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The science of climate change: The clouds of unknowing | The Economist

Sunday, March 28th, 2010

Interesting analysis in The Economist.

‘In any complex scientific picture of the world there will be gaps, misperceptions and mistakes. Whether your impression is dominated by the whole or the holes will depend on your attitude to the project at hand.’

via The science of climate change: The clouds of unknowing | The Economist.

Also see another climate article from the same issue, ‘Climate science: Spin, science and climate change‘.

excerpt: ‘Plenty of uncertainty remains; but that argues for, not against, action. If it were known that global warming would be limited to 2°C, the world might decide to live with that. But the range of possible outcomes is huge, with catastrophe one possibility, and the costs of averting climate change are comparatively small. Just as a householder pays a small premium to protect himself against disaster, the world should do the same.’

Senators Outline U.S. Utility Carbon Market for Climate Bill – BusinessWeek

Saturday, March 27th, 2010

‘March 26 (Bloomberg) — Senators Lindsey Graham and Joseph Lieberman outlined U.S. climate-change legislation that would have power companies buy and sell pollution rights in a carbon market and force oil companies to pay fixed fees for emissions.’

via Senators Outline U.S. Utility Carbon Market for Climate Bill – BusinessWeek.

De Boer: UN climate deal ‘possible in 2011’ | EurActiv

Saturday, March 27th, 2010

‘The UN conference in Cancún next December needs to set the basis for a new climate change treaty in 2011, Yvo de Boer, executive secretary of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), told EurActiv in an exclusive interview.’

via De Boer: UN climate deal ‘possible in 2011’ | EurActiv.

China’s Rush Toward Green Development Suffers from Lack of Planning | SolveClimate.com

Saturday, March 27th, 2010

‘In China, local officials are in such a hurry to implement the central government’s new renewable energy policies that some projects are going up with too little planning.’

via China’s Rush Toward Green Development Suffers from Lack of Planning | SolveClimate.com.

China Leads G-20 Members in Clean Energy Finance and Investment – The Pew Charitable Trusts

Friday, March 26th, 2010

‘Washington, DC – 03/24/2010 – For the first time, China led the United States and other G-20 members in 2009 clean energy investments and finance, according to data released today by The Pew Charitable Trusts. Last year, China invested $34.6 billion in the clean energy economy – nearly double the United States’ total of $18.6 billion. Over the last five years, the United States also trailed five G-20 members Turkey, Brazil, China, the United Kingdom, and Italy in the rate of clean energy investment growth.’

via China Leads G-20 Members in Clean Energy Finance and Investment – The Pew Charitable Trusts.

Russia and U.S. Report Breakthrough on Arms Pact – NYTimes.com

Wednesday, March 24th, 2010

‘WASHINGTON — President Obama and his Russian counterpart, President Dmitri A. Medvedev, have broken through a logjam in their arms control negotiations and expect to sign a new treaty in Prague next month that would slash American and Russian nuclear arsenals, officials from both nations said Wednesday.’

via Russia and U.S. Report Breakthrough on Arms Pact – NYTimes.com.

Eating less meat won’t reduce global warming: study – Yahoo! News

Monday, March 22nd, 2010

‘WASHINGTON AFP – Eating less meat will not reduce global warming, and claims that it will distract from efforts to find real solutions to climate change, a leading air quality expert said Monday.’

via Eating less meat won’t reduce global warming: study – Yahoo! News.

Senate climate bill to give free permits: sources | Reuters

Sunday, March 21st, 2010

‘(Reuters) – U.S. power generating companies would get free pollution permits, at least initially, as part of a compromise climate change bill being written in the Senate that also would give the coal industry $10 billion to develop “clean” technology, sources said on Friday.’

via Senate climate bill to give free permits: sources | Reuters.

AP Interview: Kerry: Energy bill more about jobs – Yahoo! News

Friday, March 12th, 2010

‘WASHINGTON – Sen. John Kerry, hoping to win over wavering senators, said he is pushing environmental reforms to create jobs and spark energy independence, with climate benefits along “for the ride.”‘

via AP Interview: Kerry: Energy bill more about jobs – Yahoo! News.

World’s Pall of Black Carbon Can Be Eased With New Stoves: Yale Environment 360

Friday, March 12th, 2010

‘Two billion people worldwide do their cooking on open fires, producing sooty pollution that shortens millions of lives and exacerbates global warming. If widely adopted, a new generation of inexpensive, durable cook stoves could go a long way toward alleviating this problem.’

via World’s Pall of Black Carbon Can Be Eased With New Stoves by Jon R. Luoma: Yale Environment 360.