Climate Interactive has made available this ‘climate scoreboard’ simulation available to compare projected impacts of current emissions reduction proposals with goals to limit climate warming to below two degrees.
News Roundup
Climate Scoreboard – Stated Emissions Cut Targets Come Up Short
February 6th, 2010Scant Arctic ice could mean summer double whammy | Reuters
February 5th, 2010‘WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Scant ice over the Arctic Sea this winter could mean a “double whammy” of powerful ice-melt next summer, a top U.S. climate scientist said on Thursday.’
via Scant Arctic ice could mean summer double whammy | Reuters.
Nuclear renaissance could stall, Canada group says | Reuters
February 5th, 2010‘TORONTO (Reuters) – Expectations of a sharp rise in nuclear generating capacity over the next two decades are likely overblown, a Canadian think tank said on Thursday, disputing conventional wisdom that a nuclear renaissance is in full swing.’
via Nuclear renaissance could stall, Canada group says | Reuters.
Video: A.G. Kawamura, California Secretary of Food & Ag at Climate One’s “After Copenhagen, What Happened? What Now?”
February 4th, 2010San Francisco, Feb. 2, 2010
Panelist A.G. Kawamura, California Secretary of Food and Agriculture spoke at Climate One at the Commonwealth Club’s “After Copenhagen, What Happened? What Now?”. There were so many panelists reporting on their experiences at the COP 15 that each was only allotted two minutes for their statement.
Partial excerpts:
“..for us, Copenhagen was a groundbreaking opportunity to really introduce the very realistic and very sobering proposition that if you have unpredictable weather that means unpredictable harvest”
“…when you recognize that in the underdeveloped world that almost half the products that are grown never make it on the plate, when you recognize that in the developed world, that almost thirty to forty percent of the products that are on the plate get thrown away, these are some huge issues that we have to deal with.”
Report by James George
Brazil to build controversial Belo Monte hydroelectric dam in Amazon rainforest | Environment | guardian.co.uk
February 2nd, 2010‘The Brazilian government has given the green light to the construction of a controversial hydroelectric dam in the Amazon rainforest that environmentalists and indigenous activists claim will displace indigenous tribes and further damage the Amazon basin.’
China skeptical as foreign firms push carbon capture | Reuters
February 1st, 2010‘TIANJIN, China (Reuters) – China needs to overcome its skepticism about carbon capture technologies if it is to bring down the costs of meeting its CO2 targets, experts at a clean coal conference said.’
via China skeptical as foreign firms push carbon capture | Reuters.
Brown Says UN Climate Negotiations Were ‘Flawed,’ Need Reform – BusinessWeek
January 31st, 2010‘Feb. 1 (Bloomberg) — U.K. Prime Minister Gordon Brown said the climate negotiations that failed to produce a binding treaty to rein in greenhouse gases were flawed, putting pressure on the United Nations to change the way the talks are structured.’
via Brown Says UN Climate Negotiations Were ‘Flawed,’ Need Reform – BusinessWeek.
Copenhagen climate deal gets low-key endorsement | Reuters
January 31st, 2010‘OSLO (Reuters) – Nations accounting for most of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions have restated their promises to fight climate change, meeting a Sunday deadline in a low-key endorsement of December’s “Copenhagen Accord.”‘
via Copenhagen climate deal gets low-key endorsement | Reuters.
China Insists That Its Steps on Climate Be Voluntary – NYTimes.com
January 31st, 2010‘BEIJING — As a Sunday target date approaches for countries to submit to the United Nations their plans for fighting climate change, China is banding together with other major developing nations to stress that only the wealthier countries need to make internationally binding commitments.’
via China Insists That Its Steps on Climate Be Voluntary – NYTimes.com.
Obama seeks more nuclear loan guarantees | Reuters
January 29th, 2010‘WASHINGTON (Reuters) – President Barack Obama plans to propose a tripling of government loan guarantees for new nuclear reactors to more than $54 billion, an administration official said on Friday, a move sure to win over some Republican lawmakers who want more nuclear power to be part of climate change legislation.’