The British Antarctic Survey, using an ice gazing NASA satellite, has shown that warner air, or as some call it, global warming, can’t alone explain why the antarctic glaciers are melting so fast. Twenty ice shelves were seen to be melting from warm water below them. Changes in wind currents pushed the warmer water closer and beneath the floating ice shelf. Antarctica is losing 23 feet of arctic ice shelf each year. From the associated Press 4/26/12

While we here in the United States ponder, argue, deny, obfuscate and even lie about what to do about carbon in the air, or even doing nothing about it, the rest of the world is actually trying to work out some kind of solution, Interpol is trying to educate police as to how to keep criminals out of global carbon markets. The system of Cap & Trade, where big emitters of CO2 can trade emission credits to low emitters of CO2 to avoid paying penalties for for their emissions, is very complicated and subject to fraud. It’s happening in many European countries. Traditional environmental agencies have come up against so many different parties and new instruments never before seen that they are having to learn of forms of vulnerability they’ve never even heard of.As the price of carbon increeases the more likely criminals are to be attracted to the market.

Jonah  Goldberg, the ‘brilliant’ columnist who proclaimed not too long ago that oil and gas were the “True” green fuels, is criticising President Obama for saying we need all available fuels, pursuing nuclear as well as fossil fuels and alternatives such as wind and solar. Goldberg maintains that Obama blocked the Keystone XL pipeline and his policies are responsible for high gas prices now. Jonah is playing fast and loose with the truth. First, it is pretty well known that financial firms, speculating on future oil prices, are responsible for the high cost of gas at the pump. I don’t think the president has been buying oil futures. (Anyone with evidence that he is doing this let me know.) The president stopped the pipeline to allow an evaluation of the proposed route which passed through sensitive areas in which a pipeline spill could seriously harm a vital aquifer. Just a week ago he lifted the block and allowed the start of the lower end of the pipeline. As for not embracing cap and trade, that program does not take greenhouse gases out of the atmosphere. It just lets big polluters buy credits from a clean industry so they can pursue business as usual. Germany has tried cap-and-trade and found that the system was easily scammed.

Emissions of Methane are known to be 20 times more potent than CO2 as a greenhouse gas, far exceeding estimates for gas drilling and production, according to scientists with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The study, focused in Weld County, Colorado, is home to 20,000 gas wells. Four percent of the methane produced by these wells is lost to the atmosphere. That’s double what was originally thought. Methane accounts for roughly 10% of greenhouse gas emissions nationwide. Leaks during the drilling, production and transmission of natural gas are the greatest source accounting for about a third of all man-made methane emissions. Researchers also found surprisingly high emissions of benzene, a carcinogen, and other pollutants.

Back in June 13, 2012 we wrote here about the Heartland Institute, a Libertarian think tank that denies evolution, global warming and anything supported by the scientific community,. They were receiving large sums of money to develop curriculum for our schools that question global warming. One anonymous individual gave them $4.6 million. It has recently come to light that Microsoft, whose Bill Gates vigorously promotes clean energy, has donated almost $60,000 to heartland. Heartland is hoping to get more. Tobacco giants Altria and Reynolds America, along with drug companies Glaxosmithkline, Pfizer and Eli Lilley have collectively given $1.1 Million in the past 2 years and are planning to give $705,000 this year. Another large donor is the Koch brothers. Microsoft cops out saying it was part of their program to give free software licenses to non-profits. 

The big oil, coal and gas lobbies have set up a website to spread climate change manure. The site, CO2 is Green.org, is devoted to convincing the American public that the more CO2 the fossil fuel polluters spew out the better it will be for humankind. It's all aimed at preventing cap and trade legislation. They claim that CO2 is not a greenhouse gas and isn't bad for people or plants. This is a half truth...

Jan M  Strasser reviewed the first chapter. To see her review go to "purchase here" yellow box, click on down loadable chapters, Chapter 01 Download, Product Details, then scroll down to Customer Reviews. It bears noting that the first chapter is free. This is a bit circuitous to find but we are working on making it simpler. My thanks to Ms Strasser for her views.

Comments on Jonah Goldberg's column of June 19, 2010, in which he states that oil is the "True green fuel."

His rationale for this outlandish statement: 4. Goldberg states we'll simply have to buy most of our oil from foreigners.

We already buy a major portion of our oil from foreigners. Ramping up domestic production enough to make a significant difference will take many years, Waiting for alternatives to be able to replace oil until it is either all gone or far too expensive for our transportation needs is short term thinking. The cost of drilling in deep water will mean that oil gets more expensive over time.