‘WASHINGTON — Tinkering with Earth’s climate to chill runaway global warming – a radical idea once dismissed out of hand – is being discussed by the White House as a potential emergency option, the president’s new science adviser said Wednesday.’
News: Archive for April, 2009
Obama Global Warming Plan Involves Cooling Air
Wednesday, April 8th, 2009World Bank / U.N. Approved CDM Forestry Project
Monday, April 6th, 2009One reforestation project in Moldova by the World Bank. In their words:
‘The Moldova project is reforesting 20,290 hectares of degraded and eroded state-owned and communal agricultural lands spread throughout the country. The reforestation proposes to achieve multiple objectives, and in particular to restore degraded lands through improvement in the vegetative cover and sustainably enhance supplies of forest products to local communities including fuel wood, timber and non timber products to meet the needs of rural communities.
Public and community lands in Moldova over the past decades have shown significant decline in productivity and have increasingly become susceptible to soil erosion and landslides, particularly due to lack of investments in the restoration of degraded lands over a long period. Carbon finance has helped to overcome the financial and capacity constraints of local communities and the state forestry agency. ‘
Gore says economic, climate crises share solutions – San Jose Mercury News
Friday, April 3rd, 2009‘LAS VEGAS—Former Vice President Al Gore says the economic crisis and the climate crisis can be solved with the same set of solutions.
Gore says government investment in green infrastructure projects, including creation of a “smart,” energy efficient electricity grid, will create jobs and help address the threat of global warming.’
via Gore says economic, climate crises share solutions – San Jose Mercury News.
Projections for Climate Change go from Bad to Worse, Scientists Report
Friday, April 3rd, 2009Report from the Copenhagen Climate Congress:
‘COPENHAGEN—Meeting 2 years after the most recent report of the authoritative Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), some 2000 scientists delivered a consistent if not unequivocal message here last week on the state of Earth’s warming climate. “The worst case IPCC projections, or even worse, are being realized,” said the event’s co-chair, University of Copenhagen biological oceanographer Katherine Richardson. Emissions are soaring, projections of sea level rise are higher than expected, and climate impacts around the world are appearing with increasing frequency, she told delegates in the opening session of the 3-day meeting.’
Study: Arctic sea ice melting faster than expected
Thursday, April 2nd, 2009‘WASHINGTON – Arctic sea ice is melting so fast most of it could be gone in 30 years. A new analysis of changing conditions in the region, using complex computer models of weather and climate, says conditions that had been forecast by the end of the century could occur much sooner.
A change in the amount of ice is important because the white surface reflects sunlight back into space. When ice is replaced by dark ocean water that sunlight can be absorbed, warming the water and increasing the warming of the planet.’
China Vies to Be Leader in Electric Vehicles – NYTimes.com
Thursday, April 2nd, 2009TIANJIN, China — Chinese leaders have adopted a plan aimed at turning the country into one of the leading producers of hybrid and all-electric vehicles within three years, and making it the world leader in electric cars and buses after that.
via China Vies to Be Leader in Electric Vehicles – NYTimes.com.
China wants importers to cover some emission costs | Markets | Bonds News | Reuters
Thursday, April 2nd, 2009WASHINGTON, March 16 (Reuters) – Countries that buy Chinese goods should be held responsible for the carbon dioxide emitted by the factories that make them in any global plan to reduce greenhouse gases, a Chinese official said on Monday.
“About 15 percent to 25 percent of China’s emissions come from the products which we make for the world, which should not be taken by us,” said Gao Li, director of China’s Department of Climate Change.
via China wants importers to cover some emission costs | Markets | Bonds News | Reuters.
China wants importers to cover some emission costs | Markets | Bonds News | Reuters
Thursday, April 2nd, 2009WASHINGTON, March 16 (Reuters) – Countries that buy Chinese goods should be held responsible for the carbon dioxide emitted by the factories that make them in any global plan to reduce greenhouse gases, a Chinese official said on Monday.
“About 15 percent to 25 percent of China’s emissions come from the products which we make for the world, which should not be taken by us,” said Gao Li, director of China’s Department of Climate Change.
via China wants importers to cover some emission costs | Markets | Bonds News | Reuters.
Nuclear Reactor’s Life Is Prolonged in New Jersey – NYTimes.com
Thursday, April 2nd, 2009‘WASHINGTON — The federal Nuclear Regulatory Commission voted Wednesday to allow the Oyster Creek nuclear reactor in South Jersey to operate for another 20 years, rejecting claims made by opponents about risk.
…Since 2000, the commission has allowed extensions of initial 40-year licenses for 51 other reactors in the country. ‘
via Nuclear Reactor’s Life Is Prolonged in New Jersey – NYTimes.com.
Deep Ocean Mining Becoming Possible: Promise, Perils Weighed
Thursday, April 2nd, 2009‘High demand for metals has fueled interest in deep ocean mining, as land-based resources get stretched and need increases in nations such as China and India, which have growing economies but relatively few natural resources. The projects cost hundreds of millions of dollars just to get started, and widespread ocean mining is years away. But new technology has investors seeing possibilities.’
However mining plans near seabed vents raises environmental concerns:
‘The unique species that thrive near the vents are a chief concern of scientists, including marine geologist Peter Rona of Rutgers University, who discovered the Atlantic’s first hydrothermal vents in the 1980s. He describes the area near the vents as “like another planet.” Creatures there include footlong clams, man-length tubeworms and a shrimp species that has no eyes, but may have sensors that detect the vents’ infrared radiation.
The species there may tell us more about the origins of life of earth, and even what life elsewhere might look like, Rona said. Already, he said, the species there have been a benefit. For instance, an enzyme from microbes found there are being used to enhance the flow of oil extracted from deep reservoirs.’
via Deep Ocean Mining Becoming Possible: Promise, Perils Weighed.