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G R A P H E N E by Riduna attracted the highest number of comments of the articles posted on SkS during the past week. The article begins with:
Have you heard of Sir Andre Geim?
You should have heard of him. In 2004 he, together with his research colleague Sir Konstantin Novoselov, made what is likely to prove the most momentous achievement of the 21st century. They isolated the 2 dimensional material graphene, identified many of its extraordinary properties and subsequently described other 2 dimensional materials. Their work is of such importance that both were awarded the 2010 Nobel Prize in Physics, knighted by the Queen and by the King of the Netherlands and over the past decade have been showered with numerous honours and awards.
If you know little about the manmade material, graphene and its potential importance in combating manmade climate change, you will want to check out this article.
El Nino 2015: Researchers say this one in the top 3 by Leigh Morgan, Al.com. Nov 13, 2015
Hat tip to I Heart Climate Scientists
“In human history it’s a one-off … and what we map out in the next two decades will be absolutely critical,” he* said. “Whether we can live in our cities – breathe in them, move in them – all of this will be defined by the decisions we take.
“I don’t think the criticalness of these 20 years is sufficiently understood.”
*Lord Nicolas Stern
'A one-off in human history': Stern's warning on climate change battle by Juliette Jowit, The Guardian, Nov 8. 2015
Rand Paul was having a decent night in the fourth Republican debate Tuesday, until he fielded a question about climate change. With his answer, he disappointed those who thought he might deliver reality-based comments.
Paul, like the rest of the GOP candidates, wants to repeal President Barack Obama’s legacy-making Clean Power Plan reining in carbon emissions from the power sector. On Tuesday, Paul firmly aligned himself with the science-denier camp. “While I do think man may have a role in our climate, I think nature also has a role,” Paul said. “The planet is 4.5 billion years old. We've been through geologic age after geologic age. We’ve had times when the temperature's been warmer. We’ve had times when the temperature's been colder. We’ve had times when carbon in the atmosphere has been higher. So I think we need to look before we leap."
We Can Stop Pretending Any of the 2016 Republicans Believe in Science by Rebecca Leber, New Republic, Nov 11, 2015
Scientists are also aware that atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations have been higher at points in Earth's past. According to NOAA, we recently hit 400 parts per million of CO2 in the atmosphere. The last time concentrations were that high was, depending on who you believe, either 2 or 10 million years ago. Prior to that, there were periods when it was much, much higher. Around 440 million years ago, in the late Ordovician, they think it may have topped 5,000 ppm. (Skeptical Science has a nice mini-splainer on this.)
Rand Paul says the climate has always changed. It’s true, but so what? by David Roberts, Vox, Nov 11, 2015
But here's what scientists actually say: Between 84 to 97 percent of the global scientific community says humans are causing climate change. That's based on a 2009 Pew Research survey of members of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and a 2013 review of nearly 12,000 climate change-related papers.
So there's a big gap in Americans' understanding of the scientific community's consensus and the scientific community's actual consensus on climate change.
Dana Nuccitelli, one of the authors of that 2013 review, thinks that misunderstanding correlates directly with Americans' belief in what causes climate change: If the scientists we trust are apparently unsure of whether climate change is happening, then why should we be?
No, climate change skepticism isn’t really about doubting science by Amber Phillips, Washington Post,
The Australian-German Climate & Energy College is a new international Graduate College jointly instituted by the University of Melbourne and a partnership of German universities in the Berlin-Potsdam area. The College offers PhD candidates the opportunity to pursue research in climate change and energy transitions at a world-class level, complemented by a six month exchange program to broaden their horizons and expertise at a partner institution overseas.
Quote derived with author's permission from:
"[I]t's very clear from the observations that the climate system has warmed over the past century, and that these results are then consistent with human causes having forced the climate system over the past century."
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Posted by John Hartz on Sunday, 15 November, 2015
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