-51 Celsius at 6am today

[LockH]

More perhaps "awkward" news re that polar ice cap ("Arctic Sea Ice Peak Is 5th Lowest on Record"):
http://www.livescience.com/44660-arctic-sea-ice-2014-low.html

 

[r3volved]

That's because it's melting...
Every time they look at it, it's the lowest it's ever been.

 

[The fingers]

90 degrees F Tuesday, 85 degrees F yesterday. 8)

 

[LockH]

"Slash Greenhouse Gases to Meet Climate Goals, U.N. Draft Says":
http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702303603904579491620728985540?ru=yahoo?mod=yahoo_itp&mg=reno64-wsj&url=http%3A%2F%2Fonline.wsj.com%2Farticle%2FSB10001424052702303603904579491620728985540.html%3Fru%3Dyahoo%3Fmod%3Dyahoo_itp

(Sorry if OT for some, but some ebikers may rudely sneer w\emissions created by their transportation lusts, plus suspect exhaust gases may be related to the subject of this thread.)

 

[Dauntless]

Yeah, and cut spending to end deficit woes. Except the budget that cuts Trillions that passed the House today won't be going any farther. Selfish individuals will be saying "Oh no, we CAN'T behave responsibly and stop our reckless spending that's destroying the country. . . ." It'll be the same when you talk about cutting emissions. Just try to talk to the 3rd world about less coal. Hell, try telling the coal miners in th U.S. we're not tearing down another mountain for coal.

Meanwhile, someone threw a shoe at Hillary Clinton today while she was talking about recycling.

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/object-thrown-hillary-clinton-speech-article-1.1752660

 

[Eskimo]

First 113km ride today with mamils.
Temperature +3C
113km took around 700wh.

 

[LockH]

CURRENT TOTAL EMISSIONS
At the time of the IPCC's previous climate assessment, in 2007, the U.S. was the world's top carbon polluter. It has since been overtaken by China, which now accounts for one-quarter of global emissions because of its rapidly expanding economy. The U.S. is No. 2 with 17 percent, followed by India (6.6 percent), Russia (5.1 percent) and Japan (3.7 percent).

"UN panel shows who's responsible for CO2 emissions":
http://news.yahoo.com/un-panel-shows-whos-responsible-co2-emissions-141911577.html

Thank the gawds China is on a different planet eh?

 

[gogo]

I'll bet North America is still #1 in per capita.

We're #1.
We're #1.
We're #1.

 

[LockH]

Depends perhaps how one might define the word in Engrish "consume".

 

[Eskimo]

Winter"s here.

http://yle.fi/uutiset/talvi_tuli__ilomantsissa_yli_10_cm_lunta_kuvat/7486427

 

[LockH]

Oh man. Here we go again. (North Americans won't want to hear this, but forecast right now for this winter coming is to be a chilly repeat of last winter. Sorry.)

 

[The fingers]

A week ago I resisted the urge to brag as temps near 80°F. Now record lows forcast for us in the 30s, with highs in the 50s. I'm freezing. Know better than to boast again, the cold came back to haunt us. :lol:

 

[amberwolf]

Been that way more than a week here so far, though actual freezing temps didnt' arrive till after christmas.

Have had to layer up even for the middle-of-the-day ride to work, and double up even that just for my short ride home so I don't hurt so much by the time I get there. (it's been just at or above freezing a couple of nights at the time I normally get home).

Tiny and Yogi like it, though.

 

[The fingers]

At night we only let Oliver out for a few minutes and he's ready to high tail it upstairs and bury himself under the covers. :lol:

 

[Architectonic]

It reached 110 degrees F here yesterday, along with bad bushfires here and in Victoria. No human lives lost, but more than a few animals have lost their lives.

 

[pff7]

Oh man. Here we go again. (North Americans won't want to hear this, but forecast right now for this winter coming is to be a chilly repeat of last winter. Sorry.)

Here in the midwest US as of Jan.3,2015 thank heaven this has not panned out which just goes to show how hard it is to predict weather...rain today so above freezing which means ride ride ride my ebike.

 

[TheBeastie]

Apparently its been pretty cool winter this year in the northern hemisphere...
This cat looks pretty cozy.

[youtube]R_2wfZGUUQo[/youtube]

 

[amberwolf]

Except here in the southwest, where it's been unusually warm. (at least, in Phoenix).

 

[The fingers]

Too bad we couldn't move some of that excess snow on the east coast out west and dump it in Cali's drought-depleted reservoirs. :|

 

[amberwolf]

given that ancient civilizations used aqueducts to move water around some fair distance, it's always surprised me that as advanced as we are by comparison we've not done that.

our greed can move oil via such pipelines, but it also prevents us from moving the water (cuz that way those in charge of what there is can charge more for it).

 

[ErnestoA]

No need to run water through aqueducts. It's a lot easier to plant trees!

http://permaculture-and-sanity.com/pcarticles/trees-and-the-water-cycle.php

Hopefully soon, someone will figure out tree wifi so we'll be motivated to plant more trees! It might even save our species from imminent extinction?

 

[hydro-one]

yes wifi trees may be our only hope

 

[TheBeastie]

CURRENT TOTAL EMISSIONS
At the time of the IPCC's previous climate assessment, in 2007, the U.S. was the world's top carbon polluter. It has since been overtaken by China, which now accounts for one-quarter of global emissions because of its rapidly expanding economy. The U.S. is No. 2 with 17 percent, followed by India (6.6 percent), Russia (5.1 percent) and Japan (3.7 percent).

"UN panel shows who's responsible for CO2 emissions":
http://news.yahoo.com/un-panel-shows-whos-responsible-co2-emissions-141911577.html

Thank the gawds China is on a different planet eh?

I saw some documentry on garbage issues in China and woh do they have a mega serious garbage problem.
The solution they have been working towards is mega garbage furnace power plants to solve their problems.
I so often see folks on TV in Australia say things like 'look at China, look at how much they are doing to reduce their carbon foot print, they are reducing carbon emissions far far far far lower then we are!' etc.
Seems like a bit of a case of just parroting words and slogans from other people.

The reality is though, I totally understand and sympathize with Chinas garbage furnace power-plants as their solution to their problems because from what I saw its just no other way to deal with it. But at the same time I find what I just said very disturbing, how much garbage could they possibly be creating? Well thats the amazing bit..

http://china-wire.org/?p=35709

Once a week, on every Saturday since July 10, the Guangzhou No.1 Resource Thermo Power Plant in south China’s Guangdong Province opens its door to visitors. While most thermal power plants in China are coal-fired, this plant burns a more unusual fuel—municipal waste.

Statistics from the plant show that incinerating waste can reduce the volume of garbage by as much as 95 percent while the plant can simultaneously generate electricity for more than 100,000 households a year.

The government is encouraging waste incineration. In December 2012, the State Council issued a five-year plan on the construction of municipal waste disposal facilities. According to the plan, incinerated garbage is predicted to account for 35 percent of treated municipal garbage nationwide by 2015, and in economically developed eastern regions, the percentage is expected to reach 48 percent.

China currently has 178 municipal waste incineration power plants, with a combined daily capacity of 156,000 tons, said Jiang Jiahua, a researcher with the Shanghai Academy of Environmental Sciences. Most of these plants are located in economically developed areas and large cities.

To get just a remote idea of how bad Chinas garbage problem is, watch this video. It seems to be pretty practical to 'graze' cattle in garbage tips because there is so much garbage everywhere. I wouldn't be surprised if this meat then goes to Australia where its wrapped around an Australian cattle bone and labeled "Made in Australia from local and imported ingredients" which is a very common and legal packaging wording on meats sold in Australia.

From some loose calculations though it looks like China is burning enough garbage with garbage furnace power plants to provide all of Australia's electricity needs.

Chinas monster garbage problem is the by-product of rising living standards of over a billion people.
[youtube]GPmI32EUg7M[/youtube]

I guess the other obvious thing to point out is with this harsh winter in the Northern hemisphere all this carbon emitting from China hasn't made much of a selling point for those who don't believe in climate change and is a juicy fuel for those climate change skeptics or those who are just sick of the cold and don't care about the environment and want it warmer.

 

[LockH]

Dang "polar vortex" in newz again "What's causing freezing temperatures across the U.S.?":
http://www.cbsnews.com/news/whats-causing-freezing-temperatures-across-the-u-s/?ftag=YHF4eb9d17

 

[LockH]

Perhaps nice "blog" site from Scottish "energy expert" (ex of "The Oil Drum", mentioned only twice before on ES:

http://endless-sphere.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=26&t=21177) titled Energy Matters (subtitle "Energy, Environment and Policy")
http://euanmearns.com/