Cross posted from Vietnam Sustainable Climate Change Adaptation Network

This excellent article in the UK Independent takes a very human look at the climate change impacts already ravaging Bangladesh, and at the nation's uncertain future.   Especially relevant to Vietnam--the reporter's ground-check of the claims of scientists who believe the IPCC's predictions on sea-level rise in their 2007 report were far too conservative.

Over and over you read and hear in the media that "all of the presidential candidates favor a cap-and-trade system to deal with global warming"--as if there were no difference between the two democrats and John McCain on this issue.  

There are differences, big differences, and if the Democrats want to win in November, they'd better emphasize those differences. If they don't the voter who is moderately aware of climate problems is going to hear McCain talk about the issue and feel okay about voting for him, under the mistaken impression that McCain is going to deal with the problem.

Any day now McCain is going to bring out his policy paper on global warming, and then the devil will be in the details.  What details should we look at?  Here are the wedge issues that are likely to separate McCain from the Democrats (and which will separate McCain's Business as Usual model from sound policy that carries us toward solving the problem).

I haven't written here in months, but I just got a cellphone call from a friend 'in high places', who tells me that there's a new initiative, headed up by Al Gore and the IPCC, to make a dramatic move in the Global Warming situation.

Basically, the idea is to cover the earth's poles in aluminum foil (that's hard to write, given that my native language has it at 'aluminium'). The idea is that we will be able to reflect back the sun's energy, so that the ice under the foil will no longer melt (as it will then be in shade).

More details after the jump....

I posted yesterday about Marc Morano's attacks on a recent American Geophysical Union statement supporting climate change science. Morano, if you recall, is the communications director for James Inhofe's minority senate committee on environment and public works. According to this C-Span page, as a senate committee communications director Morano is likely paid a full-time government salary on the order of at least $65,000. So what do you suppose our tax dollars are paying for today?

As of 8:00 pm Eastern time Jan 25th, Morano had written a total of nine comments in this thread, some very lengthy, attacking not only the AGU, but also the IPCC, the American Meteorological Society, the National Academy of Sciences, Andrew Dessler, Ray Pierrehumbert, realclimate, Rajendra K. Pachauri, and to top it all off, the whole institution of peer review! Entertaining I suppose, but I'm wondering if we should ask for our money back on this one... More details below the fold.

An Op-Editude

Aliens, Go Home. We can destroy ourselves, thank you.

Al Gore’s real and riveting message about global warming may seem alien to many, especially the world’s behemoth energy producers who envision their day of reckoning if they obey his admonitions and follow his teachings. And to political knuckleheads like President Bush, who steadfastly refuse to watch his award-winning call-to-arms film for reasons that defy logic and who, like a befuddled ship’s captain afraid to change course for fear his crew would criticize him for setting bad compass headings to begin with, prefers the pride of self-righteousness as he and his Panglossian world view down with the ship.

Apologies for the brevity of this diary entry; but I would like to give some attention to the Virtual Torchlight Parade i honor of the recipients of the Nobel Peace Prize for 2007.

Cross-posted at wildlife promise.

The momentum right now in the conservation movement is really incredible.  Not only are we on the eve of mandating an increase in fuel efficiency to 35MPG, but we are also just hours away from seeing the first comprehensive global warming legislation to ever pass through a full Senate committee.

That would be denim-inspired apparel manufacturer Diesel, and the answer is “yes.”

The scientific debate over global warming may not be entirely settled, but in the American clothing business, at least, it is over. The apparel maker Diesel ran magazine advertisements this year proclaiming that its cold-weather clothes — in one ad, a woman’s puffy coat and shorts — were “global warming ready.”

Well, yesterday the International Panel on Climate Change released a quite serious report (pdf), stating that global warming is unequivocally occurring, that humanity is a leading factor, and that major action is required (ASAP) or the damage will go from serious to, well, potentially catastrophic.

So, where is this covered?  For the Washington Post, page A3 Saturday.

Sunday, an excellent follow-up article ... page A10.

World as we know it to end, see inside ...

After giving an interview lastweek when the IPCC declared that folks should be concerned, because they are always on the conservative side, so if they have informaiton that raises alarms, you should know it will be their timeline, or sooner.

Ban calls climate change 'defining challenge of our age'

Top Story

• AP - "The Earth is hurtling toward a warmer climate at a quickening pace, a Nobel-winning U.N. scientific panel said in a landmark report released Saturday, warning of inevitable human suffering and the threat of extinction for some species. U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon said climate change imperils 'the most precious treasures of our planet' and called on the United States and China — the world's two biggest polluters — to do more to fight it."

• AFP - "The Nobel-winning IPCC group of climate scientists on Saturday issued their starkest warning yet on global warming, prompting a UN demand for politicians to smash the deadlock on tackling the worsening threat. In a panorama of the evidence, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) declared that the impact of global warming could be 'abrupt or irreversible' and no country would be spared."

Coverage of the IPCC report continues...

Per the AFP linked here, the IPCC has finally decided on the wording of their report and this wording is terrifying indeed:

Human activities "could lead to abrupt or irreversible climate changes and impacts," the agreed text said.

The IPCC experts agreed that the rise in Earth's temperature observed in the past few decades was principally due to human causes, not natural ones, as "climate skeptics" often aver.

And of course the American "delegates" didn't like the inclusion of the part about "abrupt" or "irreversible" effects and of course these "delegates," in their utter cynicism, didn't and don't want that wording:

US delegates in particular said references to "irreversible" climate change and impacts were imprecise.

Scientists have found that carbon dioxide is increasing in the atmosphere much faster than had been predicted.  Carbon dioxide accumulation in the atmosphere has accelerated since the late 90's when the increase had been averaging around 0.7% annually.  Since 2000, the increase has been 2.9% per year (4 times greater!) which results in an increase of carbon dioxide  that is 35% more than the previous estimates used in the IPCC models.  And the increases are much greater than had been used for setting the targets for reducing carbon dioxide emissions needed to avoid the worst effects of global climate change.  

"Things are on more of a hair trigger than we thought." Ted Scanbos, Univ of Colorado

So ends a Washington Post article for Monday morning, At the Poles, Melting Occurring at Alarming Rate.  This article (the latest in the Post series In the Greenhouse: Confronting a Changing Climate) lays out many reasons for concern about events in the polar regions from fisheries to threats to ocean currents to ...

The poles are often referred to as can canaries in the coal mine for our planet's climate.  These canaries are collapsed, panting with racing hearts ... what will it take to prompt serious, effective action globally.

In an interview with the Australian Broadcasting Corp., top Australian conservation scientist Tim Flannery says the global level of greenhouse gases is now far worse than predicted.

Another news link is here:

Last Monday Professor Tim Flannery said the International Panel on Climate Change "synthesis" report for 2007 due next month would show that greenhouse gas levels already in the atmosphere have "the potential to cause dangerous climate change".

Amidst all the excitement about Al Gore winning the Nobel Peace Prize, the questions and dreams about a possible presidential campaign, and the inevitable criticism from right wing cynics (demonstrating, once again, that they neither understand nor even like the concept of peace), let's not lose focus on what really matters. It is not about the man, it is about his cause; and he is the man he is because he puts the cause above any personal considerations, and whether or not he runs will undoubtedly be determined by his best assessment of whether it will be the best way to serve the cause! We need also keep that priority straight! The coming weeks are critical, and we can help!

Thought I'd call attention to the unusual number of negative comments being posted on Al Gore's and the IPCC's win of the Nobel Peace Prize on CNN. Hmm, looks like all the negative comments are predictably full of right-wing talking points against global warming and ad hominen attacks on Mr. Gore.

Hardly surprising. Anything even remotely touching on the subject of global warming and Al Gore is red meat to these trolls. It's sad that the two topics are so relentlessly politicized. Even NPR this morning insisted on calling Gore a politician, which he technically is not.

So lets throw a little support to this year's Nobel Prize winners. If you have a few seconds, add your voice to comment thread over at CNN. And if you can find any similar polls, or message boards, do the same.

First, congratulations to both Al Gore and the IPCC for the Nobel Peace Prize. And, many thanks to the Nobel Committee for recognizing the importance this has to the world. I can just imagine what Mr. Limbaugh will say on his show today to slime all three. I know that many of my fellow Kossacks are trying to live a greener lifestyle, but in terms of actual nuts and bolts research on climate change what can we do to help?