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<p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><font size="3" face="Calibri">1.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</span>Germany is on track to produce 80-100% of its energy renewably by 2050. </font>
<a href="http://www.businessweek.com/news/2012-11-14/the-grid-german-law-gave-citizens-a-stake-in-clean-energy-switch"><font color="#0000ff" size="3" face="Calibri">http://www.businessweek.com/news/2012-11-14/the-grid-german-law-gave-citizens-a-stake-in-clean-energy-switch</font></a><font size="3"><font face="Calibri"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>They credit Jimmy Carter as their inspiration.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</span>Their process is decentralized and democratic. </font></font><a href="http://www.truthdig.com/report/item/how_germany_is_getting_to_100_percent_renewable_energy_20121115/"><font color="#0000ff" size="3" face="Calibri">http://www.truthdig.com/report/item/how_germany_is_getting_to_100_percent_renewable_energy_20121115/</font></a><font size="3"><font face="Calibri"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</span>This year Germany has again become an exporter of energy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</span>Following its shutdown of nuclear power stations, it imported power last year.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</span>Difficulties with the transition to renewables include power storage and relations with other power sources in the EU.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</span></font></font><a href="http://www.renewablesinternational.net/german-power-exports-reach-record-level/150/537/58500/"><font color="#0000ff" size="3" face="Calibri">http://www.renewablesinternational.net/german-power-exports-reach-record-level/150/537/58500/</font></a><u><font color="#0000ff"><font size="3"><font face="Calibri"><span class="MsoHyperlink"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes">
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<p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><font size="3"><font face="Calibri">A tour of Hamburg indicates what the energy transition means.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</span>The most noticeable impact is on transportation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</span></font></font><a href="http://insideclimatenews.org/news/20121119/germany-energiewende-public-transportation-buses-bikes-parks-urban-planning-renewable-energy"><font color="#0000ff" size="3" face="Calibri">http://insideclimatenews.org/news/20121119/germany-energiewende-public-transportation-buses-bikes-parks-urban-planning-renewable-energy</font></a><o:p></o:p></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>The US is reported to be considering moving climate change action from the UN to the Major Economies Forum, on which sit countries accounting for 85% of greenhouse gas emissions.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</span></font></font><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2012/nov/16/us-considers-climate-negotiations-un"><font color="#0000ff" size="3" face="Calibri">http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2012/nov/16/us-considers-climate-negotiations-un</font></a><o:p></o:p></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">3.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</span>A Chicago architectural firm has contracted with Chengdu, China, to build the first fully planned sustainable city.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</span>The 80,000 citizens will be housed in high rise buildings.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</span>The new city will be connected to the megacity of Chengdu by fast transit as a sort of suburb without sprawl.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</span>Scores of such cities are planned.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>
</font></font><a href="http://www.fastcoexist.com/1680826/in-china-new-sustainable-cities-are-rising-from-nothing#1"><font color="#0000ff" size="3" face="Calibri">http://www.fastcoexist.com/1680826/in-china-new-sustainable-cities-are-rising-from-nothing#1</font></a><o:p></o:p></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">4.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</span>The World Bank calls for more aggressive action by governments to control climate change and warns that the time is short.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</span></font></font><a href="http://www.businessgreen.com/bg/news/2225651/world-bank-governments-must-tackle-climate-change-more-aggressively?WT.rss_f=Home&WT.rss_a=World+Bank%3A+Governments+must+tackle+climate+change+%27more+aggressively%27"><font color="#0000ff" size="3" face="Calibri">http://www.businessgreen.com/bg/news/2225651/world-bank-governments-must-tackle-climate-change-more-aggressively?WT.rss_f=Home&WT.rss_a=World+Bank%3A+Governments+must+tackle+climate+change+%27more+aggressively%27</font></a><o:p></o:p></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 Stafford Act obligates the federal government to assist state and local governments in rebuilding coastal communities damaged by storms when an emergency is declared—even on barrier islands.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</span>People are beginning to question the wisdom of that.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</span>Thanks to Tom Larson for the link.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>
</font></font><a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/19/science/earth/as-coasts-rebuild-and-us-pays-again-critics-stop-to-ask-why.html"><font color="#0000ff" size="3" face="Calibri">http://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/19/science/earth/as-coasts-rebuild-and-us-pays-again-critics-stop-to-ask-why.html</font></a><font size="3"><font face="Calibri"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>FEMA’s flood insurance program has already adopted strictures against financing the rebuilding of repetitively damaged structures but needs to recognize moral hazard in its rate structure.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</span>Surely, too, the Stafford Act should be brought under FEMA’s rebuilding strictures.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span></font></font><a href="http://www.bostonglobe.com/opinion/2012/11/15/help-new-york-rebuild-but-fix-fema-too/Ep3SjMfKAXDtZM2XeN76XN/story.html"><font color="#0000ff" size="3" face="Calibri">http://www.bostonglobe.com/opinion/2012/11/15/help-new-york-rebuild-but-fix-fema-too/Ep3SjMfKAXDtZM2XeN76XN/story.html</font></a><o:p></o:p></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><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>By cutting methane, soot, and tropospheric ozone we can halve the warming expected by 2050 as we cut carbon emissions to mitigate longer term warming.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</span></font></font><a href="http://wwwp.dailyclimate.org/tdc-newsroom/2012/11/opinion-slowing-climate-change"><font color="#0000ff" size="3" face="Calibri">http://wwwp.dailyclimate.org/tdc-newsroom/2012/11/opinion-slowing-climate-change</font></a><o:p></o:p></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">7.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</span>California has sold out its first auction of carbon emission permits at slightly more than the base price, allaying fears of inflationary pressures.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</span></font></font><a href="http://www.sfgate.com/business/energy/article/California-sells-out-of-first-pollution-permits-4050288.php"><font color="#0000ff" size="3" face="Calibri">http://www.sfgate.com/business/energy/article/California-sells-out-of-first-pollution-permits-4050288.php</font></a><o:p></o:p></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">8.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</span>The atmosphere reached 390.9 ppm of CO2 in 2011.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</span></font></font><a href="http://www.climatecentral.org/news/co2-hits-new-high-world-could-warm-7f-by-2060-15268"><font color="#0000ff" size="3" face="Calibri">http://www.climatecentral.org/news/co2-hits-new-high-world-could-warm-7f-by-2060-15268</font></a><font size="3"><font face="Calibri">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span></font></font><o:p></o:p></p>
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