Simon

In a speech at the Department of Energy yesterday Barack Obama said he and the American people is serious about energy independence. Obama also said his proposed American Recovery and Reinvestment Plan “will begin to end the tyranny of oil in our time.” In the speech Obama said the renewable energy industry “will create hundreds of thousands of jobs over the next few years” and “millions more after that”. Obama said he will invest in a “better, smarter electricity grid” that can deliver clean renewable electricity from one end of the country to another. Obama also said he will “lead a revolution in energy efficiency” saying it will create jobs and save taxpayers $2 billion each year and “billions of dollars more on their utility bills”. He said his investments in the US mass transit system will be “a significant down payment on a cleaner and more independent energy future.” Obama also criticized the Republicans who have spoken out against his American Recovery and Reinvestment Plan: “Now, I read the other day that the critics of this plan ridiculed our notion that we should use part of the money to modernize the entire fleet of federal vehicles to take advantage of state of the art fuel-efficiency. They call it pork. You know the truth. It will not only save the government significant money over time, it will not only create jobs manufacturing those vehicles, it will set a standard for private industry to match. And so when you hear these attacks deriding something of such obvious importance as this, you have to ask yourself – is it any wonder we haven’t had a real energy policy in this country?” He also lashed out against the Republicans economic policies saying their “ideas have been tested, and they have failed”: In the last few days, we've seen proposals arise from some in Congress that you may not have read but you'd be very familiar with because you've been hearing them for the last 10 years, maybe longer. They're rooted in the idea that tax cuts alone can solve all our problems; that government doesn't have a role to play; that half-measures and tinkering are somehow enough; that we can afford to ignore our most fundamental economic challenges -- the crushing cost of health care, the inadequate state of so many of our schools, our dangerous dependence on foreign oil. So let me be clear: Those ideas have been tested, and they have failed. They've taken us from surpluses to an annual deficit of over a trillion dollars, and they've brought our economy to a halt. And that's precisely what the election we just had was all about. The American people have rendered their judgment. And now is the time to move forward, not back. Now is the time for action. You can read the full transcript of the speech here.

Photo credit: suburbanbloke It’s not just Argentina, Australia and California who faces severe droughts and heatwaves. BBC reports that China has declared a drought emergency in northern and central parts of the country. Around four million people are suffering from water shortages while almost half of China's winter crop is under threat. "President Hu Jintao and Premier Wen Jiabao ordered all-out efforts to fight the drought, allocating 400m yuan ($58m, £40m) in relief assistance. China's drought relief office called it an event "rarely seen in history". China faces droughts and floods annually but has seen a recent increase in extreme weather conditions. The Chinese authorities say the current drought is expected to continue as no rain has been forecast in the affected areas for at least 10 days." The Chinese agriculture ministry says it's on red alert and tries to focus on stabilising the grain production and ensure agricultural production can continue.

Photo credit: cloudzilla A new study, published in the journal Nature, shows that Antarctica, like the rest of the world, is warming up. The authors of the study fear that West Antarctica may have reached a "tipping point" which will melt most of the ice. If all of West Antarctica was to melt away it would raise global sea levels of up to seven metres with devastating consequences around the world. Eric Steig, of the University of Washington, one of the authors of the study, said: "The thing you hear all the time is that Antarctica is cooling and that’s not the case. If anything it’s the reverse, but it’s more complex than that. "Antarctica isn’t warming at the same rate everywhere, and while some areas have been cooling for a long time the evidence shows the continent as a whole is getting warmer." Professor Barry Brook, of the University of Adelaide, said after seeing the study that together with the melting of Greenlands ice sheet global sea levels would rise 14 metres: "This new analysis of the warming trend over the other large vulnerable ice sheet, West Antarctica, suggests it is also precariously balanced. "A complete melting of both of these ice sheets would cause about 14 metres of sea level rise, but even losing a fraction of both would cause a few metres this century, with disastrous consequences. I worry, with the observed polar warming over the last few decades and more in the pipeline due to lags in the climate system, that their large-scale melt is now a fait accompli." The study notes that man-made climate change is to be blamed for warming up Antarctica: "This warming trend is difficult to explain without the radioactive forcing associated with increasing greenhouse-gas concentrations." Also read: The world's glaciers continues to melt, will raise sea levels and threat 2bn people

Photo credit: phault Sölvesborg, a small village near the coast located in southern Sweden, was first in the world with sea-based wind power. And now it might become the place for Sweden's and northern Europe's largest offshore wind farm. The renewable energy companies Vingkraft AB and Eolus Vind AB wants to construct 500 wind turbines in the sea outside of Sölvesborg by 2014-2019. Once completed the wind farm will supply 5-7 TWh of electricity every year. That is equal to the amount of electricity the now decommissioned Swedish nuclear plant Barsebäck generated every year. Although the proposed wind farm have a long way to go and many different instances to pass, such as the military, before getting approved the local politicians and people in the region are excited. The politicians believe the wind farm will create thousands of new jobs in the region and even act as a way to attract more tourists. The wind farm is expected to cost 50 billion Swedish kronor, equal to around €4.5 billion.

Photo credit: longhorndave According to new research by the University of Zurich’s World Glacier Monitoring Service the global warming trend continues and as a result the glaciers around the world are melting for the 18th year in a row. According to the authors of the study the world’s glaciers lost 2 meters (2000 mm) of thickness on average in 2006-2007. And that "the new data continues the global trend in accelerated ice loss over the past few decades." The authors also note that the rate of ice loss is twice as fast as a decade ago. "One year doesn’t tell us much, it’s really these long-term trends that help us to understand what's going on," Michael Zemp, a researcher at the University of Zurich’s Department of Geography, said in an interview. “The main thing that we can do to stop this is reduce greenhouse gases" that are blamed for global warming. Prof Wilfried Haeberli, director of the World Glacier Monitoring Service, warns that many glaciers will disappear by the middle of the century. And that this will result in devastating effects around the world such as rising sea levels and threatening the livelihoods of over two billion people. "If the climate is not really cooling dramatically, they'll retreat and disintegrate," said Haeberli. "This means many will simply be lost in the next decades - 10, 20, 30, 40 years. "If you have a realistic, mid-warming scenario, then there's no hope for the small glaciers - in the Pyrenees, in Africa, in the Andes or Rocky mountains. The large glaciers in Alaska and the Himalayas will take longer, but even those very large glaciers will change completely; they will be much, much smaller, and many of them will disintegrate, forming lakes in many cases." Read more: - 2008 ends up being the tenth warmest year due to man-made climate change - Top German scientist warns that climate change is accelerating - Severe droughts and heatwaves in Argentina, Australia and California - Climate change is happening much faster than previously expected

Photo credit: World Development Movement Top US climate scientist Dr James Hansen shares his thoughts about Coal River Mountain and Barack Obama’s coal policy in general in a letter titled: "Tell President Obama About Coal River Mountain". "Coal River Mountain is the site of an absurdity. [...]The issue at Coal River Mountain is whether the top of the mountain will be blown up, so that coal can be dredged out of it, or whether the mountain will be allowed to stand. It has been shown that more energy can be obtained from a proposed wind farm, if Coal River Mountain continues to stand. More jobs would be created. More tax revenue would flow, locally and to the state, and the revenue flow would continue indefinitely. Clean water and the environment would be preserved. But if planned mountaintop removal proceeds, the mountain loses its potential to be a useful wind source." You can read and download the report that Hansen is talking about over at Coal River Mountain Watch.

Will.i.am has together with DipDive just released a new video titled "Take Our Planet Back" which focuses on energy, climate and environmental issues and topics. The video calls for citizens and their leaders to deal with the serious environmental problems that our planet faces. The video features clips of Al Gore, montages of the various environmental challenges we face, and will.i.am singing. Watch it: Below you can find the lyrics for Will.I.Am's new music video "Take Our Planet Back": Al Gore: Today, I challenge our nation to commit to producing 100% of our electricity from renewable energy and truly clean carbon-free sources within 10 years. Calling all the leaders to lead us out the hole Asking all deceivers the things I want to know If we’re so technological Why’re we still burning oil ‘Cause I got a car you plug into the wall that’s faster than a GTO We shot for the stars, put rovers on Mars, make planes like UFOs So why are we borrowin’ money from China to buy oil from the Gulf and destroyin’ the world Al Gore: Every bit of that has to change... Now that’s got to change Now that’s got to change (Chorus x3) We’ll stand up We’ll stand up and take our planet back You and me We’ll stand up We’ll stand up and take our planet back Talkin’ ‘bout we Talkin’ ‘bout we Talkin’ ‘bout Calling all the citizens (Al Gore: Citizens...) Citizens of the land Ask you your politicians (Al Gore: Political Leaders...) All these questions If we fight another war on terror Why aren’t we fighting for the environment We spend a billion dollars on wars in foreign lands But nothin’ on education Nikola Tesla turned the Niagara Falls into energy way back when (Al Gore: Energy...) And we’re still burning coal (Al Gore: Coal...) When you can make electricity with solar and wind (Al Gore: Solar and wind...) Now who’s getting played? You and me And who’s getting paid? (Chorus x3) We’ll stand up We’ll stand up and take our planet back You and me We’ll stand up We’ll stand up and take our planet back Talkin’ ‘bout we Talkin’ ‘bout we, we, we, we I’m askin’ all the citizens to take action (Al Gore: Citizens...) Take action and take back the government Tell the government to start taxin’ pollution Makin’ laws ‘cause that’s the solution It should be against the law to make pollution So if they make products that do what the other products do But they didn’t pollute, what are you gonna choose? Al Gore: We should tax what we burn, not what we earn. To those who say the challenge is not politically viable I suggest they go before the American people and try to defend the status quo And then bear witness to the people’s appetite for dramatic change The time is now.

Photo credit: suburbanbloke As a top German scientist warns that climate change is accelerating, while 2008 ends up being the tenth warmest year ever recorded and a NOAA study shows climate change is "largely irreversible for 1000 years" we hear news about severe heatwaves and droughts in Argentina, Australia and USA. Australians are currently facing a severe heatwave with temperatures of 40-plus Celsius (104 Fahrenheit) for the southern parts of the country, making it the worst heatwave in 100 years. And the Australian government says it's a sign of climate change. "Climate Change Minister Penny Wong said the heatwave, which started on Wednesday, was the sort of weather scientists had been warning about. "Eleven of the hottest years in history have been in the last 12, and we also note, particularly in the southern part of Australia, we're seeing less rainfall," Wong told reporters. "All of this is consistent with climate change, and all of this is consistent with what scientists told us would happen."" In Argentina the people are currently facing a year long drought that has killed an estimated one million animals and destroyed thousands of acres of valuable crops. "Skeletons of livestock are piling up in the scorching sun of the Southern Hemisphere's summer as the worst drought in a generation turns much of Argentina's breadbasket into a dust bowl. The nation's farm sector stands to lose $5 billion this year alone — a huge blow to the economy of Argentina, a top world exporter of soy, corn, wheat and beef — as well as to the government of President Cristina Fernandez, which faces billions of dollars in debt payments this year. Wheat fields that once supplied flour for pasta-loving Argentines now resemble deserts, and spiny thistles are all that survive on cattle ranches in southern Buenos Aires province." And in California, USA, a new study has showed that the state is facing one of the worst droughts in its history as the winter snow levels is only at 61% of normal levels. "The state, which produces about half the United States' vegetables and fruit, is in its third year of drought and its main system supplying water to cities and farms may only be able to fulfill 15 percent of requests, scientists said. The snowpack on California's mountains is carrying only 61 percent of the water of normal years, according to the survey by the state Department of Water Resources. Last year the snowpack held 111 percent of the normal amount of water, but spring was the driest ever recorded. "California is headed toward one of the worst water crises in its history, underscoring the need to upgrade our water infrastructure by increasing water storage, improving conveyance, protecting the (Sacramento) Delta's ecosystem and promoting greater water conservation," Schwarzenegger said in a statement. "We may be at the start of the worst California drought in modern history," added Water Resources Director Lester Snow in a separate statement."