Free Republic

Half of Republicans back carbon limits, poll says "Six in 10 Americans, including half of all Republicans, said they support regulation of carbon dioxide pollution, although they weren't asked how. Nearly half of Republicans said the U.S. should lead the global fight to curb climate change, even if it means taking action when other countries do not. And majorities across party lines said environmental protections "improve economic growth and provide new jobs" in the long run, a popular Obama administration talking point." [snip] The AP-NORC Center survey of 1,578 adults was conducted online Nov. 20-Dec. 1, using a sample...

A coalition of 35 conservative and free market groups is urging state officials to “fiercely resist” the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) attempt to force them to implement “ruinous” new greenhouse gas emission rules that could double the current price of electricity or face harsh regulatory repercussions if they refuse. “You should send a clear message to the federal government that if it insists on pursuing the regulatory equivalent of punitive energy taxes, it must promulgate and implement that policy itself—and be held solely accountable for the disastrous consequences that will follow,” the coalition said a letter sent to governors, state...

Antarctic sea ice reached a record high this year, topping 20 million square kilometers (nearly 8 million square miles) in September — a milestone it hadn't touched since 1979. It's a fact climate change deniers are fond of repeating. If the planet is warming, shouldn't sea ice be melting away rather than growing? It's true that the phenomenon is a confusing one — but it's no proof that climate change isn't happening. In fact, scientists believe that climate change is actually responsible for the strange events down in the Antarctic. The first thing to note is that sea ice and...

With temperature data showing 2014 currently tied for the hottest year on record, the U.N. weather agency on Wednesday rejected claims that global warming has paused. The World Meteorological Organization said the global average temperature in January-October was 0.57° Celsius (1.03° Fahrenheit) above average, the same as in record hot year 2010. The ocean temperature set a new record in the nine-month period, while land temperatures were the fourth or fifth highest since record-keeping began in the 19th century, the WMO said in a report released at U.N. climate talks in Lima and at its headquarters in Geneva. “The provisional...

Hillary Clinton argued for forceful action to fight climate change in an environmental speech on Monday night, but did not mention the controversial Keystone pipeline. [Snip] “The science of climate change is unforgiving, no matter what the deniers may say, sea levels are rising, ice caps are melting, storms, droughts and wildfires are wreaking havoc,” Clinton said, according to ABC News. “The political challenges are also unforgiving, there is no getting around the fact the kind of ambitious response required to effectively combat climate change is going to be a tough sell at home and around the world at a...

Tickets on cross-Channel ferries will rise in price by £50 because of new EU emissions rules, operator P&O Cruises has announced. P&O, Britain’s biggest operator, said a return ticket for a family of four traveling from Dover to Calais will increase in price from £160 to £210 from January 1. The company blamed new rules set in Brussels, which force operators of ships in the English Channel, North Sea and Baltic Sea to adopt more expensive low-sulfur fuel, called marine gas-oil. They will also have to install filtering equipment, called “scrubbers”, costing millions of pounds. …

The once-distant promise of clean, affordable hydrogen-powered cars is starting to become a reality. Several major automakers, including Toyota, Honda and Hyundai, have started or will soon start selling these cars, which will be more expensive than comparable gasoline models but a lot cheaper than they were just a few years ago. Executives at Toyota say that the cost of making the critical components of hydrogen vehicles has fallen 95 percent since 2008. […] The broad adoption of hydrogen-powered cars, which emit only water and heat, could play an important role, along with electric vehicles, in lowering emissions of carbon...

In a story by Margo McDiarmid—apparently now the “Environment Reporter” at CBC News (Canada’s state broadcaster)—the findings of a recent survey on the views of Canadians towards climate change are reported. The survey results, which can be obtained directly online, were done by the Environics Institute for Survey Research in partnership “with the David Suzuki Foundation, which helped to pay for the cost of this year’s research.”

A British scientist whose research focuses on projects that could alter Earth's environment in drastic ways in an effort to curb or mitigate the effects of global warming admitted that the idea itself “terrifies” him.

If you don’t believe in climate change, you’re less likely to feel that the weather is getting warmer—and vice versa. That’s according to a study that analyzed how people remembered a particularly warm winter in the US in 2012. And they found those who believed in climate change remembered it being warmer, while those who didn’t thought it was colder. The research, published in Nature Climate Change, was carried out by three US sociologists—Dr. Aaron McCright of Michigan State University, Dr. Riley Dunlap of Oklahoma State, and Dr. Chenyang Xiao of American University. …

It may be the timeliest -- and most troubling -- idea in climate science. Back in 2012, two researchers with a particular interest in the Arctic, Rutgers' Jennifer Francis and the University of Wisconsin-Madison's Stephen Vavrus, published a paper called "Evidence linking Arctic amplification to extreme weather in mid-latitudes." In it, they suggested that the fact that the Arctic is warming so rapidly is leading to an unexpected but profound effect on the weather where the vast majority of us live -- a change that, if their theory is correct, may have something to do with the extreme winter weather...

Heavy snow has stranded many motorists on a western New York highway. Some tips on what to do if you find yourself stuck in the snow: Pull off the highway and make yourself visible to rescuers. Turn on hazard lights and tie a bright cloth to your antenna or door handle. Call 911 from your cellphone, if you have one. Be prepared to describe the location, the condition of your companions and the trouble you’re having. Don’t hang up until you know whom you’ve spoken with and what will happen next. Stay in your vehicle.…

The San Francisco Bay Area city of Berkeley will decide whether to slap stickers on gas pumps warning that burning fuel contributes to global warming in a plan that’s a first of its kind in the country. […] A spokeswoman for the Western States Petroleum Association, an oil-industry lobbying group, has said the labels reflect the state’s and Berkeley’s opinions and would force “unwanted speech in violation of the First Amendment.” …

The largest solar power plant of its type in the world - once promoted as a turning point in green energy - isn't producing as much energy as planned. One of the reasons is as basic as it gets: The sun isn't shining as much as expected.

The Arctic chill is gripping the Rockies and Upper Midwest — and it’s crawling east. Sharp drops in temperature are expected in other parts of the U.S. in the coming days, thanks to a powerful weather system that hit Alaska with hurricane-force winds over the weekend before blanketing several state ins snow. CBS News reports that all 50 states will see freezing temperatures. A look at the system and its effects: ___ THE LINGERING COLD Dangerously cold weather was expected to linger until Thursday in eastern Montana, where temperatures could reach as low as negative 30 degrees. Denver’s high was...

A U.S. Congressman says hackers from China were able to breach computer systems operated by the federal agency that oversees the National Weather Service and other climate-related programs. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Agency spokesman Scott Smullen confirmed in a statement Wednesday that four websites were “compromised by an Internet-sourced attack,” forcing the NOAA to perform unscheduled maintenance in recent weeks. …

Many officials in the Obama administration—including Secretary of State John Kerry and President Obama himself—have repeatedly hammered home the message that climate change is one of mankind's greatest threats. According to Weather Channel co-founder John Coleman, however, there is no scientific proof that supports man-made climate change. […] He added that he’s not alone in doubting the science behind man-made climate change: 9,000 experts with Ph.Ds and 31 scientists have signed a petition stating that carbon dioxide is not a significant greenhouse gas and that much of the research behind climate change is “bad, bad science.” …

Europe’s leaders are about to consign the Earth to the risk of dangerous climate change, a UN expert says. Prof Jim Skea, a vice-chair of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, says the EU’s plan to cut CO2 emissions 40% by 2030 is too weak. He says it will commit future governments to “extraordinary and unprecedented” emissions cuts. The Commission rejected the claim, saying the 40% target puts Europe on track for long-term climate goals. Prof Skea believes governments are setting targets by what appears to be politically achievable rather than what is necessary to transform the way we make...

For a good part of the year, the colorful rufous hummingbird can be spotted all over Portland. After nesting and breeding here in the summer and fall, these feisty hummers migrate some 2,000 miles southward to winter in Mexico. But over the next few decades, the tiny bird is expected to become increasingly rare in Portland. Climate change is likely to alter its travel plans, which include the longest annual migration of any hummingbird species. Its range is likely to shift northward, according to predictions in a new report from the National Audubon Society. The rufous, like hundreds of other...

Rising sea levels and other effects of climate change will pose major challenges for America's military, including more and worse natural disasters and the threat that food and water shortages could fuel disputes and instability around the world, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said Monday. […] “Climate change is a ‘threat multiplier’ because it has the potential to exacerbate many of the challenges we already confront today—from infectious disease to armed insurgencies—and to produce new challenges in the future,” Hagel said. He spoke during the opening session of the conference, which was attended by defense ministers and military chiefs of more...