Climate change media to 30 June 2009
SCIENCE & IMPACTS------------------------ Climate science is by nature uncertain Adam Corner, The Guardian, 25 June 2009 For
climate sceptics, the mere presence of uncertainty is reason enough to
doubt. But doubt is not an enemy – it is the stimulus that drives
science forward. Himalayan glacier studies commence Navin Singh Khadka, BBC News, 23 June 2009 After
a long gap, scientists in Nepal have embarked on the first field
studies of Himalayan glacial lakes, some of which are feared to be
swelling dangerously due to global warming. Halfway to Copenhagen, no way to 2 °C Joeri Rogelj et al, Nature Reports Climate Change, 11 June 2009 National targets give virtually no chance of constraining warming to 2 °C and no chance of protecting coral reefs. A devastating critique of EPA science? More like cherry picking and astrology RealClimate, Guardian Environment Network, Tuesday 30 June 2009 A draft of the 'suppressed' document that has been making waves on the blogosphere has been released. Let's take a look. Dust-Bowl-ification spreads to southern Italy Joseph Romm, Climate Progress, 27 June 2009 AND Methane controls before risky geoengineering, please Kirk Smith, New Scientist Opinion, 25 June 2009 WHEN
the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change came into force in 1994,
climate change's impacts seemed distant. Not any more. With daily
reports of changes to glaciers, ice sheets, oceans and ecological
systems, climate change seems upon us. Chilean glaciers melting at unprecedented rate The Santiago Times, 23 June 2009 The
latest research expedition to the Southern Patagonia Ice Field revealed
that alpine glaciers in the Chilean and Argentine Andes are
disappearing at much faster rates than previously anticipated by the
scientific community. Study warns of cataclysmic melting of glaciers Randy Boswell, canwest, 22 June 2009 It's
a little-known natural wonder along Baffin Island's rugged east coast,
a spectacular, 110-km-long channel lined by towering cliffs that —
despite its extreme remoteness — is a mecca for base-jumping
enthusiasts from around the world BOOKS------- Climate Change and the Media Edited
by Tammy Boyce & Justin Lewis, Global Crises and the Media series,
volume 5, is available through Peter Lang Publishing and most major
wholesalers (paperback, $34.95, ISBN 978-1-4331-0460-2 / hardcover,
$89.95, 978-1-4331-0461-9, publication date August 2009). Climate change media to 23 June 2009
•••• Newspaper Ignites Hope, Announces "Civil Disobedience Database" In
a front-page ad in today's International Herald Tribune, the leaders of
the European Union thank the European public for having engaged
in months of civil disobedience leading up to the Copenhagen
climate conference that will be held this December. "It was only thanks
to your massive pressure over the past six months that we could so
dramatically shift our climate-change policies.... To those who were
arrested, we thank you." There was only one catch: the paper was fake. AND Greenpeace spoofs Int'l Herald Trib; IHT objects THE PAPER ONLINE VERSION RELATED SITES ENERGY & INNOVATION------------------------ Companies Reconnect Edison's Dream of Direct Current Transmission Peter Behr, New York Times, 15 June 2009 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. Carbon capture plans threaten shutdown of all UK coal-fired power stations Tim Webb and Terry Macalister, the Guardian, 17 June 2009 Radical proposals to require existing plants, including Drax, to fit the technology would force their closure, government admits Where Smart Money Is Going in Cleantech Mark Scott, Business Green, 17 June 2009 Investment
by Europe's cleantech venture capitalists is shifting from energy
generation to such energy-efficiency plays as smart electric meters German blue chip firms throw weight behind north African solar project Kate Connolly, The Guardian, 16 June 2009 Siemens, Deutsche Bank, RWE and E.on ready to invest in ambitious plan to power Europe with clean electricity from Africa. AND Europe Looks to Africa for Solar Power Another renewable energy rebate axed http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/06/22/2604850.htm Melissa Clarke, ABC News Online, 22 June 2009 The renewable energy industry is frustrated by another rebate being wound-up with little or no warning. 'Synthetic tree' claims to catch carbon in the air http://edition.cnn.com/2009/TECH/science/06/22/synthetic.tree.climate.change.ccs Hilary Whiteman, CNN, 22 June 2009 Scientists in the United States are developing a "synthetic tree" capable of collecting carbon around 1,000 times faster than the real thing. High-flying researchers target jet stream wind energy Danny Bradbury, BusinessGreen, 18 Jun 2009 New report claims high-altitude turbines or kites could harness wind speeds that are 10 times faster than at ground level. Is the sky the limit for wind power? In
the future, will wind power tapped by high-flying kites light up New
York? A new study by scientists at the Carnegie Institution and
California State University identifies New York as a prime location for
exploiting high-altitude winds, which globally contain enough energy to
meet world demand 100 times over. The researchers found that the
regions best suited for harvesting this energy match with population
centers in the eastern U.S. and East Asia, but fluctuating wind
strength still presents a challenge for exploiting this energy source
on a large scale. Coal-fired power gets boost from Labor Marian Wilkinson and Ben Cubby, Sydney Morning Herald, 17 June 2009 Coal-fired
electricity will get a big boost in funding and the state's greenhouse
gas emissions will keep rising, according to figures outlined in the
budget yesterday. POLITICS & POLICY------------------------ We are having a break from stories about the politics of climate: don't we need it? SCIENCE & IMPACTS------------------------ UK 'must plan' for warmer future Richard Black, BBC News, 18 June 2009 The
UK needs to plan now for a future that will be hotter and bring greater
extremes of flood and drought, says Environment Secretary Hilary Benn. New report predicts dire consequences for every U.S. region from global warming Jeremy Hance, mongabay.com, June 17, 2009 Government officials and scientists released a 196 page report detailing the impact of global warming on the U.S. REPORT The Arctic Thaw Could Make Global Warming Worse Sarah Simpson, Scientific American, June 2009 Special Editions The melting Arctic is releasing vast quantities of methane. How big is this greenhouse threat? What can be done? Global warming braked less than expected by haze ALiser Doyle, Reuters, 18 June 2009.9 Air
pollution, dust and other tiny particles that can bounce sunlight back
into space are braking global warming less than previously believed, a
Norwegian study said. The report, which helps understand how climate
change works, said scientific estimates of light-reflecting airborne
particles had underestimated a fast build-up of black airborne soot,
which has the opposite effect by soaking up heat. The CO2/Temperature correlation over the 20th Century Skeptical Science, 18 June 2009 CO2 Levels Highest in Two Million Years Maggie Koerth-Baker, National Geographic News, June 18, 2009 What
happens when carbon dioxide levels skyrocket? To determine just how
high temperatures may climb and how climate patterns may shift,
researchers may need to pinpoint, for comparison, a time in our
planet's past when a similar carbon dioxide jump happened. One in six UK homes 'at risk of flooding' The Guardian, 19 June 2009 £20bn
needs to be invested in flood defences to protect properties from
rising sea levels and severe rainstorms, Environment Agency warns BOOKS-------------------- Goodbye to All That James Lovelock’s "The Vanishing Face of Gaia" reviewed by Tim Flannery Climate change media to 2 June 2009
•••• Leaders go missing in climate change battle http://www.theage. com.au/opinion/ leaders-go- missing-in- climate-change- battle-20090608- bzxx.html Ian Dunlop, The Age, 8 June 2009 Plans to deal with this emergency contain fundamental weaknesses. •••• Green energy overtakes fossil fuel investment, says UN Terry Macalister, The Guardian, 3 June 2009 Clean technologies attract $140bn compared with $110bn for gas, coal and electrical power •••• A close look at Ian Plimer •••• Friends of the Earth slams "fundamentally flawed" offsetting model James Murray, BusinessGreen, 3 June 2009 Report argues carbon offset mechanisms are beyond reform and should be scrapped. AND UK carbon offset schemes 'failing to reduce emissions' ENERGY & INNOVATION------------------------ The Heat Is On When It Comes to Building Coal-Fired Power Plants Emily Gertz, Scientific American, 1 June 2009 The future of coal-fired electricity in the U.S. may be on the line right now in Kansas Could the Sahara’s sun save us? http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/industry_sectors/natural_resources/article6446064.ece David MacKay, The Sunday Times, June 7, 2009 Geothermal power plant to supply electricity Michael McCarthy, Independent, 2 June 2009 Britain's
slow but steady march towards renewable energy took a step forward
yesterday when plans were revealed for the UK's first power plant to
produce electricity from geothermal energy – the Earth's own heat. Will e-trucks deliver your snail mail? Mark Clayton,e Christian Science Monitor, 2 June 2009 US Postal Service looks to "electrify" its fleet. Building the smart grid The Economist, 4 June 2009 Energy:
By promoting the adoption of renewable-energy technology, a smart grid
would be good for the environment—and for innovation POLITICS & POLICY------------------------ Gore weighs in for green group Melissa Fyfe, The Age, 7 June 2009 Former
United States vice-president Al Gore will visit Melbourne next month to
launch a new organisation inspired by Repower America — his plan to
switch the US economy to clean energy in 10 years. Fielding's climate mission Adam Morton, The Age, June 6, 2009 The fact-finding mission to the US
of Family First senator Steve Fielding has culminated in him giving
senior White House staff graphs provided by climate change sceptics and
asking why he should not believe them. AND Fielding feels heat over solar flare theory Emily Bourke, ABC online, 8 May 2009 Family
First Senator Stephen Fielding is under fire from the scientific
community over his new-found belief that solar flares - not human
activity - might be responsible for climate change. AND THE SCIENCE This just in - the sun affects climate New Study on Solar Variability Is Neither New Nor a Study The correlation between CO2 and temperature Household solar power laws at risk, state warns Adam Morton, The Age, 2 June 2009 The
State Government has warned it will abandon controversial household
solar power laws rather than accept Greens amendments to make it more
financially attractive to install rooftop panels. UK must take 'moral lead' on climate aid, say MPs John Vidal, The Guardian, 3 June 2009 The
international development committee urges UK government to find new
funds for poor countries to adapt to severe storms, floods and droughts Lambeck on Plimer CARBON TRADING & OFFSETS------------------------ The flawed logic of the cap-and-trade debate By Ted Nordhaus and Michael Shellenberger - posted Friday, 5 June 2009 Sign Up for free e-mail updates! In
early May, anxiety among climate activists about the fate of
cap-and-trade legislation erupted into a full-throated roar with the
release of a scathing open letter by Dr James Hansen. Forest carbon market already shows cracks Gerard Wynn and Sunanda Creagh, reuters, 4 June 2009 It
could save the rainforests of Borneo, slow climate change and the
international community backs it. But a plan to pay tropical countries
not to chop down trees risks being discredited by opportunists even
before it starts. Carbon scheme 'like a GST from hell' Catherine McGrath, ABC's Online, 3 June 2009 One
of Australia's most eminent economists says the Federal Government's
planned emissions trading scheme is like a 'GST from hell' that is
bound to fail economically and environmental SCIENCE & IMPACTS------------------------ Growing climate change may escalate ME conflict UPI, June 3, 2009 Growing
climate change and lack of water could spur further conflict and
security concerns in the Middle East, a Danish environmental report
warns. New NSIDC director Serreze explains the “death spiral” of Arctic ice Joseph Romm, Climate progress, 5 June 2009 I
interviewed by email Dr. Mark Serreze, recently named director of The
National Snow and Ice Data Center. Partly I wanted him to explain his
“death spiral” metaphor for Arctic ice State must brace for more heatwaves, deaths Adam Morton, The Age, 8 June 2009 Climate
change is causing heatwave records to be smashed in ways that would
have been considered fantasy just a few years ago, a leading climate
scientist has warned. Another tough summer for Arctic sea ice Pete Spotts, Christian Science Monitor, 5 June 2009 The
annual melt-back of Arctic Ocean sea ice is deepening — driven by the
arrival of warmer weather and the thinness of the winter ice that
rebuilt after last summer’s melt. Learning to live with climate change will not be enough David W Orr, Guardian Environment Network, Wednesday 3 June 2009 A
leading environmentalist explains why drastically reducing carbon
dioxide emissions now will be easier, cheaper, and more ethical than
dealing with runaway climate destabilization later. By of Yale
Environment 360, part of Guardian Environment Network Is the climate warming or cooling? Brace yourselves for apocalypse now Martin Mittelstaedt , The Globe and Mail, 8 June 2009 Whether
it's something in the air (such as greenhouse gases) or something in
the economy (such as oil and food prices), the only field where there
currently seems to be a boom is in gloom. But it's not just ranters
wearing bathrobes on street corners: Some of the most respected
thinkers about science and society are issuing alarming
prognostications about humanity coming to an end, with a bang or with a
whimper. FOR THE DENIERS--------------- The Dunning-Kruger effect How the people who are most wrong are the least able to perceive it. Climate change, lies, lies and more lies 'Earth 2100': the Final Century of Civilization? Alexa Danner, ABC News, 29 May 2009 It's
an idea that most of us would rather not face -- that within the next
century, life as we know it could come to an end. Our civilization
could crumble, leaving only traces of modern human existence behind Scientist Jim Hansen Talks Climate Change _____Climate change media to 2 June 2009
•••• Time to take the lead Robyn Eckersley, The Age, 28 May 2009 Australia, with its abundance of energy sources, has no excuse for political inaction. •••• Wales plans for energy self-sufficiency with renewables in 20 years John Vidal, Guardian, 22 May 2009 Ambitious, legally binding plans 'set an example for the rest of the world to follow', says Jonathan Porritt •••• Priorities for low-carbon transition 30
leaders answer the question: “What is the biggest obstacle governments
in industrialised economies have to overcome in achieving low-carbon
transition and what action should they prioritise” •••• Mobilizing to Save Civilization Lester
Brown and Jim Garrison discuss the real-world consequences of climate
change, especially as it pertains to the global food supply. Lester
also offers a summary of his new book, Plan B 3.0: Mobilizing to Save
Civilization. •••• If energy companies won't invest in climate safety, why not let the people? PIRC (UK) At
a time when capital markets have seized up, new ways are needed of
unlocking capital to invest in real assets of enduring value. Energy
Bonds are the perfect means to that end. •••• Can human rights be the climate movement’s moral guide? Jonathan Hiskes, Gristmill, 29 May 2009 Robinson,
in a lively talk, said human migration is likely to be “the single
greatest impact” of a changing global climate. She said 150 million
people are expected to be displaced by 2050, driven by a combination of
desertification, water scarcity, and fiercer storms and floods. ENERGY & INNOVATION------------------------ Concentrated solar power could generate 'quarter of world's energy' Alok Jha, The Guardian, 26 May 2009 Industry groups call for solar thermal technology to expand in 'sun belt' around world as Spain leads the field. AND Global Concentrating Solar Power Outlook 09: Why Renewable Energy is Hot Enough with the smoke and mirrors Kenneth Davidson, the Age, 1 June 2009 The only creativity evident in major parties' climate change solutions is in the spin. US steelworkers form unlikely alliance as renewables reinvigorate rustbelt Suzanne Goldenberg, Guardian, 26 May 2009 Michigan, Indiana, Ohio and Pennsylvania look to electric cars, solar and wind power after death of coal and steel industries The bright prospect of biochar Kurt Kleiner, Nature Reports Climate Change, 21 May 2009 Enthusiasts
say that biochar could go a long way towards mitigating climate change
and bring with it a host of ancillary benefits. But others fear it
could do more harm than good. Exxon Mobil Says Transition From Oil Is Century Away Joe Carroll, Bloomberg, 27 May 2009 Exxon Mobil Corp, the world’s largest refiner, said the transition away from oil-derived fuels is probably 100 years away. More Subsidies for Fossil Fuels in Recovery Plans Stephen Leahy, IPS, 29 May 2009 Despite
the economic slow down, growing numbers of world leaders are calling
for urgent action on climate change while many governments used their
economic stimulus packages to increase subsidies to the fossil fuel
industry. POLITICS & POLICY------------------------ Stern on 7:30 Report ABC 7.30 Report, 27 May 2009 AND Stern breaks the east-west deadlock on who's responsible for CO2 http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/georgemonbiot/2009/may/27/monbiot-stern-east-west-deadlock-co2 George Monbiot, The Guradian, 27 May 2009 China
says it's unfair that the west 'outsources' emissions. Now that Lord
Stern has said responsibility should be split between producers and
consumers, other countries may follow suit. Rudd's greenhouse target wrong by nearly a century; Wong admits mistake, but no correction issued Bob Brown & Christine Milne, 29 May 2009 Climate
Change Minister Penny Wong has acknowledged that one of the critical
scientific targets in the Prime Minister's May 4 announcement on the
Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme was wrong. The mistake has gone
uncorrected for 25 days. AND Wong concedes climate target error Rudd will not do anything: China John Garnaut and Tom Arup, The Age, 28 May 2009 A leading Chinese strategist on climate change has belittled the latest carbon-reduction proposals by the Rudd Government and the Obama Administration. Why should we suffer, asks India Peter Martin, The Age, 27 May 2009 India says it will not accept anything less than the right to lift its greenhouse gas emissions per head to Australian levels. Funding for climate change initiative axed Ben Cubby Sydney Morning Herald, 27 May 2009 A
climate change program that has helped hundreds of local councils
reduce their greenhouse gas emissions has been axed by the Federal
Government. The Big Question: Is America finally getting real about climate change? Rupert Cornwell, The Independent, 26 May 2009 CARBON TRADING--------------------- Carbon trading and cash values on forests cannot curb carbon emissions Oscar Reyes, The Guardian, 28 May 2009 Climate change solutions cannot be created by unfettered markets, despite what business leaders think. The great carbon credit con: Why are we paying the Third World to poison its environment? Nadene Ghouri, London Daily Mail, 1 June 2009 In
the fields around this giant chemicals factory in Gujarat, the barren
soil smells of paint stripper and the water from the well makes you
gag. So why has it been given tens of millions of pounds of
taxpayer-funded UN ‘green reward points’, which are traded hungrily on
the financial markets at huge profit? Permits would double money given to business http://www.theage.com.au/environment/permits-would-double-money-given-to-business-20090526-bm51.html Tim Colebatch, The Age, 27 May 2009 The
Productivity Commission has attacked the Rudd Government's plans to
hand out billions of dollars worth of free emission permits to
emission-intensive firms, warning that it would just shift the burden
of adjustment to other industries. SCIENCE & IMPACTS------------------------ Greenland ice could fuel severe U.S. sea level rise Deborah Zabarenko,Reuters, 27 May 2009 New
York, Boston and other cities on North America's northeast coast could
face a rise in sea level this century that would exceed forecasts for
the rest of the planet if Greenland's ice sheet keeps melting as fast
as it is now. Climate change hitting poor in U.S. hardest Douglas Fischer, Daily Climate, 29 May 2009 GreenActionResearchers
find climate change is having a 'hidden and often unequal' impact on
minorities and poor in the United States. Global warming causes 300,000 deaths a year, says Kofi Annan thinktank John Vidal, The Guardian, 29 May 20 Climate change is greatest humanitarian challenge facing the world as heatwaves, floods and forest fires become more severe. Permafrost melt poses long-term threat, says study AFP, 27 May 2009 Melting
permafrost could eventually disgorge a billion tonnes a year of
greenhouse gas into the atmosphere, accelerating the threat from
climate change. Arctic thaw could prompt huge release of carbon dioxide Anjali Nayar, Nature, 27 May 2009 Thawing
Arctic soils could release a billion tonnes of carbon every year by the
end of this century, new evidence from test plots in Alaska suggests. Global emissions to leap 39 percent by 2030: US AFP, 27 May 2009 Global
carbon dioxide emissions are set to rise 39 percent by 2030 as energy
consumption surges in the developing world, notably in Asian giants
China and India. The projections presume no legislative changes to cap
emission levels or other initiatives to reduce the use of fossil fuels. AND US responsible for 29 percent of greenhouse gas emissions over past 150 AND Australian Greenhouse emissions rise The Age, 2 June 2009 Australia's greenhouse emissions continue to increase, largely because of coal-fired electricity generation AUDIO & VIDEO------------------- Sense from Deniers on CO2? Don't hold your breath.... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WPA-8A4zf2 A Time Comes: The story of the Kingsnorth Six St Kilda beach Human sign Bill McKibben Public Lecture 11 May 2009 "Because the world needs to know": building an international climate movemen ONE FOR THE ROAD------------------------ Burger chain's climate change whopper Climate change media to 26 May 2009
•••• Climate change odds much worse than thought http://globalchange.mit.edu/news/news-item.php?id=76 MIT, 19 May 2009 Warming
will be about twice as bad as the previous IPCC predictions - 5.2
degrees median, with a range 90% probability range of 3.5 to 7.4
degrees by 2100. REPORT http://globalchange.mit.edu/files/document/MITJPSPGC_Rpt169.pdf •••• Previous Eras of Warming Hold Warnings for Our Age Carl Zimmer, 20 May 2009 By
2100 the world will probably be hotter than it's been in 3 million
years. In an interview with Yale Environment 360, paleo-ecologist
Anthony D. Barnosky describes the unprecedented challenges that many
species will face in this era of intensified warming. •••• Black Saturday fires equal to 1500 atomic bombs: expert Karen Kissane, Sydney Morning Herald, 22 May 2009 The
Black Saturday fires burned so fiercely they produced energy the
equivalent of 1500 atomic bombs the size of the Hiroshima explosion -
enough to power Victoria for a year - the bushfires royal commission
heard yesterday. •••• Reef to be hit by bleaching without climate action Sydney Morning Herald, 20 May 2009 Australia
must cut its carbon emissions by more than 25 per cent if it wants to
save the Great Barrier Reef from annual bleaching episodes, a Senate
inquiry has been told •••• Plan B: Ditch carbon trading and get ready to spend David Spratt and Ted Nordhaus, ABC Radio National, 8 May 2009 ENERGY & INNOVATION---------------------- Betting billions on a carbon show pony Paddy Manning, The Age, 18 May 2009 Government funding for CCS technology may lead to disastrous consequences. Geothermal, the 'undervalued' renewable resource, sees surging interest Scott Streater, Greenwire, 21 May 2009 Nearly
200 million acres of public lands, mostly in the West, could become
prime generators of emissions-free electricity by extracting steam heat
from the earth's core to drive electric turbines. The Clean Energy Bank: Financing the transition to a low-carbon economy Joseph Romm, 24 May 2009 The
creation of a new Green Bank could lead to the steady and reliable
creation of clean-energy jobs and would be a crucial element of the
transition to a clean-energy economy China energy expert sees coal power slowing from 2011 Chris Buckley, Reuters, 22 May 2009 China's
boom of coal-fired power plants is likely to slow after next year as
excess capacity and then expanding renewable and nuclear energy sources
kick in, a senior energy policy analyst said in an interview. Embrace the renewable energy future James Norman and Simon O'Connor, the Age, 19 May 2009 Australia can take a lead, and a profit, in renewable energy. How the Danes came clean Olga Galacho, Herald-Sun, 21 May 2009 Judging
by the looks of disbelief directed at Danish Energy and Climate
Minister Connie Hedegaard at a lunch talk yesterday, anyone would have
thought she was reading a fairytale to the audience. 'Ignorance' stifling clean energy drives Ros Beeby, Canberra Times, 20 May 2009 The
Rudd Government's $2billion investment in clean coal will be overtaken
by a wave of new smart energy technologies ''stealing the market'', a
leading expert says. Suntech solar rooftop project gets government kickstart Yvonne Chan, BusinessGreen, 22 May 2009 China-based
Suntech Power Holdings, one the world's largest manufacturers of solar
power modules, has announced it is to build the largest grid-connected
solar installation in Jiangsu province with help from government
subsidies. New auto standards: The start of Obama’s green revolution Mark Trumbull, Christian Science Monitor, 19 May 2009 President
Obama’s announcement on tailpipe emissions Tuesday is part of a broader
White House strategy to confront the risk of global warming while
making green-collar jobs a centerpiece of the economy. Biochar: An answer to global warming or a menace? In
its handling of the science, Biofuel Watch’s appeal ignores salient
facts while stretching others to make them seem to validate particular,
preconceived conclusions. Thoughtful readers will spot this, and will
not be encouraged to support the document’s correct and necessary
criticisms of the CDM and of other market-based emissions abatement
schemes. POLITICS & POLICY---------------------- Climate change summit hijacked by biggest polluters, critics claim Terry Macalister, Guardian, 24 May 2009 20.25 BST A
vital meeting in Copenhagen this weekend that will help shape the
agenda for the most important climate change talks since the Kyoto
protocol has been hijacked by some of the biggest polluters in the
world, critics claimed today. U.S. aims to mend rich-poor climate split Reuters, 22 May 2009 The
United States will try to persuade rich and poor countries to share the
burden of fighting climate change next week, with a big U.S. pledge to
cut greenhouse gas emissions likely to help mend ties. New Labour architect attacks government for failing to convince public on climate change urgency James Randerson, Guardian, 22 May 200 Anthony Giddens criticises Heathrow and Kingsnorth decisions and calls for 'revolution in attitudes to politic Rudd climate envoy douses poor nations' aid hopes Tom Arup, The age, 22 May 2009 Developing
nations will have to "dampen" expectations of financial aid from rich
nations for emissions reduction programs because of the financial
crisis, Australia's chief climate change negotiator says. Green activists protest at Australia power plant Reuters, 20 May 2009 Environmental
activists have shut down a coal digger at an Australian power station
that provides 8 percent of the country's coal-reliant electricity
market, to protest against government climate policies. Enviros sue EPA over ocean acidification Associated Press, 14 May 2009 An
environmental group is suing the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency,
seeking to have Washington coastal waters listed as impaired because
carbon dioxide is making the ocean more acidic CARBON TRADING---------------------- Carbon windfall profits seen for EU industry Pete Harrison, Reuters, 19 May 2009 European
Union moves to exempt industries such as steel, refining and cement
from the cost of buying carbon permits risk handing them windfall
profits and could blunt EU green investment, analysts say. SCIENCE & IMPACTS---------------------- Glaciers go, leaving drought, conflict and tension in Andes Barbara Fraser, The Daily Climate, 19 May 2009 In
a dry land where almost everyone has their eye on their uphill
neighbor's water, the Andes are already seeing conflicts erupt as
global warming changes water patterns. Insurer blames climate change Ben Cubby, Sydney Morning Herald, 22 May 2009 As floods lash northern NSW, insurance companies say they are revising their estimates due to climate change. BUT 'River levels to plunge' in SW Vic AND Running on empty: dams dry up AND No end to the big dry Laurie Nowell, Sunday Herald Sun, 24 May 2009 A
new El Nino effect is developing in the Pacific Ocean, threatening to
extend Australia's crippling drought and bring destructive weather
along the east coast. Coral reefs in Southeast Asia could be wiped out in decades Grace Wakary, Associated Press, 19 May 2009 Around
100 million people risk losing their homes and livelihoods unless
drastic steps are taken to protect Southeast Asia's coral reefs, which
could be wiped out in coming decades because of climate change, a
report says.Associated Press Global warming could be twice as bad as forecast Reuters, 19 May 2009 The
new study, published in the American Meteorological Society's Journal
of Climate, said the difference in projection was due to improved
economic modeling and newer economic data than in previous scenarios. Amazon hit by climate chaos of floods, drought Alan Clendenning, AP, 24 May 2009 Experts
suspect global warming may be driving wild climate swings that appear
to be punishing the Amazon with increasing frequency. Rising sea levels: Survival tips from 5000 BC http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg20227096.600-rising-sea-levels-survival-tips-from-5000-bc.html Catherine Brahic, New Scientist, 26 May 2009 With
rising seas lapping at coastal cities and threatening to engulf entire
islands in the not-too-distant future, it's easy to assume our only
option will be to abandon them and head for the hills. Climate change media to 19 May 2009
•••• The Global Warming Debate A Layman’s Guide to the Science and Controversy AND Skeptical Science •••• Action needed on zero carbon targets: ACT Liberals http://www.abc. net.au/news/ stories/2009/ 05/12/2568407. htmABC News, 12 May 2009 The ACT Liberals say the Government should be focussing on cutting carbon emissions in the short term, instead of setting long term targets. •••• Voluntary Actions and the Rudd Government’s changes to its proposed Carbon Pollution Reduction System Tim Kelly, Brave New Climate, 15 May 2009 The
Federal Government has not fully understood the problems of voluntary
actions under its CPRS, and its proposed mechanisms for voluntary
action are unrealistic, contradictory (therefore self cancelling),
unfair and ineffective. •••• Fears of collapse as coral reefs feel the heat Marian Wilkinson, Sydney Morning Herald, 13 May 2009 THE
most spectacular stretch of coral reefs on the planet is in danger of
collapse from climate change, overfishing and pollution, according to a
report being presented today at the World Oceans Conference in
Indonesia. •••• Climate change: biggest health risk of 21st century James Murray, BusinessGreen, 14 May 2009 Lancet
report warns that increased incidence of tropical diseases, food
shortages, natural disasters and heatwaves threaten global humanitarian
and economic disaster ENERGY AND INNOVATION------------------- Transport for all need not cost $600b: expert http://www.smh. com.au/national/ transport- for-all-need- not-cost- 600b-expert- 20090515- b62n.html Andrew West, Sydney Morning Herald, 16 May 2009 A sweeping, multibillion- dollar transport plan, to be unveiled next week, would link almost every home, office and university in Sydney to upgraded train, tram and bus services within 30 years. 'Rebound effects' of energy efficiency could halve carbon savings, says study Alok Jha, The Guardian, 14 May 2009 Research
urges governments and climate policymakers to look beyond simple energy
solutions and consider the indirect and economy-wide effects when
forming legislation. Throwing good money after bad energy http://www.news. com.au/heraldsun /story/0, 21985,25476356- 5017909,00. html Olga Galacho, Herald-Sun, 14 May 2009 Will Martin Ferguson ever pull his head out of the coal pit and see the light? A potential breakthrough in harnessing the Sun’s energy http://www.onlineopinion.com.au/view.asp?article=8887 David Bielle, Online Opinion, 13 May 2009 In
the high desert of southern Spain, not far from Granada,
the Mediterranean sun bounces off large arrays of precisely curved
mirrors that cover an area as large as 70 soccer fields. Growth of Renewables Transforms Global Energy Picture ENS, 13 May 2009 In
2008 for the first time, more renewable energy than conventional power
capacity was added in both the European Union and United States,
showing a "fundamental transition" of the world's energy markets
towards renewable energy, finds a report released today by REN21, a
global renewable energy policy network based in Paris CPRS/CARBON TRADING DEBATE------------------------ From a theory to a consensus on emissions John M. Broder. New Yprk Times, 16 May 2009 How
did cap and trade become the policy of choice in the debate over how to
slow the heating of the planet? And how did it come to eclipse the idea
of simply slapping a tax on energy consumption? http://www.theaustr alian.news. com.au/story/ 0,25197,25491732 -2702,00. html The Australian, 16 May 2009 About 200 climate change activists rallied in central Sydneytoday to protest against the Rudd Government's emissions trading scheme
POLITICS AND POLICY------------------------ China will have to help save the planet Paul Krugman, The Age, 18 May 2009 It
is unfair to expect China to live within constraints that we didn't
have to face when our own economy was on its way up. But that
unfairness doesn't change the fact that letting China match the West's
past profligacy would doom the planet as we know it. The public deserves the full picture on climate change Gavin Schmidt, The Guardian, 14 May 2009 Simplistic stories and cliché pictures of polar bears have failed to engage people in the true debate, says Nasa scientist Crowd spells out feeling about climate change Adam Morton, The Age, 18 May 2009 Protest
organisers said 5000 people gathered on St Kilda beach to spell out
their frustration with the Federal Government's climate change policies. Treating climate change as a security threat Geoffrey Lean, Gristmill, 13 May 2009 Old soldiers, as they say, never die—and at 97 the legendary Vietnamese Gen. Vo Nguyen Giap seems intent on proving the point. Earth to Exxon: “Be a Mammal, not a Dinosaur” Graham Cogley, 11 May 2009 Why
don’t they get the message? Environmentalists take different approaches
to putting the message across. Some have allowed distinguished careers
to evolve into activism. Climate change items in the 2009 Federal Budget Posted by Barry Brook on 13 May 2009 So,
the Australian 2009-2010 Federal Budget is delivered. ‘Clean energy’
stands as one of the infrastructure centrepieces – an investment that
is hoped to both pull the economy out of recession and get us on the
pathway to a low carbon economy. Environmentalists Attack House Global Warming Deal Michael Weisskopf, Time, 16 May 2009 If it's this hard for Democrats to agree on tough global warming curbs, polar icecaps beware. Gore talks about politics, polls and protests Christa Marshall, New York Times, 15 May 2009 Former Vice President Al Gore has "not ruled out" engaging in civil disobedience against new coal plants. SCIENCE AND IMPACTS---------------------- Deep CO2 Cuts May Be Last Hope for Acid Oceans Stephen Leahy, IPS, 15 May 2009 Ocean acidification offers the clearest evidence of dangers of climate change. Land clearances turned up the heat on Australian climate New Scientist, 16 May 2009 DEFORESTATION
by European settlers may be to blame for making Australia's drought
longer, hotter and dryer than it would be otherwise. New Insight Into Decline Of Arctic Sea Ice Cover ScienceDaily, 15 May 2009 The
mechanical behavior of the Arctic sea ice cover appears to favor its
rapid decline. Scientists from INSU-CNRS, Université J. Fourier and
Université de Savoie have analyzed the trajectories of drifting buoys
anchored in the ice and found that the mean drift rate and deformation
rate of Arctic sea ice has strongly increased over the last three
decades. Drought and floods cut rice harvest back to 5pc Asa Wahlquist, The Australian, 11 May 11, 2009 The
rice harvest has been ravaged by both drought and flooding, with the
NSW Riverina expected to deliver just 5 per cent of its normal output. Huge Bolivian glacier disappears James Painter, BBC News, 12 May 2009 Scientists
in Bolivia say that one of the country's most famous glaciers has
almost disappeared as a result of climate change. The Chacaltaya
glacier, 5,300m up in the Andes, used to be the world's highest ski
run. But it has been reduced to just a few small pieces of ice. All dry on the western front Cheryl Jones, The Australian, 13 May 2009 It
has been labelled the cousin of El Nino, the Indian Ocean's equivalent
of the climatic engine in the Pacific that drives the cycle of droughts
and floods in Australia's southeast If W. Antarctic Ice Sheet melts, how high will sea levels rise? Pete Spotts, Christian Science Monitor, 15 May 2009 Jonathan
Bamber scans his audience – a mix of young scientists-in-training and
graybeards – and asks: “If I melted the West Antarctic Ice Sheet
tomorrow, how much would sea level rise? BOOKS----------- The Carbon Diaries 2015 Stern advice for Copenhagen De-bunking Ian Plimer--- Kurt Lambeck president of the Australian Academy of Science and professor of Geophysics at ANU Ian Plimer lies about source of his figure 3 IN PICTURES------------------ Endangered Indonesian coral reefs |