Today, the Earth got a little hotter, and a little more crowded.
Stephen Colbert takes the Polar Plunge here, highlighting the dim lights who don't understand how global warming can create both extremely cold and hot weather.
The new US-China climate pact packs a lot of punches.
OO The U.S.-China CO2 Deal Is An Energy, Climate, And Political Gamechanger
increasing chances of a 2015 global climate agreement to avoid catastrophic change, and ensuring that carbon-free energy will be the dominant source of future new energy.
OO The New Climate Deal With China May Actually Help The US Economy
OO China's Gigantic New Commitment To Renewable Energy, Explained
"That target will light a fire under China's already-aggressive renewable deployments and put even stronger limits on coal and other fossil fuels."
President Obama and China President Xi Jinping shake on a global climate pact. Phys.org
OO What Climate Scientists Have To Say About Obama's Deal With China - it can have a significant impact on climate change, and undercuts delaying arguments saying China should move first.
OO U.S.-China Climate Deal Another Blow To Big Coal - as China, a major coal burner, pledges to peak its emissions, and get 20% of its power from renewables by 2030.
ActOnClimate/Twitter
OO What You Need to Know About U.S.-China Climate Pact - the US pledges to cut carbon pollution up to 28% below 2005 levels by 2020.
SOLAR KEEPS RISING
Hmmm... which one, which one.... This is a trick question, right?
http://bit.ly/GoSolarAmerica
OO US: SunEdison, TerraForm Buy First Wind to Become Renewable Project Giant
OO Staples Helps Mainstream Customers Hunt For Solar Panels
Watch US Solar Grow presented by GreenTechMedia
OO US: SunPower Is Tripling Solar Capacity, Boosting Cell Efficiency, And More!
OO New 'Solar Cloth' Allows Solar Cells to Stretch Across Parking Lots, Stadiums - being flexible and weighing far less than traditional solar panels, it is ideal for thin, weak roofs.
OO 'Scandalous' Solyndra Program Actually Earned Taxpayers A $5 Billion Profit
OO SolarReserve Is Part of the South African Solar Surge
Check it out here, right now!
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GOOD CLEAN NEWS
OO U.S. Pledges $3 Billion To Developing Countries To Fight Climate Change
President Obama is getting ready to wield the green sword of his position to fight climate change for all Americans.
OO The Coming Climate Onslought - President Obama readies a sweeping list of executive actions. Way to go, O!
OO Historic US-China Climate Deal Is a Sign of Clean Energy's Growing Political Strength
China's willingness to adopt emissions targets reflects its confidence in non-fossil energy
OO The World's Biggest Battery Is Being Built For Southern California's Grid
OO Air Force Tests First EV Fleet With Two-Way Power Flow in California - energy market participation could cut vehicle costs in half.
OO India: Man Plants Forest, Becomes Film Star
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WHAT WORKS
Speaking Out:
OO Protecting Your Family From Fracking - listen to the pros via itunes or download.
OO Parents Protests Payoff: Company Halts Fracking Plan Near School
OO A New Poll Finds More Americans Oppose Fracking Than Support It
OO Hundreds Rally Against Proposed Natural Gas Pipeline In Massachusetts
Worried about local environmental impacts.
ggg 
Illegal logging destroys beautiful forests, and important carbon storage systems. Rhett Butler at mongabay.com
OO Greenpeace Investigation Prompts Belgian Authorities To Seize Timber Shipment - from illegal loggers.
Good Ideas:
OO GM's Latest Plan To Combat Climate Change: Protect Grass via a carbon credit program; grasslands help store carbon.
OO Send President Obama a Pen to Veto the Pipeline!
Informed Leadership:
Australians protest their government's climate denial stand with a mass "heads in the sand" demonstration. 350.org
OO At G20, Obama Leapfrogs Australia's PM With Call To Action
Population Matters:
Planned Parenthood
Keeping Carbon Footprints Down:
More Teens Want LARCs, Long Term Reversible Contraceptives reports Allison Batdorff at the Record Eagle. They are safe for teens, says the American Academy of Pediatrics, and take the human error out of preventing pregnancy.
LARCs range from toothpick sized implants to IUDs. At $500-$1000 per implant, they are far cheaper, both in money and carbon emissions, than a baby - and a far happier alternative to an unwanted baby.
Insights:
OO 2013, 2014 Polar Intrusions into US :
Fueled by Jet Stream Weakened From Global Warming
NASA: A Stark Portrait of The Yearly Atmospheric Cycle of CO2
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WHAT DOESN'T WORK
Fossil Fuel Follies:
OO 6 Years Of Current Emissions Would Blow The Carbon Budget For 1.5 C Warming
OO India's Coal Rush Could Tip Us All Into Irreversible Climate Change - gotta keep prodding them into solar power...
Epilogue: BP continues to complain about paying for the tremendous mess it created. Wikipedia.
OO BP Tries To Pay Less For The Gulf Oil Spill, Again
OO Shell Ignored Faulty Pipeline Warnings Before Massive Nigeria Oil Spills documents show.
OO Why The U.S.-China Climate Deal Makes Keystone XL Pipeline An Even Worse Idea
Bad Habits:
Wikipedia
OO Pope Francis To World Leaders: Consumerism Creates Constant Environmental Assault
OO Palm Oil Production Poses Problems for the Climate
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WHY WE SHOULD ACT NOW: RISING RISKS
Daily Climate Change: Global Map of Unusual Temperatures, Nov 24, 2014
How unusual has the weather been? No one event is "caused" by climate change, but global warming, which is predicted to increase unusual, extreme weather, is having a daily effect on weather, worldwide.
Looking above at recent temperature anomalies, much of the US and the waters surrounding it are experiencing warmer than normal temperatures. Although some rain has reached California the eastern Pacific warm spot continues and so does the state's drought.
Much of the areas surrounding the North Pole are experiencing much warmer than normal temperatures - not good news for our Arctic thermal shield of ice. Hotter than usual temperatures continue to dominate human habitats.
OO NASA, Other Data Show Globe Had Warmest October - making a string of 3 record-breaking hot months on the planet.
OO At This Rate, The World Will Have To Stop All Carbon Emissions In 2040
To Stay Under 2°C Warming says IEA; even as clean energy expands, so does the deadly practice of burning fossil fuels.
Source: Climate Central
Lightning Expected To Increase 50% With Global Warming says a new study, reports Science Daily. Lightning ground strikes are driven by deep explosive convection, mainly fueled by water vapor, which has been increasing as the atmosphere warms and absorbs it. With more lightning strikes, expect more death and destruction from lightning-caused wildfires, says Jeff Masters at Weather Underground.
KEEPING CARBON STORED: FORESTS UPDATE
Forests: the cheapest way to store carbon
Mongabay
OO Surprising Reasons To Be Optimistic About Saving Forests - the causes of deforestation are becoming more manageable, and new tools are coming online that will help conserve them.
OO Reducing Deforestation Is Good For Business argues a new report.
OO Leaf Bacteria Are Important To Tree Health and may help forests adapt to climate change.
OO Only Place Where Rhinos, Tigers, Elephants, And Orangutans Coexist Is Under Threat
OO 'Guns Kill Trees Too':
Overhunting Raises Extinction Threat For Trees
OO 'Militarized Occupation': Local Communities Pay The Price For Palm Oil
There is, of course, much more news on the consequences and solutions to climate change. To get it, check out this annotated resource list I've compiled, "Climate Change News Resources," , at Wordpress.com here. For more information on the science of climate change, its consequences and solutions you can view my annotated list of online information resources here.
To help you understand just what science does and does NOT do, check this out!
Every day is Earth Day, folks, as I was reminded by this beetle I photographed recently in South Africa. Making the U.S. a global clean energy leader will ensure a heck of a lot more jobs, and a clean, safe future. If you'd like to join the increasing numbers of people who want to TELL Congress that they will vote for clean energy candidates you can do so here. It's our way of letting Congress know there's a strong clean energy voting bloc out there. For more detailed summaries of the above and other climate change items, audio podcasts and texts are freely available.
Happy Thanksgiving, Everybody!!
For a great, sugar-free appetizer try this: place a cinnamon dusted apple slice on top of a bagette slice, add a slice of plumped (rehydrated) mission fig, a pecan half, and top with a slice of jack cheese -- or be really naughty and use brie!! Repeat for the number of desired appetizers, then bake all at 375 til cheese melts in oven. Remove and serve!