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A modern-day Cassandra
Thoughts on the 20th anniversary of James Hansen's historic Congressional testimony |
Representative Ed Markey |
23 Jun 2008 |
Gristmill |
| In Greek mythology, Cassandra was given the gift of prophecy -- of seeing the future. But she was also cursed to have no one believe her. For far too many years, Dr. James Hansen has been a modern-day Cassandra. Gifted with a scientific training that allowed him to see the forces at work that are warming the planet, for too many years he was also not believed by many who chose to ignore or deny the scientific reality of global warming. Today, it is my pleas ... |
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| Topics: climate, climate change mitigation, climate science, Ed Markey, James Hansen, legislation, politics (all these topics) |
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Paul Revere rides again
Hansen marks 20th anniversary of landmark testimony to Congress with renewed call to action |
Kate Sheppard |
23 Jun 2008 |
Gristmill |
| James Hansen. Photo: nasa.govIt was a sweltering June 23 in Washington, D.C., when climatologist James Hansen, head of NASA's Goddard Institute for Space Studies, appeared before the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee to testify about his certainty that the record high temperatures were the result of human activity. That was 20 years ago. 'The earth is warmer in 1988 than at any time in the history of instrumental measurements,' Hansen told s ... |
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| Topics: climate, climate science, James Hansen, Muckraker, news, politics (all these topics) |
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Maximum impact
Will California's climate change regulations mandate maximum emission reductions? |
Ken Johnson |
23 Jun 2008 |
Gristmill |
| [This post is follow-up to a David Roberts post from Jan. '08: "What does California's climate bill mandate?"] Sometime later this month, the California Air Resources Board (CARB) will release its draft 'Scoping Plan' on implementation of the state's Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006 (AB 32), which requires that statewide GHG emissions be reduced to or below 1990-level emissions by 2020. AB 32 also requires that the regulations ... |
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| Topics: California, climate, climate change impacts, greenhouse-gas emissions, legislation, politics (all these topics) |
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There will be flood
The Midwest will suffer if we don't change our approach to flood protection |
Guest author |
23 Jun 2008 |
Gristmill |
| This is a guest essay by Mary Kelly, the head of Environmental Defense Fund's rivers and deltas program. ----- We've heard a lot this week about how the floods in the Midwest might be an act of humans -- or an act of City Council, as one Iowan leader put it. We can start the futile cycle of fighting Mother Nature again if we want to: spend billions of dollars on levees and flood control infrastructure, encouraging development of river floodplains and low-lying wet ... |
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| Topics: climate, climate change impacts, Iowa, severe weather (all these topics) |
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Climate change ideas for On Day One
A UN Dispatch-Grist collaboration |
Ideas for On Day One |
23 Jun 2008 |
Gristmill |
| This week marks the twentieth anniversary of NASA Scientist James Hansen's groundbreaking Congressional testimony on global warming, an event that put climate change squarely on the political agenda. In honor of the anniversary, UN Dispatch, On Day One, and Grist are partnering to discuss ideas the next president can adopt to take on climate change. We are joined by a panel of experts who will weigh in on ideas submitted to On Day One by every ... |
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| Topics: climate, energy, James Hansen, legislation, politics, renewable energy (all these topics) |
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A Cambridge physicist's cooling summer treat
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JMG |
22 Jun 2008 |
Gristmill |
| Download 'Sustainable Energy -- Without the hot air' for free. You'll be glad you did. |
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| Topics: climate, energy, renewable energy (all these topics) |
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A hundred miles of mirrors
Solar thermal can save us, but it needs public clamor |
Ted Nace |
22 Jun 2008 |
Gristmill |
| [Editor's note: When this post was originally run, the phrase '100 miles by 100 miles' was changed to '100 square miles,' which is very different. The article has now been corrected (or rather, unmiscorrected) and the appropriate intern flogged; our apologies to Ted and Alex.] This post was coauthored with Alex Carlin, organizer of Let's Go Solar and instigator of the recent Environment America study (PDF), 'On the Rise: Solar Thermal Power and the Fight Against Global ... |
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| Topics: climate, climate change impacts, energy (all these topics) |
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A shrinking Chad
Lake Chad now one-tenth of its 1972 size |
Joseph Romm |
22 Jun 2008 |
Gristmill |
| Satellite images show Lake Chad one-tenth the size it was in 1972, not even 40 years ago. Lake Chad used to be the world's sixth-largest lake, but its resources have been diverted for human use or affected by rainfall such that its been almost entirely depleted in a very short amount of time: In the IPCC's 2007 report (PDF) on impacts, vulnerability and adaptation in Africa, there is no specific mention of Lake Chad. But staring at these satellite images one can ... |
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| Topics: Chad, climate, climate change impacts, climate science, water crisis (all these topics) |
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I'd drive 245 billion miles (just not five billion more)
Americans drove less in April 2008 |
Joseph Romm |
21 Jun 2008 |
Gristmill |
| April 2008 saw another sharp drop in vehicle miles traveled (VMT) according to the Federal Highway Administration's monthly report on 'Traffic Volume Trends' (PDF). This follows, 'the sharpest yearly drop for any month in FHWA history' in March (see here). I was compelled to blog on this because of the incredibly astute media coverage by AFP, 'worldwide news agency,' which wins the 'Duh!' award for the month: Observers surmise a possible link between the decl ... |
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| Topics: cars, climate, climate science, gas prices (all these topics) |
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Nuuk beachfront real estate
Greenland can warm 2-4°C in one year |
Joseph Romm |
21 Jun 2008 |
Gristmill |
| A new article in Science Express (PDF)($ub. req'd), 'High-Resolution Greenland Ice Core Data Show Abrupt Climate Change Happens in Few Years,' examines, 'The last two abrupt warmings at the onset of our present warm interglacial period.' The article explores the underlying causes of ... ... abrupt shifts of northern hemisphere atmospheric circulation resulting in 2-4°K changes in Greenland moisture source temperature from one year to the next. The article conclud ... |
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| Topics: climate, climate change impacts, climate science, Greenland (all these topics) |
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Hill heap
A weekly roundup of greenish news from the Capitol |
Kate Sheppard |
21 Jun 2008 |
Gristmill |
| A few of this week's environmental happenings that I've been meaning to point out: Oilman-turned-clean-energy-evangelist T. Boone Pickens came to town to testify about the country's transmission problems that are preventing wind from becoming a major source of power. Pickens, who is attempting to build the world's largest wind farm in Texas, joined experts from the Department of Energy and wind-energy lobbyists in testifying before the Senate Committee on Energ ... |
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| Topics: climate, energy, Muckraker, news, oil, politics, wind power (all these topics) |
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A huge tax increase?
The GOP disinformation machine settles on an angle |
Ryan Avent |
20 Jun 2008 |
Gristmill |
| It seems that another way that the GOP will try to win on this issue is by painting carbon pricing as a massive tax increase. This is just dishonest, though politically it's their best bet (assuming a complete lack of regard for actual outcomes). Let's all think back to the Lieberman-Warner debate, when Bush did his best to scare the crap out of everyone by arguing that L-W would increase gas prices 53 cents-per-gallon by 2030. In fact, it's difficult to imagine th ... |
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| Topics: carbon trading, climate, energy, gas prices, politics (all these topics) |
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Big bad boom
Radioactive deja vu in the American West |
David Roberts |
20 Jun 2008 |
Gristmill |
| This is a guest essay from Chip Ward, author and board member of the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance. It was originally published on TomDispatch and is republished here with Tom's kind permission. ----- In the American West, we take global warming personally. Like those polar bears desperately hunting for dwindling ice flows, we feel we're on the frontlines of the new weather regime. The West is drying up. For example, canyon-hugging conservationists ... |
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| Topics: business, climate, energy, environmental movement, nuclear power, politics, water pollution (all these topics) |
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NOAA: Global warming has damaged our weather
Worse heat waves, floods, droughts, hurricanes, and storms to come |
Brad Johnson |
20 Jun 2008 |
Gristmill |
| Originally posted at the Wonk Room. The traditional media rarely discusses extreme weather events in the context of global warming. However, as the Wonk Room Global Boiling series has documented, scientists have been warning us for years that climate change will increase catastrophic weather events like the California wildfires, the East Coast heatwave, and the Midwest floods that have been taking lives and causing billions in damage in recent days. Yesterday, th ... |
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| Topics: climate, climate change impacts, climate science, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, politics (all these topics) |
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The Weather Aboveground
U.S. federal report details climate change's impact on weather extremes |
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20 Jun 2008 |
News |
| Posted at 6:41 AM on 20 Jun 2008 North America will continue to experience more heat waves, intense rains, increased drought, and stronger hurricanes due to the worsening effects of climate change, says a new report from the U.S. federal government. The report by the U.S. Climate Change Science Program is being billed as the first comprehensive federal review of climate change's effects on weather ex ... |
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| Topics: climate, climate science, news, scientific research, United States (all these topics) |
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D.C.'s newest baseball team: The Washington Exxons
Protestors object to a green baseball stadium sponsored by the world's dirtiest corporation |
Mike Tidwell |
20 Jun 2008 |
Gristmill |
| Imagine a Major League Baseball stadium constructed to actually fight lung disease. Imagine engineers eschewing asbestos in every form, using only materials approved by the American Lung Association. Imagine emergency inhalers at every seat, with team officials aggressively marketing the 'healthy-lung' park to conscientious fans. Then imagine your surprise, in visiting the park, to see a huge Marlboro cigarettes ad plastered across the left field fence. Ima ... |
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| Topics: climate, climate change impacts, green living, politics (all these topics) |
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A climate hero: An outspoken truth
A look back at James Hansen's seminal testimony on climate, part three |
Guest author |
20 Jun 2008 |
Gristmill |
| A Climate Hero: An Outspoken Truth Worldwatch Institute is partnering with Grist to bring you this three-part series commemorating the 20-year anniversary of NASA scientist James Hansen's groundbreaking testimony on global climate change next week. It is written by Worldwatch staff writer Ben Block. Part three of three follows. Part one is here; part two is here. ----- In May 1989, a few months after NASA scientist James Hansen declared that global warming ... |
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| Topics: climate, climate science, James Hansen, politics (all these topics) |
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Back to Nature
Nature publishes my climate analysis and solution |
Joseph Romm |
19 Jun 2008 |
Gristmill |
| Here is perhaps my most succinct and citable explanation of why 'Both national and global climate policy (PDF) must redirect its focus from setting a price on carbon to promoting the rapid deployment of clean technologies' (online here). True, I didn't think I would appear in Nature again. But Nature online asked me for my critique of the Boxer-Lieberman-Warner Bill bill, and they were open to a big-picture commentary based on the latest climate science. They even r ... |
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| Topics: climate, climate change impacts, climate science, legislation, politics (all these topics) |
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Flood money
Midwest woes a boon to fertilizer companies |
Tom Philpott |
19 Jun 2008 |
Gristmill |
| The recent Midwestern floods have caused all manner of misery: Burst levies, lost homes, ruined crops, higher food prices, a gusher of agrichemicals and god know what else flowing into streams. One way to soothe the sting is to own shares in giant fertilizer companies like Potash Corp. of Saskatewan and Mosaic. These companies have seen their share prices jump over the past week. Investors may be bidding them up because the floods represent a sales opportunity. To ma ... |
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| Topics: agriculture, climate, food, industrial ag, severe weather (all these topics) |
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The Grand Ostrich Party
Conservative heads increasingly buried in sand |
Ryan Avent |
19 Jun 2008 |
Gristmill |
| Andrew Sullivan reads this Jim Manzi post (Conservatives are going to win on climate change! By doing nothing!) and says he's on board. He then proceeds to blow my freaking mind: The key will be private and public innovation of non-carbon energy, and possibly carbon capture technology. Frankly, however painful it is for many, the high price of gas is perhaps the best anti-global warming non-policy there is. Now, why is it that the high price of gas is the best an ... |
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| Topics: climate, energy, fossil fuels, gas prices, politics, renewable energy (all these topics) |
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350 or bust
The 350ppm challenge to U.S. environmental organizations and the importance of McKibben's 350.org |
Ken Ward |
19 Jun 2008 |
Gristmill |
| Bill McKibben spoke about 350.org recently at the Jamaica Plain Forum. Coming on the heels of recent talks by Ross Gelbspan, also at the JP Forum, and Jim Hansen, in Lexington, Mass., Bill's talk completed a trifecta of area appearances by climate action patriots. My friend Andrée, who attended all three events, said: 'Hansen has the reserve of a scientist, and the certainty of someone who knows he is right. McKibben is just like his writing -- philosophical, wry ... |
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| Topics: Bill McKibben, climate, economy, environmental movement, grassroots activism, James Hansen, politics (all these topics) |
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EIA to McCain: Drop offshore (drilling)
Offshore drilling will have no impact on oil prices through 2030 |
Joseph Romm |
19 Jun 2008 |
Gristmill |
| McCain has flip-flopped his position on offshore drilling, pandered to the oil companies, and embraced the exact same strategy endorsed by the man McCain is trying so hard to run away from -- President Bush. He must have a damn good policy reason: 'Tomorrow I'll call for lifting the federal moratorium for states that choose to permit exploration,' McCain said. 'I think that this and perhaps providing additional incentives for states to permit exploration off their co ... |
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| Topics: climate, energy, John McCain, oil and gas drilling, politics, presidential race 08 (all these topics) |
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Getting a Rise Out of You
Oceans warming faster than thought, says research |
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18 Jun 2008 |
News |
| Posted at 3:39 PM on 18 Jun 2008 The world's oceans have warmed 50 percent faster over the last four decades than what was previously thought, according to a new study published in Nature. The new research helps to explain recent sea-level rise that climate models weren't accounting for; melting ice gets all the press, but since heat expands, hotter water also contributes to rising seas. The research gives ''significant ... |
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| Topics: climate, climate change impacts, climate science, news, oceans (all these topics) |
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More on the cost of GHG regulation
Short-term high gas prices (hopefully) mitigate long-term environmental disasters |
Andrew Dessler |
18 Jun 2008 |
Gristmill |
| I have been reading Sean Casten's post on the economics of carbon pricing with interest. After some thought, here's my take. A carbon tax or a cap-and-trade system will, without question, raise the price of energy, at least in the short term. In the long-term, it may well be that technological developments lead us to new energy sources that turn out to be cheaper than anything we have today. But that's pure speculation. But in the short term, the costs of a c ... |
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| Topics: carbon trading, climate, energy, energy efficiency, gas prices (all these topics) |
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Oceans rise, species fall
New research correlates mass extinctions with the rise and fall of oceans |
Joseph Romm |
18 Jun 2008 |
Gristmill |
| New research finds that the 'rise and fall of ocean levels correlated more consistently with mass extinctions than any other factor.' Published in Nature this week, 'Environmental determinants of extinction selectivity in the fossil record' ($ub. req’d) explores 'the close statistical similarities between patterns of marine shelf sedimentation and rates of extinction.” On our current emissions path, the planet’s temperature by 2100 will be more than 4.5°C hotter than t ... |
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| Topics: climate, climate science, extinction, oceans (all these topics) |
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