Weather, Water, Energy 3-6-07

Newsweek International has a major piece on global warming and, particularly, on the problems so far associated with one of the standard "solutions"--emissions trading--with details galore. I'm consistently bemused by people who advocate magical market remedies without taking into account all the structural requirements, almost always set by law and government, necessary for that "free" market to work effectively. Anyway, good overview of the topic. (Was it in the National?) . . . Meanwhile, over at Grist, a very nice analysis of how conservatives, who should be leading, you know, conservation, are splitting into realists and denialists, with a great rundown of both groups. The business guys will end up winning this and we're starting to see which way they're breaking, and it's not Bushnev's way. . . . Speaking of divisions, the EU countries can't agree on how to get emissions down and how much nuclear should be involved. Of course, the French are pushing nuke, and you really don't mind so much when you think about all the things that can go wrong with it. Just keep in mind as you read that they're the ones who "get" the problem and are the most likely to do something. And keep in mind that EU citizens overwhelmingly don't want to rely on nuclear, yet the government whor . . . ministers want to push it. And here in the US our "officials" have set renewable energy goals that won't stop the buildup. Makes you warm and fuzzy, doesn't it? . . . We deservedly catch flak in the US on our contribution to the global warming problem, but the horrendous pollution issuing from China and other Asian nations has gotten so bad that it's having a bigger impact on global climate than scientists had previously thought. . . . David Roberts at Grist has a good blogroll from yesterday, including links to stories on Big Coal and carbon sequestration, the stalling out of the Kyoto Treaty, Clinton's analysis of why Denmark is growing economically while keeping its carbon footprint low, and all the water used by coal-fired plants. . . . Changing climate may be drying up India's "wet desert" and may be making all of Tunisia's years of managing desertification moot. . . . On the other (wet) hand, however, marine life in European seas has been whacked by global warming, even just moderate warming, as this excellent overview discusses. Think what happens when the curve shoots pretty much straight up. . . . But let's finish on a positive note. While most corals have a very narrow temp range to survive in, there's a Caribbean coral that deals with warmer water much better. Finding it gives scientists a chance to do some serious analysis of how corals work and the damage might be mitigated. And that's good news for all of us.