China to lead capital toward emissions cuts

Xinhua: China will direct more private capital to better finance the country's programs to fight climate change, China's chief climate negotiator said Friday. Su Wei, who is also director-general of the Department of Climate Change of the National Development and Reform Commission, said China is piloting carbon market schemes in seven regions. Carbon markets allow enterprises to trade their carbon quotas and provide a platform for private capital to make money from carbon quotas set by local governments...

URL: http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/business/2012-12/22/content_16042053.htm

John Kerry's Climate Change Statements Show Force & Nuance

CleanTechnica: Even before the announcement was official, environmentalists welcomed the news that President Obama would nominate John Kerry to succeed Hilary Clinton as the next Secretary of State, and for good reason. While best known overall for foreign policy, Senator Kerry has a long record of forceful statements in support of climate action policies, and he has not been shy about calling attention to the worst outcomes of willfully ignoring climate science. What`s also interesting, though, is how Kerry`s...

URL: http://cleantechnica.com/2012/12/22/john-kerry-and-climate-change/
Enclosure: http://c1cleantechnicacom.wpengine.netdna-cdn.com/files/2012/12/John-Kerry-climate-change.jpg

On ravaged coastline, it's rebuild deliberately vs. rebuild now

New York Times: As moldy drywall thudded to the curb in a depressing drumbeat throughout Breezy Point, Queens, Thomas Ryan's reciprocating saw stood out like a growling declaration of impatience. His neighbors were still ripping out debris. But Mr. Ryan, a retired bricklayer who built his house by hand 30 years ago only to lose most of it to Hurricane Sandy, was already hard at work rebuilding. He knew that officials from the city, the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Breezy Point cooperative were still...

URL: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/22/nyregion/on-ravaged-coastline-its-rebuild-deliberately-vs-rebuild-now.html
Enclosure: http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2012/12/22/nyregion/subREBUILD/subREBUILD-articleLarge.jpg

BP settlement over Deepwater Horizon oil spill approved by federal judge

Associated Press: A federal judge gave final approval to BP's settlement with businesses and individuals who lost money because of the 2010 oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. BP PLC has estimated it will pay $7.8bn to resolve economic and medical claims from more than 100,000 businesses and individuals hurt by the nation's worst offshore oil spill. The settlement has no cap; the company could end up paying more or less. US district judge Carl Barbier, who gave his preliminary approval in May, made it final on...

URL: http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2012/dec/22/bp-settlement-deepwater-horizon-approved
Enclosure: http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Guardian/Pix/pictures/2012/4/25/1335378079656/BP-oil-spill-deepwater-007.jpg

Clean Air Hangs Off the Fiscal Cliff

Huffington Post: The fiscal cliff. Sequestration. Lame duck session. These are terms that Americans have been hearing with regularity since the election. The conversation will be ratcheted up during December, as the clock ticks and the American public waits to see if the president and Congress can reach a resolution. People understand that the stakes are high, but they may not be sure in what way. In trying to get a handle on how the fiscal cliff would impact environmental concerns, I reached out to Chris Hellman,...

URL: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/marcia-g-yerman/clean-air-hangs-off-the-fiscal-cliff_b_2317624.html?utm_hp_ref=barack-obama

United States: When sea rises, should a neighborhood be abandoned?

ClimateWire: For one town at the southern tip of the San Francisco Bay, water has been the enemy for many years. Floods have struck repeatedly in Alviso, a San Jose neighborhood of about 2,000 people. Lying about 8 feet below sea level, it's been inundated when nearby rivers overflowed during rainstorms, with water rising so high it filled up homes and destroyed businesses. With climate change predicted to increase sea levels, some fear the water at some point could be unstoppable. "Without this levee...

URL: http://www.eenews.net/public/climatewire/2012/12/21/1
Enclosure: http://www.eenews.net/assets/2012/12/21/photo_cw_02.jpg

An apps-eye view of global warming and climate change

Mercury News: Drought in the Midwest; forest fires in the Southwest; blizzards and hurricanes on the East Coast; rising ocean levels on both coasts. If you're wondering what to make of the crazy weather of the past few years, maybe it's time to check out some of the iPhone and Android apps you can use to study climate change and global warming. Quite a few are devoted to the still-contentious issue. Many are for the Apple (AAPL) operating system, but there are some in the Android app store too. By making...

URL: http://www.mercurynews.com/business/ci_22239744/an-apps-eye-view-global-warming-and-climate?IADID=Search-www.mercurynews.com-www.mercurynews.com

Putting palm oil in its place

AlertNet: What does one do with an industry that is highly profitable and promising for rural development, yet at the same time climatically culpable due to its association with deforestation? Put it where it belongs, says the World Resources Institute (WRI). Under Project POTICO, WRI is working to break the link between deforestation and palm oil production by promoting the expansion of new oil palm plantation in non-forested areas. Indonesia lays claim to 94.5 million hectares of forest cover, the...

URL: http://www.trust.org/alertnet/blogs/climate-conversations/putting-palm-oil-in-its-place

Norway Pays USD 167M to Brazil to Stop Deforestation

Arnfinno Oines: The Norwegian government pays USD 167 million to Brazil as payment for sharp reduction in deforestation in the Amazon in 2011. The money put into the Amazon Fund, which funds projects to reduce deforestation further. Norway promised Brazil in 2008 up to USD 1 billion by 2015 if the country gets stopped the extreme deforestation of the rainforest. The money is paid annually after the fixed reduction has taken place. Overall, Norway has now paid USD 600 million to Brazil. Soon reached the...

URL: http://arnfinno.wordpress.com/2012/12/16/norway-pays-usd-167m-to-brazil-to-stop-deforestation/?goback=%2Egde_2661319_member_198058979

Legitimate REDD Players Should Welcome Brazilian Action Against Carbon Cowboys

Ecosystem Marketplace: REDD has the potential to slow climate change and improve the livelihoods of indigenous people around the world, but only if projects follow recognized procedures for measuring carbon and respecting the rights of indigenous people, particularly the rights to their traditional territories and customary practices. Legitimate projects do both -- and with good reason. If they didn't, their credits would never be recognized under any existing carbon standard. Illegitimate "projects', however, do...

URL: http://www.ecosystemmarketplace.com/pages/dynamic/article.page.php?page_id=9501&section=news_articles&eod=1

How to care for the children when we're at odds with the planet?

Japan Times: Perhaps this column should begin with a disclaimer like those found on CDs and DVDs that are intended to help protect kids from obscenity - Parental Advisory: Explicit Content. I wonder about this because it might not be healthy for our children to know how little their society cares about them - let alone the faceless millions of others in nations around the globe. If our kids knew that we are not doing what we should be, wouldn't they find our negligence obscene? This is not a question...

URL: http://www.japantimes.co.jp/rss/fe20121223sh.html

United States: As Markey ponders, enviros dream of their hero in the Senate

Greenwire: Now that Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry's nomination for secretary of State no longer appears to be a matter of if but when, some environmentalists are daring to whisper the three words that they have long dreamed to say: Sen. Ed Markey. Markey, an 18-term Democratic congressman, dean of the Massachusetts delegation and outspoken environmental champion, is openly contemplating the prospect of running for the Senate if there's a special election to replace Kerry. "I'm looking at the seat very...

URL: http://www.eenews.net/public/EEDaily/2012/12/21/1

Brazil takes action against forest carbon deal in the Amazon

Reuters: Brazil's Attorney General Office has taken legal action against a deal signed between an Irish company and an Amazon indigenous group for the sale of carbon credits from avoided deforestation. A federal attorney in the Amazon Brazilian state of Rondonia filed a lawsuit, seen by Reuters Point Carbon, on December 11, which seeks to cancel a contract signed by Celestial Green Ventures LLC and the Awo Xo Hwara indigenous community. As part of the deal, the Irish company agreed to pay the local...

URL: http://www.trust.org/alertnet/news/brazil-takes-action-against-forest-carbon-deal-in-the-amazon

Can CO2 be captured and sold?

ClimateWire: A researcher is about to test a technology that he says could be a breakthrough for curbing greenhouse gas emissions from coal plants, natural gas generators and other industrial facilities. Canadian professor Guy Mercier's answer to curbing fossil fuel emissions is literally set in stone. With $300,000 in new grant money from Carbon Management Canada, a network of academic centers, he plans to run gas emitted from a Holcim cement plant through pulverized concrete and rock. If everything goes...

URL: http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=can-co2-be-captured-and-sold
Enclosure: http://www.scientificamerican.com/media/inline/can-co2-be-captured-and-sold_1.jpg.pagespeed.ce.Q4Yaf--nbO.jpg

Matt Damon Kicks Up Controversy in 'Promised Land'

ET: Fracking is a term used for hydraulic fracturing -- a gas extracting technique where fractures are created in rock formations by injecting water mixed with sand and chemicals at high pressure. Those opposing the method have expressed concerns about the chemicals used, alleging that if they are harmful they could pollute the groundwater. Critics of the film accuse the co-writers, Damon and The Office's John Krasinski, of presenting a unilateral position that puts the practice in a negative light...

URL: http://tv.yahoo.com/news/matt-damon-kicks-controversy-promised-land-020400624.html

DR Congo gets first validated and verified REDD+ project

Mongabay: The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has its first Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation (REDD+) project validated and verified under the Verified Carbon Standard (VCS). The Mai Ndombe REDD+ project covers 299,645 hectares of forest that was a former logging concession in Bandundu Province, according to ERA Carbon Offsets Ltd. and Wildlife Works Carbon LLC, the companies that developed the project. ERA and Wildlife Works estimate the project — the largest to win validation...

URL: http://news.mongabay.com/2012/1220-drc-redd-mai-ndombe.html

House Natural Resources Subcommittee to Sharpen Focus on Environmental Reviews

The Hill: The House Natural Resources committee will devote more attention to environmental reviews and their effects on advancing energy development in a new subcommittee next Congress. National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) evaluations will now be wrapped into the newly formed subcommittee on Public Lands and Environmental Regulation. Currently called the subcommittee on National Parks, Forests and Public Lands, Rep. Rob Bishop (R-Utah) will remain its chairman. "Moving jurisdiction of NEPA to...

URL: http://thehill.com/blogs/e2-wire/e2-wire/274079-house-natural-resources-subcommittee-to-sharpen-focus-on-environmental-reviews

Fish Fry: Study Says Climate Change Means Tough Going For Western Trout

ThinkProgress: Changing water temperatures and stream flows combined with drought and increasing wildfires from global warming are creating a bleak outlook for trout in the western U.S., according to a new study. "Despite the best intentions, we will not be able to preserve all populations of native trout in the Rocky Mountains this century," concludes a paper that has been published in the December issue of the journal Fisheries. The study looked at five river basins in the West and was conducted by the U.S....

URL: http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2012/12/20/1362371/fish-fry-study-says-climate-change-means-tough-going-for-western-trout/?mobile=nc
Enclosure: http://thinkprogress.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/fly_fishing_trout_22-300x193.jpg

Error-Riddled Matt Ridley Piece Lowballs Climate Change, Discredits Wall Street Journal. World Faces 10°F Warming.

Think Progress: Memo to media, deniers: "Climate sensitivity" is NOT the same as projected future warming! Projected warming even with (an unlikely) low climate sensitivity of between 1.5°C and 2.0°C from Michael Ring et al 2012. A WSJ op-ed that cites this work absurdly concludes "Evidence points to a further rise of just 1°C by 2100." Not even close. Every major projection of future warming makes clear that if we keep listening to the falsehoods of the anti-science crowd and keep taking no serious action...

URL: http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2012/12/20/1365671/error-riddled-matt-ridley-piece-lowballs-global-warming-discredits-wall-street-journal-world-faces-10f-warming/?mobile=nc
Enclosure: http://thinkprogress.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/FairPlanFig1c.gif

France: $1,200 a Pound, Truffles Suffer in Heat

New York Times: Just about everything in Eduardo Manzanares's shop, Truffes Folies, is made with truffles. Sausage, cheese, spaghetti — even popcorn. But during the year-end holidays, the main order of business is fresh truffles, especially the black or Périgord truffle, Tuber melanosporum. The prized mushrooms are used to stuff Christmas turkeys, chickens or capons, Mr. Manzanares said, making Dec. 24 typically the biggest truffle-eating night of the year in France. But it is also becoming an increasingly expensive...

URL: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/21/business/global/is-climate-change-shrinking-the-luxury-truffle-crop.html
Enclosure: http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2012/12/21/business/21truffle/21truffle-articleLarge-v2.jpg

German Environment Minister: will seek CO2 permit deal with EconMin in 2013

Reuters: Germany's environment and economy ministers are still at odds over a possible reform of Europe's system of permits to cut carbon emissions but will try to reach a consensus early next year, Environment Minister Peter Altmaier said on Wednesday. The dispute between the two ministers has been a major factor in holding up any EU-wide agreement to withdraw some emissions permits from the market to stop a price slump. "Sometime in the spring... we will discuss the reform of emissions trading again,"...

URL: http://planetark.org/enviro-news/item/67456
Enclosure: http://planetark.org/images/wefull/67456.jpeg

Fewer Americans Say Their Actions Can Slow Climate Change

New York Times: Americans may be buying more compact fluorescent light bulbs these days, but they are less likely to set their thermostats low during the winter than they were four years ago and have less confidence that their actions will help to curb global warming, according to a new survey. The Yale Project on Climate Change Communication and George Mason University`s Center for Climate Change Communication found that the proportion of people who say their own energy-saving actions can make a difference in...

URL: http://green.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/12/20/fewer-americans-say-their-actions-can-slow-climate-change/

Climate Change under the Microscope in Report, Leaked IPCC Draft

National Geographic: As lawmakers in Washington, D.C., debate the so-called fiscal cliff--when U.S. federal tax increases and spending cuts are due to take effect at the end of 2012--new research in the journal Nature Climate Change says we are already at the edge of a climate cliff. It explores the cost and risk associated with surpassing critical emissions thresholds by 2020, and what would need to take place to keep global temperatures from rising above 2 degrees Celsius--a mark many regard as the limit to avoid the...

URL: http://newswatch.nationalgeographic.com/2012/12/20/climate-change-under-the-microscope-in-report-leaked-ipcc-draft/

2012 Was a Big Year for America's Clean Energy Economy, Despite Solyndra

Inside Climate News: Solyndra was the never-ending story of the year. The bankruptcy of a solar company [3] that got a half a billion dollars in taxpayer money provided election-year fodder for Republicans, who used it to bash Pres. Obama's clean energy programs. Fossil fuel interests spent tens of millions of dollars [4] trying to make Solyndra a political liability—to no avail, in the end [5]. It wasn't just about Solyndra. In 2012, it seemed every major clean energy policy became a target of prominent conservative...

URL: http://insideclimatenews.org/news/20121220/clean-energy-economy-2012-year-end-solyndra-wind-energy-solar-power-feed-in-tariff-germany-low-carbon-california?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+solveclimate%2Fblog+%28InsideClimate+News%29

2012 Second-Costliest Year for Weather Disasters, NOAA Says

USA Today: Led by the devastation from Hurricane Sandy and the Midwest drought, 2012 will likely be the second-costliest year for weather and climate disasters on record, according to data released today by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The costliest year for damages in the USA was 2005, when four hurricanes lashed the nation, including Katrina. The USA has endured 11 separate weather and climate disasters so far this year that led to damages of at least $1 billion, NOAA reported...

URL: http://www.usatoday.com/story/weather/2012/12/20/billion-dollar-weather-climate-disasters/1782099/
Enclosure: http://www.gannett-cdn.com/media/USATODAY/USATODAY/2012/12/20/sandy-4_3_r560.jpg?f061b7ce9937c38b702e6f308816ac2a14e2a4ec

What would Secretary of State John Kerry do on climate and Keystone?

Grist: If Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.) becomes secretary of state, as is expected, he`ll be the most ardent climate hawk ever to hold the office. But how much will that matter? Kerry has been pushing for national and international solutions to climate change for two decades, and he understands that it`s a geopolitical problem, not just an environmental one. "Global climate change is a security issue on a planetary scale," Kerry told Grist in 2007. In a speech on the Senate floor this past June, he said,...

URL: http://grist.org/climate-energy/what-would-secretary-of-state-john-kerry-do-on-climate-and-keystone/
Enclosure: http://grist.files.wordpress.com/2012/12/john-kerry.jpg?w=250&h=166

Does Fracking Contaminate Drinking Water?

EcoWatch: The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) today provided an update on its ongoing national study currently underway to better understand any potential impacts of hydraulic fracturing on drinking water resources. According to an EPA press release: Results of the study, which Congress requested EPA to complete, are expected to be released in a draft for public and peer review in 2014. The update provided today outlines work currently underway, including the status of research projects that...

URL: http://ecowatch.org/2012/fracking-contaminate-drinking-water/
Enclosure: http://ecowatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/fracking1.jpg

Modern-Day Dust Bowls Devastate Regions Throughout the World

EcoWatch: Unfortunately, dust bowls are not just relics of the past. Today two new dust bowls are forming: one in northern China and southern Mongolia and the other in Africa south of the Sahara. When most people hear the term "dust bowl," they think of the American heartland in the 1930s, when a homesteading wheat bonanza led to the plowing up of the Great Plains' native grassland, culminating in the greatest environmental disaster in U.S. history. Despite warnings from researchers and some farmers,...

URL: http://ecowatch.org/2012/dust-bowls-devastate/
Enclosure: http://ecowatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/dustbowl.jpg

E.P.A. Issues Standards on Boiler Air Pollution

New York Times: The Environmental Protection Agency on Friday issued long-delayed new air pollution standards for industrial boilers, incinerators and cement kilns. The rules provide significant concessions to industry and allow several additional years for full compliance in an effort to minimize job and economic impacts, officials said. The new standards for the first time set numerical limits on emissions of mercury, acid gas and small-particle pollution for a small subset of the nation's 1.5 million industrial...

URL: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/22/science/earth/epa-issues-standards-on-boiler-air-pollution.html

The End of Consumerism is the Beginning of the Joy of Living

EcoWatch: My ecological journey started in the forests of the Himalaya. My father was a forest conservator, and my mother became a farmer after fleeing the tragic partition of India and Pakistan. It is from the Himalayan forests and ecosystems that I learned most of what I know about ecology. The songs and poems our mother composed for us were about trees, forests and India's forest civilizations. My involvement in the contemporary ecology movement began with "Chipko," a nonviolent response to the large-scale...

URL: http://ecowatch.org/2012/joy-of-living/
Enclosure: http://ecowatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/shiva.jpg

Four Feasible Ways Obama Can Work on Climate Change

Bloomberg: The political death of climate-change policy could have come in 2009, when the Waxman-Markey cap-and-trade emissions bill failed in the U.S. Senate. But it didn't. In fact, President Barack Obama's first term has brought substantial progress on climate change. Two of the biggest successes were fuel-economy standards and emissions limits on new power plants. For passenger cars and light trucks, corporate average fuel economy will rise from 29 miles per gallon in this year to 35.5 mpg in 2016 and...

URL: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-12-21/four-feasible-ways-obama-can-work-on-climate-change.html

Changing Oceans May Be Adding to New England Fisheries Decline, Scientists Say

Yale Environment 360: As U.S. fishing regulators weigh stricter catch quotas to allow time for critical species to recover in the waters of New England, scientists say that changing ocean conditions may be a factor in historic fish declines, not just decades of overfishing. Warmer ocean temperatures and changing ecosystems are contributing to declining populations of cod and flounder in the northeastern U.S., government officials say. In the Gulf of Maine this year, water temperatures were the highest ever recorded, according...

URL: http://e360.yale.edu/digest/warming_oceans_may_be_adding_to_new_england_fisheries_decline/3727/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+YaleEnvironment360+%28Yale+Environment+360%29

Judge OKs settlement in BP class action suit

Reuters: A U.S. judge on Friday gave final approval to BP Plc's settlement with individuals and businesses who lost money and property in the 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill. The order only addressed the settlement of economic and property damage claims, not a separate medical benefits settlement for cleanup workers and others who say the spill made them sick. BP has estimated that it will pay $7.8 billion to settle more than 100,000 claims in the class action litigation. U.S. District Judge Carl Barbier...

URL: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/50275838/ns/us_news/
Enclosure: http://msnbcmedia4.msn.com/j/MSNBC/Components/Photo/_new/121221-spill-hmed-640p.grid-6x2.jpg

Obama to Nominate Kerry for Secretary of State Today

Wall Street Journal: President Barack Obama nominated Sen. John Kerry to become the next U.S. secretary of state, entrusting him with America's foreign policy at a time of widening civil strife in the Middle East and an expansionist and militarily strong China. Mr. Obama, during a Friday afternoon White House ceremony, praised the Democratic senator from Massachusetts as a seasoned Washington insider with decades of international experience involving efforts to end the Vietnam War and working for stability in Central...

URL: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887324461604578193320872170826.html

Skiing won't be greatest loss after climate change

Denver Post: One of my favorite times of year is right before the holidays, with the excitement and anticipation of the winter ski season. However, it has become somewhat predictable that with the first sign of a lack of natural snow, climate change articles and stories start to appear. In many ways, it's to be expected. It's hard to understand how the weather changes the way it does and why things can look so different from year to year. Two years ago was one of the most "epic" seasons for snow in Colorado's...

URL: http://www.denverpost.com/opinion/ci_22235458/skiing-wont-be-greatest-loss-after-climate-change

Review of the environment in 2012: In the eye of the storm

Independent: We began 2012 worrying about drought; we ended it worrying about flooding. Reviewing the year environmentally, nothing stands out so much as the topsy-turvy nature of British weather over the past 12 months, which not only caused irritation and real difficulties to people all over the country, but raised larger concerns about a changing climate. It's easy to forget just how parched Britain was by the end of March, after two virtually rainless winters: uniquely, the headwaters of all seven of the...

URL: http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/climate-change/review-of-the-environment-in-2012-in-the-eye-of-the-storm-8424653.html

Lessons From Sandy: extreme weather will be the new normal

Mongabay: In a recent forum held at the Harvard School of Public Health four expert panelists discussed the most important lessons learned from Hurricane Sandy. Daniel Schrag, climate scientist and Director of the Harvard Center for the Environment said that "hurricane Sandy has been connected by the public to climate change in a way that other storms have not". This storm has brought the conversation of our vulnerability and need for adaptation to climate change back to the table. Schrag explained...

URL: http://news.mongabay.com/2012/1221-gandiaga-sandy-new-normal.html

Pa. Teen Files Climate Change Lawsuit Against State

National Public Radio: In an effort to force the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection to regulate carbon dioxide emissions, a Westmoreland County teenager has filed suit. Ashley Funk, 18, of Mount Pleasant has joined a national campaign to file "atmospheric trust litigation" against states. Funk is part of a campaign organized by the environmental group, Our Children`s Trust, that has seen some success in other states. The lawsuits are based on the duty of governments to protect the "public trust," a concept...

URL: http://stateimpact.npr.org/pennsylvania/2012/12/21/teen-files-climate-change-lawsuit-against-department-of-environmental-protection/

Bill Aims to Prepare Texas for Climate Change

National Public Radio: Houston Democrat Rodney Ellis introduced a bill to prepare Texas for global climate change. *This article originally referred to Rodney Ellis as a State Representative, which is incorrect. He is a State Senator. We regret the error. In a state like Texas, where much of the political leadership still disagrees with the scientific consensus on global climate change, you might call Rodney Ellis a dreamer. You might even say his new bill doesn`t have a snowball`s chance in an unusually hot Texas...

URL: http://stateimpact.npr.org/texas/2012/12/21/bill-aims-to-prepare-texas-for-climate-change/

California agency raises issues over proposed solar project

Reuters: California Energy Commission staff on Friday said BrightSource Energy's proposed 500-megawatt Hidden Hills solar thermal power project would have "significant" impact on the environment. In a statement on the final staff assessment, the state's primary energy planning and policy agency cited impacts on "biological resources, cultural resources, land use, and visual resources" even if recommended mitigation measures are implemented. BrightSource said the company is looking forward to the formal...

URL: http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/12/22/us-hiddenhills-cec-idUSBRE8BL00820121222?feedType=RSS&feedName=environmentNews&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+reuters%2Fenvironment+%28News+%2F+US+%2F+Environment%29

It’s Not Too Late to Limit Global Temperatures - But Almost

Climate Central: For a couple of years now, climate scientists have agreed that to avoid the most serious consequences of global warming we need to cap the planet's average temperature at no more than 2 degrees C (or 3.6°F) above where it stood in the 1800s. The temperature has already risen by about 1°C -- the longer we wait to rein in greenhouse-gas emissions, the harder it will be to reach that goal -- and the recent international climate talks in Doha made it clear that emissions aren't likely to be reined in...

URL: http://www.climatecentral.org/news/its-not-too-late-to-limit-global-temperatures-but-almost-15397?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+climatecentral%2FdjOO+Climate+Central+-+Full+Feed

Antarctic lake bid set to restart

BBC: A tiny electronic component the size of a thumbnail holds the key to the future of an £8m search for life beneath the ice of Antarctica. The project to drill through the ice-sheet to reach the hidden waters of Lake Ellsworth has been on hold for the past week after a boiler broke down. The component just arrived after a journey of roughly 15,000km. Engineers will now attempt to fit the part in the next few days in the hope of restarting drilling next week. The drill is meant to be powered...

URL: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-20817560#sa-ns_mchannel=rss&ns_source=PublicRSS20-sa
Enclosure: http://news.bbcimg.co.uk/media/images/64903000/jpg/_64903054_ellsworthsite.jpg

Barge en route to transfer oil from tanker aground in New York: Port

Reuters: Oil trapped in a tanker that ran aground on the Hudson River near Albany, New York will be transferred to a barge on Friday night, the Port of Albany said. The Stena Primorsk, a 600-foot (182-metre) motor tanker, was carrying 11.7 million gallons (under 280,000 barrels) of light crude oil when it lost steering control on Thursday morning and hit land near Stuyvesant, New York, about 20 miles downriver from Albany, according to the U.S. Coast Guard. The light crude oil on the tanker was from...

URL: http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/12/21/us-oil-tanker-new-york-idUSBRE8BK0RQ20121221?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=20121221&t=2&i=687100040&w=460&fh=&fw=&ll=&pl=&r=CBRE8BK1AX200

Ups and downs of biodiversity after mass extinction

ScienceDaily: The climate after the largest mass extinction so far 252 million years ago was cool, later very warm and then cool again. Thanks to the cooler temperatures, the diversity of marine fauna ballooned, as paleontologists from the University of Zurich have reconstructed. The warmer climate, coupled with a high CO2 level in the atmosphere, initially gave rise to new, short-lived species. In the longer term, however, this climate change had an adverse effect on biodiversity and caused species to become...

URL: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/12/121221081615.htm?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+sciencedaily+%28ScienceDaily%3A+Latest+Science+News%29
Enclosure: http://images.sciencedaily.com/2012/12/121221081615.jpg

John Kerry's Climate Change Challenges As Secretary Of State Nominee

Huffington Post: President Obama's nomination of Senator John Kerry (D-Mass.) as Secretary of State on Friday presents a potential opportunity for climate action, according to environmental organizations. Gene Karpinski, President of the League of Conservation Voters, released a statement praising the decision. "Senator Kerry is a true leader on climate change and other environmental issues and has spent his career advocating for policies that are good for our planet and our national security." Environmental...

URL: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/12/21/john-kerry-secretary-of-state-climate-change_n_2238529.html

U.S. EPA softens rules on industrial boiler emissions

Reuters: The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has softened rules to curb pollution from industrial boilers and large incinerators, revising earlier versions to target only the largest polluters and give them more time to comply. The agency on Friday formalized standards it initially released in March 2011 for reducing toxic air pollution, including mercury and particle pollution, known as soot, from boilers, solid waste incinerators and cement kilns. Boilers, typically fired by coal, oil, natural...

URL: http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/12/21/us-usa-pollution-epa-idUSBRE8BK0Z420121221?feedType=RSS&feedName=environmentNews&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+reuters%2Fenvironment+%28News+%2F+US+%2F+Environment%29

United Kingdom: Time to Lead on Climate Change, Mr Cameron

Huffington Post: It is a worrying time for anyone concerned about the future of the planet. In the past few weeks a string of authoritative reports have told us that carbon emissions are hitting record levels, and that without urgent action the world is headed for warming of 4?C or more. The World Bank has set out just how catastrophic such levels of warming will be for nature and all parts of human society. We are already seeing how vulnerable the world is to a changing climate. Just this year we have seen a...

URL: http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/dr-keith-allott/time-to-lead-on-climate-change-mr-cameron_b_2345658.html

Federal government lists 2 ice seals as threatened

Associated Press: Two types of ice seals joined polar bears on Friday on the list of species threatened by the loss of sea ice, which scientists say reached record low levels this year due to climate warming. Ringed seals, the main prey of polar bears, and bearded seals in the Arctic Ocean will be listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration announced. A species is threatened if it's likely to become endangered within the foreseeable future throughout...

URL: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/50273326/ns/us_news-environment/

U.S. releases initial report on fracking impacts on drinking water

Reuters: The Obama administration issued the framework on Friday of a long-term study on whether fracking for natural gas pollutes drinking water, but will not make conclusions until 2014 about the controversial technique that is helping to fuel a domestic drilling boom. Critics of the Environmental Protection Agency study, called for by Congress in 2010, complain it does not closely examine the impact of drillers' injecting waste water deep underground, a practice that has been linked to small earthquakes....

URL: http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/12/21/us-usa-epa-fracking-idUSBRE8BK0S920121221?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=20121221&t=2&i=687113410&w=460&fh=&fw=&ll=&pl=&r=CBRE8BK1CWT00

Prairie Resurgence in the Midwest

Environmental News Network: Suburban sprawl meant the introduction of lawn monoculture: perfectly cut, well-manicured lawns that became a part of pride for many American homeowners. However, in the Midwest, a new lawn resurgence is occurring: restoring yards to the native prairies that existed in pre-settlement days. In an effort to manage yards and fallow farmland succumbing to invasive shrubs, more and more people are spending the time and resources to turn their property into the native ecosystem that once ruled the...

URL: http://www.enn.com/climate/article/45366?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+ClimateChangeNews-Enn+%28Climate+Change+News+-+ENN%29

NOAA: 2012 to rank as second costliest US year since 1980

Climate Central: During 2012, there were 11 extreme weather and climate events in the US that reached the billion-dollar threshold in losses, according to figures released by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) on Thursday. While the total number of billion-dollar natural disasters is down from 2011, when there were a record 14 events costing more than $60bn, the economic losses this year are expected to exceed last year's tab, largely due to the massive economic toll caused by hurricane Sandy...

URL: http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2012/dec/21/climate-change-natural-disasters

Climate change disrupting biodiversity

U-T San Diego: Plants and animals are shifting their ranges and life cycles in response to climate change, creating clashes between unfamiliar creatures or mismatches between animals and their food sources, according to a biodiversity report released this month. More than 60 federal, academic and other scientists contributed to the national climate report, which will be used as scientific input for the 2013 National Climate Assessment, a federally required analysis of climate research. "Biodiversity and ecosystems...

URL: http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2012/dec/21/climate-change-disrupting-biodiversity/

U.S. Ruling on Keystone XL Pipeline Could Slip Again, Analyst Says

Reuters: A top risk-management analyst warned on Friday that a decision by Washington on TransCanada Corp's (TRP.TO) Keystone XL pipeline could get delayed again into next summer, adding more pressure to already deeply discounted Canadian oil prices. The U.S. State Department has said it will rule on the $5.3 billion Canada-to-Nebraska pipeline by the end of March, assuming Nebraska approves a new route that skirts an environmentally sensitive region in the state. However, Robert Johnston, director...

URL: http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/12/21/us-transcanada-keystonexl-idUSBRE8BK14C20121221

A Progress Report on Fracking and Water Safety

New York Times: The federal Environmental Protection Agency on Friday released a progress report on its national study of the potential impacts of hydraulic fracturing on drinking water supplies. In nearly 200 pages, the agency lays out data, case studies and an analysis of areas of research on issues like spills and wastewater treatment and disposal. But the agency draws no conclusions on whether the drilling process threatens drinking water; it is not expected to do so until 2014, in a draft that will be subjected...

URL: http://green.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/12/21/a-progress-report-on-fracking-and-water-safety/?partner=rss&emc=rss
Enclosure: http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2012/12/21/blogs/frack/frack-blog480.jpg

Ice-dwelling seals to get U.S. Endangered Species Act listings

ReuteYereth Rosenrs: Two species of far-north seals, victims of disappearing sea ice and dwindling snowpack in their Arctic habitat, will be granted protections under the Endangered Species Act, federal officials announced on Friday. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration ordered "threatened" listings for populations of ringed seals and bearded seals in the waters off northern Alaska, in parts of Russia and other regions of the Arctic. Both types of seals depend on sea ice and snow, which is becoming...

URL: http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/12/21/us-usa-seals-listing-idUSBRE8BK18920121221?feedType=RSS&feedName=environmentNews&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+reuters%2Fenvironment+%28News+%2F+US+%2F+Environment%29

2012 Extreme Weather Sets Records, Fits Climate Change Forecasts

Associated Press: As 2012 began, winter in the U.S. went AWOL. Spring and summer arrived early with wildfires, blistering heat and drought. And fall hit the eastern third of the country with the ferocity of Superstorm Sandy. This past year's weather was deadly, costly and record-breaking everywhere -- but especially in the United States. If that sounds familiar, it should. The previous year also was one for the record books. "We've had two years now of some angry events," said Deke Arndt, U.S. National Climatic...

URL: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/12/21/2012-extreme-weather-climate-change_n_2348079.html

Climate Change: President Obama's FDR Moment

Huffington Post: 2012 was a historic year for climate disasters. Between a devastating drought, raging wildfires and the superstorm Hurricane Sandy, millions of Americans saw the very real toll that climate disruption is having on our country. But it's not just extreme weather events - according to data from NOAA, 2012 is on track to be the hottest year ever for the contiguous United States. As we enter 2013, President Barack Obama faces a major challenge on how to address climate disruption. The nation -- and...

URL: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/frances-beinecke/climate-change-president_b_2341543.html

A Holiday Gift from the EPA: New Rules Will Cut Toxic Air Pollution from American Boilers

World Resources Institute: The U.S. Environment Protection Agency finalized the Boiler Maximum Achievable Control Technology (MACT) rule today to protect people from exposure to toxic air pollution from industrial, commercial, and institutional boilers. By encouraging industry to use cleaner-burning fuels and to make efficiency improvements, Boiler MACT will modernize U.S. industry, reduce toxins, and cut carbon pollution. The Boiler MACT rules, which are required by the Clean Air Act amendments of 1990, will only target...

URL: http://insights.wri.org/news/2012/12/holiday-gift-epa-new-rules-will-cut-toxic-air-pollution-american-boilers
Enclosure: http://insights.wri.org/files/insights/EPA_boiler_rules.png

2012 Renews Public Focus on Climate Change

Voice of America: The year 2012 was one of extreme weather: massive floods in Australia stranded entire towns; a day of torrential rains submerged half the Philippines capital; a super-typhoon ravaged the western Pacific; and a record drought seared more than half the continental United States. These and other extreme weather events in 2012 were consistent with what most scientists predict will be the "new normal' as the world's climate continues to warm. Disaster strikes In early December, disaster struck...

URL: http://www.voanews.com/content/the-year-2012-brings-new-public-focus-on-climate-change/1569730.html
Enclosure: http://av.voanews.com/kaltura-test/VOA/VOA_-_English/mp4/2012/12/1_w11uygxb_1_253nk7a7.mp4

First Large-scale Solar Plants Without Subsidies Seen in Spain


Solar developers in Spain are trying to build Europe's first large-scale plants to sell electricity at market prices, taking advantage of a crash in equipment costs and some of the continent's highest levels of sunlight.

URL: http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/news/article/2012/12/first-large-scale-solar-plants-without-subsidies-seen-in-spain?cmpid=rss

Tracing Germany's Energiewende Back to the US


Chancellor Merkel's government has occupied the term Energiewende (clean energy transition) and made it its own, as if it had coined the moniker in the first place. In fact, its origins go back deep into West Germany's mass movements and ultimately have their source in the United States, during the short-lived alternative energy boom of the 1970s.

URL: http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/blog/post/2012/12/tracing-germanys-energiewende-back-to-the-us?cmpid=rss

NSP and DelSolar Merger is Good for the Taiwanese Solar Cell Industry


The merger between two of Taiwan's leading solar cell makers NSP and DelSolar is not just a good move for the two firms but also a positive sign that consolidation is finally happening in Taiwan's solar industry. This according to M.J. Wang, an analyst for the Industrial Economics and Knowledge Center, a branch of Taiwan's leading research center, the Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI).

URL: http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/news/article/2012/12/nsp-and-delsolar-merger-is-good-for-the-taiwanese-solar-cell-industry?cmpid=rss

Wind in 2012: Booming in North America; Tops 100 GW in Europe


The past year has brought about a boom of wind energy project completions in the U.S. as developers have rushed to take advantage of the Production Tax Credit (PTC). Meanwhile, Latin American and Canada have also seen tremendous growth, signs that wind energy in other parts of the Americas is healthy and growing, despite what may happen near-term in the U.S.

URL: http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/news/article/2012/12/wind-in-2012-booming-in-north-america-tops-100-gw-in-europe?cmpid=rss

Climate-Friendly Agriculture and Renewable Energy: Working Hand-in-Hand toward Climate Mitigation


Worldwide, agriculture contributes between 14 and 30 percent of human-caused greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions because of its heavy land, water, and energy use—that's more than every car, train, and plane in the global transportation sector. Livestock production alone contributes around 18 percent of global emissions, including 9 percent of carbon dioxide, 35 percent of methane, and 65 percent of nitrous oxide.

URL: http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/news/article/2012/12/climate-friendly-agriculture-and-renewable-energy-working-hand-in-hand-toward-climate-mitigation?cmpid=rss

The Energy Grinch

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The Energy Nerd's fourth annual Christmas parody

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[](http://www.greenbuildingadvisor.com/blogs/dept/musings/energy-grinch)

_With apologies to Dr. Seuss_

URL: http://www.greenbuildingadvisor.com/blogs/dept/musings/energy-grinch

Can the Ontario FIT Program Sustain the Industry that has been Built Around it?


When we launched the first Ontario Feed-in Tariff Forum in October 2010, the focus was on how to build an industry that could support the massive amount of project activity expected while meeting domestic content rules. Today, while some of the players have changed, the market is in place and the new question is: Can the program sustain the industr

URL: http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/blog/post/2012/12/can-the-ontario-fit-program-sustain-the-industry-that-has-been-built-around-it?cmpid=rss

Beijing Delivers Tough Solar Energy Medicine


A new report in today's China Daily is providing the clearest indication yet that Beijing is delivering some tough medicine to many of the nation's smaller solar panel and polysilicon makers by letting them go backrupt to return the struggling sector to health. Up until now, much of the talk in China has focused on rescuing the money-bleeding secto

URL: http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/blog/post/2012/12/beijing-delivers-tough-solar-energy-medicine?cmpid=rss

Changing Behavior to Save Energy

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Follow your grandmother's advice: turn down the thermostat, turn off the lights, and take shorter showers

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[](http://www.greenbuildingadvisor.com/blogs/dept/energy-solutions/changing-behavior-save-energy)

We live in a world of gadgets and stuff. When it comes to saving energy, we look to high-efficiency light bulbs or dishwashers. Or we use the advanced weatherstripping to seal our windows or add insulation in our attics. And hopefully we'll look at fuel-economy ratings when shopping for our next car.

Those are important things to be doing — and we should continue paying attention with all of our purchases. But we should also recognize that _behavior_ is a big part of our overall energy consumption.

URL: http://www.greenbuildingadvisor.com/blogs/dept/energy-solutions/changing-behavior-save-energy

Ontario Clean-Energy Subsidies Break Rules, WTO Panel Says


Ontario's subsidies for clean-energy producers that use local technology were ruled in breach of World Trade Organization regulations, supporting complaints by the European Union and Japan against Canada.

URL: http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/news/article/2012/12/ontario-clean-energy-subsidies-break-rules-wto-panel-says?cmpid=rss

One Man's Mission to Recreating Tornados to Produce Electricity


Fossil fuel power plants generate ample waste heat that can be used to make more electricity. Here is a novel idea to do just that: creating a huge vortex of warm air to cause a change in pressure at the bottom in order to drive a turbine-generator.

URL: http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/news/article/2012/12/one-mans-mission-to-recreating-tornados-to-produce-electricity?cmpid=rss

Solar Fred's Top 5 Solar Marketing Wishes for 2013: Stand Out and Educate


Welcome to Solar Fred's annual solar marketing wish list, 2013 edition. If you missed my previous years' wishes and still want to make them come true, bless your solar marketing heart. See 2010 here, 2011 here, and 2012 here. This year's theme, "Stand out and educate," is familiar to anyone who's received an email from me, since it's a quote in my

URL: http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/blog/post/2012/12/solar-freds-top-5-solar-marketing-wishes-for-2013-stand-out-and-educate?cmpid=rss

The 2012 Geothermal Industry: Success, Expansion, and Familiar Frustration


After several painfully slow years for geothermal developments, industry advocates will be glad to hear that 2012 turned out to be one of those most successful years in the past decade, according to Karl Gawell, executive director of the Geothermal Energy Association (GEA). With more than 100 megawatts (MW) of capacity brought online and plenty of burgeoning international markets, the geothermal industry has reason to celebrate – despite some nagging ongoing barriers to development.

URL: http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/news/article/2012/12/the-2012-geothermal-industry-success-expansion-and-familiar-furstration?cmpid=rss

Geo-Engineering Against Climate Change: Seeding the Oceans With Iron May Not Address Carbon Emissions

ScienceDaily: Numerous geo-engineering schemes have been suggested as possible ways to reduce levels of the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide in the atmosphere and so reduce the risk of global warming and climate change. One such technology involves dispersing large quantities of iron salts in the oceans to fertilize otherwise barren parts of the sea and trigger the growth of algal blooms and other photosynthesizing marine life. Photosynthesis requires carbon dioxide as its feedstock and when the algae die they will...

URL: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/12/121219101252.htm

The laws of global warming: How to regulate geo-engineering efforts to fight climate change?

ScienceDaily: With policymakers and political leaders increasingly unable to combat global climate change, more scientists are considering the use of manual manipulation of the environment to slow warming's damage to the planet. But a University of Iowa law professor believes the legal ramifications of this kind of geo-engineering need to be thought through in advance and a global governance structure put in place soon to oversee these efforts. "Geo-engineering is a global concern that will have climate...

URL: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/12/121219152623.htm?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+sciencedaily+%28ScienceDaily%3A+Latest+Science+News%29

Time is Short: Every Day, All Around the World

Deep Green Resistance: Despite the narratives that are drilled and forced into our heads--narratives of the exceptionality and futility of resistance--the history of civilization is chalk full of individuals, groups, movements that stood in the face of subjugation and cruelty to fight for a better world. This is as true now as it has ever been, whether we're talking about underground and aboveground groups finding indirect ways to collaborate in defending Russian forests, Ogoni militants attacking pipelines in the Niger...

URL: http://dgrnewsservice.org/2012/12/19/time-is-short-every-day-all-around-the-world/

Sen. Boxer firms up plans for weekly 'climate change clearinghouse'

The Hill: Senate Democrats -- and any interested Republicans -- will huddle weekly on climate change in the next Congress in an "open forum" to help craft and support legislation, the plan's architect said. Senate Environment and Public Works Committee Chairwoman Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) told The Hill on Tuesday that the "climate change clearinghouse" will also focus on working with the Obama administration and keeping members of abreast of the latest science. Boxer said she will co-chair the clearinghouse...

URL: http://thehill.com/blogs/e2-wire/e2-wire/273539-sen-boxer-firms-up-senate-climate-change-clearinghouse-plan

In Perspective: A fatal gap between science and policy?

SciDevNet: Journalists can help the developed world take responsibility for climate change by making it relevant to readers' lives, says David Dickson. A little more than 30 years ago, a major UN conference on science and technology for development held in Vienna, Austria, ended on an upbeat note with an agreement in principle to set up a US$250-million fund to finance capacity-building projects. Sadly, the heady optimism among delegates, which I remember vividly, was short lived. No major donations were...

URL: http://www.scidev.net/en/climate-change-and-energy/opinions/in-perspective-a-fatal-gap-between-science-and-policy--1.html?utm_source=link&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=en_climatechangeandenergy

President Obama: Person of the Year—and Driller in Chief

Time: As you`ve probably heard by now, we`ve named President Barack Obama as 2012's TIME Person of the Year. (Sorry, Kim Jong Un--it was a tough choice.) You should definitely check out Michael Scherer`s profile of Obama as he begins his historic second term, TIME Executive Editor Rick Stengel`s musings on just what makes Obama so historic, the full interview with the President and a collection of 125 behind the scene photos at the White House, which includes this one. The environment was one area where...

URL: http://science.time.com/2012/12/19/president-obama-person-of-the-year-and-driller-in-chief/
Enclosure: http://timeecocentric.files.wordpress.com/2012/12/sci-obama-drill-1219.jpg?w=720&h=480&crop=1

Pinpoint climate studies flag trouble for Mexico, Central American farmers

Reuters: A growing body of scientific evidence ranks Mexico and its southern neighbors near the top of the list of countries most vulnerable to global warming, and advances in micro-forecasting foresee a grim future in alarming detail. According to two new studies, a deadly combination of warmer weather and less rainfall in the years ahead will devastate yields of traditional crops like corn and beans, as well as the region's market-critical coffee harvest. The ultra-local projections with shorter time...

URL: http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/12/19/us-mexico-climate-idUSBRE8BI1D620121219?feedType=RSS&feedName=environmentNews&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+reuters%2Fenvironment+%28News+%2F+US+%2F+Environment%29

Obama’s Victory a Boon for Clear Air, Water Acts

Inter Press Service: With Barack Obama's re-election last month as U.S. president, key environmental protections escaped a likely Republican chopping block, and new regulations are expected when his second term begins in January. Environmentalists say the situation would be much different had former governor Mitt Romney of Massachusetts, the Republican nominee, been elected president. Romney had sworn to roll back many, if not all, of the regulations enacted by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) during Obama's...

URL: http://www.ipsnews.net/2012/12/obamas-victory-a-boon-for-clear-air-water-acts/

Canada Coal Mining Expansion Prompts Fears of Pollution Flowing into Montana

Missoulian: Expansion plans at some Canadian coal mines have alarmed American officials over the amount of heavy metals pollution that could be flowing across the international border into Montana. "We're seeing increased selenium runoff from existing mining activity, that's why we're concerned," said U.S. Environmental Protection Agency regional director Jim Martin. "We've had a number of formal and informal conversations with the (British Columbia) provincial government." The mines lie in the Elk River...

URL: http://missoulian.com/news/local/canada-mining-expansion-prompts-fears-of-pollution-flowing-into-montana/article_050c5020-498d-11e2-b663-0019bb2963f4.html
Enclosure: https://docs.google.com/viewer?url=http%3A%2F%2Fbloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com%2Fmissoulian.com%2Fcontent%2Ftncms%2Fassets%2Fv3%2Feditorial%2F9%2Fc5%2F9c5f37e2-4980-11e2-be30-0019bb2963f4%2F50d1213bda07b.pdf.pdf&docid=149c82e4be760feb8cdb01519bd45759&a=bi&pagenumber=1&w=543

American Oil Growing Most Since First Well Signals Independence

Bloomberg: The U.S. expanded its oil production this year by the most since the first commercial well was drilled in 1859, upending a belief that Americans were increasingly hooked on foreign crude. Domestic output grew by a record 766,000 barrels a day to the highest level in 15 years, government data show, putting the nation on pace to surpass Saudi Arabia as the world's largest producer by 2020. Net petroleum imports have fallen by more than 38 percent since the 2005 peak and now account for 41 percent...

URL: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-12-19/american-oil-most-since-first-well-in-1859-signals-independence.html
Enclosure: http://www.bloomberg.com/image/iP95LJYp_ZYY.jpg

Fracking Health Impact Study Details Requested By New York Environmental Groups

Associated Press: A coalition of environmental groups called on New York state officials Tuesday to release details of a health impact study for shale gas drilling and high-volume hydraulic fracturing. Representatives of a dozen prominent organizations signed a letter to Health Commissioner Nirav Shah and Environmental Conservation Commissioner Joseph Martens. They asked them to make public the health impact study being evaluated by a scientific panel, and called for public hearings and a 60-day public comment...

URL: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/12/18/fracking-health-impact-study_n_2325028.html

Canada: Despite Opposition, Enbridge Doubles Down on Gateway

Globe and Mail: Enbridge Inc. is pouring more money into plans to carry Alberta oil to the West Coast for export, in a substantial show of confidence that its controversial Northern Gateway pipeline project will one day be built. At the same time, the company is working to its expand its reach into northwestern British Columbia as it seeks a deal with an Australian firm to propose a natural gas export terminal. It is a two-pronged strategy that has Enbridge pressing further into a region where it faces choppy...

URL: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/industry-news/energy-and-resources/despite-opposition-enbridge-doubles-down-on-gateway/article6547342/
Enclosure: http://beta.images.theglobeandmail.com/4f4/report-on-business/industry-news/energy-and-resources/article6547341.ece/ALTERNATES/w620/enbridgegateway.jpg

Scientists See Big Impacts on U.S. Ecosystems from Global Warming

New York Times: A new analysis by dozens of scientists provides a useful update on measured and anticipated impacts of human-driven climate change on ecosystems from western forests to coastal waters. The report, "Impacts of Climate Change on Biodiversity, Ecosystems, and Ecosystem Services," is one of a suite of studies feeding into what will be the third National Climate Assessment, an overarching analysis of impacts on everything from transportation systems to public health. (Periodic assessments were requested...

URL: http://dotearth.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/12/19/scientists-see-big-impacts-on-u-s-ecosystems-from-global-warming/?partner=rss&emc=rss
Enclosure: http://downloads.usgcrp.gov/NCA/Activities/Biodiversity-Ecosystems-and-Ecosystem-Services-Technical-Input.pdf

How Bad Will Climate Change Get for the Eastern US? Look at These Crazy Maps

Atlantic Cities: We know by now that climate change is capable of making bad weather events worse. Heat waves will become longer, hotter, more frequent. Droughts will get drier, flood levels higher, freakish storms less freakish in their regularity. But nothing makes this prospect sound quite so scary as some very specific numbers. So here are some new ones to ponder. This latest data comes from a recent study, published in the journal Environmental Research Letters, which used a high-resolution climate modeling...

URL: http://www.theatlanticcities.com/neighborhoods/2012/12/how-bad-will-climate-change-get-eastern-us-look-these-crazy-maps/4208/
Enclosure: http://iopscience.iop.org/1748-9326/7/4/044025

City in Colorado Is Sued Over a Drilling Ban

New York Times: An industry group representing oil and gas companies has sued a city in Colorado that outlawed hydraulic fracturing, saying voters had no right to ban the drilling practice. The lawsuit, filed on Monday by the Colorado Oil and Gas Association, seeks to overturn the ban on the contentious practice that passed by a wide margin last month in the northern Colorado city of Longmont. The measure, the first of its kind in the state, still allows oil and gas drilling within city limits, but it prohibits...

URL: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/19/us/suit-seeks-to-overturn-a-city-drilling-ban-in-colorado.html?_r=0
Enclosure: http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2012/12/19/us/LONGMONT-1/LONGMONT-1-articleLarge.jpg

Climate Change Is Killing Economy: Here's How to Stop It

CNBC: Congress this week is considering a $60 billion bill to pay for damages inflicted by Superstorm Sandy across three Northeastern states in late October. Though some Republican congressional members are balking at the sum, which the White House is requesting, New York, New Jersey and Connecticut say the damage is even greater, closer to $82 billion. In either case, these sums are nothing compared to the long-term price the U.S. will pay as a result of extreme weather caused by climate change, says...

URL: http://www.cnbc.com/id/100325248

Colorado City Sued by Oil Industry Group for Fracking Ban

Bloomberg: The Colorado Oil & Gas Association sued the city of Longmont to overturn a voter-approved ban on the use of hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, to extract oil and gas from sand and shale formations. The industry group, in a complaint filed yesterday in state court in Greeley, Colorado, claims the resolution deprives land owners of property-development rights and conflicts with state law allowing the practice. "The hydraulic fracturing ban in Longmont effectively stops oil and gas development,"...

URL: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-12-18/colorado-city-sued-by-oil-industry-group-for-fracking-ban.html

Climate Already Altering U.S. Ecosystems and Biodiversity, Report Says

Yale Environment 360: Climate change is causing plant and animal species across the U.S. to shift their geographic ranges and life events -- from flowering to migration -- are being transformed at a faster rate than observed even a few years ago, a new analysis by 60 scientists says. According to the report, "Climate Change on Biodiversity, Ecosystems, and Ecosystem Services," some terrestrial species are moving up in elevation at rates 2 to 3 times greater than previously believed, while the range shifts for some marine...

URL: http://e360.yale.edu/digest/climate_change_altering_us_ecosystems_biodiversity/3723/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+YaleEnvironment360+%28Yale+Environment+360%29
Enclosure: http://www.usgs.gov/newsroom/article.asp?ID=3483

Britain Sets Five-Year Plan to Spur Solar, Biomass Energy

Reuters: Britain set out a 5-year plan on Tuesday to unlock the solar and biomass investment needed to achieve the country's 2020 green energy targets. The Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) sought to give investors the certainty they need to build new solar and biomass power plants by deciding subsidy levels over the 2013-2017 period. Support levels for the solar photovoltaic (PV) industry, while higher than initial proposals made by the government in September, will be cut by 20 percent...

URL: http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/12/18/us-renewable-subsidies-britain-idUSBRE8BH0R620121218

A Year After Flooding, Commerce on Mississippi Imperiled

Climate Central: The drought that continues to affect a majority of the lower 48 states is jeopardizing the flow of commerce along parts of the Mississippi River, a vital waterway for transporting $7 billion worth of commodities such as coal, grain, cement, chemicals and other materials. It was only a year ago that there was record flooding along the Mississippi River and many of its tributaries. Heavy rainfall combined with spring snowmelt to cause the mighty Mississippi to overflow its banks, damaging towns...

URL: http://www.climatecentral.org/news/one-year-after-flood-drought-threatens-mississippi-river-commerce-15369?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_18_12_andrew_msriverstl-475x355.jpg

As Climate Disasters Soar, Environmentalists Take on Role of Relief Agencies

Inside Climate News: Greenpeace usually makes its headlines for high-profile stunts—storming oil rigs, scaling coal plants or forming human shields. But in recent months, the environmental group has been grabbing attention for something more typical of faith-based charities and government agencies: disaster relief. A day after superstorm Sandy ravaged the East Coast, Greenpeace activists drove a solar truck into Queens, New York, emblazoned with the words "Coal Free Future." They parked it there for more than a month,...

URL: http://insideclimatenews.org/news/20121217/climate-change-disasters-environmentalists-greenpeace-sierra-club-nrdc-relief-agencies-global-warming-oxfam?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+solveclimate%2Fblog+%28InsideClimate+News%29

Germany: Renewable Energy Share to Rise to 23% This Year

Associated Press: German utilities say this year's share of renewable energies in the country's electricity production is forecast to rise some 15 percent on the year, largely on the back of a continuing solar-power boom. Utilities' industry association BDEW said Tuesday the share of wind, solar and biomass power is expected to rise from 20 percent in 2011 to 23 percent this year. Strong growth in new solar power installations -- helped by subsidies -- is expected to lead to a solar output surge of 47 percent...

URL: http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/germanys-2012-renewable-energy-production-forecast-to-be-15-percent-above-last-years/2012/12/18/c26e50bc-4917-11e2-8af9-9b50cb4605a7_story.html

California Proposes First-Ever Fracking Regulations

LA Times: Under pressure from state lawmakers and environmentalists, Gov. Jerry Brown's administration released draft regulations for hydraulic fracturing, or "fracking," the controversial drilling process driving the nation's oil and gas boom. The proposed rules, released Tuesday, would require energy companies to disclose for the first time the chemicals they inject deep into the ground to break apart rock and release oil. They also would have to reveal the location of the wells where they use the procedure....

URL: http://insideclimatenews.org/breaking-news/20121219/california-proposes-first-ever-fracking-regulations?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+solveclimate%2Fblog+%28InsideClimate+News%29

Solar Gangnam Style: Do the Solar Dance


 SolarEdge 2012 Happy Holidays Clip One thing I can say about the music for this year's video: the decision to go with Gangnam Style was easy and almost unanimous.  So we had a song and we had a concept – we wanted to do the solar dance, something fun and happy that everyone can relate to.  We also knew we want it to include SolarEdge employees onl

URL: http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/blog/post/2012/12/solar-gangnam-style-solaredge1?cmpid=rss

Countries use innovation to deal with climate change

PhysOrg: While we hear of the effect climate change is having around the world, it is refreshing to hear of innovative ways that EU countries are helping to reduce the damage. In a pan-European contest organised by the European Commission, more than 70 organisations from across Europe have taken part in a campaign called 'A world you like. With a climate you like', which aims to find the best and most original idea for combating climate change. The campaign showcases existing cost-efficient solutions for...

URL: http://phys.org/news/2012-12-countries-climate.html
Enclosure: http://cdn.physorg.com/newman/gfx/news/2012/countriesuse.jpg

United States: Record-high tides wash in prospects for more in future

Seattle Times: Following Monday's highest tides ever recorded in Seattle, which sent waves spilling onto 100 properties in West Seattle, city climate-change watchers say the area could be in for more of the same - or worse - in years to come. "Yesterday's tide would be an everyday tide by midcentury," James Rufo-Hill, a Seattle Public Utilities meteorologist studying the potential effects of climate change, said Tuesday. That's a scary thought for West Seattle resident Robert Porter, who said his property...

URL: http://seattletimes.com/html/localnews/2019930994_tides19m.html?prmid=4939
Enclosure: http://seattletimes.com/ABPub/2012/12/18/2019922878.jpg

Global warming likely to result in net loss of biodiversity

Summit County Voice: A major new report suggests that climate change will probably result in a net loss in global biodiversity, as plants and animal species shift their geographic ranges and the timing of their life events -- such as flowering, laying eggs or migrating -- at faster rates than researchers documented just a few years ago. The report, Impacts of Climate Change on Biodiversity, Ecosystems, and Ecosystem Services, synthesizes the scientific understanding of the way climate change is affecting ecosystems,...

URL: http://summitcountyvoice.com/2012/12/19/global-warming-likely-to-result-in-net-loss-of-biodiversity/
Enclosure: http://summitvoice.files.wordpress.com/2012/12/ghcn_giss_hr2sst_1200km_anom11_2012_2012_1951_19801.gif?w=468

Finland study tracks global warming impacts on bird populations

Summit County Voice: Researchers in Finland say they`ve documented bird populations trends that are at least partly linked with global warming. Comparing data from extensive bird counts conducted between 1981 to 1999, and 2000 to 2009, the biologists said that, in general, northern species have decreased and southern species increased. Mean temperatures in Finland rose between the two periods, with April to June mean temperatures climbing by 0.7 degrees Celsius. According to the study, population densities of common...

URL: http://summitcountyvoice.com/2012/12/19/finland-study-tracks-global-warming-impacts-on-bird-populations/
Enclosure: http://summitvoice.files.wordpress.com/2012/12/northerngoshawk_clip_image002.jpg?w=174&h=300

Released for Review: New Standards for Tracking GHG Emissions from Policies and Goals

World Resources Institute: With the latest round of global climate negotiations at an end, many countries, states, and cities around the world are taking action to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions through mitigation policies and goals. Decision-makers need to understand the emissions impacts associated with these initiatives in order to evaluate effectiveness, make sound decisions, and assess progress. However, there is currently little consistency or transparency in how such analysis is done. WRI aims to address this...

URL: http://insights.wri.org/news/2012/12/released-review-new-standards-tracking-ghg-emissions-policies-and-goals
Enclosure: http://insights.wri.org/files/insights/imagecache/story-feature/features/city_traffic.jpg

TransCanada CEO says Kerry pick shouldn't change Keystone pipeline's status

The Hill: The CEO of the company seeking to build the Keystone XL pipeline doesn't appear to view Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.), a longtime advocate of battling climate change, as a threat to the project if he becomes secretary of State. The State Department is leading the federal review of the proposed pipeline to bring Canadian oil sands to Gulf Coast refineries, although President Obama has indicated that he will ultimately be the decider. TransCanada Corp. CEO Russ Girling tells Reuters that the project's...

URL: http://thehill.com/blogs/e2-wire/e2-wire/273443-transcanada-ceo-says-kerry-pick-shouldnt-change-keystone-review

Come plague, storm or bomb, most U.S. states unprepared: report

Reuters: If you're someone who worries about how first responders and hospitals in your town would perform after a hurricane like Sandy, a Joplin tornado, an anthrax mailing, an outbreak of bird flu or other health threat, a new study has some pointers: stay away from Kansas and Montana. But you might want to consider moving to Maryland, Mississippi, North Carolina, Vermont or Wisconsin. On Wednesday, two nonprofit groups released "Ready or Not?", a 79-page analysis of public health preparedness - that...

URL: http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/sns-rt-us-usa-health-preparednessbre8bi0wb-20121219,0,6535216.story
Enclosure: http://snsimages.tribune.com/media/photo/2012-12/73755223.jpg

Keystone protesters pay price for camping in Texas trees

Bloomberg: Protesters trying to save the world by sitting in trees or blocking equipment used to build the Keystone XL oil pipeline are learning that environmental activism can be a ticket to lengthy jail time in East Texas. Matthew Almonte, Glen Collins and Isabel Brooks landed in jail in Tyler on Dec. 3, charged with misdemeanor criminal trespass, resisting arrest and illegal dumping, following efforts to stop work on the TransCanada Corp. (TRP) pipeline. Each has asked for a reduction in the $65,000 bond...

URL: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-12-19/keystone-protesters-pay-price-for-camping-in-texas-trees.html

German cabinet agrees to expand power grid faster

Reuters: German Chancellor Angela Merkel's cabinet agreed on Wednesday to accelerate the construction of 2,800 km of new high-voltage power lines to push forward the country's shift to renewable energy. However, in a sign of the complexities of formulating energy policy in Europe's biggest power market, two of her ministers said they had failed to agree a common position on a proposed reform of Europe's system of permits to cut carbon emissions. Under the nationwide grid plans, the new transmission...

URL: http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/12/19/us-germany-grid-idUSBRE8BI0T520121219?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=20121219&t=2&i=686290133&w=460&fh=&fw=&ll=&pl=&r=CBRE8BI13AE00

Norway seeks to slow deforestation as climate "first aid"

Reuters: Norway, which has led developed nations by investing billions of dollars to slow tropical deforestation, announced plans on Wednesday to step up its efforts as part of "first aid" to slow climate change. Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg, whose country is rich thanks to offshore oil and gas, said new measures to slow global warming were needed now because a new U.N.-led climate deal is due to be agreed only in 2015 and enter into force from 2020. "In the meantime we must give the climate first...

URL: http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/12/19/us-climate-norway-idUSBRE8BI12S20121219?feedType=RSS&feedName=environmentNews&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+reuters%2Fenvironment+%28News+%2F+US+%2F+Environment%29

There's No Business On A Dead Planet - Green business is good business - the necessity of paradigm changes

Forbes: As an advocate of women in business, I participate in numerous public and private events at which topics such as micro-financing, women on corporate boards, and social media strategy make up a large part of the panels and workshops. We have made enormous progress in these fields since working on the issues together at women's entrepreneurship and finance summits or networking conferences, and have seen the fruits of our labor take form in the professional world. I would like now to see more focus...

URL: http://www.forbes.com/sites/85broads/2012/12/19/theres-no-business-on-a-dead-planet-green-business-is-good-business-the-necessity-of-paradigm-changes/?ss=business:energy

Obama: Climate change among top three priorities for second term

The Hill: President Obama has identified climate change as one of his top three priorities in his second term after coming under fire from environmentalists for giving the issue short shrift during the campaign. The president, in an interview for TIME's Person of the Year award, said the economy, immigration, climate change and energy would be at the top of his agenda for the next four years. Obama said his daughters have influenced his thinking about the need to tackle climate change. "[O]n an issue...

URL: http://thehill.com/blogs/e2-wire/e2-wire/273737-obama-climate-change-one-of-top-three-priorities

India: Grabbing Water From Future Generations

National Geographic: This piece is part of Water Grabbers: A Global Rush on Freshwater, a special National Geographic Freshwater News series on how grabbing land-and water-from poor people, desperate governments, and future generations threatens global food security, environmental sustainability, and local cultures. Suresh Ponnusami sat back on his porch by the road south of the Indian textile town of Tirupur. He was not rich, but for the owner of a two-acre farm in the backwoods of a developing country he was doing...

URL: http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2012/12/121218-grabbing-water-from-future-generations/
Enclosure: http://images.nationalgeographic.com/wpf/media-live/photos/000/608/cache/water-grabs-india-tanker_60878_600x450.jpg

Australia: Chemistry may save some coral from acidity

Australian Broadcasting Corporation: Coral chemistry Ocean acidification may not affect some corals as badly as previously thought, suggests a new study. Marine biologist Dr Steeve Comeau, of the California State University, and colleagues, report their findings today in the Proceedings of the Royal Society B. Corals have a calcium carbonate skeleton which is formed and maintained by interaction with the ocean. As atmospheric carbon dioxide increases, more of the gas is dissolved in the ocean leading to a rise in bicarbonate...

URL: http://www.abc.net.au/science/articles/2012/12/19/3657112.htm
Enclosure: http://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2012.2374

U.S. Boosts Duties on China Wind Energy as Trade Talks Open


Ratcheting up trade tensions with China, the U.S. increased import duties on wind turbine towers produced by Chengxi Shipyard Co. and CS Wind Corp. as economic talks between the two nations opened in Washington.

URL: http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/news/article/2012/12/u-s-boosts-duties-on-china-wind-energy-as-trade-talks-open?cmpid=rss

Joe Lstiburek on Spray Foam

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At the Building Science Experts' Session, Dr. Joe explained the latest thinking on this increasingly controversial topic

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Spray foam insulation evokes some interesting conversation among building scientists, construction professionals, environmentalists, and homeowners who have it in their homes. Many think it solves all problems, no matter how poorly it's installed. Some think it's helping to warm the planet and compromise the health of people and pets. In the middle are those who work with it regularly and see both the warts and the beauty of the product.

URL: http://www.greenbuildingadvisor.com/blogs/dept/building-science/joe-lstiburek-spray-foam