Unintended Consequences
Doug Simpson's weblog of research on the collision of law, networks and disruptive technologies.
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RSS FEED IDEMS: Unintended Consequences
- Finite Risk Transfer: Use only as directed
Contingencies has published a short article about finite risk transfer, an alternative method of managing risk that emerged from obscurity during recent inquiries into insurance company practices. Though it is powerful medicine that is safe when used as directed, abuse... - NFIP: GAO Critique of FEMA's Flood Claims Oversight
Following Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) paid about 170,000 claims for flood damage, most on primary residences. Congress increased its borrowing authority to nearly $21 billion, but NFIP's annual premium revenues of $2 billion are... - Ethanol's roots in ADM lobbying
Grist features the origins of U.S. government subsidies for ethanol fuels and their benefits to Acher Daniels Midland (ADM) and its former CEO Dwayne Andreas (the man who provided the $25,000 for the Watergate 'plumbers'). Includes links to the 1995... - Katrina Canal Breach Opinion
The U.S. District Court, E.D.La. has issued its opinion concerning whether the Water Damage Exclusion in a number of all risk policies precludes coverage for the policy holders for damage due to the Katrina Canal breach. To read that opinion,... - Grist Discussion of Stern Review
In Grist, journalist Kate Galbraith discusses the Stern Review of the Economics of Climate Change. She addresses criticism by the Wall Street Journal, Bjorn Lomborg and the Cato Institute, and compares its findings with a study by Tufts University and... - Use CFLs to Retire Reddy Kilowatt
Six months ago, a friend pressed on me a six-pack of compact fluorescent light (CFL) bulbs. Odd little pig-tail curls, but they fit in standard light bulb places. He's a retired electrician, so I listened when he gave me what... - "Out of Step and Out of Time": Kofi Annan
Secretary-General Kofi Annan decried a "frightening lack of leadership" in response to the climate change crisis that threatens the lives and stability of millions of people. "It is increasingly clear it will cost far less to cut emissions now than... - Micro-CHP - it heats! It lights your home!
Emergence of residential micro combined heat-and-power (micro-CHP) systems. Distributed electricity production combined with a gas-fired home heating plant. This note in the CSM does not indicate the comparative efficiency of the micro-CHP to the oil-fired forced hot water heating system... - Investing in Demand-Side Efficiencies Will Payoff Big - IEA Report
"Business As Usual" energy policy will increase dependence on foreign oil for the U.S. and other consuming nations, threaten energy security and make climate change worse, according to publicity about a new report by the International Energy Agency (IEA). Formed... - "Evolving into Wisdom" - In This Presidency?
Climate scientists have pointed to various potential "tipping points," elements of our complex climate system that could trip it into a cascade of self-reinforcing and irreversable damage. Julia Whitty , in "The Thirteenth Tipping Point" Whitty, "The Thirteenth Tipping Point,"... - Stern's Prescription & Dirty Harry's Question
Both criticism and praise have greeted the Stern Review on the Economics of Climate Change, which forecasts the possibility that preventable climate change will cause economic harm like that of a global depression or a world war, and calculates that... - Stern Report "Optimistic" IF Governments Act
Unchecked human-caused global warming will cause trillions of dollars in damages in our lifetimes, with impact comparable to a world war or global depression, but shifting to a low-carbon economy will bring huge economic growth opportunities. The economic benefit of... - Rebutting Climate Skeptics
Gristmill organizes all the articles in "How to Talk to a Climate Skeptic," a series by Colby Beck with objective, fact-based responses to common skeptic's arguments about global warming. They are organized into subtopics under four main categories: * Stages... - Lasting Hybrid Batteries & Now American Made
My wife and I recently ordered a Toyota Prius hybrid. A friend who I told about it asked about battery replacement cost, saying he'd hear they were expensive. I had to admit I did not know, but none of the... - New NASA Data on Shrinking Greenland Ice Pack
NASA studies confirmed accelerating net shrinkage of the Greenland ice pack used Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) satellite data. Melting of the ice pack has increased since the 1990's. According to Science Daily, study co-author Jay Zwally said: "In...
