Climate Change

(By Juan Cole) Some 300,000 West Virginians are at risk from their tap water after a company making MCHM spilled it into the river, turning it a little purple and making it smell like liquorice. MCHM can be fatal if imbibed, and otherwise it can make you vomit your guts out. It is used to […]

Climate Change

Peak or no Peak, Oil is Unsafe at any Price

contributors

(By Michael Klare) Among the big energy stories of 2013, “peak oil” — the once-popular notion that worldwide oil production would soon reach a maximum level and begin an irreversible decline — was thoroughly discredited. The explosive development of shale oil and other unconventional fuels in the United States helped put it in its grave. […]

Climate Change

60 Minutes goes Benghazi on Cleantech & Gets that Wrong Too

contributors

(By Joe Romm) 60 Minutes Ignores The Facts In Clean Energy Segment (via Clean Technica) Originally published on ClimateProgressby Joe Romm Clean technology is booming by every key indicator — but you would never know that from Sunday’s absurd 60 Minutes piece touting an imaginary “Cleantech Crash.” As documented in the recent Department… —— […]

Climate Change

Daily Show on Global Warming Confusion (Video of the Day)

Juan Cole

Jon Stewart of the Daily Show reviews the silly things climate change denialists are saying about the cold snap, inasmuch as they confuse weather events with long-term climate trends. For more see “Note to GOP: Yes, the Polar Vortex can be Global Warming

Climate Change

Note to GOP: Yes, the Polar Vortex Could be Global Warming

contributors

(By Peter Spotts) How frigid ‘polar vortex’ could be result of global warming (via The Christian Science Monitor) A bitter Arctic blast spanning the central and eastern US has propelled the phrase “polar vortex” from the pages of dense scientific papers to headline status as frigid temperatures and strong winds close schools and businesses and […]

art and photography

A Bridge of Boats across Frozen Tigris River, Mosul, 1903

Juan Cole

The authors say locals in Mosul told them that the last time the river froze was 1750. That freezing became more rare after that date is significant, since 1750 marks the beginning of the Industrial Revolution and increased coal burning for energy. The period 1250-1850 or the medieval cooling period (often incorrectly called the ‘little […]

Climate Change

Spain, Portugal show that 50%, even 70% Power from Renewables is Possible Right now

Juan Cole

(By Juan Cole) The miserable record of the United States in tackling its deadly carbon dioxide emissions (5 billion metric tons a year) sometimes obscures how very possible it is for industrial economies to go green. Spain, a country of 47 million, was nearly at 50% renewables for electricity generation in 2013. That 50% from […]

Climate Change

Kerry may Nix Keystone XL for Global Climate Agreement

contributors

(By Tina Casey) John Kerry Throws More Cold Water On Keystone XL Pipeline (via Clean Technica) The tubes have been buzzing over a new New York Times report on Secretary of State John Kerry’s aggressive pursuit of a new global climate agreement, which has some clear implications for approval of the controversial Keystone XL tar […]

Climate Change

Australia burns, swelters in Hottest Year on Record (Climate Instability Story of the Day)

contributors

(By AFP) Australia endures hottest year on record (via AFP) Australia experienced its hottest year on record in 2013, the Bureau of Meteorology said Friday, enduring the longest heatwave ever recorded Down Under as well as destructive bushfires. “2013 was Australia’s warmest year since records began in 1910,”… ITN reports