Startling new research finds large buildup of heat in the oceans, suggesting a faster rate of global warming

In the scientific realm, the new findings help resolve long-running doubts about the rate of the warming of the oceans before 2007, when reliable measurements from devices called “Argo floats” were put to use worldwide. Before that, differing types of temperature records — and an overall lack of them — contributed to murkiness about how quickly the oceans were heating up.

A post-sunset swimmer at Moonlight Beach
 in Encinitas, Calif., this month.

The world’s oceans have been soaking up far more excess heat in recent decades than scientists realized, suggesting that Earth could be set to warm even faster than predicted in the years ahead, according to new research published Wednesday.

Over the past quarter-century, Earth’s oceans have retained 60 percent more heat each year than scientists previously had thought, said Laure Resplandy, a geoscientist at Princeton University who led the startling study published Wednesday in the journal Nature. The difference represents an enormous amount of additional energy, originating from the sun and trapped by Earth’s atmosphere — the yearly amount representing more than eight times the world’s annual energy consumption.

Read the story from The Washington Post by Chris Mooney and Brady Dennis - “Startling new research finds large buildup of heat in the oceans, suggesting a faster rate of global warming.”

The Big Australian under pressure to quit Minerals Council over coal lobbying

The world's biggest mining company has told lobby groups and politicians to "back off" and let the market resolve Australia's energy impasse, at its annual general meeting in Melbourne.

The Big Australian has told lobby groups and
politicians to "back-off" and let the market  resolve
Australia's energy and climate change troubles.

BHP Billiton chief Andrew Mackenzie made the comments as the company comes under pressure to cut its ties with the mining lobby, the Minerals Council of Australia.

The Minerals Council campaigned against Alan Finkel's Clean Energy Target and has lobbied for a new Government-funded coal-fired power station.

The Australasian Centre for Corporate Responsibility says this undermines BHP's stated positions on climate change.

Listen to the Radio National interview why Fran Kelly - “The Big Australian under pressure to quit Minerals Council over coal lobbying.”

(Leave it to the market! It was a laissez-fair approach to the market that has brought the world untold troubles and most certainly worsened climate change and has long frustrated any attempts to mitigate what is happening and the damage it is doing Earth's atmosphere - Robert McLean)

Top Trump officials signal US could stay in Paris climate agreement

Senior Trump administration officials on Sunday signalled a further softening of America’s resolve to leave the Paris climate accord, amid signs that the issue will be discussed at the United Nations general assembly in New York this week.

A demonstration against Trump’s decision to pull
out of the landmark climate change deal,
which the president announced in June.

Secretary of state Rex Tillerson and national security adviser HR McMaster both indicated that the US is open to negotiations on staying in the landmark international agreement to limit mankind’s role in global warming.

Donald Trump announced the withdrawal from the deal in June, leaving the US with only Syria and Nicaragua for company outside the global agreement. A US withdrawal from a deal made under the Obama administration was a Trump campaign pledge. The rules of the pact do not, however, allow the US to physically pull out until 2020.

Read The Guardian story by Joanna Walters - “Top Trump officials signal US could stay in Paris climate agreement.”