• Will China Stumble? Don’t Bet on It
  • Gifts That Say You Care, By NICHOLAS D. KRISTOF
  • Online Learning, Personalized (Khan Academy)
  • Oregon Leadership Summit: December 12, 2011. Oregon Convention Center
  • Remember Kyoto? Most Nations Don’t: “The biggest obstacle to global progress has been countries like China and India that made no pledges at Kyoto because, they argued (and continue to argue), the industrialized world caused most of the problem and thus bore most of the responsibility for solving it.” Hmmm… See also China Outlines Cuts in Carbon Emissions. And Record Jump in Emissions in 2010, Study Finds.
  • The Art of Talking Climate Science
  • A Thermostat That’s Clever, Not Clunky
  • This Is a Big Deal By THOMAS L. FRIEDMAN (EPA car fuel economy standards)
  • The Decadent Left By ROSS DOUTHAT: “Stopping the pipeline won’t drive down demand for fossil fuels, or prevent Canada’s oil from being extracted and shipped around the world. But for a small group of activists and donors, keeping the pipeline out of their national backyard is all that counts, even if American workers pay the price. ”
  • Can the Durban Climate Negotiations Succeed? by Robert Stavins. I usually agree with Stavins but I find myself doubtful about most of this: “The reason is that the often-stated cliche about the American baseball season — that it’s a marathon, not a sprint — applies even more so to international climate change policy. Why? First, the focus of scientists (and policy makers) should be on stabilizing concentrations at acceptable levels by 2050 and beyond, because it is the accumulated stock of greenhouse gas emissions — not the flow of emissions in any year — that are linked with climate consequences. Second, the cost-effective path for stabilizing concentrations involves a gradual ramp-up in target severity, to avoid rendering large parts of the capital stock prematurely obsolete. Third, massive technological change is the key to the needed transition from reliance on carbon-intensive fossil fuels to more climate-friendly energy sources. Long-term price signals (most likely from government policies) will be needed to inspire such technological change. Fourth and finally, the creation of long-lasting international institutions is central to addressing this global challenge.”
  • Refuse Collects Here, but Visitors and Wildlife Can Breathe Free. Singapore’s Semakau landfill, which I toured on my visit last week!