Joseph J. Romm's Blog, page 1199

BBC's Panorama falls into 'balance as baloney' trap in half hour climate show, "What's up with the weather?"

[I'd be very interested in the comments of other Brits upon watching the video.  UK readers who want to make a complaint to the BBC will find contact info below.]

The BBC's climate journalism has declined in recent months (see BBC asks CRU's Phil Jones the climate version of "When did you stop beating your wife").  It just hit a new low in the half hour show, "What's up with the Weather?"

All you need to know about how distorted and sensationalistic the BBC's worldview has become is to read h...

Candidate and grandson of Chinese immigrants wants to shut off utilities to undocumented immigrants

Barry Wong (R-AZ), a candidate for the Arizona Corporation Commission — which is responsible for final decisions on granting or denying utility rate adjustment, among other things — wants to save utility customers from future rate hike by shutting off the power, and other utilities, to undocumented immigrants.  Wonk Room has the "just when you think they can't get any nuttier or more heartless" story.

Wong, who is the grandson of Chinese immigrants, explained that his plan would require u...

Media ran with now-retracted attack on IPCC in their assault on global warming science

Numerous media outlets seized on a dubious January London Sunday Times report which claimed that the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change's (IPCC) 2007 statement on Amazon rain forests was "unsubstantiated" and without scientific basis in order to attack the IPCC's credibility and global warming science in general. However, The Sunday Times has now retracted that claim, noting, "In fact, the IPCC's Amazon statement is supported by peer-reviewed scientific evidence." Will these...

Energy and Global Warming News for July 1st, 2010: 20 solar cell prototypes that could change the future; DOE awards $24 million to algal biofuel projects; Indonesia's last glacier will melt within years

20 Solar Cell Prototypes That Could Change the Future

How cool would it be to have your office walls generating energy from ambient light to power your devices? OK, we know offices are a thing of the past, but this prototype could be useful for any kind of office (home work spaces, co-working venues). Designed by Jenny Redd from the California College of Arts, it can be produced with current technology.

[Here are two of the 20 ideas.:]

This futuristic idea [figure below:] could also favor outdoor...

BP sends local gas stations signs to post stressing they're "Part of the community"

I discussed last month whether people should boycott BP gas stations .   Many Americans are doing so, and BP — whose recklessness and hubris has devastated the Gulf community the company claims to care about — is responding disingenuously.  TP has the story.

As BP continues to fumble the response to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, many Americans have decided to protest BP by boycotting gas stations around the country. Business owners responded by arguing that such...

Sen. Bennett: "I find plenty of slogans on the Republican side, but not very many ideas." - Says of GOP, "ideology and a demand for absolute party purity endangers our ability to govern once we get into office."

Back in October, Steven Hayward, "the F.K. Weyerhaeuser fellow at the American Enterprise Institute" wrote: "The brain waves of the American right continue to be erratic, when they are not flat-lining."

A similar point was just made by Sen. Bob Bennett (R-UT) — or made that should be Sen. Bob Bennett (RUT).  TP has the story:

Last month, Sen. Bennett came in a distant third behind two other GOP candidates vying for the three-term senator's seat at the Utah Republican Party's nominating...

What if the public had perfect climate information?

Revkin asks me via Dot Earth, "What if The Public had Perfect Climate Information?"  Ahh, the hypothetical question that launches us into an alternative history.  Reminds me of that Saturday Night Live routine, "What if Spartacus had a Piper Cub?"

I'd love your answer.  Here's mine.

If the entire public had perfect information on all matters related to climate — the science and the solutions — we would certainly be on a path to below 450 ppm  (see, for instance, Scientists find "net...

Republicans demagogue against market-oriented climate measures they once supported - Meanwhile, the blame pre-game show begins

Now that the Grand Oil Party has been overrun by anti-science extremists, even "reasonable" members of the GOP have to demagogue against the most moderate, market-oriented, business-friendly climate policies they once supported:

Flashback: Carly Fiorina said cap-and-trade "will both create jobs and lower the cost of energy"
The gold medal for climate flip-flopping goes to Gov. Tim Pawlenty, who now calls cap-and-trade a "disaster" three years after endorsing it

And now that it's clear...

Apparently you can write an entire article on how the public doesn't get climate science without mentioning the disinformation campaign or the media's failings

Exhibit A:  "Scientists From Mars Face Public From Venus" by opinion blogger Andy Revkin.

Revkin was writing about — and soliciting expert opinions on — a Chris Mooney WashPost piece, "If scientists want to educate the public, they should start by listening."

I wasn't originally going to write about the piece because, as Evil Monkey points, out the piece doesn't offer much in the way of news or solutions.  Also, Mooney conflates very different issues — climate change and vaccination (and Yucca ...

Energy and Global Warming News for June 30: Tesla shares soar on first day of trading; GE buys into Idaho wind farm; Raser, Hyundai to develop electric trucks

Tesla shares soar 40% on first day of trading

On their first trading day, shares of Tesla Motor Co.  rocketed $6.89, or 40.5%, to $23.89. The gain was all the more impressive because it came as the overall stock market plummeted

The Dow Jones industrial average slumped 268.22 points, or 2.7%, to 9,870.30.

Most analysts said the electric car company's strong debut was to be expected, though many also cautioned that Palo Alto-based Tesla has a long way to go before becoming profitable and stable...