Global warming contributed to Sydney’s record warm year
Sydney weather: Record warm year with few cold spells January 6, 2015 Peter Hannam Environment Editor, The Sydney Morning Herald
If you thought Sydney had been warm over the past year or so, you’d be right.
Last year was the city’s equal warmest for overnight temperatures and its second-warmest for means and maximums in 156 years of record keeping at Observatory Hill.
For some temperature measures, such as for NSW heat, the previous record had been set only a year earlier.
Agata Imielska, senior climatologist at the Bureau of Meteorology in Sydney, said it was “quite surprising” to see last year eclipse 2013 given the bar had been set so high.
“We just didn’t have the cool periods,” Ms Imielska said. “There was a real persistence in the warmth.”
Globally, 2014 was the hottest year on record, the Japan Meteorological Agency declared this week. Land and sea-surface temperatures were 0.27 degrees above the 1981-2010 average, easily eclipsing the previous highs set in 1998, 2010 and 2013.
“Global warming is contributing to these heat records, and it’s very unlikely that we would have seen the proliferation or the frequency of these heat records around the world without the influence of global warming,” Karl Braganza, head of climate monitoring at the bureau, said.
“The climate system we live in … that’s all about 1 degree warmer than it used to be,” Dr Braganza said.
Warm and dry
For NSW, 2014 was the hottest on record for mean temperatures and the equal warmest for maximums. Among the other states, only the Northern Territory failed to notch a year among the four warmest on record……….http://www.smh.com.au/environment/climate-change/sydney-weather-record-warm-year-with-few-cold-spells-20150106-12ikgr.html
Hottest daytime temperatures on record – Victoria in 2014
Victoria experienced hottest daytime temperatures on record in 2014, BOM annual report reveals, ABC News By Loretta Florance 5 Jan 15 Victoria recorded its hottest year on record for maximum daytime temperatures in 2014, the Bureau of Meteorology’s (BOM) annual report has revealed.
The state also recorded the second warmest year on record for mean temperatures, and the third warmest for minimum temperatures. The mean maximum temperature was 1.53 degrees Celsius above average, the Bureau of Meteorology found………
climate modelling showed that an El Nino effect on both the atmosphere and the ocean might progress over the summer, which would mean warmer temperatures in Victoria.
“We know that the year an El Nino event gets going tends to be the warmer years, so globally you’d expect 2015 to be at least as warm as 2014 if not warmer – and 2014 globally is actually looking like it’s going to be the warmest year on record,” he said.
“For eastern Australia, you tend to have the warm conditions persist through the financial year, so at least until the middle of next year, is what you’d be expecting for average conditions.” http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-01-06/victoria-swelters-through-its-hottest-year-on-record-2014/6002710
Australian companies uranium miner Paladin, and OceanaGold will be forced to come clean on tax matters
Canada transparency laws force ASX companies to disclose tax bills, The Age December 26, 2014 Georgia Wilkins Business reporter Two Australian mining companies will be forced to disclose how much tax they pay in every country around the world by new transparency laws introduced in Canada.
Paladin Energy and OceanaGold, both dual-listed in Australia and Canada, will have to comply with new Canadian laws requiring all oil, gas and mining companies to report payments they make to governments overseas, including taxes, royalties, bonuses, regulatory charges and licence fees.
The Australian government is being pushed to introduce similar rules. Continue reading
Government surveillance intimidating journalists
Survey respondents also voiced concern that surveillance by the U.S. government and “Five Eyes” partner countries (which include Australia, the United Kingdom, Canada, and New Zealand) has damaged their reputation abroad and thus their ability to champion free expression and other human rights around the world
Fear of Government Spying ‘Chilling’ Writers’ Speech Worldwide ‘If writers avoid exploring topics for fear of possible retribution, the material available to readers—particularly those seeking to understand the most controversial and challenging issues facing the world today—may be greatly impoverished.‘ Common Dreams, by Lauren McCauley, staff writer 5 Jan 15
The report, Global Chilling: The Impact of Mass Surveillance on International Writers (pdf),found that more than half of the 800 writers surveyed think that mass government surveillance has “significantly damaged U.S. credibility as a global champion of free expression for the long term.” Continue reading
The case of USA’s Ginna nuclear plant shows that economics are killing the industry
US Nuclear Plant Would Have To Charge Double To Stay Profitable, Simply Info January 6th, 2015 Bloomberg has an interesting article about the major problem for US nuclear reactors. The economics are killing them. They blame subsidies other power generation gets (conveniently avoiding mention of the considerable subsidies nuclear power receives) and other (cheaper) power sources.
What was so startling in this Bloomberg article is that Ginna nuclear plant would have to charge consumers double the current retail power rates in order to turn a profit. This was vs. all other power sources (gas, coal, renewables)……….http://www.fukuleaks.org/web/?p=14282
Overwhelming case for carbon tax in USA
Let this be the year when we put a proper price on carbon, Ft.com Lawrence Summers 6 Jan 15 The fall in oil prices and declines in other energy prices make the case for a tax overwhelming. The case for carbon taxes has long been compelling. With the recent steep fall in oil prices and associated declines in other energy prices it is overwhelming. There is room for debate about the size of the tax and about how the proceeds should be deployed. But there should be no doubt that starting from the current zero tax rate on carbon, increased taxation would be desirable.The core of the case for taxation is the recognition that those who use carbon-based fuels or products do not bear all the costs of their actions. Carbon emissions exacerbate the global climate change problem. In many cases they contribute to local pollution problems which immediately harm human health. Removing fossil fuels from the ground involves both accident risks and environmental challenges. And even with the substantial increases in US oil production we remain a net importer, so increases in consumption raise our dependence on Middle East producers………….
Progressives who are concerned about climate change should rally to a carbon tax as the most important step for mobilising against it. Conservatives who believe in the power of markets should favour carbon taxes on market principles. And Americans who want to see their country lead on the energy and climate issues that are crucial to the world this century should want to be in the vanguard on carbon taxes. Now is the time.
The writer is Charles W Eliot university professor at Harvard and a former US Treasury secretary http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/2/10cb1a60-9277-11e4-a1fd-00144feabdc0.html#axzz3NziAcHwn
Wind energy a big winner for Scotland in 2014
Scotland Saw A “Massive Year” Of Renewable Energy http://cleantechnica.com/2015/01/06/scotland-saw-massive-year-renewable-energy/ January 6th, 2015 by Joshua S Hill That Scotland saw impressive records broken last year is of no real surprise to those who followed news of their monthly wind energy generation numbers. New numbers published early January have only confirmed that sense of record breaking, with another record month and a “massive year” in total.
WWF Scotland provided the information, by way of WeatherEnergy, and found that for December, wind energy provided 164% of Scottish household electrical needs — a massive record, well up on what had already seemed to be a mammoth record, set in October, when wind energy provided 126% (though, as it turns out, before Scotland’s performance was brought to my attention, they hit 163% in February). Specifically, wind energy delivered 1,279,150MWh of electricity to the National Grid, enough for 3.96 million homes.
In fact, wind energy generated enough energy to supply over 100% of Scottish household needs on 25 out of the 31 days of December. Continue reading
Egypt selects 67 countries to develop 4.3 GW of renewable energy projects
Huge interest in Egyptian renewable energy tender
05. JANUARY 2015 | GLOBAL PV MARKETS, APPLICATIONS & INSTALLATIONS | BY: JONATHAN GIFFORD
The chairman of Egypt’s New and Renewable Energy Authority (NREA) has revealed that 67 companies have been selected to take part in developing 4.3 GW of renewable energy projects in the country. The successful companies were chosen from 177 applicants. http://www.pv-magazine.com/news/details/beitrag/huge-interest-in-egyptian-renewable-energy-tender_100017661/#ixzz3OAPGU0b4
Abbott’s Direct Action policy threatened by cuts to CSIRO
CSIRO cuts threaten Abbott’s direct action policy http://www.smh.com.au/technology/sci-tech/csiro-cuts-threaten-abbotts-direct-action-policy-20140716-zti20.html Phillip Thomson Government budget cuts continue to bite at Australia’s premier science organisation and one union says it threatens Prime Minister Tony Abbott’s direct action policy.
The CSIRO Staff Association said internal documents from the research organisation revealed dozens of scientists specialising in ecological research were now at risk while experts devoted to new carbon capture techniques could also be on shaky ground. Continue reading
1 This month
of the week – Disrupting War & Militarism in Oceania. Active solidarity. Radical practice.
Antinuclear 