California's new climate change website

Jerry Brown, Governor of California, announces the launch of a website dedicated to climate change and the case against skeptics of climate change or global warming caused by humans: Climate Change: Just the Facts.

See this story at Huffington Post: Jerry Brown Global Warming Website Takes On Climate Change Deniers.

Warmest March in U.S.

More than 15,000 warm temperature records were broken during March in the U.S. and the warmer-than-average conditions created an environment favorable for severe thunderstorms and tornadoes. There were 223 tornado reports during March, which averages 80 tornadoes annually. (This according to NOAA's Storm Prediction Center.)  See: U.S. Records Warmest March; More Than 15,000 Warm Temperature Records Broken.

Global warming caused mostly by humans

In a new study, as reported by USA Today:

NASA researchers updated calculations of the Earth's energy imbalance, which is the difference between the amount of solar energy absorbed by the Earth's surface and the amount returned to space as heat. They found that despite unusually low solar activity from 2005 to 2010, the planet continued to absorb more energy (half a watt more per square meter) than it returned to space during that time period.

In other words, it's not the sun.

In fact, a growing body of research suggests that humans may be causing more than 100% of global warming, because without human influences on Earth's climate, the planet would actually be cooling.  See What Amount of Global Warming is Human-Caused?

Why is human-induced warming so potentially dangerous? Because when tipping points are reached, warming will accelerate due to feedback effects.  For example, as Arctic ice melts, more solar heat is trapped with less sunlight reflected back into space.  See Climate Change in Arctic could Trigger Domino Effect Around the World.

Plant hardiness map for warmer regions

Farm crops respond to climate signals just like backyard garden and ornamental plantings do. Pennsylvania's coldest days aren't as cold as they once were and the warming trend, generally extending across the U.S., is detailed in the Department of Agriculture's new "plant hardiness map," a rainbow-banded depiction of growing zones used by farmers and gardeners to determine which fruits, vegetables and ornamental trees and shrubbery can grow in their regions.

See Dig this: Gardeners, farmers get new guides.

Unsustainable population growth

"In the last 200 years the population of our planet has grown exponentially, at a rate of 1.9% per year. If it continued at this rate, with the population doubling every 40 years, by 2600 we would all be standing literally shoulder to shoulder." said Professor Stephen Hawking as reported by Edward Morgan in Looking at the New Demography.

Morgan makes the case we are already in stage 5 of The Demographic Transition Model.

Earth at the Winter Solstice

The shortest day of the year, the solstice is notable because the Sun's angle relative to the Earth is at its most southern point, leaving the North Pole in darkness. See this beautiful full hemispheric scan from NOAA, taken on December 21, 2011: http://www.nnvl.noaa.gov/MediaDetail.php?MediaID=912&MediaTypeID=1

The canary in the coal mine

The Arctic is the canary in the coal mine for global warming because both direct and indirect effects of warming tend to amplify changes taking place in the Arctic region more strongly than at lower latitudes. NOAA has issued its Arctic Report Card for 2011.

Permafrost thawing

An important warning from a recent study by permafrost experts: Current warming will cause permafrost thawing that will contribute more green house gases as decaying plants that are stuck below ground for millennia release CO2 and methane into the air. This factor has not yet been accounted for in warming predictions by the IPCC.

See Study: Thawing permafrost will worsen global warming.

See also Climate Change May Happen More Quickly Than Expected.

Fixing Climate

"Fixing Climate: What Past Climate Changes Reveal About the Current Threat—and How to Counter It" by Wallace S. Broecker and Robert Kunzig--Wallace Broecker has spent more than 50 years studying the climate of the past 200,000 years and was one of the first to warn decades ago about the potential for human-induced global warming.

At Columbia University, Broecker has published over 400 papers and has won numerous prizes including the National Medal of Science.

Over the years, Broecker has developed ways to calculate the rate of gas exchange between the atmosphere and the ocean and has devised the Broecker's Conveyor Belt, a global ocean circulation process that affects climate around the globe.

Broecker and science writer Robert Kunzig explain the history and science of climate change, plus describe an innovative means of technology for lessening the carbon dioxide in our atmosphere in an attempt to mitigate global warming.

Global warming is real

Results just released, the Berkeley Earth Surface Temperature study finds reliable evidence of a rise in average world land temperature of approximately 1°C since the mid-1950s. This corroborates prior studies by NOAA, NASA, and the Hadley Center who found that land warming was about the same over this period and that urban heat island effects and poor station quality did not bias results (as claimed by skeptics). See Cooling the Warming Debate: Major New Analysis Confirms That Global Warming Is Real.

Shale fracking fouls ground water

And they said it can't happen.

EPA in 1987 found fracking fouled well water in W.Va

A 1987 U.S. Environmental Protection Agency finding, which the agency has ignored for years, concluded that hydraulic fracturing of a deep natural gas well in Jackson County, W.Va., contaminated groundwater and private wells.

Although the gas drilling industry has repeatedly claimed that such "fracking" operations in Pennsylvania's Marcellus Shale natural gas fields pose no threat to rural underground aquifers, groundwater and drinking water wells, EPA investigators concluded a gas well drilled and fracked by the Kaiser Gas Co. in 1982 did contaminate groundwater.

Read more: http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/11215/1164864-100.stm#ixzz1TzNU0FES

Fracking chemical disclosure

Texas made law a bill that requires gas drilling companies to make public the chemicals they use on every hydraulic fracturing job. See 'Fracking' Disclosure to Rise.

Earlier this year, some of the big gas producers said they would begin voluntarily publicizing these chemicals at FracFocus.org.

Observational evidence

I had a conversation recently with someone who claimed that "global warming theory" is not supported by observational evidence. It's true that on any given day or week in your own neighborhood, what you see cannot necessarily be linked to climate change, as weather and climate occur on two entirely different scales. Weather is short-term while climate trends are detected over much longer periods (like 30 years at minimum) so particular weather events are not really evidence of global warming, but the longer-term patterns are.

I see plenty of observational evidence around the world that's being reported on longer term patterns. For example, in today's news, Europe's Worst Drought In 100 Years Is Getting Worse says that England is the driest it's been since 1910 and the warmest since 1659.

For more on recent climate trends, see NOAA: 2010 Tied For Warmest Year on Record.

Spring water contaminated by fracking

Spring water contaminated by leaks from Marcellus Shale drilling operations has ruined the drinking water by a hunting club in Clearfield County. See Hunting club contends with spring water contaminations from gas drilling.

Another gas well blowout in Pennsylvania

Fracking fluid spills out of busted well head in Bradford County, contaminating surrounding farm land and a nearby stream that flows into the Susquehanna River. Residents are asked to evacuate. DEP is on site looking for environmental impacts. This incident shows how dangerous gas well drilling is and the likelihood of contamination by the drilling fluids. Millions of gallons of water laced with toxic chemicals and hydraulic fluids are used in these operations, injected into wells under high pressure. Well casings are made of cement. Fracking ponds are lined with plastic. Any cracks, tears, or quality problems and this is what can happen.

See http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/11111/1140850-503-2.stm

Marcellus shale gas not so clean

And now this: A Cornell University study has concluded that methane produced from shale gas may contribute as much or even more to global greenhouse warming than coal. Shale gas is lost to the atmosphere by venting from backflow water released from wells and pressure valves, along with leaks that can occur in the various equipment used to produce, process and ship the gas, as well as in gas pipelines used to ship it to market.

See http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/11103/1138900-84.stm.

Water treatment plants can't handle drilling waste water

Several water treatment plants in Western Pennsylvania have stopped taking drilling waste water from natural gas hydraulic fracturing. Treatment plants are not equipped to deal with this new kind of contaminated water. In Oklahoma and other states, fracking waste is barred from being processed at treatment plants and is instead injected into deep wells. That option may not exist for PA due to geology, but other alternatives must be explored. It's a good reason to slow down this "gold rush." See http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/11103/1138930-455.stm

PA Governor refuses gas drilling severance tax

Pennsylvania is the only state with significant gas drilling that has no severance tax. Several polls show now that 2/3 of state voters support a severance tax. Governor Corbett's energy executive says that Corbett does not govern based on polls. Then on what basis does he govern? If not by what the people want, or what other states have shown can be done with effective drilling taxes, or what the studies have shown that the gas industry would still prosper, or what the gas industry itself has said which is that it's open to a severance tax, then what? Governor Corbett, what??

See the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette story:

Tax on gas drillers boils in Harrisburg

Company illegally dumps drilling waste water

The company Allan's Waste Water Service was accused of illegally dumping waste water and it's owner, Robert Allan Shipman, charged with llegally dumping millions of gallons of Marcellus Shale wastewater, sewer sludge and other waste into holes, mine shafts and waterways in a six-county region of Pennsylvania from 2003 to 2009. This company is still operating, by the way.

See Company Accused of Illegally Dumping at the Pittsbugh Post-Gazette.

Ballooning bromide concentrations

Ballooning bromide concentrations in rivers where Marcellus Shale wastewater discharges are on the rise, is another big worry to our public water suppliers. Elevated bromide levels create treatment problems which can result in the contamination of our drinking water with organic chemicals that cause cancer and birth defects. And what does the drilling industry say? Oh, it can't be the drilling wastewater--it must be the runoff from the road salt used! Meanwhile, the bromide levels spiked in the summer months when road salt isn't used, plus road salt has much more chloride and little bromide and the chloride level in the river water has not risen. Why does this industry deny their impact?

See: Bromide: A Concern in Drilling Wastewater (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette article).