LES IMPACTS A LONG TERME DE LA RAR�FACTION DES �NERGIES FOSSILES SUR LE D�VELOPPEMENT DU NORD ET DU SUD. - a knol by Jelel Ezzine

LES IMPACTS A LONG TERME DE LA RAR�FACTION DES �NERGIES FOSSILES SUR LE D�VELOPPEMENT DU NORD ET DU SUD. - a knol by Jelel Ezzine: "LES IMPACTS A LONG TERME DE LA RAR�FACTION DES �NERGIES FOSSILES SUR LE D�VELOPPEMENT DU NORD ET DU SUD."

Dans cet article, nous nous proposons d'étudier les évolutions possibles des rapports Nord/Sud dans le contexte de l’épuisement des ressources énergétiques fossiles, sans recours aux énergies alternatives. En effet, si la plupart des modèles globaux traitent de problèmes globaux à échelle mondiale, très peu s’intéressent aux différences de niveaux de développement entre les régions. Dans cette étude, un modèle dynamique à feedbacks s’inspirant du modèle ELP de Lofdahl (2002) a été utilisé, afin d’étudier les rapports du système Nord/Sud régi par la théorie de la pression latérale (Choucri et North 1975) en s’intéressant plus particulièrement aux effets de la raréfaction des ressources énergétiques fossiles et des émissions de CO2. Les simulations révèlent que le modèle basé sur des ressources énergétiques purement fossiles n’est pas viable pour les deux régions à long terme.

Climate change: Scientist proves conservatism and belief in climate change aren't incompatible - latimes.com

Climate change: Scientist proves conservatism and belief in climate change aren't incompatible - latimes.com: "Scientist proves conservatism and belief in climate change aren't incompatible
MIT professor Kerry Emanuel is among a rare breed of conservative scientists who are sounding the alarm for climate change and criticizing Republicans' 'agenda of denial' and 'anti-science stance.'"

State study says climate change impacts are real

State study says climate change impacts are real: "DES MOINES, Iowa --- Climate change is affecting Iowans' lives and work in the form of longer growing seasons, increased precipitation and temperatures and transition in the state's prominent insurance industry, according to a report released this week.

Researchers from the University of Iowa, Iowa State University and the University of Northern Iowa conducted the report, 'Climate Change Impacts on Iowa,' and they hope it brings awareness and informs future discussions.

'We are already living with climate change, and we need to be aware of its ramifications for planning for the future,' Jerry Schnoor, a UI professor of civil and environmental engineering who helped author the report, said."

Consequences of Severe Climate Change Outweigh Partisan Agendas | The Daily Nexus

Consequences of Severe Climate Change Outweigh Partisan Agendas | The Daily Nexus: "Consequences of Severe Climate Change Outweigh Partisan Agendas

By Derek Palmer
Published on January 4, 2011

Public health and safety is not a partisan issue. Ensuring the welfare of American citizens is arguably the most important job of the federal government. Therefore, we should question why, when the Environmental Protection Agency sets out to regulate harmful greenhouse gasses, we let rhetorical attacks about economic devastation or job destruction influence the rational restriction of a proven health threat to not only U.S. citizens, but the entire world.

The Clean Air Act and 2007 U.S. Supreme Court decision in Massachusetts v. EPA make the Obama administration legally responsible for protecting citizens from the harmful effects of greenhouse gasses and other pollutants. The upcoming EPA regulations are not a case of the president trying to force his agenda through a regulative agency when legislation has failed. Instead, this is a case of performing his obligation to protect health and safety through whichever agency is best equipped to do so."

Climate Change Media Coverage - Global Warming Media Coverage - The Daily Green

Climate Change Media Coverage - Global Warming Media Coverage - The Daily Green: "Media coverage of climate change in 2010 slipped to levels not seen since 2005, after spiking in in late 2009 in the run-up to the much-hyped United Nations climate talks in Copenhagen and the release of private emails from climate scientists stored on a English university server.

Analysis of DailyClimate.org's archive of global media coverage shows that journalists published 23,156 climate-related stories in English last year -- a 30 percent drop from '09's tally.

Those stories came from 8,710 different reporters, columnists and editorial writers at 1,552 different media outlets. Last year, according to the Website's database, more than 11,000 reporters tackled the subject -- a 22 percent drop for 2010."

NEWS RELEASE: Independent Global Network Launched to Track Countries' Climate Change Progress | World Resources Institute

NEWS RELEASE: Independent Global Network Launched to Track Countries' Climate Change Progress | World Resources Institute: "Open Climate Network (OCN), a global network that will track countries’ progress toward cutting emissions and providing climate finance, was launched this week at the UNFCCC Conference of the Parties in Cancun, Mexico. Led by the World Resources Institute (WRI), OCN convenes independent research institutes around the world to provide consistent and peer-reviewed information on major economies’ actions on climate change."

November 16, 2010

November 16, 2010: "But, without the focus on storage devices, it will be difficult to meet proposed renewable electricity standards, the report asserts. Wind and solar energy are variable by nature: The sun doesn’t always shine, and the wind doesn’t always blow. The amount of electricity a consumer has available to complete household chores could change in a matter of seconds, hours or days—placing great importance on the need for robust storage methods."

Another challenge facing the grid involves the long-distance transmission of renewable electricity from places that receive a lot of wind and sun to those that do not. “We need to move faster to have storage ready to accommodate, for example, 20 percent of renewable electricity on the grid by 2020,” said George Crabtree, co-chairman of the POPA study panel and a senior scientist at Argonne National Laboratory. “And, by devoting the necessary resources to the problem, I am confident that we can solve it.”

Despite setbacks and obstacles ahead, there's cause for genuine optimism in climate change front - baltimoresun.com

Despite setbacks and obstacles ahead, there's cause for genuine optimism in climate change front - baltimoresun.com: "One important development to emerge from Cancun is a framework for that aid. The goal is to create $100 billion in assistance for developing countries in 10 years. House Republicans will likely react coolly to U.S. participation when plans for initial aid are announced in late spring.

But it's no exaggeration to suggest that further policy delays could prove life-threatening. The U.S. is not only responsible for about one-sixth of the greenhouse gases (more than half from cars and power plants), but the nation's failure to take more serious action is a major reason why there isn't a stronger international accord in place already.

How much human life could be lost through flooding, disease, crop failures, political upheaval and other challenges wrought by climate change can only be speculated, but it could easily run into the millions. That's a risk that should alarm everyone, not just progressives or environmentalists."

UN climate official: do more to cut emissions

UN climate official: do more to cut emissions: "The Cancun agreements established a Green Climate Fund that will be the main channel for delivering $100 billion a year in climate aid to developing countries from 2020. They also created a mechanism for giving them green technologies and set a framework for paying countries to preserve forests.

Under the accords, wealthy countries also are due to report by next May how much they will contribute toward an emergency $30 billion fund for developing countries to develop strategies for coping with global warming and to build their own low-carbon economies.

From the U.S. perspective, Stern said, the biggest achievements in Cancun were getting all countries, including China, India, Brazil and other rapidly expanding economies, to commit to climate action and outlining a system of reporting and verification to ensure those commitments are met."

energyresources : Message: G20: free-trade area for Africa proposed by UK and South Africa

energyresources : Message: G20: free-trade area for Africa proposed by UK and South Africa: "The global economic crisis demonstrated two things about Africa's readiness for
growth. The first is that macroeconomic policies in most African countries have
improved so much that they were able to ride through the crisis.
The second important factor is that Africa continued to grow because of the
expansion of domestic demand. The continent's one billion people are beginning
to make an impact on the consumer markets.
When we consider the unexploited mineral wealth of Africa, the fact that Africa
has 60% of the world uncultivated agricultural land, and that Africa has the
youngest age profile of any continent, our continent's growth potential is truly
massive."

Climate finance plan could break talks inertia | Trevor Manuel and Nicholas Stern | Environment | guardian.co.uk

Climate finance plan could break talks inertia | Trevor Manuel and Nicholas Stern | Environment | guardian.co.uk: "The two defining challenges of our century are managing climate change and overcoming world poverty. We cannot overcome one without the other. With international collaboration and sound policies we can find success by launching a new era of low-carbon economic growth while adapting to the climate change which is already happening.

Financial support for developing countries will play a vital role in any integrated action and thus the fresh proposals in the new report by the high-level advisory group on climate change financing, which was commissioned by the United Nations secretary-general in February, can help make progress towards agreement in the United Nations conference in Canc�n, Mexico, which starts later this month."

DESERTEC Foundation: 101103-01 DESERTEC University Network founded: International science cooperation for clean power from deserts

DESERTEC Foundation: 101103-01 DESERTEC University Network founded: International science cooperation for clean power from deserts: "The DESERTEC Foundation, in cooperation with the Tunisian National Advisory Council for Scientific Research and Technology, has founded a platform for scientific cooperation for DESERTEC. Founding members besides the non-profit DESERTEC Foundation are 18 universities and research facilities from North Africa and the Middle East. It is planned to expand the network to a global platform, in order to promote the realization of the DESERTEC Concept “Clean Power from Deserts” in different regions of the world."