Joseph J. Romm's Blog, page 1202

When things were rotten: Arctic sees record sea ice shrinkage, headed toward record low volume - On a streetcar named denial, Watts and Goddard assert: "Arctic Basin ice generally looks healthier than 20 years ago."

Must-see video here for ice junkies, background here:  "Arctic Ocean is full of rotten ice."

"Anomalies for each day are calculated relative to the average over the 1979 -2009 period for that day to remove the annual cycle."  [And yes, "anomaly" is a poor word choice for a long-term trend driven by human emissions.:]

Back in mid-May, I argued the Arctic is poised to see record low sea ice volume this year.  Since then, volume has plummeted some 3000 km3 (relative to its recent historical...

Wall Street Front Group Celebrates Record Success Electing Radical Pro-Corporate, Pro-BP Candidates

Think Progress has the story of the Wall Street front group "Club for Growth" and the candidates it supports.

Roll Call's John McArdle reported this week that the radical Wall Street front group "Club for Growth" is "celebrating" a near perfect winning streak this election cycle so far, especially given the results in run-off elections last Tuesday. The Club is known for running hard-hitting attack ads, especially in Republican primaries, against candidates who would consider raising any ...

Leave Only Footprints

Several questionable chemicals are used in the manufacturing of outdoor products. Outdoor lovers can purchase recycled or durable equipment, or trade or rent used products to minimize the use of these chemicals.  CAP has the story in this repost.

Most people think of sportswear companies as down-to-earth, forward-thinking, and environmentally conscious—like the hikers and campers who buy their products. And there are many sportswear manufacturers that deserve praise for their efforts to...

Newsweek: Newspapers Retract 'Climategate' Claims, but Damage Still Done

I am often critical of the near-death Newsweek — see Why has a Newsweek economics editor, Stefan Theil, written "basically a condensed version of the climate denier viewpoint"?

But they have a great science editor (see Why climate change is "even worse than we feared").  And Sharon Begley has written another good piece:

A lie can get halfway around the world while the truth is still putting its boots on, as Mark Twain said (or "before the truth gets a chance to put its pants on," in Winston...

One brief shining moment: Happy one-year birthday, Waxman-Markey. R.I.P.

Absent the extra-constitutional 60 vote 'requirement' in the Senate, today would probably be marking a real anniversary for the nation and the world.

As it is, intransigence and demagoguing by the anti-science ideologues, coupled with the unbearable lameness of being (Rahm and Axelrod), have killed a market-oriented, business-friendly, economy-wide emissions-reduction bill, which is based on a strategy once strongly embraced by moderate Republicans like President Bush's father.  Today...

UPDATE: Judge who ruled against moratorium owned stock in Exxon, other drilling companies

The federal judge who presided over a challenge to the Obama administration's six-month moratorium on deepwater oil drilling simultaneously owned stock in an oil company affected by the ban, according to a financial disclosure statement released Friday.
U.S. District Judge Martin L.C. Feldman sold the stock in Exxon Mobil 14 days after the case was filed in New Orleans by a group of oil service firms — and less than five hours before he struck down the moratorium.

I had previously reported "...

Sarah 'The Qwitterer' Palin encourages followers to read column warning that the BP escrow fund could lead to a Nazi-like dictatorship

One-time half-term Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin (R) lashed out at White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel on Twitter earlier this week — telling him "u lie" for saying that many Republicans agree with Rep. Joe Barton (R-TX) that the White House shook down BP to create a $20 billion escrow fund to help Gulf families.

Of course, Barton's sentiment is not unique among conservatives, as The Qwitterer herself proved today.  TP has the story:

Taking to Twitter once again, Palin urged, "GOP: Don't l...

Greener Concerts?

Bands and their fans are making efforts to make concerts and festivals more sustainable, as CAP explains report in this repost.

Summer is a great time to enjoy live music, and around this time of year droves of musicians hit the road to play shows for their fans far and wide. But the drastic environmental impact incurred by artists' touring practices can easily go ignored, and concertgoers themselves often greatly contribute to live music's carbon footprint. Thankfully, many bands and live...

Berm Notice: Jindal demagogues sand barrier 'solution' that probably won't help, will take many months, use up valuable resources, vanish in the first storm — and many scientists think will make things worse - Coastal geologist: "I have yet to speak to

"In the end, we have a project that is incredibly expensive. There has been little scientific review. It is questionable if the proposed berm will prevent oil from entering the wetlands it is designed to protect. The structure will be very short-lived. And there are many potential negative impacts of this structure on the coastal environment that have not been evaluated. Coastal dredging and filling can cause significant damage to marine organisms and local ecosystems as massive...

Berm Notice: Jindal demagogues sand barrier 'solution' that probably won't help, will take many months, use up valuable resources, vanish in the first storm — and many scientists think will make things worse - Coastal geologist: "I have yet to speak to

"In the end, we have a project that is incredibly expensive. There has been little scientific review. It is questionable if the proposed berm will prevent oil from entering the wetlands it is designed to protect. The structure will be very short-lived. And there are many potential negative impacts of this structure on the coastal environment that have not been evaluated. Coastal dredging and filling can cause significant damage to marine organisms and local ecosystems as massive...