Just in case you thought all that chatter about permafrost wasn’t scary enough, we now have an indication that (everyone repeat after me) it’s worse than we thought. In this case I’m happy to say that it’s not a new sign that what’s up there is melting any faster than we thought, but that there’s . . . → Read More: Permafrost = permafrost * 2
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One of the “magic numbers” in energy and environmental issues is 2C, as in we can only allow 2C degrees of warming over pre-industrial levels before we trigger truly nasty consequences. I’m sure that like me, most people reading this site have seen this number quoted endlessly. But where did it come from, I wondered, and . . . → Read More: Two degrees of separation Graph(s) of the week: Carbon emissions, measured in absolute yearly amounts and per capita levels, from the web site of CDIAC (Carbon dioxide Information Analysis Center), perhaps the most interesting and important US government site that not enough energy and environmental geeks know about. One of these graphs is terrifying, and I’m willing to bet . . . → Read More: GOTW: Per capita and yearly carbon emissions Yes, it’s true, my fellow geeks: The US Dept. of Energy has just released the Annual Energy Review 2008, the Bible of US energy statistics. It’s 446 pages of graphs and tables, with very little space squandered on artwork and, you know, words. The home page of the report is here, where you can download the entire document . . . → Read More: Merry (Energy Geek) Christmas! One of the enduring themes of this site is that we risk making very costly errors if we over-compartmenalize our perceptions. This is why I so often argue against the idea that we can pick one of the Twin Terrors (climate chaos and peak oil) and say, “This is the one that really matters–the other . . . → Read More: Ozone and CO2 We all know that Americans waste a lot of gasoline because of congestion. Well, this is one of those times when what we all know is actually true: The Texas Transportation Institute studies congestion in 85 urban areas throughout the United States each year. According to their latest study, the amount of fuel wasted due to . . . → Read More: GOTW: Fuel wasted by congestion We are continually faced with a series of great opportunities brilliantly disguised as insoluble problems. – John W. Gardner The quote above came to mind when I read ‘Worst Case’ Scenario: New Report Says World Is Warming Faster than Thought: Two degrees — that value has long been the guideline for international climate policy. Were the increase in average . . . → Read More: Climate chaos, indeed See It’s all about energy for a pretty decent, concise summary of alternatives: The global energy scene is currently dominated by two overriding concerns that strongly affect decisions on energy development priorities: security of supply and climate change. Worldwide, renewable energy is still dominated by the ”old” renewables: hydropower and traditional biomass. They supply respectively six and nine . . . → Read More: Overview of energy sources Frequent readers of this site know the speech by heart: A warming climate means dramatic shifts in where and when fresh water is available for any purpose, most notably direct human use, agriculture, and electricity generation. One of the greatest potential impacts of this shift, worldwide, is triggered by the disappearance of glaciers that provide . . . → Read More: Energy/water nexus: Patagonia I’ve been struggling for the last few days to make sense of the recent NOAA news regarding atmospheric levels of CO2 and methane, plus a handful of other items, including where I now think we might or might not be headed headed in terms of climate chaos. The impetus for this effort to piece things together is, . . . → Read More: Life in the Metricene |
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