Congressman Paul Ryan–ranking Republican on the House Budget Committee–released a budget proposal that solves the long-term U.S. deficit.  So honest it’s crazy…  Or crazy like a fox?

Given that federal health care programs are the biggest driver of long-term projected deficits, something has to be done:

Also see the Congressional Budget Office’s 2009 - 2019 Budget Outlook Summary.

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An analysis conducted by the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory for the Department of Energy found that full deployment of smart grid technologies could reduce annual GHG emissions from the U.S. electricity sector by 18% by 2030. The study found that the greatest effects on emissions would result from smart grid technologies dealing with: demand response programs for consumers; deploying diagnostics in residences and buildings occupied by small businesses; supporting additional electric vehicles, and supporting the integration of wind and solar energy into the grid.

In the January 20 issue of Geophysical Research Letters, the most extensive survey of pH levels in the Pacific Ocean will confirm what spot measurements have recently suggested, namely that the upper reaches of the sea are becoming more acidic in concert with rising carbon dioxide (CO2) levels in the atmosphere. Robert Byrne, a marine chemist at the University of South Florida and lead author of the upcoming paper, collaborated with Seattle scientists on the survey, which was 15 years in the making. It is the first time measurements have been taken across such a wide area, said co-author Richard Feely of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory in Seattle. “The fact that we saw this very significant change over the last 15 years is a reminder of how mankind is affecting the oceans at an ever-increasing rate,” Feely said. The study’s scientists calculated that since the start of the Industrial Age the acidity of the world’s oceans has increased 25 to 30 percent. Under a business as usual scenario, Feely said, ocean acidity could triple by the end of the century. Although extrapolating future rates of acidification is difficult because the ocean and atmosphere are so complex, and should thus be viewed cautiously, the authors argue that the trend of increasing acidification is clear.

Polling shows US climate bill off-message: “American” jobs, not “Green” jobs & “reliable” not “smart” tech http://bit.ly/626vrR #energy

James Hansen versus Cap-and-Trade #energy #environment http://bit.ly/5G0Fn3 - http://bit.ly/7BGWm7

Study: Teach for America graduates show lower rates of civic involvement #education http://bit.ly/5vxg3E

“Put simply: Fix incentives and you will fix poverty. And if you wish to fix institutions, you have to fix governments.” …More>>

Professor Daniel Kammen reports from Copenhagen for the Berkeley Blog.  For those searching for source material, here is the full text of the Copenhagen Accord–fear not: it’s only three pages of text.

If you’re short on time, you can just look at the pictures of the indoor assembly and the outdoor anarchy…  Though it might be hard to tell the difference between the assembled anarchy and the anarchical assembly.

China’s game to scuttle a deal at Copenhagen - http://bit.ly/4YNjQV

By Julia Caplan

Just last week (December 11, 2009), Congress passed H.R. 4173, the Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act of 2009 (Rep. Frank – Financial Services). The bill would create a Consumer Financial Product Agency (CFPA), a new federal body that would focus solely on the safety of consumer financial products such as credit cards, mortgages and payday loans. If successful, the new CFPA would help protect consumers from predatory and unfair lending practices, ensure proper information disclosure about certain consumer financial products, and perform a wide variety of functions to regulate and supervise consumer financial products in the credit, bank account and payments industries. Unlike previous efforts to regulate banks, it would also establish federal minimum standards, not maximum standards, and would allow states to establish their own higher standards if they choose.

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