February 28, 2007
GCRIO Program Overview
Our extensive collection of documents.
Archives of the
Global Climate Change Digest
A Guide to Information on Greenhouse Gases and Ozone Depletion
Published July 1988 through June 1999
FROM VOLUME 9, NUMBER 2, FEBRUARY 1996
for Global Warming," D.A. Lashof, Technology Review, pp. 62-64,
Global warming has reemerged as a front-page issue. Although both the
Electric Power Research Institute and the Rocky Mountain Institute agree that
energy efficiency in the U.S. could be at least doubled, the incentives should
be changed. Criticizes some current incentive or free-market programs and
suggests improvements in areas including transportation, electricity generation
and transmission, and alternative transport fuels such as ethanol from cellulose
rather than corn.
"He's Not Full of
Hot Air," D. Glick, A. Rogers, Newsweek, pp. 25-29, Jan. 22, 1996.
The title refers to climate scientist James Hansen of NASA's Goddard
Institute, who predicted the record high global average temperature of 1995. An
increase in extreme events (hurricanes, droughts, heat waves, floods) were other
possible signs of global warming reported in 1995. However, there is still no
consensus on what will happen next. Presents other views such as those of the
Global Climate Coalition, an industry-sponsored group which suggests that the
world has 40 to 240 years to stabilize greenhouse gas emissions.
"The Heat Is On,"
R. Gelbspan, Harpers, pp. 33-37, Dec. 1995.
An essay discussing extreme climatic events, the recent report of the
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, and varying views regarding global
warming. Should a global warming crisis escalate, there will likely be
increasing institutional and social denial, with more funds spent by industrial
giants on creating information and controlling politicians. The oil and coal
industries rely on skeptical experts who are adept at draining the issue of all
sense of crisis, and who fuel a high-powered campaign of disinformation.
Suggests a way out that would create more dependence on renewable energy
sources, but also preserve industry's viability. The world's energy companies
could be put in charge of the transition to renewable energies and in return be
assured of the same relative position in the world's economy they now enjoy.
Corporations are not only obstacles along this road; they are also crucibles of
technology and organizers of production. The industrialist is no less human than
Decision Process," J. Douglas, EPRI Journal, pp. 5-15, Nov.-Dec.
Discusses the global climate research program of the Electric Power Research
Institute. This includes estimating the macroeconomic costs of compliance with
emission reduction proposals, determining potential impacts of climate change,
and developing integrated assessments to explore the advantages of policy
How Reliable Are Their Predictions?" E. Barron, Consequences, pp.
16-27, Autumn 1995.
Present models are limited by the amount of detail they can handle and by
what is known about how the climate system operates now and how inputs may
change in the future. Their projections are cast in terms of a range of expected
change that reflects the reliability of inputs and assumptions. Yet our best and
only hope of anticipating future climate changes rests in large part on these
Since 1970," J.H. Ausubel, D.G. Victor, I.K. Wernick, ibid., pp.
The world's population, one of the principal drivers of environmental
stress, has increased by more than 50% since 1970. Wealthier nations still
consume more than half the energy used, and the gap between rich and poor
nations has widened. Other trends include increases in atmospheric CO2
and ozone depletion. Now international attention is focused as never before on
global problems. What has been learned, good or bad, in developed nations can
help guide the less developed ones.
"Public Money and
Human Purpose: The Future of Taxes," D.M. Roodman, World Watch, pp.
10-19, Sep.-Oct. 1995.
Looks at the economic histories of industrialized and developing countries.
Taxes are one of the most powerful tools governments can use for guiding their
economies. Proposes turning tax codes upside down so that environmentally
destructive activities like pollution and resource depletion would be taxed
rather than subsidized, and constructive activities like work and investment
would be taxed less. Considers flat taxes to be a continuation of the status
Congestion, CO2 and Choice," G. Michaelis, The OECD
Observer, pp. 25-28, Aug.-Sep. 1995. Available through OECD Pubs., 2 rue A.
Pascal, F75775 Paris Cedex 16, France.
While the transport sector can bring benefits in improved communication,
greater mobility and lowered business costs, it has also resulted in consumption
of a vast amount of urban and rural space, and in higher air pollution, energy
use and greenhouse gas emissions. Despite expectations, there has been no sign
of leveling off of transport activity in OECD countries, and the situation is
rapidly worsening in southeast Asia, Latin America and Eastern Europe. To gain
better control of the situation, consumer behavior must be better understood.
Approaches for Energy Related CO2 Abatement," L. Solsbery, P.
Wiederkehr, ibid., pp. 41-45, Oct.-Nov. 1995.
Command and control regulation is not the only option for governments to use
in reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Voluntary agreements between governments
and the private sector are proving more and more popular. Gives examples from
several countries involving four sectors: energy, industrial processes,
residential-commercial-institutional, and transport.
World Press Review, pp. 6-11, July 1995. Editorial office: Stanley
Foundation Publications, 200 Madison Ave., New York NY 10016.
Contains these articles: "Feuding over Global Warming," The
Economist (London); "The Calamitous Cost of a Hotter WorldInsurers
Lead a Chorus of Alarm," Der Spiegel (Hamburg); "Antarctic
Meltdown," Independent on Sunday (London); and several shorter
Guide to Publishers
Index of Abbreviations