Great apes 'facing climate peril'
Climate change may be putting great ape species at risk, BBC News reports here: Great apes are facing an "inevitable crisis" arising from climate change, a leading conservationist has warned. Dr Richard Leakey said that growing pressure to switch from fossil fuels to biofuels could result in further destruction of the animals' habitats. The chair of WildlifeDirect called for immediate action and proposed financial incentives to save forests from destruction as one possible solution.
The Perils of Pushing Atomic Energy as the Climate Change Panacea
Spiegel Online reports here: Is nuclear power on the verge of a renaissance? Its supporters argue that atomic energy is the only way to satisfy humanity's hunger for more energy without aggravating the effects of global warming. Critics, however, regard the nuclear hype as over-simplistic optimism fueled by an industry in distress. (more)
Bush 'Plan' Likely Torpedoes G- 8 Climate Agreement
Spiegel Online reports here: US President George W. Bush has unveiled plans for combating climate change, calling for the 15 worst emitters of greenhouse gases to meet and agree on emissions goals by 2008. The proposal could be intended to block Merkel's plans for the G-8 summit next week.
Time for the US to Take Responsibility
Spiegel Online reports here: One week ahead of the G-8 summit in Heiligendamm, the US is still refusing to agree on concrete emissions reductions goals. Now, the German environment minister has had enough.
Schwarzenegger accuses government on warming
Reuters reports here at Yahoo News: Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger of California and fellow Republican Gov. Jodi Rell of Connecticut accused the U.S. government on Monday of "inaction and denial" on global warming.
German-US relations are cooling off
Spiegel Online reports here: German-US relations are cooling off rapidly because of fundamental disagreement on how to tackle global warming. Officials are mounting last-ditch attempts to resolve differences in time for next week's G8 summit in Heiligendamm. But they're no longer holding out much hope.
Bush should be open to climate deal: Pelosi
Reuters reports here at Yahoo News: House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi urged President George W. Bush on Monday to forge a compromise with other G8 countries on plans to fight climate change at a summit in Germany next week.
Conciliation talk at whaling meet
Protestors in Anchorage did not appreciate the conciliation message, BBC News reports here from Anchorage, Alaska: The annual meeting of the International Whaling Commission (IWC) will open in Alaska later with a new spirit of conciliation in the air.
Japan to limit bluefin tuna fishing
AFP reports here at Yahoo News: TOKYO Japan, the world's largest consumer of tuna, plans to limit bluefin tuna fishing in its own waters in a bid to help protect the species from extinction, a report said Sunday.
Ancient "Megadroughts" Struck U.S. West, Could Happen Again
National Geographic News reports here: Much of the western U.S. may be headed into a prolonged dry spell—a "perfect drought," scientists say, that could persist for generations.
US 'opposes' G8 climate proposals
BBC News reports here: "The US appears to have rejected draft proposals by Germany for G8 members to agree tough measures in greenhouse gas emissions, leaked documents have shown." -- Will they ever learn? -- The answer is blowing in the wind! :(
Merkel Dampens Hope for Climate Progress at G- 8
Spiegel Online reports here: Months ago, Merkel made climate change a priority of her G-8 presidency. Now, though, it looks like an agreement may not be possible, though British Prime Minister Tony Blair remains optimistic.
US lawmakers assail Bush over weakening G8 climate report
AFP reports here at Yahoo News: WASHINGTON - Senior US lawmakers have expressed deep concern in a letter to President George W. Bush over reports the United States seeks to weaken a G8 declaration on climate change. And here: The Smithsonian museum institute in Washington toned-down and delayed an exhibit on global warming it feared would displease Congress and the White House, a former museum director said.
Solar Energy Poised to Go Mainstream, Say Researchers
Solar Energy Poised to Go Mainstream, Say Researchers, OneWorld.net reports here at Yahoo News: SAN FRANCISCO, May 24 - Solar power is the fastest growing source of energy in the world and likely will become much more affordable in the next few years, according to a new report out this week.
Warm spring 'affecting wildlife'
BBC News reports here: A warm spring has brought about the early arrival of some UK wildlife, the first results of this year's Springwatch survey suggest.
Nuclear power 'must be on agenda'
Ministers say it would be a mistake to exclude nuclear power, BBC News reports here: Nuclear power is needed to help reduce carbon emissions and to ensure that the UK has secure energy supplies in the future, the prime minister has said.
Warming blamed for frog die-offs
Reuters reports here at Yahoo News: SAN JOSE, Costa Rica - Global warming is the top suspect for the disappearance of 17 amphibian species from Costa Rican jungles, scientists said on Tuesday, warning monkey and reptile populations were also plummeting.
European Mammals under Threat
Spiegel Online reports here: One in six European mammals is threatened and more than one-quarter of the continent's species are declining in population. A new EU study shows that deforestation, pollution and drainage of wetlands are robbing European mammals of their homes.
Climate 'threatening UK species'
BBC News reports here: Action is needed to protect British wildlife from the effects of climate change, a report says.
Solar flashlight lets Africa's sun do the work
The New York Times reports here at News.com: Man spends $250,000 to develop and manufacture solar-powered flashlights that give up to seven hours of light on a daily recharge.
Greenpeace Calls for More Whale Protection
Spiegel Online reports here: With an exhibit of dead pilot whales and white dolphins in the center of Berlin, Greenpeace activists tried to pressure the German government on Friday to help save the whales. The German government is already quite concerned, though -- at least on paper.
Rio Tinto, BP plan 1.5 billion dollar clean coal plant
AFP reports here at Yahoo News: SYDNEY - Mining giant Rio Tinto and energy powerhouse BP Monday announced plans for a 1.5 billion US dollar coal-fired power project in Australia which would capture carbon dioxide to cut greenhouse gas emissions.
Extreme Summer Forecast: 10 Degrees Hotter by 2080
LiveScience.com reports here at Yahoo News: Global warming could turn the heat way up during the summer in the eastern United States, raising the average by nearly 10 degrees Fahrenheit by the 2080s, a new NASA study finds.
Climate changes said harm sunflowers
AP reports here at Yahoo News: KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Imagine the Sunflower State without its sunflowers. That's one of the dire predictions contained in a new report on global warming released by the National Wildlife Federation, which says the Kansas state flower could move north to other states in a few decades.
Live Earth's hot air, burn oil instead: Daltrey
AFP reports here at Yahoo News: LONDON - Rock legend Roger Daltrey blasted the forthcoming Live Earth event, saying exhausting the world's supply of oil would force more solutions to be found for climate change problems.
Deadlock at climate talks mars Kyoto hopes
Reuters reports here at Yahoo News: Deadlock over how to bring the United States and big developing nations to the climate negotiating table frustrated U.N.-hosted talks this week, meant to lay the groundwork for a conference in Indonesia in December.
Polar ocean soaking up less CO2
BBC News reports here: Antarctica's Southern Ocean carbon "sink" is soaking up less CO2 than it was expected to.
Solar power lights up lives in rural Bangladesh
Reuters reports here at Yahoo News: GAZIPUR, Bangladesh - Grocer Abdur Rashid used to shut his shop in rural Bangladesh at dusk, missing the peak shopping hour because he did not have electricity. But ever since he bought a solar system from a local aid organisation, he's been able to stay open until late evening, almost doubling his daily sales.
NASA satellites reveal vast snow melt on Antarctica
AFP reports here at Yahoo News: LOS ANGELES - A team of scientists from NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, and the University of Colorado said new satellite imagery had revealed a vast expanse of snow melt in 2005 where it had previously been considered unlikely. The NASA statement described the findings as "the most significant melt observed using satellites during the past three decades."
Ocean around Japan warming up fast
Reuters reports here at Yahoo News: TOKYO - The ocean around Japan has warmed up faster than elsewhere in the world over the last hundred years partly because of global warming, Japan's Meteorological Agency said on Tuesday.
US Blocks G8 on Climate Change Commitments
Spiegel Online reports here: The US is blocking language on climate change in the forthcoming G8 declaration. It now remains to be seen whether the other leading industrialized nations can salvage a commitment to combat global warming.
Call to tax plasma televisions
BBC News reports here: Governments should tax "energy intensive" plasma TVs, according to a leading expert on climate change.
EU Says UN Too Weak On Climate Change
Spiegel Online reports here: The EU rejected the UN's draft document on sustainable development because it is not strong enough on climate protection. They're also not amused that Zimbabwe -- land of economic decay and corruption -- is heading the commission.
Federal Loans for Coal Plants Clash With Carbon Cuts
The Washington Post reports here: A Depression-era program to bring electricity to rural areas is using taxpayer money to provide billions of dollars in low-interest loans to build coal plants even as Congress seeks ways to limit greenhouse gas emissions. That government support is a major force behind the rush to coal plants, which spew carbon dioxide that scientists blame for global warming.
New mileage ratings for hybrid cars
Wired reports here: Hybrid car economics will face a new road test this month with the arrival of fresh models sporting revised mileage ratings from the Environmental Protection Agency. This year, new test standards have forced manufacturers to lower advertised efficiency claims on most models compared to previous years, and car lots are bracing for a tougher environment for hybrid sales.
Green-tech pros eye cash in carbon
CNET News.com report here: Forward-looking green-tech companies are trying to build a business by monetizing greenhouse-gas reductions.
Birds 'starve' at S Korea wetland
BBC News reports here: Tens of thousands of migratory birds are facing starvation in South Korea, the UK-based Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) says. The group says a land reclamation project has destroyed key wetlands used by the birds on their way from Asia to their breeding grounds in the Arctic. Without the food at the Saemangeum wetlands, on the east coast, many of the birds will not survive the journey.
Mystery Source of Urban Pollution Revealed
LiveScience.com reports here at Yahoo News: A crucial but unknown source of molecules linked with smog has long eluded scientists trying to uncover the origins of air pollution in cities. Now researchers find the grime that builds up on windows, buildings, roads and other urban surfaces might be this mystery source. The findings could help improve bad-air predictions and strategies to fight smog. While grime outside cities is often just natural dirt, grime in cities is "a soup of thousands of chemical compounds," explained University of Toronto atmospheric chemist James Donaldson.
Rains aid Europe's crops amid climate swings
Reuters reports here at Yahoo News: Rains are reviving parched European crops and cargo ships are plying the Rhine fully loaded for the first time in a month but worries remain that global warming is skewing the continent's weather.
Shrinking the cost for solar power
CNET News.com report here: One of the big problems with solar power has been that it costs more than electricity generated by conventional means. But some experts think that, under certain circumstances, the premium for solar power can be erased, without subsidies or dramatic technical breakthroughs.
New Tower Creates All Its Own Energy
Spiegel Online reports here: A German architect is pursuing an ambitious project in the Middle East. He wants to build office towers in Riyadh, Dubai and Bahrain that produce all their own energy. The zero emissions office building has arrived.
Asian markets push illegal ivory
BBC News reports here: Cross-continental crime syndicates run from East Asia are fuelling a rise in the illegal ivory trade.
Can plankton slow climate change?
CNET News.com reports here: Scientists plan to find out by growing plankton plumes in the ocean, where they'll gobble carbon dioxide.
Denmark banks on offshore wind power for 'clean' future
AFP reports here at Yahoo News: ESBJERG, Denmark - Denmark, a world leader in wind energy production and consumption, has built the world's largest offshore wind park in the North Sea as it aims to generate 75 percent of its electricity needs with wind power by 2025.
WWF Slams Germany's Addiction to Coal
Spiegel Online reports here: While Germany has portrayed itself as a leader in tackling climate change in Europe, the facts on the ground reveal a different picture. The 30 worst polluting power plants in Europe produce 10 percent of the EU's CO2 emissions and 10 of them are in Germany.
Encyclopedia of Life Web Project To Catalogue Species
The Washington Post reports here: A group of the world's leading scientists announced yesterday that they had joined forces to document the world's 1.8 million named species in a massive new Encyclopedia of Life.
U.N. raises doubts on biofuels
AP reports here at Yahoo News: ROME - Biofuels like ethanol can help reduce global warming and create jobs for the rural poor, but the benefits may be offset by serious environmental problems and increased food prices for the hungry, the U.N. said Tuesday in its first major report on bioenergy.
'We Are Children of the Tropics'
Spiegel Online reports here: Biologist Josef Reichholf discusses the benefits of a warmer climate for animals and plants, large cities as centers of biological diversity and the myth of the return of malaria.
Coconut oil powers island's cars
BBC News reports here: Sydney - People on the island of Bougainville in Papua New Guinea have found their own solution to high energy prices - the humble coconut.
U.N. urges world to slow warming after grim reports
Reuters reports here at Yahoo News: BONN, Germany - The United Nations urged far tougher action to fight climate change at a 166-nation climate conference on Monday, the first after reports warning of growing damage from droughts, floods or rising seas.
South Pacific to stop bottom-trawling
BBC News reports here: A quarter of the world's oceans will be protected from bottom-trawling, South Pacific nations agree.
When carbon is currency
The New York Times reports here at News.com: Ten states have joined to create the first mandatory carbon cap-and-trade program in the United States.
Japan gives $2.1B to stem climate change
AP reports here at Yahoo News: KYOTO, Japan - Japan pledged up to $2.1 billion in aid Sunday to the Asian Development Bank to combat global climate change and promote greener investment in the region.
Urban farming barges ahead in New York
CNET News.com reports here: The Science Barge, a floating hydroponic farm on the Hudson River, rides a wave of eco-friendly ambition.
How The World Can Be Saved
Spiegel Online reports here: By accepting a reduction of just 0.12 percent in global economic growth, we can avoid the worst consequences of global warming, according to the IPCC. The catch? It only works if everyone joins in.
| Mitigating Technologies and Practices | ||
| Sector | Already Available | Available by 2030 |
| Energy supply | Improved supply and distribution efficiency, fuel switching from coal to gas, nuclear power, renewable heat and power (hydropower, solar, wind, geothermal and bioenergy), combined heat and power, early applications of CCS (e.g. storage of removed CO2 from natural gas) | Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) for gas, biomass and coal-fired electricity generating facilities, advanced nuclear power, advanced renewable energy, including tidal and waves energy, concentrating solar, and solar PV. |
| Tranportation | More fuel efficient vehicles, hybrid vehicles, cleaner diesel vehicles, biofuels; modal shifts from road transport to rail and public transport systems, non-motorized transport (cycling, walking), land-use and transport planning | Second generation biofuels, higher-efficiency aircraft, advanced electric and hybrid vehicles with more powerful and reliable batteries |
| Buildings | More efficient end-use electrical equipment, heat and power recovery, material recycling and substitution, control of non-CO2 gas emissions and a wide array of process-specific technologies | Integrated design of commercial buildings including technologies, such as intelligent meters that provide feedback and control; solar PV integrated in buildings |
| Industry | More efficient end-use electrical equipment, heat and power recovery, material recycling and substitution, control of non-CO2 gas emissions and a wide array of process-specific technologies | Advanced energy efficiency, CCS for cement, ammonia and iron manufacture and inert electrodes for aluminium manufacture |
| Agriculture | Improved crop and grazing land management to increase soil carbon storage, restoration of cultivated peaty soils and degraded lands, improved rice cultivation techniques and livestock and manure management to reduce CH4 emissions, improved nitrogen fertilizer application techniques to reduce N2O emissions, dedicated energy crops to replace fossil fuel use, improved energy efficiency | Improvements of crop yields |
| Forestry | Afforestation, reforestation, forest management, reduced deforestation, harvested wood product management, use of forestry products for bioenergy to replace fossil fuel use | Tree species improvement to increase biomass productivity and carbon sequestration. Improved remote sensing technologies for analysis of vegetation/soil carbon sequestration potential and mapping land use change |
| Waste | Landfill methane recovery, waste incineration with energy recovery, composting of organic waste, controlled waste water treatment, recycling and waste minimization | Biocovers and biofilters to optimize CH4 oxidation |
| (Source: IPCC) | ||
WHO: Green polices yield quick rewards
AP reports here at Yahoo News: BANGKOK, Thailand - Countries that start battling global warming now won't have to wait generations to see the rewards: Burning cleaner fuels can yield immediate health benefits that save lives and money, world health experts say.
Disease- Carrying Ticks Spread in Germany as Climate Warms
Spiegel Online reports here: Experts are warning of an epidemic of disease-bearing ticks in Germany this summer after a particularly mild winter. Their range is likely to keep increasing as the climate warms.
Climate change 'can be tackled'
Tackling climate change need not cost the Earth, the IPCC says, BBC News reports here: The growth in greenhouse gas emissions can be curbed at reasonable cost, experts at a major UN climate change conference in Bangkok have agreed.