Obama Could Make Climate Progress Internationally

Grist: What are the possibilities and prospects for action on climate change if Barack Obama is reelected? Real talk: Obama will get very little done on climate or energy domestically, especially if Republicans keep the House, most especially if they win the Senate too. The reasons are drearily familiar: deep polarization, corporate influence, and the 60-vote threshold in the Senate. Unless some large and unanticipated exogenous force knocks the system out of equilibrium, we can expect more of what the...

URL: http://grist.org/climate-policy/obama-could-make-climate-progress-internationally-even-if-hes-hobbled-at-home/
Enclosure: http://climatedesk.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/obama-foreign.jpg

Cassava could be answer to Asia's food security woes

Radio Australia: While rising temperatures might make it harder to grow some crops, Dr Rod Lefroy from the International Centre for Tropical Agriculture says cassava, sometimes known as tapioca, actually has the potential to be grown more widely as conditions change.

URL: http://www.radioaustralia.net.au/international/radio/program/connect-asia/cassava-could-be-answer-to-asias-food-security-woes/987928

Canada: U.S. pipeline agency to probe Enbridge oil spill in Wisconsin

Reuters: The U.S. pipeline safety agency said on Saturday it is investigating an oil spill in Wisconsin on Enbridge Inc's network that forced the Canadian company to close part of the main pipeline system delivering Canadian crude to U.S. refiners. The U.S. Transportation Department's Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration "is investigating the cause of the Enbridge crude oil pipeline failure in Wisconsin," spokesman Damon Hill said in an email, adding that an inspector "has been dispatched...

URL: http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/07/28/us-enbridgeenergy-crudeoil-idUSBRE86R01O20120728

Shell Scales Back 2012 Arctic Drilling Goals

National Geographic: Faced with iced-in Arctic waters and failure to secure U.S. Coast Guard approval of its oil-spill barge, Royal Dutch Shell* is ratcheting down its plan to drill as many as five exploratory wells this summer in the seas north of Alaska. The company planned to sink the wells in the Chukchi and Beaufort seas during a brief window between July and October, when the waters were expected to be clear of severe ice. But Pete Slaiby, Shell's vice president for Alaska operations, said it's unlikely the...

URL: http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/energy/shell-2012-arctic-drilling-goals/
Enclosure: http://images.nationalgeographic.com/wpf/media-live/photos/000/573/overrides/energy-arctic-drilling-sea-ice-beaufort-sea_57318_600x450.jpg

In time of drought, China reaches out to Ukraine to guarantee food supplies

Voice of America: The worst drought in half a century is hitting corn and wheat harvests in the United States, the world's largest food exporter. So China, a major food importer, is turning to a new source of supply - Ukraine, a nation once known as the breadbasket of Europe. The drought in the United States reinforces expert forecasts that world food supplies will steadily tighten this decade, and that prices will rise. When grain prices go up, so do the prices of bread, milk, eggs and meat. When that happened...

URL: http://www.voanews.com/content/ukraine-drought-china-food/1448171.html
Enclosure: http://gdb.voanews.eu/BD2B0AF5-ED57-407D-B5E8-87C032A094D6_w640_r1_s_cx0_cy18_cw0.jpg

Drought-tolerant corn efforts show positive early results

ClimateWire: In the midst of the nation's worst drought in 50 years, two of the world's largest agricultural companies are testing corn that is bred and genetically engineered to withstand low rainfall levels. Monsanto's DroughtGard hybrid corn -- the first-ever hybrid genetically engineered for drought tolerance -- was planted this spring in initial field trials. Sowed amid sufficient rain and optimism for a record-breaking crop yield, the company has encountered a close to worst-case scenario to test its product....

URL: http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=drought-tolerant-corn-trials-show-positive-early-results
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US drought: gasoline prices rise as corn stalks shrivel

Christian Science Monitor: Since the beginning of July, the price of gasoline has risen about 16 cents a gallon, according to AAA. Energy analysts say at least some of that rise can be attributed to the severe drought scorching the Midwest plains because about 10 percent of each gallon of fuel is made from ethanol. One of the main ingredients of ethanol is corn. Because of the drought, the price of corn has soared. It is now just under $8 a bushel, up about 23 percent on the year and up 39 percent over the past five weeks....

URL: http://www.csmonitor.com/Business/2012/0727/US-drought-Gasoline-prices-rise-as-corn-stalks-shrivel
Enclosure: http://www.csmonitor.com/var/ezflow_site/storage/images/media/content/2012/0727-corn-drought-gas-prices/13284736-1-eng-US/0727-corn-drought-gas-prices_full_380.jpg

Mississippi River-Gulf Outlet restoration plan put on hold

Times-Picayune: The chief of the Army Corps of Engineers has recommended a $2.9 billion plan to restore damage caused by the now-closed Mississippi River-Gulf Outlet navigation channel, but recommends no action be taken on the plan because the state won't pay 35 percent of the cost. View full sizeMichael DeMocker, Times-Picayune archiveThe $2.9 billion Mississippi River-Gulf Outlet restoration plan proposed by the Army Corps of Engineers would repair damage to wetlands caused by the eroding navigation channel....

URL: http://www.nola.com/environment/index.ssf/2012/07/mr-go_restoration_plan_put_on.html
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US raises tariffs on Chinese wind-turbine makers

New York Times: Chinese manufacturers have been illegally selling steel towers for wind turbines below the cost of production and will have to pay duties of 20.85 to 72.69 percent on imports, the United States Commerce Department said Friday in a preliminary ruling in an antidumping case brought by four American tower manufacturers. The department said it found similar dumping on the part of Vietnamese manufacturers and set duties at 52.67 percent for CS Wind, a major supplier to the American market, and 59.91...

URL: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/28/business/energy-environment/us-raises-tariffs-on-chinese-wind-turbine-makers.html
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Global warming linked with ozone depletion

Summit County Voice: Along with serious global impacts like rising sea levels and increases in weather extremes, global warming may lead to a significantly higher risk for skin cancer, according to a new study published this week in the Journal Science. Harvard researchers say they`ve discovered a connection between climate change and depletion of the ozone layer over the U.S. that could allow more damaging ultraviolet radiation to reach the Earth`s surface, leading to increased incidence of skin cancer. The increase...

URL: http://summitcountyvoice.com/2012/07/27/global-warming-linked-with-ozone-depletion/
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Out on the fringe, solar comes of age

Sydney Morning Herald: UNTIL recently, Tarneit, about 25 kilometres west of the Melbourne CBD, was mostly grazing paddocks, a place without a post office. Now there is barely a cow left. Between the 2006 and 2011 censuses, the population of the outer suburb boomed, tripling to more than 20,000 as the city sprawled and first home buyers snapped up new affordable housing. The residents of Tarneit are much like those in other developing areas on the city's fringe. As you might expect, they earn less than the average Victorian....

URL: http://www.smh.com.au/environment/out-on-the-fringe-solar-comes-of-age-20120727-22zo3.html
Enclosure: http://images.smh.com.au/2012/07/27/3499748/2807_jh_insight_729_solar-20120727215247370877-620x349.jpg

TransCanada gets key go-ahead for final southern leg of pipeline project

Washington Post: While rejecting TransCanada's initial Keystone XL pipeline application to build the pipeline across the border from Canada, President Obama has embraced the southern leg of the project, which would ease a bottleneck that is slowing the movement of oil supplies from Canada and North Dakota to refineries on the coast of the Gulf of Mexico. On March 22 in the Cushing, Okla., oil terminal and pipeline crossroads, Obama directed agencies "to cut through the red tape, break through the bureaucratic...

URL: http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2012/07/26/gJQATYEnDX_story.html
Enclosure: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/special/business/keystone-xl-pipeline-primer/images/w-Keystone296.jpg

Report shows US drought rapidly intensifying

Associated Press: The widest drought to grip the United States in decades is getting worse with no signs of abating, a new report warned Thursday, as state officials urged conservation and more ranchers considered selling cattle. The drought covering two-thirds of the continental U.S. had been considered relatively shallow, the product of months without rain, rather than years. But Thursday's report showed its intensity is rapidly increasing, with 20 percent of the nation now in the two worst stages of drought...

URL: http://www.chron.com/news/article/Report-shows-US-drought-rapidly-intensifying-3737599.php#photo-3242446
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Canada: British Columbia premier slams torpedo into Alberta's energy strategy

Edmonton Journal: She didn't entirely scuttle Alberta's hopes for a Canadian Energy Strategy but she certainly took the wind out of Alberta's sails. In a dramatic – but not unexpected – showdown at the annual premiers' conference on Friday, British Columbia Premier Christy Clark refused to sign on to a national energy strategy championed by Alberta Premier Alison Redford. "Until we see some progress in the discussions between British Columbia, Alberta and the federal government with respect to the Gateway pipeline...

URL: http://www.edmontonjournal.com/business/Thomson%20Clark%20slams%20torpedo%20into%20Alberta%20energy/7002481/story.html

Summers feeling hotter? The temps back you up

Detroit News: If it seems like summers are getting hotter in Detroit, history -- and science -- confirm it: Over the last five decades, extreme heat has become more intense and more common, a report released Thursday says. Since 1959, the number of heat waves has doubled, from an average of two per summer to four. In addition, there are twice as many hot, humid days in summer compared to 52 years ago, jumping from an average of three to more than six. Nighttime temperatures also have warmed an average of...

URL: http://www.detroitnews.com/article/20120727/METRO/207270370/1409/METRO/Summers-feeling-hotter-temps-back-you-up
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Did Keystone XL really drive Canada-China coziness?

EnergyWire: This week's bid by a Chinese state-owned oil company to take over a Canadian oil sands crude producer seemed to hand Republicans a perfect talking point for their efforts to fast-track the Keystone XL pipeline: China is already taking advantage of America's delay in approving new heavy fuel imports from its northern neighbor, the GOP argued. "It's very clear," Sen. John Hoeven (R-N.D.) said yesterday, citing Ottawa's public courtship of Chinese investment after President Obama punted a ruling...

URL: http://www.eenews.net/public/energywire/2012/07/27/2

Canada: Analysts say newest energy war unlike earlier incarnations

Calgary Herald: As Alberta and British Columbia rumble in Canada's newest energy war over the Northern Gateway pipeline proposal, echoes of pitched jurisdictional battles of the past ring out. But observers and former participants in past fights say this scrap is unlike anything seen before: environmental issues are taking centre stage, the playing field is international and Alberta occupies a vastly different role in Confederation. "Really big stakes are in this battle," said Andre Plourde, a Carleton University...

URL: http://www.calgaryherald.com/business/Analysts%20newest%20energy%20unlike%20earlier%20incarnations/7003708/story.html
Enclosure: http://www.calgaryherald.com/business/7003709.bin

Clean Energy Policy: Reducing Climate Change Without the Politics

AOL Energy: This blog-and my career, frankly -- has carefully steered clear of politically sensitive issues and focused instead on advocating for smart public policy. But having lived through summer after summer in Washington, D.C., with temperatures continuously climbing above 100 degrees and increasingly violent storms (with scientists echoing that things seem to be progressing more quickly then once thought), I finally am compelled to comment on the topic of climate change. Given these circumstances, it...

URL: http://energy.aol.com/2012/07/28/clean-energy-policy-reducing-climate-change-without-the-politic/
Enclosure: http://o.aolcdn.com/mars/20800/635/357/95003379.jpg

Arizona researcher explores dangers of living in dust

Arizona Republic News: Giant monsoon dust storms that roll across the Valley and coat everything in a fine film of dirt are becoming more frequent, according to the experts. That means more deadly accidents, more harmful pollution and more health problems for people breathing in the irritating dust particles. But one leading researcher says there also needs to be a lot more study of the effects of the tons of dust being kicked up into the air, especially the hidden health costs for millions of people living in Arizona`s...

URL: http://tucsoncitizen.com/arizona-news/2012/07/26/arizona-researcher-explores-dangers-of-living-in-dust/

An epic downpour wipes away a capital’s sheen

New York Times: In the heart of the Chinese capital is the showcase neighborhood of Sanlitun, where expatriates and Chinese glitterati go to dine, drink and dance. It has gleaming curved skyscrapers, a boutique hotel where rooms list for $400 to $4,000 a night, and restaurants with cuisines like French, Persian and Mexican. What it does not have is a modern drainage system. As an epic rainstorm pounded Beijing on Saturday, murky water rose knee-deep in the streets. Buses plowed through, creating waves that rocked...

URL: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/27/world/asia/an-epic-flood-exposes-a-creakier-beijing.html
Enclosure: http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2012/07/27/world/china1/china1-articleLarge.jpg

Official hopeful Canada will reconsider plan to close freshwater research centre

Globe and Mail: Manitoba Premier Greg Selinger says the federal Environment Minister has offered "a glimmer of hope" that the federal Conservative government may reverse a decision to shut down a world-renowned freshwater research facility in Northern Ontario. Mr. Selinger, who was attending a meeting of premiers in Halifax on Friday, said he met with Peter Kent at a major international environmental conference in Brazil in June where the two discussed the impending closure of the Experimental Lakes Area. "We...

URL: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/ottawa-notebook/selinger-hopeful-ottawa-will-reconsider-plan-to-close-freshwater-research-centre/article4444983/
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Stronger storms may destroy ozone

ScienceNews: Climate change may spur the destruction of ozone in unexpected parts of the globe. In a warming world, many scientists believe, severe weather will become more common. That could be a problem in part because powerful rainstorms have the potential to erode ozone above the United States, researchers report online July 27 in Science. "For 30 years, we've studied the problems of ozone loss and climate change separately," says team leader James Anderson, a Harvard atmospheric scientist. "Now it's...

URL: http://www.sciencenews.org/view/generic/id/342528/title/Stronger_storms_may_destroy_ozone
Enclosure: http://www.sciencenews.org/view/download/id/342529/name/_

United States: Expert predicts hotter, drier climate for Maui

Maui Weekly: "For the past three decades, Hawai'i's temperature has been growing at a rate similar to the overall global warming rate, especially at high elevations, with an increase over plus 1.4 F in the last 30 years." "Previously, the Hawai'i temperature index had been half of the global warming rate trend." This, according to Tom Giambelluca, a University of Hawai'i-Manoa geography professor, who has been looking at what happens when weather or vegetation patterns change on a tropical island for more...

URL: http://www.mauiweekly.com/page/content.detail/id/510113/Expert-Predicts-Hotter--Drier-Climate-for-Maui.html?nav=13
Enclosure: http://sustainablemaui.org/

Keystone Pipeline Advances

New York Times: TransCanada, the company seeking to build the 1,700-mile Keystone XL pipeline from oil sands formations in Alberta to Gulf Coast refineries, received the final go-ahead from the federal government on Friday for the southern leg of the project. The Army Corps of Engineers granted the final permits for a 400-mile portion of the pipeline that will run from the major oil depots of Cushing, Okla., to refineries on the Texas coast. President Obama has blessed the southern portion of the pipeline,...

URL: http://green.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/07/27/keystone-pipeline-advances/
Enclosure: http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2012/07/27/business/obama/obama-blog480.jpg

Drought, searing heat reignite food-fuel debate

Greenwire: The U.S. ethanol industry's efforts to win public support for putting more corn-based fuel in gasoline has run into a fierce, unmovable enemy. Horrible weather. A withering Midwestern drought has reignited the debate over "food versus fuel" as soaring corn prices -- which the Department of Agriculture says will cause as much as a 4 percent spike in retail food prices next year -- become ammunition for livestock as proof that federal biofuels mandates have failed. The ethanol industry isn't...

URL: http://www.eenews.net/public/Greenwire/2012/07/27/1

Scientists discover 'Grand Canyon' of Antarctica buried deep in ice

Mongabay: British researchers have discovered a one mile deep rift valley hidden beneath the icy surface of West Antarctica, according to research published this week in Nature. The canyon may be hastening ice loss in the region. Scientists from the University of Aberdeen and British Antarctic Survey (BAS) made the discovery below Ferrigno Ice Stream, an extremely remote area that has been visited only once previously. They used ice-penetrating radar to map the valley. Site of the rift valley (marked...

URL: http://news.mongabay.com/2012/0727-grand-canyon-antarctica.html
Enclosure: http://photos.mongabay.com/12/0727bas.jpg

Derecho a call to act on climate change

Daily Progress: Albemarle County struggled through the aftermath of the June 29 derecho. Slowly we gained back our telephone service, our running water and our electricity. As the heat wave continued, we were happy to have our many creature comforts restored. Much of the discussion about the bizarre storm has centered on the inconviences it caused us, but there were lasting and significant effects, too: lives lost, property damaged and thousands of trees destroyed. I hope we have not missed the wake-up call...

URL: http://www2.dailyprogress.com/news/2012/jul/27/derecho-call-act-climate-change-ar-2088894/

House drought bill keeps $5 billion subsidy targeted by reformers

Reuters: Farmers would get another round of the $5 billion a year "direct payment" subsidy, targeted by reformers as wasteful spending, in a Republican-drawn offer of disaster aid for farmers hurt by the worst drought in half a century. The package, unveiled on Friday, combines drought relief with a one-year extension of the farm program. If passed by the House next week and accepted by Senate, it would end a farm-bill stalemate by deferring work until 2013, when cost-cutting pressure may be intense. ...

URL: http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/07/27/us-usa-agriculture-idUSBRE86O1T520120727?feedType=RSS&feedName=environmentNews&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+reuters%2Fenvironment+%28News+%2F+US+%2F+Environment%29
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Petition to waive ethanol mandate could come next week

Reuters: At least one of four states hoping to ease requirements on adding grain-based ethanol to gasoline is expected to petition the federal government as soon as Monday as the worst drought in 50 years spikes corn prices and lowers profits for livestock producers. Governors from states that may petition the Environmental Protection Agency to waive the mandate known as the Renewable Fuel Standard, or RFS, include Republicans Nikki Haley of South Carolina, Dave Heineman of Nebraska, Rick Perry of Texas...

URL: http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/07/27/us-usa-ethanol-waiver-idUSBRE86Q1FR20120727?feedType=RSS&feedName=environmentNews&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+reuters%2Fenvironment+%28News+%2F+US+%2F+Environment%29

Midwest crops, fish, water supply punished by drought

Reuters: Temperatures heading north of 100 degrees Fahrenheit and scarce rain portended another blistering weekend for much of the U.S. Midwest, where the most extensive drought since 1956 is devastating crops, evaporating rivers, and threatening to push world food prices higher. Violent storms brought rain to the extreme eastern portions of the corn belt in Ohio on Thursday night, but moisture was sparse further west. The mercury soared in Missouri, where St. Louis was expected to reach 101 degrees...

URL: http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/07/27/us-usa-drought-idUSBRE86N1M120120727?feedType=RSS&feedName=environmentNews&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+reuters%2Fenvironment+%28News+%2F+US+%2F+Environment%29
Enclosure: http://s1.reutersmedia.net/resources/r/?m=02&d=20120727&t=2&i=635191973&w=&fh=&fw=&ll=700&pl=300&r=CBRE86Q1MG500

Islamabad's taps dry up as water shortages worsen

AlertNet: Fatima Batool lives in a two-story house in a posh residential area of Islamabad that features shiny air-conditioned shopping plazas and restaurant-lined streets. But for the past two months, she has been lacking one key thing: water. As the reservoirs that supply Pakistan's capital with water run dry, so has Batool's tap. "It really feels traumatic, like living in a village, when one has taps like this without water for weeks,' said the 34-year-old mother of three, as she tested a tap in her...

URL: http://www.trust.org/alertnet/news/islamabads-taps-dry-up-as-water-shortages-worsen
Enclosure: http://www.trust.org/contentAsset/resize-image/4d626185-fbcc-473c-9559-5f5ab3e92062/photowide/?w=460&h=318&vn=201207271555

Why science is a non-issue in the US presidential election – again

National Public Radio: IRA FLATOW, HOST: This is SCIENCE FRIDAY. I'm Ira Flatow. A flurry of extreme weather events, including wildfires, heat waves and droughts may have convinced more Americans that the planet is warming. A poll by the Brookings Institute found that 62 percent of Americans now believe in global warming, and nearly half of them have cited warmer temperatures or change in weather patterns as the reason for their belief. But will climate change be on the agenda during the upcoming presidential...

URL: http://www.npr.org/2012/07/27/157489673/why-science-is-a-non-issue-in-the-election-again
Enclosure: http://www.npr.org/player/v2/mediaPlayer.html?action=1&t=1&islist=false&id=157489673&m=157489660

Paraguay Opens Doors to Unregulated Foreign Investment

Inter Press Service: In his first month as president of Paraguay, Federico Franco has thrown open the doors of his country to foreign investments that have raised questions about environmental safety. Among the measures taken by the new government were fast-track approval of the planting of transgenic cotton and authorisation of the construction of an aluminium plant. Franco was named to replace Fernando Lugo after the centre-left former Catholic bishop was removed as president in a swift impeachment trial on Jun....

URL: http://www.ipsnews.net/2012/07/paraguay-opens-doors-to-unregulated-foreign-investment/

The Efficiency Tango: A Deeper Look at Geothermal Heat Pump Efficiency

![][1] A couple weeks ago, I compared the efficiency of the two most advanced geothermal heat pumps (GHPs) recently launched by Waterfurnace Renewable Energy (TSX:WFI, OTC:WFIFF) and Climatemaster, as division of LSB Industries (NYSE:LXU). Like most things in life, it turns out that heat pump efficiency is a lot more complicated than just comparing a couple numbers.

[1]: http://www.renewableenergyworld.com//assets/images/story/2012/7/27/body-the-efficiency-tango-a-deeper-look-at-geothermal-heat-pump-efficiency.jpg

URL: http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/news/article/2012/07/the-efficiency-tango-a-deeper-look-at-geothermal-heat-pump-efficiency?cmpid=rss

Philippines Introduces New Feed-in Tariff

![][1] The Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) in the Philippines today approved the feed-in tariffs (FITs) that apply to renewable energy generation sources such as hydro (run–of–river), biomass, wind and solar. Initially the National Renewable Energy Board (NREB) that petitioned the FIT proposed values that they calculated during the time the petition wa

[1]: http://www.renewableenergyworld.com//assets/images/story/2012/7/27/body-fit-now-out-in-the-philippines.jpg

URL: http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/blog/post/2012/07/fit-now-out-in-the-philippines?cmpid=rss

Greater Phoenix Economic Council Launches Formal Protest against Solar Tariffs on China.

As the premier economic development group for the Greater Phoenix, Arizona area, GPEC works closely with companies on their expansion and relocation plans, including a concentrated approach to those making a foreign-direct investment in the United States. In recent years, it championed a renewable energy-specific incentive that has drawn numerous solar companies to Arizona, including China-based Suntech.

URL: http://www.green-energy-news.com/nwslnks/clips712/jul12026.html

Solar Cells Light Up Prison Cells on 'The Rock'

![][1] "Machine Gun Kelly," Al Capone, the "Birdman" — Alcatraz prison has had some infamous residents on the craggy island known as "The Rock" in the middle of San Francisco Bay.

[1]: http://www.renewableenergyworld.com//assets/images/story/2012/7/26/body-solar-cells-light-up-prison-cells-on-the-rock.jpg

URL: http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/news/article/2012/07/solar-cells-light-up-prison-cells-on-the-rock?cmpid=rss

ZBB Energy Joint Venture Opens Zinc Flow Battery Plant in China.

The 3,000 square meter production area is configured with state-of-the-art equipment, designed to assemble and test ZBB EnerStore (tm) advanced energy storage technology and ZBB EnerSection (tm) power and energy control systems.

URL: http://www.green-energy-news.com/nwslnks/clips712/jul12027.html

7 Ways Your Solar Website Is Driving Away Business — Yes, Your Website

![][1] There are at least a million ways to design a solar website today, and there are probably just as many ways to turn that expensive investment into useless cyber real estate. In this post, we'll discuss seven common mistakes that drive away visitors. Given the billion websites in the world, someone arriving on your site is almost a solar marketing m

[1]: http://www.renewableenergyworld.com//assets/images/story/2012/7/27/body-8-ways-your-solar-website-is-driving-away-business-yes-your-website.jpg

URL: http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/blog/post/2012/07/8-ways-your-solar-website-is-driving-away-business-yes-your-website?cmpid=rss

Continental and SK Innovation Partner to Develop Automotive Lithium-ion Batteries.

Continental and SK Innovation anticipate that, as CO(2) regulations become more stringent worldwide, electrically assisted drives and pure electric vehicles will become increasingly important in the market. And the battery is one of the key components of these technologies. The new joint company will draw on the expertise of the two technology leaders behind it:

URL: http://www.green-energy-news.com/nwslnks/clips712/jul12025.html

Japanese men drop inhibition, turn to parasols to beat the heat

Reuters: It's summer in Japan, which means shaved ice, cold noodles and parasols against the blinding sun - for men. While women have used sun umbrellas, or "higasa," for centuries, power conservation and increasingly hot summers have sent sales of men's sun umbrellas sharply higher, with department stores across Japan scrambling for stocks. "There's been a spike in demand for men's sun umbrellas of about three times since last summer," said Mayumi Mio, a spokeswoman at Takashimaya, a major Tokyo department...

URL: http://news.yahoo.com/japanese-men-drop-inhibition-turn-parasols-beat-heat-062001317--finance.html

Ongoing drought hits crops hard

LiveScience: The drought affecting much of the continental United States -- not to mention the heat and dryness around the globe -- has sent corn and wheat prices skyrocketing, scientists said today (July 25). And the current weather could be a taste of what to expect in future decades. "Global warming helps make droughts hotter and drier than they would be without human influence," said Heidi Cullen, the chief climatologist for Climate Central, a non-profit organization dedicated to communicating the science...

URL: http://www.livescience.com/21845-ongoing-drought-crop-prices.html

Hardy polar bears have survived past global warming

New Scientist: POLAR bears have patrolled the planet's icy regions for millions of years longer than previously thought - riding out several episodes of global warming in that time. While this suggests their future might not be so bleak, it is no guarantee they will survive the melting occurring in the polar regions today. Charlotte Lindqvist of the University at Buffalo, New York, and an international team of researchers have just completed the most comprehensive analysis yet of the polar bear genome. The team...

URL: http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg21528754.600-hardy-polar-bears-have-survived-past-global-warming.html
Enclosure: http://www.newscientist.com/data/images/ns/cms/mg21528754.600/mg21528754.600-1_300.jpg

Hope on Climate Change: Young Evangelicals for Climate Action

Huffington Post: Extreme drought. Extreme heat. Freakish storms with names I've never heard of -- a "derecho" -- that knock out power for millions, leaving us sweltering. If you want to know what living with climate change looks like, look outside or keep abreast of current events. And as temperatures continue to rise, things will get worse. Global emissions need to peak during the next presidential term, yet neither candidate is talking about what they will do to address the greatest moral challenge of our...

URL: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/rev-jim-ball/hope-on-climate-change-young-evangelicals-for-climate-action_b_1699946.html

Greenland's ice sheet melt: a sensational picture of a blunt fact

Guardian: This is the most frightening picture you will ever see. The information expressed visually here can be summed up in three words: change or die. So let's take a closer look. These two juxtaposed images of Greenland are based on observations by satellites monitored by Nasa. The view on the left synthesises their collective view of this inhospitable landmass in the Arctic Circle on 8 July 2012. That on the right shows what Greenland looked like to the same satellites on 12 July, just four days later....

URL: http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2012/jul/27/greenland-ice-sheet-melt
Enclosure: http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Guardian/Pix/pictures/2012/7/24/1343166053638/Greenland-ice-sheet-compo-008.jpg

Could Africa hold the answers to America's drought woes?

ClimateWire: The world's poorest continent could offer clues to how America's farmers might cope with a hotter, drier climate, leading agriculture experts say. In the African Sahel -- the belt of semiarid savanna running from the Atlantic Ocean to the Red Sea -- farmers have successfully fought back an expanding Sahara and turned once dry, uncultivated scrub into highly productive farmland. The key to their success has been allowing trees to grow, where they once cut them down, and adopting agricultural...

URL: http://www.eenews.net/public/climatewire/2012/07/26/1
Enclosure: http://www.eenews.net/assets/2012/07/26/photo_cw_02.jpg

Republican bills seek to ignite election year energy debate

BusinessGreen: The central role energy policy will play in November's US presidential election was again underlined this week, as Republican Senators unveiled a series of bills designed to crank up pressure on President Obama and position him as a block on energy investment. The GOP sought to re-open the long-running debate on whether to approve the proposed Keystone XL linking Canadian tar sands to the Gulf of Mexico with the release of a new bill from Senator John Hoeven that would authorise the pipeline,...

URL: http://www.businessgreen.com/bg/news/2194924/republican-bills-seek-to-ignite-election-year-energy-debate?WT.rss_f=Home&WT.rss_a=Republican+bills+seek+to+ignite+election+year+energy+debate

Canada nearly half way to meeting 2020 emissions target: sources

Canadian Press: The federal government is set to announce that it is almost half way to meeting its emissions-reductions target -- a significant leap in progress over the past year. The Canadian Press has learned that when Environment Canada releases its next update on greenhouse gas emissions trends in August, the report will show that Canada is almost 50 per cent of the way towards meeting its 2020 goal. That's a big jump from the 25 per cent announced a year ago. Multiple sources say the surge is a result...

URL: http://www.ctvnews.ca/canada/canada-nearly-half-way-to-meeting-2020-emissions-target-sources-1.894484
Enclosure: http://www.ctvnews.ca/polopoly_fs/1.838918!/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/landscape_620/image.jpg

Brazil decree opens tribal lands to mining, dams in 'national interest'

Mongabay: A directive signed Monday by Brazil's Solicitor-General could hamper the efforts of indigenous tribes to win government recognition of their traditional lands, reports Survival International, a human rights group focused on native peoples. The directive "opens up all indigenous areas to mineral, dams, roads, military bases and other developments of 'national interest' without the need to consult with or address concerns of indigenous peoples", according to an expert familiar with the directive...

URL: http://news.mongabay.com/2012/0726-brazil-indigenous-directive.html
Enclosure: http://photos.mongabay.com/12/0726funai.jpg

A Climate and Energy Stalemate

New York Times: A protest against construction of the Keystone XL pipeline last summer in Washington. In the current election year, most of what passes for an energy debate in the United States is rivalry over which party is more devoted to extracting oil and gas from the ground or seabed. On the day he clinched the Democratic nomination for president in 2008, Barack Obama declared that future generations would look back and say, "This was the moment when the rise of the oceans began to slow and our planet began...

URL: http://green.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/07/26/a-climate-and-energy-stalemate/
Enclosure: http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2012/07/25/business/agenda/agenda-blog480.jpg

NASA Greenland Ice Melt Report Sparks Global Warming Debate

Yahoo!: A NASA report describing an "unprecedented" instance of ice melting in Greenland has sparked a new debate about global warming and has elicited accusations that the space agency has become politicized where climate science is concerned. 97 percent of Greenland's ice sheet melted in July According to the report, NASA satellite data suggests that at one time or another 97 percent of the ice sheet that covers Greenland had thawed due to the persistence of a warm air mass over that land mass. Ordinarily...

URL: http://news.yahoo.com/nasa-greenland-ice-melt-report-sparks-global-warming-213200148.html

Pulling Carbon From Air Should Be Pursued Despite Costs, Study Says

Yale Environment 360: Columbia University scientists say that technologies to extract carbon dioxide from the air will likely become a critical part of any strategy to stabilize the global climate and should not be abandoned because of high costs. Writing in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the researchers from the university's Earth Institute argue that the use of technologies to remove emissions at the source -- such as at coal-powered plants -- will not go far enough because they don't address the...

URL: http://e360.yale.edu/digest/pulling_carbon_from_air_should_be_pursued_despite_costs_study_says/3564/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+YaleEnvironment360+%28Yale+Environment+360%29

For blighted soybeans, a little rain goes a long way

Reuters: Two inches of rain over the next two weeks is all that the soybean crop needs to ensure that millions of tiny pink flowers now budding at a near-record pace mature into the small green pods that will help feed the world. As scattered rain in the north and east of the farm belt this week brought the first significant relief to this summer's drought, the worst in 56 years, agronomists said even a small amount of moisture will help the soybean crop avoid the fate facing corn, which has been decimated...

URL: http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/07/26/us-usa-drought-soybeans-idUSBRE86P1I420120726?feedType=RSS&feedName=environmentNews&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+reuters%2Fenvironment+%28News+%2F+US+%2F+Environment%29
Enclosure: http://s1.reutersmedia.net/resources/r/?m=02&d=20120726&t=2&i=634705827&w=460&fh=&fw=&ll=&pl=&r=CBRE86P1H6R00

Climate change linked to ozone loss: May result in more skin cancer

ScienceDaily: For decades, scientists have known that the effects of global climate change could have a potentially devastating impact across the globe, but Harvard researchers say there is now evidence that it may also have a dramatic impact on public health. As reported in a paper published in the July 27 issue of Science, a team of researchers led by James G. Anderson, the Philip S. Weld Professor of Atmospheric Chemistry, are warning that a newly-discovered connection between climate change and depletion...

URL: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/07/120726142204.htm?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+sciencedaily+%28ScienceDaily%3A+Latest+Science+News%29

A New Plan to Fix California Water System

New York Times: Flanked by the interior secretary and a federal environmental watchdog, Gov. Jerry Brown unveiled his plan to reconfigure the state's oversubscribed water distribution system in hopes of satisfying the conflicting demands of Southern California cities, agribusinesses and environmentalists, which have competing claims on the flow of the Sacramento River, the state's largest source of fresh water. The officials said their plan would ensure both that the ecosystem of the Sacramento River's delta would...

URL: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/26/us/a-new-plan-to-fix-california-water-system.html
Enclosure: http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2012/07/26/us/WATER-1/WATER-1-articleLarge.jpg

Rise in Weather Extremes Threatens Infrastructure

New York Times: From highways in Texas to nuclear power plants in Illinois, the concrete, steel and sophisticated engineering that undergird the nation's infrastructure are being taxed to worrisome degrees by heat, drought and vicious storms. On a single day this month here, a US Airways regional jet became stuck in asphalt that had softened in 100-degree temperatures, and a subway train derailed after the heat stretched the track so far that it kinked — inserting a sharp angle into a stretch that was supposed...

URL: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/26/us/rise-in-weather-extremes-threatens-infrastructure.html
Enclosure: http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2012/07/26/us/EXTREME-1/EXTREME-1-articleLarge.jpg

Colombia: Rainforest 4x the size of Switzerland mapped in stunning detail using lasers, satellites

Mongabay: Scientists have created high-resolution carbon maps for 165,000 square kilometers (64,000 square miles) of forest across roughly 40 percent of the Colombian Amazon, greatly boosting the ability of the South American nation to measure emissions from deforestation and forest degradation, reports the Carnegie Institution for Science at Stanford University, which led the effort. The research, which is described in the journal Biogeosciences, used a combination of satellite data and advanced airplane-based...

URL: http://news.mongabay.com/2012/0725-colombia-carbon-map.html
Enclosure: http://photos.mongabay.com/12/0725ASNERco.jpg

California governor unveils ambitious water plan

Reuters: California Governor Jerry Brown and U.S. Interior Secretary Ken Salazar on Wednesday unveiled a multibillion-dollar plan for two giant tunnels that would dramatically reconfigure the state's water delivery system. The nearly $24 billion project aims to help restore the habitat of the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta and improve the reliability of water supplies to the arid central and southern parts of the state. The state already has two massive aqueducts that move water from the north to...

URL: http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/07/26/us-california-water-idUSBRE86P01I20120726?feedType=RSS&feedName=environmentNews&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+reuters%2Fenvironment+%28News+%2F+US+%2F+Environment%29

Forests' biodiversity 'declining'

BBC: Despite having protected status, the biodiversity in a large number of tropical forests is still continuing to decline, a study has suggested. The authors said the findings should cause concern because the areas have been seen as a final refuge for a number of threatened species. Habitat disruption, hunting and timber exploitation have been seen as signs of future decline, they added. The findings have been published online by the science journal Nature. "The rapid disruption of tropical...

URL: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-18970076#sa-ns_mchannel=rss&ns_source=PublicRSS20-sa
Enclosure: http://news.bbcimg.co.uk/media/images/61775000/jpg/_61775021_laurance-image2.jpg

United Kingdom: Drax suffers a market panic over biomass subsidies

Guardian: Chief executive welcomes government decision that sends her share price down 15%. Strange as it sounds, that's an accurate report of events today at Drax, the dirty power producer that aspires to be cleaner. Dorothy Thompson, responding to the new regime for subsidies for biomass burners, was a model of enthusiasm. She appreciated the government's extensive work in promoting sustainably sourced fuels. She expressed confidence that Drax, currently concentrated in coal, could switch within five...

URL: http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/nils-pratley-on-finance/2012/jul/25/drax-biomass-market-panic
Enclosure: http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Business/Pix/pictures/2012/7/25/1343237232018/Drax-coal-powered-power-s-008.jpg

The Story Behind Record Ice Loss in Greenland

Climate Central: The news that an unusually widespread melt occurred in Greenland during mid-July, when 97 percent of the Greenland ice sheet -- including normally frigid high-elevation areas -- experienced some degree of melting, has made international headlines, and for good reason. Such a widespread melt event has not occurred there since at least 1889, and may be yet another sign of the consequences of manmade climate change. But what does this event mean in the bigger picture of ice melt and sea level rise,...

URL: http://www.climatecentral.org/news/global-warming-and-unusual-weather-pattern-yields-record-greenland-ice-loss?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/7-25-12_andrew_greenlandmeltevent-475x432.jpg

Forest 'Disruption' Greater Threat Than Climate Change

Bloomberg: Deforestation of protected areas and illegal hunting of endangered species that live there has a greater impact on biodiversity than climate change, overfishing and the degradation of coral reefs, according to a researcher. The "rapid disruption" of protected tropical forests is the greatest threat to wildlife, Bill Laurance, a professor at James Cook University in Cairns, Australia, said in an e-mail. He studied 60 protected areas in tropical regions around the world and is the lead author of...

URL: http://www.businessweek.com/news/2012-07-25/forest-disruption-greater-threat-than-climate-change

"Shocking" Greenland Ice Melt: Global Warming or Just Heat Wave?

National Geographic: After just a few days of intense melting this month, nearly the entire of the surface of Greenland's massive ice sheet had turned to slush, NASA images show-the fastest thaw rate since satellites began keeping score 30 years ago. It may be tempting to link the event to global warming, but scientists say such melts might occur every 150 years. If such rapid thaws become common, though, they could add to already rising seas, experts say (Greenland satellite picture). Most of the thawing occurred...

URL: http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2012/07/120725-greenland-ice-sheet-melt-satellites-nasa-space-science/
Enclosure: http://images.nationalgeographic.com/wpf/media-live/photos/000/571/cache/nasa-greenland-ice-sheet-surface-melt-diagram_57131_600x450.jpg

Climate Change Deniers in the House of Representatives Targeted for Defeat

Yahoo!: The current House of Representatives has been called one of the most environmentally hostile in history. Part of the problem, according to leading environmental groups is that many members simply refuse to admit, for personal or political reasons, that humans are causing climate change. To try and shake things up this after the elections, the League of Conservation Voters (LCV) a nonprofit environmental advocacy group is pouring $1.5 million into a campaign to defeat five of the most outspoken...

URL: http://news.yahoo.com/climate-change-deniers-house-representatives-targeted-defeat-214846271.html

Drought will bring about higher food prices, US warns

Guardian: The US government acknowledged for the first time on Wednesday that the drought now covering two-thirds of the country will lead to significantly higher food prices. The catastrophe in the corn belt, which has seen crops decimated by extreme heat and prolonged drought, will have ripple effects throughout the food system, the department of agriculture said in its food price outlook. US consumers can expect to pay up to 4.5% more for beef because corn, which is used for cattle feed, will be in...

URL: http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2012/jul/25/drought-higher-food-prices
Enclosure: http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Guardian/Pix/audio/video/2012/7/25/1343244010693/Cattle-US-drought-Indiana-010.jpg

Loss of Arctic sea ice '70% man-made'

Guardian: The radical decline in sea ice around the Arctic is at least 70% due to human-induced climate change, according to a new study, and may even be up to 95% down to humans – rather higher than scientists had previously thought. The loss of ice around the Arctic has adverse effects on wildlife and also opens up new northern sea routes and opportunities to drill for oil and gas under the newly accessible sea bed. The reduction has been accelerating since the 1990s and many scientists believe the...

URL: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/jul/26/arctic-climate-change
Enclosure: http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Guardian/About/General/2011/7/24/1311511973463/Melting-Arctic-ice-releas-007.jpg

United Kingdom: Drax aims to go coal-free after biomass subsidy review

BusinessGreen: Drax Group has confirmed plans to convert its North Yorkshire power station to run mainly on biomass, after the government yesterday announced it would limit the subsidy available to plants powered by a mix of renewable and fossil fuels. Under changes to the government's Renewable Obligation Certificate (ROC) banding review announced yesterday, co-fired plants will be subsidised on a unit-by-unit basis, instead of as a whole plant. From April 2013, boilers that have been fully converted to...

URL: http://www.businessgreen.com/bg/news/2194307/drax-aims-to-go-coalfree-after-biomass-subsidy-review?WT.rss_f=Home&WT.rss_a=Drax+aims+to+go+coal-free+after+biomass+subsidy+review

Greenland Ice Sheet Melts At Abnormal Blazing Speed

National Public Radio: In July, the surface of Greenland's ice sheet melted at an unusually fast rate. In the span of four days, an estimated 97 percent of the ice disappeared. Audie Cornish talks to NASA scientist Tom Wagner for more.

URL: http://www.npr.org/2012/07/25/157382548/greenland-ice-sheet-melts-at-abnormal-blazing-speed?ft=1&f=1025
Enclosure: http://www.npr.org/player/v2/mediaPlayer.html?action=1&t=1&islist=false&id=157382548&m=157382533

EPA finds remaining water safe in famous fracking town

Reuters: The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is discontinuing water deliveries to four homes in a rural Pennsylvania town that attracted national attention after residents complained that natural gas drilling polluted wells. Further testing showed no reason for further action, the EPA said on Wednesday. The EPA had been delivering water since January to four homes in Dimock, Pennsylvania where the agency did a second round of water sampling after residents and local regulators submitted data that...

URL: http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/07/25/us-usa-epa-fracking-idUSBRE86O1OH20120725?feedType=RSS&feedName=environmentNews&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+reuters%2Fenvironment+%28News+%2F+US+%2F+Environment%29

Meltwater from Greenland glacier wipes out key crossing

Guardian: The gust of warm air that caused the unprecedented thaw in Greenland's surface ice also appears to have caused unusually high runoff from a glacier, wiping out a crossing near a key research and transport hub. Scientists who fly in Kangerlussuaq, near the western edge of the ice sheet, have been keeping an eye on the Watson river bridge for years. The bridge dates from the 1950s, but wasn't built for the magnitude of spring and summer melt of the last 12 years or so, said Jason Box, a glaciologist...

URL: http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2012/jul/25/greenland-glacier-bridge-destroyed-video
Enclosure: http://youtu.be/kKjXKAatiIs

Logging Vital To Sustainability Of Ecosystem

redOrbit: According to researchers from Oregon State University and Michigan State University, active forest management will help reduce the chances of a devastating, habitat-destroying wildfire. While targeted logging, tree thinning, and other fuel reduction activities might be a short term detriment to forested habitats of the Western U.S., they are vital to maintaining the long-term sustainability of this ecosystem, said the team's report, which was recently published in Forest Ecology and Management....

URL: http://www.redorbit.com/news/science/1112663545/logging-vital-to-sustainability-of-ecosystem/
Enclosure: http://www.redorbit.com/media/uploads/2012/07/139987463-617x416.jpg

Oil group sues over law on scarce biofuel

Reuters: For the second time in five months, the U.S. government is being sued to overturn a law that forces oil refiners to use a scarce biofuel. Under the federal Renewable Fuel Standard, refineries were required by the Environmental Protection Agency to use 6.6 million gallons of cellulosic biofuels - a fuel made from non-grain sources such as wood chips - in 2011. The U.S. oil industry's leading lobby group, The American Petroleum Institute filed a lawsuit in federal court in Washington saying no...

URL: http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/07/25/us-usa-cellulosic-api-idUSBRE86O1SS20120725?feedType=RSS&feedName=environmentNews&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+reuters%2Fenvironment+%28News+%2F+US+%2F+Environment%29

The big thaw: Greenland ice cover vanishes in just four days

Independent: The vast ice sheet of Greenland, which holds enough water to raise global sea levels by 7.2 metres, underwent a remarkable transformation for a few days this month when scientists observed an unprecedented melting of its frozen surface. For the first time since satellites began recording changes to Greenland from space more than 30 years ago, scientists observed surface melting across almost the entire ice sheet – the second-largest body of ice after Antarctica. The phenomenon in Greenland...

URL: http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/climate-change/the-big-thaw-greenland-ice-cover-vanishes--in-just-four-days-7976831.html
Enclosure: http://www.independent.co.uk/incoming/article7976812.ece/ALTERNATES/w460/pg-2-big-thaw-rex.jpg

Massive Ice Melt In Greenland Worries Scientists

National Public Radio: A pair of NASA satellite images taken just four days apart tells a potentially worrying story of melting ice in the polar summer. The first, snapped from orbit on July 8, shows about 40 percent of the Greenland ice sheet shaded in pink or red to illustrate probable or confirmed surface melting. The second photo, taken on July 12, shows nearly the entire land mass - 97 percent - blotched in a red hue. In a typical year, only about half of the Greenland ice sheet undergoes this kind of melting...

URL: http://www.npr.org/2012/07/25/157375957/massive-ice-melt-in-greenland-worries-scientists?ft=1&f=1025
Enclosure: http://media.npr.org/assets/img/2012/07/25/512548459_12664421_custom.jpg?t=1343249556&s=51

Australia: Fossil find could hold key to climate change

Agence France-Presse: Australian cavers have stumbled upon a vast network of tunnels containing fossils that could offer key insights into species' adaptation to climate change, scientists have confirmed. The limestone caves in Australia's far north contained what University of Queensland paleontologist Gilbert Price described as a "fossil goldmine" of species ranging from minute rodents and frogs to giant kangaroos. Once part of an ancient rainforest, the remote site now lies in arid grassland and Price said the fossilised...

URL: http://www.smh.com.au/technology/sci-tech/fossil-find-could-hold-key-to-climate-change-20120726-22s9z.html

U.K. Boosts Gas While Cutting Subsidies From Wind to Biomass

![][1] The U.K. government granted tax relief for natural gas drillers and cut subsidies for renewable energy, signaling more reductions in the months ahead as it balances demand for cheaper power against a goal to lower pollution from fossil fuels.

[1]: http://www.renewableenergyworld.com//assets/images/story/2012/7/25/body-u-k-boosts-gas-while-cutting-subsidies-from-wind-to-biomass.jpg

URL: http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/news/article/2012/07/u-k-boosts-gas-while-cutting-subsidies-from-wind-to-biomass?cmpid=rss

Concerns raised as strange and sudden ice sheet melt reported in Greenland

Associated Press: Scientists say there has been a freak event in Greenland this month: Nearly every part of the massive ice sheet that blankets the island suddenly started melting. Even Greenland's coldest place showed melting. Records show that last happened in 1889 and occurs about once every 150 years. Nasa says three satellites saw what it calls unprecedented melting over four days beginning on 8 July. Most of the thick ice remains. But what was unusual was that the melting occurred over a widespread area....

URL: http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/climate-change/concerns-raised-as-strange-and-sudden-ice-sheet-melt-reported-in-greenland-7976082.html
Enclosure: http://www.independent.co.uk/incoming/article7976271.ece/ALTERNATES/w460/greenland1.jpg

United Kingdom: Wind energy subsidy cut unveiled

BBC: The subsidy for onshore wind energy generation is to be cut by 10%, the government has announced. The Treasury is thought to have favoured a larger cut of up to 25%. It is one of a number of cuts which the Department for Energy and Climate Change said should encourage up to £25bn in new investment in energy generation between 2013 and 2017. The measures should also reduce the impact on household energy bills, it said, saving £5-£6 a year on average. Under the current arrangements £44...

URL: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-18979330#sa-ns_mchannel=rss&ns_source=PublicRSS20-sa
Enclosure: http://news.bbcimg.co.uk/media/images/61791000/jpg/_61791378_turbinespa.jpg

'Heat Dome' Linked To Greenland's Biggest Melt In 30 Years

National Public Radio: Last week there were the pictures of an iceberg twice the size of Manhattan breaking off Greenland's Petermann Glacier. Now there are NASA images showing that in four days earlier this month, "Greenland's surface ice cover melted over a larger area than at any time in more than 30 years of satellite observations." The space agency adds that "nearly the entire ice cover of Greenland, from its thin, low-lying coastal edges to its two-mile-thick center, experienced some degree of melting at its...

URL: http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2012/07/25/157343661/heat-dome-linked-to-greenlands-biggest-melt-in-30-years?ft=1&f=1025
Enclosure: http://media.npr.org/assets/img/2012/07/25/greenlandthaw_custom.jpg?t=1343215092&s=3

Japan embraces renewables but turns nuclear reactors back on

Spiegel: Yasuyuki Ikegami has been in great demand since the disaster at the Fukushima nuclear power plant. A specialist in marine energy, Ikegami has spent years figuring out how to generate electricity from the power of waves and tides. One year after the meltdown in Japan, his research is more in vogue than ever before. The catastrophe has prompted the Japanese to renew their focus on renewable energies technologies. The country was once a pioneer in the field, but that was before all energy was devoted...

URL: http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/japan-embraces-renewables-but-turns-nuclear-reactors-back-on-a-846134.html
Enclosure: http://cdn2.spiegel.de/images/image-379939-panoV9-sgtc.jpg

United Kingdom: New subsidy rates for renewable energy announced

Guardian: New subsidy rates have been announced for renewable energy in the UK, with onshore wind escaping the worst of the mooted cuts, but worries about further uncertainty would still threaten green investment, industry figures have warned. The Department of Energy and Climate Change (Decc) predicted that the new subsidy deal – with "banding" of different rates for technologies including wind, biomass and tidal energy – would stimulate £20bn to £25bn of investment into the green energy sector over the...

URL: http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2012/jul/25/subsidy-rates-renewable-energy
Enclosure: http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Environment/Pix/columnists/2012/7/3/1341317057870/Ban-on-wind-turbines-in-W-015.jpg

Heat waves seen as marine life problem, too

United Press International: Heat waves, likely to become common with climate change, aren't just a problem for humans; they can reshape entire marine ecosystems, Australian scientists say. Researchers studying events last year in the sea off Australia's west coast, where sea temperatures were 3 degrees to 7 degrees Fahrenheit warmer than usual along a 1,200-mile stretch of coast, say that impact can be extreme and rapid. When Daniel Smale at the University of Western Australia in Perth and colleagues surveyed the area...

URL: http://www.upi.com/Science_News/2012/07/24/Heat-waves-seen-as-marine-life-problem-too/UPI-58801343156009/
Enclosure: http://cdn.ph.upi.com/sv/upi/UPI-58801343156009/2012/1/3acd5789c02c4132da0d9ba0807ab057/Heat-waves-seen-as-marine-life-problem-too.jpg

Climate change is wild card in water security -- SEI analysts

AlertNet: We can think creatively about water management, but unknown large global threats could cause a fundamental reorganisation of life on Earth, according to a water expert with the Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI). "A doomsday scenario would be that if the Greenland ice sheet melts, and then there's six metres of sea-level rise -- all bets are off,' said David Purkey, a senior scientist who heads SEI's Northern California office. "I think we've got bigger problems than water scarcity at that...

URL: http://www.trust.org/alertnet/news/expert-views-climate-change-is-the-wild-card-in-water-security-sei-analysts
Enclosure: http://www.trust.org/contentAsset/resize-image/71cacb58-8bd5-4b3a-9f84-ecfffe92529a/photowide/?w=460&h=318&vn=201207251108

Nasa satellites reveal sudden Greenland ice melt

Telegraph: Even Greenland's coldest place showed melting. Records show that last happened in 1889 and occurs about once every 150 years. Nasa says three satellites saw what it calls unprecedented melting over four days beginning July 8. Most of the thick ice remains. But what was unusual was that the melting occurred over a widespread area. Nasa says the melting area went from 40 per cent of the ice sheet to 97 per cent. Until now, the most extensive melt seen by satellites in the past 30 years was about...

URL: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/environment/9425486/Nasa-satellites-reveal-sudden-Greenland-ice-melt.html
Enclosure: http://i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/02287/greenland_2287288b.jpg

India concerned over carbon tax on airlines by EU

Press Trust of India: India on Tuesday expressed concern over the decision of European Union to impose carbon tax on airlines, saying the initiative will have implications on the developing countries. A Finance Ministry paper on Climate Change noted that nations, which had imposed the carbon tax, have yet to fulfil their financial commitments to the developing nations to deal with the issue of climate change. Recently, European Union took a "unilateral" decision to levy charges on international flights to deal with...

URL: http://zeenews.india.com/business/news/economy/india-concerned-over-carbon-tax-on-airlines-by-eu_56498.html

'Green' wood-fired power plants generate pollution violations

Wall Street Journal: Malodorous brown smoke from a power plant enveloped this logging town on April 29, 2010, and several hundred residents fled until it passed. Six months later, the plant got $5.4 million from a federal program to promote environmentally preferable alternatives to fossil fuel. The plant, Blue Lake Power LLC, burns biomass, which is organic material that can range from construction debris and wood chips to cornstalks and animal waste. It is among biomass plants nationwide that together have received...

URL: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702303740704577524822063133842.html

New Advisors on the GBA Team

Subtitle:

Three new faces on the masthead. Three familiar contributors to GBA.

Images:

[![][1]][2]

[![][3]][2]

[![][4]][2]

[**Chris Briley**][5] and [**Phil Kaplan**][6] are architects in southern, Maine. They are smart, talented, funny, and they are go-getters. Chris and Phil began podcasting a couple of years ago on iTunes. One of our contributing editors, Scott Gibson, pointed them out to us, and we asked them to podcast on GBAGreenBuildingAdvisor.com.

[1]: http://www.greenbuildingadvisor.com/sites/default/files/imagecache/blog-river/Chris-Briley-author-DMB.thumbnail.jpg (Photo of Chris Briley)
[2]: http://www.greenbuildingadvisor.com/blogs/dept/green-building-blog/new-advisors-gba-team
[3]: http://www.greenbuildingadvisor.com/sites/default/files/imagecache/blog-river/Phil-Kaplan-author-DMB.thumbnail.jpg ()
[4]: http://www.greenbuildingadvisor.com/sites/default/files/imagecache/blog-river/Allison Bailes head shot 7.jpg ()
[5]: http://www.greenbuildingadvisor.com/advisors/christopher-briley
[6]: http://www.greenbuildingadvisor.com/advisors/phil-kaplan

URL: http://www.greenbuildingadvisor.com/blogs/dept/green-building-blog/new-advisors-gba-team

Adding iron to the sea could combat climate change

Phys.Org: Scientists at the University of Liverpool have found that adding iron to the sea could alleviate the impact of climate change. The team showed that much of the algae which grows when iron is added to the sea dies and falls into the deep ocean, taking with it the carbon it has absorbed. They added several tons of iron sulphate to a 1,67sq km patch within an ocean eddy near Antarctica which, within a week, had caused a large algae growth in the iron-limited but nutrient-rich ocean region. Although...

URL: http://phys.org/news/2012-07-adding-iron-sea-combat-climate.html
Enclosure: http://cdn.physorg.com/newman/gfx/news/hires/2012/addingironto.jpg

Reducing climate change could boost business

Chicago Sun-Times: Whatever politicians may or may not say, the research overwhelmingly demonstrates that human influence has exponentially sped up the changes in climate we're experiencing across our nation and the globe. One event does not serve as solid evidence. But many events do. The change is about extremes: More rain when we don't need it, less rain when we do. Extreme heat or cold. Floods. And as the Chicago Sun-Times mentioned in Tuesday's editorial, "Climate Change Goes AWOL"-- melting rail infrastructure....

URL: http://www.suntimes.com/news/otherviews/13975639-452/reducing-climate-change-could-boost-business.html
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MPs urge a 30% cut in emissions

Independent: Europe should commit to a tougher target for reducing greenhouse gases by 2020 to show global leadership on tackling climate change, MPs will urge today. They believe the European Union needs to increase its target from 20 per cent below 1990 levels to 30 per cent, which will help to boost efforts to secure a new international deal in 2015 to reduce emissions. The Energy and Climate Change Committee says the 20 per cent target is not ambitious or challenging enough to show political leadership....

URL: http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/climate-change/mps-urge-a-30-cut-in-emissions-7973448.html

Map reveals sharp increase in U.S. fires since 2001

Mongabay: A new map using NASA data reveals an increase in the frequency and severity of fires in the United States since 2001. The map, created by John Nelson of IDV Solutions, shows the locations and intensity of major fires in the contiguous 48 United States from 2001 through early July 2012. Fire intensity is scaled by "units of the typical American nuclear power plant's summertime capacity" with yellow reflecting the most intense conflagrations. The map is based on MODIS fire hotspot data. The most...

URL: http://news.mongabay.com/2012/0724-fire-map-2001-2012.html
Enclosure: http://photos.mongabay.com/12/0724fires.jpg

Coal Power Loses Its Luster in India as Costs Rise

National Geographic: Along India's narrow coastal belt of Mundra in Gujarat State, 500 miles (805 kilometers) northwest of Mumbai, several coal-fired power plants generate electricity so cheaply that authorities for the most part have overlooked damage to fishing and grazing, and harm to the vulnerable mangrove ecosystem. It is here that Tata, India's giant conglomerate and largest private electric utility, has been building what it hopes will be one of the largest coal power plants in the world, the 4,000-megawatt...

URL: http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/energy/2012/07/120724-coal-power-costs-in-india/
Enclosure: http://images.nationalgeographic.com/wpf/media-live/photos/000/570/overrides/india-cheap-coal-days-over_57071_600x450.jpg

Solar installers start countdown to August subsidy cuts

BusinessGreen: Businesses and homeowners seeking to install solar power systems have less than a week left to complete projects if they are to receive the current rate of feed-in tariff incentives before the government applies another round of cuts to the popular subsidy scheme on August 1. Small-scale systems of less than 4kW in capacity completed after midnight on July 31 will receive 16p/kWh rather than the current 21p/kWh rate, as part of changes to the feed-in tariff scheme announced by the Department of...

URL: http://www.businessgreen.com/bg/news/2193849/solar-installers-start-countdown-to-august-subsidy-cuts?WT.rss_f=Home&WT.rss_a=Solar+installers+start+countdown+to+August+subsidy+cuts

U.S. biofuel advocates urge Congress to continue Pentagon funding

Reuters: Military veterans and former lawmakers urged Congress on Tuesday to continue funding the Pentagon's controversial biofuels program, saying the failure to deal with U.S. dependence on foreign oil was a key factor in the wars of the past 22 years. "As long as U.S. and global economic security are dependent on oil produced in volatile regions of the world, our military will be required to continue deployments and dangerous missions to ensure the ... security of vital energy resources," the group,...

URL: http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/07/25/us-usa-navy-biofuels-idUSBRE86O01A20120725?feedType=RSS&feedName=environmentNews&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+reuters%2Fenvironment+%28News+%2F+US+%2F+Environment%29

China to investigate U.S. polysilicon imports

ClimateWire: China on Friday opened anti-dumping investigations into imported polysilicon from the United States and South Korea, the latest signal of a growing tension in the global clean-tech trade. Polysilicon is a key material used in solar panel production. China's import of such goods rose by 27 percent in the first quarter of this year compared with a year ago, and more than two-thirds of that came from U.S. and Korean producers. But Chinese polysilicon producers have accused their foreign peers...

URL: http://www.eenews.net/public/climatewire/2012/07/23/2

US Drought Could Trigger Repeat of Global Food Crisis, Experts Warn

Guardian: America's drought threatens a recurrence of the 2008 global food crisis, when soaring prices set off riots and unrest to parts of Africa, the Middle East, and Latin America, food experts warn. Corn prices reached an all-time high on Friday, as the drought expanded across America, trading at $8.24 a bushel on the Chicago exchange. Soybeans were also trading at record levels. The US department of agriculture meanwhile predicted there would be less corn coming onto global markets over the next...

URL: http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2012/jul/23/us-drought-global-food-crisis?intcmp=122
Enclosure: http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Guardian/Pix/pictures/2012/7/23/1343052775225/Drought-Afflicting-Much-o-008.jpg

Record 97 percent of Greenland's ice sheet experienced melting in July

Mongabay: 97 percent of Greenland's ice sheet experienced some degree of melting this July, a record extent of melt, says NASA. Analysis of data from three satellites detected the record melting on July 12. The extent was such Son Nghiem of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory initially questioned the results. "This was so extraordinary that at first I questioned the result," said Nghiem. "Was this real or was it due to a data error?" Nghiem's observations were subsequently confirmed by Dorothy Hall from NASA's...

URL: http://news.mongabay.com/2012/0724-record-melting-greenland.html
Enclosure: http://photos.mongabay.com/12/0724nasamelt.jpg

Evolution of Polar Bear Followed Changes in Climate, Study Says

Yale Environment 360: An analysis of sequenced polar bear genomes provides new insights into how climate change and interbreeding with brown bears led to the evolution of the modern-day polar bear. In an analysis of the nuclear genomes of 28 brown, black, and polar bears, an international team of researchers found evidence that polar bear populations fluctuated with climate shifts over the last million years, with populations increasing during cooler periods and declining during periods of warmer temperatures. Their findings...

URL: http://e360.yale.edu/digest/evolution_of_polar_bear_followed_changes_in_climate_study_says/3559/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+YaleEnvironment360+%28Yale+Environment+360%29

Penn State scientist threatens legal action over Sandusky comparison

Politico: Penn State University global warming researcher Michael Mann is lawyering up to counter attacks by conservatives who have referred to him as the "Jerry Sandusky of climate science." Mann's lawyer wrote Friday to National Review Executive Publisher Scott Budd demanding a retraction and apology for a July 15 blog post that compares Penn State's mishandling of years of child sexual abuse to the university's investigation of "Climategate." The charged reference to Sandusky, the convicted child...

URL: http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0712/78852.html
Enclosure: http://images.politico.com/global/2012/07/michael_mann_greg_rico_ap070910173445.jpg

Interior Names Solar 'Hot Spots' Out West

New York Times: After more than two years of study and public comment, the Department of Interior on Tuesday identified 17 sites on 285,000 acres of public lands across six Southwestern states as prime spots for development of solar energy. Agency officials said the government would fast-track applications for large-scale solar energy installations at those sites in the hope of speeding construction of thousands of megawatts of renewable, non-polluting electricity generation. The agency identified an additional...

URL: http://green.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/07/24/interior-names-solar-hot-spots-out-west/?partner=rss&emc=rss

U.S. Drought Could Cause Global Unrest

Wired: Twice in the last five years, rising food prices triggered global waves of social unrest. With drought baking U.S. crops, another round of soaring, society-straining price spikes may happen in coming months. According to researchers from the New England Complex Systems Institute, commodity speculation - investors betting on food prices - will amplify the drought`s market signals, creating a new food bubble and the crises that follow. "The drought is clearly going to kick prices up. It already has....

URL: http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2012/07/drought-food-prices-unrest
Enclosure: http://www.wired.com/images_blogs/wiredscience/2012/07/drought_farm.jpg

Obama declares disaster in West Virginia after storms

Charleston Gazette: President Obama issued a "major disaster declaration" for West Virginia late Monday afternoon. The declaration will generate federal funds to help local communities recover from the damages caused by "severe storms and straight-line winds" between June 29 and July 1. The counties designated for federal financial help include 45 of the state's 55 counties: Barbour, Boone, Braxton, Cabell, Calhoun, Clay, Doddridge, Fayette, Gilmer, Grant, Greenbrier, Hardy, Harrison, Jackson, Jefferson, Kanawha,...

URL: http://wvgazette.com/News/201207230144

Connecticut farmers adapt to climate change

New Haven Register: April showers usually bring May flowers, but this year, the flowers came early. Strange weather across the state and country has many farmers adapting to a severely changing climate. In Madison, a family of farmers pulls out a vegetable stand to the side of the road daily. Though Cole Farms had corn spouting up to two weeks early, they've managed to navigate the weather with some success. "Everything is ahead of schedule this year,' said Dan Cole, co-owner. "We've adapted to it by planting...

URL: http://www.nhregister.com/articles/2012/07/23/news/doc500e16b78f7da507118963.txt
Enclosure: http://www.nhregister.com/content/articles/2012/07/23/news/doc500e16b78f7da507118963.jpg

Want to Understand Climate Change? Try This Simple Book

Scientific American: You know what climate change is, right? Well, most of us think we do, until we find ourselves having to explain some aspect of it concisely. Help will come from a new book released today, Global Weirdness: Severe Storms, Heat Waves, Relentless Drought, Rising Seas and the Weather of the Future (Pantheon Books; $22.95). The 200-page, small format book is a collection of 60 very short chapters--two to three pages each--that explain in straightforward terms a litany of typical questions, statements...

URL: http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/observations/2012/07/24/want-to-understand-climate-change-try-this-simple-book/
Enclosure: http://pantheon.knopfdoubleday.com/2012/06/25/global-weirdness-by-climate-central/

United States: Will Cape Wind Be the Next Solyndra?

Mother Jones: After more than a year of failing to find a scandal in the Obama administration's loan to bankrupt solar company Solyndra, House Oversight Committee Chair Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) is now probing whether the Federal Aviation Administration's approval of the Cape Wind project was "politically based." Issa and Transportation Committee Chair John Mica (R-Fla.) sent a letter to FAA chief Michael Huerta last week saying that they have "significant questions" about the project's approval, based on emails...

URL: http://www.motherjones.com/blue-marble/2012/07/issas-new-renewable-peeve
Enclosure: http://mjcdn.motherjones.com/preset_16/offshorewind_1.jpg

Interior Department sets aside millions of acres for solar power

Washington Post: The Obama administration on Tuesday announced its final plan for fast-tracking large-scale solar energy projects in a vast portion of the West, promising installations with enough wattage to power nearly 7 million homes over the next decade. The "All Of The Above' program, the nation's first comprehensive plan to develop solar power on public land, sets aside 285,000 acres that would have minimal impact on endangered wildlife and waters. Applications for development in 17 solar-energy zones...

URL: http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/interior-department-sets-aside-millions-of-acres-for-solar-power/2012/07/24/gJQAS4Co7W_story.html?wprss=rss_national

Climate Change Effects: Things Global Warming Just Might Ruin For Your Kids

Huffington Post: The continental U.S. has just experienced the hottest 12 month period in recorded history. The West is on fire. The Maldives are going underwater and California can expect a sea level rise of six inches in less than 20 years. An increasing number of studies are making the connections between human activities, climate change and a rise in extreme weather events. While it is difficult to point to climate change as causing a single weather event without in-depth research, patterns are emerging. ...

URL: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/07/24/climate-change-effects-global-warming_n_1662046.html

Satellites show ice melt across most of Greenland

MSNBC: Three satellites found that 97 percent of Greenland -- the land mass second only to Antarctica for its volume of ice -- underwent a thaw never before seen in 33 years of satellite tracking, NASA reported Tuesday. Satellite experts at first didn't trust their readings, especially since they showed an incredible acceleration. Over four days, Greenland's ice sheet -- which covers 683,000 square miles -- went from 40 percent in thaw to nearly entirely in thaw. "This was so extraordinary that at...

URL: http://worldnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/07/24/12927340-ice-melt-found-across-97-percent-of-greenland-satellites-show?lite
Enclosure: http://m.static.newsvine.com/servista/imagesizer?file=miguel-llanosA1241961-B112-6A33-4BFB-0BD62DCF4292.jpg&width=380

Extreme Heat Proves Relentless in Central States

Climate Central: While much of the country has had a brief respite from the extreme heat and humidity that has marked the summer of 2012, in the nation's heartland -- including key agricultural areas from Nebraska to Illinois -- the heat has proven relentless. When the temperature soared to 105°F at 3:00 pm central time, St. Louis tied its all-time record for the most days in a single year with high temperatures of 105°F or greater. The existing record of 10 such days was set in 1934. High temperature forecast...

URL: http://www.climatecentral.org/news/extreme-heat-proves-relentless-in-central-states?utm-source=feedburner&utm-medium=feed&utm-campaign=Feed%3A+climatecentral%2FdjOO+Climate+Central+-+Full+Feed
Enclosure: http://www.climatecentral.org/images/uploads/news/7-24-12_andrew_heatcentralstates1.jpg

United States: Christie signs bill to encourage solar-energy growth

Associated Press: Gov. Christie signed legislation Monday aimed at encouraging the continued growth of New Jersey's solar industry while protecting ratepayers from increased costs. The measure, which had strong bipartisan support in the Legislature, increases the percentage of the total that power utilities must derive from solar energy from about 2 percent a year to more than 4 percent by 2028. The state goal overall is to generate 23.5 percent of New Jersey's energy from solar. Proponents said the law should...

URL: http://www.philly.com/philly/news/new_jersey/20120724_Christie_signs_bill_to_encourage_solar-energy_growth.html