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<o:p><font face="Calibri"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">1.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>China’s use of coal is declining and may have peaked.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</span></span><a href="http://cleantechnica.com/2014/08/26/chinas-coal-consumption-finally-decreased/?utm_source=Cleantechnica+News&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=60bcdac191-RSS_EMAIL_CAMPAIGN&utm_term=0_b9b83ee7eb-60bcdac191-331994013"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"><font color="#0563c1">http://cleantechnica.com/2014/08/26/chinas-coal-consumption-finally-decreased/?utm_source=Cleantechnica+News&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=60bcdac191-RSS_EMAIL_CAMPAIGN&utm_term=0_b9b83ee7eb-60bcdac191-331994013</font></span></a><span style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">2.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</span>President Obama is working toward an international climate accord which would be “politically binding” but would sidestep a senate treaty vote, where Republican obstruction makes a 2/3 vote for any significant climate treaty unlikely.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</span>The accord is intended for the Paris talks next year.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</span></span><a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2014/08/27/us/politics/obama-pursuing-climate-accord-in-lieu-of-treaty.html?emc=edit_th_20140827&nl=todaysheadlines&nlid=43628374&_r=0"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"><font color="#0563c1">http://www.nytimes.com/2014/08/27/us/politics/obama-pursuing-climate-accord-in-lieu-of-treaty.html?emc=edit_th_20140827&nl=todaysheadlines&nlid=43628374&_r=0</font></span></a><span style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">3.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</span>Concentrated solar power is causing the deaths of birds.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</span>So much has been made of this in the press that I thought it worth passing on this piece about how many birds are lost to other power sources, and to cats.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</span>We may imagine for ourselves how many birds would be lost if we did not develop renewable power. I wish that all power sources could be rendered innocuous, but I am angered by attempts to use the deaths of birds as a disingenuous propaganda issue.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</span>This line of attack on wind and solar power is not new, and neither is the response, though it gets less coverage.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span></span><span style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span></span><a href="http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2014/08/25/3475348/bird-death-comparison-chart/?elq=~~eloqua..type--emailfield..syntax--recipientid~~&elqCampaignId=~~eloqua..type--campaign..campaignid--0..fieldname--id~~"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"><font color="#0563c1">http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2014/08/25/3475348/bird-death-comparison-chart/?elq=~~eloqua..type--emailfield..syntax--recipientid~~&elqCampaignId=~~eloqua..type--campaign..campaignid--0..fieldname--id~~</font></span></a><span style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">Here’s an article about the impact of climate
</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">disruption and other human interventions on birds in the North Atlantic.
</span><a href="http://www.environmentalhealthnews.org/ehs/news/2014/aug/wingedwarnings3empty-nests-of-the-north"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"><font color="#0563c1">http://www.environmentalhealthnews.org/ehs/news/2014/aug/wingedwarnings3empty-nests-of-the-north</font></span></a><span style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</span>Finally, and beyond the propaganda, we should do what we can to protect birds from concentrated solar plants.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</span>The linked article describes the problems and some suggested mitigating practices.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</span></span><a href="http://www.climatecentral.org/news/can-birds-be-protected-from-solar-plants-17943"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"><font color="#0563c1">http://www.climatecentral.org/news/can-birds-be-protected-from-solar-plants-17943</font></span></a><span style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">4.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</span>Al Jazeera supplies an overview of the need for and development of utility-scale batteries.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</span></span><a href="http://america.aljazeera.com/watch/shows/real-money-with-alivelshi/articles/2014/8/25/the-new-face-of-electricity.html"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"><font color="#0563c1">http://america.aljazeera.com/watch/shows/real-money-with-alivelshi/articles/2014/8/25/the-new-face-of-electricity.html</font></span></a><span style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">5.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</span>Avoided health costs can make up for or surpass the cost of carbon reduction policies.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</span></span><a href="http://newsoffice.mit.edu/2014/cutting-carbon-health-care-savings-0824"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"><font color="#0563c1">http://newsoffice.mit.edu/2014/cutting-carbon-health-care-savings-0824</font></span></a><span style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">6.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</span>A new process for manufacturing silicon solar panels does it 100 times faster and at half the cost of current methods.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</span>The panels are over 20% efficient and could bring the installed price of rooftop solar under $1 per watt.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</span>The method is in the pilot manufacturing phase and Crystal Solar is looking for a plant site in the US.
<a href="http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/news/article/2014/08/researchers-develop-faster-cheaper-way-to-make-solar-cells?cmpid=WNL-Friday-August29-2014">
<font color="#0563c1">http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/news/article/2014/08/researchers-develop-faster-cheaper-way-to-make-solar-cells?cmpid=WNL-Friday-August29-2014</font></a><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">7.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</span>Libertarian ideology is inherently at war with science—that is to say, it is inherently prone to willful and dangerous ignorance.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</span></span><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/science/blog/2014/aug/29/libertarian-ideology-natural-enemy-science"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"><font color="#0563c1">http://www.theguardian.com/science/blog/2014/aug/29/libertarian-ideology-natural-enemy-science</font></span></a><span style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
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