[GWSG] A moon of cheese; a refresher course; Tesla share patents; ice mts; Stern on C price; lowball model; 2 MW wind turbines

[Tilley, Al]

1.  President Obama's commencement address at UC Irvine was pointedly about the challenge of a transition to renewable energy.  He ridiculed climate deniers as folk idiots who believe the moon is made of cheese.  http://climatecrocks.com/2014/06/14/obama-ramps-up-climate-climate-deniers-are-radical-fringe/

2.  MIT's Kerry Emanuel delivers a handy 1 1/2 hour talk on what we know about climate.  He concludes that politidcfal action will follow when people become aware of the risks they are running.  (Where are our vulnerability studies?)   http://climatecrocks.com/2014/06/14/the-weekend-wonk-kerry-emanuel-and-what-we-know-about-climate/

3.  Tesla is opening up patents on its electric car technology to other manufacturers. Tesla's true competitor is the gasoline engine, and sharing technology may speed its disappearance. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/06/140616093317.htm?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+sciencedaily+%28Latest+Science+News+--+ScienceDaily%29

4.  Water at the base of Greenland's glaciers, particularly close to the oceans, refreezes into massive shapes. While it is not clear what role the process plays in glacier movement, it seems to be associated with instability. http://ecowatch.com/2014/06/16/ice-structures-discovered-beneath-greenland/

5.  Nicholas Stern and Simon Dietz calculate that 2015 a carbon price of at least $32/ton is necessary to hold atmospheric concentrations of CO2 below 450 ppm. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/06/140616093317.htm?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+sciencedaily+%28Latest+Science+News+--+ScienceDaily%29

6.  Stern said the costs of warming have been grossly underestimated. For example, under the Nordhaus model the cost of warming would only double at 18 degrees of warming, more than enough to ensure the disappearance of humans and many another species. http://www.smh.com.au/environment/climate-change/models-grossly-underestimate-costs-of-global-warming-nicholas-stern-says-20140616-zs8tr.html

7.  A lifecycle study of 2 MW wind turbines finds that they return the energy of their manufacture with 5-8 months of their 20 year life. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/06/140616093317.htm?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+sciencedaily+%28Latest+Science+News+--+ScienceDaily%29
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