Weather, Water, Energy 5-7-07

• Clearer and clearer that China gamed the IPCC on its last report and the usual gullible types were so pleased to have them at the table that they compromised and overlooked enough to free China to do whatever it wants, including continuing the more than one new coal-fired power plant it's building per week. What do the Chinese people think? Well, since the government isn't allowing much IPCC reporting, it's kinda hard to tell.
• Meanwhile, France's new leader is calling out Bushnev to get serious about global warming. Another European conservative who knows that serious action isn't anti-conservative. Except France is the one pushing nuke. And along that line, does it make you feel good that the folks who gave us Chernobyl are advising Slovakia on nuke plant development?
• Wind power as an alternative to carbon is serious stuff now, but planners really do need to take bird migration into account when siting these things.
• Nice illustration of the problems of trying to legislate "green" but not being specific enough (probably to avoid the hard decisions that p--s off voters) and leaving it to bureaucrats to finish the details and getting everyone, well, p--sed.
• Also nice to see--Dakota papers doing a serious job on whether corn and ethanol are the unmitigated dream come true for area farmers, especially when issues like crop rotation and the fertilizer needed are factored in. Everyone says they're aware of the possible problems. Sorta like global warming.