http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/climatechange/ en-us Sun, 3 Jan 2010 04:37:41 GMT Focus Forum 15 http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2419831/posts World leaders participated in a scandalous conference in Copenhagen. Officially it was Conference of the Parties (COP) 15 to monitor progress on climate change begun in 1995 at COP 1 in Berlin. They’ve consistently and blindly accepted the false claim human CO2 is causing climate change. COP 3 produced the Kyoto Accord to punish developed nations and redistribute wealth. It’s due to expire in 2012 and COP 15 was to keep the process going. Few supported it more than Obama so he had to salvage the process. Don’t Confuse Me With Facts World leaders pursued policies while refusing to understand... Canada Free Press http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2419831/posts#comment Sun, 3 Jan 2010 04:37:41 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2419769/posts A downtown protest of the climate change talks in Copenhagen became a victim of Wednesday's snowstorm. "Not many people showed up because of the blizzard conditions," said organizer Clea Major, an international studies student at the University of Utah. It didn't take long for the six friends to pack up a bullhorn and posters they'd planned to use for their "scream-in," an outlet for their frustration about the failure of the Copenhagen climate talks earlier this month to curb the pollution blamed for climate change. Salt Lake Tribune http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2419769/posts#comment Sun, 3 Jan 2010 01:23:22 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2419703/posts The Watts Up With That website has a scary story about our melting polar ice caps. John Lockwood from Washington D.C. found an interesting article from the Washington Post. Here are some excerpts: The Arctic seems to be warming up. Reports ... all point to a radical change in climatic conditions, and hitherto unheard of high temperatures in that part of the earth's surface. Ice conditions were exceptional. In fact, so little ice has never before been noted. Dr. Hoel reports that he made a section of the Gulf Stream at 81 degrees north latitude and took soundings to a... American Thinker http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2419703/posts#comment Sat, 2 Jan 2010 22:29:54 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2419663/posts Well, the Virgin Atlantic founder and billionaire didn’t literally say what the title implies, but is there any other way to take a statement like this from a man who made his fortune spewing jet fumes into the atmosphere? The Powers that Be http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2419663/posts#comment Sat, 2 Jan 2010 20:31:53 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2419158/posts He said people needed to change how they live their lives and called for "ecological responsibility" to be taught in schools..... U.K. Telegraph http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2419158/posts#comment Fri, 1 Jan 2010 21:45:09 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2418957/posts Climate change was a hot issue in 2009 throughout all 12 months of the year. From the inauguration of a new U.S. president in January to an international climate change summit in December, climate and man’s possible impact on it was big news. No single event however could compare to the incident that rocked climate change science and spanned the globe on November 19th - the Climategate email scandal. News first broke on blog site “The Air Vent” that thousands of emails and documents from Britain’s Climate Research Unit, University of East Anglia, had been leaked onto the Internet. From... Climate Change Examiner http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2418957/posts#comment Fri, 1 Jan 2010 15:24:19 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2418816/posts Are We Lumberjacks http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2418816/posts#comment Fri, 1 Jan 2010 05:12:29 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2418758/posts It could take less of the greenhouse gas to reach a particular level of warming. Atmospheric carbon dioxide levels may have been lower in warm eras of the Earth's distant past than once believed, scientists reported this week. The finding raises concern that carbon dioxide levels from fossil fuel burning may, in the near future, be closer to those associated with ancient hothouse climates. More immediately, the work brings one line of palaeoclimate evidence — that deduced from ancient soils — into agreement with other techniques for studying past climate. "It makes a major revision to one of the most... Nature News http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2418758/posts#comment Fri, 1 Jan 2010 02:51:49 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2418357/posts A downtown protest of the climate change talks in Copenhagen became a victim of Wednesday's snowstorm. "Not many people showed up because of the blizzard conditions," said organizer Clea Major, an international studies student at the University of Utah. It didn't take long for the six friends to pack up a bullhorn and posters they'd planned to use for their "scream-in," an outlet for their frustration about the failure of the Copenhagen climate talks earlier this month to curb the pollution blamed for climate change. Salt Lake Tribune http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2418357/posts#comment Thu, 31 Dec 2009 15:31:53 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2418263/posts An especially cold year in North America in 2008 led some members of the public and the media to question the scientific consensus on human-induced global warming. In addition, the cool global temperatures during the past decade may appear to contrast with the warming expected due to human influence. To clarify the roles of human influence and natural climate variability, Perlwitz et al. used observed temperature data and a suite of climate model simulations to analyze factors contributing to the 2008 North American temperature conditions. ScienceDaily http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2418263/posts#comment Thu, 31 Dec 2009 12:45:43 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-gop/2418202/posts In response to national and local liberals who continually bash former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, I, as a conservative along with millions of conservatives across the country, would like to set the record straight. Palin has more common sense solutions regarding the problems facing our country than the entire administration of President Barack Obama. An example: Palin understands that the health care system needs to be fixed, but also understands as do most people that the Nancy Pelosi-Harry Reid 2,000-pages of smoke and mirrors is not the answer. Common sense says you don't destroy the system to fix it. Palin... The Evansville Courier & Press http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-gop/2418202/posts#comment Thu, 31 Dec 2009 07:17:21 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2418049/posts Agriculture: Already buffeted by rising food prices due to biofuels, consumers face a bigger hike if climate-change legislation is passed. Farming costs will rise, and it may be more profitable to plant trees than crops. If the cap-and-trade provisions of the Waxman-Markey bill become law, you can wave goodbye to those amber waves of grain as America's heartland falls victim to a perverse set of incentives and a process called "afforestation." Soybeans and wheat will give way to elms and oaks. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack wants a review of what amounts to an agricultural impact study of HR 2454, which... Townhall.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2418049/posts#comment Thu, 31 Dec 2009 01:22:44 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2417934/posts THE Copenhagen climate change summit closed two weeks ago in confusion, disagreement and, for some, disillusionment. When the political process shows such a lack of unanimity, it is pertinent to ask whether the science behind the politics is as settled as some participants maintain. Earlier this month (The Australian, December 9) I commented on recently published results showing huge swings in atmospheric carbon dioxide, both up and down, at a time of global cooling 33.6 million years ago. Paul Pearson and co-authors in a letter (The Weekend Australian, December 11) took exception to my use of their data and claimed... The Australian http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2417934/posts#comment Wed, 30 Dec 2009 22:28:52 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2417774/posts A big chill across the northern and eastern half of country will lead to plummeting temperatures over the next few days. Arctic air will push from Canada into the northern Plains by Thursday, Accuweather http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2417774/posts#comment Wed, 30 Dec 2009 18:19:27 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2417422/posts As I read the news this morning that the Copenhagen climate conference had failed to sign a binding treaty to heal the climate by cutting carbon emissions, I felt a growing sense of despair. My despair was not for the benighted climate and unborn humans. Rather, it was for Africans. Here was a brand new reason for African governments to demand financial reparations from the "First World" instead of focusing on how to improve African's capacity to thrive in a world of climate change. The Sudanese UN Ambassador and Chairman of the G-77 (poor and slightly prosperous countries) delegates to... The Timbuktu Next http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2417422/posts#comment Wed, 30 Dec 2009 04:32:05 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2416860/posts Senate Democrats will face a problem when they return in January every bit as tough as crafting the healthcare bill: Assembling a climate and energy package that can be shoehorned into the election-year calendar. Imposing limits on greenhouse gases is a White House and Democratic priority, but it’s stuck in line behind health care, Wall Street reform and jobs legislation. It’s also become increasingly apparent since the Copenhagen climate summit that the Senate will go forward in a dramatically different direction than the House, which approved its own climate bill last summer. Environmentalists familiar with Democratic plans say party leaders... The Hill, Washington, DC http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2416860/posts#comment Tue, 29 Dec 2009 13:09:11 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2416775/posts THIS was the year of Barack Obama, and by extension, of America. But if we thought we knew who he was last January, by year’s end we weren’t so certain. We expected him to wrestle the helm of the great ship of state, inflect its course, end the wars, rebuild the economy and confound the lobbies and special interest groups who determine how business is done in Washington. With a strong Democratic majority in Congress, we expected him to see through groundbreaking legislation on healthcare and climate change. An Irish diplomat recalls the tribute to Senator Ted Kennedy at the... The Irish Times http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2416775/posts#comment Tue, 29 Dec 2009 05:23:26 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2416549/posts Welcome to my analysis of Climategate, the climate science scandal that has already eclipsed Watergate in terms of its global political ramifications. Climategate began on November 19, 2009, when it is believed that a whistle-blower either leaked or unintentionally released thousands of emails and documents central to a Freedom of Information request placed with the Climatic Research Unit of the University of East Anglia in the United Kingdom. This institution had played a central role in the “climate change” debate: its scientists, together with their international colleagues, quite literally put the “warming” into Global Warming: they were responsible for analysing... Assassination Science http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2416549/posts#comment Mon, 28 Dec 2009 22:28:50 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2416424/posts Bruised by the healthcare debate and worried about what 2010 will bring, moderate Senate Democrats are urging the White House to give up now on any effort to pass a Cap & Trade bill next year. “I am communicating that in every way I know how,” says Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-LA), one of at least half a dozen Democrats who've told the White House or their own leaders that it's time to jettison the centerpiece of their party's plan to curb global warming. The creation of an economy-wide market for greenhouse gas emissions is as the heart of the climate... The New Media Journal http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2416424/posts#comment Mon, 28 Dec 2009 19:03:30 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2416322/posts Second of two parts. The pending federal effort to lessen carbon emissions, especially from coal-fired power plants – called the “cap-and-trade program” – has one single goal: To improve air quality and slow down global warming – if, that is, global warming actually exists. As environmentalists favor cap-and-trade as an incentive to decrease harmful emissions, while the bill moves from the House of Representatives to the U.S. Senate, opponents say it will cause nothing but an economic disaster, especially for Pennsylvania’s coal industries. And there are two extreme views on global warming. From the National Geographic: “Glaciers are melting. “Sea... The Johnstown Tribune-Democrat http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2416322/posts#comment Mon, 28 Dec 2009 16:36:50 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2416319/posts JOHNSTOWN — First of a two-part series. There are the two extreme views of federal “cap-and-trade” legislation, formally known as the Waxman-Mark energy bill, that aims to reduce global-warming emissions. • Without it, the planet and future generations will warm, wither and eventually die. • With it, utility bills will soar, coal mining will die, food will become scarce and utilities be forced into brownouts. The truth may be somewhere in between. But to Dennis Simmers at the Colver Power Project outside of Ebensburg, cap-and-trade could have dire consequences. “There are power plants that won’t be able to meet the... The Johnstown Tribune-Democrat http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2416319/posts#comment Mon, 28 Dec 2009 16:33:47 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2416315/posts We may be at the cusp of an event that could reshape the season to be jolly for eons. With all the talk about global warming, no one has yet asked the most important question: What will happen to the white Christmas in a warm world? What about Santa, the sleigh, tiny reindeer, and chimneys? The dire consequences from the impact of a balmy life on earth will surely put a damper on good will toward men. Laying off the winter legend because there’s no more winter would be just awful. Don’t get me wrong. I hate winter, and Christmas... Journal Inquirer http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2416315/posts#comment Mon, 28 Dec 2009 16:26:09 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2416228/posts In fact, neither clean nor green at all. We are told that Concentrating Solar Power (Solar Thermal) can actually provide power to replace power generated from coal fired sources. While the solar element can provide power for some of the time, the only way they can supply power for the requisite 24 hour period is to have a backup source using a Natural Gas turbine, emitting CO2, and you would be shocked to know just how much CO2 it does emit. PA Pundits International http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2416228/posts#comment Mon, 28 Dec 2009 14:15:24 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2416019/posts Today is my last day as a staff reporter for The New York Times. After spending more than a quarter of a century writing about science and the environment, more than half of that time here, I am switching gears for the second half of my professional life. I’ll be continuing to blog, write and work with video. And I’ll certainly keep contributing to this remarkable newspaper as it works to sustain a reliable view of the fast-changing planet while straddling the uncertain interface between the front page and home page. But my prime focus now will be education and... NY Times http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2416019/posts#comment Mon, 28 Dec 2009 02:31:59 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2415443/posts While most of Europe and much of North America are currently in the middle of a cold snap, researchers trying to understand a heatwave that hit the northeastern United States in 2007 have found that Baltimore's sweltering temperatures were exacerbated by the presence of its neighbours, Washington DC and Columbia. Meteorologist Da-Lin Zhang at the University of Maryland in College Park and his colleagues used a three-dimensional meteorological model to investigate how weather and temperature change over time across the Baltimore and Washington DC region. Baltimore sits about 100 kilometres northeast of Washington, with Columbia about halfway between them.Zhang wanted... Nature News http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2415443/posts#comment Sat, 26 Dec 2009 20:58:54 GMT