Melting Ice - Heating Debate

Via the BBC - Ice loss opens Northwest Passage

The Northwest Passage is one of the most fabled sea routes in the world - a short cut from Europe to Asia through the high Arctic.

Recent years have seen a marked shrinkage in its ice cover, but this year it was extreme, Esa says.

It says this made the passage "fully navigable" for the first time since monitoring began in 1978.

[. . .]

Scientists have linked the changes to global warming which may be progressing faster than expected.

Whether global warming is due to human activity or just natural cycles, it would seem that the Northwest Passage opening up is a big deal. It seems clear that we going to have to learn to deal with the repercussions of these climate associated changes whether we like it or not. I find it interesting that it is already causing some international debate and disagreement.

The opening of the sea routes are already leading to international disputes.

Canada says it has full rights over those parts of the Northwest Passage that pass though its territory and that it can bar transit there.

But this has been disputed by the US and the European Union.

They argue new route should be an international strait that any vessel can use.

And I'm sure there will be more unforeseen circumstances that arise from these global climate changes that will require international attention and negotiation as time goes on.

Bush and Merkel reach an agreement

Via the BBC - G8 leaders agree to climate deal

Leaders of the G8 nations have agreed to seek "substantial" cuts in emissions in an effort to tackle climate change.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel said the G8 would negotiate within a UN framework to seek a replacement for the Kyoto Protocol by the end of 2009.

No mandatory target was set for the cuts, but Mrs Merkel's preference for a 50% emissions cut by the year 2050 was included in the agreed statement.

[. . .]

Speaking to reporters in Heiligendamm, UK Prime Minister Tony Blair deflected concerns about the absence of a precise definition of the term "substantial cuts".

"I'm both surprised and very pleased at how far we have come forward in the couple of years since [the 2005 G8 summit at] Gleneagles," he told reporters.

"Now we have an agreement that there will be a climate change deal, it will involve everyone, including the US and China, and it will involve substantial cuts."

Yeah, I'll believe it when I see it in action. It is often easier to agree to act than to actually act.

CFLs are OK with me

Via WaPo - Fluorescent Bulbs Are Known to Zap Domestic Tranquillity

"There is still a big hurdle in convincing Americans that lighting-purchase decisions make a big difference in individual electricity bills and collectively for the environment," said Wendy Reed, director of the federal government's Energy Star campaign, which labels products that save energy and has been working with retailers to market CFL bulbs.

"I have heard time and again that a husband goes out and puts the bulb into the house, thinking he is doing a good thing," Reed said. "Then, the CFL bulb is changed back out by the women. It seems that women are much more concerned with how things look. We are the nesters."

I found this article to be particularly interesting because in the past year we have been fazing out our incandescent bulbs and replacing them with CFLs. It was actually my husband's idea (I think) but I was never opposed to the idea. There are still a few places that we do not use them, simply because of the nature of the fixture. The CFL bulbs that we buy say that they cannot be used in fixtures with are totally enclosed and we have about 3 fixtures like that around our home. We did have a fourth in the kitchen, but we actually changed out the fixture so that we could use the CFLs there.

I guess I'm not the stereotypical woman in many ways. I've never been much of a decorator, and that could explain why the CFLs don't bother me. It bugs me a little that they don't work with the dimmer, but we really never used the dimmer that much anyway, so it is no great loss.