Saudi Arabia reveals plans to be powered entirely by renewable energy | Environment | guardian.co.uk

Saudi Arabia reveals plans to be powered entirely by renewable energy | Environment | guardian.co.uk: "Saudi Arabia, the world's biggest oil producer, has plans to become 100% powered by renewable and low-carbon forms of energy, according to an influential member of the royal family."

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Humans are flirting with anoxia and mass extinction

The Great Warming Extinction was Even More Deadly Than Believed « Climate Denial Crock of the Week: "Life about 250 million years ago was hard to come by. In fact, it was nearly non-existent. Scientists, studying why this period, known as the end-Permian event, lasted so long and have found a key ingredient: heat."

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American Newspapers Give Far More Coverage To Climate Deniers And Skeptics Than Other Countries | ThinkProgress

American Newspapers Give Far More Coverage To Climate Deniers And Skeptics Than Other Countries | ThinkProgress: "America is unique when it comes to giving a platform to climate deniers and skeptics.
According to a new analysis of data released last year, American newspapers are far more likely to publish uncontested claims from climate deniers, many of whom challenge whether the planet is warming at all and are “almost exclusively found” in the U.S. media. The study was published in the journal Environmental Research Letters."

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Major China cities seriously considering fare-free buses

Fare-Free New Zealand: "A free bus fare policy has been implemented in Chengdu, capital city of Southwestern China’s Sichuan Province, on the 10th October, which has triggered a heated discussion in Xiamen. "

If China goes to fare-free public transit, it will jump ahead of the world in energy savings and carbon emissions reductions. What a great example for the rest of the world.

Don't owe. Won't Pay. #globalnoise #13o

#October 13 against Debt | paris.reelledemocratie.net | Indignés de Paris: "We from the Occupy / Real Democracy Now / 15M  / AntiDebt movement call for public and private debt resistance and repudiation. Debt resistance includes: fighting for free public education, free healthcare, defending foreclosed homes, demanding higher wages and providing mutual aid. But also a first step to build a new economy, based in the principles of equality, solidarity and cooperation, and not greed, acumulation and competition."

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Chengdu, China, buses are now free. Other China cities want the same thing.

China makes bus travel free to encourage public transport - Indian Express: "The company will continue to improve public transport services by adding bus shuttles and opening more bus routes, among other measures, to cope with increasing demand for public transport, the spokesman for the public transport company said.

Despite the complaints, netizens in other Chinese cities such as Nanjing, Ningbo and Shenzhen called for other cities to usher in such incentives."

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Capitalism walking tightrope of debt and oil-price, but global warming inexorable

Those who are managing the world capitalist system desperately want to de-leverage, but too much too soon causes massive unemployment and revolution. On the other hand, they cannot grow their way out, because energy has become too expensive. Meanwhile carbon emissions and climate disruption just keep rising.

Why we can't bank on recessions to keep global warming in check | Duncan Clark | Environment | guardian.co.uk: "Greenhouse gas emissions rise when economies expand but don't fall as quickly when recession strikes, according to new research that emphasises the risks of relying on economic downturns to keep future emissions in check."

BBC News - Electric cars 'pose environmental threat'

BBC News - Electric cars 'pose environmental threat': "Electric cars might pollute much more than petrol or diesel-powered cars, according to new research."

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Michael T. Klare calls unconventional oil, "tough oil"

The New “Golden Age Of Oil” That Wasn’t By Michael T. Klare: "Shale oil, for instance, is oil trapped in shale rock. It can only be liberated through the application of concentrated force in a process known as hydraulic fracturing that requires millions of gallons of chemically laced water per “frack,” plus the subsequent disposal of vast quantities of toxic wastewater once the fracking has been completed. Oil shale, or kerogen, is a primitive form of petroleum that must be melted to be useful, a process that itself consumes vast amounts of energy. Tar sands (or “oil sands,” as the industry prefers to call them) must be gouged from the earth using open-pit mining technology or pumped up after first being melted in place by underground steam jets, then treated with various chemicals. Only then can the material be transported to refineries via, for example, the highly controversial Keystone XL pipeline. Similarly, deepwater and Arctic drilling requires the deployment of specialized multimillion-dollar rigs along with enormously costly backup safety systems under the most dangerous of conditions."

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Saudis looking to build more public transit, does that tell you anything?

Alarm bells on the longevity of oil wells in Saudi Arabia | GulfNews.com: "However, Al Sabban considered these reports as a warning bell and urged that Saudi Arabia reconsiders its domestic pricing policy as a key to conserve energy and reduce consumption. He also advocated a programme for public transport within and between cities."

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