“In 1999, Russian scientists famously dug a long-dead frozen woolly mammoth out of the Siberian permafrost. Other things lurking in the frozen earth may be more alive — and more dangerous. Scientists warn that global warming could release ancient bacteria, viruses and fungi from frozen lakes, glaciers and permafrost. If this happens, humans could become exposed to viruses and diseases they have not encountered in thousands of years.” [Mother Nature Network via The Miami Herald]
Author: Steve Milloy
London Olympics' emissions 28 percent lower than forecast
Feeling cooler yet? [Reuters]
Wind welfare seekers agree to surrender tax credit — in six years!
Denise Bode, AWEA’s CEO, stressed that, “At the same time, our number one priority right now is not putting the wind industry over its own fiscal cliff. [AWEA release]
Asthma inhaler bill fails — in House!
The bill to put back on store shelves Primatene Mist failed in the House yesterday by a vote of 229-182. Big Pharma apparently convinced enough Republicans that asthma inhalers ought to be less accessible and more expensive.
New Intimidation Effort Launched Against Skeptics: The 'Checks and Balances Project'
Although little corporate money goes to skeptics (especially as compared to the corporate money that goes to alarmists), the green-run Checks and Balances Projects apparently aims to resurrect that myth with two goals in mind: (1) continue to intimidate corporations from funding skeptics and (2) intimidate the media from running skeptic commentary. The Checks and Balances Project is ironically named since the Constitution’s system of checks-and-balances is the system the Founding Fathers devised to limit the growth of government. The Checks and Balances Project, in contrast, intends to silence skeptics so that government power can expand through climate-energy policy. [Checks and Balances Project]
Boxer to Create Congressional Climate Caucus
So reports E&E Daily. It will no doubt be as successful as the Kerry-Boxer cap-and-trade bill of the 111th Congress.
IBD: Public Must Face True Cost Of Unreliable Renewables
“California’s Public Utilities Commission estimated in 2009 that the 33% RPS rule (finally adopted in 2011) would require an investment of about $115 billion, or some $3,000 for every Californian.” [Investor’s Business Daily]
Medical Journal Article Calls EPA Human Experiments Illegal and Unethical
TUCSON, Ariz., Dec. 11, 2012 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — According to an article in the winter 2012 issue of the Journal of American Physicians
and Surgeons, research sponsored by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) violates “every law, regulation, and standard developed since World War II for the protection of human subjects.” Continue reading Medical Journal Article Calls EPA Human Experiments Illegal and Unethical
Forbes: America's 20 Dirtiest Cities
Fresno may be the “dirtiest” (a relative term), but show us a human casualty. [Forbes]
Spike in air pollution linked to drilling
“In the Colorado mountains, a spike in air pollution has been linked to a boom in oil and gas drilling. A thousand miles away on the plains of north Texas, there’s a drilling boom, too, but some air pollution levels have declined. Opponents of drilling point to Colorado and say it’s dangerous. Companies point to Texas and say drilling is safe.” [AP]
Study: Gays made via epigenetics, not genetics
“Epigenetics – how gene expression is regulated by temporary switches, called epi-marks – appears to be a critical and overlooked factor contributing to the long-standing puzzle of why homosexuality occurs.” [EurekAlert]
99.9% renewable by 2030?
What happens when energy modelers drop acid. [ScienceDirect]