Bird’s-Eye: It really all comes down to the same issue. Our use of carbon-based fuels changes the planet’s climate, and that creates fires and floods. We start by looking at the politics – what some countries are doing to change their use of fossil fuels, and Exxon’s role in fighting such changes. Then we look in more detail at Pakistan and Russia, who are currently suffering the results of our not changing.
* Portugal Makes the Leap to Renewable Energy – New York Times
LISBON — Five years ago, the leaders of this sun-scorched, wind-swept nation made a bet: To reduce Portugal’s dependence on imported fossil fuels, they embarked on an array of ambitious renewable energy projects — primarily harnessing the country’s wind and hydropower, but also its sunlight and ocean waves. Today, Lisbon’s trendy bars, Porto’s factories and the Algarve’s glamorous resorts are powered substantially by clean energy. Nearly 45 percent of the electricity in Portugal’s grid will come from renewable sources this year, up from 17 percent just five years ago.
Land-based wind power — this year deemed “potentially competitive” with fossil fuels by the International Energy Agency in Paris — has expanded sevenfold in that time. And Portugal expects in 2011 to become the first country to inaugurate a national network of charging stations for electric cars.
* Germany Will Seek 100% of its Electricity from Renewables by 2050 Juan Cole Informed Comment
Germany, which generates 16% of its power from renewable sources such as hydro-electric, wind and solar, now plans to get 100% of its electricity from renewables by 2050. It is an audacious plan, but German economists maintain it will actually improve the German economy and forestall the dislocations of the global warming that will otherwise occur.
* Exposed: Exxon funding climate denial Left Foot Forward
The tide is once again turning against the climate denial community. The newspaper reports that Exxon/Mobil gave £1 million to fund “organisations that campaign against controls on greenhouse gas emissions” – including several of those which made the outspoken attacks on climate scientists at the University of East Anglia.
It reports: The scientists were exonerated this month by an independent inquiry but groups funded by Exxon have continued to lambast them. The Media Research Centre, which received $50,000 from Exxon, called the inquiry a “whitewash” and condemned “climate alarmism”….Some of Exxon’s largest donations were to groups that lobbied against a global deal on emissions being reached at the climate summit last December in Copenhagen
