STUFF

Abrupt shift  in early summer N Atlantic circulation ongoing since '07. Effects include poor UK summers, melting sea ice and presumed accelerated warming of Greenland.

Live coral coverage on Caribbean reefs plummeted from near 50% in '70's to < 10% todays. Ocean warming, acidification, overfishing of algae-eating species.

Gazprom signed accord with Japan to proceed with construction of $13B LNG terminal in Vladivostok.

Round of trade talks in VA on US LNG exports to Asia.

Climate change scientists in US get incessant Freedom of Info Act requests and hate mail from skeptics. Counterparts abroad relatively free of harassment. US needs social-political climate change. And respect for science.

Yangtze River turned red. OK, a big prank with food coloring? Some company dumped off a lot of red stuff? Or God. Or what. Always used to be called Red China anyway.

Almost 300 US schools launching sustainability programs to meet demand for climate-conscious professionals.

S Korea preparing to open cap-and-trade market in 3 years.

New US-Canada  pact to focus on invasive species, climate issues in Great Lakes. Updates 40-year-old pact made over pollution.

Consol Energy temporarily idling 1 of its biggest coal mines due to weak global demand for steel-making coal.

US' largest coal comp closing Indiana mine. Could be same story. If I knew Consol Energy is US' largest coal comp, it'd be done deal. So, that's my ignorance. Point is, world even cutting back on making steel.

Shell began drilling in Chukchi.

Worldwide wildlife protected areas now size of Russia.

EPA fined Calif landfill for failing to check for PCB's.

Mass city banned plastic water bottle sales.

Beijing set renewable (clean) E quota for major power distributors. I guess we'll see more details later.

US solar installs > doubled in 2Q over '11. On track to increase 71% year on year.

Terrabon - TX advanced biofuels comp - filed bankruptcy. Waste Management declined next finance round needed to finish 1st commercial-scale plant. They use muni waste to make biofuels.

Mainstream Renewable Power (Dublin) secured $77M loan for offshore wind farms, corp expansion. They're planning 450Mw wind farm off Scotland, developing 2 sea-based projects in UK and Germany, and about to start work at 138Mw wind farm and 2 50Mw solar projects in S Africa, a wind farm in Chile, another in Canada and plan to export Ireland wind power to Britain in '17.

Germany agency says, across Europe, countries using FITs develop more wind power and pay less for it than countries using quota systems (RPS). Guess what US uses.

Calif's community solar bill died in senate committee. Currently, 75% of households can't install solar (or other clean E) systems for one reason or another. Bill would have allowed utility customers to buy power shares from community installs up to 20Mw.

Argentina's nationalized YPF talking with Gazprom for partnership terms. Surprise?

Delta's 185kb/d PA refinery to be operational by month end. Trying to get Bakken oil (similar or lower cost of WTI).

France committed to closing their oldest nuke reactors by '17. Accident there recently burned 2.

S Africa to lift year-old moratorium on fracking.

Nigeria's oil production fallen 36kb/d below govt projections.

Pemex Aug. crude production, exports highest of year. 2.56mb/d.

Jordan blocked increased gas station prices. Street protests. Syrian refugees adding to stress.

Sauds expect to net highest ever oil export earnings. Near $335B for '12. Higher prices, higher production. Arithmetic.

Russia record pace of oil extraction - 10.38mb/d in Aug.

Renewed World Energies' commercially-viable SC microalgae plant to open end of month. Closed-loop photobioreactor for biofuel, biomass feed stock and other products.

U Cal Berkeley and USDA geneticists engineering switchgrass more suitable for sugar extraction. No flowers, no seeds, no waste.

Brazil gasoline imports expected to to go up at least 350% by '20 from here. Ethanol industry stagnation. Production fell 15% '10 to '11. And no recovery yet.

Jatropha - the "wonder biofuel" - continues crash and burn in 3rd world. Algae, camelina the other 2 wonder fuels. Tech probs with algae, camelina yield per acre less than jatropha. Processing plant in Zimbabwe (with N Korea JV) now white elephant. Lack of Jatropha seeds. Same reason Indian farmers lost > $5B in similar ventures.

ITRI intro'd dedicated meter for solar market. Cellular communication module.

Japan to buy disputed islands. Angering China. Must be about that oil out there in S China Sea.

China and India together plan to build $720B of coal-fired power plants next 20 years. > 2x today's total US power capacity. China set to vaporize water equal to yearly Niagra Falls flow. A plan to counter global warming sea rise?