While this article makes the classic beginner’s mistake of conflating weather with climate, it does give an insight into how climate change may actually impact the average American in some way.
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A new report was just issued by the Global Legislators Organization assessing climate change policies in the world’s largest economies. The report can be downloaded here. The study revealed that: Legislation is being advanced, to varying degrees, in all of the study countries Most of the legislative activity has taken place over the last [...] The New York Times had an editorial yesterday about carbon pricing by the head of Connecticut’s Environmental department. The authors argue: The best way to drive energy innovation would be an emissions charge of $5 per ton of greenhouse gases beginning in 2012, rising to $100 per ton by 2032. The low initial charge, [...] Despite all the pomp and ceremony, Prince William and his bride-to-be Kate Middleton are expected to host a “low-carbon wedding” next week, equipped with all the sustainable trimmings, including seasonal flowers and food, and facilities powered in part by renewable energy…. These include printing all documents on recycled paper and using FSC-certified wood and scaffolding [...] This is an interesting article showing how developed countries are hiding their carbon footprint. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/04/110426071143.htm Introduction: When trying to pass laws that will mitigate and adapt to the effects of climate change, one of the biggest constraints against these laws is that they will have negative impacts to the United State’s and the World’s economies. The argument basically goes, regardless of whether climate change is anthropogenic or not, society [...] The suit, filed by California and others, seeks limits on carbon pollution from coal-fired power plants. Justices say the EPA, not the courts, should regulate greenhouse gases. This article discusses the outcome of one of the California court cases we were discussing in class last Tuesday. That is, the lawsuit brought by California [...] The Washington Post has an article today for Earth Day on the challenges of carbon labeling: Two years on, handicapped by uncertainties about how to calculate those ratings — or whether it’s even possible — carbon-footprinting schemes struggle to be recognized as the standard stamps of eco-consciousness that the FairTrade, Energy Star and LEED [...] Since this issue has been brought up in class several times, I wanted to look into it more and to see what progress is being made. Currently, Europe has been making steps towards cutting down on carbon emissions by their big companies with a cap-and-trade program, but this article addresses many of the flaws [...] I think that this could catalyze the concern with global warming. Apparently coffee production has atrophied and shows no sign of slowing down. This is due to a fungus that thrives in warmer conditions. http://www.enn.com/agriculture/article/42555 Here’s a slideshow from time.com showing the 10 greenest buildings in America! http://www.time.com/time/photogallery/0,29307,2065341,00.html Todd Stern, the State Department official who heads the U.S. delegation in UN climate negotiations, doesn’t think it’s necessary that there be internationally binding emission caps as long as you’ve got national laws and regulations. The full article is here. Is this another attempt at diplomatic delay? Justification to move away from the UNFCCC [...] Although the article claims that Germany has decided to replace nuclear power with other renewables, nuclear power is convenient because it is cheaper than most renewable energies. I find that this will be a tough transition and Germany will instead invest in coal or natural gas to make up the difference in energy supply [...] As we saw in the film last week, Age of Stupid, wind turbines are valuable source of renewable energy, but are often protested against purely for aesthetic reasons by locals who live near proposed building sites. However, I recently noticed an article about how wind turbines are costing farmers a lot of money in pesticides because [...] This week we looked at how values and risk assessment influence our willingness to act to mitigate climate change. This subject is one that we have touched on repeatedly, specifically when we have had the scientific data presented to us, we frequently ask ourselves collectively why people would choose not to act to stop [...] Bolivian President Evo Morales – Copenhagen. Source: Sabinabecker.com Bolivia is about to pass a “radical” new law that grants nature equal rights to humans. The law “has been heavily influenced by a resurgent indigenous Andean spiritual world view which places the environment and the earth deity known as the Pachamama at the centre of [...] This article discusses the Upton-Inhofe bill that came before the U.S. House of Representatives early last week. If passed, the bill would bar the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and California from regulating tailpipe emissions. The government officials who created the bill claim that by allowing the EPA and California able to regulate emissions in [...] The New York Times recently published an article about the cassava root and it’s detrimental affects it has had on global hunger, poverty, and trade. Cassava is a tropical root vegetable, also known as yucca, and it is grown in temperate regions in Asia, Africa, South America, and the Caribbean. Besides being a food [...] As of April 1st, an injunction filed by the Save the Peaks Coalition was denied by the 9th circuit U.S Courts Appeal. The injunction regarded the environmental impacts of snow making at Flagstaff resorts. Given our discussion last week, snow making can have serious impacts on the environment. Although the U.S. Forest Service supports [...] This article reports a study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences that argues that at the current rate of urban growth, 993 million people are expected to be left without enough water to survive with climate change adding an additional 100 million. The author delves into detail about the projected [...] Here’s a short video that talks about a two year trial on fuel efficient homes in England. They’re supposed to be carbon neutral but we won’t know how well they work for a few years since they’ll have people living in the homes for 2 years in order to collect data and then a [...] This article discusses recent calculations done by scientists on the rate of glacial melt in the Patagonia region of Argentina. The scientists looked at the largest extend of the glaciers during the Little Ice Age and then compared that to the current location of the Glaciers. From this information they were able to figure [...] This article provides insight into the discovery of black coral (coral that are found deeper in the ocean than the coral we discussed in class) in the Gulf of Mexico and its use in determining past climate change. Some black coral were found to be over 4000 years old and were found to have [...] This week in class we continued our discussion on how to measure the vulnerability of countries and population to climate change. One of the difficulties of measuring vulnerability using indices is that there are many intangible factors, such as ‘good’ governance, that contribute to every country’s individual situation. There is also a lack of [...] During our most recent class session, we watched a video on the ARC3 (Cities and Climate Change) and learned about the collaborative publication that 106 scholars representing 50 cities came together and completed. This article discusses the issue of how quickly regions are becoming urbanized and the increase in energy consumption (transportation, heating and [...] While theories of rising CO2 levels and greenhouse gas emissions are all good and well, it is important for us to also examine other causes of rising global temperatures that are so solid in data, even the most hardened climate skeptic will feel a little sheepish for denying them. This study by Dr. Ewe Noh-Watt of the New [...] |
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