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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>Salon has obtained emails detailing a mostly successful effort by a Canadian diplomat and a lobbyist from the Bush administration to defeat low carbon fuel standards and to assure the success of Canadian tar sands oil in the US market.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</span></font></font><a href="http://www.salon.com/2011/12/15/big_oil_and_canada_thwarted_u_s_carbon_standards/singleton/"><font color="#0000ff" size="3" face="Calibri">http://www.salon.com/2011/12/15/big_oil_and_canada_thwarted_u_s_carbon_standards/singleton/</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>A tea party-affiliated group in Virginia is tormenting planners trying to cope with climate change by shouting them down and otherwise disrupting meetings.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</span>The group, along with the John Birch Society, believes that the planners are carrying out a UN plot to commandeer private property.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</span>(You may have to register with the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal">
WA Post</i> to get the story.)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span></font></font><a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/virginia-residents-oppose-preparations-for-climate-related-sea-level-rise/2011/12/05/gIQAVRw40O_story.html?tid=pm_pop"><font color="#0000ff" size="3" face="Calibri">http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/virginia-residents-oppose-preparations-for-climate-related-sea-level-rise/2011/12/05/gIQAVRw40O_story.html?tid=pm_pop</font></a><font size="3"><font face="Calibri"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</span>The World Bank estimates that by 2050 1.5 billion people will be exposed annually to natural disasters from the extreme weather attendant on climate change.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</span>That is double the current level.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>
They advise careful planning and adaptation to minimize the problems.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</span>Thanks to Brian Paradise for the story.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>
</font></font><a href="http://india.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/12/19/an-urbanizing-india-faces-natural-disaster-risk/?emc=eta1"><font color="#0000ff" size="3" face="Calibri">http://india.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/12/19/an-urbanizing-india-faces-natural-disaster-risk/?emc=eta1</font></a></p>
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<p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><font size="3"><font face="Calibri">3.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</span>Some people will react to a threatening issue such as climate change with “motivated avoidance.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Trying to convince them that a real danger is at hand may only intensify their avoidance.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</span>The best approach can be to present the issue as one which may be successfully confronted.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</span></font></font><a href="http://www.eenews.net/public/climatewire/2011/12/19/1"><font color="#0000ff" size="3" face="Calibri">http://www.eenews.net/public/climatewire/2011/12/19/1</font></a></p>
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<p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><font size="3"><font face="Calibri">4.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</span>The Southeast Florida Regional Climate Change Compact, composed of four counties representing 2.5 million people, has just released their Action Plan with a heavy emphasis on adaptation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</span>A Southern Association for Clean Energy representative was especially impressed by the nonpartisan, open atmosphere of the process.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</span></font></font><a href="http://blog.cleanenergy.org/2011/12/19/climate-lessons-from-south-florida-in-2011/"><font color="#0000ff" size="3" face="Calibri">http://blog.cleanenergy.org/2011/12/19/climate-lessons-from-south-florida-in-2011/</font></a><font size="3"><font face="Calibri"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</span>Documents available at the compact’s web site include a sea level rise study and the action plan.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</span></font></font><a href="http://www.southeastfloridaclimatecompact.org/index.htm"><font color="#0000ff" size="3" face="Calibri">http://www.southeastfloridaclimatecompact.org/index.htm</font></a><font size="3"><font face="Calibri"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</span>A 2009 Army Corps of Engineers guidance document was used as the base for the sea level rise discussion, giving horizons of 3-7 inches by 2030 and 9-24 inches by 2060.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</span>The rapid pace of sea level rise scholarship led them to recommend revisions of the guidelines in four years.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</span>The planning process involved establishing three study teams: the Built Environment, Transportation, and Land and Natural Systems. All three were comprised of representatives from academia, nonprofits, the private sector, and all levels of government.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</span>A Super Committee consolidated the recommendations of the teams.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</span>The result is more of a framework for planning than the plan itself.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</span>That represents a significant accomplishment for the region.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</span>However, it does leave significant challenges, such as detailed land use regulations and plans to disestablish communities as the sea rises.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</span>Thanks to Tom Larson for the news.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>
</font></font><a href="http://www.southeastfloridaclimatecompact.org/documents/DraftRCAP.pdf"><font color="#0000ff" size="3" face="Calibri">http://www.southeastfloridaclimatecompact.org/documents/DraftRCAP.pdf</font></a></p>
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<p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><font size="3"><font face="Calibri">5.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</span>The reports of clathrate methane releases in the Arctic, and the stream of stories on melting permafrost, call for a comprehensive review, and Joe Romm provides one, including info from forthcoming papers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</span>The gist is that we have not crossed a point of no return yet, but the need for decisive action grows increasingly urgent.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</span>I know many of you follow Climate Progress, but if you missed the analysis. . .<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</span></font></font><a href="http://thinkprogress.org/romm/2011/12/19/392242/carbon-time-bomb-in-arctic-new-york-times-print-edition-gets-the-story-right/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+climateprogress%2FlCrX+%28Climate+Progress%29"><font color="#0000ff" size="3" face="Calibri">http://thinkprogress.org/romm/2011/12/19/392242/carbon-time-bomb-in-arctic-new-york-times-print-edition-gets-the-story-right/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+climateprogress%2FlCrX+%28Climate+Progress%29</font></a><font size="3"><font face="Calibri"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span></font></font></p>
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