[GWSG] IPCC report peek; what now?; humidity & heat; Unity divests; CA c&t; cc & security; Ant. sea ice grows

[Tilley, Al]

1.  Yvo de Boer, past head of UN climate negotiations, has been in conversation with scientists working on the IPCC climate report due to begin release next fall, and expects it to be disconcerting.  He believes the report will spur action, but worries that anything we will do will be like quitting smoking after a terminal cancer diagnosis.  I hope it is an exaggerated analogy.  I expect that at the least we are in for accelerating sea level rise, storms, and heat.  http://www.smh.com.au/environment/climate-change/former-un-official-says-climate-report-will-shock-nations-into-action-20121106-28w5c.html  In any case I am heartily glad that President Obama will be on hand to help guide us through what is ahead.  The current stream of speculations and suggestions about what he might do now about the climate strikes me generally as ill-informed about the new situation in process of discovery.  I expect a challenging and exciting program of action.

2.  The Obama administration has a number of regulatory options to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions.  A carbon tax may well be discussed as a source of new revenue.  http://www.bna.com/reelection-greenlights-host-n17179870805/

3.  Humidity correlates with cloud cover, and cloud cover correlates with the amount of sunlight heating the surface.  By using humidity records from the subtropics two scientists from the National Center for Atmospheric Research found that the higher end of estimates for heating this century are more likely.  http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/warmer-still-extreme-climate-predictions-appear-most-accurate-study-says/2012/11/08/ebd075c6-29c7-11e2-96b6-8e6a7524553f_story.html?hpid=z4  A current Science story adds that other factors are involved, and that the correlation between humidity and heating is not perfect.

4.  Unity College, led by Prsident Stephen  Mulkey, is cooperating with  the 350.org program to divest holdings in fossil fuel companies.   http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2012/11/09/1167531/unity-college-board-of-trustees-votes-to-divest-from-fossil-fuels/

5.  California’s cap and trade system is set to hold its first auction of emission permits.  In two years the system will begin reducing emissions 3% a year.  The program is geared to achieve 1990 levels of emissions by 2020.  Overview:  http://www.greenbiz.com/blog/2012/10/25/inside-look-at-california-cap-and-trade-program
 Schematic of the program:  http://www.sfgate.com/green/article/Cap-and-trade-how-it-works-4027020.php

6.  A report from the US National Academy of Sciences warns the military that it needs to plan for effects of climate change destabilizing the national security.  http://www.climatecentral.org/news/u.s.-military-warned-to-prepare-for-consequences-of-climate-change-15231?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+climatecentral%2FdjOO+Climate+Central+-+Full+Feed

7.  Antarctic sea ice is growing in area because ice drifting away from the continent melts, and the meltwater easily freezes on the sea surface.  http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2012/nov/11/poles-scientists-antarctic-sea-ice
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: http://lists.unf.edu/pipermail/gwsg/attachments/20121112/f29be36e/attachment.html