Lytham Windmill back with all four sails with the old lifeboat house. Took these photos back in June 2012.

A new research report written by the Joint Research Centre of the EU Commission suggests that under a best case scenario, taking into account environmental considerations, future shale gas production in Europe could help the EU maintain its dependency on energy imports at around 50 % of its total energy needs. But the report also reveals the sometimes considerable uncertainty about recoverable volumes, technological developments, public acceptance and access to land and markets.

Guest post by Lance Wallace

Abstract

The traditional estimate of temperature at measuring stations has been to average the highest (Tmax) and lowest (Tmin) daily measurements. This leads to error in estimating the true mean temperature. What is the magnitude of this error and how does it depend on geographic and climatic variables? The US Climate Reference Network (USCRN) of temperature measuring stations is employed to estimate the error for each station in the network.

As you can tell, I've been on a bit of an energy kick recently. It seems there is so much being said about the subject these days, but quietly some are taking hold of the technology for themselves. Governments will continue to bicker about the science, usefulness and economic sense, but the truth is we all make our own decisions when it comes to spending, including the government.

Early this summer, a simple graph from the U.S. Energy Information Administration shocked even the most astute energy wonks. It showed that for the first time since the federal agency began keeping track, coal was no longer the dominant fuel used to generate electricity in the United States. Over the previous few months, the use of natural gas in power plants had risen so quickly that it accounted for as much electricity as coal, a far dirtier fossil fuel.

Human caused climate change is an agreed upon scientific fact.  Every major scientific association in the world that deals with some aspect of climate change agree that human activity has increased the levels of carbon dioxide in our atmosphere, and subsequently, the temperature of the planet.  As a result, polar and glacial ice is melting at phenomenal rates, threatening to destabilize the salinity of the oceans, destroy whole ecosystems, and submerge thousands of miles of coastline around the…

Doug  Grandt, climate warrior and friend of 350orbust, is inviting Rex Tillerson, CEO of Exxon and Eagle Scout, to become a climate hero. The world is desperately in need of visionary leadership from business leaders as well as political leaders, as we stand on the cusp of catastrophic climate change. Here is Doug's recent video letter to Mr. Tillerson, Challenge of a Lifetime:

A recent New York Times article reported that energy-related CO2 emissions in the U.S. from January-March 2012 were the lowest for the first quarter of the year since 1992. The CO2 emissions from energy consumption during this period of 2012 amounted to 1.34 billion metric tons, down by nearly 8% from a year earlier.

According to the federal Energy Information Administration (EIA)’s 

Arctic sea ice contracts to its lowest level since records began. This has become a predictable August news story; it used to be a September story but the 'summer minimum' now happens earlier. In 2007, the IPPC predicted an ice-free Arctic by the end of the century. Most climate experts now say 2030; some even dare to say within 10 years.

I do not like to talk about politics here unless they affect the environment or free speech or freedom of and from religion.  But I listened to the Romney speech last night and was appalled to hear no mention of concern for the endangered world environment, but also appalled to hear this backward-facing part of the "Romney Plan":

"First, by 2020, North America will be energy independent by taking full advantage of our oil and coal and gas and nuclear and renewables.

This article shows what can be achieved with a strong political leadership.  While in the UK, we have a Government that keeps changing FITs (feed-in tariffs) for renewable technologies and is promoting large utilities companies with their Green Deal.  The UK will not be able to survive what is ultimately going to come, in not that a distance future.  Manchester City Council is the same, they keep claiming to be 'Green', whilst actually doing anything different than before. 

Most of those that deny the nature of reality are not doing so because they are being paid to do it (or even because they are willfully blind); they have just been duped by the Merchants of Doubt that say:
"Anthropogenic CO2 is not the cause of the climate change we are now witnessing; and
anyone who says otherwise is just trying to restrict your freedom and/or spoil your fun!"

Ka Nui! Enough!

Join a coalition of local groups at a protest outside the NZ Petroleum summit 2012, and say "Ka Nui, Enough!" to the oil and gas industry.
Industries are literally counting down to this event, where the Energy Minister will speak on the government's planned expansion of oil and gas extraction in New Zealand.

At a time when we should be transitioning towards clean energy and a sustainable and more equitable society, this government continues to push its "mine it, drill it" vision for Aotearoa New Zealand.

By Deep Rogue Ram. Filmed at Strut Studios in Vancouver: Starring @pippa_mackie and @kainagata. Written by @heatherlibby.

Australia’s climate policy just got even worse.

Last year when the Multi-Party Climate Change Committee agreed a carbon price, they also agreed a number of complementary measures, many arguably better than the carbon price itself. One of them was a floor price; it was scrapped last week. Another was that the Government would pay electricity generators a negotiated amount to close 2,000 MW of coal power – so-called “contracts for closure”.

The energetic formative years
In the past, I have proven quite fond of mentioning both the Second Law of Thermodynamics and the concept of Entropy.  However, I suspect that my doing so may have left quite a few people a bit cold...  For those that know what I mean that was a pretty lame joke.  For those that do not, let’s just say that our problem with energy is that there is only a finite amount of it in the Universe; and trying to stop it being converted into progressively less useful forms is like trying to prevent water flowing to the sea.