climate september II 2010

--text posts are at the blistered orb--

GIST

Returning to the blog after the summer recess left me with the distinct impression that climate change has shifted to second gear. As of this month, the Mad Hun thinks climate change has entered runaway mode.

CLIMATE EVENTS

UK less rain & wind reduces renewable energy production 9.30.
Arctic ice now lowest volume since rise of civilization 9.20.
Arctic tundra caribou herds in steep decline 9.23.
Ecuadorian glaciers in full retreat; farmers go green 9.23.
Central America deluged by tropical storm Matthew 9.25.
Southern California reports highest temps ever 9.27.
Southern California's heat followed by spectacular storms 9.30.Mexico flood, landslide leaves hundreds dead 9.29.Jamaica deluged by tropical storm Nicole 9.29.
Germany flood breakes dikes 9.30.

TRENDS

2010 global temps on track to set new record 9.20.
Realclimate: warmer and warmer 9.13.

GULF OIL

(current estimate is 4.4 mil barrels of oil were spilled)
T Crone magnitude of the 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil leak
Science doi 10.1126/science.1195840 9.23.

BP says Gulf oil spill costs hit 11.2. bln dollars 10.1.
fifty percent of spilled oil remains in Gulf 9.28.
deepwater horizon well finally killed 9.24.
gulf oil spill: bacteria ate the gas, not the oil 9.16.
deep plumes could cause dead zones in Gulf AGU
Gulf oil spill research, news, and policy Science

CLIMATE SCIENCE

(generic indicators for systems collapse become visible: close to t-points systems become very slow in recovering from pertubations)
M Scheffer complex systems: foreseeing tipping points
Nature 467 (2010) 411-412

(what psychology can teach us about responding to CC) 23.9.
B Newell the psychology of global warming: improving the fit
Bull. Amer. Meteor. Soc. 91 (2010): 1003-1014

report highlights two-way link b/w ozone layer & climate change 9.16.... WMO/UNEP scientific assessement of ozone depletion UN 9.16.2010

glaciers may have soggier bottoms than thought 9.29.

CLIMATE POLICY

China hosts first-ever climate talks 10.2.
China/Greece to set up center to cut maritime carbon emissions 10.2.
EU-Asian summit calls for binding climate deal 10.1.US Missouri windfarm is too controversial for Republicans 10.1.
Mideast Bin Laden may be using climate to bolster image 10.1.
US Republican governor candidates all deny global warming too 9.27.
Rwanda implements adaptation plan; relocating communities 9.17.US Republican Senate candidates all deny global warming 9.16.
Insurance co's call for more action to adapt developing world 9.6.
CLIMATE MITIGATION

A Robock benefits, risks, and costs of stratospheric geoengineering
Geophysical Research Letters 36 doi 10.1029/2009GL039209

C Ferguson a US nuclear future?
Nature 467 (2010) 391-393

The Economist special forests and how to save them
The Economist 23 Sep 2010

G A Ban-Weiss geoengineering as an optimization problem
Environmental Research Letters 5 (2010) 34009

P Rasch technical fixes and climate change
Environmental Research Letters 5 (2010) 031001

NOTES ON THE AMERICAN DISENLIGHTENMENT

J Valenti who stole (US) feminism? 9.29.
DailyKos on climate, it's the Republican vs. reality 9.26.
D Green the dismantling of civilized society 9.25.
P Krugman downhill with the GOP 9.23.
E Spitzer the GOP's new strategy 9.23.
T Engelhard American decline--the future's not ours 9.21.
D Orlov the future is rated "B" 9.13.

NOTES ON GLOBAL ENLIGHTENMENT

Canada gives most $$$ ever to poor countries to deal with climate 10.1.
Denmark: wind will fuel fossil-free nation by 2050 9.29.
Germany: how to evolve to a 2000 Watt republic 9.23.
... present daily per capita energy use in USA is 12 k watt
... at present, daily per capita energy use in Germany is 6 k watt
... by 2050, global daily per capita use should be no more 2 k watt
... Swiss Institute for the 2000 watt society german / french
... Fachstelle 2000 watt gesellschaft steps toward sustainability

CLIMATE ESSAYS

S Brand my plan B for climate change (interview) 10.2.
J Kerry climate undermines progress on development 9.21.
G Monbiot the short happy life of climate change enlightenment 9.20.
R Parry America's decoupling from reality 9.17.


CLIMATE QUOTES

"the federal government is way behind on efforts to develop effective strategies to adapt to a changing climate."
report: US needs national strategy for adapting to warmer climes
Science 9.29.
The National Climate Adaptation Summit report is here.

"The planet on which our civilization evolved no longer exists. The stability that produced it has vanished; epic changes have begun."
Bill McKibben Eaarth 2010