‘Climate’ Archives
Robert Watson: “There is no doubt that the evidence for human-induced climate change is irrefutable.” – Former chair says IPCC must acknowledge mistakes and "consider shorter reports focused on the key issues," but "In many cases, the IPCC is very conservative in its statements, e.g., the projections of sea level rise."
All major emitters of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases need to rapidly and cost-effectively transition to a low-carbon economy, in both the production and use of energy and the management of forests and agricultural lands. In order to ensure food, water, and human security, and to protect the world’s biodiversity, the goal should be to [...]
A mistaken message from IoP?
The Institute of Physics (IoP) recently made a splash in the media through a statement about the implications of the e-mails stolen in the CRU hack. A couple of articles in the Guardian report how this statement was submitted to an inquiry into the CRU hack and provide some background. The statement calls for increased transparency, and expresses [...]
Arctic Methane on the Move?
Methane is like the radical wing of the carbon cycle, in today’s atmosphere a stronger greenhouse gas per molecule than CO2, and an atmospheric concentration that can change more quickly than CO2 can. There has been a lot of press coverage of a new paper in Science this week called “Extensive methane venting to the atmosphere from [...]
Can we restore U.S. leadership in solar manufacturing?
The United States created the solar cell industry and literally launched it into space 50 years ago. Solar PV is going to be one of the largest job-creating industries of the century, projected to grow “from a $20 billion industry in 2007 to $74 billion by 2017” (see “Invented here, sold there”). But thanks to conservative opposition to [...]
The Heritage Foundation loses its grip on reality, calls science ‘magic’
The Heritage Foundation, a once-influential conservative think tank, has long had extreme views (see “Heritage even opposes energy efficiency“). Now it has completely lost its grip on reality, comparing the IPCC’s scientific work to what a magician at a children’s party does (!), as explained in this Wonk Room [...]
When it comes to winning the clean energy race, is the US already ‘out of the running?’
In a new report, “Out of the Running?” America Progress’s Kate Gordon , Julian L. Wong, and JT McLain explain how Germany, Spain, and China are seizing the clean energy opportunity and why the United States risks getting left behind. The below video and memo summarize their findings, but you can download the full report here [...]
Getting to the bottom of natural gas fracking
There appears to be a lot more natural gas than previously thought. And that could have huge implications for low-cost CO2 emissions reductions in the near term, if we pass a climate and clean energy bill with a shrinking emissions cap and rising price, as I discuss here. But can the gas be developed in an environmentally responsible [...]
Climate change commitments
There is an interesting letter in Nature Geoscience this month on what climate changes we have actually already committed ourselves to. The letter, by Mathews and Weaver (sub. reqd.), makes the valid point that there are both climatic and societal inertias to consider. Their figure neatly demonstrates the different issues: The upper line is [...]
Progress Energy abandons dirty coal front group
This is a Think Progress repost Utility giant Progress Energy is the latest in a stream of companies to abandon the American Coalition for Clean Coal Electricity (ACCCE), the scandal-ridden coal-industry front group that has dirtied the debate on climate legislation. Progress Energy — “a Fortune 500 energy company with more than 21,000 [...]
Accuweather’s Joe Bastardi admits, “Earth continues warmest winter since satellite measurements started” and “Feb should be warmest on record!!!” – Then he invents a new, self-contradictory theory of warming
Ah, the anti-science crowd. Their much-vaunted satellite data shows record smashing temperatures (make your own chart here). So what’s a disinformer to do? You either have to tie yourself in knots to explain how a rather moderate El Niño could be to blame — or go after the satellite data. And the latter is coming, I’m sure. But [...]