The wierding weather of 2012 and 2013

Someone has compiled data of record setting, and otherwise odd weather for both the year 2012 and 2013. So much for the "halt in global warming" that climate skeptics like to point out. 

Find out more Here... 2013   2012

Connect the dots (special tar sand and fracking edition)

• The dangers of fracking: This interesting interactive website explains the health and environmental costs associated with fracking.
• IEA confirms tar sands pipelines are key to production growth: For a long time now activists have been fighting the construction of the Keystone XL pipeline. This report confirms how pivotal the pipeline's construction is for production to grow 
• First Nations to Resume Blockade in Canadian Fracking Fight: The first nations of Canada are keenly aware of the dangers fracking poses to their water resources and way of life. They formed a blockade which was broken up by Royal Canadian Mounted Police, but that was not enough to stop them
• As Canadian Province Puts Fracking on Hold, Will Others Follow?: In the provinces of Newfoundland and Labrador, government officials announced a moratorium on fracking. This announcement was made as a first nations fracking resistance movement continues to make its presence known throughout Canada 
• Anti-fracking measures win in Lafayette, Boulder, Fort Collins: Despite a well funded campaign to allow fracking to begin in the Boulder area, the measures to allow facking failed to pass in the ballot box. It turns out people don't like the idea of fracking near their homes
• Fracking Boom Leading to Fracking Bust: Scientists: Scientist are putting the long term viability of alternative fossil fuel sources into question. Despite the insistance of energy executives that the Unites States is poised to be the 21st century Middle East, evidence is mounting that the "Boom" will "Bust" sooner rather than later
• US to be No. 1 oil producer, but it won't last: By 2015 The United States could be the #1 producer of oil in the world. Despite this possibility, The International Energy Agency warns that it will not last long. Interestingly perhaps, the report cited predicts that while both China and Russia have large reserves of oil shale, they are not predicted to develop this resource like the U.S. The report also mentions that China will see the biggest absolute increase in power generated from renewable resources...

The weirding weather

Typhoon Haiyan is pictured from the International Space Station on November 9, 2013

Philippine Rep Makes Plea for 'Global Solidarity' to Fight 'Climate Madness': In the wake of a deadly typhoon that wracked the Country, Philippine's representative to the COP 19, Naderev "Yeb" Saño, used some direct language concerning climate change

The Amazon Rain Forest Is Drying Out, Probably Because Of Climate Change: Climate scientists have warned for a long time that a warming world could leave the Amazon Rainforest dry, and now data is confirming an increase in the duration of the Amazon's dry season

Alaska Roasts During October, Reigniting Wildfire: Climate models predict that global warming will result in greater increases in the temperatures at the poles, compared to the tropics. This article highlights the unusually warm weather in Alaska during October

July 24th: Heat Wave continues in Siberia: July is always warm in Tampa Bay, however this year Siberia gave us a run for our money. Norilisk, one of the most northerly cities in the world, clocked in at 32.0°C (89.6°F) in July of this year.

Last Time Arctic Was This Warm Was 120,000 Years Ago: We know its getting warm in the Arctic, but to add some context to that statement, the last time it has been this warm was well before humans discovered agriculture.

Analysis: Waterworld USA: Climate Harming Regional Waters: This article delves into regional water challenges for the united states, based on climate change predictions. It looks like we are in for water scarcity, flash floods, and droughts. At least for the time being we still have enough water to keep fracking

Climate Change & The Jet Stream: New research on climate change is showing that as the planet warms the jet screen gets "wavier," that increases the probability of more extreme weather events

Colorado’s ‘Biblical’ Flood in Line with Climate Trends: How do you end a drought? One way to do it is with a 1 in 1000 year deluge. As the chart illustrates below, the Boulder area was in a drought, until this one rain event came to town

Denial and disenlightment

Tar sands hell in Detroit: What happens when you combine the Koch brothers with a legally appointed dictator? Find out in this article (spoiler alert, middle class Americans get screwed)

Energy companies fighting solar power: In California, large energy companies are attempting to stop consumers from installing battery arrays, by claiming they are fraudulently storing conventional energy and reselling it on the grid.

Scientists warn of the dangers of the United States fossil fuel production: With the development of unconventional fossil fuels, the United States is poised to be the worlds leading producer of fossil energy. However, climate scientists warn that the U.S. is quickly destroying it's credibility in global discussions of greenhouse gas emissions.

Indigenous Brazilians launch protest: Indigenous Brazilians are protesting throughout Brazil over proposed legislation that would take away indigenous Brazilians rights to the exclusive use of resources (in usufruct) of their traditional lands. Shockingly, this proposal is backed by agribusiness and mining interests. 

Deepening disenlightenment: The peak oil myth of those tree hugging environmentalists is over, its time to frack our way to fossil fuel abundance and celebrate our rightful return to global dominance, what could possibly go wrong?

Ecuador seeks global solutions, globe isn't interested: Ecuador is sitting on large reserves of oil that is located under old growth rainforest. In an attempt to justify not developing this lucrative resource, Ecuador proposed the world pay them a small portion of its actual value, to keep it in the ground and preserve one of the worlds few remaining  biodiversity hot-spots. Guess what happened...

Canada decides to ease of government oversight of oilsands projects: The Canadian government has confirmed it is backing away from assessing the environmental impact of new oilsands projects. I am sure those virtuous fossil fuel executives will properly self-regulate their environmental practices. 

Oil companies developing alternatives to Keystone XL pipeline: Canadians are developing rail lines to move oil products into the United States, even if the Keystone XL pipeline fails to be approved. Canadians are intent on living the dream!

climate january 2013

Aussie family huddles under jetty as wildfire rages

The weirding weather

Lake Michigan water level at record low 6 Feb 2013
46C (114F) in Sydney 18 Jan 2013
Record snow in Alabama 17 Jan 2013
Record heat in South Carolina 13 Jan 13
Snow blankets Jerusalem 10 Jan 2013
Wildfires scorch record-hot Australia 9 Jan 13
2012 hottest year on record for USA 8 Jan 13
Snow covers Juarez, Mexico 4 Jan 12
US temps 2012 1.83C over 20th century average 2 Jan 13
Flood misery hits England 23 Dec 12
 

Jerusalem snow storm 10 January 2013

  
Quotes 

Responding to climate change and vanishing Arctic ice by gearing up to drill for the stuff at the root of the problem is insane.
David Suzuki 3 Feb 2013

Virtually all of the other OECD countries, and most developing countries including China, India, Mexico, and Brazil, have accepted the judgment of climate scientists.
Steven Chu, 1 Feb 2013, US secretary of energy,
in his resignation letter

Aussie weather map adds purple for +50 C/+122F

Figuring it all out

Mass extinction likely if temps rise 6C in next century 11 Jan 13
... Bighorn basin coring project NSF 2013
... Mass extinction forecast with 6C temp rise 7 Jan 13
... "Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum: future implications"
F. A. McInerny, S. L. Wing
Annual Rev of Earth & Plan Sci 39 (2013): 489-516
Hotter and drier, but also colder & wetter 11 Jan 13
sea-level rise: where we stand now Realclimate 9 Jan 13
NOAA confirms 2012 hottest year for lower 48 8 Jan 13

Denial and disenlightenment

Fla senator M Rubio: "climate change not a proven fact" 6 Feb
Am Geophys Union: the myth of "Saudi America" 6 Feb 13
D Suzuki the baffling response to arctic climate change 3 Feb 13
S Chu, secretary of energy, resigns with choice words 1 Feb 13
J Cole global warming is a domestic crisis 23 Jan 13
NYT shutters 'environment desk' as climate crisis begins 11 Jan 13

Mitigation and adaptation

Energiewende: EU wants network of e-car chargers 23 Jan 13
US city mayors urges climate action from Obama 18 Jan 13
NYC commission urges flood walls for subways 12 Jan 13

Civil evolution

new rail traffic data reflects big shift away from coal 5 Feb
climate pushes Sierra Club to end civil disobedience ban 23 Jan
C Hedges the myth of human progress 13 Jan 13
B McKibben: think occupy, but with deep deep roots 10 Jan 13
Green group leaders: Obama, take lead on climate!  8 Jan 13
... climate change activists ready to fight 8 Jan 13

Fracking in North Dakota (circled)

Welcome to the anthropocene

unprecedented Andes melt-off could spell water crisis 23 Jan 13
62 years of global warming in 13 secs Climate Central 21 Jan
Fed's Climate Assessment warns of 9F-15F warming of US 11 Jan
... federal advisory committee draft climate assessment report
towards climate chaos: US oil production set to explode 9 Jan 13
Australia so hot new color added to weather index 8 Jan 13
J Stiglitz climate and poverty: the post-crisis crisis 7 Jan 13
(world politics after unconventional energy boom)
The New Power Map Foreign Affairs 19 Dec 12

climate december 2012

Happy new year with the blisterdata holiday double issue!  : D

Arctic frost flowers photograph Bowman via Colossal

 COP-18 DOHA

Wikipedia entry on Doha climate conference  Dec 12
The information-is-beautiful guide to Doha 
UN FCCC COP-18 Doha page
The Guardian's Doha news page
Animation:
... the history of climate talks in 83 seconds 7 Dec 12
Postmortems:
... German climatologists demand end of COPs 13 Dec 12
...China and US hold the key 12 Dec 12
... COP18 failed to turn down the heat 12 Dec 12
...look on my works ye mighty and despair 11 Dec 12
...2015 will be the moment of truth 10 Dec 12
...only domestic policy works 10 Dec 12
Articles:
After COP, eyes on U.S. for next round 9 Dec 12
Kyoto Protocol extended at Doha talks 9 Dec 12
Doha reaches climate compromise 9 Dec 12
Should the rich compensate the poor over climate? 9 Dec 12
staying below 2 C: the choices we face (graphic) 8 Dec 12
... Climate Action Tracker
EU pushes for Kyoto deal as talks wind down 8 Dec 12
Qatari hosts under fire as talks drag on 7 Dec 12
Germany's lame showing at Doha 6 Dec 12
US envoy's CO2 numbers don't add up 6 Dec 12
... the EIA 2013 report: US 9% cut by 2020
Poland blocks Doha deal 5 Dec 12
UN's Ban Ki-Moon urges climate action 3 Dec 12
S Cooke: why UN climate agreements fail 3 Dec 12 
U.S. challenges China's emissions leniency demand 3 Dec 12
M. Monbiot: Neoliberalism and Doha 3 Dec 12
5+ C temp rise is now in the ballpark 2 Dec 12
Doha talks face multiple challenges 25 Nov 12
Will U.S. take more central role? 24 Nov 12
Obama under pressure to show he is serious  23 Nov 12
EU weakened over new emissions targets 23 Nov 12

QUOTE

Observed emission trends are in line with ... the highest temperature projections in the scenarios, with a mean temperature increase of 4.2-5C in 2100.

The challenge to keep global temperatures below 2 C
G. P. Peters et al., Nature Climate Change Dec 2012, doi:10.1038/nclimate1783

Greenland, which had above-average temperatures for much of the year, recorded its all-time highest May maximum temperature, when temperatures soared to 24.8 C at Ivittuut/Narsasuaq on May 29th.

WMO statement on the state of global climate in 2012
World Meteorolog Org 20 Nov 12 (press release here)

THE WEIRDING WEATHER

Insane 21 C Christmas heat in Munich 24 Dec
Germany record heat predicted for Christmas 23 Dec
West Antarctica warms up twice as fast as expected 23 Dec 12
... Real Climate: the heat is on in West Antarctica 23 Dec 
Record low temps in Russia--minus 57 C 22 Dec 12
Record low temps in Romania, Bulgaria 20 Dec 12
Historic low levels on the Mississippi river 14 Dec 12
2012 probably warmest year on record ever 7 Dec 12
Balmy November virtually assures 2012 to be hottest year 6 Dec
... NOAA State of the Climate Nat'l Overview Nov 12
Hurricane Sandy's sister, typhoon Bopha 7 Dec 12
US drought could be most extreme weather event 2012 5 Dec 12
C. Hedges: Katrina, all over again 3 Dec 12
Bopha most southerly typhoon ever recorded in W-Pacific 3 Dec
UNEP: permafrost thawing across Siberia and Alaska 27 Nov 
Nearly 28 years since last colder-than-average month 16 Nov 12
... more analysis on Grist 16 Nov 12
... the NOAA report 15 Nov 12

FIGURING IT ALL OUT

U.S. 2012's record drought set to continue into 2013 31 Dec
R Solnit 2013 as year zero for Earth and for us 24 Dec
Report: ecosystems in upheaval, biodiversity in collapse 20 Dec
2012 another record-setter, fits climate forecasts 20 Dec
Report: IPCC underestimates climate risks 10 Dec 12
Study: arctic wildfires speed melting of Greenland ice 7 Dec 12
CO2 measurements spike above 400 ppm 6 Dec 12
Development Cooperation Report: call for radical change 4 Dec
Heat-trapping pollution rose by 3 pct last year 2 Dec 12
... the OECD Development Co-operation Report Dec 2012
Explaining extreme events of 2011 from a climate perspective 
... Peterson, T. Bull. Amer. Meteor. Soc. 93 (2012): 1041-67
Turn down the heat: why a 4 C warmer world must be avoided
... Schnellnhuber, H./PIK (Washington, D.C.: World Bank, 2012)

(acidification is now a biological reality for some molluscs)
Oceanography: a sea butterfly flaps its wings
... Ries, J., Nature Geoscience 5 (2012): 845-846
... 'Dissolving' shells portend marine disaster 26 Nov 12
... Rise of acid ocean eats away base of food chain 25 Nov 12

CLIMATE SILENCE AND DENIAL

Poll: climate skeptics swayed by weather, not by science 15 Dec
The GOP's existential crisis 14 Dec 12
Rep adviser doubted Romney win after Hurricane 6 Dec 12
Forecasting denial: why TV weathercasters ignore climate 5 Dec
P. Krugman: Rubio's denial of geology 22 Nov 12
Republican 2016 contenders are all creationists 20 Nov 12
Ten numbers the rich would like fudged 19 Nov 12

MITIGATION AND ADAPTATION

CO2 turns into an industrial resource in Germany 26 Dec 12
US wind industry threatened by fiscal cliff 8 Dec 12
South Florida climate efforts move towards action 7 Dec 12
J Hansen a carbon price must follow 30 Nov 12
Pavegen--kinetic energy from students 29 Nov 12
What Obama must do now for the environment 28 Nov 12
Germany subsidizes low-emission household fridges 23 Nov 12
Laos cricket farms: insect meat boosts food security 4 Nov 12

CIVIL EVOLUTION

Story of the year: it's global warming, stupid 31 Dec 12
Buenos Aires: bicycles no longer mere recreation 30 Dec 12
P Krugman is growth over? 28 Dec 12
China opens world's longest high-speed rail route 26 Dec 12
Canada's Idle No More movement spreads 24 Dec 12
Niko Paech: economist and growth critic 11 Dec 12
J Kunstler homeless 3 Dec 12
The Limits of Growth--forty years later 22 Nov 12

(survey of analytical climate ethics)
"Climate change and ethics"
... T. Hayward, Nature Climate Change 2 (2012): 843-848

(Danish bicycling-is-the-new-cool blog)
Copenhagen Cycle Chic
... what German cities can learn from Copenhagen biking

WELCOME TO THE ANTHROPOCENE

Coal is doomed: death spiral of a once booming industry 27 Nov
M Moore's open letter to Obama  19 Nov 12
J Kunstler on the International Energy Agency report  19 Nov 12
Midwest drought makes Thanksgiving more pricey 19 Nov 12
World Bank climate report says turn down the heat 18 Nov 12

TOP TEN BEST PLACES TO BE BORN IN 2013

1. Switzerland
2. Australia
3. Norway
4. Sweden
5. Denmark
6. Singapore
7. New Zealand
8. Netherlands
9. Canada
10. Hong Kong

The lottery of life: where to be born in 2013
The Economist 21 Nov 12

NEW WORDS (at least to me)

biodiversity offsetting
Big Oil 
Doha gateway 
peak farmland
Robin Hood tax 
kampfradeln (German neologism for "warrior bicycling")

climate november 2012

NYC blackout stencil by L Hicks via Colossal Nov 2012

STORMS, FLOODS, BLACKOUTS

"Sandy is short for Cassandra, the Greek mythological figure who epitomizes tragedy.  The gods gave Cassandra the gift of prophecy; depending on which version of the story one prefers, she could either see or smell the future.  But with this gift also came a curse: Cassandra's warnings about future disasters were fated to be ignored.  That is the essence of tragedy: to know that a given course of action will lead to disaster but to pursue it nevertheless.  And so it has been with America's response to climate change."
M. Heertsgaard The Nation 30 Oct 12

Sandy shows how brittle US infrastructure has become 30 Oct 12
The deadly force of the superstorm 1 Nov 12
Hurricane Sandy: covering the storm 6 Nov 12
In Sandy's shadow: aftermath photo essay 14 Nov 12

FIGURING IT ALL OUT

Shrinking of fishes exacerbates impacts of global ocean changes on marine ecosystems
W Cheung et al., Nature Climate Change
doi 10.1038/nclimate1691 30 Sep 12
14-24 pct reduction in fish size by 2050 30 Sept 12
Climate change could cause coral reef extinction 2 Oct 12
Arctic melt, sea rise imminent threat to island nations 5 Oct 12
Global warming systemically caused Hurricane Sandy 30 Oct 12
Interview with M Latif about climate change and Sandy 30 Oct 12
Sandy not surprising, say climate experts 31 Oct 12
Fierce storms make south polar ice grow 14 Nov 12

CLIMATE SILENCE AND DENIAL

"America is unique when it comes to giving a platform to climate deniers and skeptics"
S. Lacey, Climate Progress, 6 Oct 12

New Blog: Skeptical Science: getting skeptical about global warming skepticism
... playing with data: skeptics vs. realists (fall 12)
... how it plays out in media practice (scroll to # 411) 14 Oct 12

AXA/IPSOS survey of perceptions of climate risk 4 Oct 12
Climate skepticism highest in Japan, UK, and US 4 Oct 12
Climate silence: it's the right, stupid 23 Oct 12
After hurricane Sandy, Clinton rails against Romney 30 Oct 12
Corporate media breaks climate silence after Sandy 1 Nov 12
Nevins: true leadership in a time of global warming 11 Nov 12
Combating denial: Al Gore's "Dirty Weather Report" 14 Nov 12

MITIGATION AND ADAPTATION

"The biggest blow to green tech has come from the marketplace itself."
D. Brooks, NYT, 19 Oct 12

New photovoltaics double solar power output 30 Sep 12
Geoengineering: asteroid dust 30 Sep 12
350.org: climate math coming to a city near you 8 Nov 12
The bike revolution: 20 mph speed limit pilot areas 15 Nov 12
The bike revolution: tempolimit 30 km/h 15 Nov 12
How Germany is getting to 100 pct renewable energy 15 Nov 12

THE ANTHROPOCENE

Great Barrier Reef loses half of its corals 1 Oct 12
50 people share 50 ideas to save the world in 50 months 1 Oct 12
M Klare: extreme energy means an extreme planet 4 Oct 12
WEF: Global Competiveness Report 2012 Oct 12
WEF: Global Gender Gap Report 2012 pdf 23 Oct 12
USA is No. 22 in the global village in gender equality 24 Oct 12
Capitol Hill's rabid, ravaging Republicans 26 Oct 12
IEA: World Energy Outlook 2012 pdf 12 Nov 12
USA to replace Saudis as world's largest oil producer 13 Nov 12
Tar Sands producers lay tracks to sidestep Keystone XL 13 Nov 12

GULF OF MEXICO WIN

BP pays record fine of $ 4.5 billion 15 Nov 12

U.S. ELECTION 2012

"Not a word has been said in the presidential debates about what may be the most urgent and consequential issue in the world: climate change."
E. Robinson, TruthDig, 22 Oct 12

Romney's denialism raises EU concerns for climate talks 25 Sep 12
2012 election's only bipartisan consensus: climate silence 2 Oct 12
Sandy pushing Obama, Romney to break climate silence 30 Oct 12
Sandy forces climate on election despite fossil lobby 31 Oct 12
Open letter to Obama from world's poorest countries 8 Nov 12
An open letter to Rightist Bill O'Reilly 10 Nov 12
Republican voter suppression strategy backfired 13 Nov 12
McKibben: Obama to face climate, reject Keystone  13 Nov 12

NEW WORDS

Zombie ideas
Systemic cause 
Extreme energy