RSS Feed
Archive for January 22nd, 2012
Weatherwatch: Winters in northern hemisphere set to get colder
Posted by Guardian: Kate Ravilious on January 22nd, 2012
Guardian: As global temperatures rise, a new study indicates that winters in the northern hemisphere are set to get colder and snowier. Data from the last two decades suggests that this colder trend is already under way. Indeed the chilly winters of 2009/2010 and 2010/2011 caused many to question whether global warming was happening at all.
Ironically, it turns out that these harsh winters may be a consequence of global warming. Careful analysis of northern hemisphere temperature, humidity, snow cover and...
Posted in 
Huge pool of Arctic water could cool Europe: study
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on January 22nd, 2012
Reuters: A huge pool of fresh water in the Arctic Ocean is expanding and could lower the temperature of Europe by causing an ocean current to slow down, British scientists said Sunday.
Using satellites to measure sea surface height from 1995 to 2010, scientists from University College London and Britain's National Oceanography Center found that the western Arctic's sea surface has risen by about 15 cms since 2002.
The volume of fresh water has increased by at least 8,000 cubic km, or about 10 percent...
Boehner: Republicans may link pipeline to tax bill
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on January 22nd, 2012
Reuters: House of Representatives Speaker John Boehner said on Sunday that Republicans may use an upcoming payroll tax cut bill to force President Barack Obama to approve the controversial Keystone XL oil pipeline.
"The Keystone pipeline is a prime example of a shovel-ready project that's been through every approval process here in Washington. Every option is on the table," Boehner said on Fox News Sunday.
"We're going to do everything we can to make sure this Keystone pipeline project is approved,"...
CRS report: Congress can require Keystone oil pipeline approval
Posted by Hill: Ben Geman on January 22nd, 2012
Hill: Capitol Hill lawmakers probably have the Constitution at their back if they require a permit for the Keystone XL oil sands pipeline that President Obama rejected days ago, according to the nonpartisan Congressional Research Service.
Republicans are mulling bills that require approval of Keystone XL, which would bring oil sands crude from Alberta to Gulf Coast refineries.
The Jan. 20 CRS legal analysis notes that while the executive branch has historically handled the approval of border-crossing...
Lack of ice cover might be affecting the ecology of Lake Champlain
Posted by Burlington Free Press: Matt Sutkoski on January 22nd, 2012
Burlington Free Press: Less Lake Ice:
Number of times the lake failed to freeze over, per decade:
1900-09: 0
1910-19: 1
1920-29: 0
1930-39: 2
1940-49: 1
1950-59: 5
1960-69: 3
1970-79: 3
1980-89: 5
1990-99: 7
2000-10: 5
Lake freeze-overs, or lack thereof, in the recent years:
2000: Not closed
2001: March 2
2002: Not closed
2003: Feb. 15
2004: Jan. 27
2005: March 8
2006: Not closed
2007: March 2
2008: Not closed
2009: Not closed
2010: Not closed
Earliest...
Keystone XL pipeline a priority for Fred Upton
Posted by Politico: Jake Sherman on January 22nd, 2012
Politico: House Energy and Commerce Chairman Fred Upton said on Friday he wants to jump-start the Keystone XL pipeline project on the back of legislation to extend the payroll tax holiday until the end of the year.
"I'm there,' the Michigan congressman said at the GOP's annual retreat, adding it's "within the scope' of the negotiations by the joint House-Senate conference committee considering the tax-cut extension.
It's an attempt by Republicans to continue the fight over building the pipeline after...
California solar strikes gold in New Jersey
Posted by Sacramento Bee: Rick Daysog on January 22nd, 2012
Sacramento Bee: It may be better known for smokestack industries, but New Jersey is fast becoming a green haven for a number of Sacramento-grown solar companies.
Lured by some of the most attractive incentives in the solar industry, SPI Solar of Roseville and Premier Power Renewable Energy of El Dorado Hills have lined up a significant amount of work in the Garden State.
SolarCity and SunRun, two other large California solar companies with a big presence in Sacramento, have made huge inroads in New Jersey's...
Biodiversity crisis: Habitat loss and climate change causing 6th mass extinction
Posted by Bay Area Indymedia: None Given on January 22nd, 2012
Bay Area Indymedia: Scientists meeting at the University of Copenhagen have warned that biodiversity is declining rapidly throughout the world, describing the loss of species as the 6th mass extinction event on the earth. The world is losing species at a rate that is 100 to 1000 times faster than the natural extinction rate, with the challenges of conserving the world's species larger than mitigating the negative effects of global climate change. Related: Climate change and habitat loss threaten biodiversity, extinction...
Climate plan aims to help ecosystems adapt to change
Posted by New Mexican: Staci Matlock on January 22nd, 2012
New Mexican: The debate over the causes of climate change continues to rage, but federal, state and tribal agencies aren't waiting around for the argument to be settled. They believe climate change is here, and they're working on ways to help wildlife, land and communities adapt.
Two federal agencies and a state wildlife department have developed a broad plan for helping ecosystems become more resilient as the climate changes.
The National Fish, Wildlife and Plants Climate Adaptation Strategy was released...