Copenhagen Summit results: what REALLY happened

This is a fascinating account of the Copenhagen Summit from Thom Yorke's blog...it's based on his attendance there last December.  When you get to his blog scroll down a bit to start at the post where he enters the summit.

For those of you who don't know who Thom Yorke is, he's the lead singer /songwriter of the Britain-based rock band Radiohead (the fella on the right in the photo), and an ardent environmental activist.  

I believe, technically speaking, he actually "snuck" into the conference with a press pass he got from a friend (maybe the guy posing in the photo with him?)  I don't know.

Rest assured, he had no good news to report...it sounds like it was an apathetic waste of time and that very little -- if anything -- got accomplished.

Still, kudos to Thom for getting his butt into the thing so he could relay a real and unfiltered report on what REALLY happened to the rest of us!  I'm sure he'll have a place in the Environmental Hall of Fame, but until I put that list together we'll just refer to him as a hero.

United Nations IPCC Fourth Assessment Report is out

The new UN report on climate change and global warming assessments is out---and as you can imagine, things don't look pretty... as if we expected anything different.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IPCC_Fourth_Assessment_Report

Read it for yourself. There's actually some interesting details in the study, especially in terms of what they're able to determine vs. what the jury is still out on.

For example, it doesn't look like they're able to make any hard determinations as to whether or not the urban heat island effect contributes to global warming. It also mentions that as ocean temperatures warm, water expands; thus adding to the rising levels. I can't say that ever occurred to me before. S

10 Things You Can Do to Fight Global Warming! - A list from the Environmental Defense Action Fund

Hey everyone, I just received my care package today from the Environmental Defense Action Fund, including my free tote bag to bring to the grocery store. One of the goodies in it listed 10 things we can do to fight global warming.

10 Things You Can Do to Fight Global Warming!

1. Recycle and buy minimally packed goods as much as possible.

2. Wash clothes in cold or warm water, not hot.

3. Install low-flow shower heads to use less water.

4. Run the dishwasher only when full and don’t use hear to dry dishes.

5. Replace standard light bulbs with compact fluorescent bulbs.

6. Plug air leaks in windows and doors to increase energy efficiency.

7. Replace old appliances with energy-efficient models.

8. Walk, bike, carpool or use public transportation whenever possible.

9. Adjust your thermostat—lower in winter, higher in summer.

10. Share these simple steps with friends and family and increase awareness!

Follow these easy steps to fight global warming!

You can link to the EDAF site here: Environmental Defense Action Fund - Finding the ways that work. Since we tend to be creatures of repetition (until we make it part of our everyday lifestyle), I’ll try to reprint these sorts of lists when I come across them. S