January 2008 Archives

Minnesotans For Global Warming Is having a rally at the Minnesota Capital on the South Side Capital Steps on Saturday February 2, Groundhog Day from 12 -2PM.

The Rally is called “Minnesotans For Global Warming - Free The Groundhog Day - Don’t Tax Our Breath Rally!”.

The purpose of the rally is to gather and inform Minnesotans of upcoming legislation being proposed by the “Minnesota Environmental Partnership”, and all the other Federal and international CO2 taxes that are being proposed and signed into law. It is our contention that these taxes will serve only to put a further burden on the Minnesota taxpayer and have no effect on the climate.

by Stephanie Hemphill, Minnesota Public Radio

The Minnesota Climate Change Advisory Group has approved a long list of suggestions on how the state can reduce its carbon footprint. Some ideas are more controversial than others, but they all mean changes in how we do things.

St. Paul, Minn. — Gov. Tim Pawlenty appointed the 50 member group last spring. They've been meeting both in technical work groups and as a body, slogging through reams of data and listening to each other's expertise and concerns.

In the end, they decided on roughly 50 recommendations to forward to the governor and the legislature. Some they approved unanimously; others had less support.

By Ken Kaye | Sun-Sentinel.com

Following in the footsteps of an earlier study, government scientists on Tuesday said warmer oceans should translate to fewer Atlantic hurricanes striking the United States.

The reason: As sea surface temperatures warm globally, sustained vertical wind shear increases. Wind shear makes it difficult for storms to form and grow.

"Using data extending back to the middle 19th century, we found a gentle decrease in the trend of U.S. landfalling hurricanes when the global ocean is warmed up," Chunzai Wang, a physical oceanographer and climate scientist with NOAA's Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory in Miami, said in a prepared statement.

China agriculture official says snow disaster impact on winter crops 'extremely serious'

By CHRISTOPHER BODEEN , Associated Press

BEIJING - Snow battering central China has dealt an "extremely serious" blow to winter crops, a top agriculture official warned Thursday, raising the likelihood that future shortages would exaggerate already surging food prices.

Regions hit by the worst winter storms in 50 years provide the bulk of China's winter fruit and vegetables, Chen Xiwen, deputy director of the Communist Party's leading financial team, told reporters.

By David Millward, London Telegraph

Motorists face having to pay new green taxes as ministers step up their war on "gas-guzzling" cars.

The Government wants to get people out of high-emissions vehicles by making them more expensive, while also cutting the cost of driving for more environmentally-friendly options.

Two recently published reports commissioned by the Department for Transport examine the impact of raising the cost of buying the most polluting cars, and of increasing running costs by raising road tax or fuel prices.

A Must Watch!

What's the truth about Global Warming? Global Warming is indeed real, but does it have more to do with the natural cycles of the Sun rather than Man-made C02?

"We've almost begun to take it for granted that climate change is a man-made phenomenon. But just as the environmental lobby think they've got our attention, a group of naysayers have emerged to slay the whole premise of global warming."

Here's are some radio spots for the upcoming rally!

Ria Novosti
Northern parts of Saudi Arabia are covered with snow with schools, mosques and administrative bodies paralyzed, local media reported Friday.

The oil-rich kingdom is being hit with subzero temperatures and snow storms with freezing winds of up to 50 km/h (30mp/h). Some regions have been experiencing problems with water supplies as pipes have frozen, and livestock has died from the cold.

The Saudi Gazette reported late in December that the winter was expected to last 89 days, with temperatures reaching below zero. National media said the winter is the coldest in the country for 20 years.

Energy-saving devices called so dangerous everyone must leave for at least 15 minutes.

Thomas Edison must be rolling over in his grave.

Less than a month after the U.S. Congress passed an energy bill banning the incandescent light bulb by 2014, the UK Environment Agency issued guidelines calling for evacuation of any room where an energy-saving compact fluorescent light bulb is broken, releasing toxic mercury.

from WCCO.com

[News flash: it will get nicer in Minnesota- Elmer]

ELY, Minn. (AP) ― A forum on global warming hosted by explorer Will Steger and Governor Pawlenty brought warnings that some of Minnesota's natural resources are at risk if people fail to reduce carbon emissions.

The event was held yesterday in Ely, in northern Minnesota. One University of Minnesota scientist said that an increase in carbon dioxide emissions would over the years eliminate much of the forest that covers that part of the state -- in favor of grassland.

The Republican governor and Steger, a frequent polar explorer, are hosting several of the forums around the state to bring attention to what scientists predict will happen to different parts of Minnesota if global warming advances.

Democratic Senator Amy Klobuchar also attended the event. She and Pawlenty both believe Minnesota should try to create so-called "green collar jobs" that revolve around clean-energy technologies.

CO2 is getting a bad wrap in the media these days so I figure I'd right a song about it.