Archives - February 2006

February 28, 2006

New Web Site! The ecoEnquirer - where Mankind meets Mother Nature! Click on in and see featured articles like: "EPA to Mandate Reductions in Emissions from Volcanoes" and latest offering "California Might Restrict Vandenberg Rocket Launches"

"Higher optimism levels associated with lower risk of cardiovascular death in elderly men" - "The most optimistic elderly men in a Dutch study had a lower risk of cardiovascular death over 15 years when compared with the least optimistic, according to an article in the February 27 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals." (JAMA and Archives Journals)

So, less healthy, less energetic fogies are also likely to be less optimistic?

or maybe they're upset at not getting their cocoa: "Cocoa intake linked to lower blood pressure, reduced risk of death" - "A study of elderly Dutch men indicates that eating or drinking cocoa is associated with lower blood pressure and a reduced risk of death, according to an article in the February 27 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals." (JAMA and Archives Journals)

"Mailman school researchers studying link between obesity and the urban environment" - "Researchers at the Mailman School of Public Health are studying the link between the urban environment and how it might contribute to the cause or origins of obesity. In a study that will have wide-reaching applications, the Mailman School is one of 14 groups across the United States to receive funding from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) to study the association between body size and the built environment." (Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health)

"Diabetes epidemic could erase reductions in deaths & hospitalizations due to heart disease" - "Researchers at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University have documented a dramatic upsurge in diabetes-related deaths and illnesses in New York City--including a sharp increase in diabetic patients hospitalized with heart attacks. They warn that this upsurge in diabetic complications may end the long-term trend of progressively fewer heart attacks and heart-attack deaths in the U.S." (Albert Einstein College of Medicine)

"Shift in feeding behavior of mosquitoes sheds light on West Nile virus outbreaks" - "Since its introduction to the United States in 1999, West Nile virus has become the major vector-borne disease in the U.S., with 770 reported deaths, 20,000 reported illnesses, and perhaps around a million people infected. The virus is transmitted by Culex mosquitoes (the "vector") and cycles between birds that the mosquitoes feed on. Humans can also be infected with the virus when bitten by these mosquitoes." (Public Library of Science)

"Scientists see clean air decision as latest snub" - "For 35 years, the Environmental Protection Agency heeded the advice of a special panel of scientists set up by Congress to help shape government rules aimed at cutting air pollution. But for the first time, the EPA is rejecting recommendations from its Clean Air Scientific Advisory Committee as the agency moves forward this year with revised rules governing how much soot and dust can be permitted in the air." (Post-Dispatch)

Did it occur to anyone that diminishing returns may have something to do with the rejection of suggestions? Air quality has improved out of sight in recent decades, the low hanging fruit of readily addressed and relatively inexpensive problems that provided useful 'bang for the buck' results have already achieved much and now the cost is much higher to achieve much less.

"Forest restoration realities" - "When a bipartisan group of nearly 100 congressmen proposed accelerated restoration of forests after catastrophic wildfire, the idea drew widespread support from those interested in giving future generations forests to enjoy. The proposal would do two important things: quicken removal of dead trees that otherwise would provide fuel for future wildfires and accelerate the planting of new trees to restore forests that burned. Those supporting the proposal include Forest Service Chief Dale Bosworth, Jim Brown, who served as the top forestry official to four Oregon governors, the Society of American Foresters, the National Association of State Foresters, and the International Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies. With 32 million acres of national forest burned between 2000 and 2004, the need for restoration is clear. However, what is happening -- or not happening -- in federal forests in California provides a glimpse of the challenge of forest restoration. There, the Forest Service has only replanted 3.8 percent of forests burned in 2001. Most remaining burned forest is converting to brush that will dominate the landscape for centuries. Unfortunately, excessive regulation, unnecessary appeals, and lawsuits prevent the Forest Service from keeping burned forests from becoming brush fields." (Thomas M. Bonnicksen, Washington Times)

"Predators keep the world green, ecologists find" - "DURHAM, N.C. -- Predators are, ironically, the key to keeping the world green, because they keep the numbers of plant-eating herbivores under control, reports a research team lead by John Terborgh, a professor of environmental science at Duke University's Nicholas School of the Environment and Earth Sciences. Their findings confirm the answer to one of ecology's oldest and thorniest questions: why is the world green? It also seems to put to rest a competing theory that plants protect themselves from herbivores through physical and chemical defenses." (Duke University)

"20% forest cover promised" - "A fifth of China's land area will have forest cover by 2010, the State Forestry Administration vowed yesterday. Over the past five years, the percentage of China's land area covered by forests has risen from 16.6 per cent to 18.2 per cent, Jia Zhibang, chief of the forestry agency, told a press conference held by the State Council Information Office yesterday in Beijing. "By 2010, the country will strive to raise the rate to 20 per cent." Jia also revealed that for the first time since 1949, China is seeing a reversal of land area being degraded into deserts." (China Daily)

Say what? "Europe's chill linked to disease" - "Europe's "Little Ice Age" may have been triggered by the 14th Century Black Death plague, according to a new study. Pollen and leaf data support the idea that millions of trees sprang up on abandoned farmland, soaking up carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. This would have had the effect of cooling the climate, a team from Utrecht University, Netherlands, says. The Little Ice Age was a period of some 300 years when Europe experienced a dip in average temperatures." (BBC)

After brewing in China from the 1330s, Black Plague arrived in Sicily in October 1347. Spreading rapidly across Europe from there it is estimated to have killed some 25 million people from 1347 to 1352 - thought to be about one in three of the European population of the era. Certainly it is credible that this decimated farming and led to some reforestation of previously farmed lands.

Under the mechanism postulated by van Hoof et al, deforestation should have caused an increase in atmospheric carbon dioxide over the 13^th Century and this is where the first point of contention arises. Check out the historic CO₂ graphic linked from the thumbnail (or the unsmoothed version version here, graphics from CDIAC). At a time when van Hoof estimates rising CO₂ our ice core data says it was falling and recovered slightly before the outbreak of plague in Europe. Both would seem to agree a drop over most of the 14^th Century (from ~285ppmv to ~280ppmv, according to Law Dome data). The Law Dome ice cores suggest CO₂ levels rose slowly with the recovery of European population, peaking around 1550 AD, only to fall suddenly to ~275ppmv around the end of the 16^th Century, remaining 'low' throughout much of the period of European deforestation for farming, shipbuilding and construction lumber, trade, etc. that occurred through the 17^th and 18^th Centuries. This is counterintuitive and inimical to the hypothesis of van Hoof et al.

So, do trees and plants tell lies about historical atmospheric carbon dioxide? This would seem unlikely since we can experimentally cause the same effects by adjusting plants' ambient CO₂ in the lab and thus it would appear a sound mechanism for estimating past atmospheres. This leaves us raising a quizzical eyebrow regarding 'trapped air analysis' from ice cores - this has been challenged before and may indicate we know far less about historical atmospheric carbon levels than we think we do.

If atmospheric carbon dioxide levels were as presented from ice cores then we strike another major problem (and so do van Hoof et al with their hypothesis) because, for CO₂ to be a driver of climate, and specifically temperature, of sufficient sensitivity for ±5ppmv to drive at least the northern hemisphere from the extremes of the beneficent Medieval Warm Period to the misery of the Little Ice Age then the subsequent increase of ~90ppmv should have forced much more than the half-degree or thereabouts change measured over the last century.

To return to the original article, there seems some merit in the assumption that Black Plague influenced farming and that that, in turn, influenced reforestation and atmospheric carbon levels - this is entirely plausible. What is rather more dubious is the leap of faith involved in concluding this had enormous influence on climate, specifically temperature, and precipitated the Little Ice Age. It would appear more plausible that clearing dark forest and replacing it with cropping land increased planetary albedo and thus reduced planetary temperature, although whether this would be sufficient to precipitate such temperature change is somewhat contentious. Atmospheric carbon dioxide, however, does not appear a sufficient driver of atmospheric temperature to affect significant change with minor perturbation and yet negligible change (of inconsistent sign) with major perturbation. It would be equally valid to conclude from the cited study that forests compete with crops for available atmospheric CO₂ and we should therefore cut down trees to help feed third world populations (not a serious recommendation although fossil fuel use and the liberation of previously sequestered carbon is certainly helping crops and plant life generally).

On the whole we would suggest an interesting look at anthropogenic influence on atmospheric constituents has been unfortunately polluted by undue reliance on assertions regarding the climate forcing capabilities of carbon dioxide. We are aware such assertions are currently fashionable but this essential trace gas obviously is not that potent a driver of global climate. When we return to recognising the actual infrared absorptive capabilities of this innocuous little molecule, as eventually we must rather than assigning it somewhat miraculous powers as an accumulator of 'positive feedback' agents as climate modellers insist on doing in order to generate ever more scary scenarios, then and only then will we have some opportunity to create realistic models and try to work out what might really happen in the foreseeable future. Are we likely to return to reality any time soon? Going by the next item we'd reckon not...

Ever more ludicrous: "Climate scientists issue dire warning" - "The Earth's temperature could rise under the impact of global warming to levels far higher than previously predicted, according to the United Nations' team of climate experts. A draft of the next influential Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report will tell politicians that scientists are now unable to place a reliable upper limit on how quickly the atmosphere will warm as carbon dioxide levels increase. The report draws together research over the past five years and will be presented to national governments in April and made public next year. It raises the possibility of the Earth's temperature rising well above the ceiling quoted in earlier accounts." (The Guardian)

Let's see, over the past couple of weeks we've had speeding glaciers (give 'em a ticket, don't they know they're speed limited?), Greenland ice shield collapse (even though it's gaining mass), ice subliming off Kilimanjaro (can't be melting because the temperature hasn't risen out of negative territory, so the 'problem' is a lack of precipitation rather than an increase in temperature) African drought and looming water wars (see below), all blamed on 'global warming'. And still people are reluctant to commit economic suicide, much less stop using energy! So what next? Oh well, haven't recycled Antarctic meltdown recently - perhaps because most of the place is cooling but what the heck, details like that aren't really relevant, are they?

"Climate change may spark conflict between nations" - "John Reid warns climate change may spark conflict between nations - and says British armed forces must be ready to tackle the violence." | Armed forces are put on standby to tackle threat of wars over water | Michael McCarthy: World's most precious commodity is getting even scarcer (London Independent)

"The West takes lead on climate change" - "DENVER — Half a dozen Western governors impatient for more federal action on global warming are mounting state campaigns to deal with climate change on their own. Driving their efforts are signs that harmful effects may be occurring in the West: record dry spells, millions of acres of dead forests, warmer winters, dwindling water and catastrophic wildfires." (USA TODAY)

Uh-oh... better check with a few paleoclimatologists guys, seems the West has been prone to much more aggressive drought than witnessed since European settlement. It could even be that the period of 'global warming' has been protective to some extent with more benign rainfall and improved plant water efficiency with rising atmospheric carbon dioxide.

"PM pens letter to climate change coalition" - "Dealing with the challenges facing the environment should be at the top of the agenda for this generation of world leaders, Tony Blair has said. In an open letter to supporters of the Stop Climate Chaos campaign - made up of environment groups, humanitarian organisations and trade unions - he said everyone had to work together to make a difference." (10 Downing Street)

Not a recession then: "US greenhouse gas growth rate rose in 2004: EPA" - "NEW YORK - The growth rate of U.S. emissions of gases blamed for global warming rose in 2004, as the country burned more fossil fuel for transportation and electricity, according to federal environment regulators. The United States, the world's leading emitter of greenhouse gases, released about 7.075 billion metric tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent last year, according to a draft report from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The growth rate was stronger than in each of the previous two years with emissions rising 0.6 percent in 2003 and 0.7 percent in 2002. In 2001, when the economy was sluggish, emissions fell 1.6 percent, EPA said." (Reuters)

"CO2? I care more about my gear knob" - "I CARE more about the colour of the gear knob on my Mercedes SLK than the amount of carbon dioxide it produces. I’m not going show any interest in what comes out the back until there is 100 per cent agreement among scientists that CO2 will cause catastrophic climate change. For every scientist who claims that sea levels are going to rise 28 metres, I will find you an equally well-qualified one who says this is rubbish. If someone brings me conclusive evidence that I will save the world by switching to an ox then I will go out and buy one. But until then it seems crazy to close down the Land Rover factory in Solihull and throw thousands of people out of work." (Jeremy Clarkson, London Times)

"Americans Are Cautiously Open to Gas Tax Rise, Poll Shows" - "Americans are overwhelmingly opposed to a higher federal gasoline tax, but a significant number would go along with an increase if it reduced global warming or made the United States less dependent on foreign oil, according to the latest New York Times/CBS News poll." (New York Times)

People are 'overwhelming opposed' unless you manage to terrorise or mislead them enough. Right...

Moonbat: "For the sake of the world's poor, we must keep the wealthy at home" - "We all know the damage aviation does, but the government and the airlines want to turn the country into Airstrip One." (George Monbiot, The Guardian)

"Baltic states agree nuclear plant" - "The three Baltic states of Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia have signed an agreement to build a new nuclear power plant in Lithuania." (BBC)

"Scotland: Planners blown away by storm of objections over wind farm" - "PLANNING officials are being swamped with around 50 objections a day to a proposed new wind farm on a Lothian estate. Campaigners have delivered 7500 postcards to homes in Penicuik and surrounding villages in the hope of creating a groundswell of opposition. Midlothian Council has confirmed 718 people had written to the local authority by the end of last week - just a fortnight after power giant E.ON UK submitted its planning application." (Evening News)

"Toshiba to scrap coal power plant project with Orix" - "Toshiba Corp. will scrap a joint project with Orix Corp. to build coal thermal power plants in Ube, Yamaguchi Prefecture, because of concerns over global warming and profitability, officials said." (Asahi Shimbun)

"Programs Focus on Work Force for Nanotechnology" - "Who will operate the nanotechnology factories of the future? Will the public be able to make informed decisions about new nanometer-scale products and services? Will tomorrow’s nanotechnology industry face the same kind of backlash as today’s genetically-modified food industry? These are some of the questions that concern Nancy Healy. As education coordinator for the National Nanotechnology Infrastructure Network (NNIN), she’s helping develop educational outreach programs designed to ensure that tomorrow’s workers have the right skills for nanotechnology industries – and that the public will be able to separate nanotechnology fact from fiction." (Nanotech Wire)

"Public underestimates risks posed by common pathogens" - "The public’s understanding of food risk issues is skewed towards under estimating the danger from common pathogen contamination, according to a research survey." (Food Production Daily)

"Australia: New chief scientist cheers for GM foods" - "AUSTRALIA'S new chief scientist is an award-winning molecular plant science expert who preaches the benefits of genetically modified foods. After a nine-month search to fill the vacant post, CSIRO scientist Jim Peacock, 68, will take on the role of the nation's top adviser on science. Former chief scientist Robin Batterham resigned in May after a storm of controversy over his part-time role and claims of a conflict of interest with his private-sector employment as chief technologist at mining giant Rio Tinto." (The Australian)

"EU Farm Chief Lukewarm on Plan for GMO Crop Law" - "BRUSSELS - Europe's farm chief may have frozen her project for EU-wide rules to separate traditional, organic and genetically modified (GMO) crops, calling for more time for countries to develop their own national crop laws." (Reuters)

"GM potato no threat to health, says EFSA" - "A genetically modified potato product with altered starch composition poses no threat to human health, according to an EFSA panel ruling." (Food Navigator)

Fiends of the Earth misinformation campaign continues: "Ten Years of Genetically Modified Crops Fail to Deliver Benefits to Africa" - 'Ten years after the first significant planting of Genetically Modified (GM) crops there are no apparent benefits for consumers, farmers or the environment, and despite renewed promises by biotech corporations, there has been no impact on hunger and poverty, according to a report by the African Center for Biosafety and Friends of the Earth International.

The 100-page report "Who benefits from GM crops? Monsanto and its corporate driven genetically modified crop revolution" concludes that the increase in GM crops in a limited number of countries has largely been the result of the aggressive strategies of the biotech industry, rather than the consequence of benefits derived from using GM technology." (Public Agenda (Accra))

February 27, 2006

"AFM Media Release on USTR WTO Initiative to Remove Tariffs on Medicines & Medical Devices" - "AFM welcomes the USTR/Swiss & Signaporean WTO initiative to remove tariffs on medicines and medical devices. AFM and its allies from a broad range of organisations have been campaigning against these state imposed barriers to accessing medicines for some time and consider that this could be an important step to improving healthcare in poor countries." (AFM)

"Goldilocks Pricing" - "For years AIDS activists have claimed drug prices are too high. Would you believe now they think they're too low sometimes?" (Richard Tren and Roger Bate, TCS Daily)

"Disease hits 20% on French island" - "A crippling disease in the Indian Ocean island of Reunion has affected 157,000 people, one in five of the population, in the past year, health officials say." (BBC)

Try Indoor Residual Spraying with DDT (if in doubt get the South Africans to help you out).

"Surprising genetic differences ID-ed in southern house mosquito" - "PHILADELPHIA -- The southern house mosquito, found everywhere in the tropics and subtropics, is actually composed of genetically different strains, according to a team of researchers led by a scientist from The Academy of Natural Sciences. This research helps medical entomologists and doctors understand why certain infectious diseases occur in parts of the world but not in others depending on the presence of the disease-transmitting mosquito strains." (The Academy of Natural Sciences)

"New Study Finds 37% Higher Deaths on Low-salt Diets" - "Alexandria, VA (Feb 27)…. “Where’s the outrage?” responded the leader of the salt industry’s trade association upon publication of another study documenting either no health benefit of low-salt diets or actually higher risks for those who cut back on dietary salt. In this case, Americans who consumed the currently-recommended 2,300 mg/day of sodium had a 37% higher cardiovascular mortality rate." (Press Release)

"Lawsuits sickening us" - "Take two depositions and call me in the morning." If doctors could prescribe litigation to improve human health, every American would resemble an Olympian and reach age 110. Of course, the opposite is true. As the free-market Manhattan Institute discovered, the barrage of lawsuits battering the medical and pharmaceutical industries is incredibly expensive. Even worse, it shackles doctors, spooks researchers, and leaves patients sick or dead. Since 2003, the Manhattan Institute (which I am advising on a book project) has examined what it calls "Trial Lawyers Inc." (triallawyersinc.com). Twice the size of Coca-Cola, the $40 billion litigation industry is a hulking Goliath, not the plucky David it fancies itself." (Deroy Murdock, Washington Times)

"Animal lab supporters go on march" - "Hundreds of people marched in support of animal testing at Oxford University's new £18m biomedical research centre on Saturday. Students, academic staff and members of the public gathered near the lab site, being built under strict security. Anti-vivisection activists, who believe animal testing "belongs in the past", want to stop the centre opening. Supporters of the centre argue it is essential for research into treatments for human medical conditions." (BBC)

"Opposing sides in animal testing row pledge to step up action" - "Protesters for and against animal testing have predicted an escalating conflict after the two sides clashed during weekend demonstrations in Oxford. Both groups pledged to step up campaigns which have already resulted in death threats aimed at advocates of animal testing and panic buttons installed at the home of a leading provivisection protester." (The Guardian)

Oh for crying out... "Feds test alternative remedies and find them lacking" - "Should you care? The studies may not apply to all formulations and a placebo effect may be doing some good anyway." (Lindsey Tanner, The Associated Press)

They don't work but don't worry about it? People are sold useless and possibly dangerous crap by snake oil merchants and outright fruit loops while being bombarded with absurd claims against known content, known dose/strength compounds in medicines with tested effects and known risks - and that's OK? What kind of irresponsible rubbish is this? It's as bad as, actually part of, the 'organic', 'natural' insanity. If people gave some thought, applied even a modicum of intelligence, they'd realise the 'organic/natural' regime applied for millions of years, trapping people in short, miserable, disease-ridden lives, alleviated largely by the advent of the chemical industry and medicines. In short, the hysteria-inducing modern era, replete with so-called 'pollutants' and hazards, has seen human life spans double in the developed world in just over a century. Development, abundant cheap energy, chemistry, trade, [gasp!] multinational enterprise (a.k.a. the evil empire, big corporate...), industrial agriculture - the modern industrial world - has helped beat back 'nature', red in tooth and claw. One side-effect of development has been the freeing of time and effort that some misapply to pining for a mythical bygone Utopia of cute and cuddly harmony with a kind and benevolent 'natural' and 'balanced' world. What ignorant bullshit! </rant>

European duplicity: "Chirac urges calm over bird flu" - "The French president Jacques Chirac has told consumers not to panic over the discovery of the deadly H5N1 strain of bird flu on a turkey farm. Speaking at an agriculture fair in Paris, Mr Chirac said there was absolutely no risk in eating poultry." (BBC) | Bird flu: HK bans French poultry (Reuters)

Oh-ho! The infamous Precautionary Principle applies except to French produce? This from the people who run screaming from the very thought of biotech-enhanced food. Then again, France is one of the world's largest exporters of poultry with an industry worth 7bn euros ($8bn) so applying The Principle in this case would certainly hurt.

but wait - they actually cause it! "Factory farms behind bird flu spread" - "A new report released yesterday blamed the transnational poultry industry, and not small-scale poultry farming and wild birds, as the root cause of the global bird flu crisis. The spread of industrial poultry production and trade networks has actually created ideal conditions for the emergence and transmission of lethal viruses like the deadly H5N1 strain of bird flu, said Devlin Kuyek, of the Montreal-based international non-governmental organisation Grain." (Bangkok Post) | Report Blames Flu on Industrial Poultry Farms Not Backyard Birds (ENS)

Where do they find these headline writers? "Heavy ex-smokers remain at high risk for stroke" - this refers to the mass of former smokers, right? Nope, they meant people who formerly smoked heavily:

"KISSIMMEE, FLORIDA - People who smoked heavily in the past before quitting carry a long-term risk for stroke, warned doctors at the American Stroke Association's International Stroke Conference. "How much you smoked matters more than how long ago you quit," Dr. Sachin Agarwal told Reuters Health. "Smokers should quit as soon as possible, and new smokers should be aware that there will be a lifelong risk. Cessation can reduce risk but it can't erase it," he said." (Reuters Health)

"Go-ahead for Europe ice mission" - "The Cryosat mission lost in the Arctic Ocean last year minutes after launch from northern Russia will fly again. The European Space Agency (Esa) has agreed to build a copy of the original £95m (140m-euro) craft. Early estimates suggest Cryosat-2 could be ready to launch in three years." (BBC)

"Winter drought fears for wildlife" - "Concern is growing for flora and fauna in some parts of the UK because rainfall levels are well below the average for winter months. Scientists say trees and fish could suffer in the summer because of the lack of rain to replenish water stocks.

They say the situation is not as bad as in 1976, when millions of trees in England and Wales did succumb to the driest 16 month period on record. "The 1976 drought is a benchmark drought, not only in the UK but across many parts of Europe," said Terry Marsh, a hydrology expert from the centre. "While flows in some chalk rivers are fairly similar to levels in 1976, it is only in some, not many." (BBC)

Interesting that the drought of note should have occurred at the end of the period of cooling that caused such global angst. Let's have a look at this before the, uh, deluge of claims of 'global warming'-induced drought.

The England and Wales Precipitation data is available online here. Those who like to check under the hood and kick the tires will find a tiny increase in precipitation over the 240-year record, with an interesting smoothing of precipitation through the year - that is, there's been a little more rain in the drier December through May half and a little less in the soggier June through November half of the year. Sounds like good news for water managers in England and Wales.

Meanwhile: "UK: Met Office warns of heavy snow on way" - "Hopes that the advent of March would at last mean a reprieve from the winter will be dashed this week as heavy snow blankets large areas of Britain and strong winds make temperatures feel as low as -10C (14F), the Met Office warned yesterday. Up to 10cm (4in) of snow will fall in many places and as much as 20cm could fall in northern Scotland. Forecasters said the cold snap over much of Britain would reinforce the Met Office's prediction last November that the winter would be colder than average. It also adds credence to suggestions that the seasons have shifted slightly, with winter starting later and ending well into what has previously been considered spring." (The Guardian)

"UK: Barn owls are flying high again" - "Barn owls, the birds most fretted over by the nation's conservationists, are at last responding to years of tender care and attention. Last year, a record number of chicks fledged, and the species, once in seemingly unstoppable decline, is now doing better than it has for decades." (London Independent)

So barn owls thrive in warmer years then - guess conservationists are planning their campaign to halt moves to address 'global warming' in order to save the owls eh?

Whoops! Undesired reintroduction of endemic critters: "UK: Boar hunts may return" - "The burgeoning wild boar population rooting around in Britain's woodlands needs to be culled to halt an impending environmental disaster, scientists have said." (London Telegraph)

"We can't turn back tide: National Trust plans retreat in face of climate change" - "The National Trust is having to rethink its strategy because climate change is affecting hundreds of properties and stretches of coastline, the Guardian has learned. A stocktake on the impact of global warming and other forces of nature has concluded that "we can't always conserve things exactly as we once have. This goes for species, habitats, coasts or buildings". One of the most dire predictions suggests 169 sites along nearly 380 miles of coast will be hit by erosion. The report says 126 National Trust coastal sites are already at risk of flooding, with another 33 facing inundation by tidal and river water in the next 100 years." (The Guardian)

"Alert needed to understand climate change, researchers" - "OTTAWA - Perched on a plateau overlooking the Lincoln Sea on the northeast tip of Ellesmere Island stands the wind-beaten Canadian Forces Station Alert, which has been on the leading edge of atmospheric research for the past 20 years to help answer how the world's climate is changing. Originally established as a military base in 1950 to monitor weather and collect intelligence signals, Alert has evolved as a centre international scientists rely on for climate-change data. "It's bit of a Cold-War legacy that has had a lasting impact," said Scott Mitchell, who studies climate change at Ottawa's Carleton University. "We have a sparse network of stations that do this kind of research. To better understand what is going on, we need more of it not less. It's been very distressing as some of theses stations have had to shut down." (CanWest News Service)

Further Comment on the Feddema et al. (2005) Science paper “The Importance of Land-Cover Change in Simulating Future Climates” (Climate Science)

The Week That Was Feb. 25, 2006 (SEPP)

"Why Is Mt. Kilimanjaro Melting?" - "The glaciers on top of Mt. Kilimanjaro are melting, but nobody really knows why. Researchers have turned the peak into an extreme laboratory to find the answer. But it's a race against time -- the information archived in the ice must be unlocked before it melts." (Der Speigel)

"Owning up to global warming: It's time for Americans to face reality about climate change" - "Monterrey, Calif. - How can anyone living through today's bizarre and mutable weather not be concerned about global warming? This winter, New York had its largest snowfall in history on a Sunday, followed by a 60-degree day Thursday. A week later, I sat in the audience at the TED conference in Monterrey hearing Al Gore enumerate fact after fact that underscored the gravity of the changes in global weather." (David Kirkpatrick, FORTUNE)

Um, David? The 'reality about climate change' is that anyone who tells you they know what's happening and why is full of it. The only 'fact' available to Al is that we're pretty sure the planet's warmer now than when it was cooler, although we aren't too sure on why that has occurred or just how it compares historically.

"Looking to Life After Kyoto" - "LONDON - Even before the implementation of the Kyoto Protocol's first period can begin, a dialogue has been launched on limiting climate change after the current agreement ends in six years." (IPS)

"Climate change forecast getting worse" - "The outlook on climate change is getting grimmer. Ruth Laugesen reports." (Sunday Star-Times)

Actually the banner on this one is quite correct - the more that climate is study the wider the range on possible/guesstimated outcomes has become, now treble what it was just a few years ago.

"Climate of Uncertainty: Why global warming is back in the headlines" - "CLIMATE CHANGE IS HEATING UP again in American politics, the result of an orchestrated campaign to push the issue to the forefront. Al Gore is hitting the road with his animated computer slide show and has a documentary movie coming out. Climate action advocates skillfully exploited the Bush administration's clumsy moves to limit the public statements of NASA's chief climate scientist, Dr. James Hansen, and landed panicky stories about climate "tipping points" and scientific censorship on the front pages of the New York Times and Washington Post. The real head-turner, however, was the recent launch of the Evangelical Climate Initiative, in which nearly 100 evangelical leaders signed on to the environmentalist party line. Some are the same liberal evangelicals who tub-thumped for the nuclear freeze during the Reagan years, but some are conservative evangelicals important to Bush's red-state base, such as Rick (The Purpose Driven Life) Warren. When the eco-apocalypse meets the New Testament apocalypse, you know something is up. That something is a sense of political desperation among climate change alarmists, as the world slowly turns against them." (Steven F. Hayward, Weekly Standard)

"World lawmakers set up global warming monitor group" - "LONDON - Lawmakers and business leaders from around the world launched a campaign on Friday to push recalcitrant governments to take action on climate change. Accusing rich and poor alike of talking a good fight against but doing little, the parliamentarians from the Group of Eight rich nations and five major developing countries said their three-year goal was to force the pace." (Reuters)

"Once skeptics, Conservatives promise action on climate change" - "OTTAWA - Environment Minister Rona Ambrose is jetting to Bonn this weekend to prepare for talks on extending the Kyoto Protocol, and will soon unveil an ambitious new plan for cutting Canada's greenhouse emissions. Although the Conservatives opposed ratification of the climate treaty while in opposition, they appear to have undergone a conversion, promising to do a better job of cutting emissions than the Liberals ever did. "There's an action plan that we are going to move on very quickly," Ambrose said in an interview with The Canadian Press on Friday. "I'm very committed. The prime minister has given me a very strong mandate." (Canadian Press)

"German NGO Launches New Climate Protection Index" - "The German environmental NGO Germanwatch has launched a new international climate protection index, saying it offers a better basis for comparing countries' efforts to combat global warming. According to Germanwatch, the new Climate Change Performance Index will be an effective weapon in the struggle to reverse the dangerous effects of climate change, because, for the first time, it compares the effects of climate policy in the 53 countries that account for 90 percent of harmful emissions worldwide." (Deutsche Welle)

Hey lookit! There is a limit to what Flannery can shovel! "Watchdog bans solar ad featuring Flannery" - "A free-to-air television watchdog has prevented a commercial involving a prominent South Australian scientist from being screened, sparking claims of political interference. The advertisement for the Solar Shop in Adelaide featured Dr Tim Flannery. In the ad he described climate change as "the greatest threat facing humanity" - a statement which was rejected by the Commercials Advice regulatory body." | Free TV defends Flannery ad ban (Australian Broadcasting Corp.)

No, apparently he can keep on shovelling: Free TV reverses climate change ad ban (Australian Broadcasting Corp.) Disappointing, isn't it?

Figured Jonathan "the doomster" would have to run this again: "Acid seas kill off coral reefs" - "THE world’s coral reefs could disappear within a few decades along with hundreds of species of plankton and shellfish, according to new studies into man’s impact on the oceans. Researchers have found that carbon dioxide, the gas already blamed for causing global warming, is also raising the acid levels in the sea. The shells of coral and other marine life dissolve in acid. The process is happening so fast that many such species, including coral, crabs, oysters and mussels, may become unable to build and repair their shells and will die out, say the researchers." (Jonathan Leake, The Sunday Times)

Thing is, we study fossils of marine critters, mostly the shells and coral skeletons supposedly now being dissolved by ocean acidification, that grew when atmospheric carbon dioxide was an order of magnitude greater in concentration than it is currently. So neither current nor anticipated levels would seem likely to prevent formation of marine shells, would they?

"Soaring gas prices will lead to 7,000 layoffs in plastics sector" - "BRITAIN’s plastics manufacturers, which make goods as varied as toys, bottles, artificial hips and car bumpers, will this week warn energy minister Malcolm Wicks that 7,000 jobs are at risk in the industry because of crippling energy costs." (The Sunday Times)

"The Kyoto Bubble?" - "It is one of the hallmark features of a capitalist economy that investors will react to changes in policy and regulation in order to make money out of new opportunities. It is one the great risks of a capitalist economy that such speculation can be unfounded. With the current re-assessment of the west's energy policy in reaction to a number of fears -- global warming and energy security foremost among them -- it seems that both these phenomena are occurring. A lot of people are getting very rich as a result of policy changes, but there is substantial risk that we are seeing an energy frenzy develop. Economic historians might well look back on the first decade of this century as the days of the "Kyoto Bubble." (Iain Murray, TCS Daily)

"UK: Drive one of these? You're crass and irresponsible, says minister on warpath" - "DRIVERS of gas-guzzling cars are to be penalised under measures being developed to tackle climate change. Ministers are particularly keen to target the growing number of people who drive large 4X4s around cities and venture off tarmac only when parking on grass verges. In an interview with The Times, Malcolm Wicks, the Energy Minister, said: “There is crass irresponsibility in some of the larger monstrosities people drive around suburbia and in London. We have to move against this kind of thing.” (London Times)

"Can fungi trim the gasoline habit?" - "NEW YORK - Souped-up microscopic fungi could help cut the U.S. gasoline habit by converting a billion tons of agricultural waste into domestic fuel, while also slashing greenhouse gas emissions. As if that isn't enough, the concept has the blessing of the president -- an ex-oilman. On a tour of the Midwest this week, President George W. Bush reiterated that he wants to wean the United States off its "addiction" to imported oil, partly by funding research into new methods of producing ethanol -- a fuel currently made in North America mostly from corn kernels and in Brazil from sugar cane juice. Filamentous fungi and other microbes can be bred to break down an array of feedstocks, including wood chips, corn stalks and switch grass, that require no fertilizer and less input than traditional sources of the fuel." (Reuters)

"Oil Futures" - "Some experts believe the age of oil is near its end. Others insist that there are trillions of untapped barrels left -- and that the future of oil depends more on what happens above ground than below." (Drake Bennett, Boston Globe)

"With 6.5 billion, it’s hardly a lonely planet" - "Of course, it might have happened a week ago, a year ago. It might come next month. But by the reckoning of the U.S. Census Bureau’s World Population Clock, the planet will pass the population milestone of 6.5 billion people sometime this evening. Yet our world growth is leveling off — in some places, already dropping. And whether imploding or exploding, population changes are shaking societies." (Kansas City Star)

"MALAYSIA: Fighting the Flow of River Privatisation" - "PENANG - Plans to privatise three major rivers in densely populated Selangor state, in May, have sparked an outcry among concerned groups, alarmed at common natural resources falling into private hands." (IPS)

"Police arrest 2 additional suspects in sabotage and arson at tree farm" - "Two more people have been arrested in connection with a 2001 arson at a Clatskanie tree farm, bringing to 14 the number of people indicted in a broad-ranging investigation of politically motivated arsons in five Western states." (The Register-Guard)

"Largest study of human 'interactome' reveals a novel way" - "Discoveries made during the first large-scale analysis of interactions between proteins in our cells hold promise for identifying new genes involved in genetic diseases, according to researchers at Johns Hopkins and the Institute of Bioinformatics (IOB) in Bangalore. The findings, reported in the March issue of Nature Genetics, were made using a database of more than 25,000 protein-protein interactions compiled by the Hopkins-IOB team. The result is believed to be the most detailed human "interactome" yet describing the interplay of proteins that occur in cells during health and disease." (Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions)

"Biotechs say FDA ranges from good to 'horrifying'" - "BOSTON, Feb 24 - Biotechnology companies trying to get new drugs to the market have had experiences with U.S. regulators that range from productive to "horrifying" as they craft early development plans, senior executives told Reuters this week. Interactions can vary vastly between Food and Drug Administration divisions that review products and provide guidance to companies long before they seek approval to sell a drug, company officials said." (Reuters)

"Experts: Expanding biotechnology research in developing countries key to countering bioterrorism" - "Experts at the Canadian Program on Genomics and Global Health warn that global efforts to combat bioterrorism are on a potential collision course with legitimate biotechnology pursuits that hold the promise of improving life for millions of the world's poorest people." (University of Toronto Joint Center for Bioethics)

"Questions and answers about biotech crops" - "SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- Nineteen months ago Sean Darragh, a former U.S. defense, national security and trade official, became a leading promoter and new public face of the global agricultural biotechnology industry. Representing more than 1,100 biotech companies, academic institutions and state research centers, Darragh travels the planet as head of food and agriculture for the Biotechnology Industry Organization in Washington. As chief spokesman for a decade-old and still controversial technology used on 1 billion acres of farmland worldwide, Darragh tries to reassure a sometimes skeptical public that genetically modified food is both safe and good for the environment. U.S. farmers grow mostly herbicide-resistant corn, soybeans, cotton, canola, squash and papaya on 123 million acres. Darragh recently stopped by The Bee to talk about pressures to label biotech food for consumers, continuing safety concerns of public interest groups and his own faith in biotech science." (Sacramento Bee)

"WTO and Biotech Food: Who Really Won?" - "The long-awaited World Trade Organization decision on biotechnology applied to agricultural products, finally released earlier this month, elicited a great deal of buzz throughout the business, financial and biotech communities. Most analyses scored it a resounding victory for the United States and its co-complainants, and a stinging defeat for European protectionism." (Gregory Conko and Henry I. Miller, TCS Daily)

"McConnell’s U-turn signal on GM crops" - "THE first minister has signalled a U-turn on the Scottish executive’s ban on growing genetically modified (GM) crops in Scotland. Jack McConnell has launched a public consultation to identify ways of preventing GM organisms from contaminating conventional crops, paving the way for the commercial exploitation of the technology. A “voluntary” ban was agreed by ministers in 2004, after commercial trials in Fife and Inverness-shire. However, executive sources concede they they have little option but to allow commercial cultivation of the crops in the face of European rules that prevent governments imposing GM-free areas." (The Sunday Times)

"India: Sowing seeds for high yield, drug-resistant crops" - "In sharp contrast to European Union’s restrictive practices on GM crops, the area under biotech crops grew the fastest in India compared to rest of the world." (Financial Express)

"GM crops consultation planned" - "The Scottish Executive is to consult on ways in which genetically modified (GM) crops can be grown in Scotland. It comes after a series of trials in Aberdeenshire, Inverness-shire and Fife which ended in 2003 and resulted in an outbreak of direct action by environmentalists. At the moment no GM crops are grown in Scotland, although the Executive says it would consider any proposed scheme on an individual basis." (Press Association)

"EU Debates How Much GMO is Okay to End Seed Row" - "BRUSSELS - European Commission experts have analysed how much biotech material can be feasibly tolerated in seed batches, hoping to end an internal row over the EU's last major GMO law that has dragged on for three years." (Reuters)

February 24, 2006

"Weak Energy Week" - "This has been “Energy Week” for President Bush as he barnstormed around the country in follow-up to his State of the Union message that we need to break our so-called “addiction” to oil. But the habit that really needs breaking is his apparent addiction to the notion that government, rather than free markets, will solve our energy problems." (Steven Milloy, FoxNews.com)

"The Unhealthy World Bank" - "Paul Wolfowitz needs to get back to basics." (Roger Bate, TCS Daily)

"Scientists to speak out for animal tests - Oxford academics risk retaliation from extremists by going public" - "Two leading academics at Oxford University have decided to face down threats of violence from animal rights extremists and speak publicly in favour of the building of a controversial £18m research laboratory in the city. Although scientists are advised to remain silent for fear of attacks, Professor Tipu Aziz, a consultant neurosurgeon, and Professor John Stein, a neurophysiologist have told the Guardian they believe it is time to stand up to the radicals who have attempted to stop the project." (The Guardian)

"Canadian University Creates Hot Spot for Junk Science: Wi-Fi and Warnings" - "The British technology news site The Register reports that the president of Canada's Lakehead University has restricted the creation of Wi-Fi networks (which allow people to access the Internet through the air without wires) on campus, out of concern that the networks' radio transmissions might cause leukemia and brain tumors." (Todd Seavey, ACSH)

"Learning to love bacteria: Stanford scientist highlights bugs' benefits" - "Bacteria are bad. Mothers and doctors, not to mention the cleaning product industry, repeatedly warn of their dangers. But a Stanford University School of Medicine microbiologist is raising the intriguing idea that persistent bacterial and viral infections have benefits.

Stanley Falkow, PhD, the Robert W. and Vivian K. Cahill Professor in Cancer Research, is publishing his thoughts on this topic in an essay in the Feb. 24 issue of the journal Cell, in which he asks, "Is persistent bacterial infection good for your health?" The essay is based on a talk he was invited to give at Cambridge University in November.

Falkow points out that the medical community and those who fund medical research focus on curing disease. He wonders if this single-mindedness might distract researchers from appreciating the beneficial contributions of micro-organisms to the body." (Stanford University Medical Center)

"Benefits of eating seafood outweigh risks" - "Though some species of fish around the world's are likely to be contaminated with mercury, PCBs and other toxins, the benefits of eating seafood continue to outweigh the risks, a panel of scientists recently said at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. "The best science coming out over the last two years has overwhelmingly been in favor of the benefits of seafood consumption," said Michael T. Morrissey, director of Oregon State University's Seafood Laboratory in Astoria, Ore., and moderator of the panel." (Oregon State University)

"Eating Some Crow on Fat" - "The last few weeks have been unkind to the hypotheses of the lifestyle medicine crowd." (John Luik, TCS Daily)

Amazing... "Neighborhood may help prevent childhood obesity" - "NEW YORK - The neighborhood an adolescent lives in may influence his or her development of obesity, new study findings suggest. Specifically, investigators found that adolescents from close-knit neighborhoods were less likely to be obese. Close-knit neighborhoods exhibited strong collective efficacy -- neighbors get along and are willing to help each other, and many adults are role models for adolescents. "There is an obesity epidemic in this country and treatment has focused on diet and exercise with relatively little success," study author Dr. Deborah A. Cohen, a senior natural scientist at the Santa Monica, California-based RAND Corporation, said in a company statement. The current findings imply that it may be necessary to "look at the neighborhood environment as potentially very important in controlling the obesity epidemic," she told Reuters Health. "The social environment that a child lives in is very strongly associated with how active they are, what they eat and how much they eat," she said." (Reuters Health)

Kids get out, run and play together and are less likely to be little butterballs? You wonder how they work this stuff out...

"Safety of Post-Hurricane Sludge Is Disputed" - "Floodwaters from Hurricane Katrina deposited arsenic, lead and petrochemical compounds across greater New Orleans in amounts that are potentially dangerous to human health despite federal and state assurances that the sludge is safe, according to a new study based on Environmental Protection Agency data. The study, which was conducted by the Natural Resources Defense Council and is being released today, urges the government to clean up the waste before permitting young children to return to the struggling city." (Washington Post)

By NRDC... who cares?

"'Jurassic Beaver' find stuns experts" - "The discovery of a new, remarkably preserved fossil of a beaver-like mammal that lived 164 million years ago is shaking palaeontologists’ understanding of early mammals." (NewScientist.com news service)

"New evidence that natural selection is a general driving force behind the origin of species" - "Charles Darwin would undoubtedly be both pleased and chagrined. The famous scientist would be pleased because a study published online this week provides the first clear evidence that natural selection, his favored mechanism of evolution, drives the process of species formation in a wide variety of plants and animals. But he would be chagrined because it has taken nearly 150 years to do so." (Vanderbilt University)

"Fossil wood gives vital clues to ancient climates" - "New research into a missing link in climatology shows that the Earth was not overcome by a greenhouse period when dinosaurs dominated, but experienced rapid fluctuations in temperature and sea level change that resulted in a balance of the global carbon cycle. The study is being published in the March issue of Geology. "Most people think the mid-Cretaceous period was a super-greenhouse," says Darren Gröcke, assistant professor and Director of the Stable Isotope Biogeochemistry Laboratory at McMaster University. "But in fact it was not to dissimilar to the climates over the past 5 million years." (McMaster University)

"Europe ice mission decision due" - "The UK scientist behind the lost Cryosat probe is to learn on Friday whether his mission will be re-built. Prof Duncan Wingham proposed and masterminded the multi-million-pound satellite, which fell into the Arctic Ocean last year when its rocket failed. The European Space Agency (Esa) is expected to approve "Cryosat 2" at high level talks in Italy, amid calls from the worldwide scientific community. The craft was to study how polar ice is responding to climate change." (BBC)

Virtually: "Inside the ozone layer: Researchers quantify stratosphere damage with an eye toward ozone hole recovery" - "A new atmospheric model is able to quantify man-made versus naturally occurring damage to the stratosphere with an eye toward repairing the diminishing ozone layer that is located within the stratosphere. That's the premise of a paper published in this week's Science titled, "Anthropogenic and Natural Influences in the Evolution of Lower Stratospheric Cooling." (University of Miami Rosenstiel School of Marine & Atmospheric Science)

New Paper on Why We Need to Adopt a Vulnerability Paradigm With Respect to Climate Variability and Change (Climate Science)

Not adhering to the Sierra Club's script: "Uncertainty expressed over global warming" - "Earth sciences professor Eric Posmentier explained the complexities and uncertainties surrounding global climate change on Wednesday in his lecture entitled "A Climatologist's View of Climate Change -- Facts and Fallacies." The speech was part of a series of lectures on climate change, and was co-sponsored by the Department of Earth Sciences and the Sierra Club, which supports the passage of legislation intended to slow climate change. Postmentier stressed that definitive answers on global warming and climate change in general, are "intrinsically impossible to generate." (The Dartmouth)

That model world again: "Anthropogenic and Natural Influences in the Evolution of Lower Stratospheric Cooling" - "Observations reveal that the substantial cooling of the global lower stratosphere over 1979–2003 occurred in two pronounced steplike transitions. These arose in the aftermath of two major volcanic eruptions, with each cooling transition being followed by a period of relatively steady temperatures. Climate model simulations indicate that the space-time structure of the observed cooling is largely attributable to the combined effect of changes in both anthropogenic factors (ozone depletion and increases in well-mixed greenhouse gases) and natural factors (solar irradiance variation and volcanic aerosols). The anthropogenic factors drove the overall cooling during the period, and the natural ones modulated the evolution of the cooling." | Full Text | PDF | Supporting Online Material (Science)

Hmm... the stratosphere cooled following explosive volcanic events and that's caused by people. Right... I just plotted the last decade's numbers from here (actually 1/96-12/05 - keeping clear of volcanic eruption effects) and found the trend weakly positive at a time when tropospheric warming from greenhouse gas emission should hypothetically induce discernable stratospheric cooling (the allegation being that increased infrared capture by tropospheric GHGs makes less energy available to warm the stratosphere).

If enhanced greenhouse causes tropospheric warming and stratospheric cooling as postulated then the trend sign of the inverted stratosphere temperature anomaly track must equal the sign of the tropospheric anomaly track - clearly this has not been true during the last decade of allegedly massive enhanced greenhouse warming. The question now is whether it is the world that is broken or the enhanced greenhouse hypothesis.

"Cleaning up the air one trade at a time" - "Futures exchanges are Wall Street darlings, but creating one requires "obsession" and "insanity," said Richard Sandor. He ought to know. Since the 1970s he has converted skeptics into believers as one of the inventors of what has become the multitrillion-dollar futures market. Today Sandor, 64, is wealthy, lauded as a financial genius and at work on what he predicts will be another crucial market. He's two years into running a Chicago-based exchange where members voluntarily trade air pollution reduction credits." (Chicago Tribune)

One itty-bitty problem - the "air pollution reduction credits" don't actually deal with a pollutant. Despite the ridiculous manner in which research is currently reported, witness increased plant water efficiency being treated as a "flood threat" rather than making more fresh water available, the simple fact remains that carbon dioxide is an essential trace gas, the current relative abundance of which is terrific news for the biosphere.

Uh-huh... "Get ready for worst drought in 75 years, water firms told" - "Water companies in south-east England have been told that if they delay introducing hosepipe bans and other water-saving measures households may get water for only a few hours a day and standpipes will have to be introduced as in the drought of 1976. In what is shaping up to be the worst drought in 75 years, scientists warn that despite two weeks of average rains, the environment will suffer seriously unless the next few months are exceptionally wet." (The Guardian)

February, 2001, wasn't it? The floods we were told would become the norm due to 'global warming' - if memory serves Cambridge got clobbered in both February and October of that year. Now the South-east expects its worst drought since 1930 eh? So, what does Hadley's Central England Temperature dataset tell us? 1930 (dry) was apparently 9.43 °C, last year (apparently dry) was 10.43 °C and 2001 (big "W" Wet) was... 9.93 °C - precisely dividing "dry temperatures" - which suggests South-eastern England's rainfall and temperatures may not be correlated either positively or negatively.

"UN warns world on Africa drought" - "The world is in danger of allowing a drought in East Africa to become a humanitarian catastrophe, the UN warns.

... Mr Bondevik said global climate change was the root cause for the failure of the past two rainy seasons, and it was incumbent on the global community to come to the aid of those at risk." (BBC)

"Japan: More coal-fired power plants threaten emissions targets" - "Japan's efforts to cut carbon dioxide emissions may be compromised as more coal-fired thermal power stations, which emit large amounts of the greenhouse gas, are being built, prompting the Environment Ministry to dig in its heels over the need to introduce an environment tax." (Kyodo News)

"UK NAP rejection will cost £350 million – business leaders" - "London, 23 February: UK industry will face increased costs of around £350 million ($614 million) after the European Commission's decision to reject the UK's amended emissions plan, according to business leaders." (Environmental Finance Publications)

"INTERVIEW - British Nuclear Scientists Say Waste not a Problem" - "SELLAFIELD - Nuclear waste, the spectre haunting the industry, will not pose a problem if Britain decides later this year to build a new generation of nuclear power plants, scientists said on Thursday." (Reuters)

"US nuke industry wants no Yucca waste dump limit" - "WASHINGTON - The Bush administration should remove federal limits on the amount of nuclear waste that could be stored at a proposed waste dump in the Nevada desert, U.S. nuclear industry lobbyists said on Thursday. The government's plan to build an underground waste dump in the Nevada desert about 90 miles northwest of Las Vegas is more than 10 years behind schedule and continues to be plagued by scientific foul-ups and political stonewalling. In coming weeks, the Bush administration is expected to send its latest legislative proposal to Congress, with the aim of moving the stalled plan forward. Republican Pete Domenici, chairman of the Senate Energy Committee and a nuclear industry proponent, will lead that effort in Congress. Officials at the Nuclear Energy Institute, which lobbies for the utility owners of the 103 U.S. nuclear power plants, say the administration should remove the 77,000-ton limit (70,000 metric tons) on waste allowed at the site." (Reuters)

"Here Comes Lunar Power" - "It's not on Bush's alternative-energy agenda yet, but moon-driven tides, ocean currents, and waves generate more oomph than wind and are more consistent than solar." (Business Week)

"Shell linked to £2bn takeover of wind turbine firm" - "The oil major Shell was linked yesterday to a possible $3.5bn (£2bn) takeover of a leading wind turbine manufacturer, adding to the excitement around the alternative energy sector. The value of Vestas rose 6% on the Copenhagen stock market amid mounting expectation that a major oil group could make a symbolically important move into "green" technology. Shell declined to comment. There has been a massive surge of City interest in what has been seen until recently as a fringe part of global stock markets, helped by the high profile given to the government's energy review." (The Guardian)

"UK: High Ecohomes standard sends build costs soaring" - "The average cost of building a new home has hit nearly £130,000 because of the Housing Corporation's requirement that it meets the Ecohomes very good standard. From April all new grant funded homes must achieve a rating of at least very good. A cost analysis of the requirement, carried out by consultants Cyril Sweett for the corporation, has found for a three-storey steel frame home this would cost an average of £128,000. For a small two-storey home constructed from brick and block it would cost more than £80,000. The figures came as corporation chief executive Jon Rouse was due to address the Ecobuild conference, calling on both housing associations and the private sector to meet the very good standard." (Inside Housing)

"Political Boundaries Are Not -- and Ought Not Be -- Economic Boundaries" - "The practice of using political boundaries to define economic boundaries is troublesome. In fact, the term "American economy" is more misleading than useful." (Donald Boudreaux, TCS Daily)

"First drug from transgenic animal fails to get EU approval" - "PARIS - The European Union's medicines watchdog announced it had turned down a bid from a US firm hoping to be the first to market a drug derived from a genetically-modified animal. In a press release, the European Medicines Agency (EMEA) in London said it had rejected the application for ATryn, a protein derived from the milk of genetically-engineered goats." (AFP)

"Genetically modified soy trade expected to continue" - "Ecologists and traders believe that Romania's decision to forbid genetically modified (GM) soy cultures beginning in 2007 will not impede its presence on the European market, according to Reuters. Romania is the only European producer of genetically modified soy; however, representatives of ecological groups say that these cultures should have been forbidden long before Romania was scheduled to enter the EU." (Bucharest Daily News)

February 23, 2006

Um... no. "Net gains for Africa" - "The United States all but eradicated malaria in the 1950s with drugs and the pesticide DDT. But in tropical Africa, where the parasite is widespread and mosquitoes can breed in a cow's footprint, malaria remains entrenched. The death rate has increased over the last few decades as the parasite became resistant to once highly effective drugs. DDT, banned in the U.S. for harming the environment, is still used in limited circumstances as a house spray, but it is not the miracle worker some suggest it could be if only Western aid groups would get behind it." (LA Times)

Indoor Residual Spray (IRS) with DDT has some significant advantages over Insecticide Treated Nets (not being remodelled into wedding dresses, for one) and provides protection for a household rather than just the number of people who can fit under a bed net. Additionally, mosquito resistance to DDT largely takes the form of avoidance so it remains equally effective keeping mosquitoes away from sleeping people, which is the object of the exercise. Moreover, IRS with DDT is a significantly cheaper option than distribution of bed nets and the frequent re-treatment these pyrethroid-soaked nets require - a critically important consideration for poor countries. DDT is not a magic wand but a major adjunct in the required broad assault on malaria. Failure to incorporate such a useful treatment demonstrates a cavalier disregard for the massive financial and human cost of this largely preventable disease.

"Frog 'key to mosquito repellents'" - "Some research is catchy and sounds interesting, but offers little in the way of practical applications - this seems to be the case with research from Australia which finds secretions from a frog may be an effective mosquito repellent. Interesting ... but of little use to malaria control." (AFM)

"Cancer Prognosis" - "It didn't attract a lot of media fanfare, but two weeks ago the National Center for Health Statistics announced some spectacular news. The number of Americans dying from cancer fell for the first time in decades. This achievement against one of mankind's most dreaded diseases is the medical equivalent of putting a man on the moon.

Just a few years ago health officials warned of an epidemic of U.S. cancer deaths. One and a half million Americans will be diagnosed with the disease this year. And with a toll of half a million deaths a year, cancer is still one of the leading killers in America -- partly because death rates from infectious diseases have fallen precipitously over the past century. But the National Cancer Institute rightly hails the new data as "powerful evidence" that "we are on the right track to eliminating the death and suffering due to cancer." (The Wall Street Journal)

"Study shows relationship between oral and cardiovascular health" - "New research is reinforcing the longstanding belief that a connection exists between periodontal disease, or severe gum inflammation, and cardiovascular disease. But according to Moise Desvarieux, MD, PhD, infectious disease epidemiologist in the Department of Epidemiology at Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health, the nature of the relationship is still unclear and patients cannot rely only on good oral hygiene as a way to reduce their risk for heart disease--they must manage other risk factors for the disease as well." (Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health)

"500,000 people, a span of decades - and a waste of time and money?" - "The world's biggest medical experiment - an attempt to understand the interaction between genes and the environment in affecting health - will begin next week amid mounting criticism from scientists that it is a badly designed project of questionable scientific value and likely to give misleading results." (The Guardian)

"Censorship blamed as Canada medical editors fired" - "OTTAWA - The top two editors of Canada's leading medical journal were fired this week, two months after they accused their publisher of ordering them to censor a critical article. Dr. John Hoey, who had edited the Canadian Medical Association Journal for 10 years, and his deputy Anne Marie Todkill lost their jobs on Monday. The Canadian Medical Association denied the move was linked to disagreements over an article last December that criticized pharmacists, saying instead it felt the time had come to change editors." (Reuters)

"Landmark US Lead Paint Suit Finds Companies Liable" - "PROVIDENCE - Three former lead paint makers were found liable Wednesday for poisoning thousands of children in Rhode Island in a landmark lawsuit that could trigger a wave of litigation against the industry." (Reuters)

"The Anti-Kelo Case: Oregon offers the nation a model for reform" - "On a list of states with the worst property-rights protections, Oregon has long held a top position. So hearty congratulations to that state's landowners, who this week won a long struggle for more control over their acreage, and in the process may become a model for land-use reform across the country." (Opinion Journal)

"Good for America" - "Isn't this precisely what the U.S. preaches? Don't we want places like Dubai to fight terror and to grow, to invest, to expose themselves to the rest of the world and thus become tolerant and moderate? But congressional leaders are trying to kill the deal." (James K. Glassman, TCS Daily)

"Big Problem, Dubai Deal or Not" - "WASHINGTON, Feb. 22 — In the political collision between the White House and Congress over the $6.8 billion deal that would give a Dubai company management of six American ports, most experts seem to agree on only one major point: The gaping holes in security at American ports have little to do with the nationality of who is running them." (David E Sanger, New York Times)

"Questions for the 'Portgater's" - "The will toward terrorism transcends neat geographical boundaries." (Gregory Scoblete, TCS Daily)

"Ports in a Storm" - "The current dust-up over the proposed purchase of the British port company Peninsular & Oriental Steam by Dubai World Ports is like a fun-house mirror -- distorting our national politics, and our understanding of and engagement with the global economy." (Zachary Karabell, The Wall Street Journal)

"If Cattle Flew" - "Look at the airports. Why would terrorists bother with seaports?" (Peggy Noonan, Opinion Journal)

"Sticks and Summers" - "All in all, not a bad start on the week for the pietistic right and left." (Robert McHenry, TCS Daily)

"Coup d'Ecole" - "Harvard professors oust Larry Summers. Now they must face their students." (Ruth Wisse, Opinion Journal)

"Hey, Harvard, Hire Me!" - "You have just effectively fired Harvard president Larry Summers. I request that you consider me as his replacement." (James D. Miller, TCS Daily)

In case you were wondering: "Smile if (and Only if) You're Conservative" - "To bemused conservatives, it looks like yet another example of analytic overkill by the intelligentsia -- a jobs program for the (mostly liberal) academic boys (and girls) in the social sciences, whose quantitative tools have been brought to bear to prove the obvious. A survey by the Pew Research Center shows that conservatives are happier than liberals -- in all income groups. While 34 percent of all Americans call themselves "very happy," only 28 percent of liberal Democrats (and 31 percent of moderate or conservative Democrats) do, compared with 47 percent of conservative Republicans. This finding is niftily self-reinforcing: It depresses liberals." (George F. Will, The Washington Post)

The Constant Groaniad: time for British films to grow up (EnviroSpin Watch)

"Science Journals Deliver 'Political Science'" - "Last May, a Korean report in Science magazine prompted headlines around the world by declaring it had made tremendous advances in the heretofore disappointing field of embryonic stem cell (ES cell) research. It has now prompted much soul-searching in media land. “How could we have been fooled?” reporters are asking themselves in print." (Michael Fumento, Human Events)

"Changes in reef latitude: Is pollution causing regional coral extinctions?" - "Since the 1980s, researchers have hypothesized that nutrient levels rather than temperature are the main factor controlling the latitudinal bounds of coral reefs, but the issue remains controversial. New results from an extensive survey of reefs in South Florida by a Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institution research team strongly support this hypothesis. The research suggests that, by supporting blooms of harmful seaweed, increasing nutrient pollution levels are reducing the areas where reef-building coral can survive, a result the team believes it is directly observing in Florida waters." (Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institution)

"Greenland Sets Hunting Limits for Polar Bears" - "COPENHAGEN, Denmark — Greenland's government on Wednesday introduced the ice-capped island's first hunting quota for polar bears, which scientists believe are threatened by the effects of global warming." (Associated Press)

Polar Bear Scare on Thin Ice

Why We Need to Focus on Regional Tropospheric Temperature Trends (Climate Science)

"Ban Bottled Water? Yes, Minister!" - "Sir Humphrey?" "Yes Minister?" "Have you seen this report in The Times today? They say that mineral water is contributing to climate change...here, have a read:" (Tim Worstall, TCS Daily)

"It's Getting Warmer" - "We've had "global warming" for more than a decade -- the hottest decade on record world-wide. Is this the "greenhouse effect" that scientists have been warning about, a response to increased carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, or is it some natural, not man-made, climatic change?" (Thomas C Schelling, The Wall Street Journal)

Trying to talk up the next 'big thing': "Global warming breaches the dyke around corporate world's consciousness" - JUST five years ago the investment community treated the words "environment" and "socially responsible investing" pretty much in the same way that Superman reacted to kryptonite.

Global warming has changed that, particularly now with data showing that last year was the hottest year on record and warnings from scientists that climate change is already causing death and disease across the world through flooding, heatwaves and other extreme weather.

Peter Kinder, the president of Boston-based KLD Research and Analytics, an institutional investment social research firm, says consensus is growing among the big investors that global warming is now too big a risk to ignore.

The wilder weather combined with the potential impact on water availability and outbreak of pests and diseases has linked environmental impact with business risk. As a result, socially responsible investment is moving into the mainstream." (The Age)

Sorry Peter, people are beginning to check under the hood and kick the tires on the old global warming scare and are finding it lacks substance. The so-called hockey stick representation of recent past climate is being/has been falsified (the National Research Council of the National Academies has just empanelled a blue-chip committee to look into it). Analysis of 135 years instrument records indicate a global trend from a period of unfortunate cold of just +0.05 °C/decade (HadCRUT2v: one-half of one degree per century - GHCN-ERSST trend is 20% smaller over 125 years) and a similar look at three and one-half centuries of instrument measurements in central England indicate the trend to be a tiny +0.02 °C/decade (just seven tenths of one degree over 350 years). The more we look, the more we find this is just noise and nonsense. Serious investors will look at the numbers and those in the great 'global warming' prospectus just don't add up.

Will the EU survive Kyoto? "EU Rejects British Carbon Emissions Plan" - "BRUSSELS / LONDON - Britain cannot raise the amount of pollution industry can emit under the European Union's trading scheme, the EU executive said on Wednesday, despite a court ruling allowing Britain to alter its first emissions plan." (Reuters)

"UK: Introduction Of New Building Regulations Speeded Up To Maximise Impact On Climate Change" - "The Government has tightened the time for the building industry to comply with new climate change regulations, Housing and Planning Minister Yvette Cooper announced today. Transitional arrangements have been cut from the usual maximum of three years to just 12 months to speed up take up of the regulations to maximise their impact on climate change." (Government News Network)

"Japan: Environment Ministry turns off heat to cut CO2" - "The Environment Ministry has turned off the heating in its buildings in Kasumigaseki, Chiyoda Ward, Tokyo, for a week from Tuesday because the reduction of carbon dioxide emissions, both nationally and from its own buildings, has not been progressing as the government expected." (Yomiuri Shimbun)

"US Fuel Supply Problems Seen as MTBE Dropped - EIA" - "WASHINGTON - The US East Coast and Texas regions that use reformulated gasoline may face local supply disruptions and price spikes as oil refineries switch to blending the motor fuel with ethanol, the government's top energy forecasting agency warned Wednesday." (Reuters)

"Clean Coal New Goal: Premier makes fresh push" - "EDMONTON -- Premier Ralph Klein touted Alberta's massive energy deposits as key the financial future of the province -- but he wasn't talking about oil and gas. In his annual TV address to Albertans last night, Klein spoke about the need to expand research to help "to unlock coal's massive potential." (Calgary Sun)

"Researchers develop alternate method to dispose nuclear liquid waste" - "An alternate method of processing certain liquid wastes into a solid form for safe disposal has been developed by researchers at Penn State University and the Savannah River National Laboratory. The solidified form has been called a hydroceramic and is an improved alternate to other forms and processes. This research is published in the Journal of the American Ceramic Society." (Blackwell Publishing Ltd.)

"COMMODITIES - Bullish Palm Looks to Biofuel for Future" - "KUALA LUMPUR - Dreams of powering automobiles and energy plants have propelled palm oil prices to a near one year-high before a key industry conference this week in top producing country Malaysia. But intermittent pressure of late on prices of crude oil - the sole factor that decides the viability of green fuels other than the environment - makes some wonder if producing palm diesel will make economic sense in coming years." (Reuters)

"Shocking news for power users" - "If Google is worried that its giant servers will struggle to find the electricity they need, what hope is there for domestic PC owners?" (The Guardian)

"Wave goodbye to the daily grind" - "Microwaving rocks to release the minerals inside could save the mining industry millions and halve its use of electricity." (The Guardian)

Organic toxic waste: "Pig manure swamps German village" - "A village in the German state of Bavaria is recovering after being flooded with liquid pig manure." (BBC)

II: "Charles will have to avoid politics, say analysts" - "LONDON - Prince Charles may see himself as a political dissident out to sway public opinion but once he ascends the throne silence should reign supreme, royal watchers said on Wednesday. The Queen's eldest son was plunged into a constitutional row this week when legal action he took to defend his privacy spectacularly backfired." (Reuters)

"Revision of EU organic rules slammed" - "Revision of the EU Council regulation governing organic food would allow GM contamination and obscure the local origins of organic food, according to the Soil Associations Peter Melchett. Melchett, policy director at the UK-based pressure group, said that the proposed revision would risk nearly one in a hundred mouthfuls of organic food being GM and impose a generic 'EU-Organic' label on all organic food." (Food Navigator)

"Hens' teeth not so rare after all" - "Scientists have discovered that rarest of things: a chicken with teeth – crocodile teeth to be precise. Contrary to the well-known phrase, 'As rare as hens' teeth,' the researchers say they have found a naturally occurring mutant chicken called Talpid that has a complete set of ivories. The team, based at the Universities of Manchester and Wisconsin, have also managed to induce teeth growth in normal chickens – activating genes that have lain dormant for 80 million years. Professor Mark Ferguson, one of the scientific team at the University of Manchester, says the research – published in Current Biology this week – has major implications in understanding the processes of evolution. It could also have applications in tissue regeneration, including the replacement of lost teeth in humans." (University of Manchester)

"'Pharmed' goats seek drug licence" - "Imagine you could get life-saving medicines from milking a common farmyard animal. That idea moves a step closer to becoming a reality this week, as the European Medicines Agency (EMEA) considers the final stages of an application to licence a natural human protein extracted from the milk of goats." (BBC)

"China moves towards approval of GM rice" - "In spite of prevailing official caution, the prospect of reversing a steady decline in total rice production and reducing the use of pesticides which poison hundreds of farmers each year are likely to prove compelling factors as China weighs up the pros and cons of genetically modified rice." (Checkbiotech.org)

"Seeds of dispute" - "It's Argentina v Monsanto in the battle for control over GM soy technology, writes Oliver Balch." (The Guardian)

"Romania Dumping GMO Soy May Not Stop Spread – Greens" - "BUCHAREST - The decision by Romania, Europe's only producer of genetically modified soy, to stop growing it from next year may not prevent its spread into the biotech-wary European market, green groups and traders say. Representatives of green groups, in interviews this week, said a ban on GMO’s should have come into force well before Romania joins the European Union either next year or in 2008." (Reuters)

"India: Imported soya oil will now need genetic certification" - "KOLKATA: The sudden spurt in crude soya oil import into the country last month has alerted the agriculture ministry. Alarmed by a 136% spurt in the month-on-month import of 1.1 lakh tonne of the oil in January this year, the ministry is now backing the industry’s demand of making genetic certification mandatory for imported crude soya oil." (Times of India)

February 22, 2006

"PepsiCo Urged to Stop Opposing Shareholder Resolution Requesting Disclosure of Charitable Contributions; Mutual Fund Says Pepsi Should Join Boeing, Coca-Cola and Citigroup and Allow Shareholders to Vote on Corporate Giving Transparency" - "Washington DC February 20, 2006 – Action Fund Management LLC (AFM), investment adviser to the Free Enterprise Action Fund (www.FreeEnterpriseActionFund.com), called on PepsiCo Inc. to cease its opposition to a shareholder resolution requesting the company to disclose its business rationales for charitable contributions." (PR WEB)

"WHO/HQ renames and reorganizes malaria department" - "We think this could spell good news from WHO. The newly appointed head of malaria control, Dr Arata Kochi seems to be shaking things up at WHO's malaria control unit and Roll Back Malaria (RBM). RBM is widely seen as a failure, so Dr Kochi's efforts are more than welcome." (AFM)

"Food experts say public has inadequate understanding of food risk issues" - "A recent study shows that food safety experts have little confidence in the public's understanding of food risk issues. The study is published in the Journal of Food Safety.

Researchers surveyed 400 food safety experts in Ireland to determine what they think about the public's understanding and knowledge of food risk issues, including factors such as what they think contribute to this knowledge as well as the gaps in understanding, and how they feel this could be rectified.

The experts believe that the public under-assesses the risk associated with some bacteriological hazards that are prevalent and overestimate the risks posed by hazards with low prevalence such as mad cow disease. They noted that the level of education and age were important determinants for the level of understanding of risk issues and messages, but also were of the view that the media tend to communicate information that is misleading." (Blackwell Publishing Ltd.)

"Those Dirty Rats" - "Worried about the Times' aspartame and cancer scare? Drink up, you'll live longer." (Duane D. Freese, TCS Daily)

"EU plans to ban new thermometers with mercury" - "BRUSSELS - The European Union may soon ban new thermometers that contain mercury, to minimise the risk the heavy metal poses to humans, ecosystems and wildlife, the EU executive said on Tuesday. The Commission, which administers and instigates laws for the 25-country EU, wants to ban the marketing of mercury in new fever and room thermometers, barometers and blood pressure gauges due to its serious threat to health." (Reuters)

"Turn Your Head and Cough" - "Are cough medicines useless at best and dangerous at worst?" (John Luik, TCS Daily)

Wonder how these poll questions were framed: "Most Britons willing to pay green taxes to save the environment" - "Most British people would accept new taxes on goods and services that damage the environment, according to a Guardian/ICM poll which reveals a widespread willingness to make personal sacrifices to tackle the threat of climate change. Some 63% said they approved of a green tax to discourage behaviour that harms the environment, while 34% said they would not accept such price rises." (The Guardian)

"Threat to reef not serious" - "THE Great Barrier Reef is as resilient to environmental change as a cockroach is to a nuclear war, a James Cook University scientist claims. Presenting a public lecture yesterday on whether or not the reef was facing a significant environmental threat, physicist Peter Ridd concluded the reef was in 'excellent shape' and threats such as coral bleaching and agricultural run-off were not as serious as commonly believed. Scientists have warned the reef could be Australia's canary in the coalmine, signifying climate change, but Dr Ridd suggested it was more like a cockroach, in a way that it is a lot hardier than we gave it credit for." (Townsville Bulletin) | Barrier Reef fears 'a beat-up' (AAP)

"Stop the Stalin comparisons" - "Some liberals just can't help themselves. Given the slightest hint that someone somewhere in the Bush administration has strayed from the straight and narrow on any issue and in any fashion, they will roll out the Hitler comparisons, or, depending on the mood, they will tell you that the truly apt analogy is to Stalin." (Jay Ambrose, Scripps Howard News Service)

"Science And Fiction" - "Climate Change: Environmentalists are ridiculing President Bush for meeting with novelist Michael Crichton and for being "in near-total agreement" with his skepticism of global warming. But Crichton isn't just spinning tales." (IBD)

Direct from the source: "Kioa relocation not priority: Tuvalu PM" - "Tuvalu’s Prime Minister, Maatia Toafa says his government does not regard rising sea levels as such a threat that the entire population would need to be evacuated. Radio New Zealand reports that this comes after a Melbourne-based campaigner, Don Kennedy, called for all the people on Tuvalu to be moved to the Fiji island of Kioa. Kennedy says this is needed because within 30 years Tuvalu may become uninhabitable due to climate change and rising sea levels." (Tuvalu Online)

Land Surface Change and Carbon Management - Implications for Climate-Change Mitigation Policy (Climate Science)

Consensus Statement on Hurricanes and Global Warming (Prometheus)

Eye roller: "NZ to capitalise on climate change, conference told" - "A climate change conference in Adelaide has been told Australia may have to buy most of its food from New Zealand in the future. Nick Marsh from Next Corporation, a consultancy firm in Auckland, says Australia is predicted to get drier and New Zealand wetter. He says Australia will find it difficult to produce food at current levels, which will put pressure on the country to source quality produce from across the Tasman." (Australian Broadcasting Corp.)

Looks like 'Next Corporation' should change their name to 'Wishful Thinking'. For the record, as the planet has apparently warmed through the Twentieth Century Australia experienced a statistically significant increase in rainfall. While it is true that much of Australia is poorly watered it retains vast untapped water resources in the tropical north that can and will be utilised when the need is sufficiently great - despite current natur über alles obstructionism.

Carbon crackpots' worldview: "UK carbon map reveals effect of energy policies" - "Aberystwyth has emerged as one of Britain's most fuel-efficient towns thanks, perhaps, to its population of student pedestrians and lack of through traffic. It produces considerably less than half the carbon emissions per head of cities such as London, Sheffield, Coventry and York, according to figures compiled by a Government-funded body." (London Telegraph)

"Brussels rejects Mandelson bid to lift UK emissions quotas" - "The European Commission is poised to reject the UK's attempt to increase its allocation of carbon dioxide emissions, despite the last-minute intervention of Peter Mandelson. The British Government has been fighting to add 20 million tonnes to the amount of carbon dioxide that UK industry is allowed to emit each year. It won a court case in November, which forced Brussels to look again at the issue. Last week Mr Mandelson, Europe's trade commissioner, intervened on Britain's side, but he has been seen off by his environment counterpart, Stavros Dimas. It is understood that Mr Mandelson found himself "completely isolated" on the issue among Europe's commissioners." (London Independent)

From CO₂ Science Magazine this week:
Editorial:
River Runoff: The Effect of Atmospheric CO 2 Enrichment: What does it tell us about the relative strengths of the biological and climatic impacts of the historical increase in the air's CO 2 content on earth's hydrologic balance? ... and what does it imply about the planet's climate sensitivity to radiative forcing?

Medieval Warm Period Record of the Week:
This issue's Level 3 Medieval Warm Period Record of the Week is from Piermont Marsh, Hudson River, New York, USA.  To access the entire Medieval Warm Period Project's database, click here.

Subject Index Summary:
Climate Model Inadequacies (Soil Moisture): Would you believe that model simulations of the effects of CO 2 -induced global warming on soil moisture contents are about as wrong as they could possibly be?

Plant Growth Data:
This week we add new results (blue background) of plant growth responses to atmospheric CO 2 enrichment obtained from experiments described in the peer-reviewed scientific literature for: Loblolly Pine, Perennial Ryegrass, Subterranean Clover, and White Clover.

Journal Reviews:
Evidence of 20th-Century Declining Pan Evaporation in China: How substantial is the evidence, what is causing the decline, and what does the decline imply?

Reconstructing Summer Temperatures in Central Europe: A 1052-year tree ring proxy identifies the not-so-elusive Medieval and Little Medieval Warm Periods.

Effects of Temperature on Human Mortality in Scotland: From the highest temperatures experienced in all seasons of the year, cooling leads to ever more deaths from essentially all non-accident causes.

Spring Barley Production in a CO 2 -Enriched and Warmer Central Europe: A study from the Czech Republic makes one wonder why the idea of CO 2 -induced global warming is so feared by the leaders of many European countries.

Carbon Sequestration in a Tallgrass Prairie Soil: How is it affected by atmospheric CO 2 enrichment? (co2science.org)

"What's Wrong with Free Trade in Biofuels?" - "Politicians sure like to pile up the rural waste product when talking about ethanol and America's "energy security." President Bush joined the shovel brigade when he spoke of switch grass as a cure for America's "addiction to foreign oil." Is there a pony in there somewhere?" (Holman W Jenkins Jr., The Wall Street Journal)

"Exaggerated claims are now made for alternative heating systems, writes Jeff Howell" - "The current obsession with saving the planet is creating plenty of marketing opportunities for the unscrupulous. A growing number of firms seem to think they only have to describe a product as "sustainable" or "environmentally friendly" and people will buy it." (London Telegraph)

They're after your ventilation: "Home improvements may face energy efficiency test" - "Homeowners may be required by law to make their house substantially more energy efficient if they build an extension, including a conservatory, or undertake more general home improvements, under plans being advocated by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. The plans may extend to the renovation of commercial buildings." (The Guardian)

"Powered by pooches" - "Rather than let pet dung go to waste, experts explore its energy potential." (Carolyn Jones, SF Chronicle)

"£5m donor accuses Cameron of education U-turn" - "Right-wing discontent over David Cameron's efforts to ditch Thatcherism intensified yesterday when he was accused of committing a U-turn on education by one of the party's largest donors. Stuart Wheeler, who set a record for single gifts when he gave £5 million to the Conservatives in 2001, said he was "disappointed" that Mr Cameron now opposed increased selection in state schools. Mr Wheeler, who made a vast fortune from setting up a spread betting company, also dismissed the environmental commission set up by Mr Cameron, which includes the green campaigner Zac Goldsmith, as "pie in the sky". His comments followed recent speculation that an anonymous donor cancelled a £250,000 contribution because of concerns about the direction the party is taking under Mr Cameron." (London Telegraph)

"Member States stump up for plant genomics" - "“Plants are essential to human life,” says the team behind the ERA-NET Plant Genomics (ERA-PG) initiative which announced its first joint call for proposals to help structure this field of research in Europe. With a budget in the tens of millions, this is one of the largest joint calls in the ERA-NET scheme with 11 national funding organisations committing to it." (Europa)

"Wanted - Labels for Genetically Engineered Products" - "MEXICO CITY - Labels on foods sold in Latin American countries don't indicate whether they contain genetically engineered ingredients. There is legislation on the books in Brazil, but companies aren't complying with the requirement. In Mexico the laws on the matter are imprecise, and in Chile a new law is expected soon." (Tierramérica)

February 21, 2006

The Eco-Jackboot on Our Energy Throat - No. 5, (2/20/06) - New legislation to open the Outer Continental Shelf to oil and gas driling is being opposed by -- guess who? -- environmental activists, according to a report in today's Washington Post. The Post reports, "The Minerals Management Service has estimated that the entire Outer Continental Shelf -- including areas where drilling is allowed and banned -- holds 86 billion barrels of undiscovered and recoverable oil and 420 trillion cubic feet of natural gas. The Chamber of Commerce says the natural gas resources could satisfy all industrial and commercial needs for almost 30 years. By comparison, ANWR is estimated by the U.S. Geological Survey to hold 10.4 billion barrels of recoverable oil and 8.6 trillion cubic feet of natural gas." The Sierra Club is whipping up local business groups against OCS drilling with fears of possible pollution. Florida is the main battleground where enviros have pressured Florida Senators Bill Nelson (D) and Mel Martinez (R), and Rep. Connie Mack (R) to oppose OCS drilling.

At least they include some caveats: "The Safety of Aspartame" - "Aspartame, an artificial sweetener used by more than 200 million people around the world, has passed numerous safety evaluations in the past quarter-century. It is used as a tabletop sweetener (Equal, NutraSweet) and as an ingredient in more than 6,000 processed foods, including diet sodas, desserts, candy and yogurt, among others. But now comes a provocative if inconclusive report that says aspartame may cause cancer, even at levels long considered safe. There is no reason for panic, but surely good reason for regulatory authorities to look again at this much-studied sweetener.

But the study could turn out to be a false alarm. There was an abnormally low incidence of cancers in a key control group, which could have made the cancer rate in rats fed aspartame look worse than it really was. And there was only a very weak relationship between the doses of aspartame administered and the cancer rate, which makes it hard to be sure that aspartame was causing the tumors. This study needs to be analyzed by other researchers and possibly followed up by additional animal studies." (New York Times)

"Encourage ethics in the laboratory" - "Hwang Woo-Suk has gone from bearing the lofty title "Supreme Scientist" of South Korea to facing possible criminal charges. His collaborator, American Gerald Schatten, has been charged with "research misbehavior" by a university review panel.

In what may be the biggest scientific fiasco since the supposed discovery of cold fusion in 1989, the two men headed a group of Korean scientists who published findings last year claiming they had produced 11 stemcell lines using cloned human embryos. In January, Korean investigators concluded the data in the study had been faked. The US-based journal Science retracted papers it had published describing the findings.

Unfortunately, the wayward scientists aren't alone. In December, editors at the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) said that a report it published in 2000 on the drug Vioxx contained inaccurate information about its potentially severe side effects. And a Norwegian cancer researcher, Dr. Jon Sudbo, admitted falsifying data and conclusions in studies published in the NEJM, the Journal of Clinical Oncology, and the British medical journal The Lancet." (Christian Science Monitor)

Sadly, a large part of the