Change In Mean Sea Level Over The Past Two Decades. The Lull In 2011 Was The Result Of La Nina, Not A

National temperature data, collected since 1895, shows 2012 will shatter the previous record for the warmest spring. The previous record spring in 1910 had a national average temperature of 55.1°. However, the March 2012 temperature exceeded March 1910 by 0.5° to set a new record for the month. April 2012 then exceeded April 1910 by 1°. Also worth noting that 4 of the previous 10 record warmest springs have occurred the 21st century.

On the two year anniversary of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, it's worth putting the size of that spill into context. By the time it was capped on July 15, 2010, the well had released 4.9 million barrels of oil into the Gulf, making it the largest accidental oil spill in history.

While the coal industry is fighting Clean Water Act protections for rivers and streams from mountaintop removal mining (MTR), this 2011 poll of residents in Kentucky, Virginia, West Virginia and Tennessee found strong support.

Other interesting results:

57% of voters oppose MTR; 20% support

64% of Democrats, 60% of independents and 51% of Republicans oppose MTR

Meanwhile, as coal's share of U.S. electricity production declines, wind power capacity has been increasing. By the end of 2010, total wind power capacity exceeded 40,000 megawatts, representing a cumulative investment total of $78 billion since the beginning of the 1980s.

*the slowed growth observed in 2010 is attributed to the delayed impact of the global financial crisis (which impacted the apparent availability of capital for 2010 projects that were being planned in 2009), low natural gas prices and a lower overall demand for energy

As Trump casts himself as a savior for the coal industry, the red states that voted for him are adding most of the nation’s clean energy,

From JUSTIN GILLIS and NADJA POPOVICH in the New York Times:

The five states that get the largest percentage of their power from wind turbines — Iowa, Kansas, South Dakota, Oklahoma and North Dakota — all voted for Mr. Trump. So did Texas, which produces the most wind power in absolute terms. In fact, 69 percent of the wind power produced in the country comes from states that Mr. Trump carried in November... These red states are not motivated by a sudden desire to reduce greenhouse gas emissions... their leaders see tapping the wind, and to a lesser degree the sun, as an economic strategy. The clean energy push allows their utilities to lock in low power prices for decades, creates manufacturing jobs, puts steady money in the hands of farmers who host wind turbines, and lures big employers who want renewable power.

Wind turbines: not a significant source of death for birds.

Water stress in the Middle East and North Africa. Of the 16 nations worldwide suffering extreme water stress, all are in this region. Bahrain tops the list of those using far more water than they sustainably receive. In a region prone to conflict and civil unrest, and experiencing rapid population growth, water stress could fuel greater conflict.

Look at that wind and solar growth

The eclipse fingerprint on solar panels in Missoula, MT.

Source: https://twitter.com/mfrank406/status/899986864303611905