tagged w/ Climate Crisis
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Analysis of projected midcentury August temperatures for a list of 21 major American cities, under a fairly conservative warming scenario, suggests some startling changes ahead. Graphics show increased number of days over 90 and 95 in major cities. Simple easy to follow animations.Analysis of projected midcentury August temperatures for a list of 21 major American... more
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Greenpeace has had quite a bit of coverage of late on TreeHugger with their latest actions of climbing Mount Rushmore to put pressure on politicians regarding climate change, and climbing to the roof of HP to get the company to remove toxins from their products. We wondered whether some of their actions would have impact. Well, here is one campaign Greenpeace has been pushing that has resulted in positive change. Thanks to their Kleercut campaign against Kimberly-Clark - makers of Kleenex, Scott and Cottonelle brands - the company has resolved to get all of its wood fiber for tissue products from environmentally responsible sources.
Working with Greenpeace on a new set of supply chain standards, the company has enhanced the Endangered Forests and increased the use of both Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified fiber and recycled fiber. By 2011, Kimberly-Clark will ensure that 40% of its North American tissue fiber is either recycled or FSC certified, and the larger goal is to get to 100%.
"We are committed to using environmentally responsible wood fiber and today's announcement enhances our industry-leading practices in this area," said Suhas Apte, Kimberly-Clark Vice President of Environment, Energy, Safety, Quality and Sustainability. "It is our belief that certified primary wood fiber and recycled fiber can both be used in an environmentally responsible way and can provide the product performance that customers and consumers expect from our well-known tissue brands. We commend Greenpeace for helping us develop more sustainable standards."
Congrats, Greenpeace, on a victory for forests. Considering the sheer amount of tissue products sold by Kimberly-Clark, this is a substantial improvement.Greenpeace has had quite a bit of coverage of late on TreeHugger with their latest... more
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The Earthman Project, led by 2007 North American Environmental Educator of the Year "Earthman" Lanny Smith, has created a powerful music video educating kids about climate change and the solutions. The Climate Crisis Jam does for kids what An Inconvenient Truth does for adults - educates and activates people. Our innovative main website is www.Earthman.TV.The Earthman Project, led by 2007 North American Environmental Educator of the Year... more
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"Palin clearly sees cap-and-trade as a personal affront to her and to Alaska at large. "Noooo!" I imagine Palin whining. "I want to control the nation's energy supply!!"
It's not all about the Benjamins, though. Thanks to that special place oil has in Americans' hearts, cap-and-trade represents a much greater provocation than most analyses take into account. Not only does the majority of Alaska's budget come from energy production, but the prestige of oil gives Palin and others in similar situations (remember that Bush guy?) the clout to get extra money from taxpayers.
Palin is especially manipulative in her cultivation of this image, and has become astonishingly successful in using environmental challenges to stump for more federal investment into the exploitation of Alaska's energy resources...""Palin clearly sees cap-and-trade as a personal affront to her and to Alaska at... more
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Sequestering soil carbon could save 10-15% of all carbon emissions and that does not even include what can be added to that with a major reforestation effort. Agriculture makes up a third of all carbon emissions and yet it is being left out of the climate bill due to pressure by big ag. For any climate bill to be effective, soil management and reforestation must be part of it and farmers should be rewarded for working to preserve the climate balance of our planet because that in turn will bring us a more sustainable planet that benefits us all. We will need these sustainable and organic measures in order to conserve water as well as providing food to feed the world. Big ag simply cannot do it with the destructive industrial methods laden with the overabundance of fertilizers, poisons, GMOs, deforestation and monocrops they have employed.Sequestering soil carbon could save 10-15% of all carbon emissions and that does not... more
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A new study using satellite imaging released by JPL scientists this week shows a substantial deterioration of the Arctic ice shelf since 2004.
The images show thin, seasonal ice replacing thick, older ice as the predominant type on the Arctic ice shelf for the first time on record. The findings demonstrate Arctic temperatures are on the rise, said Ron Kwok, the Jet Propulsion Laboratory senior research scientist who co-authored the study.
"Global warming is definitely warming up the Arctic," Kwok said. "The only reason the ice would melt is heat."
The findings were based on data gathered from 2004 to 2008 by NASA's Ice, Cloud and Land Elevation Satellite (ICESat) and represent the first comprehensive survey of the thickness of arctic ice.
The Arctic's ice cap changes seasonally: Intense cold causes it to build up in the winter and heat and wind patterns reduce the ice in the summer. But the older ice that usually stays intact during the summer is gradually diminishing.
The study found that overall Arctic sea ice decreased by about 7 inches per year, totalling 2.2 feet over four winters. Thicker "multi- year" ice that has survived one or more summers shrank by 42 percent over the study period.
If current trends persist, the Arctic's summer ice cover could be gone in 30 to 50 years, scientists said.
"If the multi-year thick ice keeps shrinking and disappearing, eventually in the summer you'll have no ice up there," said JPL scientist Glenn Cunningham.
Those trends, Kwok cautioned, are not guaranteed to continue.
"The current trends might continue but there's a lot of science we don't understand," he said.
With less ice in the Arctic during the summers, the ocean is forced to absorb more heat, thereby increasing water temperatures. Warmer water then melts the ice caps at a greater rate.
The study's findings come as world leaders convened at
Satellite images showing the deterioration of the arctic ice shelf in 2008. The deep red is thickest part of the ice, and deep blue is the water. (Courtesy JPL)the G-8 summit Thursday, where participants discussed how difficult it will be to persuade the world to make the lifestyle and economic sacrifices needed to save the planet from global warming.A new study using satellite imaging released by JPL scientists this week shows a... more
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EXTRACT: [the study] brings to light "a significant underestimation of the initial signs of diseases like cancer and diseases of the hormonal, immune, nervous and reproductive systems, among others. We demand the systematic publication of the results of these tests, which we could only obtain on a case by case basis by taking legal action."
Study criticises testing conducted by Brussels on GMOs
Agence France-Presse, 8 July 2009
http://actu.orange.fr/articles/sciences/Une-etude-met-en-...
AFP, Caen - A study conducted by eight international researchers calls into question the reliability of tests of the European Food Safety (EFSA) and the US FDA to assess the health risks of GMOs and pesticides, it was learned Wednesday.
The article, signed by French, Italian, New Zealand, British and American experts, is published by the website of the International Journal of Biological Science, according to a press release from the Research Committee of Independent Information on Genetic Engineering (CRIIGEN), chaired by former environment minister Corinne Lepage and based in Caen.
"Agricultural GM companies and evaluation committees systematically overlook the side effects of GMOs and pesticides. This is clearly illustrated by the EFSA and the US FDA, which evaluated the controversial GM maize varieties MON 863 and MON 810," said CRIIGEN.
It [the study] brings to light "a significant underestimation of the initial signs of diseases like cancer and diseases of the hormonal, immune, nervous and reproductive systems, among others," said CRIIGEN.
"We demand the systematic publication of the results of these tests, which we could only obtain on a case by case basis by taking legal action," Gilles-Eric Seralini, one of eight authors of the article, who teaches at the University of Caen and chairs the scientific board of CRIIGEN, told Agence France Presse. "The health crises may be more important than the international financial crisis because of the lack of transparency of the regulators," concludes CRIIGEN.
On Friday, France rejected the findings of the EFSA which judged that MON810 does not pose risks.
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Just one question regarding the picture: Would you eat that?EXTRACT: [the study] brings to light "a significant underestimation of the... more
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What Barack Obama hailed as a “historic consensus” on climate change at this week’s G8 summit in Italy has been greeted with widespread disappointment, and even outrage, by environment and development campaigners.
Greenpeace activists on inflatable boats yesterday painted a coal ship in Civitavecchia, near Rome, with the message “G8: FAILED” at the end of a week of protests in Italy and elsewhere calling on world leaders to set a more ambitious agenda.
More than 100 activists occupied, painted, blocked and hung off cranes at five Italian coal-fired power stations, pointing to coal as “the world’s worst climate killer”. They ended these protests yesterday after G8 and other leaders left L’Aquila.
“G8 inaction has brought the world one step closer to catastrophic climate change. They are hiding their lack of leadership behind hollow words and empty gestures,” said Julien Vincent, of Greenpeace Australia, from on top of the Brindisi coal plant chimney.
“We call on all people to take whatever peaceful action they can to compel their leaders to deliver strong targets for cutting greenhouse gases before the new climate treaty is negotiated in December.” He was referring to the UN climate summit in Copenhagen.
By agreeing to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 80 per cent by 2050, but with no interim targets to be achieved much earlier – by 2020 – Greenpeace said the G8 leaders had “abdicated action on climate change to future generations”. “They had an historic opportunity but have squandered it, by failing to commit to mid-term emissions cuts and deferring discussion on money to enable the developing world to tackle climate change”, said Guruswamy Ananthapadmanabhan, its international director.
Christian Aid said G8 leaders needed to demonstrate “much greater political courage on climate change” – otherwise their commitment to take measures to limit the increase in average global temperatures to two degrees would be “little more than hot air”.
Dr Alison Doig, climate policy expert at Christian Aid, said the G8 had undermined its credibility by failing to adopt an emissions target for 2020, or indicating how they will help developing countries meet the proposed temperature goal and global emissions target.
UN secretary general Ban Ki-moon, who was at the summit, also criticised G8 leaders for failing to make more substantive commitments. “The policies that they have stated so far are not enough, not sufficient enough,” Mr Ban told reporters.What Barack Obama hailed as a “historic consensus” on climate change at... more
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A bake and yard sale veteran, Falmouth, Maine, resident Carolyn Gillis decided to take school fundraising to a higher level. She founded, Classroom Classifieds (CC's) , a free Web site that generates money for schools from items that community members sell.
After years as a dedicated fundraiser for the Falmouth (Maine) Public Schools, Gillis decided she needed to think bigger than bake sales and yard sales. That's why she and other volunteers launched Classroom Classifieds, a virtual yard sale.
Community members list items they want to sell and the asking price, and sellers agree to donate any percentage (1-100%) of the sale price to their school group. They donate directly to their school group's donations page through a link on CC's web site.
Another similar site, Classifiedcircles.org, channels funds to environmental, preventive/ evidence-based health and other progressive charities.
The sites have recently been encouraged by Stanford Social Innovations Business experts as quite sound and ready for financing.A bake and yard sale veteran, Falmouth, Maine, resident Carolyn Gillis decided to take... more
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It's no secret that a ton of problems need to be overcome before there's any real chance we'll all be driving clean-emissions hydrogen-powered cars and trucks. One such problem is how to store the hydrogen, which is a much less energy-dense fuel than gasoline. Researchers at the University of Delaware believe they may have found a possible solution from an extremely unlikely source: chicken feathers.
It seems that chicken feathers take on a unique set of properties when carbonized (slowly heated to 400-degrees Fahrenheit) that makes them dense and highly porous. When packed into a storage tank, these carbonized chicken feathers can greatly increase the amount of hydrogen that can be crammed inside.
Currently, researchers can store enough hydrogen in the carbonized feathers to provide an 80-mile range from a 20-gallon storage tank, but they're working to improve that figure. Fortunately, there's no shortage of available feathers – the U.S. poultry industry reportedly disposes of 2 billion pounds of chicken feathers per year.
Check out the link for the actual article, this was just my synopsis.It's no secret that a ton of problems need to be overcome before there's any... more
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In the next day or so, the U.S. House of Representatives will vote on the boldest effort in our history to rethink how we produce and use energy in this country.
I recorded a video message to describe what's at stake and how we need your help urgently. Take a moment and please watch it.
Some of the smartest ideas on energy and climate -- ones that have been aired by countless hearings in our Capitol over the last two decades -- are finally getting their due in this bill. And it's deserving of our strongest support.
When people said that we couldn't get a bill out of a House committee with a diverse base of support, we proved them wrong. But it wasn't without the work of many people, including members like you.
Today, we need twice that effort. Please watch the video and call your Representative today:
http://www.RepowerAmerica.org/UrgentAlGoreVideo
Thanks for everything,
Al GoreIn the next day or so, the U.S. House of Representatives will vote on the boldest... more
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When Olav Refvik wanted to boost the price of heating oil to make a lucrative energy deal even more lucrative, the Morgan Stanley trader locked up several storage tanks the bank owned near New York Harbor to squeeze supply. Far from being illegal, the maneuver -- which earned him millions and the moniker "King of New York Harbor" -- is business as usual in the "regulated" commodities market.
The rough-and-tumble Chicago-based commodities market is an unusual beast on Wall Street, where practices that would be frowned upon at the flashier New York stock exchange, are considered quite acceptable.
While less glamorous than its East Coast cousin, the commodities markets are critical to most Americans. That's because its traders are integral in establishing the price we pay for oil at the pump each day. When Morgan Stanley, Citigroup and Royal Dutch Shell squirreled away 80 million barrels of crude oil -- nearly enough to supply the entire world for a day -- in supertankers off the Gulf of Mexico last January, they too profited as the price at the pump rose.
But now, as a comprehensive climate bill wends its way through the House of Representatives, some of these aggressive commodities practices have come under scrutiny. New legislation proposed by Rep. Waxman (D-Calif.) and Rep. Markey (D-Mass.) would create a system of carbon allowance permits that the government would sell to companies that want to circumvent new emissions requirements. These permits would end up spurring as much as $2 trillion in new carbon-based "derivatives." In this case, these new derivatives, so-called because they derive their value from something else, would be traded on the commodities markets, and without proper regulation, critics worry their prices could be manipulated much in the way that traders influence the price of oil.
With the combination of the upcoming climate bill that that could create a major new commodity derivatives market, in addition to a new focus from the Obama administration on derivatives, experts are hoping that regulation will be strengthened. Experts and legislators say these two forces have created a perfect storm, and that the opportunity is ripe to take a broader look at the overall commodities market rather than be limited to reforming only derivatives.When Olav Refvik wanted to boost the price of heating oil to make a lucrative energy... more
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The Japanese Prime Minister anounced this week the new emission target for 2012. The new target has been called ambitious by the Japanese government and insufficient by some third parties. However, who can set the apropiate balance between fostering a weakened economy and take the leadership in greenhouse reduction when the United States, China, Russia and India are not taking part in dealing with this most important issue?The Japanese Prime Minister anounced this week the new emission target for 2012. The... more
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Leo Panitch on Marx and the climate change debate.
Paul Jay speaks to Leo Panitch, Professor of Political Science at York University about the relevance of Karl Marx’s theories today. They discuss climate change and the economy as seen from a Marxist perspective. Panitch says that many non-Marxists are advocating Marxist-like ideas, such as putting "banks into the hands of the State" because "in the face of this [economic] crisis, it's rational."
Leo Panitch is the Canada Research Chair in Comparative Political Economy and a Distinguished Research Professor of Political Science at York University in Toronto. Panitch is also the author of "Global Capitalism and American Empire" and his most recent release "American Empire and the Political Economy of International Finance".
See Part 1 at:
http://current.com/items/90140031_thoroughly-modern-marx-part-1.htm
See Part 3 at:
http://current.com/items/90188514_thoroughly-modern-marx-part-3.htmLeo Panitch on Marx and the climate change debate.
Paul Jay speaks to Leo Panitch,... more
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How disappointing to know that Steven Chu actually thinks tar sands is a viable energy source. How can this administration give permits to blow up mountains, prospect for uranium in the Grand Canyon, and now bow to corporate pressure regarding tar sands and still think of themselves as caring for the environment? And again, how can this climate bill in Congress ever look credible in regards to decreasing emissions if tar sands are going to be allowed to go ahead? And it isn't even all about the emissions as much as it is the total environmental devastation of the Boreal Forest and its ecosystems. Al Gore made a speech previously wherein he totally decried the Alberta tar sands and likened it to a drug addict looking for a place in his toe to make an injection. I hope to hear his voice now on this because it is simply wrong for any administration regardless of party to condone this blatant destruction of our environment simply for political expedience.How disappointing to know that Steven Chu actually thinks tar sands is a viable energy... more
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At the same time Salazar is working on those internal issues, he is also at the forefront of Obama's agenda for energy and climate change, which is now being worked on intensively on Capitol Hill.
"We have a huge amount to contribute to that agenda here in the department because we control 20 percent of the land mass," he said. "We have driven through the tangles of the jurisdictional disputes and have now finalized the rules for the development of offshore wind [power] here in the United States. We're doing the same thing with solar and wind onshore. ... We are on the verge of what I think is going to be a major step forward with respect to the whole renewable energy world."At the same time Salazar is working on those internal issues, he is also at the... more
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When six activists, protesting against climate pollution, scaled a tower at a coal-fired power station in 2007 the resulting court case drew support from the world's leading scientists. Their subsequent acquittal proved historic and changed government policy. Here, the 'Kingsnorth Six' tell their story.
Six ordinary people. One extraordinary feat of courage and endurance. Twenty thousand tonnes of carbon dioxide belched into the atmosphere in a single day. Twelve members of a jury, reaching a verdict that could change the future of the planet. From these ingredients, Nick Broomfield has fashioned a film that tells the gripping and (the description is unusually literal) life-changing story of the Kingsnorth Six.
When a demonstration at the Kingsnorth power station in north-east Kent in late 2007 led to the arrest of six climate change activists, what had until then seemed a rather dry local planning issue exploded into a story of national and international concern. The verdict at their trial turned out to have far-reaching implications for activism, the future of coal, even the planet.
Now a 20-minute film, A Time Comes, by the much-admired documentary-maker Nick Broomfield, cuts police and Greenpeace footage of the occupation together with news clips and interviews with the activists. What emerges is how ordinary the Kingsnorth Six are - they could be the bloke next door or the woman across the office - but also how brave and tenacious. The film is released just as the government's review of its coal policy is expected and campaigners hope and expect the review will define a seismic shift in official attitudes to carbon emissions.
"I was attracted to making a film about the Kingsnorth Six because they're such everyday people," Broomfield says. "You tend to think of environmental activists as super-fit professionals, but they are modest and understated. I admire the way they were prepared to see it through - to take action for what they believed and take the consequences - and I wanted to make the film immediate, personal, anecdotal.
"I loved the footage of them struggling up a chimney as if in Dante's Inferno. Their story is just a very human one of great courage and great love and belief, which is, I suppose, what all great stories are about."
end of excerpt
More of this story at this link:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2009/may/31/kingsnorth-activists-climate-change-coalWhen six activists, protesting against climate pollution, scaled a tower at a... more
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The video was a highlight of the WiwavShell.org website run by ERI & CCR to educate the public about the trial but it was recently removed. Investigation of public legal documents reveal that the video was removed under order from the trial judge after legal motions by Shell.
Check out the Huffington Post Story: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/han-shan/the-video-shell-doesnt-wa_b_207782.htmlThe video was a highlight of the WiwavShell.org website run by ERI & CCR to... more
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US Energy Secretary Steven Chu said Tuesday the Obama administration wanted to paint roofs an energy-reflecting white, as he took part in a climate change symposium in London.
The Nobel laureate in physics called for a "new revolution" in energy generation to cut greenhouse gas emissions.
But he warned there was no silver bullet for tackling climate change, and said a range of measures should be introduced, including painting flat roofs white.
Making roads and roofs a paler colour could have the equivalent effect of taking every car in the world off the road for 11 years, Chu said.
It was a geo-engineering scheme that was "completely benign" and would keep buildings cooler and reduce energy use from air conditioning, as well as reflecting sunlight back away from the Earth.
For people who found white hard on the eye, scientists had also developed "cool colours" which looked to the human eye like normal ones, but reflect heat like pale colours even if they are darker shades.
And painting cars in cool or light colours could deliver considerable savings on energy use for air conditioning units, he said.
Speaking at the start of a symposium on climate change hosted by the Prince of Wales and attended by more than 20 Nobel laureates, Chu said fresh thinking was required to cut the amount of carbon created by power generation.
He said: "The industrial revolution was a revolution in the use of energy. It offloaded from human and animal power into using fossil fuels.
"We have to go to a different new revolution that can severely decrease the amount of carbon emissions in the generation of energy."US Energy Secretary Steven Chu said Tuesday the Obama administration wanted to paint... more
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The rampant growth of urban slums around the world and weather extremes linked to climate change have sharply increased the risks from "megadisasters" such as devastating floods and cyclones, a U.N. report said Sunday.
The study — which examines natural disaster trends and strategies to reduce potential catastrophes — also noted that millions of people in rural areas are at higher risk from disasters such as landslides where forests have been stripped away or crippling droughts blamed on shifting rainfall patterns.
Much of nearly 200-page report restates warnings from previous studies about unchecked urban growth and shortsighted rural planning. But it also seeks to sharpen the apparent link between climate change and the severity and frequency of major natural disasters including severe droughts and epic storms.
"Climate change magnifies the interactions between disaster risk and poverty. On the one hand, it magnifies weather-related and climatic hazards. On the other hand, it will decrease the resilience of many poor households and communities to absorb the impact and recover," said the report, which was released in the Gulf nation of Bahrain.
At least 900 million people now live in shantytowns and other makeshift settlements in cities vulnerable to disasters such as cyclones, flooding or earthquakes, the report said. Those populations are growing at a rate of about 25 million a year, it said.
One model predicted many of the more than 19 million people in greater Manila would be swamped by a tsunami hitting the capital of the Philippines.
India, China and other parts of Asia were at a particularly high risk from so-called "megadisasters" such as last year's Cyclone Nargis, which killed an estimated 140,000 people in Myanmar, and the massive quake in China that claimed nearly 90,000 lives and left 5 million people homeless.
"Asia was hit especially hard," said U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, who was in Bahrain for the release of the report.
end of excerpt.The rampant growth of urban slums around the world and weather extremes linked to... more
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