After two weeks of discussion, delegates from 187 countries were able to reach agreement on the need for a new climate accord to be negotiated by 2009. Agreement to broker a new accord came only after an apparent reversal of the US position in the closing hours of the conference. The new plan does not include binding agreements to cut … Read More
Arctic Summers Ice-Free "by 2013"
As the observed rate of summer ice melt in the Arctic begins to run ahead of projections, a study done by US scientists shows previous models as underestimating processes driving ice loss and that Arctic summers could be ice-free as soon as 2013.
The Pitfalls of Energy Efficiency
Physicist Rick Marshall employs the three laws of thermodynamics to debunk a popular way of combatting climate change, showing that energy efficiency might not actually reduce energy demand.
Forest Loss in Sumatra Becomes a Global Issue
Worldwide demand for palm oil used in cooking, cosmetics, and “earth-friendly” biodiesel is driving logging of Sumatra’s once-dense forests and the establishment of palm plantations, causing concern about the greenhouse gas contributions caused by deforestation – which now accounts for 20% of global emissions – and Indonesia’s potential “carbon bomb.”
Humans Make Atmosphere Wetter
A joint US, UK, German and Japanese study finds human-caused increase in atmospheric carbon dioxide levels has in turn forced up water-vapor content.
Commitment to Climate: Sweden First, US Almost Last, Study Says
The Climate Change Performance Index, released by Germanwatch during the Bali climate conference, rates 56 of the heaviest greenhouse gas polluting nations’ commitment to a healthier climate based on energy usage, carbon dioxide emissions, governmental policies and long-term trends. Results show Sweden coming in first, with Saudi Arabia placing last and the US second to last.
Facing a Threat to Farming and Food Supply
Several recent analyses have concluded that the higher temperatures expected in coming years — along with salt seepage into groundwater as sea levels rise and anticipated increases in flooding and droughts — will disproportionately affect agriculture in the planet’s lower latitudes, where most of the world’s poor live.
Emissions Growth Must End in 7 Years, U.N. Warns
The world will have to end its growth of carbon emissions within seven years and become mostly free of carbon-emitting technologies in about four decades to avoid killing as many as a quarter of the planet’s species from global warming, according to top United Nations’ scientists.
IPY Lights Fire of Discovery
If you haven’t heard of the International Polar Year, read this article. IPY is an international effort to study the polar regions and improve our understanding of their role in and response to climate change.
Shrinking ice means Greenland is rising fast
Greenland’s landmass is rising up to 4 centimeters per year. The accelerated rate of its rise is attributed to its shrinking ice dome.