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POPSAn Open Letter to the Council of the American Physical Society Studies of a variety of natural processes, including ocean cycles and solar variability, indicate that they can account for variations in the Earth’s climate on the time scale of decades and centuries. Current climate models appear insufficiently reliable to properly account for natural and anthropogenic contributions to past climate change, much less project future climate. The APS supports an objective scientific effort to understand the effects of all processes – natural and human --on the Earth’s climate and the biosphere’s response to climate change, and promotes technological options for meeting challenges of future climate changes, regardless of cause. List of 160 signers of the APS petition available
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POPS Meat creates half of all greenhouse gases People are cutting down rain forests to make grazing land for cattle, or to grow soya beans for cattle to eat. Now the numbers of methane emitting livestock are orders of magnitude greater than they were only 50 years ago.
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POPSIt Has The Stench Of Opportunity By reducing the amount of the potent greenhouse gas released into the air, the projects also potentially could turn cow dung into dollars, if a climate bill before Congress becomes law. "Agriculture and agribusiness is what Greeley is all about," Biggi said. "We needed to take that strong traditional economic base and ... merge it with emerging renewable energy and technology." Waste may be the new energy crop in these parts. But elsewhere, communities are looking anew at power sources such as the sun and wind that may exist in their own backyards.
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POPSEnergy crisis is postponed as new gas rescues the world
"The common wisdom was that unconventional gas was too difficult, too expensive and too demanding," he said, according to Petroleum Economist. "This has changed. If we ever doubted that gas was the fuel of the future – in many ways there's the answer." The breakthrough has been to combine 3-D seismic imaging with new technologies to free "tight gas" by smashing rocks, known as hydro-fracturing or "fracking" in the trade. The US is leading the charge. Operations in Pennsylvania and Texas have already been sufficient to cut US imports of liquefied natural gas (LGN) from Trinidad and Qatar to almost nil, with knock-on effects for the global gas market – and crude oil. It is one reason why spot prices for some LNG deliveries have dropped to 50pc of pipeline contracts. We may soon be looking at an era when gas, wind and solar power, combined with a smarter grid and a switch to electric cars returns the country to near energy self-sufficiency.
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POPSEnergy Crisis Postponed: New Gas Rescues The World 
Tony Hayward, BP's chief executive, said proven natural gas reserves around the world have risen to 1.2 trillion barrels of oil equivalent, enough for 60 years' supply " and rising fast. "There has been a revolution in the gas fields of North America. Reserve estimates are rising sharply as technology unlocks unconventional resources," he said. "The common wisdom was that unconventional gas was too difficult, too expensive and too demanding," he said, according to Petroleum Economist. "This has changed. If we ever doubted that gas was the fuel of the future " in many ways there's the answer." The breakthrough has been to combine 3-D seismic imaging with new technologies to free "tight gas" by smashing rocks, known as hydro-fracturing or "fracking" in the trade. The US is leading the charge. Operations in Pennsylvania and Texas have already been sufficient to cut US imports of liquefied natural gas (LGN) from Trinidad and Qatar to almost nil,
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POPSEuropa's Ocean Has Oxygen, May Support Life Now one has to figure where it comes from on Europa? We know where our oxygen sprang from--minuscule ocean critters (scientific name), and plant life. This planet didn't start off with an oxygen atmosphere....some conclude a chemical reaction took place to release it from the primal waters...can't remember exactly.
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POPSIdiots Trying To Play Scientist As temperatures rise, the sea bed grows warmer and frozen water crystals in the sediment break down, allowing methane trapped inside them to escape. OK everyone, let’s remember where we are " the ARCTIC, because this is important. It’s really cold in the Arctic, especially in the deep waters. The gas is normally trapped as “methane hydrate” in sediment under the ocean floor. “Methane hydrate” is an ice-like substance composed of water and methane which is stable under conditions of high pressure and low temperature. As temperatures rise, the hydrate breaks down. So this new evidence shows that methane is stable at water depths greater than 400m off Spitsbergen. Trust me when I note that pressure and temperature are not the only factors " by far " which dictate when the methane can be released. The make up of the sea floor is also important. If it is not stable or strong then the methane can be released in one area and not another under the same temps and pressures.
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POPSEarth Experiment Could Buy Precious Time Initial results suggest that the biggest cooling would occur in the polar regions, which is consistent with theory, and is exactly the place where cooling is most needed. The big advantages of this scheme are that it uses sea water spray, a naturally occurring substance, and that it can be turned off immediately if there are any undesirable consequences.
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POPSStimulus Reality: 1,000 Defense Workers Fired By Obama Today Obama’s War on Capitalism July 17, 2009 Stimulus Reality: 1,000 Defense Workers Fired By Obama Today As President Obama attempts to spin his way out of over-promising the immediate effects of his signature piece of legislation, the $787 billion American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA)... ... a thousand defense workers get their pink slips today: "Our hearts and compassion certainly go out to our employees" and others affected by the layoffs, said Thursday. In a statement, Boeing said layoff notices will be issued to about 250 employees working in GMD at various locations, including Alabama, Alaska, California and Colorado. They are to receive an official 60-day advance notice today, but Jones said it won't be a surprise. Closing Velocity http://closingvelocity.typepad.com/closing_velocity/
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POPSFlood of scientists continue to sign petition opposed to global warming alarmism "The purpose of the Petition Project is to demonstrate that the claim of “settled science” and an overwhelming “consensus” in favor of the hypothesis of human-caused global warming and consequent climatological damage is wrong. No such consensus or settled science exists. As indicated by the petition text and signatory list, a very large number of American scientists reject this hypothesis. You can view the petition at www.petitionproject.org "
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POPSHydrocarbons in Deep Earth “We were intrigued by previous experiments and theoretical predictions,” remarked Carnegie’s Alexander Goncharov a coauthor. “Experiments reported some years ago subjected methane to high pressures and temperatures and found that heavier hydrocarbons formed from methane under very similar pressure and temperature conditions. However, the molecules could not be identified and a distribution was likely. We overcame this problem with our improved laser-heating technique where we could cook larger volumes more uniformly. And we found that methane can be produced from ethane.”
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POPSIrish Boffins reach conclusion on cow farts
But there may be no need for all that, says Dr Lorraine Lillis of University College Dublin. She and her team of top Irish guff boffins have recently carried out a trial in which three cows were fed a special diet including fish oil rich in omega-3 fatty acids, and had their noxious bottomnal emissions sequestered for analysis. The special fish-fuelled cow farts, according to Lillis, contained 21 per cent less methane than everyday bovine flatulence products. "The fish oil affects the methane-producing bacteria in the rumen part of the cow's gut, leading to reduced emissions," said Lillis, speaking at a microbiology conference in Harrogate today. "Understanding which microbial species are particularly influenced by changes in diet and relating them to methane production could bring about a more targeted approach to reducing methane emissions in animals." However, simply using fish oil as in the trial might be a bit troublesome. "Fish oil is expensive and difficult to get
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POPSGaia's evil twin: Is life its own worst enemy? Here is a wrenching change of perspective! Life keeps upsetting its own apple cart, the Medean trap. We humans are just part of this self-destructive life force, yet we are aware of it. Like everything else, planets live and die.
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POPSFactory farms get a pass on reporting greenhouse gas emissions A lot of us question why Americans should care about livestock poop, particularly in the context of greenhouse gas emissions. Animal manure and livestock produce methane and nitrous oxide, which are about 23 and 300 times respectively stronger than carbon dioxide. According to the EPA GHG Inventory, manure is the 5th largest source of methane and the 4th largest source of nitrous oxide in the U.S. It results in more than twice as many emissions as waste incineration and natural gas systems in the U.S. The way in which CAFOs pool their manure is a large part of the problem. When stored in pits and lagoons as is typical on factory farms, the manure breaks down anaerobically, in the absence of oxygen, which exacerbates methane emissions. The EPA has acknowledged that when manures are distributed on pastures as would be typical in a grass-fed animal system, methane production is limited. Thus, there are proven ways to reduce methane emissions in manure management.
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