[GWSG] Climate dice; prayers stop; rooftop growth; green DOD; refugees; news record; useless NG

[Tilley, Al]

1.  James Hansen and his coauthors answer questions raised by news media about their recent “Climate Dice” article in PNAS.  Including the 1930s does not change the picture—we are experiencing extreme heat waves, and the bell curve is on the move.  http://www.columbia.edu/~jeh1/mailings/2012/20120811_DiceDataDiscussion.pdf

2.  For 350 years the Vatican has asked for prayers to push back the glaciers for the benefit of Alpine pilgrims.   The prayers may have worked too well and they are being altered.  http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2012/08/120810-glaciers-vatican-prayer-alps-science-gobal-warming/

3.  In the last 5 years leased residential solar arrays have become the majority installation in (at least) Oregon and California.  The linked article sketches the development of the residential solar industry in the US.  Jigar Shah:  “. . . we can’t physically grow any faster.”  http://www.nytimes.com/2012/08/12/magazine/the-secret-to-solar-power.html?_r=2&ref=magazine&pagewanted=all

4.  The Army is soliciting $7 billion of power purchase agreements for renewable energy.  The Army does not propose to own the assets.  http://www.army.mil/article/85114/USACE_Announces_New_Action_to_Support_Deployment_of_Renewable_Energy_on_U_S__Military_Installations/  130 companies have shown interest.  http://www.federalnewsradio.com/?nid=397&sid=2983683  The Army has a target of 25% renewable energy by 2025.  http://news.cnet.com/8301-11128_3-20090795-54/army-targets-big-renewable-energy-projects/  Renewable energy development by the armed forces constitutes major support for the new industry.  http://www.defense.gov/home/features/2010/1010_energy/   Some in congress are trying to obstruct the program (particularly its biofuel initiatives), but so far unsuccessfully.  http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2012/08/12/651081/on-clean-energy-the-militarys-biggest-fight-is-with-congress/  The military initiative is part of a larger program of renewable energy development by the administration.  http://ens-newswire.com/2012/08/09/obama-fast-tracks-renewables-on-military-bases-public-lands/

5.  In 1951 the UN defined a refugee as someone under political threat.  Environmental refugees escape the definition and have not been well recorded, but they far outnumber political refugees already.  Many who flee environmental disasters will be able to return home.  Victims of desertification and sea level rise are not among them.  http://newamericamedia.org/2012/08/the-rising-tide----environmental-refugees.php

6.  68% of MSNBC stories covering the US heat wave mentioned climate change.  4% did on CNN, and on ABC, 2%.  In 2011 and the first half of 2012, CNN covered the Kardashians more than 250 times and ocean acidification once.  http://mediamatters.org/blog/2012/08/15/study-shows-bill-nye-was-right-about-cnns-clima/189373

7.  Climate Progress has a useful overview of the uselessness of natural gas as part of a strategy to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.  The focus is on plans to export LNG.  http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2012/08/16/699601/exporting-liquefied-natural-gas-lng-bad-for-climate-poor-long-term-investment/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+climateprogress%2FlCrX+%28Climate+Progress%29
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