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<p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><font size="3"><font face="Calibri">1.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</span>The Transition Town movement started in 2005 and now has over 1,000 affiliated communities in over 40 countries.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</span>The basic idea is local self-sufficiency as a path toward construction of a sustainable society.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</span>Thanks to Wendy Geiger for calling this to our attention for an update.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</span></font></font><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2013/jun/15/transition-towns-way-forward?utm_source=Transition+US+Mailing+List&utm_campaign=bb18d128ad-newsletter_Mar13&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_55c243ce26-bb18d128ad-82462629"><font color="#0000ff" size="3" face="Calibri">http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2013/jun/15/transition-towns-way-forward?utm_source=Transition+US+Mailing+List&utm_campaign=bb18d128ad-newsletter_Mar13&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_55c243ce26-bb18d128ad-82462629</font></a>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><font size="3"><font face="Calibri">2.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</span>West Village at UC Davis is close to its goal of being the largest net zero planned community in the US.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</span></font></font><a href="http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/news/article/2013/11/what-the-energy-future-looks-like-west-village-university-of-california-at-davis?cmpid=WNL-Friday-November29-2013"><font color="#0000ff" size="3" face="Calibri">http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/news/article/2013/11/what-the-energy-future-looks-like-west-village-university-of-california-at-davis?cmpid=WNL-Friday-November29-2013</font></a><o:p></o:p></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><font size="3"><font face="Calibri">3.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</span>A PNAS article confirms that leakage and global warming impact make natural gas a destructive choice as an energy source.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</span></font></font><a href="http://www.alternet.org/environment/methane-emissions-natural-gas-production-far-higher-epa-estimates"><font color="#0000ff" size="3" face="Calibri">http://www.alternet.org/environment/methane-emissions-natural-gas-production-far-higher-epa-estimates</font></a><font size="3"><font face="Calibri"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</span>Cheap fracked gas, a friendly administration, protection from prosecution for environmental destruction, and even support from such as the Environmental Defense Fund has made the gas industry a formidable enemy of sustainable energy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</span></font></font><a href="http://www.star-telegram.com/2013/11/27/5351234/saudi-america-fracking-boom-a.html?rh=1"><font color="#0000ff" size="3" face="Calibri">http://www.star-telegram.com/2013/11/27/5351234/saudi-america-fracking-boom-a.html?rh=1</font></a><o:p></o:p></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><font size="3"><font face="Calibri">4.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</span>World weather-related insurance losses have doubled each decade since the 1980s, adjusted for inflation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</span>Munich Re has been studying climate and its impact since 1973 and has maintained profits by adjusting their premiums according to their findings.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</span>They are intent on not being surprised by sea level rise. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</span></font></font><a href="http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/rob-magazine/an-industry-that-has-woken-up-to-climate-change-no-deniers-at-global-resinsurance-giant/article15635331/?page=all"><font color="#0000ff" size="3" face="Calibri">http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/rob-magazine/an-industry-that-has-woken-up-to-climate-change-no-deniers-at-global-resinsurance-giant/article15635331/?page=all</font></a><o:p></o:p></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><font size="3"><font face="Calibri">5.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</span>The power supplied by Central American public utilities is now approaching 65% renewable, thanks to a broad array of relatively low-cost programs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</span></font></font><a href="http://www.trust.org/item/20131128170602-5qi3n/"><font color="#0000ff" size="3" face="Calibri">http://www.trust.org/item/20131128170602-5qi3n/</font></a><o:p></o:p></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><font size="3"><font face="Calibri">6.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</span>RealClimate has an interesting representation of a survey of scientists publishing on sea level rise regarding projections, and an even more interesting string of comments at the end.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</span></font></font><a href="http://www.realclimate.org/index.php/archives/2013/11/sea-level-rise-what-the-experts-expect/#more-16340"><font color="#0000ff" size="3" face="Calibri">http://www.realclimate.org/index.php/archives/2013/11/sea-level-rise-what-the-experts-expect/#more-16340</font></a><o:p></o:p></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><font size="3"><font face="Calibri">7.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</span>According to Tom Steyer, who should know, Ken Cuccinelli’s climate denial was a key reason he lost the VA governorship to Terry McAuliffe.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</span></font></font><a href="http://grist.org/politics/climate-change-no-longer-electoral-kryptonite/?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_term=Daily%2520Dec%25202&utm_campaign=daily"><font color="#0000ff" size="3" face="Calibri">http://grist.org/politics/climate-change-no-longer-electoral-kryptonite/?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_term=Daily%2520Dec%25202&utm_campaign=daily</font></a><o:p></o:p></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><font size="3"><font face="Calibri">8.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</span>James Hansen and 17 colleagues have published a paper arguing in some detail that two degrees of warming would be disastrous, and that the time for decisive action is upon us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</span></font></font><a href="http://www.columbia.edu/~jeh1/mailings/2013/20131202_PopularSciencePlosOneE.pdf"><font color="#0000ff" size="3" face="Calibri">http://www.columbia.edu/~jeh1/mailings/2013/20131202_PopularSciencePlosOneE.pdf</font></a><u><font size="3"><font color="#0000ff"><font face="Calibri"><span class="MsoHyperlink"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes">
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><font size="3"><font face="Calibri">The study is in part a rebuttal of the emissions target suggested by the IPCC.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</span></font></font><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2013/dec/03/un-2c-global-warming-climate-change"><font color="#0000ff" size="3" face="Calibri">http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2013/dec/03/un-2c-global-warming-climate-change</font></a><o:p></o:p></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><font size="3"><font face="Calibri">9.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</span>A panel of the National Research Council warns of the rising risk of sudden climate shifts and events.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</span></font></font><a href="http://www.npr.org/2013/12/03/248474721/ready-or-not-quick-climate-changes-worry-scientists-most"><font color="#0000ff" size="3" face="Calibri">http://www.npr.org/2013/12/03/248474721/ready-or-not-quick-climate-changes-worry-scientists-most</font></a><font size="3"><font face="Calibri">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span><o:p></o:p></font></font></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><font size="3"><font face="Calibri">10.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</span>A consortium of 13 international research teams has concluded that continuing with the existing global emissions goals renders effective action more and more difficult.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</span></font></font><a href="http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/12/131203110318.htm?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+sciencedaily+%28ScienceDaily%3A+Latest+Science+News%29"><font color="#0000ff" size="3" face="Calibri">http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/12/131203110318.htm?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+sciencedaily+%28ScienceDaily%3A+Latest+Science+News%29</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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