[GWSG] Trees; MD house wins; Maya Gold; C analysis; FL wind; EU bans tar sand; shrinking animals; coal costs; IEA on subsidies

[Tilley, Al]

1.  The NY Times has published a broad survey of the role and plight of forests with regard to climate.  http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/01/science/earth/01forest.html?partner=rss&emc=rss

2.    A team from the U of Maryland has won the solar house contest.  The story links to a DOE site with info on theirs and the other entries.  http://green.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/10/01/maryland-team-wins-solar-house-contest/

3.  A research organization founded by four senators is studying ways of intervening in the progress of climate change.  The objects of study include removing and storing atmospheric carbon. http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/04/science/earth/04climate.html?_r=1&emc=tnt&tntemail0=y  If you like chocolate, you can satisfy your demon and support biochar at the same time by buying Green & Black’s Maya Gold bars.  Thanks to Tom Larson for the tip.  http://www.biochar-international.org/carbongold

4.  Standards for determining the direct emission of greenhouse gasses in manufacturing have been established since 2004.  Now a new tool will standardize the analysis of emissions in the life cycle of a product.  http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/04/business/corporations-getting-new-tools-for-calculating-emissions.html?emc=tnt&tntemail0=y

5.  Tom Larson attended a presentation at the U of FL on Florida’s offshore wind resources.  The lead presenter was Martijn Niekus of FL State U.  He and his associates from NOAA and the Center for Economic Forecasting and Analysis estimate that Florida’s offshore wind could supply 10 GW of power by 2030, powering half of Florida’s homes and omitting 8 million tons of CO2 annually.  The full capacity of Florida’s offshore wind is 40 GW.    2010 cost of the power is estimated at $.27/kWh, and, if the resource is developed, at $.10 in 2020.  I can email “Tapping into the Offshore Wind Resources of Florida” if you are interested, thanks to Tom.

6.  The European Union is moving to ban the import of oil from tar sands or shale, and liquid from coal.  The ban must now be approved by the member nations.  http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2011/oct/04/oil-sands-imports-eu-ban

7.  Cold blooded animals are shrinking in response to climbing temperatures.  http://old.news.yahoo.com/s/livescience/20111004/sc_livescience/incredibleshrinkinganimalssurprisingeffectofclimatechange

8.  A study in the American Economic Review finds that coal is probably the most expensive fuel—apart from its effects on climate.  http://www.climatespectator.com.au/commentary/coal-not-so-cheap

9.  The International Energy Agency warns that subsidies for fossil fuels reached over $400 billion last year and are increasing, representing “a significant economic liability.”    http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/10/04/us-iea-idUSTRE7931CF20111004?feedType=RSS&feedName=environmentNews&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+reuters%2Fenvironment+%28News+%2F+US+%2F+Environment%29
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