In trying to analyze future threats to Britain's armed forces, the UK Ministry of Defence has created a chilling future scenario of global instability and devastating weapons.

Taking into account familiar threats such as global warming and the growing population in political "hot spots" such as the Middle East, the study also notes threats such as:

• Self-directed weapons that need little or no human control
• Implanatable information chips wired directly to the brain
• "Flashmobs" that could be mobilized instantly by criminal or terrorist groups
• A revival of Marxism and other radical political movements
• The continued growth of militant Islam

Much of this instability will be driven by declining resources coupled with increasing numbers of people living in cities.

Source: Guardian

Mark your calendar for Saturday, June 11 -- that's the date that Cingular has announced that it will begin selling Apple's long-anticipated iPhone. That date is also the first day of Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference.

Source: Crave

Chinese scientists have reportedly been able to control a pigeon's flight remotely through electrodes that stimulated different parts of the bird's brain. Scientists at the Robot Engineering Technology Research Center at Shandong University were able to send the pigeon commands to fly left, right, up and down. It is reportedly the first such successful experiment in the world, and could have important implications for neurology and even remote mind control.

Source: MSNBC

Sounds icky, but it's true -- the FDA has approved a polymer suture made from modified bacteria using recombinant DNA technology.

The material in Tepha Medical Devices' TephaFLEX Absorbable Suture breaks down in the body as a deep wound or surgical incision heals, improving the healing process and preventing infection. Recombinant DNA allows the manufacture of materials from organisms that would be difficult if not impossible to produce otherwise.

The incandescent electric light was one of the paradigm-shifting inventions of the last 125 years, transforming the way people live, work and play. But the era of the incandescent light bulb may be drawing to a close.

Though more expensive up front, compact flourescent light bulbs are far more efficient -- and environmentally friendly -- than incandescent bulbs, using less electricity and lasting longer while providing the same amount of light. For that reason, local and state governments have been encouraging the adoption of compact flourescent bulbs, largely through subsidizing their cost. However, Australia is moving toward banning incandescent bulbs altogether by 2010. By enforcing minimum energy performance standards, selling incandescent bulbs would effectively be illegal. In the US, California is considering a similar measure that would outlaw sales of incandescent lights by 2012. The measure is significant because, as the nation's most populous state, California is a trendsetter in environmental and health legislation. Indeed, state governments in Connecticut and New Jersey (ironically, where Edison developed his light) are considering similar bans on incandescent lights.

The private sector is also jumping on the compact flourescent bandwagon. Retailers plan to increase shares of the bulbs substantially, and light bulb manufacturer Philips will stop manufacturing incandescent bulbs by 2016.

By switching to compact flourescent bulbs on a national level, Australia could cut its greenhouse gas emissions by four tons per year.

Source: International Herald Tribune

As the U.S. moves towards a new type of green economy and renewable energy (slowly and painfully)  President Obama has announced an extra $3.4  billion for smart meters and the smart grid.

The funding will be for  ’smart grid’ projects aimed at promoting green power and reducing electricity bills and blackouts.  Dan Reicher, Director of Climate and Energy Initiatives for Google testified this week on the smart grid during the second day of the [...]

Charles J. Hanley of the AP  reported that in Canada’s Northwest Territories, the permafrost is melting and the Earth is burping out huge slugs of methane, one of the most potent of the greenhouse gases.  This methane has the potential to drive extremely rapid warming. It’s known as  a feedback loop: As more methane escapes, it traps more heat in the atmosphere, which in turn melts more permafrost, and so on.

The prospects are alarming enough [...]

The Senate and Congress, the majority anyway, seem to understand the seriousness of climate change. So then why are they content with a bill that seemingly won’t be adequate to fight climate change enough to make a difference — if at all?  This is Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont, expressing his frustration at lack of movement (so far) on climate change. The fact is, aggressively addressing climate change will change our energy structure and [...]

I’m podcasting every day this week,  so check out the podcast site at Futurism Now Radio.  That means my writing here will be less labor-intensive than usual, but there will still be as much daily news here as we can come up with, with a little help from our fellow climate writers.

Image of the Soil Moisture and Ocean Salinity (SMOS) satellite

The European Space Agency (ESA) has launched a 315 million Euro ($465 [...]

Climate change skepticism seems to be growing, at least online. In the mainstream media, the so-called “debate” seems to be finally disappearing and global warming is now taken as truth by the media,  but they still don’t talk about it enough.  It gets a mere mention now and then.

George Monbiot, a well-known writer and activist in the UK, wrote an article recently that puts out a theory as to why climate change skepticism seems to [...]

Kilimanjaro's Snows are Melting Away. Mount Kilimanjaro in June 2001 (left) and July 2009 (right). The satellite images show a vastly decreasing amount of snow.

“The snows of Mount Kilimanjaro will be gone within two decades, according to scientists who say that the rapid melting of its glacier cap over the past century provides dramatic physical evidence of global climate change.”  Read this story here.

“Climate change is already [...]

The Denialus cricetus Cretin (common Denialist)

In response  to a loud but minor Denialist movement made up of creatures who don’t understand or believe in science, (many of them also think the world is 6,000 years old and evolution isn’t true either)  I’m printing the following from the Union of Concerned Scientists.  The Denialists claim they are able to google, but since they can’t even find the tabs on this website explaining global warming, it’s [...]

Groggy delegates and observers arriving today in Barcelona for the final round of negotiations prior to Copenhagen were welcomed by TckTckTck’s cacophony of 1,000 ringing alarm clocks piercing the morning air in front of the Fira Gran Via conference hall.

The chattering alarm clocks served as a literal “wake up call” to the climate negotiators, many of whom veered off the path to the front door to snap pictures and watch the [...]

“Canada faces a dilemma as it prepares for next month’s UN climate summit in Copenhagen. It wants to present itself as environmentally responsible but also wants the profits from the tar sands, which cover an area of Alberta’s natural coniferous forest larger than England.”

Yeah, that’s a problem.  Coal + Oil shale + Tar Sands = end of human civilization and most species on earth in 200 years or less.  We have [...]

Short-sighted, Small-minded Backlash against Climate Legislation by Business, Industry

Eight-Country Investigation Reveals Forces Moving to Undermine Copenhagen.

It’s hard to imagine how business thinks it can do business in a world without civilization and/or people without an economy.

WASHINGTON — Global attempts to craft a pivotal new climate treaty in Copenhagen this December are being stymied by a far-reaching, multinational backlash led by fossil fuel industries and other heavy carbon emitters, according to The Global Climate Change Lobby, [...]

Climate talks in Barcelona are going about as well as the previous talks went.  Too much focus on economics and blame, and this focus is unfortunately ignoring the serious climate change problem itself. We all hope the negotiators can get beyond their differences very soon . . . it also appears that the problem of holding back the talks described in the post below this one is working, based on the quote from a delegate from one of the [...]

Here is more proof that at least some Democrats still have a functioning backbone and stand up to obstructionists when necessary.  Senator Boxer is the majority chairwoman of the Environment and Public Works Committee.  For the last few days only one Republican has decided to show up for scheduled hearings, in order to stop movement on the bill.  Two minority reps. are necessary for progress to continue, so the Republicans decided to deliberately obstruct the process. 

“A [...]

Photo: Carlos Garcia Rawlins. Children wait after filling containers with water in the neighbourhood of Antimano in Caracas, Venezuela, October 26, 2009. Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez, on October 22, 2009, called for water conservation, saying low rainfall caused by the El Nino weather phenomenon meant water levels were critically low in the El Guri reservoir, one of the world's largest dams.

It looks like difficulties with the U.S. dragging its feet on climate change [...]

Just like with “clean coal”, the same type of euphemistic hope is being stuck on tar sands oil.  Those invested in the industry were even saying it can be “low carbon”.  That was  based in part on assuming carbon capture and storage (CCS) will save the day and allow us to use the dirtiest oil on earth and feel OK about it.    A new report by investors says wait a minute — we can’t [...]

INTERNATIONAL SYMPOSIUM

Bergson+Futurism. Speed in thought

November 5, 2009
Universidad Complutense, Madrid

more info

Giovedì 5 novembre 2009, presso la Facoltà di Filosofia dell’Universidad Complutense di Madrid, si svolgerà il convegno internazionale “Bergson + Futurismo. La velocidad en el pensamiento”. (”Bergson+Futurism. Speed in thought”).
La giornata di studi si propone di indagare i rapporti tra il Futurismo e la filosofia di Bergson, ancora non sufficientemente esplorati. Lo slancio vitale, il dinamismo, la simultaneità, l’intuizione, l’impatto dei nuovi media e delle nuove tecnologie, la nuova concezione dello spazio e del tempo: questi alcuni dei temi oggetto del convegno.
Nelle due sessioni (mattutina e pomeridiana) sono previsti interventi di studiosi provenienti dalle principali università della Spagna (Madrid, Valladolid, Granada, Alcalá, Salamanca) e da diversi paesi europei (Francia, Inghilterra, Italia, Polonia, Turchia). Per l’Italia intervengono Antonio Saccoccio, studioso delle avanguardie e fondatore del Net.Futurismo, e Rossella Catanese, esperta di cinema e dottore di ricerca all’Università La Sapienza di Roma.

Elenco dei relatori:

• Daniel Lesmes
• Gulizar Karahan
• Llanos Gómez
• Alessandro Ghignoli
• Antonio Navas Montilla
• Antonio Saccoccio
• Carolina Fernández Castrillo
• Rossella Catanese
• Barnaby Dicker
• Goretti Irisarri Vázquez
• Jordi Carmona Hurtado
• Joaquín Aguirre
• Antonio Dopazo Gallego
• Przemyslaw Strozek (!)
• Lucía Antonini
• Roberto Carlos Obarri

La giornata di studi è stata organizzata per celebrare il centenario della pubblicazione del primo manifesto futurista e i 150 anni dalla nascita di Henri Bergson.