Congress Addresses Drought Crisis Through Action on Farm Bill; Wait, What?

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Man Bites Dog: Extreme Weather and Climate Change Lead National Newscast

The lead story of last night's PBS NewsHour covered recent extreme weather events in the context of global climate change. The 8-minute segment included an extensive interview with Thomas Karl, Director of the National Climatic Data Center. In a stunning reversal of recent churnalistic practices, the message was not diluted by representation of phony skepticism (except in the spittle-flecked comments online). The real question, of course, is what happens to coverage of the issue when records are not being broken so spectacularly.

The intro:

JUDY WOODRUFF: The past 12 months are the warmest ever recorded in the United States since record-keeping began in 1895. That word comes as a new report from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration says climate change, including human factors, has increased the odds of extreme weather. . .

Watch Extreme Weather Records 'Like a Baseball Player on Steroids' on PBS. See more from PBS NewsHour.

Michael Mann Interview on NewsChannel 8

Dr. Michael Mann was interviewed on Washington's NewsChannel 8 this morning regarding his book, The Hockey Stick and the Climate Wars. The climate scientist received top billing over the tax cut food fight.

The Cost of Drought: Higher Corn Prices

The inimitable Great Santelli on CNBC this morning interviewed a commodities trader who also farms corn in southwestern Michigan. He said, "Right now we're at a drought situation at my farm. we're looking at five and a half weeks without water. The corn is waist high, getting ready to tassel. We need water."



The Midwest drought monitor (click to enlarge) through last Tuesday shows 71% of the area in some level of drought, with 5% at the Extreme level, mostly in Indiana and Illinois:

DC Derecho: Vivid Video of Radar Reflectivity

Here's a time-lapse video of composite radar images throughout the history of the Washington, DC Derecho on June 29, 2012, from NOAA/NSSL:

Scientist Discusses Role of Climate Change in Recent Extreme Weather Events

Following a report on the extreme heat and damage caused by intense storms in the Mid Atlantic region and the wildfires in Colorado, the PBS NewsHour tonight had an interview with NCAR climate scientist Kevin Trenberth, in which he said, "And now we're going outside of the realm of conditions previously experienced."

NWS Briefing: High Plains Heat, Drought Likely to Persist Through Rest of Summer

A video briefing today from the National Weather Service reviews the current drought and excessive heat in the High Plains region and the prospects for the rest of the summer:

Climate Change Curriculum: Teachers on the Front Lines

The PBS News Hour reports on science teachers' attempts to present the subject of climate change without political interference. Teachers share their stories in an online extension of the story.

Watch Teachers Endure Balancing Act Over Climate Change Curriculum on PBS. See more from PBS NewsHour.

Norfolk VA: High Cost of Adaptation to Sea-Level Rise

"Need to Know" on PBS explores the high cost of adaptation to sea-level rise in Norfolk, Virginia:

When the presidential candidates talk about the long-term economic security of the US, they often talk about the national debt, the viability of Medicare and Social Security, and the rise of China.

But there’s another issue that could have major implications for the nation’s economy, and it’s barely mentioned at all: the soaring costs America might face in generations to come from climate change. More specifically, the very damaging and very costly effects of sea level rise. . .

Watch Rising tide on PBS. See more from Need To Know.

Conversation: Confronting the Climate Change Challenge

Prof. Michael Mann on "Conversations From Penn State":



Full video here.

Scotland's Sunny Spring Sunday and Mega-Mild March Monday: Monthly Heat Records Set 2 [Update: 3] Consecutive Days

March 28 Update: A new Scotland March high temperature record was set for the third consecutive day on Tuesday: 23.6°C at Aboyne.

Original post:


The BBC reports that Scotland set an all-time March high temperature record of 22.8°C on Sunday:

Fyvie Castle, in Aberdeenshire, recorded a temperature of 22.8C shortly after 15:30, edging past the previous high of 22.2C.

This had been set in March 1957 at Gordon Castle, in Moray, and again at Strachan, in Kincardineshire, in 1965.

The warmest ever UK March day stands at 25.6C, which was set at Mepal in Cambridgeshire in 1968.

This was followed by a new monthly heat record on Monday. The Met Office reports:

Temperatures continue to break records across parts of the UK. Cromdale in Moray reached 23.2 deg C on Monday breaking the record set the day before for the warmest March day in Scotland.

Gas Bubble: Coal Market Share for U.S. Electricity Generation Declines from 50% to 43% in 2 Years

The good news: Electricity generation from coal is declining sharply in the U.S., from 50% 2 years ago to 43% today.

The bad news: The reason for the drop is that there is a "virtually infinite" supply of natural gas. The lowest gas prices in at least a decade ($2.34 Friday morning) are making coal-fired power plants uneconomical. Out of 350 gigawatts of coal capacity, roughly 50 gigawatts are at risk for replacement by cheap gas.

Kenneth Hersh, NGP Energy Capital Management Co. CEO was interviewed on CNBC Friday morning (January 20):

Breaking News: Keystone Pipeline Rejected

CNBC has confirmed within the past hour that the Obama administration will reject the application for the TransCanada Keystone XL oil sands pipeline. Energy prices are generally unaffected:


Other reports:
NPR: Reports: Obama Administration Will Reject Keystone Pipeline Proposal
NY Times: State Dept. to Put Pipeline on Hold, Officials Say
BBC: Keystone XL oil pipeline plan 'to be rejected'
Politico: Keystone XL pipeline to be rejected by Obama administration

2011 Weather Review: Mind-Boggling Extremes

NOAA's Kathryn Sullivan and Weather Underground's Jeff Masters discuss the year's weather extremes and the climate implications on the PBS News Hour Wednesday evening, December 28:

Watch How 2011 Became a 'Mind-Boggling' Year of Extreme Weather on PBS. See more from PBS NewsHour.

Third Warmest Christmas on Record in UK

The Beeb reports that Christmas 2011, the mildest in 90 years, was the third warmest in history for the UK. The highest temperature of 15.1°C was actually reported in the north, at Dyce, Scotland.

For a full video report, click here.

The Quest for Energy: Good News and Bad News

The good news: There's plenty of oil.
The bad news: We're going to burn it all.
Author Daniel Yergin discusses his book The Quest on the PBS News Hour; unlike in some previous interviews, the subject of climate is actually raised:

Watch Author Daniel Yergin on U.S. Need for a 'Diversified Energy Portfolio' on PBS. See more from PBS NewsHour.

PBS Uses Slow News Day to Cover Keystone XL Pipeline

Watch the full episode. See more PBS NewsHour.

The PBS NewsHour used the slow news cycle of the Columbus Day holiday today to cover the Keystone XL pipeline issue:

A Canadian company wants to build a $13 billion, 1,700-mile pipeline to carry crude oil from the so-called tar sands region in Alberta through six states and a major aquifer to Texas for refining. Correspondent Tom Bearden reports from Nebraska on the high-stakes environmental and economic battle over the Keystone XL project.

PBS, which seems to be increasingly outsourcing its news gathering operations, presented a comment by one "JASON BERRINGER, Laborers International Union Local 1140", who said:

I worked with TransCanada before on another pipeline. And I have never had a company like them that took care of environmental issues like they have. They really care about the environment.

This would be the same Jason Berringer who was spotted in a paid pro-pipeline ad on a commercial cable news network within an hour or so of the PBS broadcast.

Speaking of outsourcing, there was no mention of the glaring conflict of interest represented by the State Dept. outsourcing the environmental review to a company with close ties to Keystone:

A few days into the demonstrations, the State Department released the final environmental impact statement on the project, a study three years in the making. It says the pipeline would carry a blend of synthetic crude oil and diluted bitumen and poses no significant impact to the environment.

In a classic example of false equivalence, the feckless reporter concludes, "Both sides accuse each other of playing fast and loose with the truth."

Exceptional Texas Drought Exceeds 80%; Mainstream Media Chronic Climatological Challenge Continues

Although slowing from its rapid pace of early spring, the spread of Exceptional Drought, the highest of 4 categories, has continued through the end of summer in Texas. The latest Drought Monitor, released this morning and based on data through August 30, shows that over 80% of the state is now rated D4 (Exceptional):



A chart posted a couple of days ago by John Nielsen-Gammon, the Texas State Climatologist, shows how extreme this year's conditions have been relative to history going back to 1895 (h/t to MT):

The PBS News Hour last night devoted nearly 8 minutes to the subject:

Watch the full episode. See more PBS NewsHour.

Although moderator Gwen Ifill and NPR correspondent and Texas native Wade Goodwyn correctly recognized this as the "worst drought in Texas history", the word "climate" was not even uttered. (Neither was it mentioned in the 3 minutes of coverage on the flooding from Hurricane Irene.) With the governor of the state embarked on a vicious anti-science campaign, shouldn't the question at least have been asked? Apparently the reporters have bought into the inane prayer meme:

GWEN IFILL: As you talk to people, to farmers, to ranchers, to people who depend on rain, do they have any innovative or alternative ideas about how to cope with this crisis, other than to get down on their knees and pray for rain?

WADE GOODWYN: Not really.

Some of the viewers evidently did get the message, anyway:

Doug Stewart said:

I listened and watched in shock tonight and Gwen Hill and Wade Goodwyn, both whom I have long respected, discussed the drought in Texas puzzled while failing to connect the dots to make the connection between global warming and CO2 production. Wade's only solution was to pray for rain. What has happened to your courage and objectivity?

Gordon Pricd said:

Again, a story on the Texas drought - and not a mention of climate change. Given the position of Governor Perry - that climate science is essentially fraudulent - isn't a question journalistically justifiable. Indeed, demanded?

If climate change is no longer a topic that can be credibly raised in the context of some of the worst-ever droughts and floods in the nation's history - major items on the same program - then that's a story all on it's own.

rrjim said:

Most inane coverage and questioning by Gwen Ifil I could imagine. Worst draught in Texas history, Governor of Texas running for president who doesn't "believe in" global warming. But not one question about climate change and maybe the connection? Why is that?

Irene Threat to New York, Northeast: Prof. Mandia Interview on CNBC

Prof. Scott Mandia tries to convey the specific risk of Hurricane Irene and the general threat of tropical storms to New York City and the Northeast while Brian Sullivan, formerly of Faux, interrupts on CNBC this evening:

Climatologists Acting Weird; Meteorologists, Too

Welcome, Tom Nelson fans. Check out what you've been missing here.

Strange behavior in the climosphere, from The Onion (h/t to MT):


Nation's Climatologists Exhibiting Strange Behavior (Season 1: Ep 5 on IFC)

The Daily Show also reports on "Extreme Weather Hotportunity":

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c
Extreme Weather Hotportunity
www.thedailyshow.com
Daily Show Full Episodes Political Humor & Satire Blog The Daily Show on Facebook

Wyatt Cenac elaborates further:

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c
Extreme Weather Hotportunity - Egg Salad Sandwich
www.thedailyshow.com
Daily Show Full Episodes Political Humor & Satire Blog The Daily Show on Facebook