Nick Sundt's blog

The U.S. has just endured the wettest October in the 115-year period of record. The nationwide precipitation of 4.15 inches for October 2009 was 2.11 inches -- nearly double the long-term average.

The climate talks in Barcelona saw some real drama and excitement today as the African delegations put their foot down and said they wouldn’t negotiate the finer details of a global climate deal until some fundamentals were resolved.

Researchers at the New York University (NYU) School of Law issued today (4 November 2009) a policy brief summarizing the findings of its survey of economists on key questions related to climate change policy. "There is a strong consensus among the top economic experts that, in fact, climate change represents a real danger to important sectors of the U.S. and global economies,"  the report's preface says.  "Moreover, most believe that the significant benefits from curbing greenhouse gas emissions would justify the costs of action."

The Fall months of September through November are getting wetter in Arkansas; and heavy downpours are becoming more frequent and intense.  The potential consequences of such trends are vividly illustrated this Fall, with crop losses in Arkansas from recent rains estimated at more than $650 million, and with deer hunting season closed in many parts of the state because of flooding.

“We need an agreement at the climate conference in Copenhagen in December," German Chancellor Angela Merkel told the Congress yesterday (3 November 2009). “We need an agreement on one objective: global warming must not exceed 2 degrees Celsius. To achieve this, we need the readiness of all countries to exact internationally binding obligations. ...No doubt about it, in December the world will look to us, to the Europeans and to the Americans.”

No one is wearing rose-tinted glasses here in Barcelona; the mood oscillates between fighting against all odds, sudden bursts of hope and anger, and the wish to move these negotiations that little bit faster that would give us the deal.

Progress is essential, but uncertainty around the US climate bill hangs like a dark cloud over the negotiations, and is at the center of each discussion.

During the first of three days of hearings on climate change before the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, Senator Kerry responds to remarks from Senatore Inhofe on the costs of curbing U.S. greenhouse gas emissions.

In a new report, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) calls upon the White House to develop a "national strategic plan that will guide the nation’s efforts to adapt to a changing climate."