By illconsidered on August 12, 2013.

This weekly posting is brought to you courtesy of H. E. Taylor. Happy reading, I hope you enjoy this week's Global Warming news roundup

Another Week of Climate Instability News

Sipping from the Internet Firehose...

August 11, 2013

Chuckles, COP19+, AGU, NOAA, Potash, Bottom Line, Coal Financing, Cook
Fukushima: Note, News, Policies
Melting Arctic, Polar Bears, Harp Seals, Methane, Antarctica
Food: Crisis, Fisheries, Prices, Food vs. Biofuel, GMOs, GMO Labelling, Production
Hurricanes, Monsoon, Weather Machine, Notable Weather, Extreme Weather, New Weather
GHGs, Temperatures, Feedbacks, Aerosols, Ozone, Paleoclimate,
ENSO, Solar, Abrupt CC, Oceans, Biosphere, Extinctions, Bees & CCD, Volcanoes, Satellites
Impacts, Forests, Climate Refugees, Desertification, Disease, Phenology
Tornadoes, Wildfires, Corals, Acidification, Glaciers, Floods & Droughts
Mitigation, Biomimicry, Transportation, Buildings, Sequestration, Geoengineering, Conservation, Restoration, Adaptation
Journals, Other Docs, Misc. Science, Science Orgs, Advocacy, Keeling, Somerville, Moelders
International Politics: IPCC, Carbon Trade, Carbon Tax
Hormuz, South China Sea, Rare Earths, Solar Spats, Malvinas, Misc.
Security, Law & Activism, Activism, Divestment, Polls, H2O Biz, Education
National Politics: Britain, Europe, Australia, Election, MDBP, New Zealand, India, China, Asia, South America
Canada, Lac-Mégantic, East-West, Cold Lake, BC, Tar Sands, Ontario, Maritimes, North
America, Post Sandy, Keystone, Mayflower, Birth Control, Coal Exports
Manipulation, Frack-gags, 2014, 2016, USAdmin, Congress, Lobbyists
Ecological Economics, IPAT, Media, Video, Podcasts, Courts, BP Trial
Energy, Fracking, Coal, Oil & Gas, Corps, Pipelines, Oil Transportation, Energy Independence, US Tar Sands, Biofuel
Wind, Solar, Nukes, Nuclear Fusion, Hydrogen, Grid, Efficiency, Cars, Energy Storage
Insurance, Other Lists, Carbon Lobby, Miscellaneous, Useful Links
Shameless Self Promotion, A Simple Plea, .sig

Get yer Ha Ha's here:

Looking ahead to COP19 and future international climate negotiations:

The AGU came out with a revised statement on climate change this week. The usual suspects are upset:

2013/08/05: AGU: [115k pdf] AGU Position Statement on Climate Change
2013/08/05: AGU: American Geophysical Union Releases Revised Position Statement on Climate Change
Statement Highlights How Human Activities Are Changing Earth's Climate and the Harmful Impact of that Change on Society
2013/08/07: ABC(Au): Climate report warns extreme weather events are now the norm
Climate scientists in the United States say extreme weather events and warming temperatures are the new norm.
The American Meteorological Society has released its annual snapshot of the world's climate, which concludes disastrous weather events like Hurricane Sandy in the US and droughts and floods in Australia, Africa and South America will become more frequent.
The report lists a raft of indicators that show a continuously warming planet where ice sheets and glaciers will keep shrinking, and sea and land temperatures will keep rising to record levels.
2013/08/07: ABC(Au): Scientists warn worrying climate change figures the 'new normal'
2013/08/06: UKISS: AGU make strongest statement yet
2013/08/05: ERabett: Revised AGU Statement on Climate Change

The NOAA released their State of the Climate 2012 this week:

Further on the potash cartels:

And on the Bottom Line:

2013/08/09: TFTJO: The greatest misallocation of resources in human history
2013/08/09: RealEconomics: $60 Trillion Arctic Methane release
2013/08/08: TP:JR: Goldman Sachs Finds 'Window For Profitable Investment In Coal Mining Is Closing', Ditto For Coal Exports
2013/08/06: BBerg: Investors See Climate Change as Risk That Influences Decisions: Report
2013/08/05: RTCC: Fund managers worth $14tr say climate change influences investments
Almost 100% of the investors questioned in the report performed climate risk analysis in their equity portfolios
Investors view climate change as a 'material risk', and are adapting their activities accordingly, according to a new report.
Commissioned by the Institutional Investors Group on Climate Change, it is based on a survey of 37 asset owners and 47 asset managers with collective assets totalling more than USD $14 trillion.

What are the global financial institutions up to?

2013/08/05: BBerg: Coal at Risk as Global Lenders Drop Financing on Climate
The world's richest nations, moving to combat global warming, are cutting government support for new coal-burning power plants in developing countries, dealing a blow to the world's dominant source of electricity.
First it was President Barack Obama pledging in June that the government would no longer finance overseas coal plants through the U.S. Export-Import Bank. Next it was the World Bank, then the European Investment Bank, dropping support for coal projects. Those banks have pumped more than $10 billion into such initiatives in the past five years.

John Cook and friends continue their point-counterpoint articles:

A note on theFukushima disaster:

It is evident that the Fukushima disaster is going to persist for some time.
TEPCO says 6 to 9 months. The previous Japanese Prime Minister, Naoto Kan, said decades.
Now the Japanese government is talking about 30 years.
[Whoops, that has now been updated to 40 years.]
And the IAEA is now saying 40 years too.
We'll see.
At any rate this situation is not going to be resolved any time soon
and deserves its own section.
Meanwhile...
It is very difficult to know for sure what is really going on at Fukushima.
Between the company [TEPCO], the Japanese government, the Japanese regulator [NISA], the international monitor [IAEA], as well as independent analysts and commentators, there is a confusing mish-mash of information.
One has to evaluate both the content and the source of propagated information.
How knowledgeable are they [about nuclear power and about Japan]?
Do they have an agenda?
Are they pro-nuclear or anti-nuclear?
Do they want to write a good news story?
Do they want to write a bad news story?
Where do they rate on a scale of sensationalism?
Where do they rate on a scale of play-it-down-ness?
One fundamental question I would like to see answered:
If the reactors are in meltdown, how can they be in cold shutdown?

A tagged polar bear starved to death in Svalbard because it couldn't get onto the sea ice. Much anguish ensued:

Harp seals are at risk:

That Damoclean sword still hangs overhead:

While in Antarctica:

2013/08/09: NatureN: Chain reaction shattered huge Antarctica ice shelf [in 2002]
Draining of meltwater lakes from surface explains sudden demise of Larsen B.
2013/08/06: DD: As Antarctic sea ice melts, seaweed could smother seafloor

The food crisis is ongoing:

2013/08/07: EurActiv: Wet weather batters British wheat crop
The smallest wheat harvest in Britain for more than a decade should get underway in key growing regions this week, as disastrous wet weather hit a second successive crop, opening the way for a flood of imports in coming months.
2013/08/07: NatureNB: Study finds widespread conflicts of interest in food-safety decisions
Food additives boost flavor, enliven colors, and stretch the shelf lives of everyday edibles. But the experts who gauge the additives' safety often have suspect ties to food manufacturers, according to a new study.
More than 35% of additives deemed harmless between 1997 and 2012 were evaluated by employees of food manufacturers or by consultants the companies selected, researchers report today in JAMA Internal Medicine.
"It raises a number of questions," says chemical engineer Thomas Neltner, the study's lead author and the director of the food additives project at the Pew Charitable Trusts in Washington DC.
He and colleagues say their work shows a need for better oversight of additives by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which currently allows manufacturers to decide for themselves whether their products are safe to eat.
2013/08/06: TreeHugger: Grain Yields Starting to Plateau by Lester Brown
2013/08/05: BPA: USDA's Farmland Price Update Report (August 2013)
2013/08/02: CSIRO: Soil carbon 'blowing in the wind'
Australian soils are losing about 1.6 million tonnes of carbon per year from wind erosion and dust storms affecting agricultural productivity, our economy and carbon accounts, according to new research.
2013/08/05: NatureN: If hunger doesn't kill you, it doesn't make you stronger
Low crop yields in preindustrial Finland led to decreased fertility and survival during 19th century famine.

The state of the world's fisheries is a concern:

Food Prices are still problematic:

The conflict between biofuel and food persists:

2013/08/06: UCSUSA: EPA Should Do More to Reduce Competition Between Food and Fuel Crops

Regarding the genetic modification of food:

2013/08/09: CDreams: Thousands Demand GMO Corporations 'Quit India'
2013/08/09: ScienceInsider: Activists Destroy 'Golden Rice' Field Trial
2013/08/09: NatureN: GM rice delivers antibodies against deadly rotavirus -- Researchers have added an antibody to fight rotavirus into the rice genome
2013/08/09: BBC: 'Golden rice' GM trial vandalised in the Philippines
A trial plot of genetically modified rice has been destroyed by local farmers in the Philippines.
"Golden Rice" has been developed by scientists to combat vitamin A deficiency, which affects millions of children in the developing world.
The crop was just weeks away from being submitted to the authorities for a safety evaluation.
But a group of around 400 protestors attacked the field trial in the Bicol region and uprooted all the GM plants.
2013/08/07: Slate: No, You Shouldn't Fear GMO Corn -- How Elle botched a story about genetically modified food
2013/08/06: GreenGrok: GMOs Revisited
2013/08/06: BBC: GM rice approval 'edging closer'
Scientists in the Philippines are weeks from submitting a genetically modified variety of rice to the authorities for biosafety evaluations.
They claim it could be in the fields within a year, but national regulators will have the final say.
Supporters say it will help the 1.7 million Filipino children who suffer vitamin A deficiency - which reduces immunity and can cause blindness.
But campaigners say "Golden Rice" is a dangerous way to tackle malnutrition.
2013/08/05: TruthOut: Winning Our Hearts and Minds? Monsanto and Big Food Pull Out the Big Guns
Monsanto and Big Food are taking the battle for consumers' hearts and minds to the next level. And it's no coincidence that they're pulling out the big guns just as the Washington State I-522 campaign to label genetically modified organisms (GMOs) in food products is gaining steam.
Can industry front groups and slick public relations firms convince us that the products they're peddling are not only safe, but good for us? Will the millions they spend on websites and advertorials pay off?
We're guessing not, given the latest New York Times poll stating that 93 percent of Americans want labels on foods containing GMOs.
2013/08/05: MoJo: 5 Surprising Genetically Modified Foods
Leaving aside the question of whether they're good or bad for a moment, what exactly are GMOs, and which foods are they in?
2013/08/05: Grist: Genetically modified seed research: What's locked and what isn't

Regarding labelling GM food:

2013/08/08: CDreams: All Eyes on Washington State for GE Food Labeling

And how are we going to feed 9 billion, 10 billion, 15 billion?

In the Western Pacific, Tropical Storm Mangkhut zapped Vietnam, followed by Typhoon Utor heading for Luzon:

2013/08/11: ABC(Au): Philippines braces for Typhoon Utor
2013/08/11: IndiaTimes: Typhoon [Utor] threatens Philippines, strands thousands
More than 3,000 passengers were stranded on piers in the northeastern Philippines on Sunday, as a strong Pacific typhoon approached and prompted authorities to suspend ferry services and warn people to brace for possible flash floods and landslides.
Government forecasters told a televised news conference that Typhoon Utor, which winds of 150 kilometers per hour (93 miles per hour) and gusts up to 185 kph (115 mph), could gather strength over the Philippine Sea before it slams into northeastern Aurora province Monday.
2013/08/09: Eureka: NASA sees some strength in developing Tropical Depression 11W headed for Luzon
2013/08/07: Eureka: NASA satellite sees Tropical Storm Mangkhut making Vietnam landfall

Flossie, Gil, Henriette and a bunch of TDs, one after the other, in the Eastern Pacific:

2013/08/09: Eureka: NASA paints a panorama of Pacific tropical cyclones - Central and Eastern Pacific Oceans continue to be active
2013/08/07: Eureka: Infrared NASA image revealed fading Gil's warming cloud tops
2013/08/07: Eureka: NASA sees 10-mile-high thunderstorms in Hurricane Henriette
2013/08/07: MODIS: Tropical Storm Flossie (06E) over Hawaii [on July 29]
2013/08/05: Eureka: NASA eyes 2 Eastern Pacific tropical cyclones: 1 up, 1 down
2013/08/06: CSM: Tropical storm Henriette reaches hurricane strength

While elsewhere in the hurricane wars:
2013/08/09: Wunderground: An Active Atlantic Hurricane Season Still Predicted by NOAA, CSU, and TSR
2013/08/08: NOAANews: NOAA: Atlantic hurricane season on track to be above-normal
2013/08/07: Wunderground: Which Hurricane Forecast Model Should You Trust?
2013/08/05: Wunderground: Hurricanes and Climate Change: Huge Dangers, Huge Unknowns
2013/08/04: EarthMag: Hurricane hunters fly toward improved storm forecasts

As for the Monsoon:
- 2013/08/07: RTCC: Pakistan monsoon crisis exacerbated by flood plains violations
- 2013/08/06: Asia Times: Death toll rises as floods sweep Pakistan
  Karachi - The death toll from monsoon rains in Pakistan has risen to more than 80 in the last five days, as much of the country has been inundated, flooding many cities and towns from north to south. The National Disaster Management Authority warned on Monday that more rain than usual was expected this and next month.
- 2013/08/06: IOTD: Deadly Monsoon Floods in Pakistan [on July 28 & Aug. 5]
- 2013/08/04: BBC: Pakistan and Afghanistan monsoon floods kill dozens
What's new in the Weather Machine?
This week in notable weather:
- 2013/08/07: Xinhuanet: Rainstorm strands 10,000 passengers in Chengdu airport
- 2013/08/07: DerSpiegel: Thunder and Lightning: Massive Storms Halt Trains in Germany
  Powerful thunderstorms struck across Germany on Tuesday evening, resulting in the suspension of rail traffic on many of the country's main arterials. Additional chaos is expected, with more heavy weather on the way.
- 2013/08/07: CBC: Storms rip across parts of Ontario, trigger tornado warnings
- 2013/08/06: Xinhuanet: Storms cause power outage in Czech Republic
This week in the New Normal -- extreme weather:
- 2013/08/06: CBC: Is extreme weather the new normal? No easy answers, suggests Canada's weather guru David Phillips
Rossby Waves? Blocking Patterns? Arctic Oscillation?
What is the Arctic melt doing to our weather?
- 2013/08/08: RScribbler: Mangled Jet Stream Delivers Four Months Worth of Rain in One Week to Eastern Missouri; Central, Eastern US to Remain Under Severe Flood Threat
As for GHGs:
- 2013/08/08: SciNews: Emissions could fuel global warming for millennia
  Climate simulation projects effects of greenhouse gases farther into the future than ever before
- 2013/08/06: TP:JR: 'American Carbon' Enters World Economy And Atmosphere At Fastest Pace Ever
- 2013/08/05: Guardian(UK): The rise and rise of American carbon
And the temperature record:
- 2013/08/06: CCP: NOAA's State of the Climate 2012: 2012 was one of the 10 warmest years on record globally
- 2013/08/06: NOAANews: 2012 was one of the 10 warmest years on record globally
  The end of weak La Niña, unprecedented Arctic warmth influenced 2012 climate conditions
- 2013/08/04: Eureka: Global investigation reveals true scale of ocean warming
Yes we have feedbacks:
- 2013/08/07: Eureka: Ice ages only thanks to feedback
Aerosols are making their presence felt:
As for the ozone hole:
- 2013/08/09: NatureNB: Ozone hole could boost global warming
- 2013/08/08: AGU: Ozone hole might slightly warm planet
While in the paleoclimate:
- 2013/08/08: NatureN: Ancient art fills in Egypt's ecological history
  Mammal populations shrank during three abrupt climate shifts over the past 6,000 years.
- 2013/08/07: CSM: Ice ages: Why North America is key to their coming and going
- 2013/08/07: NatureN: Fossils throw mammalian family tree into disarray -- Studies disagree on whether Jurassic animals were true mammals
- 2013/08/05: UMCES: Looking to the past to predict the future of climate change
And on the ENSO front:
Regarding the solar hypothesis:
Abrupt Climate Change put in an appearance:
- 2013/08/09: Grist:Climate set to change "orders of magnitude" faster than at any other time in the past 65 million years
- 2013/08/05: RTCC: Rate of climate change 'fastest in 55 million years'
What's the State of the Oceans?:
- 2013/08/09: TreeHugger: Unusually high numbers of dead bottlenose dolphins are washing up on east coast of US
- 2013/08/09: CBC: Dolphin die-off hits U.S. East Coast
  'Unusual mortality event' declared after 124 dolphins found stranded since mid-July
- 2013/08/06: ProMedMail: Undiagnosed die-off, dolphin - USA: (NJ) morbillivirus susp.
And what's new in Biodiversity?
- 2013/08/10: DD: Algae blooms killing manatees, dolphins, and pelicans in Florida estuary - 'We fear the fishery collapse may be forthcoming'
- 2013/08/09: Eureka: Tahiti: A very hot biodiversity hot spot in the Pacific
On the extinction watch:
- 2013/08/11: Xinhuanet: Endangered monkey numbers exceed 3,000
  Numbers of black snub-nosed monkeys -- an endangered species endemic to China -- has increased from 2,000 in the 1990s to more than over 3,000 now, Chinese scientists have announced.
- 2013/08/09: BBC: Hen harriers 'face extinction' in England as nests fail
- 2013/08/09: CSM: To stop elephant and rhino poachers, dissuade buyers in China and Vietnam
- 2013/08/08: TheConversation: Australian endangered species: Harrisson's Dogfish
- 2013/08/08: BBC: UK bats may be immune to killer fungus
  A deadly fungus thought responsible for killing nearly six million bats in North America since 2006 has been found in the UK with no harmful effects.
  The fungus Psuedogymnoascus destructans has been discovered on a living bat and in soil samples from five sites.
  There have been no observed deaths in the UK suggesting UK bats they may be resistant to the fungus
  In the US it causes White-Nose Syndrome (WNS) and leads bats to arouse more frequently from hibernation.
  The fungus has previously been found at sites across Europe, but without WNS or the associated large numbers of dead bats. It is likely European bats are also immune to the disease.
- 2013/08/07: SciAm:EC: Pangolins in Peril: All 8 Species of Scaly Anteaters Endangered by Illegal Trade
- 2013/08/06: Guardian(UK): Quest to save the snow leopard
The bees and Colony Collapse Disorder are a constant concern.
And then, there are the Neonicotinoids:
- 2013/08/06: TreeHugger: Neonicotinoids are the new DDT
What's up with volcanoes this week?
- 2013/08/11: ABC(Au): Mount Rokatenda volcano erupts in Indonesia, killing six
- 2013/08/10: Guardian(UK): Indonesia volcano erupts, killing six people
  3,000 people evacuated as Mount Rokatenda in East Nusa Tengarra province shoots smoke and ash 2km into air
- 2013/08/10: BBC: Indonesia volcano eruption: Six dead on Palue
- 2013/08/06: MODIS: Eruption of Rabaul, Papua New Guinea [on July 30]
Meanwhile in near earth orbit:
- 2013/07/29: UXBlog: A Breathing Earth
More GW impacts are being seen:
And then there are the world's forests:
- 2013/08/08: ERW: Insight: are we losing primary forests in the Congo Basin?
- 2013/08/08: NatureN: Northern forests rev up carbon cycle
  Seasonal carbon fluctuations in high-latitude ecosystems are up 50% since the 1950s.
- 2013/08/08: DD: Graph of the Day: Deforestation in non-Brazilian Amazon countries, 2004-2012
- 2013/08/06: Eureka: Study questions nature's ability to 'self-correct' climate change
- 2013/08/06: Eureka: One tree's architecture reveals secrets of a forest, study finds
  Behind the dazzling variety of shapes and forms found in trees hides a remarkably similar architecture based on fundamental, shared principles, UA ecologists have discovered
- 2013/08/05: Eureka: Chronic harvesting threatens tropical tree
Climate refugees are becoming an issue:
- 2013/08/06: UN: UN agency concerned over record arrival of refugees, migrants to Yemen
Desertification looms as a threat:
- 2013/08/03: Xinhuanet: Xinhua Insight: China's desertification reversed through constant efforts
Emerging diseases accompany ecological change:
Changes in natural cycles are showing up:
- 2013/08/05: TheConversation: Marine life spawns sooner as our oceans warm
On the tornado front:
- 2013/08/05: ABC(Au): Tornado leaves woolshed roof flapping in the breeze
As for heatwaves and wild fires:
- 2013/08/11: CSM: California wildfire season: 43 percent more fires, so far
- 2013/08/10: Xinhuanet: Japan gripped by heat wave, torrential rain kills at least 5
- 2013/08/10: MODIS: Smoke and fires across central Russia [on July 31]
- 2013/08/09: NASA: NASA 'Fire Towers' in Space Watch for Wildfires on the Rise
- 2013/08/09: CSM: Silver fire spreads, threatening homes in California
- 2013/08/09: IndiaTimes: California wildfire injures 5, forces 1,800 people to flee
- 2013/08/09: RT: Wildfire rages through California [pic]
- 2013/08/09: CBC: California residents reeling from wildfire evacuation
  Rapidly spreading wildfire raging through Southern California mountain range forces 1,800 from homes
- 2013/08/09: DD: Shanghai sets new all-time record (again) as heat wave bakes eastern China
- 2013/08/08: BBC: Hundreds flee uncontained Banning California wildfire
  About 1,500 people have been forced to flee their homes in southern California as a wildfire rages out of control, fire officials have said.
- 2013/08/08: CSM: California wildfire chases 1,500 from their homes
- 2013/08/08: Wunderground: Austria and Slovenia Set All-time Heat Records; Record Heat in Shanghai, China
- 2013/08/08: CBC: California wildfire destroys homes, forces hundreds to flee
  Out-of-control blaze in San Jacinto Mountains injures 3, including 2 firefighters
- 2013/08/08: Xinhuanet: Central China province to see extreme heat
- 2013/08/07: IOTD: Oregon Burning [on July 26 & Aug. 5]
- 2013/08/07: NASA: Heat Intensifies Siberian Wildfires
- 2013/08/07: NASA: Oregon Burning
- 2013/08/06: RScribbler: Ocean Heat Dome Steams Coastal China: Shanghai to Near Very Dangerous 35 Degree Celsius Wet Bulb Temperatures This Week
- 2013/08/06: Xinhuanet: Heat advisory issued for Houston area, 43 degrees Celsius expected
- 2013/08/06: Xinhuanet: Forest fires surge amid unremitting heat in C China
- 2013/08/06: Xinhuanet: Highest temperature to hit China's South
- 2013/08/05: RScribbler: Russia Experiences Great Burning: Satellite Shots Show 'Sea of Smoke and Fire' Blanketing Russia
- 2013/08/05: MODIS: Washington [state, on July 25]
Corals are a bellwether of the ocean's health:
- 2013/08/08: Guardian(UK): World Heritage queries proposed dredging of Great Barrier Reef
  UN body expresses surprise that the government did not inform it of its upcoming decision on expansion of coalport
- 2013/08/08: Eureka: NOAA reports discovery of table coral, Acropora cytherea, off O'ahu
- 2013/08/07: TP:JR: Boomtown On The Great Barrier Reef: How Fossil Fuels Turned A Sleepy Australian Community Upside Down
- 2013/08/05: TP:JR: How The Crocodile Hunter's Dad Wound Up In The Middle Of A Battle To Save Australia's [Great Barrier Reef]
- 2013/08/05: UCSD: Disappearance of Coral Reefs, Drastically Altered Marine Food Web on the Horizon
  If current climate trends follow historical precedent, ocean ecosystems will be in state of flux for next 10,000 years, according to Scripps Oceanography researchers
Acidification is changing the oceans:
- 2013/08/05: Moyhu: Buffers, pH and ocean acidification
Glaciers are melting:
As for hydrological cycle disruptions [floods & droughts]:
- 2013/08/11: Xinhuanet: Worst flood in two decades to hit NE China province, Heilongjiang
- 2013/08/11: IndiaTimes: Flash floods batter Afghanistan, at least 22 dead
- 2013/08/10: Xinhuanet: 2.64 mln people short of drinking water in Guizhou
- 2013/08/10: IndiaTimes: 2.64 million people short of drinking water in southwest China
  Beijing: More than 2.5 million people have been reeling under drinking water crisis in southwest China due to a lingering drought, local officials said on Saturday.
  About 15.6 million people in 1,236 towns of 81 counties and districts have been affected by the drought since July, with 2.64 million lacking drinking water in Guizhou province, state-run news agency Xinhua quoted local officials as saying.
- 2013/08/10: CNN: Rains in Afghanistan kill 13
- 2013/08/08: BBC: Deadly floods hit central US with Missouri worst affected
  Up to three people have died in flash floods that have sparked alerts in several US states.
- 2013/08/09: CNN: Flooding claims more lives in rain-battered states
  Nashville flooding prompts many rescues, lifts business off foundation - Parts of 21 states are under some type of flood watch or warning Friday -
  Southeast Kansas and southern Missouri have an extreme flooding risk - More than 2 inches of rain may fall quickly in Ohio, West Virginia and Kentucky
- 2013/08/09: AFTIC: New Mexico's extreme drought
- 2013/08/09: ABC(Au): "It's the best flood we've had in almost 50 years" [pix]
- 2013/08/09: IndiaTimes: Heavy rain unleashes deadly US flooding
- 2013/08/08: DD: New Mexico is the driest of the dry...
- 2013/08/07: UIowa: UI researcher finds human activity muddies causes of Texas floods
  Periodic flooding in Texas -- one the most flood-prone states in the nation -- cannot be firmly linked to climate change due to numerous dams and other manmade structures introduced over the years, according to a University of Iowa study.
  The researchers also found that tropical cyclones are less responsible for major floods in the region than in the eastern United States.
  The study, which looked at 70 years of records, appears in the August 2013 issue of the Journal of the American Water Resources Association.
- 2013/08/06: LA Times: New Mexico is the driest of the dry
  As an extended drought bakes the West, nowhere are ravages of changes in the climate worse than in New Mexico.
- 2013/08/06: Grist: Seven ways the drought in the West really sucks
- 2013/08/06: UN: Local authorities continue rescue, relief efforts following Pakistan floods - UN
- 2013/08/05: Guardian(UK): India floods: fears grow for farmland devastated in Uttarakhand
- 2013/08/05: Xinhuanet: Drought leaves nearly 6 million people short of water in China
- 2013/08/05: IndiaTimes: 60 dead in rain, floods; Karachi worst-hit in Pakistan
- 2013/08/05: IndiaTimes: Rains claim 15 lives in Kerala, Navy called in
- 2013/08/05: PLNA: Floods Kill More than 50 in Pakistan
- 2013/08/05: BBC: West Cornwall hit by flash flooding after heavy rain
- 2013/08/04: JFleck: July rain: what a difference a month makes
First, stop subsidizing fossil fuels
Second, put a price on carbon
Third, begin to reduce the human population
And elsewhere on the mitigation front:
- 2013/08/05: TreeHugger: This Micro-Algae Lamp Absorbs 150-200 Times More CO2 than a Tree! (Video)
What's new in biomimicry?
- 2013/08/07: BBC: Cactus-inspired material cleans oily water
Consider transportation & GHG production:
While in the endless quest for zero energy, sustainable buildings and practical codes:
As for carbon sequestration:
- 2013/08/08: RTCC: EU funding advances carbon storage
  National Grid analysis shows its test site can store 200 million tonnes of CO² from carbon emitters in the Humber region
- 2013/08/07: P3: Carbon Sequestration Capacity is Very Large
Large scale geo-engineering keeps popping up:
- 2013/08/02: ChinaDialogue: China's domestic agenda and the global politics of geoengineering
What's new in conservation?
What's new in restoration?
- 2013/08/07: TheLoom: De-Extinctions and Straw Men
- 2013/08/05: Monbiot: De-extinction sounds like a great idea. But there's a problem most people have overlooked.
While on the adaptation front:
- 2013/08/08: TheConversation: Sewerage systems can't cope with more extreme weather
- 2013/08/07: Guardian(UK): Adapting to climate change -- one ecosystem at a time
Meanwhile in the journals:
And other significant documents:
As for miscellaneous science:
In the science organizations:
Regarding advocacy:
Regarding Keeling:
- 2013/08/10: SimpleC: What Dave Keeling did ahead of his curve
Regarding Somerville:
- 2013/08/05: CSW: Richard Somerville: Concerns of a Climate Scientist
Regarding Moelders:
- 2013/08/09: ERabett: Heads Are Round For Rolling
The Fifth IPCC report is coming up:
- 2013/08/06: QuarkSoup: What climate scientists talk about now - FT.com
And on the carbon trading front:
- 2013/08/05: RTCC: Interpol warns of criminal focus on $176 billion carbon market
The idea of a carbon tax is still bouncing around:
- 2013/08/08: CriticalAngle: Update on BC's Effective and Popular Carbon Tax
On the international political front, tensions continue as the empire leans on Iran:
South [& East] China Sea tension persists:
In the global competition for Rare Earths and other natural resources:
- 2013/08/09: Xinhuanet: China's rare earth exchange platform to begin trial run
  The Baotou Rare Earth Products Exchange, China's first national trading platform of its kind, is expected to go into use on a trial basis in October.
- 2013/08/08: Xinhuanet: China's rare earth industry sees progress, challenges
In the solar squabbles between China and Europe:
- 2013/08/07: EurActiv: Commission rules out duties on Chinese solar panels - for now
  The European Commission has decided not to impose provisional duties on Chinese solar panels but plans to continue its anti-subsidy investigation.
- 2013/08/07: EUO: EU to continue investigation of Chinese solar industry
The bickering over South Atlantic sea floor and possible oil fields continues:
- 2013/08/06: BBC: Argentine President Fernandez renews Falklands claims at UN
As for miscellaneous international political happenings:
- 2013/08/08: TP:JR: Kosovo To Secretary Kerry: Move Us Beyond Coal
Climate Change is a threat multiplier exacerbating existing conflicts in food, energy, water, race, resources, religion, ideology ... etc.:
- 2013/08/09: DerSpiegel: Scientific Feud: Does Global Warming Make Us More Violent?
  A group of scientists recently released a paper claiming that global warming makes violent conflict more likely. Others, though, have sharply criticized the study, leading to a widening scientific tiff. In related news, it has been a hot summer.
- 2013/08/05: ABC(Au): Outbreaks of civil conflict could double as the world warms
- 2013/08/05: ABC(Au): Study finds weather changes cause violent behaviour
The issue of the law and activism is playing out around the world:
- 2013/08/07: TP:JR: Native Americans Arrested While Protesting Tar Sands Equipment Transport Through Tribal Lands
- 2013/08/05: TP:JR: Over 200 Arrested At Anti-Chevron Protests This Weekend
- 2013/08/05: BBC: Ian Tomlinson family receive Met police payout [amount undisclosed] over G20 death
  The Met Police has apologised to the family of Ian Tomlinson and reached an out-of-court settlement over his death at the G20 protests in London in 2009.
  The force apologised "unreservedly" for the "excessive and unlawful force" used by one of its officers.
  Mr Tomlinson had been walking home when he was struck with a baton and pushed to the ground by then-PC Simon Harwood.
  His widow, Julia, said the apology was "as close as we are going to get to justice".
What are the activists up to?
- 2013/08/10: CCurrents: 100 Ideas For Climate Change Activists Trying To Save The Biosphere And Humanity [Polya]
- 2013/08/09: ScienceInsider: Activists Destroy 'Golden Rice' Field Trial
- 2013/08/09: BBC: 'Golden rice' GM trial vandalised in the Philippines
- 2013/08/07: RTCC: 'Thousands' of protestors could descend on UK fracking site
  No Dash for Gas UK action group says it plans to send a new wave of campaigners to Balcombe
  UK campaign group No Dash for Gas says it plans to link up with protesters in the village of Balcombe, in what is rapidly turning into a battle over the future of fracking in the country.
- 2013/08/06: BoiseSPR: More Protests Planned As An Oil Sands Megaload Makes Its Way Through Idaho
- 2013/08/06: EFN: Nez Perce, Idle No More, Rising Tide Blockade Highway 12 to Stop Megaloads
- 2013/08/05: OilChange: Massive protest at California Chevron refinery a show of movement strength
The move to divest from fossil fuel investments is growing slowly:
- 2013/08/08: Grist: Pipeline dreams: Why fossil-fuel divestment is easier said than done
Polls! We have polls!
- 2013/08/06: TreeHugger: Young Republican voters won't support climate denial, poll finds
Regarding Water Politics and Business; See also:
Regarding science education:
- 2013/08/08: WFPL: Kentucky Education Officials OK New Science Standards Despite Criticism
While in the UK:
- 2013/08/10: Guardian(UK): Strange tale of Shell's pipeline battle, the Garda and £30,000 worth of booze
  Shell's Corrib gas project has been delayed for years by strong resistance in County Mayo. Now claims are emerging of corporate sweeteners, including a consignment of alcohol for police after a clash with protesters
- 2013/08/07: Guardian(UK): Fracking boss faces growing tremors of resistance from public, press and Tories
  With plans to drill in West Sussex, Cuadrilla CEO Francis Egan has received death threats and an offer to frack his garden
- 2013/08/07: RTCC: UK publishes plans to drive investment in clean energy
  Wind, solar and biomass generators in the UK now know level of support they could receive from government
- 2013/08/07: AutoBG: UK Lib Dems pushing to ban fossil fuel autos by 2040
And in Europe:
- 2013/08/08: RTCC: EU funding advances carbon storage
- 2013/08/06: Reuters: German utilities attack green squeeze on profits, hint at leaving
  Green boom hurts conventional power plants - E.ON considers moving mothballed plant in Slovakia - Move seen as tactical ahead of September election
Meanwhile in Australia:
- 2013/08/10: ABC(Au): Truckies want end to carbon tax fuel plan
  The trucking industry wants the next federal government to drop any commitment to put a carbon tax on fuel.
  The Opposition says if elected it will drop the carbon tax.
  But Labor wants to tax fuel in heavy vehicles at 1.6 cents per litre from next year.
- 2013/08/10: WSWS: Australian corruption findings highlight Labor Party's decay
  In a further damning exposure of the putrid, corporate-dominated character of the Australian Labor Party, corruption findings have been issued against millionaire businessman Eddie Obeid, the former head of the ALP's dominant right-wing machine in the state of New South Wales, and ex-state Resources Minister Ian Macdonald.
  Three detailed reports by the NSW government's Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) were released last month. They provide a glimpse into the intimate relations between ALP leaders and wealthy business entrepreneurs.
- 2013/08/09: WSWS: Opposition in Papua New Guinea to Australian refugee pact
- 2013/08/09: RTCC: Australia can achieve 25% emissions cut by 2020, concludes [Climate Institute] report
- 2013/08/09: ABC(Au): Solar power users considering legal action against WA government after it announces cut to feed-in tariffs
- 2013/08/09: TheConversation: Senate inquiry on extreme weather won't help Australia prepare
- 2013/08/08: Guardian(UK): Senate panel warns over climate change
  Bipartisan report highlights scientific link between severe weather events and dangerous global warming
- 2013/08/08: ABC(Au): South-west WA faces threat of more minor flooding
- 2013/08/08: ABC(Au): Updated coastal policy seen as good start to climate change fight
- 2013/08/08: ABC(Au): Study to consider rising water levels impact
- 2013/08/07: ABC(Au): Costs awarded for 2003 bushfires case
  Costs have been awarded in the long-running civil case over the 2003 Canberra Bushfires.
- 2013/08/07: RTCC: Australia lacks resilience to climate change - report
- 2013/08/06: CleanTechnica: Climate Commissioner Says Australians Are Rushing To Embrace Solar
- 2013/08/06: ABC(Au): Power price dip predicted for Tasmanian households
  The Tasmanian Government expects power prices will fall by 5 per cent next year.
- 2013/08/06: PeakEnergy: The great de-electricifation of Australia
- 2013/08/05: ABC(Au): LED streetlights could save Hunter councils millions
  Councils in the Hunter and on the Central Coast are being invited to become the first in Australia to roll out energy saving LED streetlights across their grids.
  The LED light globes use less than half the average wattage of regular bulbs and it is expected installing them will save councils millions of dollars a year in electricity bills.
- 2013/08/05: ABC(Au): Energy efficient street lights to save councils big dollars
- 2013/08/05: TheConversation: Solar revolution led by outer suburbs
- 2013/08/05: ABC(Au): Rapid uptake of solar panels puts dent in electricity market, report shows
  A new report shows Australians have pounced on ways to save on their electricity bills by installing solar panels at an extraordinary rate.
  The Climate Commission's Solar Energy report found more than 10 per cent of Australians, or 2.5 million people, use solar power for their homes.
  It found there are now more than 1 million rooftop solar systems in Australia, up from 8,000 in 2007, with most uptake in the mortgage belt suburbs of Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria.
  Climate Commission chief Tim Flannery is calling it "a solar revolution".
One short, hectic month to the September 7th election:
- NewAnthropocene: [Australian] Election 2013
- 2013/08/11: BBC: Australian election rivals Rudd and Abbott hold first debate
- 2013/08/09: ABC(Au): Abbott chief of staff Peta Credlin's drink-driving case postponed [until after the federal election]
- 2013/08/09: TMoS: Australia's Senate Drops Climate Change Wrench into General Election [Dangerous Degrees report]
- 2013/08/08: ClimateInstitute: [link to 5.4 meg pdf] Dangerous Degrees
- 2013/08/08: ABC(Au): Election live coverage: Dramatic return for Peter Beattie as Rudd and Murdoch war heats up
- 2013/08/08: ABC(Au): Labor and Coalition agree to Sunday night leaders' debate at National Press Club
- 2013/08/08: IndiaTimes: Rupert Murdoch's tabloid depicts Australian PM Kevin Rudd as bumbling Nazi
- 2013/08/08: BBC: Murdoch row amid Australia election campaign
  A row has deepened in Australia as a tabloid owned by Rupert Murdoch continued to rubbish PM Kevin Rudd.
  On Thursday, the Daily Telegraph depicted Mr Rudd as Colonel Klink, a bumbling Nazi commander from 1960s comedy Hogan's Heroes.
- 2013/08/08: ArcticNews: Climate, the "new normal" and the Australian elections
- 2013/08/07: ABC(Au): Miners fear tax could be extended
  There's concern that even more mining companies may have to pay a mineral resource rent tax (MRRT) after a High Court challenge to its validity was thrown out today.
  So the industry is pinning its hopes on the Coalition winning the federal election, because it's pledged to scrap the mining tax.
- 2013/08/06: ABC(Au): The Hastings branch of Climate Change Australia raises concern about Coalition policy
  A mid north coast Climate action group doubts the Coalition can tackle climate change through its Direct Action plan.
  The President of the Hastings branch of Climate Change Australia Harry Creamer said the policy was written for the 2010 election and is full of holes.
  He said the Coalition needs an updated plan and one of the main concerns is that Direct Action relies on carbon capture.
- 2013/08/06: NewAnthropocene: Industry is shifting away from an Abbott styled "future"
- 2013/08/06: TheConversation: Election 2013 Issues: Looking after Australia
- 2013/08/06: TheConversation: Will a new government hand control of our energy to overseas investors?
- 2013/08/05: Guardian(UK): With the election called, where do the parties stand on climate policy?
- 2013/08/05: JQuiggin: Oz, NZ and the election
- 2013/08/05: RTCC: Carbon tax takes centre stage as Australian election campaign starts
- 2013/08/05: BBC: Australia election campaign kicks off
- 2013/08/05: WSWS: Australian PM calls September 7 election
- 2013/08/05: ABC(Au): Live coverage: Day one of the federal election campaign
After years of wrangling, the Murray Darling Basin Plan is in place, but the water management fights are far from finished:
- 2013/08/07: ABC(Au): Farmer claims mine water monitoring is flawed
  Concerns over the affects of mining on water tables led a central Queensland farmer to collating his own data.
  Paul Murphy has graphed independently collected data measuring the amount a bore has dropped, alongside projections presented by Rio Tinto and BHP Billit
- 2013/08/07: ABC(Au): Lake Council seeks flood feedback on sea-level policy [Aus pol]
  After encountering a tide of opposition to its sea-level policy, Lake Macquarie Council is seeking public input on its planning for future flood risks.
  This month the council begins community information meetings in Belmont South and Marks Point, where many residents have challenged claims their properties could be impacted by rising sea-levels.
- 2013/08/05: ABC(Au): Murray water boost to help Blanchetown project
And in New Zealand:
- 2013/08/08: WSWS: No justice for New Zealand mine disaster victims' families
- 2013/08/06: RTCC: Frustration grows at New Zealand's climate change 'coma'
  Weak emissions trading scheme and plans for oil and gas drilling raise questions over country's climate strategy
  New Zealand will experience extreme rainfall, more hot weather, stronger winds and longer droughts in the coming decades, according to a report published last week.
While in the Indian subcontinent:
- 2013/08/09: Asia Times: Decoding India's Telangana conundrum
- 2013/08/06: CPunch: Conflicting Opinions -- The Supreme Court of India's Judgment on the Kudankulam Nuclear Plant
And in China:
- 2013/08/05: TreeHugger: Imprisoned by the air. On the fear and anxieties of life in Beijing. [China pol]
While elsewhere in Asia:
- 2013/08/10: PLNA: Thailand to Try Oil Company for Environmental Damage
  The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment of Thailand plans to try the PTT Global Chemical Company for its responsibility for the leak of oil off Thai shores that caused serious damage to the ecosystems.
- 2013/08/09: TheCanadian: Thailand's Koh Samet oil spill badly affecting tourism
- 2013/08/05: ABC(Au): US Pacific Islands oppose endangered coral species list
  The US Pacific Islands are concerned a mainland US environmental group's proposed list of endangered coral species can impact the islands' ability to manage its resources.
  The Center for Biological Diversity has proposed a list of 66 reef building corals under the Endangered Species Act.
  Dr Takiora Ingram, the Pacific Islands Regional Ocean Partnership secretariat, has told Radio Australia's Pacific Beat 59 of the coral species listed under the act are found in the Pacific and that involves management issues.
- 2013/08/04: Cryptome: South Korea Nuclear Power Plants -- Scandal in South Korea Over Nuclear Revelations
And South (& Central) America:
- 2013/08/05: PLNA: Environment Minister Warns on Risk of Climate Change for Jamaica
In Canada, neocon PM Harper, aka The Blight, pushes petroleum while ignoring the climate and ecology:
- 2013/08/08: PI:B: Trust us? Canada's climate credibility challenge
- 2013/08/07: MSimon: Climate Change: The Comedy Show?
- 2013/08/07: Macleans: Why won't Canada set oil and gas regulations?
- 2013/08/07: EmbassyMag: Canada shirking UN population and development review: Observers
  It didn't respond to a global questionnaire and was a no-show at a regional conference. That puts it at odds with its maternal and child health priority, says one prof.
- 2013/08/07: EmbassyMag: African bank chief calls on Canada to finance climate change fund
  Donald Kaberuka warns against CIDA-DFAIT merger leading to 'mercantilist agenda.'
- 2013/08/06: TStar: Canadians still waiting on oilsands emissions targets
  No date set for Harper government's long-promised curbs on oilsands emissions.
The Lac-Mégantic tragedy slowly plays out:
- 2013/08/09: CDreams: In Lac-Megantic: Hundreds of Millions in Damages as Rail Company Pleads Poverty
- 2013/08/08: CBC: Lac-Mégantic disaster railway gets bankruptcy protection
  * Quebec names Pomerleau Ltd. to take over the cleanup of Lac-Mégantic
  * Province insists as a guaranteed creditor, it will be among 1st to collect from MM&A
  * [Provincial minister] Réjean Hébert admits taxpayers could get stuck paying some cleanup costs
- 2013/08/08: TheCanadian: Runaway train fuels runaway narrative in Lac-Mégantic
- 2013/08/07: BBerg: Montreal Maine Railway Files for Bankruptcy After Crash
  Montreal, Maine & Atlantic Railway Ltd., the operator of a runaway train that killed 47 people when it derailed and exploded in a Quebec town last month, said potential liability from the disaster forced it to file for bankruptcy.
  The company, blaming the crash in Lac-Megantic for its filing today in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Bangor, Maine, said it will continue to operate during the reorganization. An affiliated company, Montreal, Maine & Atlantic Canada Co., filed a petition in Canada.
- 2013/08/07: CBC: Lac-Mégantic rail disaster company MM&A files for bankruptcy
  MM&A chairman says mounting lawsuits, cleanup costs exceed railway's assets
  Court documents estimate Lac-Mégantic cleanup cost at $200M - MM&A admits in court petition it has only $25M in insurance coverage
- 2013/08/07: TMoS: MM&A Pulls the Pin
- 2013/08/07: G&M: MM&A files for bankruptcy after Lac-Mégantic rail disaster
  The U.S.-based company whose train derailed in Lac-Mégantic, Que., last month announced Wednesday that it has filed for bankruptcy protection in both Canada and the United States.
  Montreal, Maine & Atlantic Railway issued a statement Wednesday afternoon saying it has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Maine.
- 2013/08/06: CBC: Lac-Mégantic marks 1 month since deadly train explosion
- 2013/08/05: CBC: A look at Lac-Mégantic's red-zone: 1 month later
The West-East pipeline is suddenly a focus of much dispute:
- 2013/08/07: CBC: First Nations want equal partnership in west-east pipeline
- 2013/08/06: CPW: TransCanada's Energy East oil pipeline will face fierce opposition: Council of Canadians
- 2013/08/05: Reuters: Analysis: TransCanada's East Coast oil pipeline to change trade dynamics
  TransCanada Corp's plan to build one of the world's longest oil pipelines has reverberations far beyond Canadian shores.
- 2013/08/05: CPW: As Keystone XL Falters, TransCanada OKs Bigger Canada East Coast Pipeline
- 2013/08/05: MetroNews: Governments, industry team up on pipeline research
  At least three governments and two energy industry groups are leading what they hope will be a "pan-Canadian" approach to find ways to improve the country's pipelines.
  As three controversial megaprojects generate headlines across the country, the Canadian Pipeline Technology Collaborative is to look for ways to make the system safer and more efficient, said industry spokeswoman Brenda Kenny.
The Cold Lake leak still has people upset:
- 2013/08/09: CBC: Bitumen leak cleanup underway near Cold Lake, Alta.
  1 million litres of bitumen emulsion have leaked in boreal forest
- 2013/08/08: NYT: Leak at Oil Sands Project in Alberta Heightens Conservationists' Concerns
- 2013/08/07: PI:B: What's really happening at the CNRL blowout site?
- 2013/08/04: OilDrum: Tech Talk - The Latest Canadian Oil Spill [Cold Lake]
Now that Christy Clark has a mandate, what will she do?
Meanwhile in that Mechanical Mordor known as the tar sands:
- 2013/08/09: CSM: ExxonMobil buys stake in Canadian oil sands
- 2013/08/09: TheCanadian: Washington State first nation stands in path of coal port
- 2013/08/08: G&M: Imperial, Exxon deal offers hope of Alberta oil turnaround
- 2013/08/08: BBerg: Exxon, Imperial to Buy Conoco Oil-Sands for $723 Million
  Exxon Mobil Corp. and Imperial Oil Ltd. agreed to buy ConocoPhillips' Clyden lease for about C$751 million ($723 million), expanding their holdings in the booming Alberta oil-sands region.
- 2013/08/07: BAR: Freedom Rider: Tar Sands Hell in Detroit
- 2013/08/06: BoiseSPR: More Protests Planned As An Oil Sands Megaload Makes Its Way Through Idaho
- 2013/08/06: EFN: Nez Perce, Idle No More, Rising Tide Blockade Highway 12 to Stop Megaloads
- 2013/08/05: Yale360: With Tar Sands Development, Growing Concern on Water Use
  Environmental questions about Canada's massive tar sands development have long centered on greenhouse gas emissions. Now there are mounting concerns about the huge volumes of water used by the oil industry and the impact on the vast Mackenzie River Basin.
- 2013/08/04: TheCanadian: New report: Less than 1-percent of tar sands environmental infractions penalized
In Ontario, Wynne is struggling to establish herself. Energy still looms large:
- 2013/08/09: WSWS: Toronto doctor faces sanctions for helping poor
- 2013/08/05: BCLSB: Appeals Of The Ostrander Point Windfarm Decision
In the Maritimes:
- 2013/08/07: PI: Nova Scotia now national leader in cutting energy waste
In the North:
- 2013/08/09: CCP: Yukon, Canada, First Nation votes against fracking
- 2013/08/09: CBC: Search for lost Franklin expedition ships to resume
  HMS Erebus and HMS Terror were lost in Arctic expedition [in 1845]
And on the American political front:
Post-Sandy commentary and news:
The Keystone XL wheel grinds slowly. And it grinds woe:
- 2013/08/09: DeSmogBlog: Corruption in the Pipeline: A Timeline of Keystone XL Misinformation
- 2013/08/09: TP:JR: 'Independent Study' On Keystone XL Closely Linked To Fossil Fuel Companies
- 2013/08/07: BBerg: Probe of Keystone Contractor Energizes Pipeline Opponents
- 2013/08/07: Grist: Here's the anti-Keystone ad one NBC station doesn't want you to see
- 2013/08/07: CBC: U.S. envoy to Canada in limbo as Obama weighs Keystone XL -- Nomination risks being 'held hostage' in U.S. Senate
- 2013/08/07: MoJo: Keystone Light: The Keystone XL Alternative You've Never Heard of Is Probably Going to Be Built
  As the Keystone XL pipeline has been mired in controversy, a competitor is speeding through plans for a pipeline that would do the exact same thing.
- 2013/08/08: Grist: Is Keystone XL a distraction from more important climate fights?
- 2013/08/07: NatureN: Climate science: A line in the sands
  The scientific community is sharply divided over the proposed Keystone XL pipeline from Canada's tar sands.
- 2013/08/06: DeSmogBlog: Fracking's Myriad Ties to Flawed State Dept Keystone XL Environmental Review
- 2013/08/05: CSM: State Department watchdog probes Keystone XL review
- 2013/08/05: Grist: Keystone study contractor under scrutiny by State Dept. watchdog
- 2013/08/04: WaPo: Nebraska trial could delay Keystone XL pipeline
- 2013/08/03: GFHerald: Potential Keystone XL [pipe] sits unused in southwest N.D.
The Mayflower oil spill situation drags on:
- 2013/08/08: ICN: Persisting Impact of Ark. Oil Spill Tears Community and Family Fabric
- 2013/08/07: ICN: Ark. Spill Victims on 'Wrong' Side of Fence Left to Fend for Themselves
  People who live close to the ruptured Pegasus pipeline say they weren't told of health risks and have been ignored by Exxon and government officials.
- 2013/08/06: FuelFix: Mayflower residents hope to keep spill suit alive
The GOP War on Women continues. See also:
The NorthWest coal export debate remains heated:
- 2013/08/07: Grist: The coal export bubble
Have market, will fix:
- 2013/08/08: BRitholtz: JP Morgan: $7 Billion in Fines, $16 Billion in Legal Costs
- 2013/08/05: FDL: JPMorgan Pays $410 Million For Enron-Style Manipulation Of Energy Market
- 2013/08/05: BBC: BP denies US allegations of fixing natural gas market
  US regulators have told BP to respond to allegations of natural gas market manipulation and threatened the firm with fines of close to $29m (£19m).
  BP has 30 days to respond, but said the allegations were "without merit".
  The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission's (FERC) Office of Enforcement alleges the offences took place in the Houston Ship Channel from September to November 2008.
There's still a lot of chatter about the frackers gagging those kids:
- 2013/08/09: Asia Times: Fracking 'silence' for life
  New signs have emerged in recent days which indicate extreme measures are being taken in order to suppress evidence of the pernicious effects of the energy extraction method known as hydraulic fracturing, or "fracking".
  At the beginning of this month, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette revealed that in 2011 a Pennsylvania family reached an unprecedented settlement with an energy company fracking near their property. It included gag orders on the family's two children, ages seven and 10 at the time of the settlement, which prohibit them from, at any point in their lives, discussing their experiences living near a fracking site.
  This revelation came only days after the Los Angeles Times reported that it had obtained a set of government-censored Powerpoint slides related to a study by the Environmental Protection Agency. The slides conclude that fracking was indeed polluting the aquifer in question.
  Critics of the controversial extraction method note that these examples are part of an overall cover-up strategy being employed by the oil and gas industry.
- 2013/08/08: WSWS: Gas drilling company imposes lifetime gag order on Pennsylvania children
- 2013/08/06: Wonkette: Gag Reflex: Big Gas Tries To Get Kids To Shut The Frack Up
- 2013/08/07: FDL: Children Given Lifelong Ban From Talking About Fracking As Water Activists Labeled Terrorists By Government
- 2013/08/05: Guardian(UK): Children given lifelong ban on talking about fracking
  Two Pennsylvanian children will live their lives under a gag order imposed under a $750,000 settlement
- 2013/08/03: RT: Lifelong 'frack gag': Two Pennsylvania children banned from discussing fracking
  The 7- and 10-year-old children of a Pennsylvania couple that reached a settlement following a lawsuit involving health issues brought on by fracking have been barred from discussing details of the case for the rest of their lives.
Looking ahead to the 2014 & 2016 elections:
The actions of the Obama administration are being watched closely:
- 2013/08/10: CSM: Yarnell wildfire federal aid 'snub': Did Obama-Texas-Arizona feud play a role?
  It's happened again: President Obama's administration has turned down a post-disaster emergency request from a political adversary, in this case Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer, who had pleaded with Washington for rebuilding help for last month's Yarnell Hill wildfire, which claimed the lives of 19 "hotshot" firefighters.
- 2013/08/09: TP:JR: EPA Confirms Coal Ash Contaminates Water Across The Country, House Republicans Try To Preempt Regulations
- 2013/08/07: NPR: EPA Wants To Allow Continued Wastewater Dumping In Wyoming
- 2013/08/07: NatureNB: Study finds widespread conflicts of interest in food-safety decisions
- 2013/08/07: ScienceInsider: U.S. Blocks Import Permit for Russian Beluga Whales
- 2013/08/07: TP:JR: Government Inaction Is Turning Off Investors Who Want To Back Green Energy
- 2013/08/06 LA Times: EPA relaxes biofuel standards through 2014
  The Environmental Protection Agency on Tuesday extended the deadline for meeting biofuel goals this year and will lower renewable fuel targets for 2014, a move designed to give oil refineries more flexibility.
  The 2013 rules, months late in coming, mandates that 16.55 billion gallons of renewable fuels be blended into the U.S. gas and diesel supply, up from 15.2 billion gallons last year.
  But the agency gave oil refineries an extra four months to comply, with the deadline extended to June 2014. The biofuel targets for next year will also be reduced, the agency said.
- 2013/08/06: TheHill:e2W: Almost eight months late, EPA sets 2013 biofuel blend requirement
  The Obama administration is calling for 16.55 billion of gallons of renewable fuel to be blended in with conventional gasoline this year as part of a federal program designed to wean the country off foreign oil and explore new energy sources.
  The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on Tuesday announced its yearly requirement under the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS), nearly eight months past the legal due date of last November.
- 2013/08/06: NOAANews: NOAA Fisheries denies application to import 18 beluga whales for public display
- 2013/08/06: CPunch: The Unethical EPA -- Inside the Censored EPA Fracking Water Study
- 2013/08/05: CDreams: Revealed: EPA Fracking Study Rebukes Agency's Own Safety Claims
- 2013/08/05: DeSmogBlog: Censored EPA PA Fracking Water Contamination Presentation Published for First Time
- 2013/07/30: DOE:NREL: NREL Report Firms Up Land-Use Requirements of Solar -- Study shows solar for 1,000 homes would require 32 acres
As for what is going on in Congress:
What are the lobbyists pushing?
The movement toward a long term ecologically viable economics is glacial:
- 2013/08/09: Guardian(UK): Development and indigenous peoples: creating community-owned solutions
- 2013/08/07: CCurrents: What Replaces The "Free Market" In A Sharing Economy?
- 2013/08/05: TFTJO: The "unreal reality" of jumping out: Part I
- 2013/08/07: TFTJO: The Unreal Reality of jumping out - part II by Max Iacono
  Part II: Can world human society be transformed to improve its chances for future survival, and how?
- 2013/08/06: Resilience: Fixing Food and Farming with a True-Cost Economy
- 2013/08/05: Resilience: Countering the EcoPessimist
IPAT [Impact = Population * Affluence * Technology]
raised its head once again:
- 2013/08/06: Guardian(UK): Sex and survival: reducing fertility rates among adolescent girls
  To succeed, family planning programmes must empower girls. Mushtaque Chowdhury suggests how to start a 'reproductive revolution'
- 2013/08/09: UDW: Latin America Lags on Reproductive Rights
- 2013/08/08: IndiaTimes: Despite law, Irish hospital says no to abortions
- 2013/08/07: EmbassyMag: The world's most important hamburger by Gwynne Dyer
  Far beyond the objections of vegetarians and animal-rights activists, what's wrong with eating 'natural' meat is that there are too many of us, eating too much of it, and we're running out of land to grow it on. That's why this lab-grown patty is so significant.
How do the corporate media measure up?
And for your film & video enjoyment:
As for podcasts:
- 2013/08/07: QuarkSoup: This Week's EconTalk: Climate Economics
- 2013/08/07: HillHeat: Audio: Rep. Steve Daines (R-Mont.) Says Solar Cycles Cause Climate Change
Meanwhile among the 'Sue the Bastards!' contingent:
It looks like this BP trial over the Gulf oil spill is going to take a long while:
- 2013/08/08: DeSmogBlog: BP Attacks Oil Spill Victims, Tries To Hide Criminal Past
- 2013/08/08: TP:JR: BP CEO Says He's Done Paying For The Deepwater Horizon Disaster
- 2013/08/08: TribTown:AP: 10 accused of stealing from BP oil spill fund in Alabama indicted
- 2013/08/07: CNN: BP told to fund disputed Gulf settlement program
  Federal judge orders BP to provide $130 million for ongoing claims - BP has complained the program has paid excessive or false claims - BP refused to OK the program's budget; the judge called that "unreasonable"
- 2013/08/06: FuelFix: BP balks at paying claims administrator
- 2013/08/05: FuelFix: BP cites new fraud allegations in spill settlement
- 2013/08/05: Guardian(UK): US energy regulator threatens BP with $28m fine over irregular gas trades
  FERC steps up action against powerful trading firms as BP eyed one week after $410bn settlement reached with JP Morgan
Wrestling over a new energy infrastructure continues unabated:
Hey! Let's contaminate the aquifers for thousands of years! It'll be a fracking gas!
On the coal front:
- 2013/08/06: PS: Dethroning King Coal
On the gas and oil front:
- 2013/08/09: BBerg: Closing oil prices Friday
  OIL (US$/bbl)
  Dated Brent Spot....108.22
  WTI Cushing Spot....105.97
- 2013/08/09: TreeHugger: Natural Gas: 6 to 12 percent of the methane produced is leaking, study finds
- 2013/08/08: G&M: Peak oil? David Rosenberg gives seven reasons
- 2013/08/08: Resilience: The Third Carbon Age by Michael Klare
- 2013/08/04: Resilience: Of boiling frogs and oil prices
In the gas and oil corps:
- 2013/08/07: PeakEnergy: Supermajordämmerung
- 2013/08/06: DemNow: Chevron to Pay $2 Million for 2012 Refinery Fire in Richmond, CA; 200 Arrested at Protest
And in pipeline news:
- 2013/08/07: MoJo: Keystone Light: The Keystone XL Alternative You've Never Heard of Is Probably Going to Be Built
- 2013/08/05: ICN: Map: Little-Known Pipeline Nearly as Big as Keystone Could Win Race to Gulf
  The Enbridge pipeline, converted from natural gas, would carry tar sands crude like the Keystone XL but is expected to easily win regulatory approval.
  A little-known pipeline could win the race to ship heavy Canadian crude oil from the Midwest to the U.S. Gulf Coast if it comes online as planned in 2015.
  Called the Eastern Gulf Crude Access Pipeline Project, the 774-mile line would be capable of carrying almost as much oil as the Keystone XL, the controversial pipeline mired in its fifth year of federal review.
- 2013/08/05: Reuters: Analysis: TransCanada's East Coast oil pipeline to change trade dynamics
  TransCanada Corp's plan to build one of the world's longest oil pipelines has reverberations far beyond Canadian shores.
Ships and boats and trains -- How to tranport the stuff:
Marvelous. Now the USA can have their own Mechanical Mordor:
A rush of American triumphalism pervades the energy independence PR campaign. Think it will last?
Biofuel bickering abounds:
- 2013/08/10: CSM: The promise of advanced biofuels
- 2013/08/06 LA Times: EPA relaxes biofuel standards through 2014
- 2013/08/06: TheHill:e2W: Almost eight months late, EPA sets 2013 biofuel blend requirement
- 2013/08/06: DeSmogBlog: Are Kellogg's Snacks a Threat to Global Climate?
- 2013/08/06: TP:JR: The [cellulosic ethanol] Future Of Fuel Might Be Inside Of An Orange Grove
- 2013/08/06: UDW: Honduras: Expanding Palm Oil Empires In The Name Of 'Green Energy' And 'Sustainable Development'
- 2013/08/05: RTCC: Finland scientists turn dead wood into cheap biofuels
  Pressurised fluidised bed gasification technology could deliver commercial quantities of methanol
  Finnish scientists have found a way to turn dead wood into high quality biofuel for less than one euro a litre.
The answer my friend...
- 2013/08/10: CleanTechnica: Americans Are Installing Wind Turbines Near Their Homes, Farms, & Businesses More & More
- 2013/08/08: DerSpiegel: Casualty of War: WWII Explosives Scuttle Windfarm Opening
  The ambitious Riffgat wind farm was supposed to open off the German and Dutch coast this month and power 120,000 homes. Now the discovery of unexploded ordinance is causing a costly delay.
- 2013/08/07: RTCC: UK opens world's second largest offshore wind farm
- 2013/08/07: CSM: Can 'smart' turbines give renewables a second wind?
- 2013/08/06: TP:JR: Wind Energy Prices Hit Lowest Level In 8 Years As Industry Explodes
- 2013/08/06: FuelFix: Texas breezes along as US wind power leader
- 2013/08/06: BBerg: U.S. Energy Consumers Install 62% More Wind Turbines
  U.S. consumers and businesses installed 175 megawatts of wind turbines last year to generate their own electricity and reduce their dependence on utilities, according to the U.S. Energy Department.
  That was a 62 percent increase over 2011, led by farmers and schools from California to Wisconsin, the Energy Department said today in a report on the distributed wind industry. Total investment was more than $410 million.
- 2013/08/06: PNNL: Localized wind power blowing more near homes, farms & factories
  New report provides first detailed look at distributed wind across U.S.
  Americans are increasingly installing wind turbines near their homes, farms and businesses to generate their own energy, concludes a new report released today.
- 2013/08/06: Xinhuanet: Panama's Wind Farm of Penonome to be biggest in Central America [pix]
Meanwhile among the solar aficionados:
- 2013/08/09: TP:JR: The Massive Demand For Solar In Asia Shows Us Where The Industry Is Headed
- 2013/08/09: PeakEnergy: Port Augusta to finally get solar thermal power -- for a greenhouse
- 2013/08/08: PSinclair: Food Plus Electricity: Solar Cells and Crops can Share the Sun
- 2013/08/07: TreeHugger: JA Solar makes record-breaking 18.3% efficient multi-crystalline silicon PV cells
- 2013/08/07: NCSU: Self-Healing Solar Cells 'Channel' Natural Processes
- 2013/07/01: SciAm: Is Anything Stopping a Truly Massive Build-Out of Desert Solar Power?
  Engineers and industry agree that although challenges abound in utility-scale solar in the sunniest places on Earth, we have the technology to go big in the desert
- 2013/08/05: TP:JR: Solar Could Provide One-Third Of The Western U.S.'s Power Needs By 2050
- 2013/08/05: TheConversation: Solar revolution led by outer suburbs
- 2013/08/05: ABC(Au): Rapid uptake of solar panels puts dent in electricity market, report shows
The nuclear energy controversy continues:
- 2013/08/09: APR: USS Miami to be decommissioned, scrapped
- 2013/08/08: CleanTechnica: Nuclear Power Plant in South Carolina At Risk for Shutdown
- 2013/08/08: BBC: Chernobyl's legacy recorded in trees
  Exposure to radiation from the 1986 Chernobyl accident had a lasting negative legacy on the area's trees, a study has suggested.
- 2013/08/05: BWeek: Duke Kills Florida Nuclear Project, Keeps Customers' Money
  The decision by Duke Energy to scuttle a proposed nuclear reactor project in central Florida leaves utility customers in the state with a tab of more than $1 billion -- most of it already paid to Duke -- for unbuilt plants that may never produce a single kilowatt of energy
- 2013/08/05: APR: Nuclear Energy's Biggest Hurdles Laid Bare
- 2013/08/05: NBF: Fast Reactor Status and a two step closed nuclear fuel cycle
- 2013/08/05: NBF: Designs for lower cost nuclear energy
- 2013/08/04: Cryptome: South Korea Nuclear Power Plants -- Scandal in South Korea Over Nuclear Revelations
- 2013/07/27: SET: Nuclear Power - Staring The Dragon In The Mouth
Nuclear fusion projects around the world limp along:
- 2013/08/07: BBC: 'Critical phase' for ITER fusion dream
Like a mirage, the dream of a Hydrogen Economy shimmers on the horizon:
- 2013/08/07: RTCC: 'Artificial photosynthesis' can create hydrogen from solar energy
- 2013/08/06: AutoBG: Hyundai updating hydrogen station in California to refuel 20 vehicles a day with renewable H2
More people are talking about the electrical grid:
- 2013/08/08: UCSUSA:B: 13 of the Largest Power Outages in History --- and What They Tell Us About the 2003 Northeast Blackout
- 2013/08/06: BBerg: Japanese Battery Trial Seeks to Transform How Grids Work: Energy
  On a windy island 500 miles north of Tokyo, Japan is about to experiment with a battery designed to transform the way electricity is supplied and at the same time boost Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's economic rescue plan.
  [...]
  With a capacity of 60 megawatt-hours, the battery will be installed at Hokkaido Electric (9509)'s Minami Hayakita substation in the town of Abira, according to a joint statement from Sumitomo and the utility.
And then there is the matter of efficiency & conservation:
- 2013/08/09: VoxEU: California energy efficiency: Lessons for the rest of the world, or not? by Arik Levinson
  Efficiency standards appear to be at the center of US climate policy. But is this policy effective? This column argues that, thinking laterally, evidence suggests that there are reasons to be suspicious.
  If the US is to focus so heavily on energy efficiency, we ought to have a better understanding of its effectiveness.
- 2013/08/06: CleanTechnica: LED "Efficiency Droop" Problem Solved
- 2013/08/05: ABC(Au): LED streetlights could save Hunter councils millions
- 2013/08/05: ABC(Au): Energy efficient street lights to save councils big dollars
Automakers & lawyers, engineers & activists argue over the future of the car:
As for Energy Storage:
Insurance and re-insurance companies are feeling the heat:
- 2013/08/06: Guardian(UK): Bold leadership from US insurers is needed to tackle climate change
What do we have in (weekly) lists?
The carbon lobby are up to the usual:

Note: You may notice my denialist coverage flagging. I am finding it
increasingly difficult to give any attention to these people.
Meanwhile in the 'clean coal' saga:
2013/08/09: TP:JR: EPA Confirms Coal Ash Contaminates Water Across The Country, House Republicans Try To Preempt Regulations

As for climate miscellanea:
And here are a couple of sites you may find interesting and/or useful:
Low Key Plug

My first novel _Water_ was published in May 2007.
An Introduction is available.
My most recent novel _The Bottleneck Years_ is being serialized online atmy siteand on AFTIC at Table of Contents
If you want further information, see A Gentle Introduction.
If you want a copy, see The Deal.
An overview of my writing is available here.

A Simple Plea

Webmasters, web coders and content providers have mercy on your
low bandwidth brethren.
Because I am on dial-up, I am a text surfer -- no images, no javascript
and no flash.
When you post a graphic, will you please use the alt text field ...
and when you embed a youtube/vimeo/flash video, please add some minimal description.
Thank you.

<regards>

-het

PS
Recent postings can be found in the archiveand the ancient postings can be accessed herewhich should open to this.
I notice moyhu has set up amonster indexto old AWoGWN on AFTIC.

"I suppose it wasn't really until I was standing on the west side
of Hoboken, N.J., in water and oil up to my thigh, that climate
change really made sense." -Yotam Marom
Last modified August 11, 2013

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Another Week of Climate Instability News, August 11, 2013

Another Week of Climate Instability News

Sipping from the Internet Firehose...

August 11, 2013

Get yer Ha Ha's here:

Looking ahead to COP19 and future international climate negotiations:

The AGU came out with a revised statement on climate change this week. The usual suspects are upset:

The NOAA released their State of the Climate 2012 this week:

Further on the potash cartels:

And on the Bottom Line:

What are the global financial institutions up to?

John Cook and friends continue their point-counterpoint articles:

A note on theFukushima disaster:

Not much good news coming out of Fukushima:

Post Fukushima, nuclear policies are in flux around the world:

The Arctic melt continues to garner attention:

A tagged polar bear starved to death in Svalbard because it couldn't get onto the sea ice. Much anguish ensued:

Harp seals are at risk:

That Damoclean sword still hangs overhead:

While in Antarctica:

The food crisis is ongoing:

The state of the world's fisheries is a concern:

Food Prices are still problematic:

The conflict between biofuel and food persists:

Regarding the genetic modification of food:

Regarding labelling GM food:

And how are we going to feed 9 billion, 10 billion, 15 billion?

In the Western Pacific, Tropical Storm Mangkhut zapped Vietnam, followed by Typhoon Utor heading for Luzon:

Flossie, Gil, Henriette and a bunch of TDs, one after the other, in the Eastern Pacific:

While elsewhere in the hurricane wars:

As for the Monsoon:

What's new in the Weather Machine?

This week in notable weather:

This week in the New Normal -- extreme weather:

Rossby Waves? Blocking Patterns? Arctic Oscillation? What is the Arctic melt doing to our weather?

As for GHGs:

And the temperature record:

Yes we have feedbacks:

Aerosols are making their presence felt:

As for the ozone hole:

While in the paleoclimate:

And on the ENSO front:

Regarding the solar hypothesis:

Abrupt Climate Change put in an appearance:

What's the State of the Oceans?:

And what's new in Biodiversity?

On the extinction watch:

The bees and Colony Collapse Disorder are a constant concern. And then, there are the Neonicotinoids:

What's up with volcanoes this week?

Meanwhile in near earth orbit:

More GW impacts are being seen:

And then there are the world's forests:

Climate refugees are becoming an issue:

Desertification looms as a threat:

Emerging diseases accompany ecological change:

Changes in natural cycles are showing up:

On the tornado front:

As for heatwaves and wild fires:

Corals are a bellwether of the ocean's health:

Acidification is changing the oceans:

Glaciers are melting:

As for hydrological cycle disruptions [floods & droughts]:

First, stop subsidizing fossil fuels Second, put a price on carbon Third, begin to reduce the human population And elsewhere on the mitigation front:

What's new in biomimicry?

Consider transportation & GHG production:

While in the endless quest for zero energy, sustainable buildings and practical codes:

As for carbon sequestration:

Large scale geo-engineering keeps popping up:

What's new in conservation?

What's new in restoration?

While on the adaptation front:

Meanwhile in the journals:

And other significant documents:

As for miscellaneous science:

In the science organizations:

Regarding advocacy:

Regarding Keeling:

Regarding Somerville:

Regarding Moelders:

The Fifth IPCC report is coming up:

Rossby Waves? Blocking Patterns? Arctic Oscillation?
What is the Arctic melt doing to our weather?

The bees and Colony Collapse Disorder are a constant concern.
And then, there are the Neonicotinoids:

First, stop subsidizing fossil fuels
Second, put a price on carbon
Third, begin to reduce the human population
And elsewhere on the mitigation front:

IPAT [Impact = Population * Affluence * Technology]
raised its head once again: