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Italy is converting most of its power plants from natrual gas to coal. Germany which also has banned nuclear power plants is also moving to coal plants. The will be clean coal plants except that when it comes to carbon dioxide emissions the technology still is not available for these plants. So experts say the global warming issues are going to get worse before they get better.

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After carbon dioxide at 40%, black carbon at 18% is the No 2 cause of global warming on the planet earth. This black carbon is generated from thousands of villages in the develooping world and from countries like India, where village women cook food over stoves that burn twigs and dung, not having stoves to cook on. If they are provided with stoves that use fuel these black carbon emissions can easily and quickly be cut. This is also cuasing dense smoke to fill their homes and black grime to stick to the thatched huts and thatched roofs, and it puts ablack cloud over stretches of landscape in these villages.

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Lyrarc.com's Movement for Global Literacy and its knowledge site open to all has major relevance for today. That 30% of Americans read zero books is a clear warning sign for Democracy in the idea of "We the People," and the Economy benefitting all, in the US. The use of libraries follows political, income and demographic patterns is shown in a You Gov poll research. There is a gap of 10% between the 30% library use at incomes over $100,000 vs 20% at incomes below $50,000. The gap widens with political inclination to 13% when party preference is considered with 30% Democratic and 17% Republican- not a good state of affairs for the Nation.  In general the top 50% of the population gets to libraries split evenly between frequent and less frequent users. The bottom 50% with rarely using or no use at all. This is the crux of the problem- literacy of all kinds should correlate with the use of libraries and books and digital use.  Digital use happens with iPads and laptops searching Wikipedia and knowledge sites such as Lyrarc.com outside of libraries, and this is part of the picture. What library use gives is not a full picture yet one with these wide variations an indication of how the political life of the Nation should be turned in constructive ways for broad based participation in a knowledge society. ...

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Russia's leading business paper Vedemosti summed up the situation on Dec. 17, 2014, in its editorial- "This is a very dangerous situation; we are separated from a fully fledged run on the banks by just a few days..If the currency market is not reassured right now, the banking system will require large external support." Warning signs were evident at a banking conference in Moscow in October 2014 when the Economy minister, the central bank head Nabiullina, and the head of the largest bank Sberbank, German Gref, expressed skepticism about the economic policies and the risks involved. Not until Dec. 17, was a decisive response evident and the risks of a collapsing ruble openly addressed with economic actions by the Putin administration. A collapsing ruble would have repercussions on the global financial markets and slowing global economy, increasing potential geopolitical risk, and adding to risk of contagion for other emerging markets, which was reflected in the nervousness of global financial markets on Dec 15-16, 2014....

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Try this climate change game from Harry Stevens in the Washington Post with your own answers. Data sets from Japan Meteorological Agency and National Snow and Data Ice Center helped build this game. Why is the Greenland ice melting that can cause sea levels to rise 24 feet along shorelines as the Greenland ice sheet melts. It is explained by the idea of Arctic amplification. Arctic sea water is whiter than the ocean. It reflects much of the sun's light and heat back into the earth's atmposphere increasing global warming. Increasing temperatures on oceans creating the kind of effect that created the Acapulco Storm and the Libyan coastal storm very rapidly before storm preparation can happen. And making more of the Greenland Ice Sheet to melt in this process of Arctic Amplification. Note that the Greenland Ice Sheet is based on land so that it contributes to sea level rise.

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Lisa Jackson, who worked for EPA for 15 years and headed New Jersey's Department of Environmental Protection, told the senate committe at a confirmation hearing, that contrary to what happened at EPA under the Bush administration she will listen to scientists. And political appointees and will not compromise the integrity of EPA's technical experts to advance certain outcomes. She said that she will adminster with science as her guide. This was a point of particular frustration for Senator Barbara Boxer, who now heads the Environment and Public Works Committee, during the Bush years. Jackson said the administration's priorities were to curb global warming, reduce air pollution, cleanup hazardous waste sites, regulate toxic chemicals, and protect water quality.

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Automobile advertising in the European Union. The European Parliament with a measure sponsored by Chris Davies a british member proposes to require car ads in European Union countries carry tobacco-style label warning of the environmental damage they can lead to. Under this plan 20% of the space or time of an ad has to be devoted to information on a car's fuel consumption and carbon dioxide emissions. as a contributor to global climate change. The European Parliament cannot legislate but it can put pressure on the EU Commission which has lawmaking power. Europeans are taking the global warming issue and climate change as well as the environmental impact much more seriously than Asians and Americans. This has implications in how the gas guzzling vehicles are perceived by the European public. Will Europe be the trend setter in this area, for the Americans, as Americans are shying away from the bigger SUV's in showrooms? It remains to be seen.

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Melloan says President Bush is rightly offering Eisenhower's proposal for peaceful use of electrical energy as a friendly gesture to India. Ike made the "atoms-for-peace" proposal to the United Nations in Dec 1953, saying: "A special purpose would be to provide abundant electrical energy to power-starved areas of the world." This also helps in other ways- 1. Takes pressure off gas prices with rising demand in India met by nuclear energy. 2. Gives American exporters a big market for nuclear energy equipment (companies like GE). 3. Improves prospects for other American exporters and businesses in India as the economic relationship grows larger. India is not receiving anywhere near the foreign investment China is receiving, actually minscule in comparison. This gets the whole relationship rolling. 4. Nuclear energy is an attractive option for India as it has few oil resources, and reduces dependence on coal from the standpoint of global warming and greenhouse gas emissions.

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The climate change bill that passed the House 219 to 212. When the program begins in 2012 the estimated prie of apermit to emit aton of carbon dioxide will be about $13. This is projected to rise steadily as emission limits come down, but there is aprovision to prevent a surge in costs. In the early years of the program amajority of permits will be given out free to keep costs down. The Congressional Budget Office estimate is that an average American household will pay $175 ayear more in energy costs by 2020 as aresult of this bill, while the poorst households will recveive a rebate to lower their energy costs by $40. WHile the bill has been watered down form its original, the fact remains that this is the first climate change bill America has passed in decades. It is welcomed by Chancellor Merkel and the Germans who want to see the USA as akey negotiator in future talk on global warming.

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Svenja Schulze brings new hope and dynamism to Germany's Development Ministry. As head of the Development Ministry she brings international experience in fighting climate change as SPD minister in the last government heading the climate change related Environment ministry. There she launched the climate protection package measures aimed at making Germany climate neutral by 2045. She now heads a ministry with a budget of $13.5 billion (12 billion euros). She wants to cooperate better with the Global South with an effort to tackle poverty and help developing nations. After the shocks of the pandemic this is an essential and important task. Her predecessor as Development minister Heidemarie Wiezcorek-Zeul, SPD minister 1998-2009 says the ministry needs clout in decisionmaking and for this it is important that the Development ministry is separate and an independent entity not lumped in with the Foreign Office as in Britain. That would be quite disastrous she says.  Climate change issues are also seen as development issues and about poverty reduction. This is a useful point that Mr. Modi was trying to make as he addressed the COP26 Summit- that climate change has to be done in the overall context of mitigation, that climate change control is part of poverty reduction and brings in new opportunities when done this way. Examples are zero budget farming, and solar energy as low cost energy for rural areas in India. Here Schulze talks to employees at the Ministry and tell them "We must all strive to make a good life possible for everyone in the world, That may sound overly emotional, but it is our aspiration."  Martina Schaub, chairwoman for VENRO whivh represents 140 private and church development organizations in Germany sees Schulze as a sign of optimism. The need is great particularly in the weak health systems of many countries. It is a sign of hope, and of the new Germany under Schulz. ...

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One of the severe problems noted in the recall disaster of 2010 was that practically all important quality and safety decisions are made in Japan. Without key American decisionmakers in the process this leaves Toyota exposed to all sorts of errors like the errors that ocurred in stalling the National Highway and Traffic Safety investigations into acceleration and braking accidents in Toyota vehicles. To compound theses errors managment at Toyota focussed on the $100 million in savings that avoiding or minimizing the recalls would generate, as revealed in internal documents. Early warning signs of similiar problems in Europe were not linked to problems in the U.S.. All this was ocurring against the backdrop of a change in management at Toyota- with the Toyota family once again regaining control of the company- and the failure of the management under Watanabe and previous CEO's to put quality before rapid expansion. The new changes are to have 2 new senior executive positions in the U.S. to focus on quality and safety. A chief safety executive will focus on safety and recalls, and a chief quality officer coming from the top ranks of the American operation will now sit on a special committee for Global Quality led by CEO Akio Toyoda. The commitee for Global Quality will address the global quality issues around one table with the highest ranking executives at Toyota right at the table to talk things out. ...

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Porsche is going to introduce a hybrid version of the Cayenne to soften its image as being high on horsepower and what it does to global warming.

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An around the clock tv network called Planet Green for Discovery Channel, an investment bet of $100 million that viewers with interest in global warming issues will support it.

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U.S. president Trump's executive order reversing parts of the Clean Power Plan of president Obama may extend the life of older coal powered plants, but overall it is unlikely to change the shift away from coal for the U.S. utility industry. It will do little to reverse the market forces that are leading to a shift to natural gas for the utility industry with the increasing availability of natural gas. In this WSJ report Cassandra Sweet cites Duke Energy Corp. CEO Lynn Good, who says natural gas for Duke will be the leading fuel followed by coal by 2026, and natural gas now makes up 28% of its mix with coal at 34%. He says a $11 billion ten year investment in natural gas and renewable energy will go through regardless of what the Trump administration does because of the economics- the declining price of renewables, the competitive price of natural gas. Companies are loath to base their long term plans on changes in administration as they see the economics dictated by advances in technology, and the general sense that cleaner energy is here to stay for the long run. Already in the U.S. 34% of total power supplies are from natural gas and 30% from coal for 2016, according to the U.S. Energy Department. This may change slightly as coal is used where it is economical and makes sense without the carbon rules, yet the long term trend is clearly towards natural gas. ...

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BMW's new way of associating itself with sustainability and alternative fuels and responsibility in the global warming struggle through this unusual exhibit at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art using an Icelandic artist and a BMW hydrogen car with 260 gallons of chilled water sprayed on it that coats it in ice.

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Dave McCurdy heads the main auto trade group. He comes at a time that the auto trade group has made a number of missteps, lack of cordinated or unified approach among car makers on mileage standards, misdirected ads, and sticking to old outdated notions on fuel economy in a world very much aware of global warming.

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How John Dingell sees the energy debate and his response to the global warming question and emissions reductions. He does not want to destitute his district or anyone else, meaning he does not want detroit to bear a disproportionate share of the emissions reduction burden, so for instance his proposal for a tax on gasoline and other proposals.

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DW.com takes a deeper look at the conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh, an autonomous region of Azerbaijan now populated and controlled by ethnic Armenians. It has grown rapidly in the last decade at around 10% annual growth and 17% in 2017 with an influx of ethnic Armenians who have settled in the region with its higher average incomes. Karabakh has a large mining industry which provides employment for Armenians moving into Karabakh.  During the 1920's Azerbaijan and Armenia were part of the Soviet Republics which lasted till 1991. The Soviets made Karabakh part of Azerbaijan SSR with considerable autonomy. Since 1991 several wars have taken place with the largely Armenian population declaring itself independent of Azerbaijan.  Azerbaijan is three fifths Shiite and one third Sunni with close ties to its southern neighbor Iran, leading to efforts by Iran to mediate the conflict. There are social and political overtones for the conflict. Azerbaijan oil exports have been hit hard by the drop in the oil price and drop in global oil demand. Armenia has seen remittances from its 11 million Armenians living overseas drop by about 40%. Both countries face endemic corruption. Azerbaijan get 90% of export revenues from oil which is 40% of GDP. EBRD estimates exports fell by 25% in the first quarter and GDP will decline by 3% this year. Strict lockdown has also hurt the economy hard. Armenia expects a decline of 3.5% in GDP in 2020. Armenia is trying to tackle corruption with reforms since the Velvet Revolution in 2018. The conflict is a distraction from the economic and political situation, says Caucasus region expert Sylvia Stober. It could be politicians making a point as economic and social conditions deteriorate, with outside influence. Turkey has backed intervention in Libya and now supports Azerbaijan a Muslim neighbor.  Russia has a defense pact with its Orthodox Christian neighbor Armenia. In 2018 a short war lasted only 4 days when Russia intervened. This time Russia which has a defense pact with Armenia is looking to have Armenia join its Eurasia Economic Union. Armenian prime minister Nikol Pashinyan looks to Europe for closer ties. Russia supplies both warring parties in this conflict and acts as a mediator in a ceasefire. Outside influence is aggravating the conflict which has now displaced about half the population in Karabakh.   ...

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What oil prices are doing to the redistribution of wealth across the globe. How rich and poor countries are coping. Money going to gasoline is still only 4% of disposable income of U.S. households and the USA hasn't lost its addiction to large vehicles, though there has been a moderate shift to smaller cars and SUV's. Chinese demand keeps growing. Fuel Economy standards are only now being changed and few alternatives are emerging quickly enough to make a difference in the short run. Though a worldwide recessionary climate could change things, no major change is expected. Airlines and the auto industry will be the most affected industries. Global warming and CO2 emissions will be a factor in evaluating how well these alternative are working. With oil and gas prices high, unfortunately coal use is increasing both in China and elsewhere. And ethanol hasn't won popularity because it uses up scarce resources of land, water and energy. A big change is the shift to most of the action going to government oil companies of developing countries, which are much larger now and have the resources to handle what the oil majors did before. Western oil service companies are working with government oil companies bringing access to technology....

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Results of a CBS New York Times Poll of 1018 adults in the U.S., reported Feb 28, 2006. Results show 55% showed support for gasoline tax if it reduced dependence on foreign oil, 59% showed support if it also reduced global warming. There is additional support if the money is used to fight terrorism, allocated to specific projects such as electric cars, or help low income people with extra gasoline costs. The important distinction in the results is what respondents were asked. When told about their response to a gasoline tax 85% of respondents opposed it, but when told it would reduce dependence on foreign oil 55% support it. Some respondents want to see it earmarked so that its use would reduce dependence on foreign oil through fuel efficiency improvements. The gasoline tax has remained at 18.4 cents a gallon since 1993. Politicians see the 85% and stay away from the issue and at periods of higher oil prices there is more concern about the impact on consumers. Prof. Borenstein, director of an energy institute at the University of California, Berkeley, says his calculations show a 10% increase in gasoline cost would reduces consumption by 6-8%. As the tax is regressive by putting a higher burden on low income consumers, this should be offset by income tax relief that would make middle and lower income people better off , says Prof. Borenstein. Some of the revenues would be used to support projects at automakers and research universities to develop more fuel efficient technologies for automobiles. Shows support is there if the tax and where money is spent is shaped in the right way....

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How electric utilities and the oil industry are backing California's fight with the EPA to regulate auto emissions, cutting them by 30% by 2016 for new cars and trucks in the state. Its a fight endorsed by 14 states in the Northeast and Northwest. California sued the EPA, and in effect the Bush Administration which controls the EPA, in federal district court and federal appeals court. THe EPA has taken two years to respond to California's request for a waiver so that it can regulate auto emissions in its state. California's auto emissions rules are part of a broad effort to reduce all emissions in the state by 25% by 2020, including by manufacturing, electric utilities and the oil industry. Utilities and the oil industry share the opinion that all sectors of the economy should be required to take on this responsibility, including the transportation sector. In the past oil companies and the auto industry have been at loggerheads about who is responsible for the worsening dependence of the USA on foreign oil and the worsening impact of the oil consumption on the environment and their advertising campaign have often shifted the blame on each other. Is this part of the continuing debate about oil as oil prices rise and consciousness about global warming rises as it has already done so in Europe. See the links to the Frankfurt Auto Show. BMW known for gas guzzling machines has done an aboutface in the face of public opinion in Germany and is advertising its image as environment friendly and investing in new technologies to curb emissions and increase fuel economy. ...

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California, New York and Washington are  three states, with 30 other cities in the U.S., and 100 large businesses, forming the U.S. Climate Alliance, saying they will  follow the Paris agreement on climate change. Former Mayor Bloomberg of New York City is organizing the effort, and he says in the U.S. it is cities, states and businesses that actually do the work of reducing emissions, not the federal government. Bloomberg said: "The fact of the matter is Americans don't need Washington to meet our Paris commitment." Governor Jerry Brown of California says the response will be for California and other states to set even bolder standards for reducing emissions.

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Rottgen says that the low point of the Copenhagen talks was reached when it was becoming clear the China was not even willing to accept unilateral pledges of the industrialized nations to reduce emissions by at least 8% by 2050. The Chininese he says said that was too little for them. At which point the Europeans said we could perhaps offer 100%, but that would have to be the end- for mathematical reasons. and Rottgen points out that at that point he and others realized that the Chinese were not concerned about agreeing on CO2 reductions, but rather with preventing them. It was at that poit that US President Obama went in for face to face talks with Chinese Prime Minister Wen Jiabao. Rottgen also faults the US where he says the elites realize that something has to be done about Co2 but cannot get the majority of people to support the changes and sacrifices required because of political reasons. Says Rottgen about the Americans "they prefer to have cheap money to consume, and they don't want to limit their CO2 emissions, so that they can continue to do things their way." Rottgen also sees the CO2 targets as away to get Germany and other nations to develop the most advanced technologies, and because of the German lead in this area he sees it as a way ensure Germany's economic future....