Climate Files Podcast

Ep 79 / After the BP Oil Spill

By SL in Climate Files Podcast, Podcast Tags: , , , , , , ,

The name of this podcast has changed to IMPACT FILES but the information will be similar and  relevant. The earth and its inhabitants are still in peril due to human activity.

This particular episode was the final Climate Files podcast: One year after BP… and now it’s two years after BP and the Gulf is still not clean and the life in and around the Gulf is still suffering. Below is the text from the original podcast.

A year after the catastrophic BP oil disaster that began on April 20th, 2010, Gulf Coast communities are still struggling to recover — meanwhile, oil companies report record profits and push lawmakers for even more access to drill our lands and waters. Did you know that BP might make money on their horrible oil leak of 2010? The first report was that BP would get a $10 billion dollar tax break for their clean-up troubles. Now the news is even more outrageous — for unleashing the worst oil crime in the Gulf of Mexico in U.S. history, BP stands to gain $13 billion dollars, and might not even pay any taxes at all this year.

You can sign a CREDO petition denouncing this here. Destroying our Gulf should not be a tax write-off.

This episode contains information you probably haven’t heard, about what’s going on down in the Gulf, a year after the oil crime of 2010. More foreign press is covering this than U.S. press, so this is information that is necessary to emphasize.

Dahr Jamail’s article BP anniversary: Toxicity, Suffering and Death is on Al Jazeera EN.

Got any environmental “sins” to confess? There’s a website for that.

The sad story about Steven Aguinaga and his friend Merrick Vallian can be heard in this episode and seen here. You can also see the video interview of Lisa Nelson, who passed away in March, here.

Download this episode here, subscribe on the right, or listen right here.

This podcast, originally titled Climate Files, was originally produced in April, 2011 and the podcasts that are earlier than this one are also from 2011 and 2010. I’m bringing the podcast back and associating it with an art project of the same name. The art project will eventually have its own gallery here.

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EP 58 / Climate Change Science

By SL in Climate Change, Climate Files Podcast, Climate News, Experts/Scientists, Podcast Tags: , , , , , , , , , ,

This episode is a presentation of climate science and how we know global warming is happening.  The  3 speakers are all scientists and climate experts.  This was titled the Science of Climate change, and was presented last week by the Center for American Progress.   You can see the entire video at the CFAP website here. You can download their slides there also.  (Michael MacCracken’s slides were especially good.)

Basically, they discuss climate change science and risk management, as well as some of the finer points on how the IPCC publishes its data.  There is a question and answer session at the end. They write on the CFAP site:

An overwhelming quantity of direct observations and analyses published by scientists in various disciplines around the world demonstrates that human activity has warmed the planet and altered the climate. The severity of the projected impacts of continuing on our current greenhouse gas emissions path has only increased in recent years.

The speakers are Christopher Field, of the Carnegie Institution of Washington, and Professor of Biology and Environmental Earth System Science at Stanford University, and a coordinating lead author for the IPCC’s Fourth Assessment.  The second is Michael MacCracken, Chief Scientist for Climate Change Programs, Climate Institute, and co-author/contributing author for various chapters in the IPCC assessment reports.  The event was moderated by  Joe Romm, Senior Fellow, Center for American Progress and prolific blogger at ClimateProgress.org.

Some of their initial points about how we know climate change is happening:

  • Average ground temperatures are going up
  • Ocean temperatures are going up
  • Sea ice cover is decreasing
  • Mountain glaciers and permafrost are melting
  • Sea level is rising
  • A lot of plant and animal species are moving
  • Arctic sea ice is retreating

You can download this episode here,  or listen below or subscribe on the right.

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EP 54 / Sound the Alarm

By SL in Activism and Protest, Climate Change, Climate Files Podcast, Experts/Scientists, Podcast Tags: , , , , , , , , , , ,

MOVING on with news and politics about global warming in the new year. Let’s forget COP15 even happened. Look ahead, what else can we do? Today Climate Files includes a recent short interview with climate scientist James Hansen largely about his book Storms of my Grandchildren.

Remember: sounding the alarm is not alarmism — it’s realism and a hope that people will listen and act on climate change. It’s our job to educate, because not everyone knows about climate change, and they may not “believe in it” for all the wrong reasons. An email exchange regarding a denier’s claims is something everyone can do (and I read mine). We have to keep educating the deniers and maybe one of these days they’ll give up the Dark Side.

News covered in this episode includes:

U.S. Car Fleet Shrinks For First Time in 50 Years, Report Says. It might be bad for business, but it’s good for the climate when people drive less and own less vehicles. Sorry, GM.

Climate Pledge Tracker Compares Nations’ CO2 Emissions Limits. You can see the new climate pledge tracker site here.

EPA is working with the Spruce No. 1 mine on their new permit, but there are a lot of problems and the mine may threaten water and over 2,000 acres of forest. Bad news, but it’s not likely to be approved. Read more here.

Storing CO2 in basalt is a new idea but not a very practical one, at least not now. Read the article here at Futurism Now. The study I mentioned is actually two studies. Here is an excerpt from FN news:

A July 2008 study by the same researchers found that 208 billion metric tons could be stored in the offshore basalt formations of the U.S. Northwest’s Juan de Fuca tectonic plate — that is as much as 150 years’ worth of U.S. emissions. . . . . In a study released Monday, ABI Research predicted that new CCS projects will keep 146 million tons of carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere. Their estimates are based on markets for carbon emissions allowances encouraging firms to seek out technologies like CCS to limit their emissions.

The problem with that claim is that the U.S. emits about 7.1 billion metric tons carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e) of greenhouse gases per year, (my estimate of 5.7 billion metric tons in the podcast was low) and that means only about 34 years of U.S. emissions could be forced into basalt, if the procedure even works.

The CIA is sharing data with climate scientists. Australia is baking hot this summer! All of this and more is discussed in this episode.

Download this episode here or you can subscribe on the right.  (click on RSS icon if you don’t want iTunes).

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Climate Files 50 / Climate Files

By SL in Activism and Protest, Climate Files Podcast, Conferences and Meetings Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

SavetheClimatewebHere is your Copenhagen climate summit summary from Week 1.

Recorded clips include Naomi Klein, Nnimmo Bassey from Klimaforum09, and James Hansen from an interview with The Guardian on December 2nd. Hansen discussed nuclear power and how this climate summit isn’t going to be adequate. Naomi Klein discusses mainly the same things, but from her economic justice perspective. Bassey is a well-known Nigerian climate activist.

Here is the main, official Copenhagen draft text as of December 11th,(PDF)  and here is the (better) Klimaforum Declaration (opens new page).

Climate Files is the new name of this podcast and it will be gradually changing to that in the next week or two. Mainly it needs the word “climate” in it because that’s what it’s about, climate and politics, so that people can more easily find it, and it more accurately reflects what it is. Also, I need to get it consolidated with the articles website, which will also be renamed Climate Files, and get them off the old podcastliberally domain name. Yes, the RSS feed will change so you will have to change your subscription, sorry about that. Please come back to check on when this will happen. (The old RSS feed will be rerouted for a month after the new one is made.) Please stay subscribed or I have no way of knowing how many people are tuning in. The new websites are called Climate Files Radio and Climate Files, but at this point, there is nothing there.  Links and much of the info that is now on FN will be there eventually. All FN podcasts will be migrated to the new site.

Also, send comments to news @ impactfiles.net from now on.

Download this episode here or subscribe on the right.  (click on the RSS icon if you want to avoid iTunes)

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Climate Files 37 / The Mystery of Climate Skeptics

By SL in Climate Files Podcast, NaPodPoMo Tags: , , , , , , , ,

Investigation_treeglow-a

This is episode 3 of Climate Files Radio’s National Podcast Post Month contribution.  See the rest of the participating podcasts on the NPPM website.

The mystery of global warming skeptics continues to perplex me.  I don’t understand people who deny facts and science — do you? Someday, we’ll figure it out.  Meanwhile, climate change continues to happen, despite whether people believe in it or not.

Al Gore’s spiritualism theory article is here, George Monbiot’s article is here, and the news about Kilamanjaro’s ice that will be gone soon is here.

Download this episode here.

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Climate Files 36 / Climate Info U Need 2 Know

By SL in Climate Files Podcast, Climate News, Liberal/Progressive, NaPodPoMo, Politics Tags: , , , , , , , , , ,

Images.com/Corbis, by Christopher Baldwin

Images.com/Corbis, by Christopher Baldwin

Here are some things you need to know before Copenhagen, just the basics. There will be more basics coming later this week.

Start with the UNFCCC website and their facts about climate change.

Today’s installment of NaPodPoMo #2, my podcasting marathon, is about some necessary background in order to understand some of the future podcasts about climate legislation and the Copenhagen summit.

First of all, COP15:    World leaders  have called for a comprehensive, ambitious and fair international climate change deal to be clinched at the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP 15) in Copenhagen, December 7-18, 2009.

Right now,  the countries are meeting in Barcelona for the  last round of climate talks before Copenhagen.  See more here.

This is just a very brief overview that you can show to your skeptic friends or anyone who’s curious.

For all the good that 350.org does getting people motivated, it probably is aiming for a target that is too low.  We should be aiming for 280 ppm CO2 in the atmosphere, says the writer I talk about in this episode.

Download this episode here or subscribe on the right.

Music by Dr. Motte of Berlin who gave his OK for public consumption of his music, which you can find on 350.org’s website under the Berlin event for October 24th.

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Climate Files 34 / Send Obama to Copenhagen with Climate Plan

By SL in Climate Change, Conferences and Meetings, Experts/Scientists, Obama Administration, Politics Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Climate Action Day for 350 ppm

Climate Action Day for 350 ppm

President Obama gave an energy speech at MIT in Massachusetts on October 23rd, which you will hear in this episode.  He announced some interesting things that MIT students are working on in terms of new energy.  He also said  the US is in a peaceful competition to develop clean technologies, and he championed US leadership on clean energy, as international deadlines for climate change mitigation loom.

In this episode, you will also hear Australian scientist Tim Flannery plead with Americans to pass climate legislation, and then hear Lisa Jackson explain how the EPA is back in action.  Flannery’s interview is from DemocracyNow.

Everyone is expecting Obama to show up in Copenhagen for the major climate summit in December.  He needs some convincing to get there, however.  Help send Obama to Copenhagen and call the White House. The White House number is (202) 456-1414. The latest news is that he isn’t going and we need to convince him to go to Copenhagen with a Climate plan, if not legislation, in hand.

Now, I’m not a big supporter of the cap and trade bill (Kerry-Boxer, or CEJAPA) because most analysts says it won’t do enough to stop or even slow down climate change enough to make a difference.  But some experts and analysts say it will do just that.  It’s hard to know who to believe.  But it will be a first step on the road to a climate deal in Copenhagen, or COP15, which is a two week meeting on climate change in December.
Also check out the October 24 International Day of Climate Action, sponsored by 350.org.  350 ppm  is the goal in Copenhagan.

Also on Friday, Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA), Chairman of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, released the text of the Chairman’s Mark of the CEJAPA bill  (S. 1733).  That’s from the EPW news release from late Friday (Oct. 23rd) night.  (The full text of the Chairman’s Mark was here but is currently unavailable — check back  later.)  The main difference between this text and the draft of the Clean Energy Jobs and American Power Act released late last month is that it “specifies distribution of emissions allowances” (details here).  Also, the EPA released its analysis of Boxer’s bill.   (click here).

The PDA statement for a carbon price is here.   The Stop Global Warming/Environmental Issues Organizing Team has been sifting through different legislative proposals in the House and Senate since late last year and they have decided to support direct carbon pricing, with revenue recycling as the best method for reducing carbon dioxide in the Earth’s atmosphere. Read the statement here. Music at end: Eve of Destruction rewritten and performed by New Millenium.

Related article: Mr. Obama, be tough on climate change.

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Climate Files 33 / The 4C Experiment

By SL in Climate Files Podcast, Conferences and Meetings, Experts/Scientists Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Tipping Points

Tipping Points

The Four Degrees C experiment has begun. We might reach a four degree rise in temps by 2070, or even earlier.  That was unheard of and thought to be impossible, until recently. Anything over 4 degrees will probably lead to tipping points and runaway climate change.

The finding was announced at a conference that took place from September 28th through the 30th, called 4 Degrees and Beyond.  (Website here).  This episode covers the Oxford conference on this scenario,  with the best scientists of the UK discussing our chances of adaptation and survival.

The conference is the first to consider the global consequences of climate change beyond 2°C.  Usually it’s not something scientists dare to discuss. The scientists you will hear in this episode are Prof John Schellnhuber (see his slides here),  Dr Richard Betts (slides here), and Dr. Myles Allen (see slides here).   Allen talked about a new approach to seeing the CO2 problem, as a cumulative effect, with no hard numbers and dates as deadlines.   The slides contain maps, graphs, and lots of supporting material for their talk, and the highlights of their talk. This conference was attended by over 130 scientists and climate specialists, and featured over 35 speakers, so there is a lot from the conference website you can listen to and read.

Other news covered included information on what to expect with a 2-6C degree temperature rise from Mark Lynas.   A controversial e-mail message buried by the Bush administration because of its conclusions on global warming surfaced Tuesday, nearly two years after it was first sent to the White House and never opened.  You can download the original letter here.  Senator Boxer said the Obama team might make a “climate pledge“  in Copenhagen.   Norway pledged 40% emissions cuts.   The Kashmir glaciers in India are shrinking at an ‘alarming’ speed.  And “CLIMATE CHANGE: Four Degrees of Devastation” is here.

Download this episode here or subscribe on the right.

Music:  Afrocelt Soundsystem, and the Tck Tck song, Beds are Burning, and video can be downloaded here.

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Climate Files 30 / The Age of Climate Cooperation

By SL in Climate Change, Climate Files Podcast, Conferences and Meetings, Obama Administration, Politics, Speeches Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Obama speaking at the UN Climate Change Summit on September 22nd 2009

Obama speaking at the UN Climate Change Summit on September 22nd 2009

The UN Summit on Climate Change brought together 100 world leaders at the UN on September 22 and the Age of Stupid movie event happened on September 21, all in New York City. What did they all accomplish?  It’s unclear.  The UN Summit was a good start, according to Ban Ki Moon, UN Secretary General. President Obama spoke at the summit on the need for action, though he didn’t give out any targets or make any big announcements, like some of the world leaders did. Japan made a big announcement, as did the President of the Maldives. You will hear several highlights of the summit in this episode.

The UN website where you can see all the video archives of the summit is here.

The Age of Stupid was a great movie for putting a human face on climate change. Telling the personal stories of how climate change impacts people is exactly what the world needs right now. I hope everyone gets a chance to see it.   Kofi Annan and scientists and celebrities and politicians spoke after this world premiere, and this episode includes some highlights of that event.  It was a live event and a lot of fun, in addition to being educational.

There was quite a bit of news out there this week, and here’s a list of most of the stories that were mentioned in Climate Files #30.

All this and more in this episode. Download the podcast here or subscribe on the right.

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Climate Files 21 / Greening Suzuki

By SL in Climate Files Podcast, Climate News Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

David Suzuki

David Suzuki

David Suzuki talks at Greening the Heartland in Detroit. Also, this Futurism Now podcast contains news and info from people trying to kick the Senate in the pants on climate change.

There was a Mountain Top Removal protest last week at Marsh Fork Elementary School at Coal Mountain West Virginia, attended by some very well known people including Dr. James Hansen, NASA climate scientist, and actress and environmental activist Darryl Hannah. Hannah wrote an article for the Huffington Post about why she deliberately got arrested with several others at Coal Mountain, making a statement about the Marsh Fork elementary school there which is threatened by 2.8 billion gallons of coal sludge which is in a holding pond above the school. Listen here and read her story at the Huffington Post.

More on mountaintop removal next time. To take action, visit http://www.ilovemountains.org and RAN.org

Autism and coal burning link — Study Says Autism Linked To Coal Power Plants

Arctic Sea Ice is at Lowest Point in 800 Years

Canada and Russia, the new Bad Boys of Oil, are making the least progress in cutting carbon- dioxide emissions among the major economies, a new study shows.

Check out The Nature of Things, the show that David Suzuki created in Canada at the CBC.

David Suzuki is presented with audio from the Greening the Heartland conference.


Download this episode here or subscribe on the right.

Music: Earth Song, Michael Jackson; The Burning World, Eldorado And The Ruckus

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Climate Files 19 / Red Hot Report

By SL in Climate Change, Climate Files Podcast Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

GlobalClimateChangereportcoverLast Thursday, June 18, the U.S. government released a report, the work of 13 government agencies, that gives us a serious picture of climate change.  It is called Global Climate Change Impacts in the U.S, and this episode contains the findings.

The U.S. Global Change Research Program (USGCRP) coordinates and integrates federal research on changes in the global environment and their implications for society. The USGCRP began as a presidential initiative in 1989 and was mandated by Congress in the Global Change Research Act of 1990 (P.L. 101-606), which called for “a comprehensive and integrated United States research program which will assist the Nation and the world to understand, assess, predict, and respond to human-induced and natural processes of global change.”

Changes in the global environment (including alterations in climate, land productivity, oceans or other water resources, atmospheric chemistry, and ecological systems) that may alter the capacity of the Earth to sustain life. (from the Global Change Research Act of 1990)

Download the report here from USGCRP.  (takes you to their website)

Shading earth as a climate fix? Since the news is so dire, scientists are seriously thinking about geoengineering to save as much life on the planet as possible from the effects of global heating and climate change.

The National Academy of Sciences (NAS) is even getting serious about geoengineering.  Some scientists are considering manipulating the Earth’s atmosphere to counteract climate change. There is definitely something to eyewitness reports of “hazing” because the government now admits they are considering using chemicals to “fix” global heating and more discussions of it are ongoing.

The NAS held a panel on geoengineering ideas last week. The panel asked the question: “What can be done to limit the magnitude of future climate change?” The panel focused on actions to reduce domestic greenhouse gas emissions and other human drivers of climate change, such as changes in land use, and also considered the international dimensions of climate stabilization, the costs, benefits, limitations, tradeoffs, and uncertainties.  There were 18 members of the panel called Limiting the Magnitude of Future Climate Change. 

Second audio clip from  NPR
The NAS page about the panel is here.

Download this episode here or subscribe on the right. Below is the graphic from the USGCRP report about rising sea levels.

From the New USGCRP Report on Climate Change

From the New USGCRP Report on Climate Change



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Climate Files 15 / Time for Pressure

By SL in Activism and Protest, Climate Files Podcast, Climate News, Conferences and Meetings, Experts/Scientists Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

fn15mountainForums, conferences, and the EPA — what’s going on? This episode lets you in on what is happening in Bonn, the World Humanitarian forum, and what came out of Paris.

The World Environment Day is only a couple of days away, it’s on Friday, June 5th. Read up about some of the events that will take place around the world.

A good Daily Kos story on mountaintop removal is here.

“Climate change is here. It has a human face. This report details the nevertheless silent crisis occurring around the world today as a result of global climate change. . . . . . Climate change is a serious threat to over half of the world’s population. Half   a billion people are at extreme risk. Worst affected are the world’s poorest groups, who lack any   responsibility for causing climate change.”

– Report, The Anatomy of a Silent Crisis (link below)

Think China isn’t doing enough?  “Greenhouse gas emissions are rising because consumption is rising. Unless we address this, we cannot prevent climate breakdown. It doesn’t matter where production takes place: the problem is that we are consuming too much.” — the Guardian


Earth2100 will be airing on June 2nd, 2009 from 9-11 pm on ABC. Also, watch The Daily Show from Monday night to see Bob Woodruff talk about Earth2100. Hope everyone enjoys the show — I’ll be reviewing it on my Futurism Now news site.

earth2100-2

Download this podcast here or subscribe on the right.

Climate Change is already responsible for 300,000 deaths a year. You can find the Global Humanitarian report, Anatomy of a Silent Crisis, (pdf) and download it on this page.

See information on the Bonn Climate talks here. They are ongoing until June 12.

NASF and others urge Congress to consider forest biomass in energy legislation.  Read more here.

CONTACT CONGRESS

Here is the main number for Congress – the Senate and House – in Washington, DC. 202 225-3121


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