Today's Climate: April 14, 2009

Bonn Survey: Warming Won't Stay Under 2 Degrees (Guardian)

A poll found 86 percent of climate experts do not believe current political efforts will keep warming below 2C. They say an average rise of 4-5C by the end of this century is more likely.

Green Power Express Passes FERC Hurdle (Cleantech)

FERC approved the financing plan behind the $10 billion to $12 billion Green Power Express project designed to transport wind energy around the U.S.

Police Arrest 114 in Pre-emptive Strike Against Coal Protesters (Guardian)

British police carried out what is thought to be the biggest pre-emptive raid on environmental campaigners in UK history, arresting 114 people believed to be planning a protest at an E.On-owned coal-fired power station.

Labor, Greens Team Up (Politico)

Environmental groups are spending the congressional recess lobbying for two of the most controversial issues in Congress: the Employee Free Choice Act and a cap-and-trade system to regulate greenhouse gases.

Pentagon Prioritizes Pursuit Of Alternative Fuel Sources (Washington Post)

The Department of Defense, the largest consumer of energy in the United States at $18 billion worth a year, plans to spend economic stimulus money on alternative fuels and energy conservation.

China Cutting Sulfur Emissions 10% by 2010 (Xinhua)

In 2010, China's amount of chemical oxygen demand and sulfur dioxide emissions will be 10 percent lower than in 2005, according to a government document.

Canada: CCS Being Oversold as Panacea (Hill Times)

Carbon capture and storage of Canada's greenhouse gas emissions is decades away from being commercialized, yet it's being oversold as a panacea. Experts say it’s a waste of money, a safety risk, and the economics "are deadly."

Water Worries Cloud Biofuel Future (Reuters)

Critics argue that precious water resources are being bled dry by ethanol when water shortages are growing ever more dire, and federal mandates encouraging more ethanol production don't help.

PG&E Signs Deal for First Space-Based Solar Farm (Forbes)

California utility PG&E has signed a deal for the world’s first space-based solar power plant, to be built by a secretive Southern California startup staffed by veterans of the U.S. Air Force, Boeing and Lockheed Martin.

Environmental Group Challenges SC Power Plant (AP)

The Southern Environmental Law Center says Santee Cooper's proposed power plant will release too much mercury and other air pollutants and isn't needed, according to the challenge filed in the state Administrative Law Court.

Study Suggests Massive Tree Die-offs with Global Warming (Mongabay)

An experimental study of pinon pines at Biosphere 2 in Arizona shows that an increase in temperature makes the species more susceptible to die-off during drought.