The Adaptation Factory

China, the momentum is now yours...

2012-01-25T21:04:00.000-06:00

OK I get it, Great Britain, 1939.
National Strategy for Global Supply Chain Security
http://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/national_strategy_for_global_supply_chain_security.pdf

Defending Climate Science's Place In The Classroom

2012-01-20T13:11:00.000-06:00

Sigh.........
NPR - Talk of the Nation-Science Friday
"The National Center for Science Education has long defended educators' right to teach evolution in public schools. Now climate science too is under attack. NCSE executive director Eugenie Scott talks about how teachers and parents can fight the push to get climate change denial into the classroom."
http://www.npr.org/2012/01/20/145525000/defending-climate-sciences-place-in-the-classroom

Trend and Variation

2012-01-19T15:03:00.000-06:00

Thanks to the Folk at RealClimate for this one. Excellent.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e0vj-0imOLw&feature=youtu.be

The Matter of Methane

2012-01-11T10:42:00.007-06:00

The Folks at RealClimate have posted a couple interesting things about CC and methane lately.
First, is An Arctic methane worst-case scenario
http://www.realclimate.org/index.php/archives/2012/01/an-arctic-methane-worst-case-scenario/
Definitely read the whole article. However, the take away of it is:
"But the methane worst case does not suddenly spell the extinction of human life on Earth. It does not lead to a runaway greenhouse. The worst-case methane scenario stands comparable to what CO2 can do. What CO2 will do, under business-as-usual, not in a wild blow-the-doors-off unpleasant surprise, but just in the absence of any pleasant surprises (like emission controls). At worst comparable to CO2 except that CO2 lasts essentially forever."

Also, a neat online tool, "...an easy-to-play-with online model of methane in the atmosphere. "

Article about the tool:
http://www.realclimate.org/index.php/archives/2012/01/an-online-model-of-methane-in-the-atmosphere/
The tool:
http://forecast.uchicago.edu/Projects/methane.html

The Network of Global Corporate Control

2012-01-06T16:47:00.000-06:00

Vitali S, Glattfelder JB, Battiston S (2011) The Network of Global Corporate Control. PLoS ONE 6(10): e25995. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0025995
http://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0025995

"Abstract
The structure of the control network of transnational corporations affects global market competition and financial stability. So far, only small national samples were studied and there was no appropriate methodology to assess control globally. We present the first investigation of the architecture of the international ownership network, along with the computation of the control held by each global player. We find that transnational corporations form a giant bow-tie structure and that a large portion of control flows to a small tightly-knit core of financial institutions. This core can be seen as an economic “super-entity” that raises new important issues both for researchers and policy makers."

"I, for one, will not be happy, not least because those chain mail dresses that Tina Turner wore chafe like a bitch."*

2012-01-05T18:39:00.001-06:00

On Point

"Can The Southwest Survive Climate Change?

The American Southwest is overbuilt and out of water. We’ll look at how and whether the Southwest, as we’ve built it, can survive."

http://onpoint.wbur.org/2012/01/05/southwest-climate-change

* From a post at Sarah Proud and Tall. For those who do not get the Turner/Chain mail reference:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F1FPK5-Rm38

Got Methane?

2012-01-05T08:38:00.000-06:00

From the folks at RealClimate:
"Methane is a powerful greenhouse gas, but it also has an awesome power to really get people worked up, compared to other equally frightening pieces of the climate story." Read More...
http://www.realclimate.org/index.php/archives/2012/01/much-ado-about-methane/#more-10412

Do not use an ice auger while smoking, if you are in Alaska

2012-01-05T08:22:00.001-06:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YegdEOSQotE

Downscaling

2011-12-30T12:17:00.001-06:00

Thanks to Diane for the heads-up on this one:

Cooney CM 2012. Downscaling Climate Models: Sharpening the Focus on Local-Level Changes. Environ Health Perspect 120:a22-a28. http://dx.doi.org/10.1289/ehp.120-a22

http://ehp03.niehs.nih.gov/article/fetchArticle.action?articleURI=info%3Adoi%2F10.1289%2Fehp.120-a22

Debunking Handbook

2011-12-19T11:23:00.000-06:00

"The Debunking Handbook, a guide to debunking misinformation, is now freely available to download. Although there is a great deal of psychological research on misinformation, there's no summary of the literature that offers practical guidelines on the most effective ways of reducing the influence of myths. The Debunking Handbook boils the research down into a short, simple summary, intended as a guide for communicators in all areas (not just climate) who encounter misinformation."
http://www.skepticalscience.com/Debunking-Handbook-now-freely-available-download.html

A Useful Video About Climate Change

2011-12-19T10:23:00.001-06:00

Thanks to Scott Mandia for this reference.
Earth: The Operator's Manual (PBS)
53 minutes
"Host Richard Alley – a geologist, contributor to the United Nations panel on climate change and former oil company employee whom Andy Revkin of the New York Times once called “a cross between Woody Allen and Carl Sagan” – leads the audience on this engaging one-hour special about climate change and sustainable energy."

http://earththeoperatorsmanual.com/broadcast_info

The Availability Heuristic

2011-12-19T09:30:00.003-06:00

"The availability heuristic is a phenomenon (which can result in a cognitive bias) in which people predict the frequency of an event, or a proportion within a population, based on how easily an example can be brought to mind."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Availability_heuristic
Also see:http://heuristics.behaviouralfinance.net/availability/

Heuristics generally:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heuristic
and
http://heuristics.behaviouralfinance.net/

Fun related article:
http://www.vanityfair.com/culture/features/2011/12/michael-lewis-201112

Economic Inequality: Doing the Numbers

2011-12-19T08:19:00.000-06:00

Interesting presentation by Richard Wilkinson on TED.
Thanks Mike for sending this to me.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cZ7LzE3u7Bw

Local Planning Meetings are Always so Interesting

2011-12-18T18:23:00.000-06:00

Thank you Darien for pointing out this one.... I guess.

Virginia residents oppose preparations for climate-related sea-level rise

http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/virginia-residents oppose-preparations-for-climate-related-sea-level-rise/2011/12/05/gIQAVRw40O_story.html

Another Take on Durbin / COP-OUT 17

2011-12-14T09:18:00.000-06:00

From Greenbiz, What the Heck Happened in Durbin?:

"I see two takeaways here for business. First, those companies that worry about climate change need to bring their voices more forcefully to the policy arena; they can't assume that governments are on the right track. Second, companies ought to prepare for climate change -- when they site new facilities, for example -- because it's unavoidable...."

http://www.greenbiz.com/blog/2011/12/13/what-heck-happened-durban?utm_source=GreenBuzz&utm_campaign=05af08fb38-GreenBuzz-2011-12-14&utm_medium=email

Presentations about Climate Change Education in Formal Settings, K-14

2011-12-13T08:44:00.000-06:00

The National Academies Board On Science Education Committee on Human Dimensions of Global Change Division of Earth and Life Studies Workshop on Climate Change Education in Formal Settings, K-14
August 31 – September 1, 2011, 20 F St. Conference Center Washington, DC
http://www7.nationalacademies.org/bose/CCEW2_Presentations.html

COP-Out 17

2011-12-12T09:23:00.001-06:00

Apparently not much to mention regarding the Durbin Conference / COP 17. Usable summary here:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2011/dec/11/durban-questions-and-answers?intcmp=239

My take away is: Governments agree to agree later on what will be done to reduce the anthroprogenic GHG loading.

American Geophysical Union Conference

2011-12-12T09:11:00.001-06:00

Realclimate has coverage from last weeks AGU conference. Interesting science stuff.
http://www.realclimate.org/index.php/archives/2011/12/agu-2011-day-1/

Conference site: http://sites.agu.org/fallmeeting/

Matters Political

2011-12-01T09:34:00.001-06:00

Suggested reading:

Ewing, Kyser, Prods and Pleas: Limited Government in an Era of Unlimited Harm, Yale Law Journal

http://yalelawjournal.org/images/pdfs/1021.pdf

(Nothing but) Flowers

2011-11-30T19:52:00.001-06:00

A good song to listen to after listening to a Curt Stager talk.
Courtesy of the TED "house band":
http://www.ted.com/talks/david_byrne_sings_nothing_but_flowers.html

And, a more traditional version:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LsSlTHpGKK8&feature=related

Whiplash

2011-11-30T12:56:00.000-06:00

Another video of one of Curt Stager's great talks about the Anthroprocene,
Curt Stager: Climate Whiplash: What Happens AFTER Global Warming.
http://vimeo.com/25168769

How about some fun widgets for the holidays?

2011-11-30T09:55:00.000-06:00

"The CoolClimate Network (CCN) is a non-profit applied research consortium at UC Berkeley's Renewable and Appropriate Energy Laboratory (RAEL) that supports the development of a socially integrated carbon footprint management platform for individuals, schools, businesses, communities and city leaders."

Lots of cool learning toys for measuring footprint stuff. Something for everyone and every sector.

http://coolclimate.berkeley.edu/

The Search For Analysts To Make Sense Of "Big Data"

2011-11-30T09:37:00.000-06:00

The surge in tech hiring appears to be high math and statistics skill combined with some core area.
Recent NPR Morning Edition piece, in two parts, The Search For Analysts To Make Sense Of 'Big Data'
Part 1 http://www.npr.org/2011/11/29/142521910/the-digital-breadcrumbs-that-lead-to-big-data?ps=rs
Part 2 http://www.npr.org/2011/11/30/142893065/the-search-for-analysts-to-make-sense-of-big-data
A company showcased in the second part of the story is The Climate Corporation http://www.climate.com/
From the company website:
"Across the United States, extreme weather from drought in Texas to record flooding in North Dakota has caused widespread crop loss. To better reflect its mission to help all people and businesses adapt to climate change, ...The Climate Corporation combines Big Data, climatology and agronomics to protect the $3 trillion global agriculture industry with automated full-season weather insurance. ..."

An interesting lecture on perception of climate change

2011-11-29T09:58:00.000-06:00

Dr Richard Milne - Critical Thinking on Climate Change: separating skepticism from denial, Edinburgh University
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gh9kDCuPuU8&NR=1

United States Senator Whitehouse

2011-11-29T09:30:00.000-06:00

Senator Whitehouse (RI) talking about congress and climate change:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k6VQ0vYfrAw

23 minutes

Another site for "informal" educators

2011-11-27T12:13:00.001-06:00

Climate Interpreter
Communicating about climate change
http://www.climateinterpreter.org/

Media Construction of Global Warming

2011-11-27T12:02:00.000-06:00

"Media Construction of Global Warming: A Digital Media Literacy Curriculum. All materials are classroom-ready, including: teacher guides, student handouts, overviews, and assessments. " Ithaca College
http://www.ithaca.edu/looksharp/?action=global_warming

Lynn Margulis 1938-2011

2011-11-26T10:18:00.000-06:00

One of my heroes, Dr. Margulis, passed away on 11/22.
"The notion of saving the planet has nothing to do with intellectual honesty or science. The fact is that the planet was here long before us and will be here long after us. The planet is running fine. What people are talking about is saving themselves and saving their middle-class lifestyles and saving their cash flow."

The Edge Conversation:

HTTP://edge.org/conversation/lynn-margulis1938-2011

Leaders of Wealthy Countries Act in Unison To Underscore the Importance of Adaptation Education and Planning

2011-11-21T13:14:00.001-06:00

"Governments of the world's richest countries have given up on forging a new treaty on climate change to take effect this decade, ...most of the world's leading economies now privately admit that no new global climate agreement will be reached before 2016 at the earliest, and that even if it were negotiated by then, they would stipulate it could not come into force until 2020."...
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2011/nov/20/rich-nations-give-up-climate-treaty

National Climate Service Nixed

2011-11-21T11:56:00.000-06:00

http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/congress-nixes-national-climate-service/2011/11/18/gIQAxYvIgN_story.html?hpid=z4

Speaking of this continuing improvisation on Oedipus The King...http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yvsCpCsZVLQ&feature=related

Communicating CC Science

2011-11-21T10:07:00.000-06:00

Thanks Dave for the cite:
Richard C. J. Somerville and Susan Joy Hassol, Communicating the science of climate change , Physics Today, October 2011, page 48
http://physicstoday.org/resource/1/phtoad/v64/i10/p48_s1?bypassSSO=1

Special Report on Managing the Risks of Extreme Events and Disasters to Advance Climate Change Adaptation

2011-11-21T09:50:00.003-06:00

IPPC: Special Report on Managing the Risks of Extreme Events and Disasters to Advance Climate Change Adaptation. 11-18-2011

First Joint Session of Working Groups I and II IPCC SREX Summary for Policymakers
http://ipcc.ch/news_and_events/docs/ipcc34/SREX_FD_SPM_final.pdf
"Generic" Presentation slides:
http://www.ipcc.ch/news_and_events/docs/srex/SREX_slide_deck.pdf
Fact Sheet
http://www.ipcc.ch/news_and_events/docs/srex/SREX_fact_sheet.pdf
Full Report to be released Feb. 2012, here:
http://www.ipcc-wg2.gov/SREX/

Resources from points East

2011-11-17T10:46:00.000-06:00

Kind of a bundled post today.
Thanks David for the heads up on The State of New York's responding to climate change technical report:http://nyserda.ny.gov/Publications/Research-and-Development/Environmental/EMEP-Publications/~/media/Files/Publications/Research/Environmental/EMEP/climaid/11-18-response-to-climate-change-in-nys.ashx

Thank you to Allison for the heads up on these new fact sheets from our Cornell Cooperative Extension:
Climate Change:
http://files.campus.edublogs.org/blogs.cornell.edu/dist/8/90/files/2011/03/earths_changing_climate.pdf
Farming and adaptation:http://files.campus.edublogs.org/blogs.cornell.edu/dist/8/90/files/2011/03/climate_and_farming.pdf
Farm produced energy:http://files.campus.edublogs.org/blogs.cornell.edu/dist/8/90/files/2009/09/farm_energy-zhts0p.pdf

And, for you 4H folks, a fact sheet on farm power from the STEM education center in England.http://www.nationalstemcentre.org.uk/elibrary/file/14790/Anaerobic_digestion.pdf

Free, Online & PDF Sustainability Textbook

2011-11-15T08:23:00.000-06:00

Thanks to Mary Kluz for this find.
"The University of Illinois has developed a free, open-source textbook titled “Sustainability: A Comprehensive Foundation” to serve as a comprehensive textbook for teaching introductory sustainability courses. It is designed for the new generation of e-readers with capability to view in a browser, save as a pdf, or print. As sustainability is a multi-disciplinary area of study, the text is written by the diverse faculty from three campuses of the University of Illinois: each chapter is written by a recognized expert in the field."

Online Hypertext version:
http://cnx.org/content/col11325/latest/
PDF version: http://cnx.org/content/col11325/1.21/pdf

Beyond Boxes

2011-11-14T09:47:00.000-06:00

One of my former UW-Extension colleagues, Darien Simon has a blog you should keep up on, Beyond Boxes. http://www.blog.polyvalentia.com/

On November 13, 2011 Darien recently posted about the
"The 2011 World Energy Outlook report from the International Energy Agency. Executive Summary: http://www.iea.org/weo/docs/weo2011/executive_summary.pdf
Read her post.

Science and Controversy

2011-11-10T15:26:00.001-06:00

In a recent Physics Today an interesting article on science, controversy and history by Steven Sherwood.
http://scitation.aip.org/getpdf/servlet/GetPDFServlet?filetype=pdf&id=PHTOAD000064000010000039000001&idtype=cvips&doi=10.1063/PT.3.1295&prog=normal&bypassSSO=1

Nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!

2011-11-08T14:53:00.002-06:00

http://www.ucsusa.org/assets/documents/global_warming/ucs-coffee-and-climate-ad.pdf

Adapting our Education

2011-11-07T09:38:00.006-06:00

Today's Greenbuzz article on their being less concern about environmental issue amongst American consumers makes an interesting read, and prompted this posting.http://www.greenbiz.com/blog/2011/11/07/are-smarter-consumers-less-green?page=0%2C0
The studies referenced in the Greenbuzz article:
GFK Roper Report on Environmental attitudes:
http://www.scjohnson.com/Libraries/Download_Documents/SCJ_and_GfK_Roper_Green_Gauge.sflb.ashx
The American Climate and Environmental Values Survey (ACEVS)http://ecoamerica.org/sites/default/files/press/ACEVS%20Report%20Final%20Web.pdf

For the last few years I have enjoyed reading the news in national security and energy circles about the arctic fossil fuels rush that is beginning. Those of you that know me personally know my dark sense of humor. Yes, "enjoyed" is the correct term. As you know the rush is the result of the anthropogenic caused warming through fossil fuel use reducing the Arctic icecap, thereby providing access to new deposits of fossil fuels.

Reminds me of a day on the White River Ashland County, Wisconsin years ago. I was a fly fishing person going through my trying to tie flies stage. I was collecting aquatic insects to later copy. I mistakenly kept dropping them all in a 35mm film can filled with water. Hours later when I got home, the oxygen poor water in that little can contained one, suffocated, fat dragonfly nymph with a half consumed mayfly nymph in its jaws.
It is kind of cool how all life shares some of the same values, is it not? But I digress.
This morning I was listening to a Morning Edition piece on the TransCanada plans to build the Keystone XL pipeline for transporting oil from Canadian oil shale deposits to refineries in Texas. The reporting was about the politics concerning the pipeline. On Realclimate there is an examination of the debate going on among some climate science folk as to whether or not the Keystone XL shales will be the last straw for mitigation http://www.realclimate.org/index.php/archives/2011/11/keystone-xl-game-over/
The continued inability of folks to address the warming problem is, from my view of the behavioral evidence, not likely to end. I am now of the opinion that the domination of human thought/behavior by seeking short term reward will continue to trump steps to organize a sufficent mitigation response by us. Actually, this is not surprising since no other animals plan and expecting long term planning from us is perhaps a bit much to ask.
This underscores the importance of climate change adaptation education. The less mitigation the more adaptation that is necessary, and will be necessary over the coming centuries.
The science indicates that we have never faced a climate change of this degree and rapidity. When we worked around and through the last string of ice ages there were not a lot of us and our life and society was comparatively simple. This time, we cannot just "head South" like back then. There are now 7 billion of us involved into a complex web of interdependence. It is all hands on deck folks. Adaptation is necessary in every aspect of our endeavor.

Peak water limits to freshwater withdrawal and use

2011-10-31T11:20:00.000-05:00

"Freshwater resources are fundamental for maintaining human health, agricultural production, economic activity as well as critical ecosystem functions. As populations and economies grow, new constraints on water resources are appearing, raising questions about limits to water availability...."http://www.pnas.org/content/107/25/11155.full.pdf

Water, Climate, Risk

2011-10-31T11:15:00.000-05:00

Water and Climate Change: Understanding the Risks and Making Climate-Smart Investment Decisions, World Bank 2009.
http://www-wds.worldbank.org/external/default/WDSContentServer/WDSP/IB/2010/02/01/000333038_20100201020244/Rendered/PDF/529110NWP0Box31ge0web0large01128110.pdf

More GHG Private Sector Tools

2011-10-31T10:55:00.000-05:00

Corporate Value Chain (Scope 3) Accounting and Reporting Standard

http://www.ghgprotocol.org/standards/scope-3-standard

Product Life Cycle Accounting and Reporting Standardhttp://www.ghgprotocol.org/standards/product-standard

GHGP Public Sector standards and other resources.

2011-10-31T10:49:00.002-05:00

The GHGP for the Public Sectorhttp://www.ghgprotocol.org/files/ghgp/us-public-sector-protocol_final_oct13.pdf

Local Government Operations Protocol For the quantification and reporting of greenhouse gas emissions inventories Version 1.1 May 2010http://www.theclimateregistry.org/downloads/2010/05/2010-05-06-LGO-1.1.pdf Website for this with other tools and training links: http://www.theclimateregistry.org/resources/protocols/local-government-operations-protocol/
Climate Registry Local Goverment reporting forms:

http://www.theclimateregistry.org/downloads/2011/02/2011-02-14-LGO-Standard-Inventory-Report-1.1.xls

CDP Cities https://www.cdproject.net/en-US/Programmes/Pages/CDP-Cities.aspx

Note's on Tainter's "Collapse...."

2011-10-31T09:58:00.002-05:00

http://www.sublimeoblivion.com/notes/tainter%20-%20collapse%20of%20complex%20societies.pdf

Resource Transitions and Energy Gain: Contexts of Organization

2011-10-31T09:55:00.000-05:00

ABSTRACT

"Energy gain constrains resource use, social organization, and landscape organization in human and other living systems. Changes in energy gain have common characteristics across living systems. We describe these commonalities in selected case studies involving imperial taxation, fungus-farming ants, and North American beaver, and propose a suite of hypotheses for the organization of systems that subsist on different levels of energy gain. Organizational constraints arising from energy gain predict changes to settlement and organization in postcarbon societies.
KEY WORDS: Roman Empire, beaver, complexity, energy, energy gain, fungus-farming ants, leaf-cutting ants, living systems, organization, renewable resources, resources, solar energy.
Published: February 5, 2003."
http://www.ecologyandsociety.org/vol7/iss3/art4/main.html

Will the next U.S. Main Battle Tank be a hybrid?

2011-10-24T08:43:00.000-05:00

"Our offering for the ground combat vehicle is uniquely identified by its hybrid electric drive propulsion system."
http://www.greenbiz.com/blog/2011/10/21/bae-systems-bid-design-greener-next-gen-tank?utm_source=GreenBuzz&utm_campaign=baabfa0487-GreenBuzz-2011-10-24&utm_medium=email

"From a military standpoint, oil is not only expensive and hard to transport; it's also a liability. Last year there were more than 1,000 attacks on U.S. fuel convoys in war zones, and that's a strategic vulnerability for the military.

"We looked at vulnerabilities for the Navy and Marine Corps, and one of the ones that rose right to the top was our dependence on fossil fuels," U.S. Navy Secretary Ray Mabus says.
"Every time the price of oil goes up a dollar a barrel it costs the Navy $31 million in extra fuel costs," he says."
http://www.npr.org/2011/10/24/141548273/the-military-boosts-clean-energy-with-startup-help

Reports on Risks

2011-10-19T18:04:00.000-05:00

World Economic Forum - January 2011Global Risks 2011
Sixth Edition
An initiative of the Risk Response NetworkWorld Economic Forum in collaboration with
Marsh & McLennan Companies
Swiss Reinsurance Company
Wharton Center for Risk Management, University of Pennsylvania
Zurich Financial Services

http://riskreport.weforum.org/global-risks-2011.pdf

World Resources Report about adaptation choices 2011
http://pdf.wri.org/world_resources_report_2010-2011.pdf

Wedges: The Game

2011-10-17T10:48:00.000-05:00

Courtesy of the Carbon Mitigation Initiative, Princeton University, an education game using the Wedges concept:
http://cmi.princeton.edu/wedges/

Seven Wedges Redux

2011-10-17T09:49:00.001-05:00

In August 2004 Robert Socolow and Steve Pacala published a paper in Science about climate change mitigation. It featured a "Seven Wedges" approach that is now pretty well known.

Of course, nothing of note has been done regarding mitigation in the last 7 years.
Here, Socolow has a new article about the concept:
http://www.thebulletin.org/web-edition/features/wedges-reaffirmed
And here is some interesting commentary on the same:
http://www.realclimate.org/index.php/archives/2011/10/the-cost-of-inaction/

Climate Communication Site

2011-10-05T11:31:00.001-05:00

"Climate Communication is a non-profit science and outreach project funded by the Rockefeller Brothers Fund and the ClimateWorks Foundation. Climate Communication operates as a project of the Aspen Global Change Institute, a nonprofit organization dedicated to furthering the scientific understanding of Earth systems and global environmental change."
http://climatecommunication.org/

Mediarology

2011-10-05T11:20:00.000-05:00

Mediarology
The Roles of Citizens, Journalists, and Scientists in Debunking Climate Change Myths
Stephen H. Schneider, Stanford University

http://stephenschneider.stanford.edu/Mediarology/Mediarology.html

A Guide to Climate Change Vulnerability Assessment (other species)

2011-09-23T11:40:00.000-05:00

“Scanning the Conservation Horizon, A Guide to Climate Change Vulnerability Assessment” by The National Wildlife Federation.
http://www.nwf.org/Global-Warming/Climate-Smart-Conservation/Safeguarding-Wildlife/~/media/PDFs/Global%20Warming/Climate-Smart-Conservation/ScanningtheConservationHorizon.ashx

Apparently in use at trainings by USF&W's National Conservation Training Center.

AgSTAR Fall 2011 Digest now available

2011-09-20T09:26:00.000-05:00

Online at:
http://epa.gov/agstar/news-events/digest/2011fall.html

Operating Anaerobic Digester Projects

http://epa.gov/agstar/projects/index.html

The Air Conditioner Continues to Power Down

2011-09-18T07:40:00.000-05:00

Arctic sea ice minima 2011:
"Arctic sea ice appears to have reached its lowest extent for the year. The minimum ice extent was the second lowest in the satellite record, after 2007, and continues the decadal trend of rapidly decreasing summer sea ice. "
http://nsidc.org/arcticseaicenews/2011/091511.html

When is mitigation part of adaptation?

2011-09-07T15:43:00.002-05:00

One I can think of is if you are in business.

I live and work in the United States. If you are reading this you are no doubt already aware of how climate change/global warming is actually a significant political issue in my country. It is a source of sturm und drang* in our media and in the rhetoric of some politicians. It has gotten so weird that some of the folks in our Congress want to deny funds to adaptation measures simply because it would, in their view, lend credibility to the "C word".

At the same time, the scientific community, and most of the rest of the planet sees it as a health/safety/economic/environmental/etc. issue, accepting the science yadda yadda....
This dicotomy is fascinating in its own right, and is a subject of study by psychologists, anthropologists and others. But there is also a strange warp in the fabric of business in my country related to this.
Whenever I am asked the question, "Do you think ______ is good for business?" I reply "Which one(s)?" Business is not a monolithic structure. It comes in many shapes, sizes and interests, only united by the common denominator that each wants to increase its profits.
On the climate change "issue", different businesses break in different directions. Resource extraction types and coal heavy utilites tend to fund and florish the whole "denial thing", though not all do. New tech,infotech and big retail tend to break in the other direction.
I think the fact remains that just as in so many other areas, the take by a business (if they have any at all...) can be predicted and analysized by the old adage, "follow the money." It also depends on the business's culture to an extent, exspecially in the higher levels.
Wal-Mart is a good example. It is an aggressive company that tends to be proactive. They also have one of the steepest climate change adaptation slopes of any company. So they are building it into their business model and pushing adaptation and mitigation down the supply chain to try to exist through the storm. But innovation and R&D usually increases cost on the front end.
On the opposite end of the scale is for example, Koch Industries. It is a an old school extractive industries conglomerate. It is also privately held company, with the family having an apparent emotional nostalgia for the America of the late 1800's. They are perhaps the biggest funders of the peculiarly American climate change political fight. That fits the mold of their holdings, in a neo-classical economics sense also.

So, in the U.S.A., when should CC mitigation essentially be part of a business's "adaptation" strategy? I am asking in the traditional neo-classical economics view...Well, when your customer thinks it is important.

From a business view point, mitigation is actually part of adaptation. It is adapting to (depending on sector and location(s)):

If your customer wants you to pay attention
You face governmental regulation
You have supply chain risk issues

As far as "adaptation" as the term is normally used, every business has a need to do adaptation planning for risk avoidance reasons, etc. at differing need and rate depending upon business type, location and a host of other factors. This means that any business in the U.S. should have a climate change strategy at least as far as adaptation ("adjustment in natural or human systems in response to actual or expected climatic stimuli or their effects, which moderates harm or exploits beneficial opportunities." ).
But taking mitigation actions in your operations should be planned if:

You are selling to Wal-Mart or someone in their supply chain
You are selling to anyone of the top thousand or so of the companies involved in the Carbon Disclosure Project
You do business in states that comprise the West Coast of the U.S. (Due to regulation frameworks if no other reason)
You do business internationally in non-extractive industries/business types

*"Sturm und Drang...literally "Storm and Urge", is a proto-Romantic movement in German literature and music taking place from the late 1760s through the early 1780s, in which individual subjectivity and, in particular, extremes of emotion were given free expression in reaction to the perceived constraints of rationalism imposed by the Enlightenment." Wikipedia.

Market Forces and Local Food Capacity

2011-09-07T11:36:00.001-05:00

Thanks Jerry for spotting this document:
"As farmers market shoppers have long known, buying food directly from the people who grew it is a great way to add freshness and flavor to your table and more fruits and vegetables to your diet. But locally grown food is not only good for your taste buds—it creates jobs, keeps money in local economies, promotes community development, and can reduce the environmental and public health costs of the food we eat."
http://www.ucsusa.org/assets/documents/food_and_agriculture/market-forces-report.pdf

USFS Climate Change Atlases

2011-09-01T09:03:00.000-05:00

Thanks Chad for the heads-up on this one:

USFS Climate Atlases

"As the reality of global climate change becomes increasingly apparent to the public and to many policymakers, scientists are being called on to provide information about possible outcomes. Dr. Louis Iverson and Anantha Prasad began modelling and mapping tree species from the eastern United States for their potential response to several scenarios of climate change around 1996. Their first climate change atlas for trees examined 80 tree species and was published in hardcopy and web. Then they joined with Stephen Matthews and Raymond O'Connor (now deceased) to produce a change atlas for 150 bird species. Now, along with Matthew Peters, they have expanded their analysis and loaded to the web 134 tree species and 147 bird species at 20 km resolution, using more accurate modelling tools and newer climate models (GCMs)."

http://www.nrs.fs.fed.us/atlas/

What is Missing?

2011-08-31T11:20:00.000-05:00

"And weep the more, because I weep in vain" Thomas Gray

A meditation on our editing of the future.

http://whatismissing.net/

Press Release: ARTIST MAYA LIN DEBUTS FINAL MEMORIAL AT CALIFORNIA ACADEMY OF SCIENCES
http://www.calacademy.org/newsroom/releases/2009/missing_release.php

Video of Artist @ Fora.TV
http://video.calacademy.org/details/87

New Climate Tools for Water Utilities, Transportation and Land Use Planners

2011-08-30T11:25:00.002-05:00

Thanks David for these cites:
From EPA:"Climate Ready Water Utilities Toolbox

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency recently updated its Climate Ready Water Utilities Toolbox, which provides access to more than 500 resources that support climate adaptation planning at water utilities, including reports and publications, information about funding programs, upcoming workshops and training sessions, models and tools, and climate response materials that focus on mitigation and adaptive strategies. The toolbox is organized into two sections: one that provides a selection of resources from each category, along with a map to help users select resources by geographic region; and a second section with a search function that helps users to select resources based on their location, the size and type of their utility, and resources of interest." The toolbox is available at:
http://www.epa.gov/safewater/watersecurity/climate/toolbox.html

"Framework for Considering Climate Change in Transportation and Land Use Planning
Based on lessons learned from an interagency pilot project on Cape Cod, Massachusetts, the U.S. Department of Transportation’s John A. Volpe National Transportation Systems Center has developed a guidebook for integrating climate change into transportation and land-use scenario planning. Through a process of data collection and scenario development, the pilot project resulted in a multi-agency transportation and land use development scenario for Cape Cod, with a focus on reducing future greenhouse gas emissions and considering the potential impacts of sea-level rise on the region. The guidebook is intended to serve as a resource for organizations that may be interested in, or stand to benefit from, incorporating climate change considerations into transportation and land use planning. " The report is available at:
http://www.volpe.dot.gov/publiclands/projects/interagencypilotproject.html

Mammals & Change

2011-08-26T13:26:00.000-05:00

"Stanford biology professor Elizabeth Hadly's research in the far reaches of the globe from India to Patagonia to Southeast Asia addresses the issues of what determines and maintains vertebrate (especially mammal) diversity through space and time and how that diversity is influenced by the environment."

http://fora.tv/2010/05/18/Dr_Elizabeth_Hadly_Mammals_and_Climate_Change#fullprogram

Is the Texas Drought a Game Changer?

2011-08-26T08:42:00.000-05:00

"In the cattle town of Emory in East Texas, the worst drought in state history is threatening a way of life. Scorching temperatures and no rain have forced many ranchers to sell off their stock. Normally before being brought to market, cattle are penned in a rancher's best pasture to be fattened. The heavier the cow, the more the buyer pays.
But the animals at a recent Emory auction look pitiful. They're standing in 107-degree heat — that's in the shade — with their ribs showing, stressed out. It's been like this for the last nine weeks; no rain. Although these cows were bred for the heat, they weren't bred for this. They look absolutely baked."

http://www.npr.org/2011/08/26/139947317/drought-puts-texas-ranchers-and-cattle-at-risk
"The unfolding calamity that is the Texas drought has thrown nature out of balance. Many of the wild things that live in this state are suffering.

Sections of major rivers — like the Brazos, the Guadalupe, the Blanco, Llano and Pedernales — have dried up. In many places, there aren't even mud holes anymore." The drought is hammering Texas," says Cindy Loeffler, the water resources branch chief at the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. "Usually we don't see impacts to fish and wildlife, they're adapted to hot, dry conditions in Texas. But this year, we're seeing impacts."...
http://www.npr.org/2011/08/26/139963653/texas-drought-takes-its-toll-on-wildlife

The Struggle to Remain Relevant

2011-08-23T13:58:00.000-05:00

Thanks to Wisconsin Public Radio this a.m., I learned of this resource. For years Beliot College has issued an annual list of facts & perceptions in the "world" of their incoming freshman.
The Mindset Lists http://www.beloit.edu/mindset/

The 2011 one: http://www.beloit.edu/mindset/2011/

Climate Change and First Nations

2011-08-23T13:52:00.000-05:00

While attending the Shifting Seasons Great Lakes Tribal Climate Change Summit ( hosted by the College of Menominee Nation Sustainable Development Institute http://www.sustainabledevelopmentinstitute.org/ ) this a.m.
I ran into this resource.

Facing the Storm: Indian Tribes, Climate-Induced Weather Extremes, and the Future for Indian Country
2011 report by the National Wildlife Federation
As sovereign nations, Indian Tribes consistently strive to fully exercise their right of selfdetermination and to maintain their cultural identity, often in the face of the severe economic, societal, and environmental challenges confronting them. Their sovereignty, cultures, and ways of life are profoundly tested in these times by the added challenge of climate change...
http://www.nwf.org/~/media/PDFs/Global%20Warming/Reports/NWF_TribalLandsExtremeWeather_FINAL.ashx

WWRRD?

2011-08-19T08:59:00.000-05:00

What would Ronald Reagan do?

"Climate change is an issue with enormously important ramifications for America’s future. Conservative thinking about risk management, forward planning, and market-oriented policies all are essential for America to deal sensibly and responsibly with this critical issue. In doing so, we would steer clear of the fate of the irresponsible heir squandering his inheritance and build a better future, like the conservative, responsible heir practicing prudent stewardship."
http://www.climateconservative.org/

Morning Edition Arctic Series (Oh! Canada! )

2011-08-15T07:32:00.005-05:00

NPR's Morning Edition is running a 6 part series of reports on the Arctic. It started this morning.

"The Arctic may be the world's next geopolitical battleground. Temperatures there are rising faster than anywhere else in the world, and the melting ice will have profound consequences on the roof of the world, opening strategic waterways to shipping, reducing the ice cap on Greenland, and spurring a rush to claim rights to the wealth of natural resources that lie beneath. NPR examines what's at stake, who stands to win and lose, and how this could alter the global dynamic."

The first show Arctic Warming Unlocking A Fabled Waterway , the view from Canada
http://www.npr.org/2011/08/15/139556207/arctic-warming-unlocking-a-fabled-waterway

Russia Pushes To Claim Arctic As Its Own

http://www.npr.org/2011/08/16/139577789/russia-pushes-to-claim-arctic-as-its-own

The Arctic's Diminishing Sea Icehttp://www.npr.org/2011/08/15/139261223/the-arctics-diminishing-sea-ice

Greenlanders Divided On Arctic Oil, Gas Exploration

http://www.npr.org/2011/08/17/139696551/greenlanders-divided-on-arctic-oil-gas-exploration

Mineral Companies Eye Greenland's Untapped Wealth

http://www.npr.org/2011/08/18/139734019/mineral-companies-eye-greenlands-untapped-wealth

"North to Alaska, They're goin' North, the rush is on!" Well, not in the land of magical thinking.
http://www.npr.org/2011/08/19/139681324/in-the-arctic-race-the-u-s-lags-behind

Studying the Arctic warming
http://www.npr.org/2011/08/20/139754902/trying-to-unravel-the-mysteries-of-arctic-warming

How to Profit from Simplification?

2011-08-15T07:16:00.000-05:00

At the New York Times:

Can Jeremy Grantham Profit From Ecological Mayhem?

"Grantham, who is 72 and has what’s left of a British accent after living in Boston for more than four decades, outlined this wildly distressing assessment against a bland backdrop of chain décor and piped-in smooth jazz. He marked up his draft with a pen as he went along, departing from the text at times to emphasize a point. “Phosphorus makes up 1 percent of your body weight,” he said, looking up from the page to catch my eye. “It’s a basic element, the residue of exploded stars. You can’t just make more.” He also pointed out that most economists see global trade as a win-win proposition, but resource limitation turns it into a win-lose, zero-sum contest. “The faster China grows, the higher grain prices go, the more people in China or India who upgrade to meat, the higher the tendency for Africa to starve,” he said. ..."
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/14/magazine/can-jeremy-grantham-profit-from-ecological-mayhem.html?_r=2&ref=magazine

Learn Where You Live

2011-08-12T13:15:00.000-05:00

Interview with the author about 1493
http://www.npr.org/2011/08/08/138924127/in-1493-columbus-shaped-a-world-to-be

Higher Ed and Adaptation

2011-08-12T08:29:00.000-05:00

"Higher Education’s Role in Adapting to Climate Disruption

June 30, 2011 by Georges Dyer
Second Nature recently convened the Higher Education Climate Adaptation Committee, composed of ACUPCC presidents and other experts in higher education and adaptation. The Committee will evaluate the role of higher education in ensuring that society is equipped to manage the unavoidable impacts of climate disruption – ..."
http://secondnaturebos.wordpress.com/2011/06/30/higher-educations-role-in-adapting-to-climate-disruption/

Paul Hawken's Eulogy for Ray Anderson

2011-08-12T07:56:00.000-05:00

"Reimagining the World Was a Responsibility"

http://www.greenbiz.com/blog/2011/08/11/reimagining-world-was-responsibility?utm_source=GreenBuzz&utm_campaign=190a01c738-GreenBuzz-2011-08-12&utm_medium=email

Vulnerability of Northern Wisconsin Forests

2011-08-11T10:16:00.000-05:00

Ecosystem vulnerability assessment and synthesis: a report from the Climate Change Response Framework Project in northern Wisconsin

2011
Publication: Gen. Tech. Rep. NRS-82. Newtown Square, PA: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Northern Research Station. 142 p.
Abstract: The forests of northern Wisconsin will likely experience dramatic changes over the next 100 years as a result of climate change. This assessment evaluates key forest ecosystem vulnerabilities to climate change across northern Wisconsin under a range of future climate scenarios. Warmer temperatures and shifting precipitation patterns are expected to influence ecosystem drivers and increase stressors, including more frequent disturbances and increased amount or severity of pests and diseases. Forest ecosystems will continue to adapt to changing conditions. Identifying vulnerable species and forests can help landowners, managers, regulators, and policymakers establish priorities for management and monitoring.

http://www.nrs.fs.fed.us/pubs/gtr/gtr_nrs82.pdf

Nature editorial re Heartland Institute, inter alia

2011-08-10T11:00:00.001-05:00

"It would be easy for scientists to ignore the Heartland Institute's climate conferences. They are curious affairs designed to gather and share contrarian views, in which science is secondary to wild accusations and political propaganda. They are easy to lampoon — delegates at the latest meeting of the Chicago-based institute in Washington DC earlier this month could pick up primers on the libertarian writings of Russian–American novelist Ayn Rand, who developed the philosophical theory of objectivism, and postcards depicting former US vice-president Al Gore as a fire-breathing demon. And they are predictable, with environmentalists often portrayed as the latest incarnation of a persistent communist plot. “Green on the outside, red on the inside,” said one display. “Smash the watermelons!”....

http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v475/n7357/full/475423b.html

And, other news from the land of magical thinkinghttp://www.sciencemag.org/content/333/6043/688.summary

Thanks Gary, i guess ....

And, thanks Scott for sending this humor piece:
http://www.colbertnation.com/the-colbert-report-videos/394240/august-09-2011/heatsteria

A giant has passed

2011-08-10T09:51:00.000-05:00

Ray Anderson passed away on Monday.

http://www.industryweek.com/articles/ray_anderson_a_true_manufacturing_environmentalist_passes_away_25334.aspx

For those of us that have been in the sustainability thing for awhile, exspecially in LCA, industrial ecology and The Natural Step; he was often one of the first CEO's we met in the "old days" and a mentor & inspiration.

"Waste is anything that does not provide value to the customer."

Thank you Ray.

The Darker Side of CC Adaptation

2011-08-10T08:47:00.000-05:00

This book that I am recommending is not "about" climate change. But, I am recommending it to you for your reference shelf. Change = uncertainity. Much of CC impact for us gives rise to perceived increases in scarcities. That can mean violence. That is why the Pentagon, NSA and CIA have a number of CC related initiates. As they say, CC is a "threat multiplier". BTW; Google the words
threat multiplier
and see what ya get.

How to Avoid Being Killed in a War Zone: The Essential Survival Guide for Dangerous Places by Rosie Garthwaite. The author has experience in the subject, and in writing the book has drawn upon the experience of an impressive cadre of experts.
A "book trailer":
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9aiAWGklUtE

Mann's 1493 comes out tomorrow.

2011-08-08T19:23:00.000-05:00

I assume that if you live in the Western Hemisphere you of course have already read Charles Mann's book 1491. Mann's sequel, 1493: Uncovering the New World Columbus Created is out. The "new" refers to the whole planet of course. It examines in broad context the ecological impact of Columbus and those who came after him.
As was 1491, this will be a necessary read.

Citizen Science Resources

2011-08-08T08:28:00.000-05:00

Adaptation to rapid climate change necessitates a new level of involvement by citizens in areas such as weather, phenology and other types of nature study. Specifically, monitoring and data collection. Here are some resources for that.
First though, I want to do a shout out for Donna Long, and her excellent blog In Season that is about amateur science /phenology.
http://donnallong.com/

Weather

Storm Spotting
This involves training and becoming a "storm spotter". They work with the U.S. Natinal Weather Service in providing data about severe storms and are one of the key elements of the NOAA warning system.
http://www.weather.gov/skywarn/

For boaters on large water bodies: Voluntary Marine Observer's Program
http://www.weather.gov/om/marine/voluntary.htm

Are you already a weather "fan" or want to be? Then the Citizen Weather Observer Program is for you.
http://www.wxqa.com/

Phenology
"Phenology is derived from the Greek word phaino , meaning to show or appear. Phenology refers to recurring plant and animal life cycle stages, such as leafing and flowering, maturation of agricultural plants, emergence of insects, and migration of birds. It is also the study of these recurring plant and animal life cycle stages, especially their timing and relationships with weather and climate." (NPN)

The most complete list of opportunities I have run into, courtesy of Donna Long. LOTS of fun stuff!
http://donnallong.com/nature-journal/citizen-science/

Wisconsin Phenology

The Wisconsin Phenology NetworkA regional partner in the National Phenology Network
http://www4.uwm.edu/wps/

Linnaeus after a day of "botanizing"

Phenology is a great outdoor activity that you can do in your back yard or where you hike , hunt, or fish. You can do it alone, with friends or with family.

The Micro-Mansion Movement

2011-08-04T08:54:00.001-05:00

I heard about the "tiny house" thing years ago. Actually, folks experimented with it way back in the old days (1970's, Whole Earth Review/Coevolution Quarterly, etc). But it appears to be rising to notice in the general media.

At least in the New Yorker.
Annals of Design: Let’s Get Small: The rise of the tiny-house movement by Alec Wilkinson July 25, 2011 http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2011/07/25/110725fa_fact_wilkinson

Could this be a new niche sector for the lagging construction industry?

One of the resources Wilkinson points out in the New Yorker article:
The Tiny House Blog
http://tinyhouseblog.com/

Be sure to check out that blogs Links page.

Smaller foot print anyone?

Yet another "localism": Localvesting

2011-08-03T13:07:00.000-05:00

Thank you Julie Mihalisin for this citation:

In Fast Company

"What if you didn't send your money to a faceless investment bank, but instead gave it to a local business? We spoke to author Amy Cortese about local investing, where people keep their capital within 50 miles of where they live"

http://www.fastcompany.com/1771064/locavesting-investing-in-main-street-instead-of-wall-street

From Do the Math: Galactic-Scale Energy

2011-08-03T09:59:00.000-05:00

Thanks to Curt Stager for pointing this one out.

"Since the beginning of the Industrial Revolution, we have seen an impressive and sustained growth in the scale of energy consumption by human civilization. Plotting data from ..."
http://physics.ucsd.edu/do-the-math/2011/07/galactic-scale-energy/

Dyson Sphere anyone?

The "New Normal" Aljazeera style

2011-07-27T14:21:00.000-05:00

"Climate experts warn that setting weather records, be they for high or low temperatures, or record amounts of rain or snow as well as record drought, will likely be the new normal...."

http://english.aljazeera.net/indepth/features/2011/07/2011726114626871696.html

For the very keen, or technically inclined

2011-07-26T15:12:00.001-05:00

"Reanalysis is a scientific method for developing a comprehensive record of how weather and climate are changing over time. In it, observations and a numerical model that simulates one or more aspects of the Earth system are combined objectively to generate a synthesized estimate of the state of the system. A reanalysis typically extends over several decades or longer, and covers the entire globe from the Earth’s surface to well above the stratosphere. Reanalysis products are used extensively in climate research and services, including for monitoring and comparing current climate conditions with those of the past, identifying the causes of climate variations and change, and preparing climate predictions. Information derived from reanalyses is also being used increasingly in commercial and business applications in sectors such as energy, agriculture, water resources, and insurance."

http://reanalyses.org/

Realclimate article about this site and topic:
http://www.realclimate.org/index.php/archives/2011/07/reanalyses-r-us/

Got Science? The Climate Science Rapid Response Team

2011-07-26T14:58:00.000-05:00

Thanks to the Climate Literacy Network for this one.

The Climate Science Rapid Response Team " is a match-making service to connect climate scientists with lawmakers and the media. The group is committed to providing rapid, high-quality information to media and government officials."
http://www.climaterapidresponse.org/

They also have a good reference page with FAQ's on relevant subjects and many other resources for the public and the media.
http://www.climaterapidresponse.org/resources.php

NOAA: adaptation training modules for local government staff et al

2011-07-26T10:54:00.000-05:00

"The Climate Ready Great Lakes training modules are 3 presenations tailored towards helping to create a Climate Ready Great Lakes. That means, you will have information on what you are adapting to, why and how. This project was sponsored by the Great Lakes Sea Grant Network and the NOAA Great Lakes Regional Collaboration Team.

Each of the modules consist of a presentation and supplemental materials."
http://www.regions.noaa.gov/great_lakes/climate_ready.html

A good, brief "fact sheet" on climate science and political controversy

2011-07-26T08:49:00.000-05:00

Carbon, climate change, and controversy J. Marshall Shepherd 2011.
Department of Geography, University of Georgia, Athens 30602, USA
http://www.animalfrontiers.org/2011/Vol1/003.pdf

On Point covers adaptation & infrastructure

2011-07-22T19:20:00.000-05:00

High Heat The New Normal?
"We’re asking if boiling summer temperatures are going to be the new normal. And if it’s so, how will we cope?"
Guests:
Heidi Cullen, research correspondent and scientist for Climate Central, she’s the author of “The Weather of the Future.” Her op-ed in the New York Times Wednesday was, “The Sizzle Factor for a Restless Climate.”
Christopher Field, professor of biology and Environmental Earth Science at Stanford University, where he is also director of the Carnegie Institution’s Department of Global Ecology.
Matt Fajkus, professor at the University of Texas School of Architecture.
Andrew Jorgenson, professor of sociology, University of Utah.

http://onpoint.wbur.org/2011/07/22/high-heat

Watershed Level Adaptation Planning

2011-07-21T09:20:00.000-05:00

I read the article, Seeing Trends, Coalition Works to Help a River Adapt

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/21/science/earth/21river.html?_r=2&smid=fb-nytimes&WT.mc_id=SC-SM-E-FB-SM-LIN-STC-072011-NYT-NA&WT.mc_ev=click

I then visited the website of one of the groups referred to in the Times article (the unusual coalition...), which is here http://nisquallyriver.org/

It is an interesting example of a cross sector (tribal/private sector/local government/federal) watershed defined group cooperating on preservation and restoration of the resources in their watershed. Also, keeping an eye on adpting to climate related future local conditions.

A "dry" run?

2011-07-20T13:24:00.000-05:00

Thanks Chad for spotting this one.
"Here in 2011, I see drought and flood and hot weather and warm oceans that interact together to make a period of sustained, dangerous heat. It does not have to “set a record” to convey the reality of the warming earth. It tells me the type of event that is likely to come more often, of longer duration, and of, perhaps, of greater intensity. If I am a public health planner, then I can know this with some certainty. The question becomes, how do I use that information in my planning?"

http://www.wunderground.com/blog/RickyRood/comment.html?entrynum=200

Building a Safe Room For Your Home or Small Business

2011-07-20T08:55:00.000-05:00

FEMA 320 - Taking Shelter From the Storm: Building a Safe Room For Your Home or Small Business

http://www.fema.gov/plan/prevent/saferoom/fema320.shtm

"Having a safe room in your home or small business can help provide "near-absolute protection" for you and your family or your employees from injury or death caused by the dangerous forces of extreme winds. Near-absolute protection means that, based on our current knowledge of tornadoes and hurricanes, there is a very high probability that the occupants of a safe room built according to this guidance will avoid injury or death. A safe room can also relieve some of the anxiety created by the threat of an incoming tornado or hurricane. Our knowledge of tornadoes and hurricanes and their effects is based on substantial meteorological records as well as extensive investigation of damage to buildings from extreme winds. All information contained in this publication is applicable to safe rooms for use in homes as well as in small businesses."

Direct link to full document:
http://www.fema.gov/library/file;jsessionid=E0AC2AE82787137F1888E8C304A6ED80.Worker2Library?type=publishedFile&file=fema320.pdf&fileid=0f7c4030-8a54-11dd-9484-001185636a87

Economic Localization

2011-07-19T13:35:00.000-05:00

Thanks Jerry for this link.
From Transition Network:
"An Interview with Michael Shuman: if we’re serious about localisation, “all of us have to go to Business School”…

http://www.transitionnetwork.org/blogs/rob-hopkins/2011-02-14/interview-michael-shuman-if-we-re-serious-about-localisation-all-us

Learning Opportunities

2011-07-18T11:14:00.000-05:00

As an educator living and working in the United States, the current rapid climate change presents particular cultural challenges. I work with adult learners who are subject to the incessant push me - pull you of our media landscape. Despite the existence of a real scientific concensus, the folks around me are divided on various climate change issues.
My antedotal take on it is about 1/4 of my local fellow citizens do believe that rapid climate change is occuring. About 55% (including that prior mentioned 1/4) do not accept the primary causality being anthropogenic. The majority of the remainder accept the science to one degree or another, if it is presented to them. But, climate change is on very few ordinary people's front burner. It is just one aspect of the blizzard of life they walk through.

I started thinking about this again after reading Andrew Hoffman's News & Views piece in the July issue of the Nature journal Climate Change, ( Hoffman, Andrew J. The Growing Climate Divide, Nature Climate Change, page 195 Vol. 1 July 2011). Hoffman briefly examines the research going on of why in the United States the "scientific concensus" has not given rise to a "social consensus". There are many studies and papers on this now.

The advent of the scientific concensus has resulted in an explosion of research in nearly all areas of the physical sciences. It has also increased the number of inter-disiplinary research, something so important for understanding rapid climate change. This has also brought about a renaissance of new exploration and data in many fields. Two "small" examples.

The ice cores, sedement cores and related methods have advanced relevant technology and inter-disiplinary work that is thrilling. Being able to construct climatic records going back thousands of years is enriching the work of historians and anthropologists. The record now moving back tens of millions of years is opening whole new data sets to paleotologists, paleobotanists, etc.

The necessity in climate modeling of developing ever finer detail in the model has driven new effort and work in solar physics. Our understanding of the important commercial topic of "Space Weather" is improving also because of this.

There is an opportunity in education for a renaissance of sorts for understanding more about adult learning. The growing amount of literature in psychology, sociology and anthropology about "climate change denial" is providing us with a golden opportunity to examine how we come to know, to believe. This has utility far beyond the area of climate change education.

To those of you who do not work in climate change education, look at the studies in psychology, sociology and anthropology about this topic. you may find out things you do not know regarding the adult mind and its relationship with information. If you do work in climate change education. The new studies in psychology, sociology and anthropology are important for how you teach.

Take advantage of this time. A good place to start is The American Psychology Association report http://www.apa.org/science/about/publications/climate-change-booklet.pdf

For other reports and studies, search this blog for links to them. Also, here is the quick and dirty tring for Google:

http://www.google.com/search?sourceid=navclient&ie=UTF-8&rlz=1T4GGLG_enUS316US316&q=%22climate+change%22+psychology

A report from the arctic amplification front

2011-07-15T14:51:00.000-05:00

"Every month the National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC) issues a report on how much of the Arctic Ocean and surrounding waterways are covered in ice, and whenever that happens — most notably in summer, when the ice melts back to reveal open water —..."
http://www.climatecentral.org/blogs/news-you-cant-use-about-arctic-ice-climate-change/

SAVE THE DATE!

2011-07-15T12:46:00.000-05:00

Planning for Climate Impacts in Northeast Wisconsin Communities – Safeguarding our economy, environment and quality of life
September 13, 2011
For:
Planners

and
Professionals working in the areas:
land use
Public health
Stormwater
Emergency Preparedness
Natural Resources Management

http://shawano.uwex.edu/files/2011/07/Planning-for-Climate-Impacts-in-NE-WI-Communities-Flyer.pdf

Great Lakes Parks and Climate Change

2011-07-13T13:16:00.001-05:00

Thanks to Lynelle for sending this one:

Great Lakes National Parks in PerilThe Threats of Climate Disruption
Principal Authors: Stephen Saunders, Dan Findlay, Tom Easley (The Rocky Mountain Climate Organization)
Contributing Author: Theo Spencer (Natural Resources Defense Council)
July 2011
http://www.rockymountainclimate.org/images/GreatLakesParksInPeril.pdf

Teaching About Global Climate Change K6-12

2011-07-13T10:25:00.000-05:00

Thank you David for pointing out this resource.

"The Association of American Geographers (AAG) presents free, online professional development modules for geography and social studies teachers at middle and high school levels who are preparing to teach about global climate change. The modules provide information and materials including assessments, overview of the Earth system science, frequently asked questions about global climate change, examples of how to address common student misconceptions and an interactive resource library that delivers a resource list to your e-mail inbox. Free registration is required to access the complete materials and resources."
http://www.dlese.org/library/catalog_DLESE-000-000-010-555.htm

A National and Regional Green Jobs Assessment

2011-07-13T09:09:00.000-05:00

Sizing the Clean Economy: A National and Regional Green Jobs Assessment Growth through Innovation, Environment, Cities, Competitiveness, Jobs and the Economy
Mark Muro, Senior Fellow and Policy Director, Metropolitan Policy Program
Jonathan Rothwell, Senior Research Analyst, Metropolitan Policy Program
Devashree Saha, Senior Policy Analyst, Metropolitan Policy Program
The Brookings Institution 07/2011

Brookings article
http://www.brookings.edu/reports/2011/0713_clean_economy.aspx
Full report
http://www.brookings.edu/~/media/Files/Programs/Metro/clean_economy/0713_clean_economy.pdf
Executive summary
http://www.brookings.edu/~/media/Files/Programs/Metro/clean_economy/0713_exec_summary.pdf

Measuring "progress"?

2011-07-11T15:43:00.000-05:00

An interesting site.
"The American Human Development Project provides easy-to-use yet methodologically sound tools for understanding the distribution of well-being and opportunity in America and stimulating fact-based dialogue about issues we all care about: health, education, and living standards.
The hallmark of this work is the American Human Development Index, an alternative to GDP and other money metrics that tells the story of how ordinary Americans are faring and empowers communities with a tool to track progress over time. The Index is comprised of health, education, and income indicators and allows for well-being rankings of the 50 states, 435 congressional districts, county groups within states, women and men, and racial and ethnic groups."

Mapping the Measure of America

http://measureofamerica.org/maps/

And your own "Well-o-Meter;
http://www.measureofamerica.org/well-o-meter/

The whole site:
http://www.measureofamerica.org/

"Theory and Practice of Mapping Ecosystem Services"

2011-07-11T13:20:00.000-05:00

Natural Capital: Theory and Practice of Mapping Ecosystem Services
Edited by Peter Kareiva, Heather Tallis, Taylor H. Ricketts, Gretchen C. Daily, and Stephen Polasky
392 pages , 07 April 2011

http://ukcatalogue.oup.com/product/9780199588992.do#

WICCI: Wisconsin & Resiliency

2011-07-11T12:24:00.000-05:00

Earlier this year, a number of states released plans detailing how they are preparing for climate change. ...Wisconsin’s plan is exceptionally detailed and thorough. ..."
http://www.americanrivers.org/newsroom/blog/whewes-20110707-state-of-preparedness.html

300 Years of FOSSIL FUELS in 300 Seconds

2011-07-11T09:50:00.000-05:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cJ-J91SwP8w&feature=related

This American Life: Game Changer

2011-07-11T08:22:00.000-05:00

2 examples:

The role of resource company funding and research universities
and
how high stakes developers work the marks in a town.

http://www.thisamericanlife.org/radio-archives/episode/440/game-changer

Climate Change Education - California Style

2011-07-08T13:10:00.000-05:00

"In this presentation, Dr. Carol Tang, Director of Public Programs for the California Academy of Sciences, speaks about "Climate Change Education: Effective Use of Content and Style for Different Audiences."

http://fora.tv/2010/04/17/Dr_Carol_Tang_on_Climate_Change_Education#fullprogram

Per Aspera ad Astra / We Coulda Been a Contender

2011-07-08T09:59:00.004-05:00

The questioning mind of Man...that by and by

From the void's rim returns with swooning eye,

Having seen himself into the maelstrom spill.

O race of Adam, blench not lest you find

In the sun's bubbling bowl anonymous death,

Or lost in whistling space without a mind

To monstrous Nothing yield your little breath:

You shall achieve destruction where you stand,

In intimate conflict, at your brother's hand.

Edna St. Vincent Millay, from sonnet XV of “Epitaph for the Race of Man”

An O'Niell Torus, an inside view, circa 1976.

The end of an attempt at the ultimate "sustainability" project?

Those of you who know me personally know that I am not a fan of the Shuttle. I have always viewed it as a compromise, low bid vehicle. I have though always viewed the struggle to rise from the earth, in the same way I view the struggle of life to take to the land. That effort is simply duty to our specie. Right now, we are in the cosmic sense certainly on the Galactic Red List, if there is one. :)

But with the economic climate and the abundance of incurious idiots (in the original Greek sense of the term), the last shuttle flight may mark the end of the U.S. crewed space effort.

Those of you in on the early days of "ecological design" may remember these two:

A Coevolution Quarterly book, edited by Stewart Brandhttp://www.nss.org/settlement/nasa/CoEvolutionBook/index.html

http://www.nss.org/settlement/nasa/75SummerStudy/Design.html

A final word.

When the late Gus Grissom (killed along with fellow astronauts Ed White and Rodger Chaffee during a pre-launch test for first Apollo mission), was asked by Oriana Fallaci why he was doing what he did, with all the risk, his response was, "What if the sun dies?". Fallaci used that as the title for her 1966 book about the U.S. space program, If the Sun Dies.The book was written for her father, who thought it was a waste of money.

Here is the end of that book.

" We are separated from each other father, maybe lost to each other, but I feel full of hope, of desparate optimism.
A man, a brother had gone. Other men, other brothers would go, suddenly cut down like a trunk of a tree struck by an axe. I too would go, God knew where, God knew when the axe would strike and cut me down too, I want to live, and hate death, but the world remained a long promise and the sky was offering thousands of lighted homes. And if the Earth dies, and if the Sun dies, we shall live up there, father. Cost what it may: a tree, a billion trees, all the trees that life has given us."