Comments on: Energy and Global Warming News for October 29: Report slams low-carbon tar sands ‘myth’

By: paulm

paulm — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 18:05:37 +0000

Video: Hiking through melting glaciers in Bhutan
http://www.guardian.co.uk/ environment/ 2009/ oct/ 28/ melting-glaciers-bhutan

Deep in the Himalayas, the disappearance of glaciers is threatening the kingdom of Bhutan. Anjali Nayar trekked through the mountains to see how the country is adapting to a warming world.

By: dhogaza

dhogaza — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 20:26:06 +0000

The existing exploitation of Alberta’s oil sands is already a very visible blight from 35,000 or so feet while flying the polar route from the western US to Europe.

By: paulm

paulm — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 19:20:30 +0000

So the debate now moves on from dinierizm in the MSM to acceptance that we are on a terrifying warming path. The focus is now how to pay for it…

Canada can meet its climate goals, but the West will write the cheques
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/ news/ politics/ canada-can-meet-its-climate-goals-but-the-west-will-write-the-cheques/ article1342887/

ttawa will have to lead a massive restructuring of the Canadian economy, with wealth flowing from the West to the rest of the country, if it is to meet its climate-change targets, a landmark report has concluded.

By: paulm

paulm — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 19:11:01 +0000

A peek at why the current climate changes means very chilling news…

Arctic Plankton Sing the Global Warming Blues
http://www.nicholas.duke.edu/ thegreengrok/ phytoplankton#1256792421

The canary in the climate change mine is singing a new and slightly different tune.

The sediment record suggests that the lake’s biotic diversity and environmental conditions were similar during the three preceding warm periods. But this doesn’t appear to be true for the current warm period. For example, analyses of sediment from the last 40 to 50 years reveal unique changes in the populations of both phytoplankton and midge fly larvae:

The authors conclude that their “study site has deviated from [the] recurring natural pattern and has entered an environmental regime that is unique within the past 200 millennia.” And, citing similar datasets from other Arctic lakes, the authors suggest that “conditions in many lakes and ponds in the Arctic may now be outside the range of natural … variability.”

By: James Newberry

James Newberry — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 18:51:28 +0000

If burning of mined hydrocarbon materials (along with forest destruction) is a national security threat (of global proportions) why doesn’t the Senate climate bill, or the December climate conference, eliminate the massive historic direct and indirect (”energy”) subsidies that promote exactly what we don’t want to do?

We would certainly realize as a poor driver a teenager who wanted to stop his/her vehicle while holding the accelerator to the floor. World “fuel” (coal, oil, gas, uranium) subsidies are estimated at one quarter trillion dollars per year. These several trillion dollars per decade of public spending leverage many more trillions in private capital that are contaminating the ecosphere enough for global political collapse when today’s emissions take effect in the decades ahead. Furthermore, these subsidies are budgetary considerations that may be altered next year.

By: ecostew

ecostew — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 18:13:00 +0000

Natures Services:
Taken together, coral reef services worldwide have an average annual value estimated at $172 billion, says Mr. Sukhdev.
He notes the growing scientific agreement that coral reefs are unlikely to survive if atmospheric carbon dioxide levels exceed 350 parts per million. Negotiators of a new climate change deal in Copenhagen in December, however, “would be proud” to achieve an agreement that limits atmospheric carbon to 450 parts per million, he says, calling that “a death sentence on the world’s coral reefs.”
Halving the destruction of tropical forests, meanwhile, would allow them to continue absorbing roughly 4.8 gigatonnes of carbon per year, slow the rise of atmospheric carbon levels and forestall anticipated climate change damage. Halving deforestation has a net present value estimated at $3.7 trillion, according to research.
Examples of a rate of return on investments in ecosystem restoration:

* Coral reefs: 7%, (with a cost-benefit ratio of 2.8);
* Rivers: 27%, (cost-benefit ratio 15.5);
* Tropical forests: 50% (cost-benefit ratio 37.3);
* Mangroves: 40%, (cost-benefit ratio 26.4);
* Grasslands: 79%, (cost-benefit ratio 75.1).

http://www.sciencedaily.com/ releases/ 2009/ 10/ 091016093913.htm

Clean Coal:
Clean coal would add 78 percent to the price of electricity, according to a report released Wednesday from the Global Carbon Capture and Storage Institute.
“A viable business case for commercial-scale, integrated projects has not been established at this time for coal-fired power generation and other large CO2-emitting industries,” the report states.

http://www.energy-daily.com/ reports/ Report_Clean_coal_more_costly_999.html