Could ‘peer progressives’ turn the climate around?

Grist: No doubt like a lot of Grist's climate-conscious readers, I tend to view humanity`s near-term future as, well, problematic - no, make that downright terrifying. So, when I saw the title of Steven Johnson`s latest book, Future Perfect: The Case for Progress in a Networked Age, I didn`t know whether to laugh or cry. Then when I saw that the book contains barely a passing mention of climate change, you could say I was a little skeptical of Johnson`s grip on our planetary reality. Now, I`ve been a...

URL: http://grist.org/climate-energy/could-peer-progressives-turn-the-climate-around/
Enclosure: http://www.amazon.com/Future-Perfect-Case-Progress-Networked/dp/1594488207/gristmagazine

How to Tackle Climate Change Head On

EcoWatch: Largely due to destruction caused by recent climate-related extreme weather events in the U.S., there is a new urgency in our nation to adopt additional carbon pollution reduction measures. In 2011 and 2012, 21 such events each caused $1 billion or more in damages. This new evidence demonstrates that our climate change problem is much more imminent and severe than previously thought. Instead of idly waiting for the next devastating storm, flood, drought or heat wave to hit, we should tackle climate...

URL: http://ecowatch.org/2012/tackle-climate-change/
Enclosure: http://ecowatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/climateglobe.jpg

Senator Boxer Creates First U.S. Climate Change Caucus

EcoWatch: Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA), Chairwoman of the Environment and Public Works Committee, announced earlier this week that she would be taking the initiative to form the first Climate Change Caucus in the U.S. Senate. Boxer, long considered a champion of environmental causes, said that she decided to form the committee to address growing public concerns over the inaction of the federal government to address the threat of climate change. The Hill quotes Senator Boxer talking about the new committee,...

URL: http://ecowatch.org/2012/climate-change-caucus/
Enclosure: http://ecowatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/Boxer.jpg

A Contrarian Spin on the Next Big Climate Report

New York Times: The agent of the leak is a rather colorful climate contrarian named Alec Rawls, who essentially claimed, on the basis of a single sentence in the draft, that the entire edifice of climate science is about to collapse. In his interpretation, the group putting the report together, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, is about to acknowledge the validity of a longstanding fringe theory: that cosmic rays have a huge influence on the earth's climate. This claim turns out to be an overstatement,...

URL: http://green.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/12/14/a-contrarian-spin-on-the-next-big-climate-report/
Enclosure: http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2012/12/14/blogs/sun/sun-articleInline-v2.jpg

IPCC critical of report leak

BBC: The UN climate science panel has criticised a blogger who has published a draft version of its next report. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) is preparing what is known as its Fifth Assessment Report for publication next year. The work looks to draw together research to provide a statement on global warming and its future effects. The drafting the reports is open to reviewers but on the condition that no details are published. In a statement, the IPCC says it "regrets...

URL: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-20726355#sa-ns_mchannel=rss&ns_source=PublicRSS20-sa

Mississippi River faces shipping closure as water levels drop

Grist: The Mississippi as seen from Ed Drager`s tug boat is a river in retreat: A giant beached barge is stranded where the water dropped, with sand bars springing into view. The floating barge office where the tug boat captain reports for duty is tilted like a funhouse. One side now rests on the exposed shore. "I`ve never seen the river this low," Drager said. "It`s weird." The worst drought in half a century has brought water levels in the Mississippi close to historic lows and could shut down all...

URL: http://grist.org/climate-energy/mississippi-river-faces-shipping-closure-as-water-levels-drop/
Enclosure: http://grist.files.wordpress.com/2012/12/mississippi-level-chart-final-670.jpg

E.P.A. Proposes Tighter Soot Rule

New York Times: The Environmental Protection Agency announced a new standard for soot pollution on Friday that will force industry, utilities and local governments to find ways to reduce emissions of particles that are linked to thousands of cases of disease and death each year. The agency, acting under a court deadline, set an annual standard of 12 micrograms per cubic meter of air, a significant tightening from the previous standard of 15 micrograms, set in 1997, which a federal court found too weak to adequately...

URL: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/15/science/earth/epa-proposes-tighter-soot-rule.html

United Kingdom: Last Turbine Installed at World's Largest Offshore Wind Farm

Environmental News Network: Construction of the 125th and last turbine at the London Array Offshore Wind Farm has been completed, marking the end of major construction activities at the massive 630MW renewable energy site. Construction of the 125th and last turbine at the London Array Offshore Wind Farm has been completed, marking the end of major construction activities at the massive 630MW renewable energy site.Turbine installation began in January 2012 and has been completed by MPI Discovery, A2SEA's Sea Worker and Sea...

URL: http://www.enn.com/climate/article/45341?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+ClimateChangeNews-Enn+%28Climate+Change+News+-+ENN%29

Brazil, Indonesia, And DRC Cooperate On Deforestation, See Future In REDD

Ecosystem Marketplace: Brazil recently announced its lowest rate of deforestation since recordings began roughly 25 years ago, and the rainforest nations of Indonesia and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) say they, too, have slowed deforestation rates recently. All three countries achieved their results with support from Norway -- which is funding Brazil and Indonesia to the tune of $1 billion each and is scaling up support for deforestation efforts in the DRC. Such bilateral funding efforts are targeted both...

URL: http://www.ecosystemmarketplace.com/pages/dynamic/article.page.php?page_id=9484&section=news_articles&eod=1

Indonesian NGO voluntarily joins lawsuit as co-defendant in palm oil deforestation case

Mongabay: An Indonesian environmental group has taken the unusual step of asking to be named as a co-defendant in a case brought against the Aceh government by a palm oil company over the governor's decision to cancel a controversial concession in a peat forest on the island of Sumatra. WALHI-Aceh on Friday motioned to join the Governor of Aceh Province as a co-defendant in a lawsuit brought by PT. Kallista Alam, a palm oil company whose permit was terminated after it was found by a court to be clearing...

URL: http://news.mongabay.com/2012/1214-tripa-case-update.html

What Is Equity in the Context of Climate Negotiations?

World Resources Institute: If you asked five different people what they think "equity" means, you'd probably get five different answers. Their personal experiences and opinions would be overlaid on their cultural perspectives. A philosopher might bring up Aristotle's teachings on justice; an economist would likely talk about maximizing utility and efficiency. A Buddhist and a Muslim might frame their answers from different perspectives that are difficult to compare, just as the viewpoints would likely vary between people raised...

URL: http://insights.wri.org/news/2012/12/what-equity-context-climate-negotiations
Enclosure: http://insights.wri.org/files/insights/imagecache/story-feature/features/doha_COP18.jpg

Climate change taken seriously by insurance industry, study says

LA Times: Paying out billions of dollars here and billions of dollars there has made the global insurance industry a believer in climate change, according to a new study that shows insurance companies are staunch advocates for reducing carbon emissions and minimizing the risk posed by increasingly severe weather events. "Climate change stands as a stress test for insurance, the world's largest industry with U.S. $4.6 trillion in revenues, 7% of the global economy,' writes Evan Mills, a scientist at the...

URL: http://www.latimes.com/news/science/sciencenow/la-sci-sn-climate-change-that-you-can-believe-in-20121213,0,2503364.story?track=rss
Enclosure: http://www.trbimg.com/img-50ca5127/turbine/la-sci-sn-climate-change-that-you-can-believe--001/600

Doha delivers a dead deal on climate change

Nation: Doha was not supposed to throw up any surprises, and it didn't. The Kyoto Protocol, for all practical purposes, is dead. The only binding global agreement to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions was to expire this year anyway. It's just that the UN climate change conference in Doha has given it an unceremonious burial before it could fulfill most of its promises. On paper, the climate talks, which ended last Saturday, may have extended a plan to combat global warming until 2020. But in reality...

URL: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/opinion/Doha-delivers-a-dead-deal-on-climate-change-30196130.html

Extreme weather more persuasive on climate change than scientists

Guardian: As one of the Marx brothers famously said: who do you believe, me or your own eyes? Climate sceptics, it turns out, are much more likely to believe direct evidence of a changing climate in the form of extreme weather events than they do scientists, when it comes to global warming. A poll released on Friday by the Associated Press-GfK found rising concern about climate change among Americans in general, with 80% citing it as a serious problem for the US, up from 73% in 2009. Belief and worry...

URL: http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2012/dec/14/extreme-weather-climate-change-scientists
Enclosure: http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Guardian/Pix/pictures/2012/12/14/1355503765894/Homes-left-in-the-wake-of-008.jpg

Policy Shifts Signal Growth Ahead for Advanced Biofuels

Forbes: This has been a tough year for the U.S. biofuels industry: drought curtailed corn starch ethanol production and investment in the industry shrank to its lowest level in nearly a decade. Headed into 2013, though, industry momentum appears to be regaining steam. Led by advanced biofuels, the potential for expanding biofuels production has improved dramatically as Washington offers clarity on key policy issues. Last week, in a vote on partisan lines, the U.S. Senate extended support for the military's...

URL: http://www.forbes.com/sites/pikeresearch/2012/12/14/policy-shifts-signal-growth-ahead-for-advanced-biofuels/?ss=business:energy

Bid to heap blame on sunspots for climate change has backfired

Independent: An attempt by climate sceptics to hijack the latest UN report on global warming by selectively leaking claims that it is caused by sunspots rather than man-made emissions of carbon dioxide has backfired. Sceptics described the forthcoming report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) as a "game changer" because of its apparent support for the controversial theory that solar activity, interacting with cosmic rays from deep space, can explain global warming. Alec Rawls, a Republican...

URL: http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/climate-change/bid-to-heap-blame-on-sunspots-for-climate-change-has-backfired-8418195.html

Leaked IPCC report reaffirms dangerous climate change

New Scientist: A draft of a major report on climate change, due to be published next year, has been leaked online. Climate-sceptic bloggers have seized on it, claiming that it admits that much of global warming has been caused by the sun's variability, not by greenhouse gas emissions. In fact, the report says nothing of the kind. The report in question is being produced by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), which releases detailed assessments of climate science every few years. The last report...

URL: http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn23005-leaked-ipcc-report-reaffirms-dangerous-climate-change.html?cmpid=RSS%7CNSNS%7C2012-GLOBAL%7Cclimate-change

The World Bank's Climate Hypocrisy

Mother Jones: It's enough to give you whiplash. Last month, the World Bank put out a devastating new report on why 4 degrees Celsius of global warming "simply must not be allowed to occur." This month, the Bank is considering whether to provide financing for a new coal-fired power plant in Mongolia. The World Bank Group's private funding arm, International Finance Corporation, is considering support for the Oyu Tolgoi copper and gold mine project in the South Gobi Desert, a project that also includes a 750...

URL: http://www.motherjones.com/blue-marble/2012/12/world-bank-worries-about-climate-keeps-financing-coal

Experts Call for End to Climate Mega Summits

Spiegel: Massive UN climate summits have been held for years, but accomplished little. Believing there is almost no chance of securing a global deal on reducing emissions, experts now want to ditch the current system and try something new. The feeling of déjà vu was difficult to ignore. Immediately following the recently ended climate conference in Doha, German Environment Minister Peter Altmaier insisted that the gathering had "opened the door to the future of international climate protection." It...

URL: http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/top-researchers-call-for-an-end-to-united-nations-climate-summits-a-872992.html#ref=rss

Montana governor: Oil and gas boom could fund clean energy

Reuters: Montana Governor Brian Schweitzer, who been an advocate of the recent oil and gas boom that could upend U.S. energy policy, says he will keep spreading his message when he leaves office. Schweitzer, whose tenure as governor will end next month due to state term limits, said the wave of drilling across his state could be a model of how to eliminate the nation's dependence on foreign fuel - if lawmakers would just get out of the way. "Those SOBs out there," he said. "They got $60 mouths and $2...

URL: http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/12/14/us-usa-montana-schweitzer-idUSBRE8BD0Y820121214?feedType=RSS&feedName=environmentNews&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+reuters%2Fenvironment+%28News+%2F+US+%2F+Environment%29

Area Burned By U.S. Wildfires Expected To Double by 2050

Climate Central: Warmer and drier conditions in coming decades will likely cause the burned area from wildfires in the U.S. to double in size by 2050, according to new research based on satellite observations and computer modeling experiments. The research, which was first presented at the annual meeting of the American Geophysical Union in San Francisco on Dec. 4, provides insight into both recent wildfire trends and the sharp increase in dryness -- and therefore wildfire susceptibility -- in certain regions of...

URL: http://www.climatecentral.org/news/area-burned-by-u.s.-wildfires-expected-to-double-by-2050-15355?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+climatecentral%2FdjOO+Climate+Central+-+Full+Feed

A Universal Climate Change Agreement Is Necessary and Possible

Inter Press Services: The results of the United Nations climate change conference that closed in Doha, Qatar on Dec. 8 show once again that the international negotiations are moving steadily in the right direction, but alarmingly slow. At the heart of these negotiations is nothing less than the most challenging energy transformation the world has ever seen. Past energy transitions have taken a long time to unfold. Firewood was mankind's first energy source and was not displaced by coal until the 18th century. With...

URL: http://www.trust.org/alertnet/news/op-ed-a-universal-climate-change-agreement-is-necessary-and-possible
Enclosure: http://www.ipsnews.net/Library/2012/12/figueres_500.jpg

Netherlands: New peatland bacteria feed on greenhouse gas and excess fertilizer

ScienceDaily: Researchers from Radboud University Nijmegen and B-WARE Research Centre have discovered new methane-consuming bacteria in the soil beneath the Brunssummerheide peatland reserve in Limburg, the Netherlands. Although the bacteria may be the result of environmental pollution, they are now consuming the harmful greenhouse gas. In the middle of the Brunssummerheide heathland reserve is a unique sloping peatland site with a great diversity of flora and fauna, such as the rare Bog Asphodel and the protected...

URL: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/12/121214124020.htm?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+sciencedaily+%28ScienceDaily%3A+Latest+Science+News%29
Enclosure: http://images.sciencedaily.com/2012/12/121214124020.jpg

U.S. to finalize stricter soot standards on Friday

Reuters: The Obama administration on Friday tightened limits on harmful soot pollution from sources including power plants, diesel engines and burning wood. The new standards, which the Environmental Protection Agency was under court order to finalize, limit annual average soot emissions by the end of decade to about 12 micrograms per cubic meter of air from the standard of 15 micrograms set in 1997. Individual states will be responsible for deciding how to cut emissions of the fine particulates, which...

URL: http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/12/14/us-usa-soot-idUSBRE8BD0WS20121214?feedType=RSS&feedName=environmentNews&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+reuters%2Fenvironment+%28News+%2F+US+%2F+Environment%29

EU considers more free CO2 permits for steelmakers: sources

Reuters: The European Commission is considering whether to hand out more free pollution allowances for the steel sector next year to counter the risk the industry could be driven out of Europe, EU sources said. The cost of carbon on the Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) has collapsed to record low levels under the burden of excess supply. Earlier this month, it hit a new low of 5.61 euros a metric ton (1.1023 tons). The fall in price has reduced any additional costs for major polluters. It is, however,...

URL: http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/12/14/us-eu-ets-idUSBRE8BD0VK20121214?feedType=RSS&feedName=environmentNews&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+reuters%2Fenvironment+%28News+%2F+US+%2F+Environment%29

Advice to US: Approve A123 Systems Sale


In writing this blog, I generally try to keep my own views muted and focus instead on the latest news and what it means for the companies involved. But I'm making one of my occasional exceptions to that rule today to say that the US really should go ahead and approve the sale of bankrupt battery maker A123 Systems to a Chinese company, since this d

URL: http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/blog/post/2012/12/advice-to-us-approve-a123-systems-sale?cmpid=rss

The Solar Outlook for 2013

With 2013 poised to pounce, now's the time for all forward thinking solar proponents to peer into that proverbial crystal ball to see what the new year holds in store. What will 2013 look like for global solar initiatives? How will this impact the creation of jobs? Here's what some of the experts have to say about the outlook for the coming year.

URL: http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/news/article/2012/12/the-solar-outlook-for-2013?cmpid=rss

New Zealand Sets the Pace for Geothermal in Indonesia


The signing of a Memorandum of Understanding, which took place during Prime Minister John Key's visit to Jakarta in April this year, has begun to actualize for geothermal energy in New Zealand. The MOU with state owned Pertamina Geothermal Energy (PGE) presents a range of collaborative agreements, and on the 7th of December the Pertamina Learning C

URL: http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/blog/post/2012/12/new-zealand-sets-the-pace-for-geothermal-in-indonesia?cmpid=rss

ABB Breakthrough Removes Barrier to DC Grids Better Enabling Renewable Energy Integration.

ABB has developed the world's first circuit breaker for high voltage direct current (HVDC). It combines very fast mechanics with power electronics, and will be capable of 'interrupting' power flows equivalent to the output of a large power station within five milliseconds - 30times faster than the blink of a human eye.

URL: http://www.green-energy-news.com/nwslnks/clips1112/nov12004.html

Rethinking Electric Cars -- Game Changer Update

Free, fast, forever – electric fuel for a lifetime – coast-to-coast solar recharging for Tesla cars should attract new buyers.

URL: http://www.green-energy-news.com/arch/nrgs2012/20120094.html

SwRI to Demonstrate Use of Electric Vehicles as Part of Emergency Power Grid.

The team, led by Kansas City, Mo.-based Burns and McDonnell Engineering Company, will build a microgrid out of existing electrical infrastructure at the Army post, integrating a 2-megawatt photovoltaic (PV) array, diesel generator sets and electric vehicles to provide a self-contained, energy-sustainable capability during electrical grid disruptions.

URL: http://www.green-energy-news.com/nwslnks/clips1112/nov12010.html

Seven Days of Solar 9-30-12

Solar project in Puerto Rico. During the week beginning September 30, 2012, this publication received news announcements regarding more than 25 megawatts (MW) of solar projects completed, 576 MW of projects under construction, and more than 800 kW in the development pipeline.

URL: http://www.green-energy-news.com/arch/nrgs2012/20120101.html

Renova Energia and GE Sign $394 Million Contract for 230 Wind Turbines in Brazil.

The purchase is part of Renova's expansion plans that began in November 2011 with the construction of the Alto Sertao II Wind Farm, comprising 15 parks with a total installed capacity of 386 megawatts, enough to supply power for a city of 1 million people.

URL: http://www.green-energy-news.com/nwslnks/clips1212/dec12005.html

Scion iQ EV Arrives for Campus and Urban Car-sharing Programs.

Approximately 90 iQ EVs will be available for fleet and car-sharing applications

URL: http://www.green-energy-news.com/nwslnks/clips1012/oct12020.html

Bloomberg New Energy Finance: World Clean Energy Investment Heading for a Drop in 2012, after Mediocre Q3

Figures, published by research company Bloomberg New Energy Finance, suggest that the full-year 2012 figure for investment in clean energy is likely to fall short of last year's record $280bn . If so, 2012 would be the first down-year for world investment in the sector for at least eight years.

URL: http://www.green-energy-news.com/nwslnks/clips1012/oct12012.html

Climate Emergency! Extreme weather will force government’s hand on global warming

Efforts so far to cut emissions such as carbon dioxide have been meager at best. Witness the results of current policies: Emissions are still rising. More renewables, greater energy efficiency all great things, but not enough to hold back the growing tide of greenhouse gases.

URL: http://www.green-energy-news.com/arch/nrgs2012/20120105.html

juwi Wind Secures Financing for Minnesota Wind Farm.

The project features 15 REpower MM92 turbines with 100 meter towers, the tallest in Minnesota, to date.

URL: http://www.green-energy-news.com/nwslnks/clips1112/nov12007.html

IGSD: Climate Change Could Kill More Than 100 Million People by 2030

The report concluded, "[T]he worst impacts of climate change … can still be avoided if strong action is taken in the very near future to reduce greenhouse gas emissions that lead to the earth's warming." Moving toward to a low-carbon economy would require only 0.5 percent of GDP over the next ten years, according to the report.

URL: http://www.green-energy-news.com/nwslnks/clips912/sep12025.html

Cape Wind/NSTAR: Massachusetts Approves Offshore Wind Farm Power Purchase Agreement.

The NSTAR / Cape Wind PPA is for 27.5% of Cape Wind's power. In December, 2011, the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court unanimously upheld the DPU's approval of Cape Wind's PPA with National Grid for 50% of Cape Wind's power.

URL: http://www.green-energy-news.com/nwslnks/clips1112/nov12019.html

AT&T Becomes Bloom Energy’s Largest Non-Utility Fuel Cell Customer

With a second wave of fuel cell installations in California and Connecticut, AT&T facilities will produce 17.1 MW of cleaner power from Bloom Energy servers

URL: http://www.green-energy-news.com/nwslnks/clips1012/oct12001.html

ebuggy e-Mobility Concept Allows Electric Cars to Travel Any Distance

ebuggy offers electric cars unrestricted mobility on motorways, with no range limitations. ebuggy plans a network of ebuggy relay stations at which drivers of electric cars can hitch up battery trailers.

URL: http://www.green-energy-news.com/nwslnks/clips912/sep12022.html

Seven Days of Solar 11-11-12

Solar power in disaster response. News updates of more than 26 (MW) of projects completed and nearly 355 MW of projects in development.

URL: http://www.green-energy-news.com/arch/nrgs2012/20120116.html

Heat Drives the World (Most of it we waste)

The majority of the energy we use on the planet is in the form of fuels burned for heat. The human race is not that advanced from our cave-dwelling ancestors in that regard.

URL: http://www.green-energy-news.com/arch/nrgs2012/20120114.html

Disappointing Hybrid Efficiency or Pedal-Heavy Drivers

Consumer Union says the cars have the worst mileage discrepancies between their Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ratings and real-world testing of any models tested. It does say, however, that generally speaking both cars get good fuel economy, but just not as good as Ford claims.

URL: http://www.green-energy-news.com/arch/nrgs2012/20120115.html

Argonne National Lab Leads Team to Establish DOE’s Batteries and Energy Storage Hub

The Hub will bring together some of the most advanced energy storage research programs in the U.S. today.

URL: http://www.green-energy-news.com/nwslnks/clips1212/dec12007.html

ElectraTherm’s ORC Fleet Surpasses 50,000 Hours Runtime

ElectraTherm's Green Machine generates fuel-free, emission free power from waste heat.

URL: http://www.green-energy-news.com/nwslnks/clips1212/dec12004.html

Seven Days of Solar 10-28-12

Solar a job creator. Solar energy jobs increased 13 percent this year. News updates of 178 MW of projects completed, 1.7 MW in development.

URL: http://www.green-energy-news.com/arch/nrgs2012/20120111.html

A Return to the Past: Fabric Sails to Cut the Cost of Wind Energy

According to GE, this new blade design could reduce blade costs 25%-40%, making wind energy as economical as fossil fuels without government subsidies.

URL: http://www.green-energy-news.com/arch/nrgs2012/20120112.html

Invention Wanted: Clean Emergency Power

While waiting for the grid to come back on people need some kind of home power device that lies dormant - perhaps years - until pulled from a closet and activated to provide electricity for a few vital items. It should be safe and easy to use, is low cost and has no emissions. It would be an "electricity-in-a-box" solution that could be for one time use or be able to be refueled. Not a complete whole house power supply, but provide enough electricity to add some level of comfort to an otherwise miserable situation.

URL: http://www.green-energy-news.com/arch/nrgs2012/20120108.html

Envision Solar, General Motors to Kick Off National Solar Initiative at California Dealership.

Equipped with integrated electric vehicle charging stations, the Solar Tree array can generate enough renewable energy to completely charge six electric vehicles each day.

URL: http://www.green-energy-news.com/nwslnks/clips1112/nov12022.html

NOAA: Weather Data from Nation's Largest Wind Farms Could Improve U.S. Models, Forecasts

The companies will provide valuable weather observations from instrumented towers in their wind farms and wind speed data from instruments atop wind turbines.

URL: http://www.green-energy-news.com/nwslnks/clips1112/nov12012.html

UQM Technologies Makes Breakthrough in Non-Rare-Earth Electric Motor Design Under DOE Development Program.

"The key to using non-rare-earth magnets in electric motors for vehicles is our patent-pending motor geometry, which in part defines the shape and magnetization direction of the permanent magnets," said Jon Lutz, UQM Technologies' Vice President of Engineering.

URL: http://www.green-energy-news.com/nwslnks/clips1112/nov12006.html

Saft Awarded $1.3 Million from BAE for U.S. Army’s Ground Combat Vehicle Lithium-ion Energy Storage System.

Saft, which is designing and building ultra- high-power cells for the vehicle's hybrid electric drive system, has already completed the demo battery system including hardware and software.

URL: http://www.green-energy-news.com/nwslnks/clips1112/nov12017.html

First Wind Announces Start’s Up Oahu-based Kawailoa Wind Project.

The Kawailoa project is First Wind's second project on Oahu and fourth in the Hawaiian islands.

URL: http://www.green-energy-news.com/nwslnks/clips1112/nov12018.html

GM, ABB Demonstrate Chevrolet Volt Battery Reuse Unit.

The prototype unit provided 25 kW of power and 50 kWh of energy to power all the support lighting and audiovisual equipment in an "off-grid" structure used for the event.

URL: http://www.green-energy-news.com/nwslnks/clips1112/nov12013.html

VIA Motors Offers Power Export Option on Extended Range Pick-up Trucks.

VIA's electrified pick up trucks, vans and SUVs operate similarly to the Chevy Volt and are equipped with a gas-electric generator to extend electric driving beyond battery range. The same generator that recharges the batteries while driving, also powers the 110V and 220V outlets installed in a port on the side of the truck.

URL: http://www.green-energy-news.com/nwslnks/clips1112/nov12014.html

Honda Unveils Micro-sized Electric Vehicle "Micro Commuter Prototype"

Using vehicles based on this prototype model, Honda will begin demonstration testing in Japan in 2013. The demonstration testing will verify the potential of the vehicle in various uses including supporting everyday short-distance transportation for families with small children and for senior citizens, home delivery services, commuting and car sharing.

URL: http://www.green-energy-news.com/nwslnks/clips1112/nov12008.html

Seven Days of Solar 10-14-12

Habitat for Humanity builds 12 more solar homes. News updates of more than 25 MW of projects completed, 2.5 MW in construction, and more than 24 MW in development.

URL: http://www.green-energy-news.com/arch/nrgs2012/20120106.html

Obama's Win: New Life for Climate Action.

A door has been opened. Without the burden of another election ahead, President Obama has a real chance to take on the challenge of mitigating climate change. But, it won't be easy.

URL: http://www.green-energy-news.com/arch/nrgs2012/20120107.html

University of British Columbia Files Patent on Unique Battery Type Solar/Light Conversion Cell.

This unique generator and storage approach allows both solar power generation and storage within a single cell

URL: http://www.green-energy-news.com/nwslnks/clips1112/nov12003.html

Bloomberg New Energy Finance: Wind Farm Operation and Maintenance Costs Plummet.

The wind energy sector is making significant improvements not just in the capital cost and performance of its turbines, but also in the ongoing cost of operating and maintaining them once installed.

URL: http://www.green-energy-news.com/nwslnks/clips1112/nov12001.html

Seven Days of Solar 10-7-12

U.S. Dept. of Commerce finalizes duties on solar products from China. News updates of nearly 70 MW of projects completed.

URL: http://www.green-energy-news.com/arch/nrgs2012/20120104.html

EDF Renewable Energy Dedicates Wind and Solar Projects.

The 140 MW Pacific Wind and 143 MWp Catalina Solar projects were developed and contracted independently; however, their close geographic proximity to one another enabled the projects to share certain infrastructure and thus evolve into one of the largest wind/solar hybrid projects in the United States.

URL: http://www.green-energy-news.com/nwslnks/clips1012/oct12025.html

Toyota Powers-Up First of its Kind Stationary Fuel Cell.

At 1.1 MW, the clean energy fuel cell system on average provides enough power for about 765 homes, twice the capacity of Toyota's existing solar panel system on campus.

URL: http://www.green-energy-news.com/nwslnks/clips1012/oct12021.html

Honda Hybrid Sales Reach One Million Units Since November 1999.

Honda has been enhancing its hybrid vehicle lineup and currently sells eight hybrid models in approximately 50 countries around the world.

URL: http://www.green-energy-news.com/nwslnks/clips1012/oct12016.html

Department of Interior Roadmap for Utility-Scale Solar Energy Development on Public Lands

With the authorization of the Chokecherry and Sierra Madre Wind Energy Project site in Wyoming, Interior reached the President's goal of authorizing 10,000 megawatts of renewable power on public lands.

URL: http://www.green-energy-news.com/nwslnks/clips1012/oct12015.html

E.ON Climate & Renewables Celebrates First Wind Farm in Indiana

The project, located in Tipton and Madison counties, is EC&R's first wind energy project in Indiana. One hundred twelve Vestas 1.8 megawatt turbines provide more than 200 megawatts (MW) of power--enough to generate clean power to more than 60,000 households in the Midwest.

URL: http://www.green-energy-news.com/nwslnks/clips1012/oct12013.html

Lamborghini to Incorporate Maxwell Technologies' Ultracapacitors In Stop-Start Idle-Elimination System for Aventador Sports Car.

The idle-elimination system is an important element of Lamborghini's announced program to reduce its new models' CO2 emissions by 35 percent by 2015.

URL: http://www.green-energy-news.com/nwslnks/clips1012/oct12006.html

UPS to Add 40 Hydraulic Hybrid Vehicles to Its Fleet

UPS has announced the deployment of 40 new hydraulic hybrid vehicles (HHVs) – 20 in Baltimore and 20 in Atlanta. Developed by Freightliner Custom Chassis Corporation (FCCC) and Parker Hannifin Corporation, the package cars can achieve up to 35 percent improved fuel economy and up to 30 percent CO2 emissions reduction over traditional diesel-powered vehicles that use automatic transmissions in stop-and-go applications.

URL: http://www.green-energy-news.com/nwslnks/clips1012/oct12004.html

European Wind Energy Association (EWEA): EU Reaches 100 GW Wind Power Milestone.

100 GW of wind power can generate electricity over a year to meet the total consumption of 57 million households, equivalent to the power production of 39 nuclear power plants.

URL: http://www.green-energy-news.com/nwslnks/clips912/sep12024.html

CPI: Small Changes to Federal Renewable Policy Could Deliver Big Savings for Taxpayers

A new report by Climate Policy Initiative (CPI), Supporting Renewables while Saving Taxpayers Money, shows the government could sustain that support at much lower cost to taxpayers, by replacing current tax credits with cash incentives.

URL: http://www.green-energy-news.com/nwslnks/clips912/sep12020.html

CBD Energy Launches Renewable Energy Business in the U.S.

CBD Energy has announced its plans to launch its portfolio of renewable energy businesses in the U.S. market. The company also recently announced a proposed merger with Westinghouse Solar, Inc.

URL: http://www.green-energy-news.com/nwslnks/clips912/sep12018.html

BYD Books First Orders in Thailand for e6 EV.

At present, very few electric vehicles are available in Thailand.

URL: http://www.green-energy-news.com/nwslnks/clips912/sep12013.html

Toyota to Begin Sales of RAV4 EV in California.

The RAV4 EV will go on sale the week of September 24, 2012 through select California dealers, focusing on major metropolitan markets.

URL: http://www.green-energy-news.com/nwslnks/clips912/sep12015.html

Global Geothermal Markets Booming – Will the US Get Left Behind?


When speaking to geothermal advocates, it is likely that they will express a common frustration about the industry: geothermal, unlike wind and solar, is a baseload, guaranteed source of steady power, so why isn't there enough favorable policy in the U.S. to help the industry grow?

URL: http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/news/article/2012/12/global-geothermal-markets-booming-will-the-us-get-left-behind?cmpid=rss

Solar Marketing Strategy vs Tactics: Know the Difference and Shake 'Em Up Once a Year


In conversations with solar people, I sometimes hear people mix up "strategy" and "tactics." I'll hear something like "I use several strategies, mostly press releases and Twitter." These are not strategies, they're tactics (tools) that work with your strategy (or strategies) for Twitter and press releases. So, before we get into a few suggestions f

URL: http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/blog/post/2012/12/perhaps-its-time-to-find-new-strategies-for-climbing-the-solar-marketing-mountain?cmpid=rss

Faint Praise for EU Climate Diplomacy


The EU did more than just about anyone else at the recent UN climate summit in Doha to make progress on an array of issues that could slow global warming. But this praise is consciously faint. The meager steps forward in Qatar — like the formulation of a successor treaty to Kyoto — won't keep global temperatures from rising less than 2 degrees in c

URL: http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/blog/post/2012/12/faint-praise-for-eu-climate-diplomacy?cmpid=rss

Wind to Lead Latam Renewables Growth by 2020


Wind power growth is surging in Latin America and is expected to lead the region's renewables race with some 10,000 MW of capacity slated to come online in eight years, according to industry experts.

URL: http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/news/article/2012/12/wind-to-lead-latam-renewables-growth-by-2020?cmpid=rss

A Christmas Shopping List

Subtitle:&nbsp_place_holder;

Ten shopping ideas for the holiday season

Images:&nbsp_place_holder;

[](http://www.greenbuildingadvisor.com/blogs/dept/energy-solutions/christmas-shopping-list)

I'm not a big shopper. I don't even particularly like getting presents. Our society is just too much about consumption. Nonetheless, as I've done on occasion in the past, I'm providing below some Christmas shopping ideas.

URL: http://www.greenbuildingadvisor.com/blogs/dept/energy-solutions/christmas-shopping-list

SolarCity Cuts Proposed IPO Pricing, Increases Size of Placement


SolarCity Corp., the solar power provider led by billionaire Elon Musk, cut the proposed pricing of its initial public offering while increasing the number of shares offered.

URL: http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/news/article/2012/12/solarcity-cuts-proposed-ipo-pricing-increases-size-of-placement?cmpid=rss

Transparency and Better Forecasting Tools Needed for the Solar Industry


According to speakers at a Renewable Energy World Conference session on Successful Solar Development, developers and financiers of solar projects would benefit from greater transparency into manufacturing lines. In addition, as utilities add increasing amounts of solar power into their power mixes, independent system operators will need more sophisticated tools to accurately forecast how much solar power their systems will be able to use at any given moment.

URL: http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/news/article/2012/12/transparency-and-better-forecasting-tools-needed-for-the-solar-industry?cmpid=rss

Unity Homes Combines Prefab with Energy Efficiency

Subtitle:&nbsp_place_holder;

Bensonwood has launched a divison selling prefab homes designed to meet the Passivhaus airtightness standard of 0.6 ach50

Images:&nbsp_place_holder;

[](http://www.greenbuildingadvisor.com/blogs/dept/green-building-news/unity-homes-combines-prefab-energy-efficiency)

[](http://www.greenbuildingadvisor.com/blogs/dept/green-building-news/unity-homes-combines-prefab-energy-efficiency)

[](http://www.greenbuildingadvisor.com/blogs/dept/green-building-news/unity-homes-combines-prefab-energy-efficiency)

[](http://www.greenbuildingadvisor.com/blogs/dept/green-building-news/unity-homes-combines-prefab-energy-efficiency)

[](http://www.greenbuildingadvisor.com/blogs/dept/green-building-news/unity-homes-combines-prefab-energy-efficiency)

[](http://www.greenbuildingadvisor.com/blogs/dept/green-building-news/unity-homes-combines-prefab-energy-efficiency)

[](http://www.greenbuildingadvisor.com/blogs/dept/green-building-news/unity-homes-combines-prefab-energy-efficiency)

Like many builders, Tedd Benson and his team at [Bensonwood Homes](http://www.greenbuildingadvisor.com/product-guide/prod/bensonwood-homes) have taken an active interest in the emerging market for energy-efficient homes. In addition to developing [panelized construction techniques](http://www.greenbuildingadvisor.com/blogs/dept/energy-solutions/bensonwood-reinventing-house) and producing many custom timber frame commercial and residential buildings since its founding in 1974, Bensonwood built a home in Norwich, Vermont, to the PassivhausA residential building construction standard requiring very low levels of air leakage, very high levels of insulation, and windows with a very low U-factor. Developed in the early 1990s by Bo Adamson and Wolfgang Feist, the standard is now promoted by the Passivhaus Institut in Darmstadt, Germany. To meet the standard, a home must have an infiltration rate no greater than 0.60 AC/H @ 50 pascals, a maximum annual heating energy use of 15 kWh per square meter (4,755 Btu per square foot), a maximum annual cooling energy use of 15 kWh per square meter (1.39 kWh per square foot), and maximum source energy use for all purposes of 120 kWh per square meter (11.1 kWh per square foot). The standard recommends, but does not require, a maximum design heating load of 10 W per square meter and windows with a maximum U-factor of 0.14. The Passivhaus standard was developed for buildings in central and northern Europe; efforts are underway to clarify the best techniques to achieve the standard for buildings in hot climates. standard.

URL: http://www.greenbuildingadvisor.com/blogs/dept/green-building-news/unity-homes-combines-prefab-energy-efficiency

Unity Homes Combines Prefab with Energy Efficiency

Subtitle:&nbsp_place_holder;

Bensonwood has launched a divison selling prefab homes designed to meet the Passivhaus airtightness standard of 0.6 ach50

Images:&nbsp_place_holder;

[](http://www.greenbuildingadvisor.com/blogs/dept/green-building-news/unity-homes-combines-prefab-energy-efficiency)

[](http://www.greenbuildingadvisor.com/blogs/dept/green-building-news/unity-homes-combines-prefab-energy-efficiency)

[](http://www.greenbuildingadvisor.com/blogs/dept/green-building-news/unity-homes-combines-prefab-energy-efficiency)

[](http://www.greenbuildingadvisor.com/blogs/dept/green-building-news/unity-homes-combines-prefab-energy-efficiency)

[](http://www.greenbuildingadvisor.com/blogs/dept/green-building-news/unity-homes-combines-prefab-energy-efficiency)

[](http://www.greenbuildingadvisor.com/blogs/dept/green-building-news/unity-homes-combines-prefab-energy-efficiency)

[](http://www.greenbuildingadvisor.com/blogs/dept/green-building-news/unity-homes-combines-prefab-energy-efficiency)

Like many builders, Tedd Benson and his team at [Bensonwood Homes](http://www.greenbuildingadvisor.com/product-guide/prod/bensonwood-homes) have taken an active interest in the emerging market for energy-efficient homes. In addition to developing [panelized construction techniques](http://www.greenbuildingadvisor.com/blogs/dept/energy-solutions/bensonwood-reinventing-house) and producing many custom timber frame commercial and residential buildings since its founding in 1974, Bensonwood built a home in Norwich, Vermont, to the PassivhausA residential building construction standard requiring very low levels of air leakage, very high levels of insulation, and windows with a very low U-factor. Developed in the early 1990s by Bo Adamson and Wolfgang Feist, the standard is now promoted by the Passivhaus Institut in Darmstadt, Germany. To meet the standard, a home must have an infiltration rate no greater than 0.60 AC/H @ 50 pascals, a maximum annual heating energy use of 15 kWh per square meter (4,755 Btu per square foot), a maximum annual cooling energy use of 15 kWh per square meter (1.39 kWh per square foot), and maximum source energy use for all purposes of 120 kWh per square meter (11.1 kWh per square foot). The standard recommends, but does not require, a maximum design heating load of 10 W per square meter and windows with a maximum U-factor of 0.14. The Passivhaus standard was developed for buildings in central and northern Europe; efforts are underway to clarify the best techniques to achieve the standard for buildings in hot climates. standard.

URL: http://www.greenbuildingadvisor.com/blogs/dept/green-building-news/unity-homes-combines-prefab-energy-efficiency

US to Invest $29 Million in Solar Technologies


The U.S. Department of Energy announced it will invest $29 million in solar projects in an effort to boost the nation's renewable energy sector.

URL: http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/news/article/2012/12/us-to-invest-29-million-in-solar-technologies?cmpid=rss

Why Confirmation Bias is Dangerous in the Solar Industry


Confirmation bias is the tendency for people to seek out information that confirms their views – the attempt to eliminate confirmation is the number one goal of classic market research and the analyst's confirmation bias is the first target of this effort.

URL: http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/news/article/2012/12/why-confirmation-bias-is-dangerous-in-the-solar-industry?cmpid=rss

The Big Question: What is Onshore Wind's Future in Europe?


Renewable Energy World asks leading players in the industry for their verdicts on a key question of the moment. In this edition we asked for views on European onshore wind:

URL: http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/news/article/2012/12/the-big-question-what-is-onshore-winds-future-in-europe?cmpid=rss

Jordan Adopts Renewable Energy Feed-in Tariffs, Shelves Nuclear


While North American regulators continue debating the merits of feed-in tariffs, another developing country has adopted the policy renowned for rapidly developing renewable energy in the developed world.

URL: http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/news/article/2012/12/jordan-adopts-renewable-energy-feed-in-tariffs-shelves-nuclear?cmpid=rss

What’s a Blower Door Good For?

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Hint: It's the hole

Images:&nbsp_place_holder;

[](http://www.greenbuildingadvisor.com/blogs/dept/building-science/what-s-blower-door-good)

[](http://www.greenbuildingadvisor.com/blogs/dept/building-science/what-s-blower-door-good)

[In last week's blog](http://www.greenbuildingadvisor.com/blogs/dept/building-science/air-leaks-happen-surface-not-volume), I suggested that talking about infiltration rates in terms of air changes per hour isn't an accurate way to portray air leakage. The problem is that you're dividing by volume but the leaks happen at the surface. I don't think ACHACH stands for Air Changes per Hour. This is a metric of house air tightness. ACH is often expressed as ACH50, which is the air changes per hour when the house is depressurized to -50 pascals during a blower door test. The term ACHn or NACH refers to "natural" air changes per hour, meaning the rate of air leakage without blower door pressurization or depressurization. While many in the building science community detest this term and its use (because there is no such thing as "normal" or "natural" air leakage; that changes all the time with weather and other conditions), ACHn or NACH is used by many in the residential HVAC industry for their system sizing calculations.50 is going away anytime soon, and I use it myself because everyone else does, even though it's biased toward larger houses.

URL: http://www.greenbuildingadvisor.com/blogs/dept/building-science/what-s-blower-door-good

Why is the Fracking Industry Worried Sick Over Promised Land?

EcoWatch: This month Focus Features releases Matt Damon's new movie Promised Land and the oil and gas industry is worried sick about it. Promised Land is about a Pennsylvania farm town deciding whether to go forward with shale gas drilling after a team of landmen arrives in the area. Damon plays one of these landman, who rolls into town presenting himself as a humble flannel-wearing farmboy from Iowa. Damon's character is an ace salesman, famously good at convincing homeowners to sign away the rights...

URL: http://ecowatch.org/2012/fracking-industry-worried-sick/
Enclosure: http://ecowatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/promisedlandfi.jpg

India satisfied at negotiations; manages to retrieve key issues it lost in Copenhagen & Durban

Economic Times: The lack of an aggressive effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and financial support for developing countries at Doha notwithstanding India has cause not to be dissatisfied with its performance at the recently concluded negotiations. Issues like intellectual property rights, equity and unilateral measures have found some place in the final package of outcomes or the Doha Climate Gateway. Though the references in the final outcome to these issues are "weak", India is satisfied that these key...

URL: http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/news-by-industry/et-cetera/un-climate-change-negotiations-2012-india-satisfied-at-negotiations-manages-to-retrieve-key-issues-it-lost-in-copenhagen-durban/articleshow/17566923.cms

Toxic Fracking Wastewater Banned in White Plains, New York

EcoWatch: A coalition of health and environmental groups gathered in White Plains today to congratulate the Westchester County Board of Legislators for unanimously voting to prohibit the sale, application and disposal of waste products from natural gas drilling anywhere in the county. The new law, which applies to all wastewater treatment plants and all roads within the county, bans the sale of fracking waste, the processing of fracking waste at wastewater treatment plants, and the spreading of fracking...

URL: http://ecowatch.org/2012/fracking-wastewater-banned/
Enclosure: http://ecowatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/f12.jpg

China at the centre of 'illegal timber' trade

Guardian: China is at the centre of a vast global traffic in illegally logged timber that is destroying entire swaths of forest around the world. Academic research and NGOs such as WWF and Global Witness have already revealed the existence of illegal trading networks in central Africa, Burma and Russia leading directly to Chinese ports or cities. Now for the first time fingers are pointing directly to Beijing and holding public enterprises and local government officials responsible for this highly lucrative...

URL: http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2012/dec/11/china-illegal-logging-deforestation?intcmp=122
Enclosure: http://www.eia-international.org/appetite-for-destruction-chinas-trade-in-illegal-timber

Who Will Lead on Carbon and Clean Energy Policy?

InsideClimate News: As a stalemated Congress shies away from taking serious action on climate change, environmentalists are focusing on potential Cabinet openings at the Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Energy that could further their efforts. If the top jobs at the agencies open up as expected at the beginning of President Barack Obama's second term, the new leaders would step into the spotlight at a critical time. Recent scientific reports warn that polar ice sheets are melting at a rate three...

URL: http://www.hispanicbusiness.com/2012/12/11/who_will_lead_on_carbon_and.htm
Enclosure: http://www.hispanicbusiness.com/_client_common/images/news/energy_-obama_lg.jpg

Climate change risk management talks for Jamaica

Jamaica Observer: A team from the Caribbean Community Climate Change Centre (5Cs) is, over the next two days, expected to meet with Jamaican officials to help inform the development of a regional approach to climate change risk management. Communications consultant with the 5Cs Tyrone Hall made the revelation in a telephone interview with the Jamaica Observer Tuesday. According to Hall, the 5Cs team from Brazil, where the centre is based, is comprised of Dr Neville Trotz, science advisor and deputy director...

URL: http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/latestnews/Climate-change-risk-management-talks-for-Jamaica

Warm-water fish invade New York City's waters

City Limits: Fishers in Long Island Sound are seeing species that normally swim far to the south. Dramatically warmer waters are challenging both the fishing industry and the regulatory system that governs it. By Henry Gass | Monday, Dec 10, 2012 City Island -- Carl Wills has been fishing in Long Island Sound for 58 years, and two months ago, for the first time in his life, he saw a sea turtle. Working a night shift for a charter fishing company out of City Island in the Bronx, Wills, 61, was taking a moment...

URL: http://www.citylimits.org/news/articles/4691/warm-water-fish-invade-new-york-city-s-waters#.UMZNQYbh0uI
Enclosure: http://www.citylimits.org/assets/images/slideshows/boat.jpg

High school senior sues Alaska over climate change

Alaska Public Radio: The snow is coming later in Kipnuk. The river doesn't stay frozen all winter. And the riverbank is quickly eroding. Those are just a few of the changes 18-year-old Nelson Kanuk says he sees in his western Alaska hometown. "My house back in Kipnuk, we live right in front of the river bank," he said. Nelson Kanuk stands on the river bank near his home, in this screen shot from a short documentary about his life in Kipnuk. Click the photo to view the eight-minute film. (Photo from YouTube) The...

URL: http://www.alaskapublic.org/2012/12/10/mt-edgecumbe-senior-sues-ak-over-climate-change/
Enclosure: http://www.alaskapublic.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/IMG_0503.jpg

United Kingdom: Anger at climate aid 'blank cheque'

Daily Mail: Ministers were accused of 'signing a blank cheque` for climate aid to the third world as Britain agreed a global deal to repair 'loss and damage` caused by extreme weather. Energy Secretary Ed Davey pledged to help people in poor countries 'who will be underwater` due to rising sea-levels and melting glaciers on the final day of UN talks in Qatar. In a deal signed by 193 nations, rich countries for the first time agreed to accept responsibility for the consequences of rising temperatures. ...

URL: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2245630/Anger-climate-aid-blank-cheque-ministers-agree-global-deal-repair-loss-damage.html

Gambia: New initiative on climate change seeks robust participation of women

Daily Observer: Hello and welcome to the another edition of Environment, a column that features crucial elements surrounding environmental facts, challenges, stories meant to raise awareness on the devastating effects of environmental degradation, and to evoke constructive debate on better approaches to environmental protection. In this edition, we bring on an important climate change initiativerecently launched, aimed at enhancing greater women's participation at both national and global levels. The Doha...

URL: http://observer.gm/africa/gambia/article/new-initiative-on-climate-change-seeks-robust-participation-of-women

Keystone XL Review Meaningless Without Considering Climate Impacts

Bloomberg: The U.S. environmental assessment of a new Keystone XL pipeline route from Canada will be meaningless unless it considers the effect mining of oil sands has on climate change, opponents of the project said. The State Department may release within days the updated review of the path from Alberta to the Gulf Coast proposed by TransCanada Corp. (TRP) President Barack Obama rejected a route that crossed an aquifer in Nebraska. Environmentalists say producing oil from Alberta's tar sands releases more...

URL: http://www.businessweek.com/news/2012-12-11/keystone-review-meaningless-without-climate-assessment
Enclosure: http://www.bloomberg.com/image/iS8ipZrmZBQo.jpg

Australia: Reefs more resistant to acidification: Researchers

Australian Broadcasting Corporations: New research indicates coral reefs are more resistant to ocean acidification than first thought. Scientists have been concerned that reefs are threatened when atmospheric carbon levels rise and ocean acidity increases. But Australian National University research on the Great Barrier Reef suggests the structure of the reefs is stronger than previously thought. The reports' lead author, Merinda Nash, has told Radio Australia's Pacific Beat program they have discovered a strong mineral called...

URL: http://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-12-11/an-positive-research-for-coral--reefs-coping-with-acidification/4420206
Enclosure: http://www.abc.net.au/news/image/181058-3x2-340x227.jpg

Climate will be the issue Obama is judged on

Mother Jones: Van Jones is a leading environmental and human rights advocate, President Obama's former "green jobs" special advisor, a CNN contributor, and the New York Times bestselling author of The Green Collar Economy and Rebuild the Dream. Chris Mooney spoke with him by phone as part of our ongoing coverage of how President Obama can tackle the climate issue--and lead--in his second term. Mother Jones: Obama and global warming--decode his signals for us. Is he really going to take the lead here in the...

URL: http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2012/dec/11/van-jones-obama-climate
Enclosure: http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Guardian/Pix/pictures/2009/9/6/1252262368616/Van-Jones-002.jpg

Obama administration acknowledges 'changing climate' in emergency funding request

Greenwire: Underlying the Obama administration's $60.4 billion emergency funding request to Congress for Superstorm Sandy cleanup and relief efforts is an acknowledgement that climate change is real and must be addressed in a comprehensive fashion along with more immediate needs. The supplemental funding request, which was submitted Friday night, touches every function of government and practically every government agency, highlighting the enormity of Sandy's destruction. In fact, federal officials estimate...

URL: http://www.eenews.net/public/EEDaily/2012/12/10/1

Warming may bring more 'black swan' storm surges

Climate Central: Hurricane Sandy offered a grim reminder of how vulnerable coastal cities, such as New York, are in the face of rare, powerful storms. As sea levels rise in response to global warming, this vulnerability is likely to increase, leaving officials across the U.S. and around the world to grapple with increasingly urgent questions regarding how to adapt in a rapidly changing world. But while Sandy was a devastating event, with high winds and, more important, its massive storm surge causing at least...

URL: http://www.climatecentral.org/news/global-warming-may-bring-more-black-swan-storm-surges-15342
Enclosure: http://www.climatecentral.org/images/sized/images/uploads/news/11_6_12_sandywindvisualization-500x500.jpeg

US Intelligence Community warns of rising climate security threat

BusinessGreen: Climate change has the potential to stoke regional instabilities and fuel international tensions, according to a major new report from the US National Intelligence Council. Released yesterday, the Global Trends 2030 report seeks to map out the security trends that will shape international relations over the next two decades. It is the latest in a series of studies from national security bodies around the world to acknowledge that climate change and its likely impacts on food, water, and natural...

URL: http://www.businessgreen.com/bg/news/2231026/us-intelligence-community-warns-of-rising-climate-security-threat?WT.rss_f=Home&WT.rss_a=US+Intelligence+Community+warns+of+rising+climate+security+threat
Enclosure: http://www.businessgreen.com/IMG/774/125774/us-military-soldiers-army-war-370x229.jpg?1295879780

Without Congress, there's still a path to U.S. progress on climate

Yale Environment 360: When Barack Obama won his first term as president in 2008, expectations were high that the United States would finally tackle the threat of climate change. In fact, the administration quickly raised fuel economy standards for cars and light trucks, and the House of Representatives passed a sweeping bill that would have imposed economy-wide caps on greenhouse emissions and set targets for future reductions. But the legislation died. And Obama's brave talk of slowing the rise of the seas and healing...

URL: http://e360.yale.edu/feature/without_congress_theres_still_a_path_to_us_progress_on_climate/2600/

Climate Change Consensus Is Virtually Unanimous

Huffington Post: A recent analysis of papers appearing in peer-reviewed science journals shows published scientists to be virtually unanimous in their agreement that human-produced carbon dioxide emissions are a significant cause of global warming. You are free to disagree with my characterization of the consensus as "virtually unanimous," if you feel 99.83 percent doesn't qualify. There are, after all, almost two-tenths of one percent who dissent from the majority assessment. Oberlin College geologist Dr. James...

URL: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/neil-wagner/climate-change-consensus-_b_2273715.html

Arctic shipping is disaster waiting to happen, safety group warns

LA Times: Ferrying a load of soybeans from Seattle to China in 2004, the engine of Malaysian freighter Selendang Ayu lost power and the vessel broke in half on rocks off Unalaska Island in the middle of the Alaskan archipelago. A ferocious Bering Sea storm thwarted rescue efforts, resulting in the loss of six crew members, and the vessel spilled 350,000 gallons of heavy fuel oil. The oozing fuel killed thousands of seabirds, closed local fishing and contaminated miles of shoreline -- all inside the sensitive...

URL: http://www.latimes.com/news/science/sciencenow/la-sci-sn-arctic-shipping-safety-warning--20121210,0,2032369.story?track=rss
Enclosure: http://www.trbimg.com/img-50c6241b/turbine/la-sci-sn-safety-needs-rise-with-shipping-traf-001/600

Activists Punk Energy Giants to Fight Climate Change

PolicyMic: The ad begins like any other expensive promotional video -- vaguely upbeat elevator music plays as a man in a well-tailored suit beams at the camera. "Here at Exxon,' he begins, "we hate your children. And it's making us rich.' Not exactly a corporate puff piece. As might be obvious, this YouTube piece isn't made by a marketing firm on a multimillion dollar contract. It's the work of a collaboration between The Other 98% and Oil Change International. The Other 98% is going after the money....

URL: http://www.policymic.com/articles/20497/activists-punk-energy-giants-to-fight-climate-change
Enclosure: http://youtu.be/uXV6FW9Vg0I

Chile Follows South Africa's Lead in Climate Change Mitigation

AlterNet: Chile is turning to South-South cooperation to help define the most effective strategies and options for reducing its greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the face of global climate change. The Mitigation Action Plans and Scenarios (MAPS) initiative, being promoted in Chile by the government of Sebastián Piñera, is a collaboration among developing countries to explore each individual nation's options for mitigating climate change while fostering economic development and poverty alleviation. The...

URL: http://www.trust.org/alertnet/news/chile-follows-south-africas-lead-in-climate-change-mitigation
Enclosure: http://www.ipsnews.net/Library/2012/12/Chile-TA-small.jpg

REDD+ remains at a crossroads after Doha

WWF: Negotiators took a pass on finalizing key elements of an international mechanism to reduce emissions from tropical deforestation and forest degradation (REDD+) – the second largest source of emissions that cause climate change -- at the recently concluded UN climate change meeting in Doha. It was an up and then down two weeks for REDD+ at the 18th Conference of the Parties to UNFCCC that left negotiators and observers alike exhausted. The first week started off with great promise as the chair...

URL: http://wwf.panda.org/what_we_do/footprint/climate_carbon_energy/forest_climate/news/?207024/REDD-remains-at-a-crossroads-after-Doha&goback=%2Egde_2587352_member_194667918

Van Jones on Obama: Climate will be ‘the issue he’s judged on’

Grist: Van Jones is a leading environmental and human rights advocate, President Obama's former "green jobs" special adviser, a CNN contributor, and the New York Times bestselling author of The Green Collar Economy and Rebuild the Dream. Chris Mooney spoke with him by phone as part of our ongoing coverage of how Obama can tackle the climate issue - and lead - in his second term. Q. Obama and global warming - decode his signals for us. Is he really going to take the lead here in the next four years, and...

URL: http://grist.org/politics/van-jones-on-obama-climate-will-be-the-issue-hes-judged-on/

EPA Lets Energy Firms Pollute America's Underground Water Supply

ProPublica: A primary concern about the proposed Keystone XL [3] oil pipeline is that a leak would contaminate the Ogallala aquifer, one of the nation's most important sources of drinking and irrigation water. InsideClimate News is republishing this investigative story from ProPublica [1] because it highlights another risk to U.S. aquifers: The EPA is allowing some of them to be used as dumping grounds. Federal officials have given energy and mining companies permission to pollute aquifers in more than 1,500...

URL: http://insideclimatenews.org/news/20121211/epa-energy-industry-pollution-aquifers-underground-drinking-water-keystone-xl-ogallala-fracking-drought-texas?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+solveclimate%2Fblog+%28InsideClimate+News%29

NOAA Forms Hurricane Sandy Review Team, Again

Climate Central: The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) announced the formation of an interagency review team to study the National Weather Service's (NWS) performance leading up to and during Hurricane Sandy. According to a statement from David Titley, the NOAA deputy undersecretary for operations, the team will be led by a scientist with NOAA's National Marine Fisheries Service, and will include two social scientists and 10 experts from NWS, FEMA, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,...

URL: http://www.climatecentral.org/news/for-second-time-noaa-forms-review-team-on-hurricane-sandy-15344?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+climatecentral%2FdjOO+Climate+Central+-+Full+Feed
Enclosure: http://www.climatecentral.org/images/sized/images/uploads/news/10_30_12_andrew_PATHflood-500x457.jpg

United Kingdom: David Cameron: 'Britain must be at the heart of shale gas revolution'

Independent: Britain must be at the heart of a "shale gas revolution", David Cameron has said, which could bring down energy prices and help "re-industrialise" the economy. Giving his public backing for plans to exploit the country's onshore gas reserves – which is expected to be given the go-ahead by the Government very shortly – Mr Cameron said the new technology could transform our energy supplies. But his stance was attacked by climate change scientists and energy experts who warned his dash-to-gas...

URL: http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/exploitation-of-new-shale-gas-resources-will-prevent-britain-meeting-its-international-commitments-on-curbing-global-warming-says-scientist-8406432.html

United States: In Florida, An Actual Bipartisan Discussion On How To Deal With Climate Change

ThinkProgress: "Think globally, act locally" is a slogan that aptly describes what I witnessed last week at the Southeast Florida Climate Leadership Summit. At the event, local government officials from four counties gathered to discuss how to mitigate and adapt to climate change's impacts. Yep, you heard that correctly: government officials in the United States - in a "purple" state, no less - came together in a bipartisan manner to address climate change mitigation and adaptation. In fact, mayors, members...

URL: http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2012/12/11/1318551/in-florida-an-actual-bipartisan-discussion-on-how-to-deal-with-climate-change/?mobile=nc
Enclosure: http://thinkprogress.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/risingstormyseas-300x225.jpg

United States: Judge Halts TransCanada Keystone XL Work Over Landowner's Fraud Claim

Associated Press: A Texas judge has ordered TransCanada to temporarily halt work on a private property where it is building part of an oil pipeline designed to carry tar sands oil from Canada to the Gulf Coast, the latest legal battle to plague a project that has encountered numerous obstacles nationwide. Texas landowner Michael Bishop, who is defending himself in his legal battle against the oil giant, filed his lawsuit in the Nacogdoches County courthouse, arguing that TransCanada lied to Texans when it said...

URL: http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/apnewsbreak-texas-judge-halts-transcanada-oil-pipeline-work-over-landowners-fraud-claim/2012/12/11/2f91f1a0-43a3-11e2-8c8f-fbebf7ccab4e_story.html

Combined Wind, Solar Power Could Produce Cost-Effective Energy

redOrbit: According to a new study from the University of Delaware and Delaware Technical Community College (DTCC) by 2030 renewable energy could fully power a large electric grid 99.9 percent of the time at costs comparable to today`s electricity expenses. The research team found that a well-designed system of wind power, solar power, and storage in batteries and fuel cells would keep costs low while nearly exceeding electricity demands. The findings of this study were published recently in the Journal...

URL: http://www.redorbit.com/news/science/1112746128/wind-solar-cost-effective-energy-121112/
Enclosure: http://www.redorbit.com/media/uploads/2012/12/windsun.jpg

IPCC Predictions: Then Versus Now

Daily Climate: Scientists will tell you: There are no perfect computer models. All are incomplete representations of nature, with uncertainty built into them. But one thing is certain: Several fundamental projections found in U.N. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change reports have consistently underestimated real-world observations, potentially leaving world governments in doubt as to how to guide climate policy. Emissions At the heart of all IPCC projections are "emission scenarios:" low-, mid-, and high-range...

URL: http://www.climatecentral.org/news/ipcc-predictions-then-versus-now-15340?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+climatecentral%2FdjOO+Climate+Central+-+Full+Feed
Enclosure: http://www.climatecentral.org/images/sized/images/uploads/news/12-7-12_TDC_emissions-425x303.png

Youth Call for 'Change of Course' to Solve Climate Crisis

Inter Press Service: While world leaders were wrapping up the United Nations conference on climate change (COP 18) in Doha, Qatar this past weekend with the annual vague promise to tackle the enormous crises brought on by extreme weather and global warming, a delegation of youth gathered far from the high-level conference halls to say "no" to advocacy without action. At the invitation of the Club of Rome - a renowned think tank that turned heads 40 years ago with the publication of a groundbreaking report, "˜The...

URL: http://www.ipsnews.net/2012/12/youth-call-for-change-of-course-to-solve-climate-crisis/
Enclosure: http://ipsnews-net.wpengine.netdna-cdn.com/Library/2012/12/6845877557_12a87ea437_z-1-629x419.jpg

Talks aim to speed aviation emissions deal towards take-off

BusinessGreen: Diplomats from around the world will meet in Montreal later today in an attempt to accelerate negotiations designed to deliver a new international regime for tackling emissions from airlines. The aviation industry and governments are under intense pressure to come up with a market-based mechanism to limit airlines' carbon impacts ahead of the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) conference in September. High-level talks on Wednesday and Thursday in Montreal will be followed by three...

URL: http://www.businessgreen.com/bg/news/2231239/talks-aim-to-speed-aviation-emissions-deal-towards-takeoff?WT.rss_f=Home&WT.rss_a=Talks+aim+to+speed+aviation+emissions+deal+towards+take-off

United Kingdom: 'Misleading and dangerous': Leading energy expert attacks Chancellor George Osborne's over dash-to-ga

Independent: Professor Paul Stevens, a recent winner of the prestigious OPEC award for outstanding oil and energy research, condemned Mr Osborne's autumn statement for implying that gas would be cheaper in the future and that the price decline would be the result of tapping Britain's shale gas resources. He argued that the gas price could well increase significantly, while any decrease "will certainly not be the result of any shale gas revolution in UK or Europe". Furthermore, Professor Stevens slammed...

URL: http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/misleading-and-dangerous-leading-energy-expert-attacks-chancellor-george-osbornes-over-dashtogas-policy-8406621.html

Bill Clinton Praises His New Climate Change Hero

Huffington Post: On December 7, President Bill Clinton appeared in Silicon Valley and talked at length about climate change, referring to Berkeley scientist Dr. Richard Muller as "a hero of mine." In a Fresh Dialogues interview, Muller agreed to share his reaction to the hero worship and answer some climate change questions. You may recall Dr. Muller, the self-described "former skeptic" who frequently emphasized the fallibility of research on global warming and was funded by the Koch Foundation. Last summer,...

URL: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/alison-van-diggelen/why-is-former-climate-ske_b_2278509.html

NY, 6 other states suing EPA over drilling methane

Associated Press: Seven Northeastern and mid-Atlantic states announced plans Tuesday to sue the Environmental Protection Agency, saying it is violating the Clean Air Act by failing to address methane emissions from oil and gas drilling, which has boomed in nearby states such as Pennsylvania and West Virginia. New York Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman said in a news release Tuesday that the EPA is violating the Clean Air Act by failing to address the emissions. Methane is a potent greenhouse gas, and the oil...

URL: http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/2012/12/11/other-states-suing-epa-over-drilling-methane/2kZV1ZbMsbha34udDf6b1N/story.html

Global Warming Responsible For Coral Shrinking Around Equator

redOrbit: As the clamoring for a more comprehensive strategy to battle climate change continues, scientists are producing more and more research that suggests incremental changes in global temperature can have a massive effect on ecosystems. A new study from a team of Australian and German researchers showed that when sea surface temperatures increased by about 0.7 degrees Celsius during the last interglacial warm period, the Earth's equatorial regions saw a sharp decline in coral diversity. "When the...

URL: http://www.redorbit.com/news/science/1112746399/corals-shrinking-around-equator-121112/
Enclosure: http://www.redorbit.com/media/uploads/2012/12/CoralShrinkage_121112-617x416.jpg

Fracking 'incompatible' with UK's climate change commitments, politicians warned

Scotsman: IT is "categorically clear" that the UK will fail international commitments on combating climate change if it develops shale gas, politicians were warned today. The shale gas industry, which was suspended after operations caused two minor earthquakes in Lancashire, is expected to be granted permission by the UK Government tomorrow to resume exploration despite ongoing fears about the dangers of the controversial 'fracking' process. Gas firm Cuadrilla, which has been pioneering the process in...

URL: http://www.scotsman.com/news/environment/fracking-incompatible-with-uk-s-climate-change-commitments-politicians-warned-1-2686154
Enclosure: http://www.scotsman.com/webimage/1.2686153.1355247455!image/61135773.jpg_gen/derivatives/landscape_595/61135773.jpg

United Kingdom: PM paves the way for greenfield building

Telegraph: The Prime Minister also backed the search for shale gas, which opponents claim could despoil large parts of the country. Mr Cameron insisted to MPs that more house-building and "fracking' to release shale gas were needed to provide for Britain's economic needs. He backed the argument of Nick Boles, the planning minister, for more building in the countryside. Mr Boles said nine per cent of England had been built on, and suggested it should be 12 per cent. Mr Cameron denied setting a target...

URL: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politics/david-cameron/9738529/PM-paves-the-way-for-greenfield-building.html

U.S. states threaten lawsuit against EPA over regulations

Reuters: A coalition of seven eastern states led by New York plans to sue the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for failing to issue new guidelines to curb methane emissions, a greenhouse gas that may be linked to climate change. In a letter on Tuesday to EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson, the top law enforcement officials for the seven states said the agency should have addressed methane emissions when it revised emission control standards for the oil and gas sector in August. The seven states threatening...

URL: http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/12/11/us-lawsuit-idUSBRE8BA1B320121211?feedType=RSS&feedName=environmentNews&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+reuters%2Fenvironment+%28News+%2F+US+%2F+Environment%29

Climate change adaptation can help save lives now

Toronto Star: Absent from the global discussions in Doha last week were some of those hardest hit by climate change: the world's smallholder farmers. In developing countries in particular, farming families struggle to deal with more erratic rainfall, increasing temperatures, and more frequent droughts or floods. All of these factors make families more vulnerable and affect their food security -- their ability to grow or buy the food they need to stay healthy. While the world has prioritized reducing emissions,...

URL: http://www.thestar.com/opinion/editorialopinion/article/1300855--climate-change-adaptation-can-help-save-lives-now
Enclosure: http://www.chf.ca/

Report: Residential Solar PV Installations Hit All-Time High in Q3 of 2012


Residential installations of solar PV hit a record high in the third quarter of 2012, according to a new report published by GTM Research and the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA). The US Solar Market Insight: Third Quarter 2012 reports that more than 118 MW of solar PV capacity was added to the United States residential sector in Q3, a growth of 12 percent since last quarter and the strongest showing ever in a single quarter.

URL: http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/news/article/2012/12/report-residential-solar-pv-installations-hit-all-time-high-in-q3-of-2012?cmpid=rss