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Power station protesters guilty.
Twenty-two environmental campaigners have been found guilty of obstructing a train carrying coal to Drax Power Station in North Yorkshire. BBC. 3 July 2009.
Climate's smoky spectre.
Recent research suggests that lowly soot particles--black carbon-- could be responsible for a large fraction of Arctic warming. In SE Asia, studies suggest that it is choking the moisture supply for the Indian monsoons and contributing to the retreat of mountain glaciers that provide fresh water for more than a billion people. Nature. 2 July 2009.
Sea level rise: It's worse than we thought.
Scientists are more than a little astonished at the rate at which our planet's frozen frontiers seem to be responding to global warming, as more ice is sliding into the ocean, causing sea levels to rise faster and faster. New Scientist, England. 2 July 2009.
An insurance plan for climate change victims.
As Western governments dither at the negotiating table over how to help the world's poorest people cope with climate change, some unlikely saviours have stepped up to the plate: the giants of the global insurance industry. New Scientist, England. 2 July 2009.
ExxonMobil continuing to fund climate sceptic groups, records show.
The world's largest oil company is continuing to fund lobby groups that question the reality of global warming, despite a public pledge to cut support for such climate change denial, a new analysis shows. London Guardian, England. 2 July 2009.
Mexico's gamble on biofuels.
Mexican authorities intent on tackling the issues surrounding the production of biofuels are faced with one fundamental question. Should they have clean air, or cheap food to feed the country's poor? BBC. 1 July 2009.
Climate change abatement strategies: which way is the wind blowing?
Almost everyone who is concerned about climate change mitigation favors putting a price on greenhouse gas emissions. The question is, what strategies will yield the most mitigation bang for the investment buck? Environmental Health Perspectives. 1 July 2009.
Should Obama try to reset the planet's thermostat?
Once a fringe theory, in recent years the idea that humans can change the Earth's climate through direct intervention has begun to gain credibility in climate change discussions. Mother Jones. 1 July 2009.
Permafrost melting a growing climate threat.
The amount of carbon locked away in frozen soils in the far Northern Hemisphere is double previous estimates, and rapid melting of the permafrost could release huge amounts of carbon dioxide and methane and accelerate global warming, a study released on Wednesday says. Reuters. 1 July 2009.
At a loss.
Even under best-case scenarios of building massive engineering projects to restore Louisiana's dying coastline, the Mississippi River cannot possibly feed enough sediment into the marshes to prevent ongoing catastrophic land loss, a study published today concludes. New Orleans Times-Picayune, Louisiana. 29 June 2009.
China recruits algae to combat climate change.
China is the world's biggest emitter of greenhouse gases, largely because it relies on coal for 70 per cent of its power. Almost none of the carbon dioxide is captured, partly because there is no profitable way of using it. Algae may be the answer. It can absorb carbon far more quickly than trees. London Guardian, England. 29 June 2009.
Obama praises climate bill's progress but opposes its tariffs.
President Obama said he hopes that Congress will strip out a clause that would impose a tariff in 2020 on imports from countries without systems for pricing or limiting carbon dioxide emissions. Washington Post. 29 June 2009.
Beetles add new dynamic to forest fire control efforts.
More than seven million acres of forest in the United States have been declared all but dead due to tiny bark beetles, complicating experts’ efforts to reduce wildfires. New York Times. 28 June 2009.
New climate for coal.
Coal may be TVA's most abundant and reliable power source, but it faces its biggest environmental challenge this year since TVA erected its first fossil plant 60 years ago in Johnsonville, Tenn. Chattanooga Times Free Press, Tennessee. 28 June 2009.
Climate change bill may be election-year issue.
Leading Democrats say they are more than happy to have the energy bill serve as a signature issue. They say it represents a transformative moment — their party’s effort to take on a genuine threat to the planet. New York Times. 28 June 2009.
In close vote, House passes climate bill.
The bill passed 219 to 212 after a furious lobbying push by the White House and party leaders won over farm-state Democrats who had complained that it was too costly, and liberals who wondered if it was too watered down to work. Even after that effort, 44 Democrats voted against the legislation. Washington Post. 27 June 2009.
Lobbying cash paved climate bill's road to House floor.
Industries and individual companies with a stake in the landmark House climate and energy bill poured money into lobbying early this year, many at a pace that could shatter previous spending records. Greenwire. 27 June 2009.
Campaigners fight solar project.
In a desert far from the Arabian peninsula, the world’s biggest concentrating solar power (CSP) project has run into unexpected opposition — from environmentalists. Abu Dhabi National, United Arab Emirates. 27 June 2009.
Gordon Brown puts $100bn price tag on climate adaptation.
Gordon Brown today attempted to seize the political initiative on climate change by calling for rich countries to hand over $100 billion each year to help the developing world cope with the effects of global warming. London Guardian, England. 27 June 2009.
Close win predicted for cap-and-trade bill.
The House could vote today on a measure to cap U.S. greenhouse gas emissions, with Democratic leaders predicting a tight victory for a behemoth bill that has grown more complex with each compromise. Washington Post. 26 June 2009.
Miliband: 2020 is year of no return for emissions.
The world's emissions of the greenhouse gases causing global warming should peak in 2020 and then start to decline, the British Government is proposing in the run-up to the global climate conference taking place at Copenhagen in December. London Independent, England. 26 June 2009.
Deserts crossing Mediterranean.
The Sahara Desert is crossing the Mediterranean, according to Italian environmental protection group Legambiente which warns that the livelihoods of 6.5 million people living along its shores could be at risk. ANSA, Italy. 26 June 2009.
Why is Goliad coal fight so quiet?
Coal-fired power plants are the dirtiest of all power plants when it comes to carbon dioxide emissions. Why, then, does a proposed second coal-fired unit at Goliad's Coleto Creek Power Station face such quiet local opposition? Victoria Advocate, Texas. 26 June 2009.
Better lives in Bangladesh -- through green power.
In the Bangladesh countryside, amid the emerald-green rice paddies and farmers threshing crops with their bare feet, are beige cows, giant haystacks… and solar energy panels – 200,000 of them scattered throughout the country. Christian Science Monitor. 25 June 2009.
Deal sends bill to slow global warming to House floor for first time; vote could come Friday.
Key Democrats reached a deal Tuesday that its supporters hope will lead to House passage of the biggest environmental bill in decades, one aimed at slowing the gradual, destructive heating of the planet. Associated Press. 24 June 2009.
Putting a financial spin on global warming.
Urging Congress to cast carbon dioxide as a pollutant will constantly swim against the tide of public opinion, an Oakland, Calif. think-tank urges. Instead, solving global warming should be cast as an economic opportunity in need of government investment. Morning Edition, NPR. 24 June 2009.
U.S. nixes 40 percent cuts at climate change talks.
President Barack Obama's climate envoy dismissed recommendations that the United States and other developed countries reduce their emissions of greenhouse gases 40 percent by 2020. Associated Press. 24 June 2009.
Climate effects of refrigerants underrated.
Modern refrigerants designed to protect the ozone layer are poised to become a major contributor to global warming because of their future explosive growth in the developing world, scientists report this week. Nature. 23 June 2009.
Study warns of cataclysmic glacial melting.
U.S. scientists who have reconstructed a cataclysmic glacial meltdown in prehistoric Canada say Nunavut's Sam Ford Fiord along Baffin Island's rugged east coast shows just how quickly the planet's massive coastal glaciers could disappear and send global sea levels surging. Canwest News Service, Canada. 23 June 2009.
Climate bill costs projected to be lower than critics claim.
The Congressional Budget Office said yesterday that the poorest 20% of American households would actually receive a $40 benefit in 2020 from the legislation, which would establish a cap-and-trade system to limit greenhouse gas emissions. Washington Post. 23 June 2009.
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