climate change – News Stories About climate change - Page 80

Dec 4, 2007 12:20 PM CST

Climate Talks Move Forward, But Slowly

Bali participants take baby steps toward fighting global warming

(Newser) - Sniping among the 190 nations in attendance isn't keeping the climate talks in Bali from inching forward, Reuters reports. Participants have succeeded in putting together a "special group" to look at post-Kyoto Protocol options, but "the devil's in the detail," cautioned a top UN official. Meanwhile, environmentalists...

New 'Petascale' Computers Will Speed Up Science

Dec 3, 2007 11:53 AM CST

New 'Petascale' Computers Will Speed Up Science

Machines accelerate advances in climate change, geology, drug development research

(Newser) - A new generation of "petascale" supercomputers capable of 1,000 trillion calculations per second—about twice the current standard—will start running next year, and the power could not only accelerate scientific discovery but also change the scientific method itself, the Washington Post reports. "We can now do...

Aussies Take the Lead at
Climate Talks

Dec 3, 2007 5:13 AM CST

Aussies Take the Lead at Climate Talks

Nation passes Kyoto Protocol; leaves US out in the cold

(Newser) - Australia won a standing ovation today at the first day of climate talks in Bali as it approved the Kyoto Protocol to cut pollution. Australia's vote now leaves the US the only developed nation not to back the pact. The Kyoto Protocol calls for industrialized nations to cut emissions below...

1B Trees Take Root to Help Save Planet

Nov 28, 2007 7:39 PM CST

1B Trees Take Root to Help Save Planet

Ethiopia, Mexico lead UN agency's climate-change fight

(Newser) - A UN-sponsored initiative exceeded its goal of having one billion trees planted in 2007, AFP reports. Developing nations are leading the charge: Ethiopia tops the list with 700 million plantings, and Mexico, Kenya, Rwanda, and Myanmar all made substantial contributions. The UN Environment Program said it had confirmation of 1....

Climate Time Bomb Ticking, UN Says

Nov 27, 2007 5:42 PM CST

Climate Time Bomb Ticking, UN Says

Ecological doomsday looms within 10 years unless world acts

(Newser) - Global warming will wreak devastation on economies and living standards around the world within 10 years unless nations take steps now to curb carbon emissions, a UN report warns. The report, the latest in a series of dire warnings from international agencies, is intended to spur action at next month's...

Ocean Mapping Key to Survival

Nov 26, 2007 2:01 PM CST

Ocean Mapping Key to Survival

Technology at hand for $3B program, scientists say

(Newser) - A $3 billion monitoring system for the world's oceans is vital to their survival—and to that of mankind, scientists say. A group of experts is proposing an elaborate system using satellites, stations on the sea floor, drifting robots, and electronic tags on marine life, reports the Telegraph. One benefit,...

Time to Move the Bears?

Nov 25, 2007 5:27 PM CST

Time to Move the Bears?

Not quite yet—but species may be moved as warming ruins habitats

(Newser) - Airlifting polar bears to the Antarctic? Luring man-eating tigers out from a forest in Bangladesh? Such ideas are in the air, as biologists debate whether to move embattled species to areas less warmed by CO2. But critics say that "cowboy environmentalists" are flouting the rules—and endangering cooler habitats—...

Rich Nations Break Climate Vow to Poor

Nov 24, 2007 7:45 PM CST

Rich Nations Break Climate Vow to Poor

$1.2B pledge to developing countries is mostly forgotten

(Newser) - Several of the world's richest nations have forgotten about a $1.2 billion pledge to help developed countries cope with climate change, the Guardian reports. The group has doled out less than $185 million so far to help them plan for global warming, defend against floods, and boost conservation. "...

Demand Juices Cranberry Prices

Nov 21, 2007 11:19 AM CST

Demand Juices Cranberry Prices

Who knew? Fruit has become darling of health food fans

(Newser) - Cranberries have become so popular with health-conscious consumers that processors are struggling to keep up with demand, and fresh berries are expected to run out before Christmas, reports the Wall Street Journal. Poor weather—unusually warm and not enough rain—have contributed to rising prices for the "wonderberry."

Dutch Try New Strategies as Tides Rise

Nov 18, 2007 9:52 AM CST

Dutch Try New Strategies as Tides Rise

With 60% of country below sea level, climate change hits home in Netherlands

(Newser) - The most famous dike-builders in the world are reconsidering their strategy for holding out against climate change, the Christian Science Monitor reports. Instead of tightly controlled and engineered dikes, the Netherlands is trying out a so-called "soft approach" that breach dikes and allow large areas to flood, while protecting...

Bush Invites Gore, Nobel Winner

Nov 17, 2007 6:11 PM CST

Bush Invites Gore, Nobel Winner

Political opponents never reconciled after bitter 2000 election

(Newser) - Bush recently invited US Nobel laureates to their annual White House photo op, but he personally called Peace Prize winner and bitter presidential loser Al Gore—and moved the event to November 26 to accommodate Gore's schedule. “It’s unusual, that’s for sure,” said one Gore advisor....

UN Warns of 'Abrupt' Warming

Nov 17, 2007 6:18 AM CST

UN Warns of 'Abrupt' Warming

Earth at 'tipping point' of irreversible catastrophe: UN chief Ban Ki-Moon

(Newser) - The last and most forceful of a series of UN reports on climate change unveiled today urges swift action to avoid "abrupt and irreversible" damage to the environment. Melting glaciers will cause a rapid rise in sea levels, wiping out vulnerable species and destroying water and food supplies for...

Program Tracks Web's CO2 Emissions

Nov 16, 2007 5:43 PM CST

Program Tracks Web's CO2 Emissions

Raising consciousness of how the Internet impacts climate change

(Newser) - If you're reading this, you're contributing to climate change. That's the message of two PhD students who have created a widget to calculate how much carbon dioxide Web sites generate. Operators can download and install the free program on their sites and then buy an equivalent amount of carbon offsets,...

Katrina
Death Toll: 320M Trees

Nov 16, 2007 12:53 PM CST

Katrina Death Toll: 320M Trees

Hurricane's impact on forests leads to massive CO2 release

(Newser) - Hurricane Katrina killed 320 million trees in Mississippi and Louisiana, and the die-off is affecting the atmosphere as well as the landscape. Decaying trees will release about 367 million tons of carbon dioxide, equal to the amount released in a whole season of US forest fires, the LA Times reports....

Global Warming Makes Spring Come Later?

Nov 14, 2007 7:55 PM CST

Global Warming Makes Spring Come Later?

Without a cold snap, vegetation takes longer to bloom down south

(Newser) - Global warming, a spark for spring's early arrival up north, appears to be delaying its appearance in southern states, the New Scientist reports. Southern leaves are coming later, not earlier, according to a Maryland researcher. "It's really surprising," says Xiaoyang Zhang of Earth Resources Technology. "Nobody had...

Plants and Stooges Spike Town Halls

Nov 14, 2007 6:06 PM CST

Plants and Stooges Spike Town Halls

One can’t be sure the questioner's a plain old citizen, Salon observes

(Newser) - The town hall meeting has long been an American tradition in which regular folk talk with political candidates, but Salon’s Michael Scherer says our modern variant is so diluted by plants and stooges it should “be placed inside quotation marks.” Hillary Clinton’s campaign called attention to...

China, India Stick With Coal as Air Worsens

Nov 14, 2007 4:19 PM CST

China, India Stick With Coal as Air Worsens

Low cost, availability outweigh concerns over effects on climate

(Newser) - Coal will remain the key source of power generation in China and India for the foreseeable future, the AP reports today from an energy conference in Rome, despite outside pressure on the countries to reduce carbon emissions. Leading officials urged the international community to help the booming Asian countries develop...

Melting Alaska, Tourist Hot Spot

Nov 14, 2007 1:31 PM CST

Melting Alaska, Tourist Hot Spot

Visitors flock to see climate change first-hand

(Newser) - Tourists traditionally head to Alaska for cruises and fishing, but for a growing number, it’s a global warming pilgrimage. Heating up five times faster than anyplace else, Alaska has drawn politicians, scientists, and now tourists to see the melting future, the Christian Science Monitor reports. “This has immediate...

Sham Study Tricks Climate Skeptics

Nov 12, 2007 7:45 PM CST

Sham Study Tricks Climate Skeptics

Warming blamed on bacteria; pundits trumpeted the news

(Newser) - Turns out undersea bacteria don’t cause global warming after all. But they were on trial for 70 minutes last week after a British prof's email chain linked to a sham study. Climate skeptics and conservatives—Rush Limbaugh included—trumpeted the study until a University of Colorado prof smelled something...

Big Industries Joust Over Energy Prices

Nov 8, 2007 2:18 PM CST

Big Industries Joust Over Energy Prices

Companies strive to suit their own ends in tug-of-war over green policies

(Newser) - US industries are at each other’s throats over energy policy as each sector tries to protect its own interests. A prime example came last year, when Dow Chemical's push for tougher automobile fuel-economy standards—which would help keep a lid on Dow's oil expenditures—ran afoul of automakers, who...