[GWSG] Hansen at work; CH4 leaks; SC ruling; NY bonds; Stern warning; LDC accept limits; RPS goals; 49% fooled; AUS warned

[Tilley, Al]

1.  James Hansen and co-authors provide a summary of their recent article on the effect of aerosols and increased nitrogen on carbon warming of the atmosphere.  “Faustian Bargain & the Missing Climate Data” is an overview of the net effect of CO2 emissions on recent warming.   (Hansen is retiring to spend more time on climate activism.) http://www.columbia.edu/~jeh1/mailings/2013/20130329_FaustianBargain.pdf

2.  A measure of leaked methane in New York City concludes what other studies have, that natural gas delivers no greenhouse advantage over other fossil fuels.  As leakage during production and transport were not measured, it is implied that natural gas is probably worse.  http://ecowatch.com/2013/manhattans-methane-levels-show-natural-gas-as-damaging-to-climate-as-other-fossil-fuels/  Citigroup has issued a study which anticipates that renewable energy is set to edge out fossil fuels but maintains that handling variable power loads will require an increased use of natural gas.  As Grist’s David Roberts observes, a properly sized and run grid, and the expansion of energy storage, would obviate that.  The New York study reinforces the necessity to take natural gas out of the picture even if it means a rockier transition to a sustainable energy supply.  http://grist.org/climate-energy/citigroup-renewables-will-triumph-and-natural-gas-will-help/

3.  The Supreme Court has rejected another fossil fuel industry challenge to the EPA’s duty to regulate greenhouse gasses.  http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/04/01/us-usa-court-epa-idUSBRE9300A620130401?feedType=RSS&feedName=environmentNews

4.  New York State has begun warning bond holders of the risks of climate disruption.    http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-03-26/new-york-state-cites-climate-change-as-risk-to-bond-investors.html

5.  Nicholas Stern, former British chief economist, reports that the situation is much worse than he anticipated in his 2006 study of the impact of climate disruption.  He considers 2013 an excellent year to begin serious effort to reverse course.  http://www.france24.com/en/20130402-economist-warns-radical-climate-change-millions-risk?ns_campaign=editorial&ns_source=twitter&ns_mchannel=reseaux_sociaux&ns_fee=0&ns_linkname=20130402_economist_warns_radical_climate_change_millions

6.  In a reversal, the Least Developed Countries bloc at the UN have agreed to accept binding limits on their greenhouse gas emissions, removing a major obstruction to meaningful world action.  http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2013/apr/03/climate-change-greenhouse-gas-emissions

7.  Paul Gipes provides a handy sketch of ambitious renewable energy goals.  Denmark intends to generate 50% of its electricity renewably by 2020, 100% of electricity and heat by 2035, and 100% of transportation by 2050.  http://www.wind-works.org/cms/index.php?id=496&tx_ttnews%5Btt_news%5D=2313&cHash=fbdbc972b5570b52008afb3ab9800b20

8.  37% of Americans (and 58% of Republicans) believe global warming is a hoax; another 12% are not sure.  http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/apr/02/americans-obama-anti-christ-conspiracy-theories  82% want to prepare for it anyway, hoax or not.  http://news.yahoo.com/even-doubters-want-prepare-global-warming-203510651.html

9.  Australians are warned in a government report that only “fast and deep cuts to carbon emissions” can reverse the trend to more frequent and more disastrous effects of climate disruption.  http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/apr/02/climate-change-carbon-emissions-australia
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: http://lists.unf.edu/pipermail/gwsg/attachments/20130403/83ad81a0/attachment.html