Consensus or not (?) | Climate Etc.

The climate community worked for 20 years to establish a consensus.  The impact of the consensus probably peaked in 2006-2007, at the time of publication of the AR4.  Courtesy of the CRU emails, we now understand the sausage making that went into creating the consensus.  Manufacturing a consensus in the context of the IPCC has acted to hyper-politicize the scientific and policy debate, to the detriment of both.  Its time to abandon the concept of consensus; consensus matters far less than simply being right and the arguments themselves that ought to be the focus for discussion.

Tree-hugging Dr. Seuss character will be marketeer – USATODAY.com

EPA administrator Lisa Jackson said the agency hopes the movie will help children understand the link between saving energy and saving the environment.

"It's important to connect these dots between energy savings and efficiency and a cleaner environment," she said in a statement sent to The Associated Press. "Bringing together the Lorax and Energy Star is a great venue for doing that."

Severe Frost Paralyzes Danube Shipping - ABC News

Bulgaria and Romania are suspending all shipping on the Danube River due to severe frost and the vast amount of ice blocking the heavily traveled waterway, Bulgaria's Transport Ministry said Wednesday.

Authorities say up to 90 percent of the river surface is covered with floating ice, making it extremely difficult to traverse Europe's main commercial waterway, which winds 2,860-kilometer (1,777-mile) from Germany and serves as the natural border between Bulgaria and Romania.