Northwest Passage in the Arctic is open for the first time EVER in recorded history!

The European Space Agency has published satellite images that show that the Northwest Passage in the Arctic is now open for the first time EVER in recorded history. This is due to the unprecedented Arctic melting this year- the current extent is 1 million kilometers below the previous minimum set in 2005. Though the U.N. Panel on Climate Change has predicted that the Arctic may have complete summer melt by 2070, other more recent credible estimates are much sooner- the National Snow and Ice Data Center, recognized as a top authority in Arctic measurements, recently predicted this could occur as early as 2020. The Northwest passage is the shortest sea route between Asia and Europe and has massive trade potential. We have also heard about the implications of all of the oil reserves predicted to be in this area. There are already fears that the opening of this region could cause a cold war between the US and other polar nations, particularly Canada. The President Bush claims that this passage is International Waters, contrary to Canada’s claims. Canada is beefing up military in this region to claim the ownership of the passage and protect its borders from people/drugs/weapons smuggling. And the plight of the polar bears? Let’s not go there. Folks, you can’t debate this. It’s real. Let’s do something about climate change NOW.

Image Credit: European Space Agency: “Envisat ASAR mosaic of the Arctic Ocean for early September 2007, clearly showing the most direct route of the Northwest Pssage open (orange line) and the Northeast passage only partially blocked (blue line). The dark gray colour represents the ice-free areas, while green represents areas with sea ice. “

cross-posted at http://www.local-warming.blogspot.com/

Maryland and Global Warming Solutions

We’ve all heard the story: the polar ice caps are melting at an alarming rate, more hurricanes are on the way, and we’re fast on the road towards catastrophic climate change. So it’s a good thing that Maryland is starting to step up to the plate on enacting significant legislation to cut our carbon emissions.

A Great Blue Heron, one of the many Chesapeake Bay species that could be protected with strong climate legislation

The Global Warming Solutions Act, a call for a reduction of greenhouse gas emissions in Maryland of 20% by 2020 and 80% by 2050, will come before the Maryland General Assembly this spring. According to The Baltimore Sun‘s Bay & Environment page, this is one of the hottest issues for this spring’s session of the Maryland General Assembly.

Now is the time to make sure Governor O’Malley strongly supports this piece of legislation. And the people showing their strong support is the first step! Keep your eyes open for events coming soon, especially in November, designated a Global Warming Solutions Month of Action.

Dominion Subpoenaed; Reduces Price of CFLs

Here is a shocker, Dominion Power, the energy mogul that is pressing hard to build a new coal fired power plant in Wise, Virginia, is not properly accounting for the financial risks associated with, as a business, refusing to evolve and properly assess reality. Could it be true that a major polluter is acting unscrupulously, profiting off of misleading investors and ignoring the real world? According to the New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo, maybe. According to the Attorney General, “The increase in [carbon-dioxide] emissions from the operation of this unit [the proposed Wise Co. Plant], in combination with Dominion’s other coal-fired power plants, will subject Dominion to increased financial, regulatory and litigation risks.”

Basically, I read Cuomo’s statement to mean, “hey Dominion, building another coal power plant are you kidding me? You know that legislation to regulate global warming emissions is coming soon, why are you going to build another super polluter? You know you can’t realistically sequester carbon from the plant, don’t even kid yourself. Why don’t you just do something less radical, like start building wind turbines or solar panels or investing in efficiency. Now that would be a plan we could all get behind.”

To help further illustrate my point, I will throw out some fun analogies. Coal is to power production as Asbestos is to insulation — it works, but you don’t want to use it. New coal power is as good an idea as reviving phrenology evaluation to help supplement student applications to college. Okay, that second one wasn’t as good as the first, but you get the point. Let me know if you have any good analogies about coal you want to pass on, I love analogies.

Oh, I try to never get totally negative with my blog posts, so here is the positive. Dominion is helping to offer CFL light bulbs at a discounted rate. That is one small step for man…

"Design for the Other 90%" … a global imperative

“The majority of the
world’s designers
focus all their efforts
on developing products and services
exclusively for the
richest 10% of the world’s customers.

Nothing less than
a revolution in design is needed
to reach the other 90%.”

We focus our resources (time, money) too often on solving problems and doing things for those who already have the resources
leaving out, literally, billions of people from the equation.

Just a few days remain for getting to the Design for the Other 90% exhibit at the Cooper-Hewitt museum in New York City … an exhibit that helps show how it does not have to be this way.

Continue reading

Virginia Energy Plan Maintains the Status Quo…

Last week, the Governor ceremoniously unveiled Virginia’s Energy Plan — read the news release or the 180 page report — a plan that could reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 30%… Great news, right? Well, I am not so sure… For a scathingly intelligent critique, please see what The Green Miles has to say; he hits the nail right on the head. And see here for CCAN’s press release.

Here is the good:

  • The Governor is talking about climate change

  • We are starting to create the link between social justice, environmentalism, and power production

  • Emphasizes efficiency and conservation

  • There are (weak) goals set to reduce statewide greenhouse gas emissions.

Here is the bad:

  • Expansion of coal, petroleum and nuclear power production in state. The plan does not challenge the wisdom behind building more fossil fuel and nuclear infrastructure.

  • The greenhouse gas reduction targets proposed in the plan are amazingly weak, especially in comparison to what other states have committed to.

  • The plan does not recommend mandatory renewable energy purchases or a clean cars type of bill.

If you want my quick synthesis, I can sum it up in four words: where are our priorities? If we, as a state, are committed to reducing our greenhouse gas emissions, improving our energy efficiency as a state, and conserving energy; then why are we investing in old, dirty technology? The plan does not challenge or even ask for a review of the planned coal fired power plant in Wise Co. Virginia (a 500-600 MW facility that will severely compromise our states ability to make any reductions in greenhouse gas emissions). Why even talk about minimizing your global warming impact in one document if you are going to, in the same document, talk about the benefits of another conventional coal fired power plant? These two statements are not congruent in the least bit.

If we are serious about fighting global warming we need to be serious about renewable energy, conservation and efficiency. These need to be the priority energy actions for the state, not another coal fired power plant.

Nuclear energy: What role should it play in tackling global warming?

Here, in very simple terms, is what CCAN thinks:

In terms of greenhouse gas reductions [nuclear energy] is not a deal breaker. Despite the many negatives of nuclear energy, one positive is that it generates almost no carbon dioxide. [CCAN does] not advocate building a single new nuclear power plant, but neither [does it] advocate shutting down existing ones in the face of rapid global warming.

What do you think? What role, if any, should nuclear power play in the face of rapid global warming? Continue reading

Another climate victory from the courts!

A federal judge in Vermont just rejected an attempt by automakers to block individual states from adopting their own standards for limiting greenhouse gas emissions from cars and trucks. This just goes to show us all that the argument that the states are making is a no brainer. Regulating greenhouse gases from cars has NOTHING to do with federal fuel economy standards. Way to go District court of Vermont!

California’s efforts to combat global warming with tough restrictions on tailpipe emissions got a boost Wednesday from a federal judge, who upheld states’ right to require that vehicles emit far fewer pollutants.

The complete article can be viewed here.

What’s next? Since the Supreme Court has already ruled in favor of the states, the ball is in the EPA’s court. The Clean Air Act allows California to set its own emissions standards, provided that it gets a routine waiver from the EPA. EPA’s granting of a federal waiver to California is thus the next step in the regulatory process. California has never been denied a waiver in past instances of other regulatory action, but in this case has still not been granted one even though they applied for it in December of 2005!

Why I Fight Coal

One would hope that we, as a society, are closing in on a conscious recognition that the time to remove coal from the ground to burn it is nearly done.

Ice the size of Florida melts – in a week

As we have often said, there are few better barometers of the advance of global warming than the condition of our polar ice caps.

And once again today, we are confronted with dramatic news that ice is melting – and global warming advancing – much faster than previously thought. As was reported today, the summer ice pack in the Arctic – air conditioner to the planet and home of the majestic polar bear and other equally stunning animals – reached a new record low, smashing the old record set in 2005. Incredibly enough, 69,000 square miles of ice – roughly the same size as the state of Florida – has melted… in just the past seven days!

The news by itself is alarming enough. It’s also disturbing to note the mainstream media’s seeming inability to follow the news on this critical issue, since the possibility of an summer ice-free Arctic by 2020 was already predicted in a report by the National Snow and Ice Data Center this past May. Equally disturbing is the idea that nations are now fighting over the “fabled” Northwest Passage through the Arctic that is suddenly opening up, as opposed to redoubling (or quadrupling) their efforts to make sure that climate change is halted and reversed, Northwest Passage be damned.

As the article notes, this dramatic loss of Arctic sea ice will spell doom for the polar bear and other inhabitants of the Arctic, and it will also likely have a dramatic effect on weather patterns for the rest of the planet. It’s not just the polar bears that are threatened with extinction anymore. In the words of Rob Watson, “people see an endangered species every day now when they look in the mirror.”

There is still time left to act, but it is running out. Thanks for joining the Chesapeake Climate Action Network in our campaign to fight global warming. And in particular, please consider joining us as we stand up and speak out for the polar bears in our Third Annual Polar Bear Plunge on December 8th. Check it out, and sign up, at www.keepwintercold.org

New Orleans was a Curtain Raiser

On the August 27th Tavis Smiley show, Mike Tidwell discussed his newest book, The Ravaging Tide, which focuses on Hurricane Katrina and what it means for the future of the US and global warming.

Click below to watch Mike’s interview with Tavis Smiley.