india goes to mars

Launched on Nov. 5, 2013, India's MOM (Mars Orbiter Mission) goes into orbit around Mars.

http://www.space.com/27242-india-mars-mission-arrival.html

maven

After ten months in space, NASA's MAVEN Mars orbiter goes into orbit around Mars.

http://www.space.com/23617-nasa-maven-mars-mission.html

ddpp

The Deep Decarbonization Pathways Project (DDPP) issued its final report in preparation for this week's climate summit at the UN:

http://unsdsn.org/what-we-do/deep-decarbonization-pathways/

Here is the Executive Summary:

http://unsdsn.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/DDPP_2014_report_executive_summary_digit.pdf

carbon tax center

Here's a link to the blog of the Carbon Tax Center, a New York-based group advocating-- you guessed it-- a carbon tax:

www.carbontax.org/blog/

Many of these posts are quite technical, but there are links, in particular, to comparisons of a carbon tax to cap-and-trade schemes.

the planetarian mindset

The main thing about planetarianism is that it should be a mindset that one takes with one throughout daily life.  One should wake up thinking about this little orb hurtling through space at 67,000 miles per hour and go to bed thinking about it.  During the day there should be countless reminders of it-- billboards, subway placards, photos in schools and offices.  The fact that we're all sitting on this little planet in the vast emptiness of the cosmos should never be far from our conscious minds.  Such a mindset could not help but have major political, social, and cultural ramifications.

rosetta

European Space Agency probe Rosetta enters orbit of comet:

http://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-28660575

is this a well-run planet?

This is the question planetarians must ask:  Is this planet well run?  What are the criteria for determining if a planet is well run, and how well do we measure up to those criteria?

justified optimism or the usual spin?

Paris 2015:

http://www.rtcc.org/2014/07/15/ideas-on-un-climate-deal-converging-says-german-environment-minister/

plus ca change?

Paris 2015:

http://www.rtcc.org/2013/11/28/un-climate-chiefs-agree-path-to-2015-looks-tough-post-warsaw/

paris 2015

I have one big question about the climate conference scheduled for Paris at the end of next year:  What plans are afoot to prevent it from turning out like the 2009 fiasco in Copenhagen?  Seriously, they must be doing some advance planning to try to prevent that outcome, but what?  I was even surprised they were having another major conference like this, after that last one.