Weather, Water, Energy 6-19-07

Quick hits:

At Terra Daily, find out about how it's good for the US to lose #1 status. In CO2 emissions. China on top now. Tell us again how you don't need to be restrained until the US is, eh, you commies? Also, a plan to close arctic waters (you know, the ones that used to be ice?) from development until a management plan can be put into place. My god, speaking of communist. And climate models continue to get better, and continue to blow holes in the criticisms.

At Climate Progress, good stuff on whacking liquid coal, despite its whores in Congress, especially given the extreme demands its creation will place on water. Also, check out how they catch Reuters in a massive "error" (aka lie) about nuclear power potential, catch the killer of the electric car in the US, and review a new book on our global warming politics. (Another review of same book can be found at RealClimate.)

And at Grist, where David Roberts is supplying good things about the bad ideas floating around DC here, here, here, and here, they also explain why we need to be focusing on the “Energy Payback Ratio,” why coal is bad even if liquid and its sequestration sounds more and more like a con game, and why people saying protests aren’t as effective as giving money to advocacy groups really haven’t done the research. Plus, news on how Google might be the deep pockets needed to give some serious technological boost to energy development and distribution through plug-in hybrid cars that could get 100 mpg.