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<p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><font size="3"><font face="Calibri">1.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</span>Australian climate scientists have recorded a rap video affirming their findings.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</span></font></font><a href="http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20110513/od_afp/australiaclimateoffbeat"><font color="#0000ff" size="3" face="Calibri">http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20110513/od_afp/australiaclimateoffbeat</font></a><font size="3"><font face="Calibri"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</span>The video:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span></font></font><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LiYZxOlCN10"><font color="#0000ff" size="3" face="Calibri">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LiYZxOlCN10</font></a></p>
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<p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><font size="3"><font face="Calibri">2.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</span>May’s issue of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal">Solar Today</i> has several articles worth your time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</span>“Streamlining Solar Technology” profiles the Department of Energy’s SunShot initiative to cut solar costs by about 75% this decade.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</span>Using a “thousand little cuts” approach they are identifying ways to cut costs for modules, installation, electronics, and operations and maintenance.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</span>The article is not available on line; here is SunShot’s site.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</span></font></font><a href="http://www1.eere.energy.gov/solar/sunshot/"><font color="#0000ff" size="3" face="Calibri">http://www1.eere.energy.gov/solar/sunshot/</font></a><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><font size="3" face="Calibri">
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<p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><o:p><font size="3" face="Calibri"> </font></o:p></p>
<p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><font size="3"><font face="Calibri">3.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</span>“Paleoclimate Implications for Human-Made Climate Change” by James Hansen and Makiko Sato warns that we are within less than 1° C of the interglacial maximum, flirting with destructive feedback processes, and risking multi-meter sea level rise this century.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</span>The authors propose 5 meters, 16’5”, by the end of the century, leveling off at a meter of rise a decade.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</span>Their discussion of sea level is on pages 14-17, followed by the summary discussion.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span></font></font><a href="http://arxiv.org/abs/1105.0968"><font color="#0000ff" size="3" face="Calibri">http://arxiv.org/abs/1105.0968</font></a><font size="3"><font face="Calibri"> (with a link to a PDF file of the
paper). <span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>For Hansen’s other recent pubs and a good picture of him and his grandchildren:
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span><span style="COLOR: #333333"><a href="http://www.columbia.edu/~jeh1"><font color="#0000ff">http://www.columbia.edu/~jeh1</font></a>
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></font></font></p>
<p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="COLOR: #333333"><o:p><font size="3" face="Calibri"> </font></o:p></span></p>
<p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><font size="3"><font face="Calibri">For the last couple of years I have been using Duke coastal geologist Orrin Pilke’s recommendation from 2007’s
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal">The Rising Sea</i> that we plan for 7 feet of sea level rise this century.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>A responsible and more current figure would now more than double that.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</span>If Hansen, our leading climatologist, says that we are probably in for about 16.5 feet of sea level rise this century, leveling off at a meter a decade in the next one, and if our planning horizon is “the foreseeable future,” we should be planning for
a major reshaping of coastal areas.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Whether lowlying areas are actually inundated or not, they will be destabilized as the changes take hold, and such infrastructure as sewer lines, water supply, and transportation lines
will be disrupted.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Our coastal planning needs to add the dimension of time, for it will thrust itself upon us destructively if we do not.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">
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<p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><o:p><font size="3" face="Calibri"> </font></o:p></p>
<p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><font size="3"><font face="Calibri">4.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</span>Florida’s Department of Environmental Protection is “not pursuing any programs or projects regarding climate change,” and Governor Scott remains unconvinced that any such thing is in progress.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</span>Thanks to Deirdre Irwin for the news.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>
</font></font><a href="http://www.wateryfoundation.com/?p=2367"><font color="#0000ff" size="3" face="Calibri">http://www.wateryfoundation.com/?p=2367</font></a></p>
<p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><o:p><font size="3" face="Calibri"> </font></o:p></p>
<p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><font size="3"><font face="Calibri">5.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</span>Britain is announcing a new target of a 50% cut in emission levels by 2025 on a 1990 base.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</span>It is the first binding commitment of any nation beyond 2020 (as I understand), and a strong target.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</span>Britain has left room to reevaluate the target in 2014 in light of current policies of the European Union.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span></font></font><a href="http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20110517/wl_uk_afp/britainenvironmentclimate"><font color="#0000ff" size="3" face="Calibri">http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20110517/wl_uk_afp/britainenvironmentclimate</font></a></p>
<p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><o:p><font size="3" face="Calibri"> </font></o:p></p>
<p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><font size="3"><font face="Calibri">6.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</span>An Australian government report asserts the necessity to pass peak greenhouse gas emissions within this decade and begin reducing emissions by 9% a year if we wish to avoid more than 2° of warming, the commonly held DAI point (though Hansen and a growing
number of others place it at least half a degree lower).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</span></font></font><a href="http://www.carbonpositive.net/viewarticle.aspx?articleID=2329"><font color="#0000ff" size="3" face="Calibri">http://www.carbonpositive.net/viewarticle.aspx?articleID=2329</font></a><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><font size="3" face="Calibri">
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