The World Bank and Climate Change

The World Bank is taking action to help our world cope with climate change, and they also have some very good beliefs on what governments should be doing as well. For instance:

The world’s top priority must be to get finance flowing and get prices right on all aspects of energy costs to support low-carbon growth. Achieving a predictable price on carbon that accurately reflects real environmental costs is key to delivering emission reductions at scale. Correct energy pricing can also provide incentives for investments in energy efficiency and cleaner energy technologies.

A second immediate step is to end harmful fuel subsidies globally, which could lead to a 5 percent fall in emissions by 2020. Countries spend more than $500 billion annually in fossil-fuel subsidies and an additional $500 billion in other subsidies, often related to agriculture and water, that are, ultimately, environmentally harmful. That trillion dollars could be put to better use for the jobs of the future, social safety nets or vaccines. 

Coming up next, what we individuals can do to minimize carbon emissions.

Recommendations to Obama on Climate Action

From CNN:

Melinda Pierce, legislative director for the Sierra Club, pushed the president to focus more on executive orders and regulations from the Environmental Protection Agency than on legislation.

"Congress is a place where good ideas go to die," she said. "There is a tremendous amount that his administration can do without Congress. He has the authority; he doesn't have to wait for Congress."

Eric Pooley, senior vice president of the Environmental Defense Fund, told CNN that while "serious climate legislation isn't in the cards this year" the White House understands that congressional "legislation is not the only way to make progress."

Obviously I too agree, or I would not have posted the above. Bill

What does the latest data show?

I am a scientist, albeit not trained as a climate scientist, but trained to review data and its interpretation very carefully. In my humble opinion, the following is some very good and revealing data. First, from Berkeley Earth, view some graphs of global temperature history which, of most significance to me, show the Earth has warmed 0.9 deg C (1.6 °F) in the past 50 years.

Next, see what has happened recently to surface and groundwater levels in the US at NASA Earth Observatory:

My conclusions? The same as most unbiased scientists; the Earth is warming at a significant rate, and predicted changes in weather patterns are causing serious water supply consequences. Is the change driven by anthropogenic carbon emissions? My view is YES, and that the science supports that conclusion with 97+% certainty.

The President on Climate Change, Jan 21, 2013

From Barack Obama's inaugural speech today:

We, the people, still believe that our obligations as Americans are not just to ourselves, but to all posterity. We will respond to the threat of climate change, knowing that the failure to do so would betray our children and future generations.

Some may still deny the overwhelming judgment of science, but none can avoid the devastating impact of raging fires, and crippling drought, and more powerful storms. The path towards sustainable energy sources will be long and sometimes difficult. But America cannot resist this transition. We must lead it.

I look forward to action backing this pledge, and I hope we have broad support by both parties in Congress.

World Energy Production Details - Germany

What you will not find much of on this blog is what you can find everywhere else in the news as well. So this link to a Mark Lynas post I think you will find unique, and I hope you agree with me, it contains some very interesting nuggets of information about energy production in Germany, such as:

Solar continued its enormous growth rate between 2011 and 2012. Production rose from 19.3TWh (terawatt-hours) in 2011 to 27.6TWh in 2012, representing an impressive increase of 47.7%. In terms of total electricity generation, solar’s percentage rose from 3.2% in 2011 to 4.6% in 2012. This is an extraordinary achievement by any standard.

Because gas prices remain high in Europe relative to coal, gas is being forced out of the electricity market – and with widespread opposition to fracking, there is little prospect of cheapear gas (as in the US) for the forseeable future.

An excellent summary, but for just one country. Now do it for 200+ countries in the World, integrate all that data, and use it to plan the future of world energy production. A daunting task!!!!

MIT Letter to Obama on Climate Change

From MIT, comes a very forceful message to President Obama about climate change. The Washington Examiner has a concise summary just published. From their article:

"You have the power and the opportunity to lay the groundwork for a new clean-energy policy that will help us avoid the worst consequences of climate change," said the letter, published in the MIT Technology Review. "It is quite possible that if this is not done over the next four years, it will be too late."

Killer Whales (Orcas), Climate Change, and Politics

Yes there is a link between the three. First, in case you have not seen the video of Orcas trapped by ice in the Hudson Bay, managing to breathe from a relatively small hole in the ice, I believe you will find it amazing.

Scientists involved propose that the event may have been brought on by climate change. Okay, that may seem like a stretch to say for any one event, but the logic is as reasonable as blaming an increase in severe storms on climate change, as has been repeatedly done in the past few years. 

So where does politics enter in? It enters with the Orcas cooperative behavior. Fortunately for them, there was not a Democrat or Republican amongst them. From the observers:
“It’s amazing to see how they managed to find a strategy to share that little space and organize who’s going to breathe and when, because they all needed to breathe every five minutes and they found the strategy for the survival of the group and not the survival of the strongest.”

Lets work together on climate change

I apologize for my month long silence. I have been away visiting family. Good news is, all is well.

Now back and as I get caught up on climate change, the most significant of what I have read is about working together. Be sure to watch the video. The principals are so elementary.

More soon.
Bill