<div><span class="gmail_quote">On 8/27/09, <b class="gmail_sendername">Ted Moffett</b> <<a href="mailto:starbliss@gmail.com">starbliss@gmail.com</a>> wrote:</span>
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<div>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.</div>
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<div>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!</div>
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<div>James Hansen on these issues:</div>
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<div><a onclick="return top.js.OpenExtLink(window,event,this)" href="http://www.columbia.edu/~jeh1/mailings/2008/20080804_TripReport.pdf" target="_blank">http://www.columbia.edu/~jeh1/mailings/2008/20080804_TripReport.pdf</a></div>
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<div>Obama seems far more concerned with health care reform, than addressing climate change. This is no surprise, either. </div></blockquote><br>
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<div>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. </div>
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<div>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.</div></blockquote><br>
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<div> 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.</div>
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<div>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...</div>
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<div>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.</div>
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<div>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.</div>
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<div>Info on US oil shales:</div>
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<div><a onclick="return top.js.OpenExtLink(window,event,this)" href="http://geology.com/news/2006/12/colorado-oil-shale-leases-green-river.html" target="_blank">http://geology.com/news/2006/12/colorado-oil-shale-leases-green-river.html</a></div>
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<div>Ted Moffett<br> </div>
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<div><span>On Thu, Aug 27, 2009 at 11:53 AM, Ted Moffett <span dir="ltr"><<a onclick="return top.js.OpenExtLink(window,event,this)" href="mailto:starbliss@gmail.com" target="_blank">starbliss@gmail.com</a>></span> wrote:<br>
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<h2>NOAA Administrator to Lead U.S. Delegation to World Climate Conference-3 Looking Ahead to ‘A Clear Chance to Shape Our Future’ </h2>
<p>August 27, 2009</p>
<p><a onclick="return top.js.OpenExtLink(window,event,this)" href="http://www.noaa.gov/lubchenco.html" target="_blank">Jane Lubchenco</a>, 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 <a onclick="return top.js.OpenExtLink(window,event,this)" href="http://www.wmo.int/wcc3/" target="_blank">World Climate Conference-3</a> 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. </p>
<p>"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.”</p>
<p>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. </p>
<p>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.</p>
<p>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. </p>
<p>“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.</p>
<div>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. </div>
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<div>Vision2020 Post: Ted Moffett</div><br></span></div></blockquote></div></blockquote></div></blockquote></div>