New Open Access Journal

From David Duthie at UNEP:

Today, I stumbled – this is the term for using the internet without using Google – upon Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews – WIREs Climate Change – a new publishing effort to create a cross-disciplinary platform for climate change.

The first issue of WIREs CC is just available online, as is a series of Editorial Commentaries from the 14 sub-sections of the online journal (see list below my signature).

These are mostly available open access and provide a nice set of short, but densely referenced, overviews from authors who have been working for many years at each respective “coalface” (perhaps not the best metaphor to use these days?!).

The ToC of the first issue is available here:

http://wires.wiley.com/WileyCDA/WiresIssue/wisId-WCC_1_1.html

and the Early Online Editorials are at:

http://wires.wiley.com/WileyCDA/WiresIssue/wisId-WCC.html?pageType=early

A nice (rare?) combination of the rigour of peer-review, coupled with escape from academic “silos”,and the twin advantages of brevity – each editorial is just a few pages – yet well-referenced for further research.

New journal issue on CC/Marine Systems

The Stanford Journal of Law, Science and Policy (SJLSP) has released its latest issue, “Climate Change and Marine Systems, ” available for free online at http://www.stanford.edu/group/sjlsp.

Three Stanford graduate students from programs in law and biology founded the journal in 2008 as an outlet for interdisciplinary, science-based papers on public policy.  Their latest issue follows a symposium hosted by SJLSP in April 2009 called “Climate Change and Marine… Continue reading

2009 Temperature Data

NASA is reporting that 2009 was the second warmest year on record. There are some graphics that I put at
the bottom of this post.

http://www.nasa.gov/topics/earth/features/temp-analysis-2009.html
<http://www.nasa.gov/topics/earth/features/temp-analysis-2009.html>

2009 was tied for the second warmest year in the modern record, a new
NASA analysis of global surface temperature shows. The analysis,
conducted by the Goddard Institute for Space Studies (GISS) in New York
City, also shows that… Continue reading

Another Good Piece on Geoengineering: Ocean Upwelling

Another geoengineering scheme that has received some coverage in recent years is artificial ocean upwelling, whereas flap-valve operated ocean pipes are used to upwell nutrient-rich deeper waters to fertilize surface oceans, with the objective of ultimately increasing carbon sequestration. An excellent potential reading in this context is a new study in GRL, A. Oschlies, et al., Climate Engineering by Artificial Ocean Upwelling: Channelling the Socerer’s Apprentice, 37 Geoephysical Research

Carbon “Fat Cats” Report

Dear All,

Sandbag is happy to share with you its latest research into the carbon rich list. Please find the full report attached.

CARBON FAT CAT COMPANIES COULD SHARE AT LEAST €3.2 BILLION BY 2012

New research out today from Sandbag Climate Change compiled in association with www.carbonmarketdata.com reveals the top ten companies set to profit from the EU carbon market.

The Carbon… Continue reading

The Politics of Geoengineering

A good one-page piece on climate geoengineering, nicely summarizing the potential technologies, potential risks and proposed governance architecture has been published recently in the journal Science, Jason J. Blackstock & Jane C.S. Long, The Politics of Geoengineering, 327 Science 527 (Jan. 2010) (subscription required).

Among the take-aways:

  1. Geoengineering schemes can be divided into two categories, carbon dioxide removal (CDR) (e.g. air capture

Applying Rule-Based Ethics to Climate Policymaking

In the aftermath of COP15, the climate protection movement is facing a still more complex challenge in reaching fair and adequate goals to preserve the Holocene climate.

Posted at greenthoughts.us is a proposal for simple ethical rules that builds on Donald Brown’s post-COP15 summary.  This synthesis applies rule-based ethics to the selection of policy instruments, technologies, total cost of carbon mitigation, and the representation of facts, intentions… Continue reading

CDM/JI Pipeline

FYI, the resource described below is really excellent. I’ve found that it helps to bring the abstractions of the CDM and JI process alive for students by showing them information about specific sectors and projects. There’s also some great graphic materials for PowerPoint presentations.

The CDM/JI Pipeline Analysis and Database of the CDM & JI projects has been updated. It is updated every month. It contains all CDM/JI projects… Continue reading

WHO Fact Sheet on CC/Health Impacts

The World Health Organization (WHO) published its Fact Sheet N°266 on “Climate change and health,” which includes sections on: the impact of climate change on health; extreme heat; natural disasters and variable rainfall patterns; patterns of infection; measuring health effects; sectors of the population at risk; and the WHO response.

The Fact Sheet highlights, inter alia, that many major killers such as diarrhoeal diseases, malnutrition, malaria and dengue are… Continue reading

Comer en banc rehearing granted

FYI, from the How Appealing Blog at:  http://howappealing.law.com/030110.html#037225

Monday, March 1, 2010
Fifth Circuit grants rehearing en banc of lawsuit alleging that the operation of energy, fossil fuels, and chemical industries caused the emission of greenhouse gasses that contributed to global warming, resulting in the harms caused by Hurricane Katrina: Nine judges participated in last week’s order granting rehearing en banc. The order… Continue reading