TckTckTck

Cleaner oceans would boost the global economy

TckTckTck — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 21:23:20 +0000

Cleaner and better-managed seas and coasts would help boost economic growth and reduce poverty and pollution, a United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) report said on Wednesday. The report, produced with several other UN organisations, highlights the huge potential of a marine-based economy some five months before world governments meet to discuss pathways to more sustainable development at a UN conference in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Around 40 per cent of the global population lives within 100 kilometres of a coast so the world's marine ecosystems provide essential food, shelter and jobs to millions of people. But pollution from oil spills, fertilisers, waste, sewage and chemicals, as well as over-fishing, have damaged the health and productivity of the seas.

Read More: Stuff.co.nz >>

Is melting sea ice and climate change to blame for Europe’s vicious cold snap?

TckTckTck — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 16:04:42 +0000

The bitterly cold weather sweeping Britain and the rest of Europe has been linked by scientists with the ice-free seas of the Arctic, where global warming is exerting its greatest influence.

A dramatic loss of sea ice covering the Barents and Kara Seas above northern Russia could explain why a chill Arctic wind has engulfed much of Europe and killed 221 people over the past week. The death toll from Arctic blast has been particularly severe in the Ukraine, where many of the dead have been people sleeping on the streets. Heating and food tents have been set up to ease their hardship. In Romania 24 people are known to have died and 17 in Poland. A growing number of experts believe complex wind patterns are being changed because melting Arctic sea ice has exposed huge swaths of normally frozen ocean to the atmosphere above. In particular, the loss of Arctic sea ice could be influencing the development of high-pressure weather systems over northern Russia, which bring very cold winds from the Arctic and Siberia to Western Europe and the British Isles, the scientists believe. An intense anticyclone over north-west Russia is behind the bitterly cold easterly winds that have swept across Europe and some climate scientists say the lack of Arctic sea ice brought about by global warming is responsible.

Read more: Independent UK >>

Solar-powered car aims for Guinness World Record

TckTckTck — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 11:56:53 +0000

The students at Bochum University of Applied Sciences in Germany pump out a new solar-powered vehicle every two years. Only this time they’ve created one that, unlike their past products, doesn’t look like a “spaceship” or a “ping pong table.” Traveling the highways of America at 31 miles per hour, the SolarWorld Gran Turismo arrived in Santa Barbara Friday afternoon. A team of 30 Bochum University students and SolarWorld collaborated to produce the two-seater sports car, powered by roof-integrated solar panels, in an effort to set the world record for the longest distance traveled by a solar-powered vehicle. “I have to say, normal solar cars are faster than ours, but we decided to create one that looked like a normal car,” said Philipp Liesen, a member of the Bochum University team. The car visited the Bren School at UCSB for a meet-and-greet, including a joyride around campus for a raffle-winner in the crowd. Santa Barbara was one of the Gran Turismo’s first stops in its U.S. tour. After the World Solar Challenge competition in Australia with 37 other solar-powered vehicles, the car went to New Zealand, and was then shipped to San Francisco.

Read more: Independent.com >>

30 Ways in 30 Days

TckTckTck — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 21:29:26 +0000

From creating mass markets for solar water heaters, improving vehicle efficiency, using waste for energy or installing energy-efficient cooking stoves or planting trees and protecting forests, UNEP’s 30 case studies prove that solutions to combat Climate Change are available, accessible and replicable. Follow: 30 ways in 30 Ways ............. ......

NYC-sized iceberg set to break off Antarctic glacier

TckTckTck — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 20:53:10 +0000

With a gargantuan crack slowly splitting it apart, Antarctica's fastest-melting glacier is about to lose a chunk of ice larger than all of New York City, scientists say. The crevasse stretches 19 miles (30 kilometers) long and up to 260 feet (80 meters) wide, as shown in a picture taken by NASA's Terra satellite in Octoberand featured this week as a NASA Image of the Day. Snaking across the floating tongue of the Pine Island Glacier in West Antarctica, the crack is expected to create an iceberg 350 square miles (907 square kilometers)—versus 303 square miles (785 square kilometers) for Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, Staten Island, and the Bronx combined, according to NASA. As for when the iceberg might shove off, "that is very difficult to predict," said oceanographer Eric Rignot of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, "but in the coming months for sure."

Read more: National Geographic News >>

Two thousand protest Tar Sands pipeline in northern BC

TckTckTck — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 20:46:23 +0000

The Prince Rupert police estimate that 2,000 people protested against the Enbridge Northern Gateway Pipeline in Prince Rupert yesterday, in a rally that took over the city. “It was an incredible day," Prince Rupert city councillor Jen Rice said. “We may associate negative feelings and negative emotions with this project, but the irony of it is that it actually brings people together.” According to the CBC, Hartley Bay councillor Cameron Hill has said in the past that he is willing to die to stop the Enbridge project. “Because I don’t know any other life," he explained. "This is the life I have and been brought up in. This is what I want my kids to enjoy. And I want them to have the life that I have had, which I consider to be the best life ever.” The Enbridge pipeline would impact the traditional territory and livelihood of many of the First Nations who adamantly oppose the project.

Read more: Vancouver Observer >>

Brazilians fear government is backing away from protecting the Amazon

TckTckTck — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 17:50:34 +0000

Brazil has made great strides in recent years in slowing Amazon deforestation and showing the world it was serious about protecting the mammoth rain forest. The rate of deforestation fell by 80 percent over the past six years, as the government carved out about 150 million acres for conservation — an area roughly the size of France — and used police raids and other tactics to crack down on illegal deforesters, according to both environmentalists and the government. Brazil’s former environment minister, Marina Silva, became an internationally respected defender of the Amazon. She ran for president in 2010 on the Green Party ticket and won 19.4 percent of the votes. But since Dilma Rousseff was elected president in late 2010, there have been signs of a shift in the government’s attitude toward the Amazon. A provisional measure now allows the president to decrease the lands already created for conservation. The government is granting more flexibility for large infrastructure projects during the environmental licensing process. And a proposal would give Brazil’s Congress veto power over the recognition of indigenous territories. “What is happening in Brazil is the biggest backsliding that we could ever imagine with regards to environmental policies,” said Ms. Silva, who now devotes her time to environmental advocacy.

Read More: The New York Times >>

After devastating drought, Mexico finalizes climate bill

TckTckTck — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 14:53:25 +0000

Mexico, the world’s 15th biggest greenhouse gas emitter – and ravaged by its worst drought in 80 years – is close to passing legislation to create a domestic greenhouse gas emissions trading system able to cap and cut carbon emissions. After easy passage in the upper house of congress in December with an overwhelming majority, the General Law on Climate Change will now be debated by its 500-member Chamber of Deputies, according to Point Carbon. Mexico is bordering California, whose own carbon market is set to begin later in 2012. It is expected that the bill will enable international transactions with carbon markets with which Mexico has established bilateral agreements, such as the United States Its climate bill would centralize all matters related to addressing climate change by creating a federal climate commission, which would be in charge of formulating and implementing national climate change policies and be tasked with establishing the technical and legal basis of a domestic carbon market and a corresponding body to regulate it.

Read more: Clean Technica >>

Island nations want to fight for their climate future in court

TckTckTck — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 10:59:51 +0000

Small island nations, whose very existence is threatened by the rising sea levelsbrought about by global warming, are seeking to take the issue of climate change before the International Court of Justice. Johnson Toribiong, president of Palau, said Friday his country and other island nations had formed an expert advisory committee to bring the issue before the U.N. General Assembly. That would allow the world court in the Hague to determine the legal ramifications of climate change under international law. “If 20 years of climate change negotiations have taught us anything, it’s that every state sees climate change differently. For some, it is mainly an economic issue … for others it’s about geopolitics and their past or future place in the global economy, but for us it’s about survival,” Toribiong said. “Pacific countries are in the red zone, a swell of ocean where waters have risen two or three times higher than anywhere else in the world. That differential might explain why we speak about climate change so urgently and we look to everyone in every corner of the United Nations to find a solution,” he added. Michael Gerrard, director of the Center for Climate Change Law at Colombia University and a member the advisory committee, said the idea is to have a court determination compelling developed nations to control emissions of the greenhouse gases believed to cause global warming in the absence of an international treaty.

Read more: Inquirer.net >>

In the UK, could 2012 be the year of the wind turbine?

TckTckTck — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 00:51:27 +0000

Some 478 turbines will be completed onshore, more than 70 per cent than last year, according to RenewableUK. Around the coast 303 turbines will be brought online, more than doubling in one year the amount of electricity generated offshore by the UK.

The largest wind farm in the world, made up of more than 100 turbines off the coast of Cumbria in the Irish sea, was due to be opened by Chris Huhne, the Climate Change and Energy Secretary, next week.

However, following the Lib Dem minister’s resignation it is unclear who will now “cut the ribbon” to open Walney wind farm.

Already there are more than 3,500 turbines in Britain providing 6GW of electricity, enough to power 3.4 million homes for a year. The Coalition Government remains committed to an ambitious programme of constructing wind farms, hoping to boost this number to up to 10,000 turbines onshore and 4,300 offshore by 2020. Ministers insist that the drive for wind, that was championed by Labour in the last Government and taken up by the Lib Dems and Tories, is an opportunity to lead the world in an innovative new source of renewable power.

Read more: Telegraph UK >>

Our favourite climate videos this week

Leslie Dickout — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 20:39:41 +0000

Our favourite video this week looks at how to talk to your kids about climate change - without freaking either of you out! Check it out above. The two videos below are simple but strong reminders of how our earth is changing as a result of climate change:

NASA 31 years of global temperatures in 24 seconds

The retreating Columbian Glacier of Alaska

AK-01 Columbia Kadin Narrated from Extreme Ice Survey on Vimeo.

Kate Sheppard: Why Barack Obama must talk about climate change

TckTckTck — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 01:30:19 +0000

In his State of the Union address on January 24, President Obama largely avoided the topic of climate change. He talked about it once, in passing, as a topic on which "the differences in this chamber may be too deep" to enact new legislation. Its less-controversial cousin, "energy," on the other hand, got a whopping 23 mentions as an area where Republicans and Democrats should be able to find agreement. It became clear well before that address that the president and his administration don't think that climate change is an issue that will carry them to a second term. In his public events following the speech, he's also focused on clean energy while avoiding the other "c" word. But there are several reasons that Obama won't be able to avoid talking about climate change for too long—and well he shouldn't. The first is the ongoing battle over the Keystone XL pipeline. The proposed 1,661-mile pipeline from Canada to Texas probably would have been approved to little fanfare if environmental groups hadn't waged a lengthy campaign asking the White House to reject it. Similar pipelines hadn't faced much backlash, but this one drew ire from climate-change activists who called attention to the increased emissions stemming from oil from Canada's tar sands, and from local residents in the pipeline's proposed pathway. During two weeks of sit-ins in late August, more than 1,200 people were arrested outside the White House protesting the pipeline. Activists also held a massive rally on November 6 that ended with thousands encircling the White House.

Read more: The Guardian UK >>

Partner Spotlight: Steve Sawyer, Secretary-General, Global Wind Energy Council

Heather Libby — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 00:58:37 +0000

Every two weeks the TckTckTck team proudly recognizes one of the 325+ partner organizations making up our global climate movement. This time, we are shining the spotlight on a non-GCCA member who is doing important work towards achieving a fossil free energy future. We are pleased to share an interview with Steve Sawyer, Secretary-General of the Global Wind Energy Council. We caught up with Steve immediately after his return from the World Future Energy Summit in Abu Dhabi. Read his candid thoughts on renewable investment, the pervasiveness of fossil fuel lobbying and the meaningful ways people can help influence energy policy in their cities and countries. TCK: Over the past few years a growing trend of investment in renewable energy has outstripped investment in fossil fuels. Unfortunately, we do not see that translating through to our energy mix as consumers. What more can citizens do to ensure their Governments and energy suppliers move towards a more renewable and sustainable energy mix? STEVE SAWYER: There are two answers to that question. On one hand, you do see a dramatic increase in the renewable content of your energy mix if you live in Germany, Denmark, Sweden, Spain, and a number of other European countries, India and even a little bit in China. Renewable energy’s share of the global electricity supply was 19% in 2010 (including hydro), and wind power is now well over 2% of the global total. Denmark gets about 24% of its electricity from wind, and Spain got well over a third of its electricity from renewables last year. But on the other hand, that the share would grow even faster if we had real political commitment and more consistent support to renewables in the United States, Canada, Japan and a number of other countries. And it would grow even faster if governments were serious about reducing emissions and mandating the use of the energy efficiency technology policies and practices that are available to us today, usually at zero or negative net cost; or if governments stopped subsidizing fossil fuels to the tune of more than 500 billion per year. What can citizens do? Pay attention to where the candidates get their money and to energy legislation pending in your national parliament. Let your views be known to your representatives. Support clean energy legislation, and support organizations which promote renewable energy, such as the newly launched global standard for wind energy, WindMade http://www.windmade.org. Support organisations which campaign to get rid of fossil fuel subsidies, such as Oil Change International http://priceofoil.org/. Start a campaign to get your municipal government to purchase renewable energy; the same for your employer. Investigate the options for a community owned wind farm in your area; install solar pv and/or hot water heating in your own home (Did you know that China has more than twice as much (70%) solar hot water as the rest of the world combined?). Buy a hybrid…better yet, get rid of your car and use a hybrid or electric car-share when you need to. It’s a very long list…none of it terribly glamorous, but all of it useful and important. TCK: We hear a lot about the power of fossil fuel companies and how much money they spend on worldwide lobbying. Do you have any real-life stories you could share that give an insight into how pervasive their power really is? And again, what action can citizens take in response to it? STEVE SAWYER: I often characterize the fossil fuel lobby as the most powerful vested interest in the history of the world. I think it’s right. During the 90s, there were was an ongoing effort by the fossil fuel industries (well chronicled in Jeremy Leggett’s book The Carbon War) to avert any real action on climate change, and their ongoing efforts to undermine the climate science are well documented at http://www.exxonsecrets.org Two current relevant examples: Two years ago, an unknown Spanish author from a university in Madrid produced a study (in English) supposedly demonstrating that Spanish support for renewable energy was costing the economy and that each job created in the renewable sector cost more jobs in the ‘real’ economy. The study was intellectually ridiculous in and of itself, and a little digging showed how it had in fact been funded by fossil fuel interests, which is well documented at http://switchboard.nrdc.org/blogs/paltman/credit_for_trying_spanish_stud.html President Obama came away from the G-20 summit in Toronto all fired up about cutting subsidies to the fossil fuel industry as a result of discussions there (see http://www.oecd.org/document/57/0,3746,en_2649_37465_45233017_1_1_1_37465,00.html). There was a short-lived push to get some legislation going and reduce some of the more ridiculous of the taxpayer subsidies. Then the fossil industry fought back, both publicly and privately. Haven’t heard anything since… TCK: You recently participated in the World Future Energy Summit in Abu Dhabi. Given the urgency to tackle climate change and the lack of momentum at the global political talks, do you feel a greater sense of urgency and a sense of 'getting to work' from some of the Governments and companies that were at the summit? Do you think we will see many more announcements like this (http://www.renewableenergyfocus.com/view/23413/scotland-and-masdar-sign-clean-and-renewable-energy-deal/) in the coming months? STEVE SAWYER: There are many governments who are serious about renewable energy…for climate reasons, but also to create price stability, insulate their economies from the volatility of international commodity markets, clean up air pollution, reduce water usage, etc. Many European governments, India, China, Korea, Brazil and now even South Africa and Australia. Who’s missing from this list? The US, Canada, Japan and Russia are the big ones. And of course most of the OPEC countries. In terms of the Scottish initiative, this is a long term, ongoing effort by the Scottish government, and getting the UAE to invest in some of these projects is good business for both sides. MASDAR is investing in renewable energies in a number of countries besides Scotland, especially in Africa, Asia and Latin America, as is the European Investment Bank, the Asian Development Bank and a number of private utilities from Europe, China and India. So yes, there will be many more announcements like this. TCK: What are the projections for wind energy over the coming years? Who are the countries to look out for in terms of those taking big strides to increase their share of energy from wind? STEVE SAWYER: Our short term forecast (which will be updated in just a few weeks) has wind energy more than doubling its total capacity in the five year period from 2011-2015. With nearly 200GW of installed capacity in 2010, we expect that to grow to more than 450 GW by 2015, and to reach somewhere between 800 and 1000 GW by the end of 2020, which will be somewhere between 8 and 11% of total global electricity supply, depending upon how demand develops. China is the global leader in wind power now, followed by the United States, Germany, Spain and India. The big growth markets in the coming years we would expect to continue to be China and India. The US and Canada both have huge potential, but government support is weak to non-existent, and more importantly, inconsistent. European growth is dictated by their overall climate and energy framework, and we expect growth there to be modest and steady. The new growth markets are led by Brazil and Mexico, and we expect South Africa to follow suit now that they have finally started approving projects. Other potential large growth markets include South Korea, Egypt, Morocco, Viet Nam, Mongolia, Pakistan, Chile, Argentina, the Philippines and Sri Lanka, and smaller yet still significant markets are developing in Uruguay, Peru, Costa Rica, Honduras, Kenya, Tanzania, Ethiopia, Namibia and a few other sub-Saharan African countries, Thailand and Taiwan TCK: In his US State of the Union speech on 25 January, Barack Obama called on American's to "double-down on a clean energy industry that never has been more promising." In 2012, will the clean energy industry live up to its promise? STEVE SAWYER: I wish that what President Obama or Secretary Chu said made a difference. What matters for the wind industry is whether or not Congress passes an extension of the Production Tax Credit early in 2012. If they don’t then I’m afraid that more wind industry jobs and installations will move out of the US and into some of the countries that I mentioned above. Globally, the renewable energy industry is booming, with more than 260 billion in investment last year, and more than 1 trillion overall since 2004. How much of that will happen in the United States is largely up to the Congress. If they don’t act, the investment will go elsewhere.

Hacking for sustainability

TckTckTck — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 17:37:15 +0000

Recently in New York, a group of high tech companies, venture investors, hackers, college students and observers like me held the second Cleanweb Hackathon on the NYU campus. A hackathon is a gathering where software developers and serial entrepreneurs stay up one, two or more nights writing code for apps that just may change the world. Hackathons have been held on subjects as diverse as operating systems and disaster relief as in Random Hacks of Kindness. This app building frenzy in New York focused on the Cleanweb, a concept conceived by San Francisco VC Sunil Paul, to describe the intersection of clean technology and the Internet. As described by Paul and his partner, Nick Allen of Spring Ventures, the Cleanweb is to cleantech -- until now a largely hardware type of business -- what the Internet was to computing. With many of the big, capital intensive investments already made or underway, the challenge, Paul believes, is to leverage that investment using information technology. And that is what the eleven teams on hand did over the weekend. At the hackathon the teams developed applications that compared the energy efficiency of every municipal building in New York (www.honestbuildings.com) collected your daily travel patterns from your smart phone's movement to recommend ways to slim your travel, calculated the cost of installing solar on your home by typing your address into Google maps, notified you or your spouse by email that an appliance at home was drawing excessive power and provided a link to click it off, and turned your thermostat up or down based on the distance of your phone from your home.

What’s the real purpose behind Canada’s Northern Gateway pipeline?

TckTckTck — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 15:15:32 +0000

The latest chapter in Canada's quest to become a full-blown oil superpower unfolded this month in a village gym on the British Columbia coast. Here, several hundred people gathered for hearings on whether a pipeline should be laid from the Alberta oil sands to the Pacific in order to deliver oil to Asia, chiefly energy-hungry China. The stakes are particularly high for the village of Kitamaat and its neighbors, because the pipeline would terminate here and a port would be built to handle 220 tankers a year and 525,000 barrels of oil a day. But the planned Northern Gateway Pipeline is just one aspect of an epic battle over Canada's oil ambitions – a battle that already has a supporting role in the U.S. presidential election, and which will help to shape North America's future energy relationship with China. It actually is a tale of two pipelines – the one that is supposed to end at Kitamaat Village, and another that would have gone from Alberta to the Texas coast but was blocked by the Obama administration citing environmental grounds.

Read more: Huffington Post >>

Design a poster for climate justice – deadline 15 February 2012

Heather Libby — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 10:35:09 +0000

Our partners at Germanwatch have recently launched a new contest for artists and designers. If you're inspired by climate justice and good with a paintbrush or photshop, read on... Germanwatch is calling for the most original, high-quality and meaningful poster on climate justice. Their goal? Calling public attention to the subject of international cooperation on climate justice. The grand prize winner will receive 1,000 Euros and see their design used for education and information work of Germanwatch, for example in the run-up to the Rio +20 Summit. Suggested topics include:

Adaptation to the impacts of climate change in developing countries;
Climate protection as a contribution to global justice;
People responsible and people affected by climate change;
Climate protection as a future opportunity for developing countries;
International climate financing;
International coalitions for an ambitious climate policy.
Three Pillars of Climate Justice (right to survival, effort/burden sharing, opportunity sharing)

Anyone can enter, and submissions can be in either German or English. The contest closes Wednesday, 15 February 2012. For more information, visit their website.

A future worth choosing

Heather Libby — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 05:14:17 +0000

What kind of future do we want, and what kind of legacy will we leave for our children and their grandchildren? These are the questions asked and answered in the latest report from the UN's Global Sustainability Panel. As we look towards Rio+20 and beyond, creating a world powered by sustainable energy is on our minds. Is it on yours? Written by a 22-member panel of global leaders chaired by the Presidents of South Africa and Finland and set up by UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon the report ‘Resilient People, Resilient Planet: A Future Well Worth Choosing’ is an attempt to find practical solutions to address the institutional and financial arrangements necessary to develop sustainably. The report covers a number of critical issues, from climate change to the health of our oceans and to the challenges associated with access to safe water, energy access and food security, among others. Perhaps one of the most laudable of the more than 50 recommendations contained within the report is its call for ending fossil fuel subsidies by 2020, although more immediate action is needed. It notes, as it should, that the phase out of these subsidies should be done in a way which protects the poor. This recommendation is also a good example of the real challenge to addressing climate change and putting the world on a more sustainable development path. Anyone serious about addressing climate change has known for many years that fossil fuel subsidies are one of the major stumbling blocks to moving toward cleaner, safer forms of energy. It is a recommendation that has been made several times by governments over the last ten years, for example at G8 and G20 summits. Now the real question is, what will governments do with these recommendations?

New UN report: Creating a future worth choosing

Heather Libby — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 04:48:45 +0000

What is a future well worth choosing? It's the question asked and answered in the latest report released Monday from the High-level Panel on Global Sustainability. 'Resilient People, Resilient Planet: A Future Well Worth Choosing' is an attempt to find practical solutions to address the institutional and financial arrangements necessary to develop sustainably. The report covers a number of critical issues, from climate change to the health of our oceans and to the challenges associated with access to safe water, energy access and food security. Perhaps one of the most laudable of the more than 50 recommendations contained within the report is its call for ending fossil fuel subsidies by 2020. It notes, as it should, that the phase out of these subsidies should be done in a way which protects the poor. While more immediate action is needed, this recommendation is a good example of the real challenge to addressing climate change and putting the world on a more sustainable development path. Anyone serious about addressing climate change has known for many years that fossil fuel subsidies are one of the major stumbling blocks to moving toward cleaner, safer forms of energy. It is a recommendation that has been made several times by governments over the last ten years, for example at G8 and G20 summits. Now the real question is, what will governments do with these recommendations?

TckTckTck partners respond

Many of our partners and allies in the climate movement have responded positively to the report and its conclusions. Commenting on the Panel’s report, Farooq Ullah, Head of Policy and Advocacy at Stakeholder Forum said: “We greatly welcome the report of the Global Sustainability Panel and its messages. It outlines a vision of the future which is people-centric and which exists within the safe operating space necessary for planetary health and our existence. Sustainable development defines new pathways for just, inclusive growth and prosperity.” Jim Leape, Director General of WWF International was equally supportive.

“The Global Sustainability report gives the highest level political signal yet of greater readiness to take the bold steps needed to build a prosperous future. This report makes the alarming point that while we are already exceeding the Earth’s capacity to support us, by 2030 we will need 50 per cent more food, 45 per cent more energy and 30 per cent more water than we do today. The High-Level Panel report offers a vision for meeting those challenges. As negotiators develop the text for the Rio Summit in June, we look to them to embrace the urgency and commitments needed to turn this vision into reality.”

Dr. Alison Doig, an expert on sustainable development with Christian Aid, sees the report as a welcome wake-up call.

‘The report describes the enormous and unsustainable exploitation of planetary resources underpinning the last decades of economic growth and also shows that this is only half the story. The other half is the astonishing inequality in the distribution of the benefits of this irresponsible natural asset-stripping. With Rio+20 this year and the G20 meeting in Mexico, the world’s governments and most powerful leaders have a major opportunity to set the planet on a new course towards a fairer and greener economy. The report recommends very practical measures which can be taken now, such as committing to a target for universal access to clean modern energy. This is a commitment that the world can make, to the poorest people on earth who are living in the dark with no electricity or clean cooking fuels."

Other partners are less effusive with their praise, and call instead for greater ambition towards a truly sustainable society. As Sarah Best of Oxfam said:

“The Panel’s report is a welcome rallying cry for the vision of a sustainable, fair, and resilient future that Oxfam fully shares. But their recommendations don’t deliver the quantum leap the Panel calls for. It’s weak medicine for such a life-threatening diagnosis. World leaders will need to do better when they meet at the UN summit in Rio in June."

Greenpeace International echoed these concerns, paying particular attention to the suggested implementation date for the new regulations:

“An energy revolution, zero deforestation and healthy oceans – that´s a future worth choosing. We welcome that the Panel recognizes the need to measure real well-being, not just Gross Domestic Product. In a truly Green Economy, the economy will be a mechanism to deliver societal goals, and economic growth as an end goal in and of itself will be abandoned. Greenpeace supports Sustainable Development goals to achieve food security and oceans protection, but we need these now, not for 2030 – a date way past the sell-by-date of today´s corporate leaders and politicians."

At the end of the day, it comes down to (as it often does) whether or not governments have the political will to address the great challenges of our time. It is political will and leadership which will make the difference. As Jake Schmidt of the Natural Resources Defence Council says. "When world leaders meet several times this year – culminating at the Earth Summit 2012 in Rio – they must finally follow through on the commitment to phase-down these subsidies and help unleash even greater low-carbon energy action." For access to the full report, including a list of the GSP members and other relevant information, go to www.un.org/gsp.

Shocking NASA video shows 131 years of global warming

TckTckTck — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 03:38:42 +0000

2012 is shaping up to be a very bad year for climate deniers. In the same week that 38 of the worlds' most respected climate scientists rebutted a controversial denial-filled op-ed in the Wall Street Journal, NASA releases its latest video showing the scope of how warm our world has become over the past 131 years. As NASA says in the video summary:

Global temperatures have warmed significantly since 1880, the beginning of what scientists call the "modern record." At this time, the coverage provided by weather stations allowed for essentially global temperature data. As greenhouse gas emissions from energy production, industry and vehicles have increased, temperatures have climbed, most notably since the late 1970s. In this animation of temperature data from 1880-2011, reds indicate temperatures higher than the average during a baseline period of 1951-1980, while blues indicate lower temperatures than the baseline average.

Watch the video above, and learn more about the science behind it here.

Al Gore: In Antarctica, a story of rising seas

TckTckTck — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 02:38:37 +0000

After crossing the legendary Drake Passage, we came in sight of the Antarctic continent. It is a majestic, otherworldly place. The Antarctic Peninsula, which juts northward toward South America, is lined with ice-covered mountains and surrounded by abundant wildlife in the sea. But even on this continent that looks and feels pristine, a troubling process is underway because of global warming. The ice on land is melting at a faster rate and large ice sheets are moving toward the ocean more rapidly. As a result, sea levels are rising worldwide. Most of the world’s ice is contained in Antarctica – more than 90 percent. The West Antarctic Ice Sheet, which lies south of the Peninsula, contains enough water to raise sea levels worldwide by more than 20 feet. Part of the ice sheet, the Pine Island Glacier ice shelf, is among the many in Antarctica that are shrinking at an accelerating rate. This has direct consequences for low-lying coastal and island communities all over the world – and for their inland neighbors. In analyzing the relationship between melting ice and sea level rise, it is important to distinguish between two kinds of ice: the ice on land and the ice floating on top of the sea. When floating ice melts, sea level is not affected, because its weight has already pushed the sea level upward. But the melting of glaciers and ice sheets resting on land does increase sea level rise. So far, the melting of small mountain glaciers and portions of ice sheets in Antarctica and Greenland has been the main contributor to sea level rise from the loss of ice. (As the oceans warm up, their volume naturally expands, and this too has been a contributor to a small portion of the sea level rise that has occurred in the age of global warming). Former US Vice-President and Nobel Prize Winner Al Gore is currently en-route to Antarctica with Sir Richard Branson. Their mission: to document the powerful effects of climate change in one of the world's most vulnerable places.

Read more: Climate Reality Project >>

Introducing the world’s most efficient solar panel

TckTckTck — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 01:25:52 +0000

North Carolina’s Semprius Inc. and its German backer Siemens said they have developed the world’s most efficient solar panel. The prototype converts 33.9 percent of the sunlight that hits it into electricity, according to separate press releases from the two companies. That’s more than double the most efficient conventional photovoltaic (PV) module on the market, where performance tops out at 16 percent, Forbes magazine found late last year. It beats the previous laboratory best of 32 percent, Semprius said, citing testing and certification from Spain’s Instituto de Energia Solar at the Universidad Politécnica de Madrid. Semprius late last year announced a breakthrough in the 41 percent efficient solar cells it builds into its modules. Cells typically are more efficient than the overall module. In the game of energy economics, even a small improvement could make a big difference in returns on investment, especially on large utility scale projects. Efficient panels can also make better use of limited space on, say, a rooftop. “This is a significant milestone for Semprius and the entire PV industry,” said Scott Burroughs, vice president of technology at Durham, N.C.-based Semprius. “For the first time we have been able to convert more than one third of the sun’s energy into usable electricity.”

Read more: Smart Planet >>

Real climate scientists respond to misleading WSJ editorial

Heather Libby — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 01:13:10 +0000

38 climate scientists have set the record straight after the Wall Street Journal ran a misleading op-ed by purported “scientists” claiming the threat of climate change is not real. In today’s rebuttal, the group of leading climate scientists point out that none of the op-ed authors (who included marketing and psychology professors and geologists funded by ExxonMobil) were climate scientists and should not be commenting on a subject matter they don’t understand. Conversely, all 38 signers of today's editorial are experts in the specific field of climate science. As they say in their op-ed:

"Climate experts know that the long-term warming trend has not abated in the past decade. In fact, it was the warmest decade on record. Observations show unequivocally that our planet is getting hotter. And computer models have recently shown that during periods when there is a smaller increase of surface temperatures, warming is occurring elsewhere in the climate system, typically in the deep ocean. Such periods are a relatively common climate phenomenon, are consistent with our physical understanding of how the climate system works, and certainly do not invalidate our understanding of human-induced warming or the models used to simulate that warming."

"Do you go to a dentist for your heart condition?"

The editorial also makes it clear that the authors of the January 27th editorial should not self-identify as climate science experts. While accomplished in their own fields, most of the 16 authors of the January 27^th editorial printed in the Wall Street Journal have no expertise in climate science. The few authors who have such expertise are known to have extreme views that are out of step with nearly every other climate expert. Only two of the sixteen scientists can legitimately say they have studied climate science, while the rest of the group includes a former employee of ExxonMobil, a board member of an ExxonMobil-funded group, one marketing professor, two chemists, a spaceship designer, and a geneticist.

Rio Prize description

TckTckTck — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 19:42:31 +0000

Join the TckTckTck team at the Rio +20 Earth Summit this June and be part of an event that’s sure to change the world. TckTckTck is looking for a climate-smart blogger or videographer to be part of our on-the-ground team in Rio. Want to help us share stories and keep climate change and sustainable energy on the agendas of world leaders? Share your best stories or videos below! The Rio +20 organizers say 'The future is yours'. We say make it count! Enter today.

What you win:

Accreditation to the UN conference with TckTckTck
Travel to and from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Accommodation at the TckTckTck team hotel
Spending money to cover daily expenses

Should I enter?

We think anyone should enter to win the Rio +20 blogger prize if they meet the following criteria:

Over the age of 18
Maintain an active weblog or youtube/vimeo channel. This blog or video channel should be active since 1 Dec, 2011.
Have an active Twitter account
Have a keen interest in climate change and sustainable energy (ideally you’re already writing about these topics)
Write in a clear, creative and engaging style
Be fluent in English. Sorry multi-lingual bloggers, but we just don’t have the capacity to manage entries in any other languages at this time.

How to enter:

Fill out the entry form [Insert final URL] with your contact information.

Include at least two samples of your writing. Make sure it’s your best stuff, and it’s on a link that is permanently accessible anywhere on the web. This is your chance to show us how great you’d be for our team - make it count!

Update the writing samples you’ve submitted to us to include this piece of text at either the beginning or end of your post (videos can include it in either the description or as a caption) ‘This post is entered in the TckTckTck.org Rio +20 Blogger Prize contest. Find out more here.

The initial entry period will close on DAY, MONTH 2012 at TIME UST.

On DAY, MONTH 2012 at TIME UST we will announce the [X] finalists for the Rio +20 on TckTckTck.org. Successful entrants will be notified via email and on Twitter.

Finalists will be asked to submit a 500 word blog (or max 3 minute video) on a topic related to Rio +20. These blogs will also be posted on TckTckTck.org no later than DAY, MONTH, 2012.

Finalists will be encourage to promote their blogs through social media to attract traffic and discussion.

A panel of TckTckTck staff and partners will select the winning blog or video based on its editorial quality, traffic generation and other criteria to be determined.

Additional Details

Terms & Agreements [LINK]
Official Rules & Regulations [LINK]
Privacy Policy [LINK]

Climate change refugees consider Australia for new home

TckTckTck — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 19:24:00 +0000

The President of what could be the first country in the world lost to climate change has urged Australia to prepare for a mass wave of climate refugees seeking a new place to live. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change predicts a sea-level rise of up to 59 centimetres over the next century, a level that would inundate most of the Maldives' inhabited atolls. Low-lying Pacific island nations, such as Kirabati and Tuvalu, would also face being flooded. The Maldivian President, Mohamed Nasheed, said his government was considering Australia as a possible new home if the tiny archipelago disappears beneath rising seas. ''It is increasingly becoming difficult to sustain the islands, in the natural manner that these islands have been,'' he said in an interview in Male, the Maldives capital.

Big companies get real about climate adaptation

TckTckTck — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 18:21:09 +0000

Who’s got billions of dollars and isn’t going to wait for the GOP to arrive in the 21st century before they drop a significant portion of it on preparing for our climate-changed future? These guys, according to Marc Gunther at GreenBiz:

Entergy, a gulf coast utility company with $11 billion a year in revenue

[Entergy] commissioned a Gulf Coast Adaptation Study that has opened up conversations with customers and elected officials about preparing for a warming climate. […] The company has looked at “hardening” key assets including power plants, substations and transmission lines.

Pioneer, a division of Dupont focused on agriculture

Pioneer is testing drought-resistant corn and other crops in desert-like test fields in California and Chile, he said, in part because farmers who now irrigate their fields are already telling Pioneer that they expect limits on the availability of water.
Read More: Grist >>

FTP Instructions for GCCA partners

TckTckTck — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 05:01:57 +0000

Now you can share large files or zip folders using our integrated FTP. If your file is less than 100 MB you can also use the Partner file uploader. Or for files less than 10 MB you can simply email them to submissions [at] tcktcktck [dot] org.

Locate your FTP client or download Filezilla (recommended)
Open Filezilla and fill out the top fields:
HOST: ftp-tcktcktck.egnyte.com
USER: (as provided)
PASSWORD: (as provided)
Ignore PORT
Click the ‘Quick Connect’ button
On the left is your computer server and on the right is our Egnyte server
On the right double click on ‘Shared’ then ‘Content Database’
On the left you can browse for files and simply drag them over to the right
DONE! It’s fast and you can upload huge files or folders.

Rio+20 Calendar & Files

TckTckTck — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 18:57:46 +0000

Rio+20 Shared Files

Folder/File Name	Notes
Background Documents: Folder >>	Important documents for Rio+20 Summit.








Event Logistics: Folder >>	Maps and other logistics files.








Press Releases: Folder >>	PDF press releases from UN, GCCA partners, allies and corporate actors.








Media Assets: Folder >>	Contains photos, video and audio files for use in communications efforts.

Working Group Folders	Notes
Earth Day: Folder >>	Important documents for Earth Summit.








Energy Access: Folder >>








Mobilisation: Folder >>










Policy: Folder >>

To submit files under 10MB please email to rio20 [at] tcktcktck [dot] org. For larger files please user the Partner Uploader.

Nairobi installs solar powered street lights

TckTckTck — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 17:47:05 +0000

Kenya is taking its climate change response to the streets. In a move aimed at boosting environmental sustainability while reducing costs and making residents safer, Nairobi city council has begun installing solar-powered street lighting. The new project, which aims to increase the use of environmentally friendly technologies that can contribute to sustainable economic growth, is part of a climate-change response strategy launched by the Kenyan government in 2010. The government has allocated one billion Kenyan shillings ($10 million) for the solar lighting project in the capital. A few solar street lamps have already replaced normal lights on a number of streets near the Kenyan parliament and other government buildings. The initiative is expected to be completed by mid-2012, with the new lighting on at least 12 streets as well as a major highway connecting several towns outside Nairobi.

Full Rio+20 statement post

TckTckTck — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 17:46:40 +0000

The United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development (UNCSD) is being organized in pursuance of General Assembly Resolution 64/236 (A/RES/64/236). The Conference will take place in Brazil on 20-22 June 2012 to mark the 20th anniversary of the 1992 United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED), in Rio de Janeiro, and the 10th anniversary of the 2002 World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD) in Johannesburg. It is envisaged as a Conference at the highest possible level, including Heads of State and Government or other representatives. The Conference will result in a focused political document. A number of documents and studies are being produced by various stakeholders in preparation for UNCSD and they are available on the UN Website: Documents section>>

Can combating climate change decrease the cost to public health?

TckTckTck — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 16:04:01 +0000

Former entomologist Diarmid Campbell-Lendrum of the World Health Organization worries about nosebleeds more than the average person. That's because he's one of the estimated 12 million people worldwide afflicted with leishmaniasis—a potentially fatal parasitic disease characterized most often by lesions on the skin and/or mucus membranes—caused by the bite of a sandfly. As the team leader for climate change and health at WHO and an environmental epidemiologist, Campbell-Lendrum is also in a position to worry more about howglobal warming is going to affect such so-called vector-borne diseases. "Is climate change going to bring malaria back to the U.S. and Europe? It's not," he asserts. "Climate change is eroding the environmental determinants of health: water, food, increasing disease," he says. Already WHO research suggests that current warming of global average temperatures of just under one degree Celsius is responsible for an additional 150,000 deaths per year, largely due to agricultural failures and diarrheal disease in developing countries. "All the inputs are on the conservative side," says Campbell-Lendrum, who helped come up with the number.

Read more: Scientific American>>

New research shows ocean currents are climate ‘hot spots’

TckTckTck — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 11:32:44 +0000

A global study that assesses the temperature change in ocean currents has made two findings – one surprising, the other less so. The unsurprising outcome is that as the Earth’s temperature rises, so does the temps in a collection of major ocean currents; the surprise is that those currents are warming faster than the globe as a whole. According to the study, published this week in Nature Climate Change, a pattern of warming in the ocean’s long-distance currents has now been identified near Australia, Japan, Africa, and North America. Moreover, the warming is also sending the currents “polewards”, meaning that species migrations already observed in Australia (in which many species are moving southwards at as much as a degree per year) are almost certain to happen on a global scale. The study, "Enhanced warming over the global subtropical western boundary currents", aims to identify whether, and to what degree, changes in ocean currents may occur due to anthropogenic greenhouse gas forcing. The currents are important because on their thousands-of-kilometer journeys redistributing heat from equatorial regions to the mid-latitudes, they also release both heat and moisture into the atmosphere.

Read more: The Register >>

TckTckTck partners cheer increased ambition for EU emission targets

Heather Libby — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 09:42:40 +0000

Today the European Commission published a long-awaited paper that outlines the numerous benefits increased climate action would bring Europe. "Options to move beyond 20% greenhouse gas emission reductions: Member State results" looks at every single member state, and says what deeper cuts in emissions mean for energy costs, technology investments, fuel costs, air quality and public health. Among its many findings, it shows that going for a target of cutting Europe’s emissions by 30% by the year 2020 is feasible, beneficial and much cheaper than previously thought. The benefits of moving to more ambitious targets are plentiful and far-reaching. Apart from saving us money in these times of economic crisis, a stronger target to clean up and modernize the European economy will:

Save an extra € 20 billion of fuel expenses per year between 2016 and 2020, savings which offset the € 18 billion extra investments needed in the energ sector to move beyond the current 20% target.
Help reduce money spent and dependence on fossil fuels we have to import from abroad, boost air quality and save pollution costs of up to € 2.7 billion per year.
Create up to 1.5 million extra jobs by 2020. According to the new EU report, a range of smart policy decisions - for example reducing fossil fuel subsidies and increasing energy efficiency - will boost research in and development of modern technologies made in Europe. This, together with a reduction in labor costs, is good for 1.5 million new jobs by 2020.

This announcement was met with enthusiasm and support from TckTckTck partners across the European Union. The climate policy experts at Climate Action Network Europe responded with the following statement:

“This study is important because it offers Member States a way to ensure greater stability and resilience against oil price and supply fluctuations, which in turn will create stronger economies and a healthier environment in all of Europe,” said Julia Michalak, EU Climate Policy Officer at CAN Europe. "The Commission’s findings remove any doubt about the benefits of stronger European-wide climate action,” Michalak continued. “Higher targets will benefit the EU’s citizens and economy as well as poorer countries already experiencing the effects of climate change in other parts of the world.”

Along with the many economic benefits of increased emission targets are the health benefits of reducing greenhouse gas pollution. The report estimates that the new emission targets would provide between €3.4 to €7.9 billion annually by reducing mortality rates from chronic and dangerous health conditions including bronchitis, asthma and heart attacks. And while those statistics are incredible on their own, our partners at the Health and Environment Alliance (HEAL) feel they may even be overly conservative. In their statement on the report, HEAL commented:

“Governments should seize this good news on health benefits to raise the EU’s climate ambition under the Danish Presidency. The health economic benefits for both the EU and member states are significant, and yet we know they are just the tip of the iceberg, and do not reflect the full public health benefits of moving to 30%, as recent studies have shown”, states Genon Jensen, HEAL Executive Director. “The analysis does not include the other benefits that accrue to society when we are not sick, such as fewer working days lost because of illness, fewer medications or fewer hospital admissions. It only covers the savings from avoiding deaths due to fewer respiratory and heart conditions because of improvements in air quality.”

Later today the Environment committee in EU parliament will vote to adopt a draft report on the 2050 low carbon economy roadmap (which would then be forwarded to for a vote in plenary mid-March). Here's hoping they make the right choice for our future and for the economy.

Kelly Rigg: At Rio +20 the future we want means action NOW

TckTckTck — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 07:30:47 +0000

Once every 10 or 20 years, something remarkable happens. World leaders take note of the perilous state of our planet and its poorest inhabitants and think, "Good heavens, someone ought to do something about this." And looking around they realize, "Oh... that would be us." So they have a Summit. Come to think of it, that's a nice word for a conference of global leaders, with all its connotations of lofty heights and glorious achievement. And here we go again. The United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development, generally referred to as Rio +20, will take place in five short months. "Informal informals," UN-speak for pre-negotiations, were held last week to debate what it is our leaders in Rio will actually decide. Rio +20 is actually somewhat of a misnomer. It could better have been named Stockholm +40 given that the first Earth Summit -- the United Nations Conference on the Human Environment -- took place in Stockholm in June 1972. I was in high school then. Astronauts had recently landed on the moon, and the image of the Earth as seen from space had become the icon of the burgeoning environmental movement. Even back then, however, governments recognized that "the environment" isn't a single issue -- it's all tangled up with economic and social issues. To quote the Stockholm Declaration, "the protection and improvement of the human environment is a major issue which affects the well-being of peoples and economic development throughout the world."

Read more: Huffington Post >>

In UK, Sir Richard Branson is most trustworthy climate voice

TckTckTck — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 19:47:04 +0000

Virgin tycoon Sir Richard Branson tops a poll of leading figures most people say is most likely to make them take action on climate change. And surprisingly the poll reveals two out of three people (66%) say that scientists’ views on climate change are the ones they would trust the most, according to research commissioned by Climate Week. Half (50%) say that scientific claims about the climate make a difference to how they live. The survey by Ipsos MORI asked over 1,000 people of working age about climate change. The public’s willingness to act is encouraging for the start of the Climate Week event, which starts on March 12 and is Britain’s biggest climate change campaign. The research also asked people to choose who from a list of well-known individuals would be most likely to make them act on climate change. Business leaders topped the poll, with Sir Richard Branson at number one, followed by runner-up Bill Gates and Sir Alan Sugar in sixth place.

Read more: ClickGreen.org.uk >>

Draft climate change adaptation plan released in US

TckTckTck — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 18:46:11 +0000

The United States has no national strategy for curtailing its contributions to climate change, but it does now have a partial strategy for responding to its effects. The Obama administration recently released a draft of the National Fish, Wildlife and Plants Climate Adaptation Strategy, a plan to coordinate responses to global warming across the country. It’s been a long time coming. Congress ordered the President’s Council on Environmental Quality and the Department of the Interior to prepare the strategy back in 2010. This is just a draft put together by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, NOAA, and the New York State Department of Economic Conservation (representing state agencies) and is up now and available for public comment through March 5, 2012. Though the final document would not be binding on any agency, it is described as a blueprint for those federal, state and tribal agencies who manage wildlife or habitat, including USFWS, the National Marine Fisheries Service under NOAA, the Park Service, the Forest Service, the BLM, Department of Defense, plus state and tribal agencies. More than 100 researchers and managers contributed to the draft.

PHOTOS: Top green building trends for 2012

TckTckTck — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 17:47:18 +0000

Earth Advantage Institute, a nonprofit green building resource that has certified more than 12,000 homes, announced its annual prediction of 10 green building trends to watch in 2012. The trends, which range from a boom in certified multi-family construction to the advent of consumer friendly home energy technology, were identified by Earth Advantage Institute based on discussions with a broad range of audiences over the latter part of 2011. These sectors included policymakers, builders, developers, architects, real estate brokers, appraisers, lenders, and homeowners. "While the economy has not been kind to most new home builders, we have seen a surging interest in home energy management and energy improvement among homeowners," said Sean Penrith, executive director, Earth Advantage Institute. "Those builders and remodelers who have adopted a transparent green message have been quite successful."

Read more: Huffington Post >>

INFOGRAPHIC: How climate change is warming US gardens

TckTckTck — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 14:25:36 +0000

It's official: Gardeners and farmers can count on warmer weather. If that's you, it might be a good time to rethink those flower and vegetable beds for this year's growing season. That's the word from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which released a new version of its "Plant Hardiness Zone Map" this week, the first update since 1990. The color-coded zones on this map of the United States are widely used as a guide for what perennial flowers will survive in a particular area, or when to plant your vegetables. Here's how it works: The higher the zone number, the warmer your average low temperature during wintertime. Now the zones have shifted northward. The new map shows that in much of the country, winters aren't as cold as they used to be, and spring planting comes earlier.

Read more: NPR.org >>

The brightest spot in new EU energy policy? 5000 jobs

TckTckTck — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 11:49:27 +0000

The European Union may pass a triple whammy environment policy in the first half of this year that would bring a rapid jobs boost, cut energy bills and improve the environment by one simple measure: keeping Europe's buildings in good repair. Climate Commissioner Connie Hedegaard said the EU Energy Efficiency Directive includes a commitment to retrofit a certain number of public buildings each year, improving insulation and stopping leaks. "We have proposed a percentage of 3 percent a year, and that's out of an employment perspective as well," she told Reuters at the World Economic Forum at Davos. "One of the few things that can create jobs very, very fast in Europe is if you actually doing something with retrofitting pipes, retrofitting energy systems, retrofitting houses - that creates jobs very, very quickly after you have adopted these kind of policies. There are not so many other issues that can do that." With Europe's economy in the doldrums because of the euro zone debt crisis and unemployment at 9.8 percent in November, politicians are desperate for ways of providing growth but unwilling or unable to pay for a stimulus package.

Read more: Reuters.com >>

Panic Attack? New op-ed features debunked claims to push polluter agendas

TckTckTck — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 10:15:55 +0000

A lot of folks have asked me to debunk the recent anti-truthful Wall Street Journal article with the counterfactual headline, “No Need to Panic About Global Warming.” I’ll combine my debunking with the rapidly growing list of debunkings from scientists and others. And I’ll update this as new debunkings come in. That the WSJ would publish an amateurish collection of falsehoods and half truths is no surprise. The entire global Murdoch enterprise is designed to advance the pollutocrat do-nothing agenda (see Scientist: “The Murdoch Media Empire Has Cost Humanity Perhaps One or Two Decades in Battle Against Climate Change”). As National Academy of Sciences member Peter Gleick explains in his evisceration of the piece, “Remarkable Editorial Bias on Climate Science at the Wall Street Journal“:

But the most amazing and telling evidence of the bias of the Wall Street Journal in this field is the fact that 255 members of the United States National Academy of Sciences wrote a comparable (but scientifically accurate) essay on the realities of climate change and on the need for improved and serious public debate around the issue, offered it to the Wall Street Journal, and were turned down. The National Academy of Sciences is the nation’s pre-eminent independent scientific organizations. Its members are among the most respected in the world in their fields. Yet the Journal wouldn’t publish this letter, from more than 15 times as many top scientists. Instead they chose to publish an error-filled and misleading piece on climate because some so-called experts aligned with their bias signed it.
This may be good politics for them, but it is bad science and it is bad for the nation. Science magazine – perhaps the nation’s most important journal on scientific issues – published the letter from the NAS members after the Journal turned it down.

A tad more surprising is that 16 admittedly non-leading scientists would choose to soil their reputations by stringing together a collection of long-debunked falsehoods. What is surprising is that these falsehoods are more easily debunked than the typical disinformer clap-trap because they are so out-of-date!

Read more: Climate Progress >>

Our favourite climate videos this week

Leslie Dickout — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 21:20:06 +0000

Our favourite video of the week examines this year's State of Union address and what it reveals about the US Administration's stance on clean energy and climate change. Take a look above. Here are a couple of others we like:

A faith-based perspective on the climate

Five faith leaders from America's mosts religiously diverse district discuss climate change.

Are climate activists a threat to democracy?

Canada's favourite comedian, Rick Mercer examines how to identify radical threats to Canadian democracy (particularly when they might effectively stop pipelines).

What is the UK’s biggest climate risk? Severe, widespread flooding

TckTckTck — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 15:02:04 +0000

Severe flooding that could affect millions of people is the United Kingdom's most pressing climate-change risk, says a study released yesterday by the country's government. The first Climate Change Risk Assessment (CCRA), published by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), examines 100potential consequences of climate change for the United Kingdom. The study draws on climate projection models from 2009, known as the UKCP09, and examines how different levels of greenhouse-gas emissions could affect sectors such as agriculture, health and infrastructure over the twenty-first century. John Krebs, chairman of the Adaptation Sub-Committee of the Committee on Climate Change in London, an independent body that advises the government, said in a statement that the study demonstrates the need for urgent action to reduce risks. Without an effective plan, “the country may sleepwalk into disaster”. The study was mandated by the 2008 Climate Change Act, which legally requires the United Kingdom to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions by 80% from 1990 levels by 2050. The CCRA will be updated every five years.

Read more: Nature.com >>

Climate change is shrinking big trees, old-growth forests

TckTckTck — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 06:56:53 +0000

Already on the decline worldwide, big trees face a dire future due to habitat fragmentation, selective harvesting by loggers, exotic invaders, and the effects of climate change, warns an article published this week inNew Scientistmagazine. Reviewing research from forests around the world, William F. Laurance, an ecologist at James Cook University in Cairns, Australia, provides evidence of decline among the world's "biggest and most magnificent" trees and details the range of threats they face. He says their demise will have substantial impacts on biodiversity and forest ecology, while worsening climate change. "To persist, big trees need a safe place to live and long periods of stability," he told mongabay.com via email. "But time and stability are becoming very rare commodities in our modern world." Giant trees offer critical habitat and forage for wildlife, while transpiring massive amounts of water through their leaves, contributing to local rainfall. Old trees also lock up massive amounts of carbon — in some forests they can account for up to a quarter of living biomass.

Read more: MongaBay >>

Greenpeace files complaint with SEC on Keystone XL job claims

TckTckTck — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 05:57:23 +0000

ThinkProgress Green has learned that TransCanada, the foreign tar sands company behind the proposed Keystone XL pipeline, is facing a potential inquiry into whether it deliberately deceived investors by inflating the job-creation potential of the project. Greenpeace has filed a complaint with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) over TransCanada’s “false or misleading statements about the proposed Keystone XL pipeline project.” In the complaint, Greenpeace shows evidence from TransCanada’s Canadian filings and the State Department that the project would involve fewer than 1000 in-state jobs, and around 6000 total jobs. This evidence is contrasted with TransCanada’s (TRP) repeated public pronouncements that pipeline construction would involve 20,000 American jobs:

Specifically, TRP has asserted that each mile of KXL pipeline constructed in the U.S. would create American jobs at a rate that is 67 times higher than job creation totals given by the company to Canadian officials for the Canadian portion of the pipeline.

Read more: ThinkProgress Green >>

Kumi Naidoo: Calling for a real transformation in Davos

TckTckTck — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 05:22:35 +0000

If I bump into Professor Klaus Schwab, who started and still runs the World Economic Forum here in Davos, I will challenge him on the purpose of the event. Schwab has described the WEF as “a platform for collaborative thinking and searching for solutions, not for making decisions”. The Davos meeting may not be a bastion of democratic or transparent democracy and participation, but it is a place where solutions should be discussed and plans made to tackle the cacophony of crises that our planet in faces. But important decisions can also be taken here, decisions by corporations, politicians or CEOs. The time has come for this gathering of powerful people to address the escalating public frustrationover growing inequity both between and within countries. It is time they explained how we will shift from primary resource consumption to protection; how we will shift to production processes free of toxic materials rather than being dumped into the environment at the end. It is also time for the privileged to explain how they will put an end to the corruption of our environment and shared global space for private profit.

Read more: Greenpeace.org >>

Whistleblower: Prime Minister’s Office names environmental group ‘an enemy of Canada’

TckTckTck — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 15:57:09 +0000

The Prime Minister's Office tried to cut funding of a registered intervenor in the Enbridge Pipeline Review, calling ForestEthics Canada an, "Enemy of the Government of Canada" and an, "Enemy of the People of Canada", according to allegations detailed in a sworn affidavit, dated January 23, 2012.

Sworn by Andrew Frank, former Senior Communications Manager with ForestEthics Canada, and an instructor in the Environmental Protection Technology program at Kwantlen Polytechnic University, the affidavit cites three senior managers with Tides Canada and ForestEthics, as well as personal email correspondence.

"Today, I am taking the extraordinary step of risking my career, my reputation and my personal friendships, to act as a whistleblower and expose the undemocratic and potentially illegal pressure the Harper government has apparently applied to silence critics of the Enbridge Northern Gateway oil tanker/pipeline plan," says Frank.

The affidavit alleges the Prime Minister's Office has made an attempt to influence the charitable funding of ForestEthics Canada, a registered intervenor in the National Energy Board's federal review process for the Enbridge Northern Gateway pipeline.

According to the affidavit, the Prime Minister's Office has informed Tides Canada CEO, Ross McMillan, that it considers ForestEthics to be an "Enemy of the Government of Canada", and an "Enemy of the people of Canada", and that unless Tides Canada alters its charitable support of ForestEthics, there will be consequences.

Read more: MarketWatch >>

Experts weigh in: making India’s crops climate-resilient

TckTckTck — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 14:50:32 +0000

India is a large country with a diverse climate. Diverse seasons mean diverse crops and farming systems. There is a high dependency of agriculture on the monsoon rains and a close link exists between climate and water resources. Two thirds of the area is rain dependent. Add to this picture the small land holdings, poor coping mechanisms and low penetration of risk management products. With a 0.68 degrees Celsius increase in temperature so far in India, it is expected that there will be pronounced warming in future, particularly during the post monsoon period and winter. There will be increased frequency of floods during the monsoon and a decrease in winter precipitation with a lower number of rainy days. Amongst the key impacts will be the faster retreat of Himalayan glaciers, frequent floods and decrease in crop yields. Yield reductions are predicted in wheat and rice due to temperature rise in key growing regions. Until last year, 2009 was the warmest year on record in India since 1901 (+0.913 degrees C above the normal of 24.64 degrees C) now the warmest year is 2010 (+0.93 degrees C). In more detail, the potential impacts on Indian agriculture would look like this: the productivity of most cereals would decrease due to increase in temperature and CO2, and the decrease in water availability. There will be a projected loss of 10-40% in crop production by 2100 if no adaptation measures are taken. A one degree Celsius increase in temperature may reduce yields of major food crops by 3-7%. The length of the growing period in rainfed areas is likely to decrease, especially in peninsular regions. We are also going to see increased climatic extremes such as heat and cold waves, which are likely to increase production variability.

Sharan Burrow: The World’s Next Top (Economic) Model

TckTckTck — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 09:49:08 +0000

Models are the hot topic at this week's gathering of political and business heavyweights in the Swiss mountain resort of Davos for the annual World Economic Forum (WEF). Not of the pouting, long-legged variety who strut the catwalk, but economic models -- those invisible and mysterious systems that not only steer stock markets and currency prices but shape the livelihoods of each and every one of us. And while there is unlikely to be a new black unveiled, organizers are canvassing discussion of an extreme makeover of the rules that govern global trade.

Read More: Huffington Post >>

Bogota, Colombia upgrades taxi fleets with electric vehicles

TckTckTck — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 03:41:48 +0000

The City of Bogota, Colombia, has launched an innovative pilot project to spur the use of electric vehicles in Bogota's center-city taxi fleet. "Bogota's electric vehicle taxi project is a significant achievement, which demonstrates, once again, the city's clear commitment to transform its transportation sector. As an active member of the C40-CCI Electric Vehicle Network, Bogota has both learned from and contributed to the knowledge of other cities across the network. C40 is about action, and I commend Bogota for taking this decisive step to implement innovative new transport policies that will improve the quality of life in the city and address climate change," says Jay Carson, CEO, C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group. The first taxis are expected to be operational in the city in the next few months. The project was developed in close collaboration with the Clinton Climate Initiative (CCI) Cities program and its partner the C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group (C40); it is a direct result of Bogota's active participation in the C40-CCI Electric Vehicle Network of 15 global cities, who are collectively addressing the municipal actions critical to the successful introduction of electric vehicles.

Read more: Sacramento Bee >>

Scientists find ‘bulge’ of freshwater in Arctic Ocean

TckTckTck — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 02:29:32 +0000

UK scientists have detected a huge dome of fresh water that is developing in the western Arctic Ocean. The bulge is some 8,000 cubic km in size and has risen by about 15cm since 2002. The team thinks it may be the result of strong winds whipping up a great clockwise current in the northern polar region called the Beaufort Gyre. This would force the water together, raising sea surface height, the group tells the journal Nature Geoscience. "In the western Arctic, the Beaufort Gyre is driven by a permanent anti-cyclonic wind circulation. It drives the water, forcing it to pile up in the centre of gyre, and this domes the sea surface," explained lead author Dr Katharine Giles from the Centre for Polar Observation and Modelling (CPOM) at University College London. "In our data, we see the trend being biggest in the centre of the gyre and less around the edges," she told BBC News. Dr Giles and colleagues made their discovery using radar satellites belonging to the European Space Agency (Esa).

Read more: BBC News >>

Campaign calls out TV weathermen for climate misinformation

TckTckTck — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 02:17:59 +0000

2011 broke nearly every storm record there was to be broken, and it was the first time in recorded history we've had two years in a row with more than 18 storms in the hurricane season. But if you were to listen to the TV weather reports of Justin Berk of WMAR-TV in Baltimore, or Bob Breck of WVUE-TV New Orleans, or Dave Dahl of KSTP-TV Minneapolis you would think this was nothing to be alarmed about.

These and dozens of other weatherman across the nation do not believe in climate change. Yes that's right -- weathermen (and yes they are all men as noted by ThinkProgress) the guys who are supposed to know the most about what causes weather -- seem to be in denial about the overwhelming scientific concensus on climate change.

This is a very unfortunate thing. A recent report shows that TV meterologists are the primary source of information for the American public about climate change. And with quotes like this one from James Spann of WBMA-TV Birmingham -- “The Earth’s climate has changed since the day God put it here. We’ve had these cyclical changes, and I believe most of this is purely natural.” -- it's no wonder people have been confused.

Now a new campaign called Forecast the Facts created by 350.org, the League of Conservation Voters, and Citizen Engagement Lab, is calling out these science-impaired weathermen, and calling for the American Meteorological Society (AMS) to adopt a stronger statement on climate change that establishes the proven link between increased storm activity and the warming impacts of greenhouse gas emissions.

Read more: Mother Nature Network >>