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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>The pace of glaciations on Baffin Island 8,000 years ago shows that ice sheets can respond with surprising speed to small changes in temperature.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</span>The <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal">Science</i> article provides general support for the impression that we should compress our estimates of how fast the polar ice sheets will respond to warming.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</span></font></font><a href="http://www.climatecentral.org/news/new-study-shows-how-fast-ice-sheets-can-change-14996"><font color="#0000ff" size="3" face="Calibri">http://www.climatecentral.org/news/new-study-shows-how-fast-ice-sheets-can-change-14996</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>Cambridge’s Peter Wadham anticipates the complete collapse of Arctic sea ice within 4 years and calls for immediate action to mitigate climate change.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</span></font></font><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2012/sep/17/arctic-collapse-sea-ice"><font color="#0000ff" size="3" face="Calibri">http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2012/sep/17/arctic-collapse-sea-ice</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>Andres Duany, architect for Seaside, sees in New Urbanism the future of housing in a warming world.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</span></font></font><a href="http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/story/2012/09/13/city-living-will-feel-like-a-blast-from-the-past/57777250/1"><font color="#0000ff" size="3" face="Calibri">http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/story/2012/09/13/city-living-will-feel-like-a-blast-from-the-past/57777250/1</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>If we wish to preserve at least half of the world’s coral reefs we must limit warming to less than 1.5° C, according to an article in
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal">Nature Climate Change</i>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</span>We have already warmed .8° and are committed to at least another .5° of warming.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</span></font></font><a href="http://e360.yale.edu/digest/most_coral_reefs_at_risk_even_if_warming_limited_to_2_degrees_c/3626/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+YaleEnvironment360+%28Yale+Environment+360%29"><font color="#0000ff" size="3" face="Calibri">http://e360.yale.edu/digest/most_coral_reefs_at_risk_even_if_warming_limited_to_2_degrees_c/3626/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+YaleEnvironment360+%28Yale+Environment+360%29</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>Calculating the costs of climate change over time typically involves a discount rate to allow for the change in monetary value.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</span>A recent article argues that the discount rate used by the government is too low anyway when applied over generations and has special problems when applied to climate factors which will deteriorate the conditions of economic growth.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</span></font></font><a href="http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2012/09/18/866441/how-the-federal-government-greatly-underestimates-the-true-cost-of-carbon-pollution/"><font color="#0000ff" size="3" face="Calibri">http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2012/09/18/866441/how-the-federal-government-greatly-underestimates-the-true-cost-of-carbon-pollution/</font></a></p>
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<p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><font size="3"><font face="Calibri">6.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</span>An IPCC lead author says that malnutrition is likely to be the worst health effect of global warming.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</span></font></font><a href="http://www.trust.org/alertnet/news/hunger-may-be-largest-health-impact-of-climate-change-expert"><font color="#0000ff" size="3" face="Calibri">http://www.trust.org/alertnet/news/hunger-may-be-largest-health-impact-of-climate-change-expert</font></a></p>
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<p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><font size="3" face="Calibri">7.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</span>Biochar’s ability to improve soil fertility is strongest where the soil is most acidic, as tropical soil generally is.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</span>But its ability to sequester carbon for long periods of time does not appear to diminish significantly with location.
</font><a href="http://www.climatecentral.org/news/biochars-potential-to-fight-climate-change-is-rich-but-hurdles-remain-14998?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+climatecentral%2FdjOO+Climate+Central+-+Full+Feed"><font color="#0000ff" size="3" face="Calibri">http://www.climatecentral.org/news/biochars-potential-to-fight-climate-change-is-rich-but-hurdles-remain-14998?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+climatecentral%2FdjOO+Climate+Central+-+Full+Feed</font></a><font size="3"><font face="Calibri"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</span>The article speaks as if biochar’s potential to sequester 10-12% of our yearly carbon production were a disappointment.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</span>That is true only if we are looking for a way to continue business as usual.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</span>But if we had a carbon tax set at something approaching the actual cost of carbon, reduced our production of greenhouse gasses drastically, sequestered the equivalent of 10% of our current carbon production yearly through biochar, and dealt with such
adaptation issues as sea level rise and hunger, we would have a complete program.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</span>All that is lacking is our commitment to community.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</span>So far as the US goes the presidential election is becoming a referendum focused on that issue.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">
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