Cancún starts, Greenland thaws
Today COP16, the follow-up to last years UN climate conference in Copenhagen, starts in the Mexican city of Cancún. Also today Greenland sees record high temperatures.
Monthly Archives: November 2010
Recession saved us 4 days of CO2
In total, over the last year. That’s not a joke, but a quote of Pierre Friedlingstein, of Exeter University. Due to the global economic downturn, the world’s CO2 emissions were 1.3 percent lower. That is just half the expected decline, … Continue reading
Urban population growth Africa 300 percent between 2010 and 2050
The African urban population is forecast by the UN to triple in just 40 years time.
Peak Coal in 2030, or 2020
According to ‘The End of Cheap Coal’ in last weeks edition of Nature, outdated reserve estimates and economic forces will lead to a peak in coal production within two decades. Ambitious geopolitics are still left out of that equation, which … Continue reading
2010: hottest year, Caribbean coral bleaching record
There is some big climate news under way. Negotiators in Cancún however can consider themselves fortunate that it will be at least another month before NASA scientists can announce their findings: 2010 will be the hottest year on record.
Getting practical on geoengineering: the cheapest way to lift 1 Mt of aerosols
Aurora Flight Sciences recommends Aurora Flight Sciences. At least that’s what David Keith, Climate Professor at the University of Calgary and a leading expert on geoengineering leads to suspect in their joint cost analysis, published three weeks ago.
The World Energy Outlook 2010: the 450 Scenario and other estimates
On Tuesday the International Energy Agency presented its World Energy Outlook 2010. Apart from many other facts and estimates concerning energy trends the report shows two interesting scenarios: the New Policies Scenario (where current G20 agreements are implemented) and the … Continue reading
European Commission sets new energy strategy
The transition to a more sustainable and secure energy system is one of the biggest challenges the world faces in the coming years. But change does not come overnight. Many countries all over the globe strive to reach their energy … Continue reading
After Copenhagen: Cancún, Kyoto… or Montreal?
Chlorofluorocarbons are up to 11,000 times as potent as greenhouse gases as CO2. The Montreal Protocol locked away some 4 years of regular CO2 emissions. And if we try really hard – and look for every old fridge on the … Continue reading
Communicating climate science is defined activism
Renowned climatologist and Head of NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies James Hansen recently wrote a short essay, explaining the path from developing scientific understanding, to improving civil implementation of that knowledge – or how he became ‘an activist’: