Weather, Water, Energy 2-28-07

So Gore's an energy hog. Just look at that bill, charging the higher rate for energy that he gets because he's signed up for power from renewable sources, for a "house" that also serves as the offices for his staff. G-d--m that energy hog. . . . Here, via Grist, is all you need to know to take down any "reasonable" argument about how nuclear power is the answer. . . . El Nino gone, La Nina on the way (sorry, tilde challenged)? Usual effects? Typically, during the U.S. spring and summer months, La Niña conditions do not significantly impact overall inland temperature and precipitation patterns, however, La Niña episodes often do have an effect on Atlantic and Pacific hurricane activity. And, “The last lengthy La Niña event was 1998-2001, which contributed to serious drought conditions in many sections of the western United States,” said Douglas Lecomte, drought specialist at the NOAA Climate Prediction Center. . . . Western drought, you say? Well, didn't we say the other day that seven states there have reached a regional agreement to conserve and cooperate. Won't be enough, says this op-ed in the Christian Science Monitor. But, still, they've at least established the infrastructure for when they have to do the real stuff they'll have to do. They might serve as the model for the rest of us. It's not like we're not going to get hit at all. We need to get ready, too.