Current CO2 concentration in the atmosphere

Doc alert: Greenhouse gases and low-carbon electricity

Greenhouse gases, climate change and the transition from coal to low-carbon electricity (emphasis added):

Letter

A transition from the global system of coal-based electricity generation to low-greenhouse-gas-emission energy technologies is required to mitigate climate change in the long term. The use of current infrastructure to build this new low-emission system necessitates additional emissions of greenhouse gases, and the . . . → Read More: Doc alert: Greenhouse gases and low-carbon electricity

Doc alert: Water footprint of humanity

The water footprint of humanity:

Abstract

This study quantifies and maps the water footprint (WF) of humanity at a high spatial resolution. It reports on consumptive use of rainwater (green WF) and ground and surface water (blue WF) and volumes of water polluted (gray WF). Water footprints are estimated per nation from both a production and consumption perspective. . . . → Read More: Doc alert: Water footprint of humanity

The truck empire strikes back

Vehicle Technologies Program: Fact #714: February 13, 2012 Light Truck Sales on the Rise:

Can I have a show of hands? How many people saw this resurgence in light trucks coming as soon as the economy picked up even a little? If you didn’t raise your hand, then please sign up for the remedial class . . . → Read More: The truck empire strikes back

Updated PIOMAS icefall chart

For those who missed it, I wanted to highlight a couple of graphs that Dan Bailey linked to in a recent comment.

Both of the graphs are based on the PIOMAS Arctic ice volume figures, and the picture they paint is a classic example of climate data that is hair-raising in direct proportion to the amount you . . . → Read More: Updated PIOMAS icefall chart

Uncle Carl speaks to all of us

Carls Sagan’s pale blue dot, with an unforgettable video:

Move update: I’m in the process of moving this site to the new host. So far, everything is going better than expected, and I’m currently trying to get the DNS change to take effect so this url points to the new location. But again, let me . . . → Read More: Uncle Carl speaks to all of us

Big doings at Lake Vostok

Lake Vostok Will be Breached:

After two decades of drilling through miles of Antarctic ice, Russian scientists are about to breach an underground lake that has not been exposed to the surface in more than 20 million years. Lake Vostok, as the body of water is called, is part of a chain of more than 200 lakes . . . → Read More: Big doings at Lake Vostok

Top selling vehicles in the US

Vehicle Technologies Program: Fact #712: January 30, 2012 Top Vehicles in the U.S., 2011:

See the page for the data.

Do I really have to launch into the whole argument about how utterly absurd it is for Americans to be buying this mix of vehicles in 2011, or what that says about the astonishing level of RDS (reality . . . → Read More: Top selling vehicles in the US

Americans have no sense of urgency about global warming

Pew survey finds US public ranks economy as highest priority policy issue, global warming as lowest:

The US public is giving the highest priority to economic issues, according to the findings of the Pew Research Center For The People & The Press January 2012 Political Survey. 86% say that strengthening the economy should be a top priority . . . → Read More: Americans have no sense of urgency about global warming

Site alert: Forecast the Facts

Via an e-mail acquaintance comes the following press release:

January 20, 2012

Campaign Urges American Meteorological Society to Get Tougher on Climate Change

In the wake of record-breaking extreme weather in 2011, campaign says it’s essential that T.V. meteorologists “Forecast The Facts”

www.forecastthefacts.org

San Francisco, CA – A new campaign, Forecast the Facts (www.forecastthefacts.org), launches Sunday to pressure TV meteorologists to . . . → Read More: Site alert: Forecast the Facts

Evolving a sustainable mindset

I’ve mentioned here numerous times my conviction that we’re moving from a state of exploiting natural resources and pollution sinks to a more interventionist, caretaker role — “living measured lives on a managed planet” is my preferred tag line. I dislike that situation for several reasons:

First, it means we have much less less room . . . → Read More: Evolving a sustainable mindset