[Vision2020] Off List Response: Re: NOAA Administrator Jane Lubchenco Leads U.S. Delegation to World Climate Conference-3

[Ted Moffett]

On 8/27/09, Ted Moffett <starbliss at gmail.com> wrote:
>
>
> Thanks for the info on behind the scenes (it seems) dealings regarding big
> oil, Alberta tar sands expansion, and US involvement, etc.  Canada and the
> US wish to maintain a friendly and profitable alliance, and Canadian oil
> helps to decouple the US from dependence on oil in other areas of the world,
> so these developments, if true, are no surprise.
>
> I don't have any illusions regarding idealistic politics and greenhouse gas
> reduction efforts... NASA's climate scientist James Hansen's comments
> broadly addressing various efforts to lower greenhouse gas emissions are
> sobering.  Hansen thinks the main problem is coal, not oil or natural gas,
> though all are a problem.  He has been critical of the international efforts
> to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.  He favors a complete global cessation
> of coal fired plant construction .  Have you heard of the term "green
> wash?"  Maybe like "brain wash," but different... Ha!
>
> James Hansen on these issues:
>
> http://www.columbia.edu/~jeh1/mailings/2008/20080804_TripReport.pdf
> ---------
> Obama seems far more concerned with health care reform, than addressing
> climate change.  This is no surprise, either.
>

 I watch hypocritical environmentalists every day who continue a lifestyle
> that is causing global warming.  They may mean well, but want the benefits
> of their economic position in society, that does not honestly face the
> realities of energy and resource consumption when extended per capita to 6
> billion and more humans all desiring the consumer/capitalist lifestyle we
> know, here in the US.
>

 Any economic analysis that pretends to be long term (decades) that does not
> include the economic externalities of the costs of climate change is
> suspect.
>

 Obama has too many issues on his plate at once.  If he succeeds with only
> one of them, it will be surprising, given the forces arrayed against him.
>
> The ANWR oil development can be attacked in the public relations arena with
> gusto, while the Alberta oil sands development for various reasons is not
> such a hot button environmental issue, though it should be.  I'd rather not
> see either be expanded for oil development, but then I'd like a pony for
> Christmas, also...
>
> As far as greenhouse gas emissions in the US, the continued reliance on
> coal is perhaps long term the most serious problem.  Even if the US gets off
> oil, coal remains a cheap and tempting power source.  US coal reserves are
> the largest of any nation, and correct me if I am wrong, but most of these
> coal reserves are in the lower 48.
>
> But remember that the oil shale reserves in Wyoming, Utah and Colorado, the
> so called "Green River" deposits, are a Saudi Arabia or larger sized oil
> reserve.  Now this poses a question regarding the future of oil development
> in the US.
>
> Info on US oil shales:
>
> http://geology.com/news/2006/12/colorado-oil-shale-leases-green-river.html
> ----------------
> Ted Moffett
>
>
>>  On Thu, Aug 27, 2009 at 11:53 AM, Ted Moffett <starbliss at gmail.com>wrote:
>>
>>>  NOAA Administrator to Lead U.S. Delegation to World Climate
>>> Conference-3 Looking Ahead to ‘A Clear Chance to Shape Our Future’
>>>
>>> August 27, 2009
>>>
>>> Jane Lubchenco <http://www.noaa.gov/lubchenco.html>, Ph.D., under
>>> secretary of commerce for oceans and atmosphere and NOAA administrator, will
>>> lead a U.S. delegation to Geneva, Switzerland, August 31- September 4 for
>>> the World Climate Conference-3 <http://www.wmo.int/wcc3/> in efforts to
>>> establish a Global Framework for Climate Services. This framework is
>>> intended to help meet accelerating demands for useful information on the
>>> impacts of climate change.
>>>
>>> "Climate change is real. It is happening now, in our backyards and around
>>> the globe,” said Lubchenco. “Decision-makers across all sectors require
>>> reliable, relevant information about the current and projected impacts of
>>> climate change, whether they are farmers, manufacturers, or city officials
>>> planning snow removal budgets or options for water resources, transportation
>>> or new housing developments. In a rapidly changing world these decisions
>>> cannot be made based on weather of the past; decision-makers need to know
>>> what to expect in the next twenty to fifty years to plan effectively.”
>>>
>>> Next week’s conference will bring together those who collect and develop
>>> climate information with those who need it, setting in motion an
>>> unprecedented opportunity to design a system that will inform
>>> decision-making in a way that is similar to how weather services work today,
>>> but on a longer time-scale. Climate services would include the broad range
>>> of what users require to address their needs, including data collection,
>>> technical assessment, analysis and prediction, and the ability to interpret
>>> and use the information.
>>>
>>> The U.S. delegation will include representatives from the White House
>>> Office of Science and Technology Policy, the White House Council on
>>> Environmental Quality, the U.S. Department of Commerce, the U.S. Department
>>> of State, the U.S. Department of the Interior, the U.S. Department of Health
>>> and Human Services, U.S. National Science Foundation, USAID, the
>>> Environmental Protection Agency, NOAA and NASA.  U.S. officials will be
>>> actively engaged at the conference, learning from the international
>>> community and sharing American knowledge and innovations.
>>>
>>> The first two World Climate Conferences, in 1979 and 1990, greatly
>>> enhanced capabilities to observe and assess climate change, ultimately
>>> leading to the establishment of the World Climate Research Program and the
>>> Global Climate Observing System, as well as the Nobel Peace Prize-winning
>>> Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and the United Nations Framework
>>> Convention on Climate Change.
>>>
>>> “Rarely are we presented with such a clear chance to shape our future, to
>>> start taking actions essential to making our planet healthier, safer and
>>> more environmentally and economically viable. We look forward to working
>>> with the international community to make this a very successful conference,”
>>> said Lubchenco.
>>> NOAA understands and predicts changes in the Earth’s environment, from
>>> the depths of the ocean to the surface of the sun, and conserves and manages
>>> our coastal and marine resources.
>>> ------------------------------------------
>>> Vision2020 Post: Ted Moffett
>>>
>>>
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