“Pandora’s Promise” is a provocative and important new documentary making the case for nuclear power as a safe and large-scale substitute for fossil fuels. There’s a flaw in the film’s approach that undercuts its mission, but I still see it as vital viewing and a refreshing new direction in a tired old battle over the shape of America’s energy future.
A Film Presses the Climate, Health and Security Case for Nuclear Energy by Andrew Revkin, Dot Earth, New York Times, June 13, 2013
Despite the unpopularity of a European aviation carbon emission tax, the world’s airlines are ready to discuss global measures.
Last week, airlines called on the aviation authorities to find a way to curb emissions after 2020.
Airlines Push for Global Measures to Control Carbon Emissions by Christopher F. Schuetz, International Herald Tribune, June 10, 2013
New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg laid out a multimillion dollar plan Tuesday to guard New York City against storms and the effects of global warming. Fueled by Superstorm Sandy last fall, the sweeping proposals for New York represent a sizeable step up in scale and urgency for Mayor Bloomberg.
Bloomberg details NYC plan to combat climate change (+video) by Jennifer Peltz, AP/The Christian Science Monitor, June 11, 2013
U.N. climate talks have largely stalled with the suspension of one of three negotiating tracks at a key mid-year session in Bonn, Germany.
Meanwhile, civil society organisations claim the controversial issue of “carbon farming” has been pushed back onto the agenda after African nations objected to the use of their lands to absorb carbon emissions.
“Carbon Farming” Makes Waves at Stalled Bonn Talks by Stephen Leahy, International Press Service (IPS), June
Books denying climate change evidence are a potent means of manufacturing uncertainty. Most are linked to conservative think tanks, with few authored by individuals with scientific credentials, and fewer still having undergone peer review.
Conservative Think Tanks and Climate Change Denial Books by Riley E. Dunlap & Peter J. Jacques, The Yale Forum on Climate Change & The Media, June 13, 2013
Emerging economies such as Mexico and India are shifting energy investments into renewable resources while industrialised countries hesitate, noted two new United Nations reports released Wednesday in Nairobi, Kenya.
Developing Countries Lead Global Shift to Green Energy by Stephen Leahy, Inter Press Services (IPS), June 13, 2013
The world’s biggest emitting nations are struggling to meet existing pledges to cut emissions of greenhouse gases by the end of the decade, researchers warned Wednesday, adding that global temperatures would likely rise by 3.8C this century as a result.
Climate Action Tracker (CAT), a coalition of European climate policy consultants, said governments are unlikely to deliver on legal and voluntary carbon reduction targets, goals which most scientists say are already too weak to stop the earth warming more than deemed safe levels of 2C.
Earth to warm 3.8C as nations fail on climate goals: report by Michael Szabo, Reuters Point Carbon, June 12, 2013
Is the advanced discussion happening there now part of the future for American voters and lawmakers?
Despite New Obstacles, Germans Still Aim for Future Without Nukes or Fossil Fuels by Peter Friederici, Inside Climate News, June 13, 2013
The world's energy-related carbon dioxide emissions rose 1.4 percent in 2012 to a record high of 31.6 billion tons, even though the U.S. posted its lowest emissions since the mid-1990s, the International Energy Agency said Monday.
In its annual World Energy Outlook report, the Paris-based IEA said top carbon polluter China had the largest emissions growth last year, up 300 million tons, or 3.8 percent, from 2011. Still, the increase was among the lowest seen in a decade as China continues to invest in renewable energy and energy efficiency.
Global Carbon Dioxide Emissions From Energy Rose To Record High In 2012, IEA Reports by Karl Ritter, AP/The Huffington Post, June 10, 2013
Virtually no one should be surprised to learn that climate talks currently underway in Bonn, Germany -- the latest venue for the decades-old and largely fruitless pursuit of international agreement on global warming action -- are descending into chaos. This time around, Russia, along with Ukraine and Belarus, are facing off with other nations and effectively blocking movement on negotiations fundamental to forward progress -- including how to provide financial assistance for poorer nations grappling with the worst impacts of a warming planet.
Global Climate Negotiations Break Down in Bonn. Go Figure. by Tom Zeller, Jr., The Huffington Post, June 12, 2013
Last year, Colorado suffered from a record-breaking wildfire season: More than 4,000 fires resulted in six deaths, the destruction of 648 buildings, and a half a billion dollars in property damage. Still reeling, thousands of Coloradans are once again fleeing from a string of drought-fueled fires. El Paso County Sheriff Terry Maketa said on Wednesday that the Black Forest Fire, northeast of Colorado Springs, had already destroyed between 80 and 100 homes. Three other fires, including one in neighboring Fremont County, also broke out this week.
How Climate Change Makes Wildfires Worse by James West, Mother Jones, June 13, 2013
As unlikely as this may sound, we have lucked out in recent years when it comes to global warming.
The rise in the surface temperature of earth has been markedly slower over the last 15 years than in the 20 years before that. And that lull in warming has occurred even as greenhouse gases have accumulated in the atmosphere at a record pace.
What to Make of a Warming Plateau by Justin Gillis, By Dgrees, New York Times, June 10, 2013
Darkening causes the snow to absorb more sunlight which in turn increases melting.
Why Greenland's darkening ice has become a hot topic in climate science by John Abraham, Climate Consensus-The 97%, The Guardian, June 12, 2013
Posted by John Hartz on Thursday, 13 June, 2013
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