THE HOCKEY SCHTICK: Paper: Sun affects Climate much more than thought

Adding the the recent spate of papers showing that - surprise - the Sun has much, much more to do with climate change than previously thought, the respected German Physics Journal Annalyn der Physik recently published a paper analyzing solar irradiance data from 1905 to 2008 which finds cosmic rays modulated by solar activity cause a large portion of atmospheric aerosols (clouds) with profound effects on climate [see the cosmic ray theory of Svensmark et al]. The paper concludes, "The contribution of the active sun, indirectly via cosmic rays, to global warming appears to be much stronger than the presently accepted [IPCC] upper limit of 1/3."

Crop Failures to Increase on Climate Change, Researchers Say - BusinessWeek

Oct. 7 (Bloomberg) -- Crop failures such as this year in Russia are likely to become more common as climate change causes more extreme weather with heat and drought stress, according to a study led by the U.K.’s University of Leeds.

A simulation of climate change’s effect on spring wheat in northeast China showed that in the worst case, more than 35 percent of crops may fail through 2099, compared with a baseline rate of about 13 percent, the study showed.

Another James takes a peek at oilsands

Hansen has never made a billion-dollar-grossing movie. So, there was lukewarm interest in his visit to testify at the Energy Resources Conservation Board hearing into a new oilsands project by the Frenchbased energy company, Total.

Where Cameron had 60 journalists signed up for a news conference last week, Hansen had maybe a half-dozen reporters and cameras drop by for a brief scrum in a Sherwood Park hotel hallway on Tuesday.

Which was too bad.

In the world of climate-change science, Hansen is a rock star. Think Mick Jagger in a tweed jacket. You half expect scientists to have his poster pinned up on their bedroom walls -- and you wouldn't be surprised if oil company executives had his picture pinned to dart boards on the back of their office doors.