Joseph J. Romm's Blog, page 1095

Efforts to save coal industry could end up destroying it - Senators' opposition to pollution reduction is misguided

Two years ago, I discussed how "Like Detroit, the coal industry chooses (assisted) suicide."  CAP's Daniel J. Weiss updates the analysis in this cross-post.

Senators from coal states who are trying to protect big coal companies from the impact of global warming pollution reductions may only hasten the decline of big coal.

Their efforts include opposition to clean energy and global warming legislation and blocking EPA from setting pollution limits on the largest emitters. Meanwhile, coal's ...

Top House races between climate heroes and deniers

Yesterday, the Wonk Room identified six key U.S. Senate races in which a climate vote is threatened by a global warming denier (and one open race in New Hampshire that could add a new vote for climate). Today, we're taking a look at the U.S. House of Representatives. We've identified eight top House races in which a strong supporter for action to reduce global warming pollution is being challenged by a global warming denier.

The Republicans in these races not only stand against...

Energy and Global Warming News for September 17th: Summer set records for nighttime temperatures; California braces for big showdown on emissions; Pipelines and anxiety — What next?

The Worst Summer Ever?

"Dark Side of Climate Change" Seen in Record Setting Night-time Temperatures

Summer 2010 set temperature records across the country and around the world. NRDC's analysis of June, July, and August 2010 US temperature data from the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA's) Historic Climatology Network reveal that this summer set heat records in many parts of the country. In fact, of the 1,218 weather stations in the contiguous United States...

NASA: Does heating from black carbon increase cooling from clouds?

Black carbon particles, commonly called soot, are dark and light-absorbing and therefore warm the climate. Soot comes from combustion of fossil and biofuels, especially burning of diesel, coal and wood. Due to its warming effects, reduction of soot could help cool climate. However, soot absorption also affects cloud distributions and the verdict on how the clouds change is unclear. Because clouds mostly cool the climate, the possibility that soot absorption could increase cloud...

Six Senate races pitting climate heroes against global warming deniers

A Wonk Room analysis finds that there are six key Senate races for climate action, in which a strong vote for climate runs a serious risk of being replaced by a global warming denier. Of the 37 U.S. Senate races this fall, 36 involve Republican candidates who are global warming deniers or oppose climate action (Vermont's Len Britton is a possible exception). Hard-right Tea Party challenger Christine O'Donnell knocked out climate activist Mike Castle (R-DE) last night, leaving a GOP...

Dreadful climate story by BBC's Richard Black

Can you write a story about this year's record-setting global warmth and never mention the primary cause, indeed never mention human emissions at all?

Can you spin Arctic sea ice loss that is faster than every IPCC climate model as somehow evidence that computer model predictions of sea ice loss "seem to have been too extreme"?

You can if you are Richard Black, environment correspondent for the BBC News.

The bar for climate journalism has dropped so low — even for the few remaining serious...

Masters: "It appears that this year's record [sea surface temperatures] have significantly expanded the area over which major hurricanes can exist over the Atlantic." - 2010 hurricane season has already set multiple records

A rare double feature: two simultaneous Category 4 hurricanes in the Atlantic, for only the second time in recorded history.

Uber-meteorologist and former NOAA Hurricane Hunter (!) discussed some of the remarkable records the 2010 season has already set, on his WunderBlog yesterday:

The Atlantic hurricane season of 2010 kicked into high gear this morning, with the landfall of Tropical Storm Karl in Mexico, and the simultaneous presence of two Category 4 hurricanes in the Atlantic, Igor and...

How Obama's stimulus is creating clean energy jobs

Here's what we hear:  a naggingly high unemployment rate, a wavering stock market, tea party protests, low approval ratings for the President and the party in power…

Here's what we don't hear: President Obama's stimulus package is funding green technology around the nation – creating jobs, spurring innovation and transforming the U.S. economy.

That's Dan Heffernan writing at Reuters.com.  Here's more of the story that we rarely see in the media:

The Obama administration ensured that...

Energy and Global Warming News for September 16th: White roofs cool homes and the climate; Reporting on renewable energy by state; DOE awards $37 Million for marine and hydrokinetic energy

The Wall Street Journal has a story about my favorite clean energy strategy — see Cool roofs save money, save energy, cut pollution and directly reduce warming — woo-hoo!

White roofs promoted to save energy

NEW YORK — Herb Van Gent points his infrared gun at a square of still unpainted gray shingle and clicks the trigger. He gets an immediate temperature reading: 143 degrees and rising. Then he aims it 5 feet away to a square of roof I have just painted: 98 degrees and decreasing.

He...

Cynthia Tucker: The GOP is now a party of know-nothing flat-earthers

One of the greatest crises of our time is climate change, which threatens to create food shortages (as the Russians learned this summer), change geography, eradicate entire eco-systems and even wipe out cities and towns in coastal areas. (NOTE: If you are an anti-science know-nothing, don't bother to comment. The clear scientific consensus indicates a warming climate caused by human activity.)

That's Pulitzer Prize winner Cynthia Tucker of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution in a blog piece t...