[GWSG] Less food; more deserts; ethical imperative; US-China group; solar pricing; carbon markets; Hansen essay

[Tilley, Al]

1.  A UN food supply policy officer says that climate disruption is a “creeping disaster.”  http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2013/apr/13/climate-change-threat-food-supplies  Crops, livestock, and fruit will be hit by rising temperatures.  Most at risk are the billion people already under food stress.  http://www.guardian.co.uk/global-development/2013/apr/13/climate-change-millions-starvation-scientists

2.  Desertification, drought, and land degradation are now affecting 168 countries.  http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2013/apr/17/desertification

3.  A review of 3 books on the ethics of the climate problem emphasizes our moral imperative to act out of our obligation to a future earth.  http://www.technologyreview.com/review/513526/climate-change-the-moral-choices/?utm_campaign=newsletters&utm_source=newsletter-weekly-energy&utm_medium=email&utm_content=20130415

4.  China and the US have announced a joint working group on climate during Secretary Kerry’s visit.  http://thehill.com/blogs/e2-wire/e2-wire/293747-us-china-boost-climate-work-amid-increasing-dangers

5.  San Antonio’s CPS, a municipal utility, is proposing to reduce the amount they pay under net metering for spare rooftop solar power from the retail price to the wholesale.   As representatives of my local municipal utility said, extensive development of rooftop solar would mean they would have to change the way they do business.  One way to do that would be to charge to manage energy.  Investor-owned utilities face the same basic problem, and will fight the expansion of distributed solar power unless an equitable arrangement is found.  http://grist.org/climate-energy/rooftop-solar-vs-utilities-the-san-antonio-episode/?utm_source=syndication&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=feed  Utilities need to be part of the solution.  It may be that paying wholesale for surplus net-metered energy is a sound practice.

6.  An argument against carbon markets (and for alternatives):  Carbon market investments have lacked “environmental integrity.”  The markets are often corrupt and non-transparent.  They fuel non-sustainable practices and have failed to control emissions.  The enthusiasm with which they are developed is not warranted by their performance.  http://www.guardian.co.uk/sustainable-business/blog/why-are-carbon-markets-failing  The European carbon market has collapsed as the EU proved unwilling to drive up energy prices through a rising price on carbon.  http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/markets/commodities/carbon-falls-as-eu-rejects-fix/articleshow/19588739.cms

7.  When Jim Hansen retired the reactions included several attempts to negate his influence through misrepresentation.  In “Exaggeration, Jumping the Gun, and the Venus Syndrome” he addresses some of the attacks, sketches the course we are pursuing, and indicates what he will be up to.  http://www.columbia.edu/~jeh1/mailings/2013/20130415_Exaggerations.pdf
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