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Archive for November 7th, 2011
Obama Banks on Disappointed Environmentalists Returning in 2012
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on November 7th, 2011
Bloomberg: From alternative fuels to clean air, President Barack Obama’s record is a disappointment to environmentalists, who helped get him elected and now are threatening to sit out his re-election bid in 2012.
“He’s been held hostage by Congress, but at some point I feel that the important thing is to stand up for what you believe in, and he’s not doing that,” said Rhoden Streeter, 67, who attended a White House demonstration yesterday against a proposed crude oil pipeline that would cut through six states....
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Hard-up UK puts climate change on back burner
Posted by Independent: Tom Bawden on November 7th, 2011
Independent: Britain's carbon emissions grew faster than the economy last year for the first time since 1996, as a cash-strapped population relegated the environment down its league of concerns and spent more money keeping warm, according to a new report.
The rise in Britain's so-called carbon intensity increases the danger that the country will miss legally binding targets on reducing emissions, warns PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), the consultancy behind the report.
Furthermore, it found that Britain's...
Mexico to earn royalty on light bulb carbon credits
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on November 7th, 2011
Reuters: Mexico will earn a royalty on carbon credits generated from energy-saving light bulbs through a world-first deal that could pave the way for other developing countries to fund emissions cuts, the investor said on Monday.
Under the project, an Australian company, Cool nrg International, advised by Bank of America Merrill Lynch, will distribute 45 million energy efficient lightbulbs supplied by Philips Electronics to 6.5 million low-income households in Mexico City.
The aim is to generate energy...
Nebraska May Play Key Role In Canada Pipeline Battle
Posted by National Public Radio: Fred Knapp on November 7th, 2011
National Public Radio: Thousands of demonstrators ringed the White House on Sunday afternoon, demanding that President Obama deny permission for a proposed pipeline to carry crude oil from the tar sands of Canada to refineries in Texas.
Business and labor groups support the Keystone XL project; many environmentalists oppose it. But deliberations in Nebraska may play a decisive role.
There, lawmakers have introduced bills in response to concerns over the pipeline's projected path through an important source of water....
Thousands protest at the White House over Keystone XL pipeline
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on November 7th, 2011
Guardian: Several thousand protesters, some shouldering a long black inflatable replica of a pipeline, formed a human chain around the White House on Sunday to try to convince Barack Obama to block the controversial Keystone XL project.
The protest, which had been weeks in the making, had been intended to put pressure on Obama to stop the pipeline, which would transport crude from the Alberta tar sands across the American heartland.
Organiser Bill McKibben described it as subjecting Obama to symbolic...
More Than 500 Dead From Floods In Thailand
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on November 7th, 2011
Associated Press: The death toll from Thailand's worst floods in half a century climbed above 500, as advancing pools of polluted black water threatened Bangkok's subway system Monday and new evacuations were ordered in the sprawling capital.
The latest district added to the government's evacuation list late Sunday was Chatuchak, home to a large public park and an outdoor shopping zone that is a major tourist attraction. The Chatuchak Weekend Market was open but missing many vendors and customers Sunday as floodwaters...
Flash forward 100 years: Climate change scenarios in California’s Bay-Delta
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on November 7th, 2011
ScienceDaily: USGS scientists and academic colleagues investigated how California's interconnected San Francisco Bay and Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta (the Bay-Delta system) is expected to change from 2010 to 2099 in response to both fast and moderate climate warming scenarios. Results indicate that this area will feel impacts of global climate change in the next century with shifts in its biological communities, rising sea level, and modified water supplies.
"The protection of California's Bay-Delta system...
Oil Pipeline Protesters Surround the White House Today
Posted by Scientific American: Jennifer Jacquet on November 7th, 2011
Scientific American: Some people, like Joe Romm, want more coverage on climate change. For me, climate change is one of those subjects that I actually try to ignore. I am often silently thankful that I do not have to stare at a headline about one of the most crushing subjects of our time in the morning. Reading about climate science or climate politics, such as the absurdity of wasting a perfectly good prison (which could be used for the many bankers who actually hurt millions of Americans but won`t spend a day in jail)...