Suing Over Global Warming

[red states rule]

Now some idiots are going to court over global warming. I wonder if Pretty Boy Edwards will take the case (for 50% of the take of course)


Don't like the heat? Try suing

Lawyers anticipate a rising sea of work tied to climate change


12:00 AM CDT on Monday, June 25, 2007
By ERIC TORBENSON / The Dallas Morning News
[email protected]

Think this global-warming controversy will blow over soon? The lawyers don't.

Top Dallas firm Thompson & Knight started a dedicated climate-change practice June 4 with 26 lawyers. Today, Dallas' Vinson & Elkins will unveil its 41-lawyer group, headed by a former senior counsel for the World Bank.

The law firms – and a dozen others nationwide – are getting ready for a predicted explosion of climate-related work tied to government regulation, lawsuits against energy companies and new markets that will trade the rights to emit carbon.

"We're not here to act as climatologists," said Thompson & Knight's climate chief, Scott Deatherage, though he has a degree in marine biology and knows plenty of the science behind global warming. "We're here to steer our clients through what is likely to be new regulation, and that's going to have risks and opportunities."

One potential opportunity is the $30 billion global market for rights to put carbon into the air; if the U.S. comes on board, the market could grow by $100 billion, and the credits are likely to become investments that draw Wall Street attention.

Vinson & Elkins' Christopher Carr, who helped the World Bank oversee its carbon finance unit, predicts a nationwide "cap" on carbon emissions in just a few years.

"It's not a question of if; it's when, and most importantly, how it will be set up," Mr. Carr said.

By their geography, the Dallas firms have a number of energy companies as clients. But they also expect to represent plaintiffs who've been harmed by global warming and pollution.

for the complete article

http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcon...lawyers_25bus.ART.State.Edition2.4358ea8.html

 

[SolarEnergy1]

Now some idiots are going to court over global warming. I wonder if Pretty Boy Edwards will take the case (for 50% of the take of course)


Don't like the heat? Try suing

Lawyers anticipate a rising sea of work tied to climate change


12:00 AM CDT on Monday, June 25, 2007
By ERIC TORBENSON / The Dallas Morning News
[email protected]

Think this global-warming controversy will blow over soon? The lawyers don't.

Top Dallas firm Thompson & Knight started a dedicated climate-change practice June 4 with 26 lawyers. Today, Dallas' Vinson & Elkins will unveil its 41-lawyer group, headed by a former senior counsel for the World Bank.

The law firms – and a dozen others nationwide – are getting ready for a predicted explosion of climate-related work tied to government regulation, lawsuits against energy companies and new markets that will trade the rights to emit carbon.

"We're not here to act as climatologists," said Thompson & Knight's climate chief, Scott Deatherage, though he has a degree in marine biology and knows plenty of the science behind global warming. "We're here to steer our clients through what is likely to be new regulation, and that's going to have risks and opportunities."

One potential opportunity is the $30 billion global market for rights to put carbon into the air; if the U.S. comes on board, the market could grow by $100 billion, and the credits are likely to become investments that draw Wall Street attention.

Vinson & Elkins' Christopher Carr, who helped the World Bank oversee its carbon finance unit, predicts a nationwide "cap" on carbon emissions in just a few years.

"It's not a question of if; it's when, and most importantly, how it will be set up," Mr. Carr said.

By their geography, the Dallas firms have a number of energy companies as clients. But they also expect to represent plaintiffs who've been harmed by global warming and pollution.

for the complete article

http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcon...lawyers_25bus.ART.State.Edition2.4358ea8.html

Instead of saying America, we should now say "Earth, Love it or Leave it"
I hear Mars is nice this time of year, maybe edwards and all the liberal crazies can be deported to mars or better yet pluto

 

[MtnBiker]

Instead of saying America, we should now say "Earth, Love it or Leave it"
I hear Mars is nice this time of year, maybe edwards and all the liberal crazies can be deported to mars or better yet pluto

Oh, don't suggest Mars. It is experiencing global warming.

Global warming and climate forcing by recent albedo changes on Mars

For hundreds of years, scientists have tracked the changing appearance of Mars, first by hand drawings and later by photographs1, 2. Because of this historical record, many classical albedo patterns have long been known to shift in appearance over time. Decadal variations of the martian surface albedo are generally attributed to removal and deposition of small amounts of relatively bright dust on the surface. Large swaths of the surface (up to 56 million km2) have been observed to darken or brighten by 10 per cent or more3, 4, 5. It is unknown, however, how these albedo changes affect wind circulation, dust transport and the feedback between these processes and the martian climate. Here we present predictions from a Mars general circulation model, indicating that the observed interannual albedo alterations strongly influence the martian environment. Results indicate enhanced wind stress in recently darkened areas and decreased wind stress in brightened areas, producing a positive feedback system in which the albedo changes strengthen the winds that generate the changes. The simulations also predict a net annual global warming of surface air temperatures by 0.65 K, enhancing dust lifting by increasing the likelihood of dust devil generation. The increase in global dust lifting by both wind stress and dust devils may affect the mechanisms that trigger large dust storm initiation, a poorly understood phenomenon, unique to Mars. In addition, predicted increases in summertime air temperatures at high southern latitudes would contribute to the rapid and steady scarp retreat that has been observed in the south polar residual ice for the past four Mars years6, 7, 8. Our results suggest that documented albedo changes affect recent climate change and large-scale weather patterns on Mars, and thus albedo variations are a necessary component of future atmospheric and climate studies.

Link

 

[actsnoblemartin]

I dont want americans, running around like chickens with their heads cutt off, because of fear of global warming.

I believe we are expierencing climate change, and need to manage it, like you would diabetes, or cancer, with those, you wouldnt just do anything, you would think first, and do the best option.

where am i wrong here?

Oh, don't suggest Mars. It is experiencing global warming.



Link

 

[MtnBiker]

I dont want americans, running around like chickens with their heads cutt off, because of fear of global warming.

I believe we are expierencing climate change, and need to manage it, like you would diabetes, or cancer, with those, you wouldnt just do anything, you would think first, and do the best option.

where am i wrong here?

Humans control climate?

 

[actsnoblemartin]

I am not saying we control climate, but that doesnt mean, we say, aww, who cares, lets not recycle, and pollute all we want, we cannot control it, but we can affect it through small, positive changes.

We dont want to make big drastic, not well thought through changes, that may not work anyway.

You fix a problem through thought, not through knee-jerking fear.

but we must admit their a problem too.

Humans control climate?

 

[MtnBiker]

I am not saying we control climate, but that doesnt mean, we say, aww, who cares, lets not recycle, and pollute all we want, we cannot control it, but we can affect it through small, positive changes.

You say we do not control climate,ok. Then sarcasticlly advocate recycling and reducing polluting, ok. Recycling and reducing pollution are good things.

If humans do not control climate how do we manage it?

 

[actsnoblemartin]

here is what im saying: climate has been changing for thousands of years, humans cant stop it. We can make it better, or worse. let me give you an example.

The world, not just u.s., can become less dependant on oil, because since fossils fuels, greenhouse gasses, make the environment worse, we should try to cut them, as much as possible. I used the wrong word, we cannot really manage it, we can only contribute more or less pollution, and i say we contribute less. sorry about that.

You say we do not control climate,ok. Then sarcasticlly advocate recycling and reducing polluting, ok. Recycling and reducing pollution are good things.

If humans do not control climate how do we manage it?

 

[MtnBiker]

The world, not just u.s., can become less dependant on oil, because since fossils fuels, greenhouse gasses, make the environment worse, we should try to cut them, as much as possible. I used the wrong word, we cannot really manage it, we can only contribute more or less pollution, and i say we contribute less. sorry about that.

Agreed, being more fuel efficient and reducing pollution are great goals.

 

[Larkinn]

Humans control climate?

We influence it. See acid rain for an obvious example. Or how fucking hot it gets in NYC for another example.

 

[actsnoblemartin]

I think control and influence are two different things.

Control = god, or a magic wand, that we can make things the way we want it.

but we do influence it by our behavior, we make it better or worse and should make it better?

what do you think?

We influence it. See acid rain for an obvious example. Or how fucking hot it gets in NYC for another example.

 

[RetiredGySgt]

The Title of this thread has almost NOTHING to do with the content of the Article in the first post. The Lawyers made it clear they are preparing for new Regulations and providing legal council to Corporations, Companies and Firms that will be effected BY those regulations.

This is about making money and protecting Firms that will be doing buisness under the new laws and regulations. Last I checked THAT is exactly what Lawyers do, provide legal council on such.

 

[red states rule]

The Title of this thread has almost NOTHING to do with the content of the Article in the first post. The Lawyers made it clear they are preparing for new Regulations and providing legal council to Corporations, Companies and Firms that will be effected BY those regulations.

This is about making money and protecting Firms that will be doing buisness under the new laws and regulations. Last I checked THAT is exactly what Lawyers do, provide legal council on such.

Sure it does

You have nuts looking to make a buck off stupid lawsuits

and trial laywers ready to hekp - for 50% of the take

 

[RetiredGySgt]

Sure it does

You have nuts looking to make a buck off stupid lawsuits

and trial laywers ready to hekp - for 50% of the take

That is NOT what the article says. It is VERY clear on the point of the matter.

 

[red states rule]

That is NOT what the article says. It is VERY clear on the point of the matter.

from the link


Steve Susman of Susman Godfrey in Houston has been a pioneer in such litigation. He led the charge this year to force TXU Energy into building fewer coal-fired plants in Texas than it had planned.

Now he's among several lawyers talking with a group of Inuits in northern Canada who have seen an entire island sink under rising seas from global warming. The tribe is weighing its options, including suing carbon-emitting corporations such as power companies for heating the planet, he said.

"Melting glaciers isn't going to get that much going, but wait until the first big ski area closes because it has no snow," said Mr. Susman, who teaches a climate-change litigation course at the University of Houston Law School. "Or wait until portions of lower Manhattan and San Francisco are under water."

Some lawyers are trying to tie the damage from Hurricane Katrina to global warming – and the energy companies who may have contributed to that warming.



Like the case of the missing pants and the McDonalds coffee - the stupid lawsuits are coming

 

[MtnBiker]

We influence it. See acid rain for an obvious example. Or how fucking hot it gets in NYC for another example.

Control and influence are two different things.

Acid rain is a result of acidic compounds introduced into precipitation and urban heat islands are a result of buildings and ashphalt in regards to the latent heat flux. Do these phenomenon control climate?

 

[Gunny]

Control and influence are two different things.

Acid rain is a result of acidic compounds introduced into precipitation and urban heat islands are a result of buildings and ashphalt in regards to the latent heat flux. Do these phenomenon control climate?

I agree. It would be ludicrous to think Man has no impact on the environment with all the crap we do to it. While that may influence it some, it still does not control, nor does Man control cyclical climate change. Thinking we can is just more of Man's supreme arrogance.

I'm all for using our environment wisely and conservatively. At the same time, I'm NOT for a bunch of witch doctor remedies that will acoomplish little to nothing.

IMO, we should be concentrating on hwo it's going to affect us, and what we can do to minimize the effect.

 

[red states rule]

Instead of saying America, we should now say "Earth, Love it or Leave it"
I hear Mars is nice this time of year, maybe edwards and all the liberal crazies can be deported to mars or better yet pluto

and Mars is suffering from global warming

Who the hell sent SUV's Mars?