Posted by: Kory Raftery

Several stories on the science and politics of global warming caught our attention this week:

A new University of Florida study suggests that global warming 55 million years ago caused now-extinct carnivorous mammals to shrink in size. The study, scheduled to be published in the December edition of the Journal of Mammalian Evolution, explains that different species evolved to sizes much smaller than that of their ancestors during this warming period. Researchers say the Earth experienced increased levels of carbon dioxide and a drier environment during this period - but they do not completely understand exactly what caused the mammals to shrink. 

A multi-million dollar center where people will learn about climate change and the threat of sea level rise is slated to be built in the Lower 9th Ward of New Orleans near a floodwall that crumbled during Hurricane Katrina, destroying the neighborhood. The new climate change center, scheduled to open in 2011, will be funded with federal and private dollars. The physical design is still being worked out but a project spokeswoman said it would “serve as a community center and perhaps include job training services.” The area is still largely empty due to the devastation, but near where the center will stand, a number of energy efficient solar-powered homes are being built.

A powdered sugar like material, called "dry water," could provide a new way to absorb and store carbon dioxide, according to British scientists. In addition to trapping greenhouse gases, the powder has the potential to be used in a variety of other applications. It may, for instance, be a greener, more energy-efficient way of jumpstarting the chemical reactions used to make hundreds of pharmaceuticals and food products. Researchers assert dry water could also be used to store methane and may provide a safer way to store and transport potentially harmful industrial materials.

Posted by: Kory Raftery

Several stories on the science and politics of global warming caught our attention this week:

Despite the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s claims that global warming is undeniable and extreme weather events happening all over the globe - all six Republican candidates vying for Judd Gregg’s vacated U.S. Senate seat in New Hampshire recently stood together to deny humans are contributing to climate change. Leading climate scientists agree that greenhouse gas pollution from burning fossil fuels is building up in the atmosphere at an increasing rate and recent studies show New England is not only warming, but experiencing a rash of extreme weather, like the 100-year flood events that happened in New Hampshire in 2005, 2006 and 2007.

In a time when wildfires continue to burn in Russia and the eastern seaboard of the U.S. has seen sweltering heat, Pakistan is now dealing with the worst flooding seen in the country in more than a century. The United Nations recently resolved to strengthen emergency relief efforts to the water stricken region and noted that the unprecedented floods reflected "the adverse impact of climate change and the growing vulnerability of countries to climate change." Climate scientists continue to point out there is a very real distinction between extreme weather and climate change but have asserted it is very likely that hot extremes, heat waves and heavy precipitation events will continue to become more frequent as a result of man-made global warming.

Clean energy investors in California are raising funds to do battle to defeat Proposition 23. The investors are raising millions of dollars for advertising that will be in contrast to messages put out by oil refiners who want to delay the state’s new law on reducing greenhouse gas emissions. If the proposition passes, it would delay California’s Global Warming Solutions Act, signed into law by Republican Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger in 2006, which requires the state to reduce greenhouse gases linked to climate change to their 1990 levels by 2020.

Posted by: Kory Raftery

Several stories on the science and politics of global warming caught our attention this week:

The World Meteorological Organization reported that this summer's extreme weather events - including record breaking temperatures in Asia, flooding in Pakistan and fires in Russia - fit 2007 projections of "more frequent and more intense extreme weather events due to global warming." The projections came from a report authored by the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. While leading climatologists do not maintain that global warming is the only factor in floods, droughts and fires, they do claim that man-made global warming is already stacking the odds for more extreme events in the near future. 

Researchers reported a 100-square-mile chunk of ice separated from a glacier in Greenland. It was the most massive ice island to break away in the Arctic in a half-century of observation. Satellite data from the Arctic Ocean shows the ocean area covered by ice last month was the second-lowest ever recorded for July. Changes in the global ice sheet “are happening fast, and we are definitely losing more ice mass than we had anticipated," a NASA scientist said.

A new study shows more than 40 species of fish off the coast of Australia are migrating elsewhere as sea temperatures change. The study, conducted by the Australian Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO), asserts the species on the go account for roughly 30 percent of the country’s near shore coastal fish. CSIRO has identified south-eastern Australia as a climate change hotspot, with well documented changes already occurring over the last 70 years.

Posted by: Kory Raftery

Several stories on the science and politics of global warming caught our attention this week:

Global Warming could be a major contributor to the demise of the rainforest as we know it. A new study in the journal Conservation Letters claims by the year 2100, nearly half of the plant and animal life in rainforests will not be able to exist as they do today because of deforestation and climate change. The study suggests the Amazon Basin alone could see changes in biodiversity for nearly 80 percent of the region. The report consists of studies done in Central and South America, Asia and Africa.

Just about a week after roughly 300 of the world’s top climate scientists revealed that they have all concluded man-made global warming is “undeniable,” the Arctic discovery of a well-preserved British ship has some oil companies looking past shrinking glaciers and other the negative impacts of global warming to see a lucrative silver lining. Canadian parks officials say they were only able to locate the vessel, which sank 155 years ago, because the ocean is almost completely ice free. Shortly after the ship was found, three huge oil companies announced they are joining forces to more efficiently look for oil and natural gas deposits under the sea close to where the boat was located off Canadian shores.

UN climate talks aimed at curbing the threat of global warming seem to be moving in the wrong direction after a week-long session in Germany. Even as evidence mounts that continued warming could yield deadly impacts, negotiators are reporting that chances for a compromise are giving way to finger pointing. Record global temperatures, forest fires in Russia and deadly floods in Pakistan "are all consistent with the kind of changes we could expect from climate change, and they will get worse if we don't act quickly," said the top U.S. negotiator. "Unfortunately, what we have seen is that some countries are walking back from the progress made in Copenhagen.”

Posted by: Kory Raftery

Several stories on the science and politics of global warming caught our attention this week:

A group connected to the fossil fuel industry claims climate scientists and those who believe carbon dioxide (CO2) is a pollutant have got it all wrong. The organization "CO2 is Green" is taking out advertisements urging people to call their senators and seek a vote against the cap-and-trade bill. "The bill is based on the false premise that man-made CO2 is a major cause of climate change," the ads say.  But a spokesman for Clean Energy Works, a coalition of about 60 groups that want climate legislation, maintains the ads cannot be taken seriously. "This Big Oil front group wants people to think Congress is going to raise taxes, kill jobs, spill more oil, take our children and charge us for the pleasure," he said. Some climate scientists claim a limited amount of CO2 means increased plant growth but warn it will also lead to further unknown environmental damages and ocean acidification in addition to greenhouse warming.

A new study concludes protecting sea otters could become a viable strategy in the fight against global warming. Researchers at the University of California, Santa Cruz found that by munching on sea urchins, the animals remove around 0.40 pounds of carbon from the atmosphere for every square meter of occupied coastal waters. In other words, if sea otters were restored to healthy populations along the coasts of North America they could collectively lock up 10 million tons of carbon, which is currently worth more than $700 million on the European carbon-trading market.

Last month was the warmest June on record, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). A new report released by the organization cites combined land and ocean surface temperatures as the basis for that claim. The report also claims this June yielded the lowest amount of arctic sea ice since record keeping began in 1979. Scientists, researchers and government leaders say they use NOAA’s monthly reports to help track trends in the world's climate.

Posted by: Kory Raftery

Several stories on the science and politics of global warming caught our attention this week:

Oil is still leaking in the Gulf of Mexico, and British Petroleum officials say they will not be able to stop it until August - prompting President Obama to vow to fight for climate change legislation to pass in the Senate. In a speech made in Pittsburgh this week, the president said the private sector should pay some kind of price for its carbon emissions. He also said he will be pushing to make American homes, businesses and vehicles more energy efficient. “It means tapping into our natural gas reserves, and moving ahead with our plan to expand our nation's fleet of nuclear power plants,” said Obama. “And it means rolling back billions of dollars in tax breaks to oil companies so we can prioritize investments in clean energy research and development." 

Global warming is being linked to hundreds of deaths in India as scientists claim the northern part of the country is in the midst of the hottest summer since record keeping began in the late 1800s. Forecasters predict temperatures will continue to rise to close to 122 degrees Fahrenheit and they expect the number of deaths to go up right along side the mercury levels. Hospitals are taking in roughly 300 people a day suffering from heat stroke and officials say the figures are only a fraction of the total as most of the casualties are found in remote rural villages. In addition, wildlife is suffering, with bats, crows and peacocks dying from the heat. Even India's northern hill stations – historically a refuge from the sweltering summers – are reporting temperatures far above the seasonal average.

A report released by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration suggests global warming is a severe threat to Northern California's two great marine sanctuaries and nearby coastal regions. The report states that as the sea level continues to rise and the ocean water continues to warm, the migratory patterns of marine mammals will be disrupted and coastal storms and erosion will be more severe. The report mentions that sea level at the mouth of San Francisco Bay has already risen nearly 8 inches in the past century and noted that scientists estimate a sea level rise off the coast of California of 29 inches in the next 40 years and 75 inches by the end of the century. It also claims some ocean species are moving northward. Gray whales have been observed giving birth as far north as the waters off Monterey County, the report states. 

Posted by: Leonard Anderson

Several items relating to the business and technology of clean energy and the environment caught our attention this week:

The BP oil disaster in the Gulf of Mexico threatens 32 national wildlife refuges in five states -- Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida. Zoos and aquariums are mobilizing to offer help from veterinarians, zookeepers and animal technicians and also provide animal food and vehicles. Oiled sea turtles have been placed at the Audubon Aquatic Center in Louisiana for care and cleaning, and the Minnesota Zoo is sending toothbrushes and towels to help remove the oil caked on the turtles, the New York Times Green blog reports.

Here in the San Francisco Bay Area, the water quality at local beaches this summer is cleaner and safer thanks to recent improvements in sewage systems. San Francisco's Aquatic Park, China Beach and Ocean Beach near Sloat Blvd. got A's and B's year-round for water quality, according to a study by Santa Monica-based Heal the Bay; the firm studies pathogens and bacteria levels at 465 California beaches. In winter, however, heavy rains can cause untreated sewage to flow into the bay and ocean in some areas, raising bacteria levels at a number of beaches, including popular Baker Beach in San Francisco, the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Former President George W. Bush scored some green points this week in a speech at the American Wind Energy Association's annual conference in Dallas. His ranch in Crawford, Tex., is equipped with a rainwater collector and uses geothermal energy, and Bush's presidential library at Southern Methodist University will be LEED-certified. As Texas governor, Bush signed a renewable portfolio standard that pushed Texas to the leading U.S. wind power  producer. "The overall trend in my judgment is that new technologies will find new ways to power our lives," he said. "I fully believe that hybrid plug-ins will be a transition to electric cars" and new ways to generate electricity will be needed. 

Posted by: Kory Raftery

Several stories on the science and politics of global warming caught our attention this week:

Reports released by the National Research Council warn the longer we wait to begin making a drastic reduction in carbon emissions, the harder and more expensive it will be. Congress commissioned the report as part of a series focused on global warming. The authors claim a carbon pricing system is the most cost effective way to drive change. They also state we need to start a measurable budget for greenhouse gas emissions - adding that to really make an impact, we must depart from “business as usual emissions trends, which in the U.S. have been rising at the rate of one percent per year for the last three decades.”

Glacial melting in Greenland is being linked to coastal rising. A recent study completed by University of Miami scientists claims some coastal areas are rising by nearly one inch per year. If current trends continue, scientists fear that figure could increase to two inches per year by 2025. "Greenland's ice melt is very important because it has a big impact on global sea level rise," one of the study’s co-authors said. "We hope that our work reaches the general public and that this information is considered by policy makers."

The Obama administration submitted its revised plan for running the hydroelectric dams on the Snake and Columbia rivers while minimizing the impact on wild salmon runs. The plan covers 10 years of hydropower operations. It will help to combat global warming as hydropower is a source of carbon-free electricity generation. In addition, fish and wildlife experts at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration say the plan will not put critical fish habitat in jeopardy. The plan is supported by a majority of Northwest tribes and states. Its opponents include the state of Oregon, the Nez Perce Tribe and a coalition of fishing and conservation groups, who argue it favors power production and shipping interests rather than threatened and endangered fish.

Pacific island nations are asking the UN Security Council to break the stalemate in negotiations over a global warming treaty, comparing global warming to an invading army. In a letter to the UN, the 11 nations that make up the Pacific Small Island Developing States asserted the threat they face due to a warming world is comparable to damage inflicted on a nation resulting from armed conflict. The group said global warming is contributing to severe food and water shortages in the Pacific and already making refugees of people in Vanuatu, Micronesia, Papua New Guinea, Tuvalu and the Solomon Islands.

Posted by: Leonard Anderson

Several items relating to the business and technology of clean energy and the environment caught our attention this week:

A poem about sewage treatment plants? Sixth grader Jeffrey Weiner was one of the winners in New York City's Water Resources and Poetry Contest, sponsored for 24 years by the city's Department of Environmental Protection. The contest for children in fourth, fifth and sixth grades raises awareness about the importance of the quality of the city's drinking water and its water supply and treatment systems. Here's Jeffrey's poem:

Treatment at wastewater plants must be quite quick,
To remove the pollutants so you don't get sick.
In a mere seven hours, the job is complete,
Compared to weeks in nature to perform the same feat!

Concord, Mass., has outlawed the sale of bottled water, the first U.S. municipality to adopt the ban. The city says the bottles are not reusable, contribute too much waste and use too much energy to manufacture. The International Bottled Water Association is threatening legal action to reverse the measure. The industry group says that based on figures from the Environmental Protection Agency, plastic water bottles are recycled at a rate of 31 percent, making them the single most recycled product. The Concord ban is to go into effect next January 1.

Hewlett-Packard researchers see opportunities to power data centers with biogas extracted from livestock waste for companies like Google and Microsoft. "Information technology and manure have a symbiotic relationship," says HP scientist Chandrakant Patel, adding data centers in rural areas will give dairy farmers new opportunities, the New York Times reports. HP doesn't have immediate plans for a biogas-powered data center.
 

Posted by: Kory Raftery

Several stories on the science and politics of global warming caught our attention this week:

The recent oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico may push lawmakers to act on climate change legislation. One White House advisor said the accident gives the legislation a much better chance of passing this year. But some lawmakers feel the exact opposite. Senator Lindsey Graham (R., S.C.), once a strong supporter of a comprehensive climate bill, now says the current political environment makes it “nearly impossible” to move forward with productive bi-partisan discussions on the issue, claiming the oil spill will cause lawmakers to be divided over offshore drilling.

Things could get really, really hot over the next couple centuries, according to researchers on two different continents. Findings from Purdue University and the University of New South Wales, Australia calculated that if greenhouse gas emissions continue at their current rate, humans will not be able to tolerate the warming they predict will occur. Researchers note these are worst case scenario based findings that look at the maximum amount of temperature and humidity a mammal can take before overheating.

Many reports have linked global warming to problems in the Earth’s oceans and now scientists are getting ready to study how a warming climate may have an effect on biodiversity in our freshwater systems. The EPA recently awarded a grant of nearly $250,000 to Saint Louis University to predict how global warming will impact U.S. rivers and streams.