RECOMMENDED READING

Making the Case for Climate as a Migration Driver

A new report on human migration and climate change, released as delegates from 182 countries gathered in Bonn over the past two weeks to continue hammering out some preliminary language for a new global climate treaty, made its case plainly: 'The impacts of climate change are already causing migration and displacement,' the document began, adding that by midcentury, 'the prospects for the scope and scale could vastly exceed anything that has occurred before.'"  [Green, Inc. - New York Times]

High-Altitude Wind Machines Could Power New York City

"The wind blowing through the streets of Manhattan couldn’t power the city, but wind machines placed thousands of feet above the city theoretically could...The first rigorous, worldwide study of high-altitude wind power estimates that there is enough wind energy at altitudes of about 1,600 to 40,000 feet to meet global electricity demand a hundred times over." [WIRED]

Obama Mountaintop Coal Mining Plan Disappoints Appalachian Advocates

"The agreement signed Thursday between officials from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the Department of Interior, and the Army Corp of Engineers aims to reduce the environmental impacts of mountaintop coal mining in the six Appalachian states of Kentucky, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia..."While the administration's announcement demonstrates some good intentions, particularly in their emphasis on green jobs in Appalachia, they are seeking compromise on an issue that is continuing the Bush administration legacy of sacrificing Appalachian Mountain communities," said Willa Mays, executive director of the advocacy group Appalachian Voices."  [Environmental News Service]

Companies Reconnect Edison's Dream of Direct Current Transmission

"A billion-dollar transmission line is being planned to deliver hydroelectric power from Canada to New England. A rival project would bring wind power from Maine via submarine cable to Boston. Both would carry power that doesn't produce greenhouse gases. Both would move power via direct current, which was Thomas Edison's obsession." [ClimateWire - New York Times]

AUDIO

Wind Sweeps Down The Plains; Is It Bringing Jobs?

"Quentin Johnson of Oklahoma was faced recently with an agonizing decision, which he stewed over for a week: Sure money today in an industry he knows — oil? Or bet on his future prospects with an industry he's hoping will have more longevity — wind?" [Morning Edition - NPR]