Arizona’s climate prospects
Four recent studies from the climate research center at the University of Arizona have detailed a variety of impacts on the environment in Arizona:
A steady rise in global temperatures since the 1970s has already shifted the high-altitude jet stream to the north by more than 1,000 miles. That shift has dragged the winter and spring storm track with it. The change will result in fewer big winter storms in Arizona, Nevada, Utah, Southern California, Western Colorado and Western New Mexico, concluded McAfee.
Studies by the UA’s Tree Ring Research Laboratory headed by Tom Swetnam have also found that warm, dry springs lead to a big increase in wildfires.
Another study by UA researchers Sarah Kimball, D. Lawrence Venable and others published in Global Change Biology produced a seemingly contradictory result: cold-tolerating Sonoran Desert plants have actually gotten a boost from the warming trend.
The most cold-tolerant wildflowers increased their germination rates, at the expense of the rest. Earlier work had shown that cold-tolerant annuals also do better on less water, which could account for the shift the researchers recorded.
widespread decline in the number of pinyon pine — the scrubby, drought-tolerant pine tree that often grows at Payson’s elevation.
Pinyon pines have died off on some 2.5 million acres in the past few decades. The researchers blamed a decade of drought, record-high temperatures, a dwindling snowpack and other changes.
There’s a wonderfully idiosyncratic take on Arizona’s future here. Which also qualifies as the longest url I’ve ever seen 
nice work Emil Pulsifer.
example:
My solutions? 1) Stop all exurban development; 2) Stop all development outside the real urban footprints of cities and towns — that means no more Pinal or Buckeye sprawl; 3) Shrink the state’s population through taxes, “anti-business” regulations and whatever other creative solution someone can reach (the heat may do this anyway); 4) Price water extremely high outside the SRP footprint and a few other quasi-sustainable areas; 5) Start to return much of metro Phoenix’s fringes to natural desert — yes, tear down the crap; 6) Get a real handle on the state’s water resources, based on science, not the venal appetite of the Growth Machine; 7) Fill in the old SRP footprint with high-quality dense development that includes plenty of shade tree and grass oases but also building based on Spanish and Moorish models rather than American tract houses with large expanses out front; also, with much less pavement 
Tax the fringe areas to encourage migration either out of state or into the dense SRP footprint or other such areas. 9) Shut down any golf course built after 1970; 10) Have statewide, airtight water regulations. Not the least impediment to realizing these solutions would be building an economy based on more than sprawl. So…no chance.
Climate protests target R.B.S. bank
The imminent annual general meeting of R.B.S. bank is to be targeted by climate protesters, according to the organisers of Climate Camp.
The protesters say that R.B.S. fund the oil industry (all banks do!) and engage in Carbon Trading.
Climate Camp spokesman Richard Bernard said: “The root cause of climate change is always governments, banks and corporations which support the fossil fuel industry.”
which surely qualifies as one of the most wide-ranging and witless claims of all time.
The root causes of climate change are environmental unawareness, rampant consumerism, inflated house prices (which lead young families to commute ever greater distances to employment of debatable value), rampant Consumerism (yes, it is the functional religion of the western world), and rampant consumerism.
To blame banks for millions flying abroad several times a year to escape the meaninglessness of their lives seems psychologically inept. It is comforting to have someone to blame … George Bush 3rd did so a little while back, and we’ll all suffer the consequences for decades.
If you really want to make a difference, picket the airports, invest (through R.B.S. if you like!) in renewable energy and quit driving to protests.
Can BP subcontract environmental and ethical responsibilities?
On the news this morning, US president Obama is aiming to change US law to ensure that BP pay the total cost of the Gulf of Mexico oil disaster. And yet, the new climate bill that proposes cutting US carbon emissions by 17% by 2020, to make the US the world’s “clean-energy leader” includes provisions for relaxing rules on offshore oil-drilling – highly controversial in the wake of the huge Gulf of Mexico oil spill.
The question is, can BP (or anyone) subcontract their moral and environmental responsibilities? I suggest not.
The Transocean drilling enterprise is relatively minor in the scale of BP’s operations; even more so the cement oil-well casing built by BP contractor Halliburton. If the environment is at risk from drilling and encasing in ‘cement’ (I suggest they mean concrete!), then BP have responsibilty and surely have the funds to do the job themselves.
For example, last year their profits were close to £9,000,000,000:
Oil giant BP has reported a 45% drop in annual profit due to lower oil and gas prices and depressed refining margins.
Its replacement cost profit for 2009 was $13.96bn (£8.75bn), compared with $25.59bn in 2008.
The company said that its oil and gas production increased more than 4% in 2009 and its reserves had grown for the 17th year in a row.
bird species in south america threatened by soy farming
Following on from the recent swan and wren photos, in the paintings and photos category, here is news of wetlands under threat in South america; mostly in Brazil. the flood plain known as the Pantanal covers150,000 square kilometres. Most of it is in Brazil, but also extends into Bolivia and Paraguay.
Within the Pantanal therre are known to be 700 species of birds, 50 types of reptiles and many fish.
“The real danger is in the area around the Pantanal, in the tablelands, due to the very strong agricultural movement, agribusiness, soya plantations, sugar cane plantations,” says Andre Thuronyi of the Araras Eco Lodge.
full story: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/8130261.stm
Earlier this year was a report linking the threat to soya farming on a vast scale in Brazil’s Mato Grosso state.
Soy farming
“In the United States, the government is spending $8bn [£4.2bn] to undo the environmental problems in the Everglades and that’s a massive sum, too much for a country like Brazil,” he added.
The Everglades was hugely damaged by 1940s drainage projects. The current national park covers only a fifth of the original territory.
links corrected August 24 2010
Republican ranchers embrace wind power
Republican ranchers embrace wind power! also the income …
read the story on the Beeb, complete with video
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/8076301.stm
update from the US Department of Energy April 2010:
thousands gathered at the commemoration of the state’s first wind farm. A group of local residents and US Interior Department officials were there to celebrate an event that had once seemed unlikely if not impossible.
Bill Elkins was the driving force behind this new sustainable ranchers (!) movement.
Bill lives in Navajo County, home to one of the largest Indian reservations in the U.S. He owns and operates the Rocking Chair Ranch. Families like Bill’s have been in ranching for over a hundred years, it’s one of the main industries in Navajo County. But as the years went by it was getting harder to make a living out of ranching and Bill didn’t want to lose his land.
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Gulf of Mexico history lesson
Environment news from the Gulf of Mexico
BP history lesson
Remember the 1979 oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico?
It started with a burst of gas through the drilling well. Workers scrambled to close the safety valves but within moments the platform caught fire and collapsed. Tens of millions of gallons of oil gushed into the Gulf of Mexico. Numerous attempts to stop the spill failed.
Three decades later, the 1979 Ixtoc disaster remains the Gulf’s — and the world’s — worst peacetime oil spill.
Oil kept gushing for another three months after the first well was completed.
140 million gallons of oil spilled before it was finally sealed.
BP news today
4 June 2010
Today’s news:
Waves of gooey tar blobs were washing ashore in growing numbers on the white sand of the Florida Panhandle and nearby Alabama beaches Friday as a slick from the BP spill drifted closer to shore.
Spotters who had been seeing a few tar balls in recent days found a substantially larger number starting before dawn on the beaches of the Gulf Islands National Seashore and nearby areas, a county emergency official said. The park is a long string of connected barrier islands near Pensacola.
Keith Wilkins from Escambia County emergency management said tar patties were pretty thick on parts of the beach, as much as one every foot.
And the reaction of the London Stock Exchange?
BP shares rose over 30 pence for a while today, and are still higher than yesterday’s close. It makes you wonder if the bread-heads ever venture outdoors into the fumes and din of this car-obsessed ‘civilisation’.
Despite many buyers at the share price 30% lower than 2 months ago, the big money is all ditching the shares. Today’s top 7 deals (to 2.30p.m.) were all selling:
£8,968,460 448.42p 2,000,000 11:00 Sell NT
£8,050,455 450.00p 1,788,990 08:00 Sell UT
£1,796,388 449.10p 400,000 08:59 Sell NT
£1,095,500 438.20p 250,000 14:17 Sell NT
£1,032,397 449.85p 229,498 10:48 Sell AT
£995,022 449.50p 221,362 10:09 Sell NT
£961,698 452.50p 212,530 12:31 Sell AT
update 17th Agust 2010
BP has raised $5bn in new loans by pledging revenues from oil sales for the first time in a bid to bolster its liquidity in the wake of the Gulf of Mexico spill.
The new financing is the latest effort to diversify its sources of funding and shore up liquidity, people close to the process said.
The proceeds will be used for general corporate financing rather than as financing for a $20bn escrow fund to pay for damages caused by the spill.
The UK oil group said it was taking a “prudent approach” to managing its balance sheet and its financial liquidity, including providing a liquidity buffer, to ensure that BP has the flexibility to meet all its future financial obligations.
“This form of financing creates further flexibility for BP as an alternative form of financing in addition to its more conventional debt financing such as corporate lending or project finance structures where appropriate,” BP said.
“The company had previously been more reliant on bond market funding.” says Financial Times.
BP engineers and US government scientists are concerned that cement poured into the well from the top earlier this month has squeezed back up into a space between the well pipe and the surrounding rock, trapping about 1,000 barrels of oil.
Solar power roof grants, electric trucks
Photovoltaic cells
Photovoltaic cells, that generate electricity from electromagnetic waves (typically sunlight), were initially so expensive to produce that they only appeared in tiny devices such as pocket calculators or high-tech applications like satellites and space exploration. With improved design, technology and sales volume it is now feasible to use them in your own home or business, and government grants are available to help encourage the pioneers!
Selling solar electricity to the national grid
It is now possible to sell the electricity you don’t use to the national grid, and a premium is payable to encourage the pioneers.
The energy saving trust guide
energy saving trust guide to calculating what works for you:
Clean Energy Cashback
About the Feed-in Tariff (Clean Energy Cashback) scheme
The scheme covers the following electricity-generating technologies, up to 5 Mega Watts:
- Solar electricity (PV) (roof mounted or stand alone)
- Wind turbine (building mounted or free standing)
- Hydroelectricity
- Anaerobic digestion
- Micro combined heat and power (mCHP) (limited to a pilot at this stage)
The tariffs available and the process for receiving them vary, depending on when the technology was installed, and whether the system and the installer were certificated under the MCS* scheme. See below for further details
qualifying for the full FIT payments
You will qualify for the full FIT payments if:
- The technology was installed between 15th July 2009 and 31st March 2010; OR
- It is installed on or after 1st April 2010 using an MCS certificated product and by an MCS* certificated installer;
- The system installed on or after 1st April 2010 is MCS* certificated
Microgeneration Certification Scheme
The Microgeneration Certification Scheme website has lists of certified suppliers and installers, and guidance on deciding what is best for your home or business.
With the development of rechargeable batteries in recent years, as evidenced by their almost universal replacement of mains leads in hand operated power tools (drill, jigsaws, etc.) and small vehicles, it is now feasible for determined individuals to convert a truck to electricity; either using solar electric as described above, or having similar panels on the roof of the truck.
An example of local government determination to encourage cleaner transport is shown for London:
settee nav
yippee; maybe people will stay home:
“A report presented recently to the US Congress warned that sat-nav – satellite navigation – systems could start to fail from next year as the US Air Force’s satellites deteriorate.”
(Less …
Mitsubishi electric car
Hoping to compete with the Nissan electric car,
The all-electric i-MiEV city car, manufactured by Mitsubishi, is now on sale in London, UK. (Mitsubishi Electric Vehicle Centre, St James’s Square, London).
.
This new electric motor:
boats 160km Cruising Range (about 100 miles). And the environmental impact?
based on an annual mileage of 12,500 miles, the i-MiEV produces two tons
less CO 2 per year than a gasoline version.
If you want to achieve even better environmental damage limitation; buy an old car and do a conversion to electric!
short haired bumblebees return to UK
On BBC radio this morning I heard that a rare bee is being reintroduced to Britain.
the short haired bumblebee was exported to New Zealand as a pollinator for clover in the 1800s, and has survived …
Build Your Own Electric Vehicle – Bob Brant, Seth Leitman
Approx 250 pages of useful info by authors who’ve done the job.
Currently 5% off at WHSmiths (£14.24) and £12.21 (free delivery) at Amazon.
D. I. Y. , projects to build electric-cars . bargain-books and popular-books to help the engineer (!)
and save the environment: renewable-energy
The publishers view:
Save money on gas and turn your car into an electric and efficient machine. What really happened to the electric car? This completely revised and updated edition of the “bible of electric car books” gives you the component-by-component coverage you need to convert your gas-guzzler to a clean-running electric powered vehicle. The book begins with a history of electric vehicles and the latest international advances in EV technology, and goes on to describe every component – from motor to chassis – showing how to put them all together to create a working vehicle.
Sterling Engine for solar power
How to convert solar energy (or any heat) into mechanical work.
The scope for renewable energy generation in any country with reliable sunlight is tremendous:
the principle:
This amazingly simple engine runs at 700rpm heated only by a small candle. Powered by an alcohol burner the Lamina Flow engine quickly accelerates up to ~ 1000rpm.
Stirling Engine video
Because the mirrors need to track the sun (unlike with solar panels) this Sterling engine technology is suited to large installations. In other words – power stations in semi-desert and the like You won’t need to put one on every house roof!
Using a Fresnel lens to concentrate sunlight
Ideal 4×4s for middle aged fatties
Ideal 4×4s for middle aged fatties
It’s all downhill once you’re middle aged …
so you might as well enjoy the ride!
My 2 favourite bikes:
Claud Butler Explorer 300 2009 Hybrid Bike
(Replaces the Legend, 2009, which I bought)
Typical spec:for the Claud Butler Explorer 300 2009 Hybrid Bike
Frame:
6063 T4-T6 Aluminium, with replaceable gear hanger and oversize head tube. Sport commuter design with mudguard capability
Fork:
RST Sofi suspension with pre load adjustment and 50mm of travel
Front Derailleur:
SHIMANO ACERA
Rear Derailleur:
SHIMANO ACERA
Shifters:
EF60 STI shifters
Chainset:
Guarded TRUVATIV X-Flow chain set
Chainrings:
28/38/48 tooth Chainrings
Bottom Bracket:
TRUVATIV bottom bracket
Front Brake:
Black alloy Promax “V” style
Rear Brake:
Black alloy Promax “V” style
Handlebars:
alloy flat bar and bar ends
Stem:
A-head stem
Headset:
Oversize A-headset
Rims:
MT20 double wall alloy rims with GSW braking surface
Front Hub:
Cross-X lacing equipped 24 hole quick release alloy hub
Rear Hub:
cross-X lacing equipped with 24 hole quick release alloy hubs
Front Tyre:
KENDA Khan city trekking tyre 700c x 47
Rear Tyre:
KENDA Khan city trekking tyre 700c x 47
Saddle:
Claud Butler Tri-panel comfort saddle
Seatpost:
Alloy micro adjust seat pillar
Specialized Hardrock Sport Disc 2010 Mountain Bike
A typical review of the Specialized Hardrock Sport Disc 2010 Mountain Bike:
great bike, bought to do a mix of on and off road riding, and does that very well, and comfortably.good in the snow ive found out this weekend.
feels solid, and everything works well together.
and looks awesome!
a wee bit heavy, but as i said, feels well built, so a good balance.
spec for the Specialized Hardrock Sport Disc 2010 Mountain Bike:
Frame:
Specialized A1 Premium Aluminium, fully butted, externally relieved Head Tube, reinforced disc mount, forged dropouts with replaceable hanger, disc only
Fork:
SR Suntour SF10-XCT-V2D-MLO, 80mm, 1pc. alloy lower, 28mm Hi-Ten stanchions, , disc only
Front Derailleur:
Shimano Altus
Rear Derailleur:
SRAM X-4, mid cage
Shifters:
SRAM X4-R trigger
Chainset:
SR SunTour, Octalink spline
Chainrings:
42t x 32t x 22t chainrings
Bottom Bracket:
Shimano BB-ES25, Octalink spline, cartridge bearing, 68mm x 118mm
Cassette:
SRAM PG-830, 8-speed, 11-32t
Chain:
KMC X8 with reusable Missing Link
Pedals:
Steel cage, composite body, 9/16″
Front Brake:
Avid BB5, mechanical disc, 160mm G2 Clean Sweep rotor
Rear Brake:
Avid BB5, mechanical disc, 160mm G2 Clean Sweep rotor
Brake Levers:
Alloy, linear pull
Handlebars:
Alloy riserbar, 25mm rise, 640mm wide
Stem:
3D forged alloy, 10 degree rise
Headset:
1-1/8″ threadless, loose ball
Grips:
Specialized Enduro, dual compound Kraton
Rims:
Alex RHD, 26″, pinned, alloy double wall with eyelet, 32h
Front Hub:
Forged alloy, double sealed, ground race, steel QR, 32h
Rear Hub:
Forged alloy, double sealed, machined disc mount, cassette, 32h
Spokes:
stainless
Front Tyre:
Specialized Fast Trak LK Sport, 26×2.0″
Rear Tyre:
Specialized Fast Trak LK Sport, 26×2.0″
Tubes:
Schrader valve
Saddle:
Specialized XC
Seatpost:
Alloy two bolt, 12.5mm offset, micro adjust
Seat Binder:
Alloy QR, nylon washer
Notes:
Chain stay protector, reflectors, clear coat, owners manual
Weight:
Weight for Medium Version – 29lb 7oz / 13.36kg
After riding a cheaper bike, this feels like it weighs slightly less than nothing, and it’s a good idea to sit on it to prevent it floating away!
photovoltaic powered airplane
a plane powered entirley by solar panels is set to attempt a round the world flight.
Swiss adventurer Bertrand Piccard has unveiled a prototype of the solar-powered plane he hopes eventually to fly around the world.
The initial version, spanning 61m but weighing just 1,500kg, will undergo trials to prove it can fly at night.
Dr Piccard, who made history in 1999 by circling the globe non-stop in a balloon, says he wants to demonstrate the potential of renewable energies.
He hopes to fly a later version of the plane across the Atlantic in 2012
more
a related story from last year
“UK-built solar-powered plane has set an unofficial world endurance record for a flight by an unmanned aircraft.
The Zephyr-6, as it is known, stayed aloft for more than three days, running through the night on batteries it had recharged in sunlight.
The flight was a demonstration for the US military, which is looking for new types of technology to support its troops on the ground.
Craft like Zephyr might make ideal platforms for reconnaissance.”
Greenhouse effect, carbon cycle and political failure
Government failure likely
The UK Environmental Audit Committee said it was “unconvinced” that the government would reach its own target of reducing emissions by 12.5% by 2011. As a result, the government might have to pay private firms that do better in meeting their targets (as part of the Carbon Reduction Commitment Scheme – due to begin next year).
Greenhouse effect
The greenhouse effect is the natural process by which the atmosphere traps some of the Sun’s energy, warming the Earth enough to support life.
Most mainstream scientists believe a human-driven increase in “greenhouse gases” is increasing the effect artificially.
These gases include carbon dioxide, emitted by fossil fuel burning and deforestation, and methane, released from rice paddies and landfill sites.
There is a simple animated guide to how the greenhouse effect works, here
and
the carbon cycle
“The carbon cycle
Carbon dioxide (CO2) is the main greenhouse gas of concern. A finite amount of carbon is stored in fossil fuels, the sea, living matter and the atmosphere.
Without human influence, transfers between these stores roughly balance each other – for example, plants absorb carbon as they grow, but release it as they decay.
But when humans cut down trees or burn fossil fuels, they release extra carbon into the atmosphere, increasing the greenhouse effect.”
update – 11 months later, little has changed
global warming and ’sapient’ psychology
On today’s news, the CBI has declared that the government should focus more on nuclear and clean coal power, and less on wind power.
It’s true that wind power has a very limited role in combating …
Nissan back electric car future
The future of electric cars (zero emissions) is central to the plans of Nissan-Renault, according to their boss, Carlos Ghosn.
Many claim that the current limit of approx 160km range, then a 20 minute …
US senate hears blame game – BP oil disaster
Representatives of UK listed BP (the oil company), Swiss owned Transocean (the rig owner), and Halliburton (BP contractor) have been grilled in the US senate as the giant oil leak in The Gulf of Mexico continues to pour approximately 200,000 gallons of crude oil a day into the sea.
The latest “high-tech solution” is to ram the hole full of garbage …
little comfort for the wildlife, especially the sea birds that continues to suffer from a ‘dominant’ species dedicated to witless consumerism and needs frantic levels of industrialistion to …
Australian environmental shame
Given that they have both the ideal climate, the skills and the capital – how come Australia isn’t leading the world in solar power?
Solar radiation – quantitative
Typical values for daily global solar exposure …
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