on a podcast	David Roberts	29 Apr 2008	Gristmill
I am on this week's podcast from PolticalAffairs.net. I'll confess when the PA guy called me I didn't know it was a record of 'Marxist thought online,' but hey, let a thousand flowers bloom. As it happens I was talking about a market-based carbon policy, kind of an odd subject for a Marxist podcast, but it was fun. If you listen closely, you can hear me stirring my lunch on the stove as I talk. Multitasking might explain why I was talking so damn slowly. It sounds like ...
Topics: carbon trading, climate, climate science, greenhouse-gas emissions, politics, regulation, shameless self-promotion (all these topics)

NOAA news isn't good news Atmospheric carbon dioxide, methane rise sharply in 2007	Joseph Romm	24 Apr 2008	Gristmill
The news from NOAA is that all our dawdling on climate action this decade is having real impact on the atmosphere: Concentrations of CO2 jumped 2.4 ppm in 2007, taking us to 385 ppm (preindustrial levels hovered around 280 through 1850). That is an increase of 0.6 percent (or 19 billion tons). If we stay at that growth rate, we'll be at 465 ppm by 2050 -- and that assumes (improbably) that the various carbon sinks don't keep saturating (see here and here). L ...
Topics: climate, climate science, greenhouse-gas emissions, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (all these topics)

The flaccid mind of Stephen Johnson National Journal on the EPA tailspin	Joseph Romm	17 Apr 2008	Gristmill
The following post is by Earl Killian, guest blogger at Climate Progress. ----- The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has been failing spectacularly to do what the law requires, as determined by numerous federal judges (including the Supreme Court). For a more in-depth look, consider a pair of articles by Margaret Kriz in the National Journal. 'Vanishing Act' looks at many of the failures of the EPA. 'The President's Man' presents an interview with EPA Administrat ...
Topics: climate, climate science, dumbassery, greenhouse-gas emissions, politics, US EPA (all these topics)

Notable quotable	David Roberts	17 Apr 2008	Gristmill
'Emissions are growing much faster than we'd thought, the absorptive capacity of the planet is less than we'd thought, the risks of greenhouse gases are potentially bigger than more cautious estimates, and the speed of climate change seems to be faster.' -- Nicholas Stern, author of the seminal Stern Review on the Economics of Climate Change, on why he thinks his report underestimated the danger of global warming
Topics: climate, climate science, greenhouse-gas emissions, quotables (all these topics)

The Vulcan Project A high-resolution map of U.S. CO2 emissions	David Roberts	09 Apr 2008	Gristmill
Check out the Vulcan Project out of Purdue University (with funding from NASA and DOE). It's an attempt to quantify and visually represent U.S. CO2 emissions over time: Here's a nifty video introduction: (via Dot Earth)
Topics: climate, climate science, Department of Energy, energy, fossil fuels, greenhouse-gas emissions (all these topics)

More from the delayer-1000 du jour Why did Nature run Pielke's pointless, misleading, embarrassing nonsense?	Joseph Romm	02 Apr 2008	Gristmill
The usually thoughtful journal Nature has just published a pointless and misleading -- if not outright dangerous -- commentary by delayer-1000 du jour, Roger Pielke, Jr., along with Christopher Green, who, as we've seen, is another aspiring delayer. It will be no surprise to learn the central point of their essay, ironically titled 'Dangerous Assumptions' (available here [PDF] or here, with a subscription), is: 'Enormous advances in energy technology will be needed to s ...
Topics: climate, climate change skepticism, climate science, greenhouse-gas emissions, IPCC (all these topics)

The biggest source of mistakes: carbon vs. carbon dioxide A factor of 3.67 makes a big difference when discussing climate	Joseph Romm	25 Mar 2008	Gristmill
The biggest source of confusion and errors in climate discussions probably concerns 'carbon' versus 'carbon dioxide.' I was reminded of this last week when I saw an analysis done for a major environmental group that confused the two and hence was wrong by a large factor (3.67). The paragraph I usually include in my writing: Some people use carbon rather than carbon dioxide as a metric. The fraction of carbon in carbon dioxide is the ratio of their weights. The atomic ...
Topics: business, climate, climate science, greenhouse-gas emissions (all these topics)

L.A. Times linked to lame climate coverage CO2's connection to global warming is not murky	Joseph Romm	14 Mar 2008	Gristmill
I like the L.A. Times. They do some of the best reporting on environmental issues. So I'm reading a pretty good piece on how the EPA administrator overruled his science advisers on the recent ozone ruling (more on that in a later post), and I come to this remarkable paragraph that shows how the president himself actually intervened to weaken the EPA regulations: President Bush intervened at the 11th hour and turned down a second proposal by the EPA staff that w ...
Topics: climate, climate science, greenhouse-gas emissions, US EPA (all these topics)

California waiver update	David Roberts	04 Mar 2008	Gristmill
Earlier this year I wrote about a new (EPA-sponsored) study showing that increased CO2 in the atmosphere is directly correlated with increased ozone, particulates, and carcinogens in the air. Since California suffers disproportionately from those traditional air pollutants, it follows that California does have "extraordinary and compelling conditions" in the face of climate change, and the EPA's decision to deny Cali's waiver was bogus. Now the author of th ...
Topics: air pollution, California, climate, climate science, greenhouse-gas emissions, health, politics, US EPA (all these topics)

The Mustache on David Letterman	David Roberts	03 Mar 2008	Gristmill
David Letterman is a national treasure. And, not for the first time, I ask you to marvel at the ability of Tom Friedman to generate a memorable aphorism for literally any point he's trying to make. He's like a savant or something: (thanks LL!)
Topics: climate, climate science, greenhouse-gas emissions, TV (all these topics)

'Stabilizing climate requires near-zero emissions' A new climate science paper calls for dramatic action	Joseph Romm	28 Feb 2008	Gristmill
Avoiding climate catastrophe will probably require going to near-zero net emissions of greenhouse gases this century. That is the conclusion of a new paper in Geophysical Research Letters (subs. req'd) co-authored by one of my favorite climate scientists, Ken Caldeira, whose papers always merit attention. Here is the abstract: Current international climate mitigation efforts aim to stabilize levels of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. However, human-induced cl ...
Topics: climate, climate science, greenhouse-gas emissions (all these topics)

Dr. Hansen to Dr. Merkel Carbon is forever -- so ban new traditional coal plants now	Joseph Romm	24 Jan 2008	Gristmill
Another clear statement (PDF) from the nation's top climate scientist on the scientific need for a dramatic change in global coal policy -- this time addressed to the German chancellor, a fellow physicist. He points out that: The fact that energy and climate advisors, in Germany, the United States, and elsewhere, do not understand the problem is starkly illustrated by repetition of goals to reduce CO2 emissions by a percentage (say 40% by 2020, 80% by 2050, or o ...
Topics: Angela Merkel, climate, climate science, energy, greenhouse-gas emissions, international politics, James Hansen, politics (all these topics)

Parting company with McKibben and, maybe, Hansen What is the safe upper limit for atmospheric CO2?	Joseph Romm	31 Dec 2007	Gristmill
The nation's top climate scientist, NASA's James Hansen, apparently now believes 'the safe upper limit for atmospheric CO2 is no more than 350 ppm,' according to an op-ed by the great environmental writer Bill McKibben. Yet while preindustrial levels were 280, we're now already at more than 380 and rising 2 ppm a year! Like many people, in the 1990s I believed 550 was the target needed to avoid climate catastrophe -- but now it's clear that: 550 ppm would lea ...
Topics: Bill McKibben, climate, climate science, greenhouse-gas emissions, James Hansen (all these topics)

Report from the World Meteorological Organization CO2 levels hit new record in 2006	Joseph Romm	28 Nov 2007	Gristmill
The World Meteorological Organization (WMO), in its new 2006 Greenhouse Gas Bulletin, reports: In 2006, globally averaged concentrations of carbon dioxide (CO2) in the atmosphere reached their highest levels ever recorded ... 381.2 parts per million (ppm), up 0.53 per cent from 379.2 ppm in 2005. Note this is a one-year rise of 2.0 ppm, continuing the accelerated trend of the past decade, which is due to increases in global economic activity and carbon intensity ...
Topics: climate, climate science, greenhouse-gas emissions (all these topics)

Everything But the Ocean Sink World's oceans sequestering less CO2 than expected		22 Oct 2007	News
Posted at 11:55 AM on 22 Oct 2007 The world's oceans appear to be sequestering far less carbon dioxide than one would hope, says a new study. CO2 soakage by the north Atlantic Ocean has lessened dramatically in the last decade. "The speed and size of the change show that we cannot take for granted the ocean sink for the carbon dioxide," says one researcher. What we can take for granted: a continuing slew o ...
Topics: carbon sequestration, climate, climate science, greenhouse-gas emissions, news, oceans (all these topics)

Beyond the worst-case scenario Level of GHG emissions may be much higher than predicted	John McGrath	11 Oct 2007	Gristmill
There are those who argue that it's irresponsible or alarmist to argue that there will be any climate change effects beyond those cited by the IPCC. I wonder what they'll make of this: Worldwide economic growth has accelerated the level of greenhouse gas emissions to a dangerous threshold scientists had not expected for another decade, according to a leading Australian climate change expert. Tim Flannery told Australian Broadcasting Corp. that an upcoming rep ...
Topics: climate, climate science, greenhouse-gas emissions (all these topics)

A methane feedback from the past strikes again Bogs, not oceans, may have been the source of an increase in atmospheric methane	Joseph Romm	21 Sep 2007	Gristmill
What triggered the Palaeocene-Eocene thermal maximum (PETM) about 55 million years ago, which saw the fastest period of warming documented in Earth's geological history? The PETM is associated with a rapid rise in greenhouse gases, particularly methane -- but the big question is where did the methane come from? The most common answer has been the ocean (methane hydrates), but new research in Nature ($ub. req'd) casts doubt on the ocean theory -- instead finding chem ...
Topics: climate, climate science, greenhouse-gas emissions (all these topics)

It's raining in Death Valley Or is that geoengineering at work?	Maywa Montenegro	06 Jun 2007	Gristmill
A new study shows that geoengineering should work. Just not exactly how we imagined:Geoengineering could indeed cool the atmosphere, ecologist Ken Caldeira of the Carnegie Institution in Stanford, California, and colleagues conclude in their new analysis. The team examined the impact of 11 possible projects over the next century using computer simulations and assuming trends in greenhouse-gas emissions will continue unchecked. The good news is such measures would ...
Topics: climate, climate science, greenhouse-gas emissions, scientific research (all these topics)

Uh oh! Observed warming since 1990 is greater than the models predicted	Andrew Dessler	10 May 2007	Gristmill
An article in the May 4 issue of Science shows that observed warming in the 16 years since 1990 is greater than predicted by models. Perhaps models are underestimating future climate change. That would be bad news. 'Recent Climate Observations Compared to Projections' We present recent observed climate trends for carbon dioxide concentration, global mean air temperature, and global sea level, and we compare these trends to previous model projections as summa ...
Topics: climate, climate science, greenhouse-gas emissions, IPCC (all these topics)

'Historically, CO2 never caused temperature change' Not so	Coby Beck	28 Dec 2006	Gristmill
(Part of the How to Talk to a Global Warming Skeptic guide) Objection: In the geological record, it is clear that CO2 does not trigger climate changes. Why should it be any different now? Answer: Given the fact that human industrialization is unique in the history of planet earth, do we really need historical precedent for CO2-triggered climate change before we accept what we observe today? Surely it is not far-fetched that unprecedented consequences would follo ...
Topics: climate, climate change skepticism, climate science, greenhouse-gas emissions, How to Talk to a Climate Skeptic (all these topics)

'Geological history does not support CO2's importance' Just not true	Coby Beck	27 Dec 2006	Gristmill
(Part of the How to Talk to a Global Warming Skeptic guide) Objection: Over the last 600 million years, there hasn't been much correlation between temperatures and CO2 levels. Clearly CO2 is not a climate driver. Answer: While there are poorly understood ancient climates and controversial climate changes in earth's long geological history, there are no clear contradictions to greenhouse theory to be found. What we do have is an unfortunate lack of comprehensiv ...
Topics: climate, climate change skepticism, climate science, greenhouse-gas emissions, How to Talk to a Climate Skeptic (all these topics)

Page:1 2		Results 1 – 25 of 33

Stories About: climate AND climate science AND greenhouse-gas emissions