Weather, Water, Energy 8-30-07

Warming = Drought + Flooding = Less Wheat, according to reports reported by TIME. Here’s what you’ll love hearing: "Lobell says global warming has already begun to take food off the world's table. According to a recent study he and his colleagues conducted, the temperature increase that occurred between 1981 and 2002 reduced major cereal crop yields by an annual average of 40 million metric tons — losses worth $5 billion a year. Those losses are sobering, but nothing compared to what might be in store: A recent study sponsored by the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research forecast a 51% decline in India's wheat-growing land, potentially leaving hundreds of millions hungry. And, last week, China's top meteorological official warned that global warming could cut the nation's grain harvest by 5 to 10% by 2030. And all this will be happening while both countries add more mouths to feed." . . . Over at Skeptical Science, there’s a nice post on how even the scientific articles the deniers and obstructionists use to “debunk” global warming don’t prove their points, like the one that is used to prove the sun has been warming the planet more, although the article itself indicates that the effect stopped in 1975 and everything since then is probably man-made. They also show the latest one, from Senator Inhofe’s site of course, whose authors actually conclude, again, that the IPCC estimate of a 3 degree increase due to human activity is very likely. Always keep in mind that these losers cut their teeth on pulling isolated quotes out of the Bible to justify slavery, husband sovereignty, and killing gays. It’s not surprising they pull the same fraud on the climate research. . . . Impressive performance from a specially outfitted hybrid (Toyota, of course) in an endurance race. Proof that the tech is getting there even if US auto companies aren’t. . . . Why we can’t count on WY to be a constructive player in dealing with our warming and energy needs—not only Big Coal, but Big Nuke. . . . It’s Getting Hot in Here has a post on the close ties between the Labor gov in Britain and its airline industry, despite the former’s claim to want to deal with the emissions that the latter are rapidly becoming the major problem about. . . . The Evangelicals stepping out from the shadow of their evil colleagues and actually assuming real stewardship of God’s creation, rather than the abuse and exploitation of it for a single generation, are moving forward, joining scientists to examine first-hand the impact of warming on Alaska to this point and discuss what can and should be done. People claiming to be religious actually doing truly religious things. Imagine. Hopefully it’s a fad that will catch on. . . . David Roberts at Grist catches a new survey that does debunk the claim that greenies buying offsets are just doing it to avoid taking harder action on warming. Turns out those folks are among the most likely to be doing other things, too. . . . Drought news. The one in AL (Alabama, not Alaska) may go into 2008, according to forecasts, while DE’s crab catch has been hit hard by that state’s drought. . . . This could be good news for OH and all of us. “Ohio utilities must find at least 25 percent of their power from renewable and advanced technology sources by 2025 under a much-anticipated proposal outlined yesterday by Gov. Ted Strickland.” . . . Joseph Romm makes his typical good point in this post on the value still blooming in solar thermal (using mirrors to heat liquids to churn pistons and such) even though we always tend to focus on photovoltaic. . . .You reap, you sow. “Over 1,100 square kilometres (440 square miles) of land in economically booming southern China will be inundated by rising sea-levels by 2050 due to global warming, state press said Thursday.” But by all means, keep insisting that your economic course is preeminent and that other nations have to do something first before you’ll pitch in, you guys. (Although they do have a good point on the savings to the planet of their one-child policy.)