Top 10 Global Warming Stories of 2007

What events or actions had the most positive or negative impact on the likelihood that the nation and the world will act in time to avoid catastrophic warming? Here are my picks:

#10. Over a barrel: Oil nearing $100. Technically not a global warming story -- but who can doubt that part of the renewed interest in energy policy in general and alternatives/efficiency in particular is due to record oil prices? Certainly OPEC is a bit worried. And if, as many believe, this is evidence that we are nearing peak oil -- then this story foreshadows even more dramatic changes in the future.

#9. Australian denier bites the dust -- literally: Conservative Prime Minister John Howard of drought-riddled Australia lost perhaps the first national election in which global warming was a pivotal issue. The immediate impact was Australia signing the Kyoto protocol -- further isolating this country. But a much bigger impact may be felt if U.S. progressives come to see that fighting global warming is not just the morally right thing to do -- it is winning politics.

#8. The climate, it is a changin': The painful reality of global warming is becoming obvious to more and more people in 2007, as the weather gets more and more extreme. Australians reversed their thinking in large part because of the brutal multi-year drought they are now in (see here and here and here). Then we have the brutal droughts in this country (see here), which are increasingly being linked to global warming. Same for the record-breaking wildfires. The Brits know climate change is behind their record flooding. Same for the Chinese.

#7. Delayers/Deniers Double Down. In spite of the painful obviousness of climate change, the incontrovertible science linking it to human activity, and the graver and graver warnings of potential catastrophe -- many Deniers, like Sen. James Inhofe (R-OK), just continue putting out the same old disinformation in new packages or obsessing over meaningless NASA data revisions. A lot of people seem simply impervious to the facts and to science -- and desperate to cling to any media stories or studies, however inaccurate, that seem to undermine the overwhelming body of evidence. And then we have the emergence of the Delayers, who say they believe in global warming but show that they really don't get it by embracing only voluntary technological strategies, which can't get us to 550 ppm, let alone the 450 or less we need to avert catastrophe. Remember, only 41 Senators representing a small fraction of the American people, can stop serious domestic action -- if they so choose. Heck, they stopped a measly 15% renewable electricity requirement and a shift of money from unneeded oil subsidies to vital clean energy technologies -- imagine what they'll do with a serious climate bill. And 34 Senators can stop this country from ratifying any international treaty. The mindless -- and self-destructive -- implacability of conservatives could easily be the top story of the year and -- spoiler alert -- in some sense it is.

#6. Fewer fools on the Hill. While the deniers/delayers remain locked in the past, those who believe in action took control of both houses of Congress this year, a key reason we got tougher fuel economy standards passed and a real climate bill out of the Senate Environment and Public Works committee. The only way we'll get serious enough climate action domestically to give us the credibility needed to bring China and other countries along is if we have a filibuster-proof majority in the Senate. Let's hope 2008 Congressional elections continue the trend.

#5. A Convenient Truth: Outside of the Washington DC Beltway, most people, politicians, businesses, and even the media are open to the facts and the science. Inspired by Al Gore and climate scientists -- who shared a well-deserved Nobel Prize -- we've seen a sea-change in thinking and action on global warming. States have taken the lead in climate action, accelerating clean energy, and shunning new coal plants, while businesses have embraced carbon regulations and many have begun spending serious dollars on clean tech. Eventually, political leaders will have to catch up with everyone else.

#4. The China Syndrome: China's rapacious construction of coal power plants continues unabated, driving global CO2 emissions to much faster growth than even the IPCC had projected in its worst-case scenario. And the Wall Street Journal just reported "In the last two years, China has built nearly 20 plants that convert coal into a gas that can be used to make such things as plastic and pharmaceuticals." 2007 may be the year China passed this country in total carbon dioxide emissions. If China won't agree to cap emissions in the not too distant future, say, 2020, then it can, by itself, make any global climate deal unworkable and kill any chance of stabilizing below 450 ppm (or 550, for that matter).

#3. Ice, Ice maybe not: Shocking Arctic ice loss this year, coupled with further evidence that the great ice sheets are losing mass a century earlier than the IPCC had predicted -- and two major studies saying sea level rise by 2100 may exceed one meter. The most dramatic evidence of global warming is what happened to Arctic ice this summer, which itself has direct implications for drought in the Western U.S. (subs. req'd). Probably the most serious threat humanity faces is rapid sea level rise from the disintigration of the ice sheets (and loss of the inland glaciers that provide hundreds of millions with fresh water). If the planet becomes motivated to act in time, I think ice -- or the lack of it -- will be a major driving force. Certainly it has alarmed some of the top climate scientists in the world....

#2. Desperate Scientists: The world's top climate scientists beg for action. First, we saw the IPCC's bleak Fourth Assessment Report (summarized here), which warns that human emissions, left unchecked, could lead to rapid, multi-meter sea level rise; loss of most species; and widespread drought and desertification. Second, we heard IPCC head, Rajendra Pachauri, warn, "If there's no action before 2012, that's too late. What we do in the next two to three years will determine our future. This is the defining moment." Finally, more than 200 scientists signed a statement asserting that, to avoid catastrophic impacts, global greenhouse gas emissions "must peak and decline in the next 10 to 15 years, so there is no time to lose." (And this isn't even counting the repeated dire warnings of our nation's top climate scientist, James Hansen, such as here and here and here, for instance.) Any sane person would be listening to our climate scientists -- and an increasing number are, but not everyone....

#1. Bushwhacked: Thanks to the misleadership of our President, the world took no action at Bali to reduce emissions, we had a sham international "climate summit," the country continues to take no national action on greenhouse gas emissions, Congress was forced to drop almost all non-oil-related provisions to cut GHGs from the energy bill, the EPA blocked California and other major states from regulating tailpipe GHGs on their own, the Administration keeps muzzling climate scientists, and it keeps misallocating scarce clean tech dollars to hydrogen fuel cell vehicle research at the expense of real and timely solutions like energy efficiency and renewables -- and that's just the stuff we know about for sure!

Thanks to Cheney Bush and his henchmen (and henchwomen), the nation and the world have lost another crucial year -- and are almost certain to lose another one next year -- when, in fact, "What we do in the next two to three years will determine our future." Our person of the year, who mistakes inflexibility for leadership, and consistency for wisdom, has also made the story of the year: President George W. Bush doesn't just fiddle while the planet burns, he actively fans the flames and thwarts the fire-fighters.

Comments

[lamarguerite]

Agree with your concluding remark. Mr. Bush is the number one enemy as far as global warming is concerned. If we look at the fight against global warming as a chess game, the first move is to neutralize George as fast as possible, and to elect the right next president.

http://lamarguerite.wordpress.com

[jgo]

The same scientists who claimd global cooling are now calling global warming,they do need their government grant money.
Please just tell us two things.
How much are you planning to tax our footprint and how many degrees the tempurture rose last century,since we invention of the combustion engine.
Again man has false pride to actually think anything he does will change mother nature.
When you hear the debate is over, it usually means you have a weak case.

[Dendroica]

That parenthetical "and henchwomen" line, Gregory Peckory?

Who is maaaking those new brown clouds...

[Mr.Fitz]

The propaganda machine is not to be underestimated on this issue, especially with young, conservative voters. These people believe, for example, that while the north pole is melting, the south pole is freezing; or, that if there really were global warming, Canada and Siberia would be more comfortable. Then you have the ever-present Adam Smithians/Randians, who believe that the market will sort everything out for us.

[jgo]

FALSE PRIDE

Just tell us how much you want to tax us.

"CONCORD, N.H. (AP) - Today's snowstorm made this month the snowiest December in New Hampshire in more than a century.

The National Weather Service in Gray, Maine, said Concord, where New Hampshire records are kept, beat the previous record of 43 inches of snow in December by an inch and a half.

[MSB]

This IS the issue which will determine whether the earth continues to support an urban humanity or not.

We are witnessing why humanity may fundamentally fail. Many human beings do not use their intellect to rationally distill facts. If we filter facts through a lens which is about profit, faith (religious), or both we will potentially end up extinct.

We are NOT in a position to hope for a possibly bright 'endgame'. We need to be interpreting the facts given the scientific information we have and acting accordingly. It is INSANE to not act conservatively where the environment is concerned. It is irritating that many 'conservatives' fail to embrace even the most rudimentary elements of their ideology.

[maddogbitesback]

The biggest story is the people who act like lemmings and rush to the cliff. Any idiot can prioritize his needs. They do not include flat screen tvs that cover the wall. They do not include cars which are inefficient. They do not include fast foods. They do not include trillions of plastic bags annually and billions of non recyclable paper cups. People - rich people - in the past, used less per capita than poor people do to-day. Think about it. I do not buy anything in an aluminum can and they could be legislated out of existence but for the marketting and lobbying of corporations. The story goes on ad nauseum.

[HansB]

"President George W. Bush doesn't just fiddle while the planet burns, he actively fans the flames and thwarts the fire-fighters."

The best summary of Bush's environmental record I've seen. Every word of it is true.

[jdm58]

It is unfathomable to me that there are still people out there who believe climate change is a hoax. The utility/energy/automotive lobbies are actively engaged in spreading this misinformation, and in shaping the political agenda of the next election. Make no doubt about it- the politicians who are up for re-election are being reminded daily who butters the bread for their prospective states. To change this pattern, two things MUST happen:
The public will have to take it's most active stance in history- i.e., actually VOTE!!! It is frightening to think how Bush Co. stole the 2000 election by a few votes, in one state.
Job growth in environmental related fields must show a steady increase, to allay any fears of loss of income being spread by the interests of the status quo.

[Dendroica]

I think the biggest stories are the one's that the press doesn't tell us.

For one, while many on the right (including that idiot "science" writer Tierney for the NYT) fail to mention was while the US had a mild hurricane season, Mexico had two category fives hit the mainland in 10 days, the first time that has happened in recorded history. They also don't seem to mention that the real reason the Arctic cap is melting isn't the warmer weather above water, but below. This year's historic melt was caused mostly by warmer waters, not warmer air temps. Water temp has a much greater latency, and it takes years and years for it to correct. So while the air temps may have moderated in the last decade (still the warmest 10 year period in history) the waters are getting warmer and warmer.

Which spells significant dangers for the polar ice.