A new study finds that the annual costs
and revenue losses to the state resulting
from global warming will number in
the billions of dollars by 2050.
Global warming could translate into annual costs and revenue losses throughout California's economy of between $2.5 billion and $15 billion by 2050, according to a summary of cost analyses presented on March 11 to Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger's climate advisers.
Global warming could translate into annual costs and revenue losses throughout California's economy of between $2.5 billion and $15 billion by 2050, according to a summary of cost analyses presented on March 11 to Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger's climate advisers.
The study further found that
property damage caused by sea level
rise and more devastating wildfires
could push those costs far higher.
The final report, a compilation of 40 studies commissioned by the governor's Climate Action Team, is expected to come out this Spring. It will provide a comprehensive snapshot of global warming's potential costs to property owners, businesses and state government
The final report, a compilation of 40 studies commissioned by the governor's Climate Action Team, is expected to come out this Spring. It will provide a comprehensive snapshot of global warming's potential costs to property owners, businesses and state government
By Norman Solomon
The natural beauty of the North Bay region has been appreciated by many generations of Californians. But behind the pastoral settings and windswept coastline, changes are in the works. Choices are being made in offices and boardrooms that will irrevocably impact the North Bay - and the environment its residents have long enjoyed. Top decision-makers are weighing factors that include powerful financial interests.
The natural beauty of the North Bay region has been appreciated by many generations of Californians. But behind the pastoral settings and windswept coastline, changes are in the works. Choices are being made in offices and boardrooms that will irrevocably impact the North Bay - and the environment its residents have long enjoyed. Top decision-makers are weighing factors that include powerful financial interests.
Those officials are busy deciding on
the future of the North Bay - whether to
expand the landfill, extend the quarry,
authorize the cement factory, bend
coastal regulations, approve desalination
at the expense of water conservation,
permit rapid development, accept
aerial spraying, excuse more energy
consumption with 'carbon offsets,'
defer to environmental impact reports
from corporate contractors ...
Page 3: Green New Deal (continued)
Page 5: Ocean expected to rise 5 feet
Page 7: Your 2008 tax dollar - just where did it go?-
Pages 9: Global Warming “Major Public Health Threat”
Page 13: White House may go easy on polluters
Page 14: Ice Bridge Splinters into pieces
Page 19: TAKE ACTION!
Smart grid technology, which, in
theory, will make the US power grid
more efficient and interactive, “may
not be the bright idea its backers
suggest unless it can be made more
secure.” And therein, says business
and technology reporter Thomas
Claburn in Information Week (www.
informationweek.com), lies the rub.
“Without some thought given to security as ... Smart Meter devices are developed and deployed,” Claburn says, “we risk repeating the same dumb mistakes that leave networked computers open to attack.”
There are currently around 40 million smart meters in use worldwide, about 2 million of which are in the US. Claburn cites “an additional 100 million planned around the globe over the next few years.” The Obama administration's recovery plan calls for 40 million smart meters to be deployed in the US over the next three years.
The devices make energy monitoring data available online to home users and utilities in real time, enabling a variety of new scenarios for saving and selling
“Without some thought given to security as ... Smart Meter devices are developed and deployed,” Claburn says, “we risk repeating the same dumb mistakes that leave networked computers open to attack.”
There are currently around 40 million smart meters in use worldwide, about 2 million of which are in the US. Claburn cites “an additional 100 million planned around the globe over the next few years.” The Obama administration's recovery plan calls for 40 million smart meters to be deployed in the US over the next three years.
The devices make energy monitoring data available online to home users and utilities in real time, enabling a variety of new scenarios for saving and selling
energy. For example, writes Claburn,
”home owners using smart meters
could, through a properly equipped
utility, collect solar energy and sell
any excess to their power company.“
But security researchers warn that the devices could be used to conduct
But security researchers warn that the devices could be used to conduct
attacks on the power grid and on
people's homes if developed without
sufficient security. That, he says,
”could mean blackout attacks, data
theft, and billing fraud.“
”We will be engineering major vulnerabilities into the power grid if the
”We will be engineering major vulnerabilities into the power grid if the
vendors of meters do not bake security
in - and they won't do that unless
the government folks responsible for
allocating money make 'provable
defense against known and reasonably
expected attacks' a prerequisite for
funding,“ Alan Paller, director of
research at the SANS Institute, told
Claburn in an e-mail.
IOActive president and CEO Joshua Pennell attempted to deliver that message to the Committee of Homeland Security and the Department of Homeland Security in March.
Testifying before the committee, Pennell said that based on their research and the ability to easily introduce serious threats, ”IOActive believes that the relative security immaturity of the smart grid and AMI markets warrants the adoption of proven industry best practices including the requirement of independent third-party security assessments of all smart grid technologies that are being proposed for deployment in the nation's critical infrastructure.“
IOActive president and CEO Joshua Pennell attempted to deliver that message to the Committee of Homeland Security and the Department of Homeland Security in March.
Testifying before the committee, Pennell said that based on their research and the ability to easily introduce serious threats, ”IOActive believes that the relative security immaturity of the smart grid and AMI markets warrants the adoption of proven industry best practices including the requirement of independent third-party security assessments of all smart grid technologies that are being proposed for deployment in the nation's critical infrastructure.“