Today’s Climate: August 7-8, 2010

Huge Ice Island Calves Off Greenland Glacier (Reuters)

An ice island four times the size of Manhattan broke off from one of Greenland’s two main glaciers, scientists said on Friday, in the biggest such event in the Arctic in nearly 50 years.

Markey: Warming Skeptics Should Move to Ice Island (Boston Globe)

Massachusetts Congressman Edward Markey has a suggestion for how to use the ice island that broke off a glacier in Greenland. He says it’s plenty big enough for people he calls "global warming deniers" to start their own country.

Deep Freeze Ahead for Carbon Cap Bill (Politico)

Stung by the failure to secure a Senate vote on climate and energy legislation and wary of a possible GOP-led Congress, leaders at some of the country’s most influential green groups are moving cash and staff away from cap and trade.

UN Talks Flounder as Climate Impacts Mount, Say Delegates (AFP)

UN climate talks tasked with curbing the threat of global warming are backsliding, delegates from both rich and developing nations said Friday at the close of a week-long session in Bonn.

U.S. Says Countries ‘Backtracking’ on Copenhagen Climate Change Agreement (Bloomberg)

The U.S. is concerned that envoys at UN climate talks are "backtracking" on an agreement made in 2009 in Copenhagen, the country’s lead negotiator at the talks said.

Residents Flee as Acrid Smog Blankets Moscow (AFP)

Residents began fleeing Moscow on Sunday as a dangerous smog smothered the city and forced people to don protective masks. The wildfires that have killed 52 people were still spreading in central Russia, with 290 new fires in the last 24 hours.

BP Says It Might Drill Again In Gulf Reservoir (AP)

BP said Friday that it might someday drill again in the same undersea pocket of oil that gushed millions of gallons of its crude into the sea, crushing livelihoods and fouling beaches and wildlife habitat along the Gulf shoreline.

Recovery from Oil Spill is Obama Priority: Navy Sec’y (Reuters)

Pres. Obama’s administration sees the restoration of the Gulf Coast after the BP oil spill as a national priority and the president should not be blamed for the disaster, Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus said on Saturday.

Burst Pipe in Michigan Oil Spill Sent for Exam (Detroit Free Press)

The ripped pipeline that spilled hundreds of thousands of gallons of crude oil in to the Kalamazoo River last week was lifted out of the ground Friday and today sent to a laboratory in Washington, D.C. for examination.

Alaska Gov: Judge Clears Shell’s Offshore Seismic Oil Testing (Wall Street Journal)

Alaska Gov. Sean Parnell said Friday that Shell and other companies can proceed with seismic testing for oil
and gas in Alaska’s Chukchi Sea after a federal judge agreed that such activities aren’t restricted by an injunction on offshore drilling.

Texas Industries Press to Get EPA-Approved Permits (AP)

After a lobbying push by oil giants, a bipartisan group of Texas legislators have asked state environmental regulators to quickly solve a permit dispute with the EPA that has left some of the nation’s largest oil refineries in operating limbo.

California Should Approve Abengoa Mojave Solar Plant (Reuters)

The California Energy Commission’s staff on Friday recommended approval for Spanish multinational Abengoa SA’s proposed 250-MW Mojave solar thermal power plant in southeast California.

Wind Turns to Gold in Remote Romanian Region (AFP)

Strong winds sweeping southeastern Romania have long been seen as a curse but as electricity companies are increasingly turning to renewable energy, the area has become a coveted asset.

Japan to Subsidize CO2-Cut Studies (Reuters)

Japan has selected 15 groups of companies to conduct feasibility studies for emission-cutting projects in nine developing countries to promote clean-energy technologies, a newspaper reported on Sunday.

Scientists Reject Aerosol Geoengineering (SciDev.net)

Geoengineering schemes that could help some countries deal with global warming could have the opposite effect in others, according to a study published in the August issue of Nature Geoscience.

Ice Age Permafrost Unearthed in Poland to Help Clock Warming (AFP)

Permafrost dating from the end of the last Ice Age around 13,000 years ago recently discovered in Poland could prove an invaluable tool in gauging global warming, Polish geologists said on Friday.

Huawei: 70% of Carbon Emissions During Products’ Lifespan Your Fault (Fast Company)

Chinese mobile device manufacturer Huawei has taken the unusual step of thoroughly auditing where the worst polluting happens for its products, and concluded that 70% of emissions occurs during the portion of a product’s life when it’s in use.