News: ‘Climate & Energy’ Archive
‘DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — This year’s drought is consistent with predictions that global climate change would bring about weather extremes including more frequent droughts, said a report released Monday.’
via Iowa scientists: Drought a sign of climate change – Yahoo! News.
‘Laying the blame for the deaths of 11 oil rig workers in the Deepwater Horizon explosion and Gulf of Mexico spill on BP, federal prosecutors announced Thursday that two BP supervisors had been charged with manslaughter and the company would pay a $4-billion criminal fine, the largest in U.S. history.’
via BP to pay $4-billion criminal fine in Deepwater Horizon spill – latimes.com.
Obama reaffirmed his concerns over climate change in his first post re-election press conference today, stating that he plans to address it after engaging in wide ranging conversations toward finding possible solutions, while adding the caveat that any solutions must be consistent with economic recovery.
“…I am a firm believer that climate change is real, that it is impacted by human behavior and carbon emissions. And as a consequence, I think we’ve got an obligation to future generations to do something about it.”
“If … we can shape an agenda that says we can create jobs, advance growth and make a serious dent in climate change and be an international leader, I think that’s something that the American people would support.”
Report by James George
‘BRUSSELS — The European Union’s climate commissioner demanded Wednesday that E.U. member states reach agreement before the end of the year on a stop-gap measure to tackle the virtual collapse of the bloc’s main instrument for cutting carbon emissions.’
via European Official Presses for Action on Carbon Program – NYTimes.com.
‘Evidence of abundant rainfall early in the Maya civilization and drought later could explain its fate, scientists suggest.’
via Climate change may explain Maya rise and fall, study says – latimes.com.
‘Writing in the journal PLoS One on Wednesday, research botanist Aaron Davis of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew in London and colleagues reported that climate warming could drive wild varieties of Coffea arabica to extinction by 2080.’
‘…Eric Pooley … offers a baseball analogy: “We can’t say that steroids caused any one home run by Barry Bonds, but steroids sure helped him hit more and hit them farther. Now we have weather on steroids.”.
‘While there was little talk of climate change during the presidential campaign, the number of U.S. voters who see global warming as a serious problem is at an all-time high.’
‘Advocates for geothermal energy say that the path of destruction cut by Hurricane Sandy, which unearthed fuel tanks, ravaged cooling towers and battered air-conditioners, has already persuaded some building owners to switch to geothermal systems that use underground pipes to harness the earth’s energy for heating and cooling buildings.’
via Geothermal Energy Advocates Hope Systems Get a Second Look – NYTimes.com.
‘Researchers have developed a way to enhance the energy produced by biofuels, potentially expanding their usefulness in jet planes and industrial vehicles.’
via Chemical approach drastically improves power of biofuels – latimes.com.