Monthly Archives: April 2008

Russia: Lake With 20% of Earth’s Fresh Water Is Warming Faster Than Air

By | Published: April 30, 2008
Bloomberg: The world’s largest lake is warming faster than the atmosphere, challenging the idea that large bodies of water can withstand global warming, according to U.S. and Russian scientists. Siberia’s Lake Baikal, which holds 20 percent of the world’s fresh water, has warmed by 1.21 degrees Celsius (2.16 degrees Fahrenheit) since 1946, said [...]
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European climate envoys expect little from Bush

By | Published: April 30, 2008
window.document.getElementById(‘post-7932′).parentNode.className += ‘ adhesive_post’;Reuters: European climate change diplomats said on Wednesday they don’t expect much from the Bush administration, and figure whoever becomes the next U.S. president will do more to combat global warming. "We acknowledge that we cannot expect much movement on climate change from the current White House," a delegation from the [...]
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United States: Court Orders U.S. to Stop Keeping Polar Bear Status on Ice

By | Published: April 30, 2008
Scientific America: A federal judge Tuesday ordered the Bush administration to stop dragging its feet on the fate of polar bears and decide by May 15 whether declining sea ice in the Arctic threatens their existence. The ruling marks a victory for a coalition of environmentalists–the Center for Biological Diversity, Greenpeace and the Natural Resources [...]
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Russia: World’s largest lake warming rapidly – scientists

By | Published: April 30, 2008
Reuters: Siberia’s Lake Baikal has warmed faster than global air temperatures over the past 60 years, which could put animals unique to the world’s largest lake in jeopardy, U.S. and Russian scientists said. The lake has warmed 1.21 degrees Celsius (2.18 degrees Fahrenheit) since 1946 due to climate change, almost three times faster than [...]
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Global warming may ’stop’, scientists predict

By | Published: April 30, 2008
window.document.getElementById(‘post-7932′).parentNode.className += ‘ adhesive_post’;Telegraph: Global warming will stop until at least 2015 because of natural variations in the climate, scientists have said. Researchers studying long-term changes in sea temperatures said they now expect a "lull" for up to a decade while natural variations in climate cancel out the increases caused by man-made greenhouse gas [...]
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Summit opens to save shrinking Niger River

By | Published: April 30, 2008
window.document.getElementById(‘post-7932′).parentNode.className += ‘ adhesive_post’;Agence France-Presse: A summit of West African states met on Wednesday aiming to save the region’s fast-shrinking Niger River from drying up by approving a 5.5 billion-euro plan. The leaders of Benin, Mali, Niger and Chad and representatives from five other neighbouring countries attended the eighth summit of the Niger Basin [...]
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Australia: Science close to making plant biofactories

By | Published: April 30, 2008
window.document.getElementById(‘post-7932′).parentNode.className += ‘ adhesive_post’;United Press International: Australian researchers say they are a step closer to turning plants into "biofactories" capable of producing oils to replace petrochemicals. Scientists working within the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization — Australia’s national government body for scientific research — report a major advance by accumulating 30 percent of [...]
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Natural changes may offset global warming briefly

By | Published: April 30, 2008
Reuters: Natural climate changes may offset human-caused global warming over the next decade, keeping ocean temperatures the same or even temporarily cooling them slightly, German researchers said on Wednesday. However, this short-term situation might create a problem if policymakers regarded it as a sign they could ease efforts to limit greenhouse gases or play [...]
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Food crisis to worsen if droughts remain unresolved – UN

By | Published: April 30, 2008
window.document.getElementById(‘post-7932′).parentNode.className += ‘ adhesive_post’;GMA News: Drought and unsustainable water management emerged as the culprit in the alarming worldwide food crisis that is seen to get worse unless intervention is done to solve the interconnected problem, the United Nations report Wednesday. The effects of drought plaguing major food exporters like Australia and Ukraine have caused [...]
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EU To Rely On Biofuels Imports For Climate Change Plan

By | Published: April 30, 2008
Dow Jones: The European Union may import "significantly more" biofuels than originally thought under a proposal to add them to transport fuel, an E.U. official said Wednesday, as import tariffs won’t be high enough to dissuade the world’s main exporters. The European Commission’s proposal, which would require 10% of each country’s transport fuel [...]
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Cooler Climate May Hit Europe, N. America Next Decade

By | Published: April 30, 2008
National Geographic: Shifting ocean currents could throw some cold water on global warming over the next decade, a new study suggests. Europe and North America may soon experience chillier temperatures, thanks to natural North Atlantic variations that could temporarily mask the effects of human-driven, or anthropogenic, climate change. "We believe that ocean currents [...]
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Analysis: Algae emerges as new fuel source

By | Published: April 30, 2008
United Press International: As climate change and rising oil prices intensify the search for alternative energy sources, researchers are on the brink of commercializing algae for fuel, experts say. These small, plantlike organisms could be used as feedstocks for ethanol or other biofuels, replacing some of the traditional sources of ethanol, such as corn [...]
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1b people in Asia affected by surging food prices: ADB

By | Published: April 30, 2008
window.document.getElementById(‘post-7932′).parentNode.className += ‘ adhesive_post’;Agence France-Presse: One billion people in Asia are seriously affected by surging global food prices, the director general of the Asian Development Bank, Rajat Nag, said Wednesday in Spain. "This includes roughly about 600 million people who live on just under a dollar a day, which is the definition of poverty, [...]
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Rich world must back 80 percent carbon cuts – Stern

By | Published: April 30, 2008
window.document.getElementById(‘post-7932′).parentNode.className += ‘ adhesive_post’;Reuters: Rich countries must commit to cutting carbon emissions by 80 percent by 2050 and developing nations must agree that by 2020 they too will set their own targets, leading economist Nicholas Stern said on Wednesday. He said the only way the world could defeat the climate crisis was by ensuring [...]
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US presidential candidates on energy issues

By | Published: April 30, 2008
window.document.getElementById(‘post-7932′).parentNode.className += ‘ adhesive_post’;Reuters: Energy and environment issues have gained prominence in the 2008 U.S. presidential contest as crude oil prices near a record $120 a barrel. Here is what the candidates are saying about energy and the environment: * CLIMATE CHANGE New York Sen. Hillary Clinton, Democrat – Cut U.S. greenhouse [...]
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