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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>Climate Central provides some charts from the recent US Assessment Report draft, particularly on US drought.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</span></font></font><a href="http://www.climatecentral.org/news/must-see-charts-from-major-new-climate-report-15461?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/must-see-charts-from-major-new-climate-report-15461?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+climatecentral%2FdjOO+Climate+Central+-+Full+Feed</font></a>
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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>Among human additions to the atmosphere, black carbon appears to be second only to CO2 in its greenhouse effect.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</span>Major sources include kerosene lamps, coal plants, diesel engines, and forest fires.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</span></font></font><a href="http://news.mongabay.com/2013/0115-soot.html"><font color="#0000ff" size="3" face="Calibri">http://news.mongabay.com/2013/0115-soot.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">3.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</span>Greenercars.org provides the ACEEE’s environmental impact ratings for 2013 cars.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</span></font></font><a href="http://greenercars.org/"><font color="#0000ff" size="3" face="Calibri">http://greenercars.org/</font></a><font size="3"><font face="Calibri">
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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>Connecticut and New York are organizing green banks, which tailor financing to renewable energy (Would you like an island arrangement which would allow you to continue to have power when the utility supply is knocked out?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</span>How about a positive cash flow from your system?) and facilitate investment in sustainable power sources.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</span></font></font><a href="http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/news/article/2013/01/why-the-renewable-energy-industry-needs-green-banks?cmpid=WNL-Thursday-January17-2013"><font color="#0000ff" size="3" face="Calibri">http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/news/article/2013/01/why-the-renewable-energy-industry-needs-green-banks?cmpid=WNL-Thursday-January17-2013</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>An article in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal">Science</i> calculates that the goal of limiting warming to 1.5° became unavailable before 2012—unless we reduce emissions by more than 5% a year, the figure yielded as the maximum feasible by economic
models.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>(The 2° target becomes unattainable after 2027.)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</span>Since the lower target seems to be the one which gives us a good chance to avoid runaway climate disruption, I conclude that we should now be committed to economically disruptive courses of action which would yield high emissions cuts.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</span>We should prepare for rolling brownouts and even interrupted service.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</span></font></font><a href="http://www.sciencemag.org/content/339/6117/280.short"><font color="#0000ff" size="3" face="Calibri">http://www.sciencemag.org/content/339/6117/280.short</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>Two weeks ago I gave a talk for our Sierra Club group on adaptation planning in our region.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</span>If you watch the tape, please let me know where I should cringe (other than the low figures for current climate refugees and the Chicago heat wave casualties).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</span>I do give such talks occasionally and other mistakes are likely to be habitual.
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>I would like to correct them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</span></font></font><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VFf0GKb452E"><font color="#0000ff" size="3" face="Calibri">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VFf0GKb452E</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">7.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</span>For the first time in its history, the Sierra Club will practice civil disobedience over the Keystone XL pipeline.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</span>Executive Director Michael Brune explains.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span></font></font><a href="http://grist.org/climate-energy/a-chat-with-the-sierra-clubs-michael-brune-about-civil-disobedience/"><font color="#0000ff" size="3" face="Calibri">http://grist.org/climate-energy/a-chat-with-the-sierra-clubs-michael-brune-about-civil-disobedience/</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">8.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</span>Duke Energy has built a 36 megawatt battery storage facility for wind power in Texas.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</span>The article mentions a storage technology new to me: underwater balloons.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</span>Excess power is used to blow them up and the compressed air drives a turbine when power is needed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</span></font></font><a href="http://cleantechnica.com/2013/01/24/largest-wind-energy-storage-facility-in-u-s-fires-up-in-texas/"><font color="#0000ff" size="3" face="Calibri">http://cleantechnica.com/2013/01/24/largest-wind-energy-storage-facility-in-u-s-fires-up-in-texas/</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">9.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</span>Audi will use Germany’s excess renewable energy to produce methane for its natural gas autos.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</span></font></font><a href="http://www.technologyreview.com/news/510066/audi-to-make-fuel-using-solar-power/?utm_campaign=newsletters&utm_source=newsletter-weekly-energy&utm_medium=email&utm_content=20130128"><font color="#0000ff" size="3" face="Calibri">http://www.technologyreview.com/news/510066/audi-to-make-fuel-using-solar-power/?utm_campaign=newsletters&utm_source=newsletter-weekly-energy&utm_medium=email&utm_content=20130128</font></a><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><font size="3" face="Calibri">
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