Climate Change Updates May 22, 2013
- Extreme global warming seen further away than previously thought http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/05/19/us-climate-temperatures-idUSBRE94I0DJ20130519 Warming is still on track, however, to breach a goal set by governments around the world of limiting the increase in temperatures to below 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 Fahrenheit) above pre-industrial times, unless tough action is taken to limit rising greenhouse gas emissions. “The most extreme rates of warming simulated by the current generation of climate models over 50- to 100-year timescales are looking less likely,” the University of Oxford wrote about the findings in the journal Nature Geoscience.
- LDCs in UNFCCC to confer in June http://www.thehimalayantimes.com/fullNews.php?headline=LDCs+in+UNFCCC+to+confer+in+June+HYPERLINK “http://www.thehimalayantimes.com/fullNews.php?headline=LDCs+in+UNFCCC+to+confer+in+June+&NewsID=377213″&HYPERLINK “http://www.thehimalayantimes.com/fullNews.php?headline=LDCs+in+UNFCCC+to+confer+in+June+&NewsID=377213″NewsID=377213 KATHMANDU: Representatives of all 49 member countries in the Least Developed Countries Group (LDC Group) in the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), are scheduled to gather in Bonn of Germany to discuss the upcoming framework of the 2015 protocol from June 3 to 14.
Talking to this daily, Chair of the LDC group and Joint Secretary at the Ministry of Environment, Science and Technology Prakash Mathema said Nepal will speak up for the common agendas of 49 countries in the conference.
“The deliberations will focus on legal aspects of the proposed agreement of 2015 as well as issues related to decreasing emission level by 2020, the deadline year for the ratification of the protocol,” added Mathema.
The Subsidiary Body for Implementation (SBI 38) and the Subsidiary Body for Scientific and Technological Advice (SBSTA 38
- Global warming has not stalled, insists world’s best-known climate scientist http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2013/may/17/global-warming-not-stalled-climate Suggestions that global warming has stalled are a “diversionary tactic” from “deniers” who want the public to be confused over climate change, according to the world’s best-known climate scientist. Prof James Hansen, who first alerted the world to climate change in 1988, said on Friday: “It is not true that the temperature has not changed in the two decades.” Since 1998, when the Niño climate phenomenon caused global temperatures to soar, the rate of increase in warming has slowed, causing some sceptics to suggest climate change has stopped or that the effect of rising carbon dioxide levels on climate is not as great as previously thought.
- Abu Dhabi’s first greenhouse gas data to fight climate change http://gulfnews.com/news/gulf/uae/environment/abu-dhabi-s-first-greenhouse-gas-data-to-fight-climate-change-1.1186169?utm_content=1.1186169HYPERLINK “http://gulfnews.com/news/gulf/uae/environment/abu-dhabi-s-first-greenhouse-gas-data-to-fight-climate-change-1.1186169?utm_content=1.1186169&utm_medium=RSS&utm_source=Feeds&utm_campaign=Abu_Dhabi%C3%A2%C2%80%C2%99s_first_greenhouse_gas_data_to_fight_climate_change&localLinksEnabled=false&utm_term=News_RSS_feed”&HYPERLINK “http://gulfnews.com/news/gulf/uae/environment/abu-dhabi-s-first-greenhouse-gas-data-to-fight-climate-change-1.1186169?utm_content=1.1186169&utm_medium=RSS&utm_source=Feeds&utm_campaign=Abu_Dhabi%C3%A2%C2%80%C2%99s_first_greenhouse_gas_data_to_fight_climate_change&localLinksEnabled=false&utm_term=News_RSS_feed”utm_medium=RSSHYPERLINK “http://gulfnews.com/news/gulf/uae/environment/abu-dhabi-s-first-greenhouse-gas-data-to-fight-climate-change-1.1186169?utm_content=1.1186169&utm_medium=RSS&utm_source=Feeds&utm_campaign=Abu_Dhabi%C3%A2%C2%80%C2%99s_first_greenhouse_gas_data_to_fight_climate_change&localLinksEnabled=false&utm_term=News_RSS_feed”&HYPERLINK “http://gulfnews.com/news/gulf/uae/environment/abu-dhabi-s-first-greenhouse-gas-data-to-fight-climate-change-1.1186169?utm_content=1.1186169&utm_medium=RSS&utm_source=Feeds&utm_campaign=Abu_Dhabi%C3%A2%C2%80%C2%99s_first_greenhouse_gas_data_to_fight_climate_change&localLinksEnabled=false&utm_term=News_RSS_feed”utm_source=FeedsHYPERLINK “http://gulfnews.com/news/gulf/uae/environment/abu-dhabi-s-first-greenhouse-gas-data-to-fight-climate-change-1.1186169?utm_content=1.1186169&utm_medium=RSS&utm_source=Feeds&utm_campaign=Abu_Dhabi%C3%A2%C2%80%C2%99s_first_greenhouse_gas_data_to_fight_climate_change&localLinksEnabled=false&utm_term=News_RSS_feed”&HYPERLINK “http://gulfnews.com/news/gulf/uae/environment/abu-dhabi-s-first-greenhouse-gas-data-to-fight-climate-change-1.1186169?utm_content=1.1186169&utm_medium=RSS&utm_source=Feeds&utm_campaign=Abu_Dhabi%C3%A2%C2%80%C2%99s_first_greenhouse_gas_data_to_fight_climate_change&localLinksEnabled=false&utm_term=News_RSS_feed”utm_campaign=Abu_Dhabi%C3%A2%C2%80%C2%99s_first_greenhouse_gas_data_to_fight_climate_changeHYPERLINK “http://gulfnews.com/news/gulf/uae/environment/abu-dhabi-s-first-greenhouse-gas-data-to-fight-climate-change-1.1186169?utm_content=1.1186169&utm_medium=RSS&utm_source=Feeds&utm_campaign=Abu_Dhabi%C3%A2%C2%80%C2%99s_first_greenhouse_gas_data_to_fight_climate_change&localLinksEnabled=false&utm_term=News_RSS_feed”&HYPERLINK “http://gulfnews.com/news/gulf/uae/environment/abu-dhabi-s-first-greenhouse-gas-data-to-fight-climate-change-1.1186169?utm_content=1.1186169&utm_medium=RSS&utm_source=Feeds&utm_campaign=Abu_Dhabi%C3%A2%C2%80%C2%99s_first_greenhouse_gas_data_to_fight_climate_change&localLinksEnabled=false&utm_term=News_RSS_feed”localLinksEnabled=falseHYPERLINK “http://gulfnews.com/news/gulf/uae/environment/abu-dhabi-s-first-greenhouse-gas-data-to-fight-climate-change-1.1186169?utm_content=1.1186169&utm_medium=RSS&utm_source=Feeds&utm_campaign=Abu_Dhabi%C3%A2%C2%80%C2%99s_first_greenhouse_gas_data_to_fight_climate_change&localLinksEnabled=false&utm_term=News_RSS_feed”&HYPERLINK “http://gulfnews.com/news/gulf/uae/environment/abu-dhabi-s-first-greenhouse-gas-data-to-fight-climate-change-1.1186169?utm_content=1.1186169&utm_medium=RSS&utm_source=Feeds&utm_campaign=Abu_Dhabi%C3%A2%C2%80%C2%99s_first_greenhouse_gas_data_to_fight_climate_change&localLinksEnabled=false&utm_term=News_RSS_feed”utm_term=News_RSS_feed Abu Dhabi: The capital has released its first report on greenhouse gas emissions from every sector in the emirate to help in the global battle against climate change by reducing the emissions. A greenhouse gas is an atmospheric gas which absorbs solar radiation and traps it within the Earth’s atmosphere, causing climate change. Carbon dioxide (CO2), which accounts for 78.6 per cent of all emissions, tops the list of greenhouse gases emitted by the emirate, whereas the energy sector is the highest source with 72.6 per cent of direct emissions, according to the Environment Agency — Abu Dhabi’s results of its inaugural Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Inventory Project for 2010.
- Africa to build wind farm in search for clean energy http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/africa/2013-05/21/c_132396057.htm CAPE TOWN, May 20 (Xinhua) — In a further move in developing clean energy, South Africa will build a wind farm which will generate up to 100 MW of power, it was announced on Monday. The 2.4-billion-rand (258-million-US-dollar) project will be undertaken by Eskom, the state-own electricity utility, according to the Government Communication and Information System. Eskom has got the license to build the wind farm from the National Energy Regulator of South Africa (NERSA). Located near Koekenaap in the Western Cape, the wind farm is due to be in full commercial operation by the end of 2014. It has an expected operating life of 20 years, with average annual energy production of about 233,000 MWh, enough clean energy to power about 97,000 standard homes.
- On climate change, Obama faces an attack from his left flank http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/the-fix/wp/2013/05/20/on-climate-change-obama-faces-an-attack-from-his-left-flank/ If you want to get a sense of how impatient some of President Obama’s most loyal supporters are getting when it comes to climate change, consider this: They’re planning to conduct protests at meetings of the grassroots advocacy organization run by his former top campaign aides.
- Climate change is the mother of invention http://www.timeslive.co.za/thetimes/2013/05/22/climate-change-is-the-mother-of-invention Homo sapiens first made their appearance in Africa during the Middle Stone Age, which lasted from about 28 0000BC to 30000BC . Evidence indicates that a notable period of human advancement occurred in South Africa between 71500 and 59000 years ago . These advances include the use of symbols in engravings, which suggest the development of a complex language, the manufacture and use of stone tools, and personal adornment with shell jewellery
- Origins of Human Culture Linked to Rapid Climate Change http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/05/130521121426.htm The research, published this month inNature Communications, was conducted by a team of scientists from Cardiff University’s School of Earth and Ocean Sciences, the Natural History Museum in London and the University of Barcelona. The scientists studied a marine sediment core off the coast of South Africa and reconstructed terrestrial climate variability over the last 100,000 years.
- Democratic senator apologizes for citing Okla. tornadoes in climate change speech http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2013/05/21/democratic-sen-whiteho use-apologizes-for-climate-republican/ Rhode Island Democratic Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse has apologized for remarks Monday in which he linked Oklahoma “cyclones” to climate change while berating Republicans for their stance on the issue — around the time a massive tornado killed dozens in that state. A Whitehouse spokesman said Tuesday the politically charged remarks were pre-written as part of the senator’s weekly Senate floor speech on climate change.
- UKIP’s rise may undo the climate change consensus http://theconversation.com/ukips-rise-may-undo-the-climate-change-consensus-14375 The surge of support for UKIP at the local council elections this month suggests Britain, or at least some of it, is experiencing a lurch to the right. The party’s rag-bag of populist policies, described as “post-ideological” because they lack core principles to bind them together, nevertheless out-flank the Tories. Any move to the right is bound to have serious consequences for climate change and environmental policies. Only today, Lib Dem Energy Secretary Ed Davey warned that: “Public support is chipped away if the populist politicians refuse to engage with the evidence of the science and just ignore it.
- Drawing in US, China and finance critical to climate deal – S. Africa http://www.trust.org/item/20130313001500-i5lbp/?source=shfb LONDON (AlertNet) – Building a new, ambitious global climate agreement by 2015 will require drawing in China and the United States, and boosting financial help for poor nations so they feel “energised” to act, South Africa’s climate change ambassador has said. With China’s new leadership under domestic pressure to tackle worsening pollution, and U.S. President Barack Obama promising action on climate change after his re-election, now is the moment to press the world’s two biggest greenhouse gas emitters, said Nozipho Mxakato-Diseko, South Africa’s ambassador-at-large for climate change.
- Tornadoes strike at the heart of climate change denial http://www.vancouversun.com/news/Tornadoes+strike+heart+climate+change+denial/8415997/story.html WASHINGTON — At 11 a.m. Monday, Rick Smith of the National Weather Service in Oklahoma warned the citizens of Moore and the surrounding area that their region — and particularly their schools — were very likely in the path of massive tornadoes. They were warned but chose to do nothing. They kept their kids in school. They chose not to evacuate their hospitals. It was business as usual. Perhaps jaded by life in a region labelled “tornado alley,” they chose to go about their daily lives as if nothing were amiss, as if another season of twisters would not affect them, as if weather warnings were bunk.
- Shocking Before And After Pictures Of How Climate Change Is Destroying The Earth http://www.businessinsider.com/climate-change-before-and-after-photos-2013-5?op=1 Almost all scientists now agree that global climate change is caused by humans. A steadily-warming planet impacts the environment in many different ways. Rising global temperatures, largely due to man-made greenhouse gases, are the source of widely-discussed observable changes to the Earth like melting glaciers, rising sea levels, warming oceans, and more extreme weather events, such as hurricanes, droughts, forest fires, and floods. In the pictures that follow, we take a look at how climate-change-related events have affected regions around the world, whether directly or indirectly.
- 3 takedowns of the GOP’s latest climate change skeptic http://theweek.com/article/index/244489/3-takedowns-of-the-gops-latest-climate-change-skeptic In an op-ed in the Washington Post this week, Rep. Lamar Smith (R-Texas), the chair of the House Science and Technology Committee and a noted climate change skeptic, offered a laundry list of reasons why people who are worried about climate change and fighting plans like the Keystone XL pipeline are hurting American policy and the country’s economy. Predictably, climate change believers were quick to deliver counterpoints. Here are three of Smith’s main points, along with the reactions of his critics.
- Climate change will mean more heat deaths http://thechart.blogs.cnn.com/2013/05/21/climate-change-will-mean-more-heat-deaths/ As greenhouse gases cause average temperatures to climb worldwide, human health will suffer, scientists say. A study in the journal Nature Climate Change suggests that heat deaths in Manhattan will increase over the rest of this century in connection with higher temperatures associated with global warming. In the 2020s, heat-related deaths could rise about 20% compared with the 1980s, according to the research. “This paper helps to remind people that climate change is real, that it’s happening and we need to prepare and make ourselves as resilient as we can to climate change,” said Patrick Kinney, the study’s senior author and director of the Columbia Climate and Health Program at Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health. “It’s a real problem that we face. It’s not insurmountable.” In the 2050s, the study projects, climate change could be associated with a rise of up to 49% in heat-related deaths. And by the 2080s, the average heat-related deaths could go up as much as 91%. For reference, the average number of heat-related deaths in the 1980s was 369.
- New question in gov race: Did climate change cause Sandy? http://www.philly.com/philly/blogs/christie_chronicles/New-question-in-gov-race-Did-climate-change-cause-Sandy.html or the third time, Gov. Christie has refused to link climate change and Sandy. “I don’t think there’s been any proof thus far that Sandy was caused by climate change,” Christie said yesterday in response to a question from a reporter from WNYC, an NPR affiliate. Today at a union meeting for teachers, Christie’s expected Democratic challenger, State Sen. Barbara Buono, brought up his remark. “Wake up!” Buono said. “How much proof do you need? This kind of putting his head in the sand, being in denial, is not going to solve our problem. Being in in denial is going to have the future Sandy be the legacy our children are going to inherit.”
- China agrees to impose carbon targets by 2016 http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/climate-change/china-agrees-to-impose-carbon-targets-by-2016-8626101.html The battle against global warming has received a transformational boost after China, the world’s biggest producer of carbon dioxide, proposed to set a cap on its greenhouse gas emissions for the first time. Under the proposal China, which is responsible for a quarter of the world’s carbon emissions, would put a ceiling on greenhouse gas emissions from 2016, in a bid to curb what most scientists agree is the main cause of climate change. It marks a dramatic change in China’s approach to climate change that experts say will make countries around the world more likely to agree to stringent cuts to their carbon emissions in a co-ordinated effort to tackle global warming.
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Climate Changes Updates 22 May 2013
1. Climate change ‘spurred modern human behaviour’
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-22630912
2. Making Sense of the Moore Tornado in a Climate Context
http://www.climatecentral.org/news/making-sense-of-the-moore-tornado-in-a-climate-context-16021
3. On climate change, Obama faces an attack from his left flank
4. New EU climate policy unlikely before 2015: Poland
http://uk.news.yahoo.com/eu-climate-policy-unlikely-2015-poland-192910930.html#pqnEAnR.
5. Tropical Upper Atmosphere ‘Fingerprint’ of Global Warming
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/05/130522131158.htm
6. Vast Methane-Based Ecosystem Uncovered
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/05/130522123017.htm
7. Footwear’s (Carbon) Footprint: Bulk of Shoes’ Carbon Footprint Comes from Manufacturing Processes
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/05/130522123147.htm
8. Life Scientists Present New Insights On Climate Change and Species Interactions
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/05/130522095817.htm
9. Volcanoes Cause Climate Gas Concentrations to Vary
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/05/130522085337.htm
10. Aviation industry optimistic on carbon pact by 2020
11. Environment Secretary Owen Paterson takes case for waste direct to investors
12. African soil diversity mapped for the first time
http://www.enn.com/ecosystems/article/46009
13. Climate Wildfires
http://www.enn.com/ecosystems/article/46008
14. A Rough Guide to the Jet Stream: what it is, how it works and how it is responding to enhanced Arctic warming
http://www.skepticalscience.com/jetstream-guide.html
15. EU vote could “end climate hysteria”
http://www.rtcc.org/eu-vote-could-end-climate-hysteria/
16. Why Happy People Hide From Climate Change
http://news.yahoo.com/why-happy-people-hide-climate-change-232354547.html