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Climate Change Updates May 29- 31, 2013

EU’s greenhouse gas emissions sink to lowest since 1990 http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/05/29/us-eu-emissions-idUSBRE94S0EV20130529?feedType=RSSHYPERLINK “http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/05/29/us-eu-emissions-idUSBRE94S0EV20130529?feedType=RSS&feedName=environmentNews”&HYPERLINK “http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/05/29/us-eu-emissions-idUSBRE94S0EV20130529?feedType=RSS&feedName=environmentNews”feedName=environmentNews The 2011 decline, which coincided with a 1.6 percent rise in GDP, was the result of a relatively mild winter, the agency said. It followed a rise in 2010 when a colder winter and a rebound in many economies drove upenergyHYPERLINK “http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/05/29/us-eu-emissions-idUSBRE94S0EV20130529?feedType=RSS&feedName=environmentNews” use, breaking a multi-year pattern of emissions’ declines. Jacqueline McGlade, the head of the European Environment Agency, which collects scientific data and advises EU policy-makers, said the EU was making progress towards its target of a 20 percent cut in emissions by 2020 compared with 1990 levels.
Ban Ki-moon could oversee climate target debate http://www.kln.gov.my/web/pak_islamabad/home in a document submitted to the UN climate agency, the UNFCCC, it called on governments to indicate what form their share of a global 2015 climate treaty could take during the COP19 Warsaw summit in November this year with a 2014 deadline to finalise initial pledges. These could then be negotiated at Ban Ki-moon’s climate meeting at the UN General Assembly in September 2014.
UK emissions fell further than other EU nations after mild 2011 http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2013/may/29/uk-emissions-fell-further-eu-2011 The mild winter of 2011-12 may seem a distant memory after this year’s big chill, but the warmer temperatures helped the UK achieve a fall in greenhouse gases steeper than any other nation in the European Union. In 2011, the latest year for which figures are available, UK emissions of climate-warming gases dropped by 7%, compared with an EU average of 3.3%, according to data released on Wednesday by the European Environment Agency (EEA).

EU greenhouse gas emissions lowest to date http://news.yahoo.com/eu-greenhouse-gas-emissions-lowest-date-143000877.html COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) — The EU’s environmental agency says the 27-nation bloc’sgreenhouse emissions in 2011 were the lowest since it began monitoring them in 1990. The European Environment Agency says greenhouse gas emissions dropped 3.3 percent compared to 2010, and were 18.4 percent below 1990 levels. It cited a milder winter in 2011 as the main reason for the drop. Agency director Jacqueline McGlade said Wednesday the European Union was “making clear progress towards its emission targets.”

US needs to work with India, China on climate change: Report http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/news-by-industry/et-cetera/us-needs-to-work-with-india-china-on-climate-change-report/articleshow/20343977.cms WASHINGTON: The US, which accounts for 18 per cent of the global carbon dioxide emissions, needs to work with India and China to make meaningful improvement on issues related to climate changeand resource scarcity, a Congressional report has said.

As Glaciers Melt, Alpine Mountains Lose Their Glue, Threatening Swiss Village http://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/30/world/europe/in-swiss-alps-glacial-melting- unglues-mountains.html?_r=1HYPERLINK “http://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/30/world/europe/in-swiss-alps-glacial-melting-%20unglues-mountains.html?_r=1&”& GRINDELWALD, Switzerland — Marco Bomio recalls that bright Sunday morning in June 2006 as if it were yesterday. Mr. Bomio, 59, a school principal and mountain guide, attended a religious service on a high mountain meadow to mark the founding of a local guide group.

Mount Everest region glaciers retreating as climate warms http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/capital-weather-gang/wp/2013/05/29/mount-everest-region-glaciers-retreating-as-climate-warms/ A recent study led by a graduate student at the University of Milan in Italy reveals declining snow amounts and retreating glaciers in the Mount Everest region, reaffirming fears that many scientists hold – increasing global temperatures could cause irreversible damage. The research presented at an American Geophysical Union (AGU) conference in Mexico earlier this month, shows that the glaciers in the Everest region have shrunk by 13 percent over the last 50 years.

Africa: Continent Roots for Agriculture in Global Climate Change Talks http://allafrica.com/stories/201305291321.html Climate change and its consequences for the environment present an enormous threat to human development and progress today. It is with this understanding that the UN subsidiary bodies are due to meet in Bonn, Germany, in June to advance agreements on climate change, anchored around the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. For most African countries, climate change has not only become a key policy priority as reflected in their national communications to the UNFCCC but also the reason for more concerted engagement in the global climate change debate. This may explain Kenya’s recent move to launch a national climate change action plan that will guide the transition of the country towards a low carbon climate resilient development pathway.

EU seeks 2014 deadline for nations’ greenhouse gas plans http://uk.reuters.com/article/2013/05/28/us-climate-goals-idUKBRE94R0LN20130528 Preparing for a climate meeting of government delegates next week in Bonn, Germany, the EU said all countries should sketch out national commitments for limiting rising world greenhouse gases beyond 2020 by the end of 2014. Deciding on commitments next year should allow time for a review of each national plan before the 2015 agreement, it said. National plans should be easily comparable so that they could be toughened if needed after a review, the EU said in an official submission to the United Nations.

As Glaciers Melt, Alpine Mountains Lose Their Glue, Threatening Swiss Village http://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/30/world/europe/in-swiss-alps-glacial-melting-unglues-mountains.html?_r=1HYPERLINK “http://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/30/world/europe/in-swiss-alps-glacial-melting-unglues-mountains.html?_r=1&”& GRINDELWALD, Switzerland — Marco Bomio recalls that bright Sunday morning in June 2006 as if it were yesterday. Mr. Bomio, 59, a school principal and mountain guide, attended a religious service on a high mountain meadow to mark the founding of a local guide group.

Climate change adaptation: So simple, a caveman could do it http://grist.org/news/climate-change-adaptation-so-simple-a-caveman-could-do-it/ Climate change is a helluva thing to live through. But humanity’s ability to cope and survive during past periods of climatic upheaval might have been what inspired species-advancing leaps in culture and innovation. New research published last week in the journalHYPERLINK “http://www.nature.com/ncomms/journal/v4/n5/full/ncomms2897.html”HYPERLINK “http://www.nature.com/ncomms/journal/v4/n5/full/ncomms2897.html”Nature Communications links some of our ancestors’ greatest cultural advances during the Middle Stone Age to periods of tremendous tumult in the climate. The findings suggest climate change helped get our African ancestors off their butts and thrust them off on quests to explore the greater world.

Pacific islands’ deadly threat from climate change http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/pacific-islands-face-a-deadly-threat-from-climate-change/2013/05/30/86ff1956-c7a9-11e2-9245-773c0123c027_story.html For almost 70 years, my country, the Marshall Islands, has been fighting for its survival. Unfortunately, the threats we face are the result of forces we cannot control. From 1946 to 1958, we endured the horror of 67 atmospheric nuclear tests. The most powerful was the “Bravo shot,” equivalent in power to 1,000 Hiroshima bombs. Now our residents are confronted by a different kind of atmospheric danger: the existential threat posed by climate change.

Colorado Getting A Climate Change Czar http://denver.cbslocal.com/2013/05/30/colorado-getting-a-climate-change-czar/ DENVER (AP)– Colorado is getting a climate change czar, a new position signed into law this week after a debate that included biblical references and tongue-in-cheek praise for the Weather Channel. The state official, yet to be named by the governor, will be tasked with studying the impacts of climate change in Colorado. The czar will make recommendations on how to prepare for everything from larger wildfires to shorter ski seasons.

Is Obama finally getting serious about climate change? http://theweek.com/article/index/244955/is-obama-finally-getting-serious-about-climate-change Environmentalists have long accused President Obama of moving slower than a glacier when it comes to dealing with climate change. They say that despite repeated calls for forceful government action, Obama has never truly delivered, instead allowing the issue to quietly fade from view. Close watchers of Obama’s presidency have speculated that he’d use his second term to push for legacy-cementing policies, including ones that would seriously address climate change. On Wednesday, he touched on the subject, saying at a fundraiser that he didn’t “have much patience for people who deny climate change.”
Climate change study: 82 percent of Calif. native fish species risk extinction http://www.sacbee.com/2013/05/30/5459758/climate-change-study-82-percent.html Climate change may cause the extinction of 82 percent of California’s native fish species over the next century, according to a new study, including iconic species such as coastal steelhead and Central Valley salmon. The peer-reviewed study by fishery experts at theUniversityHYPERLINK “http://topics.sacbee.com/University+of+California/” of California, Davis, set out to create a framework to measure how vulnerable numerous species are to climate change.
Climate change sceptic and mining magnate lined up for Nationals council http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/may/31/climate-change-mining-nationals-council A “major sponsor’s address” at the National party’s federal council on Saturday will be given by either well-known climate sceptic Ian Plimer or mining magnate Tad Watroba. Guardian Australia has learned that Hancock Prospecting subsidiary Queensland Coal Investments will be the major sponsor of the event, with the program saying that the address will be delivered by geologist Prof Plimer. While the program for the meeting – the party’s policy-making forum – lists Plimer as delivering the 10-minute lunchtime speech, when Guardian Australia contacted him on Thursday he joked that he might be “sacked” in favour of Watroba.

Half of Telegraph readers belief climate change a ‘natural phenomenon’. 98% of scientists disagree http://www.leftfootforward.org/2013/05/half-of-telegraph-readers-belief-climate-change-a-natural-phenomenon-98-of-scientists-disagree On the back of chairman of the Commons Energy and Climate Change committee Tim Yeo’s comments that climate change may not be man-made after all, the Telegraph have done apoll asking readers if they think the same. After voting in the poll – I voted ‘yes completely’, as you might have guessed – you get the results. And guess what – a whopping 48 per cent of Telegraph readers believe that climate change is a ‘completely natural phenomenon’.

Climate change may be making stronger storms, not more of them http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2013/05/30/daily-circuit-climate-change The hurricane season that begins Saturday is likely to be more active than average. But it’s not because of climate change — or at least, not in any way that’s easy to detect. “Here’s the bottom line,” said Paul Huttner, MPR News’ chief meteorologist. “Climate change does not seem to have a link to producing more hurricanes. The numbers just don’t show that.” Speaking with host Tom Weber on The Daily Circuit, Huttner added that climate change may be a factor in the severity of the hurricanes, if not the number. “There’s some evidence that these warmer oceans are producing more intense storms, more major hurricanes,” he said. “In fact, since 1970 the number of Category 3 storms has doubled.”

Are five-month summers in our future thanks to climate change? http://pix11.com/2013/05/30/are-five-month-summers-in-our-future-because-of-climate-change/#axzz2UqRlzzvF NEW YORK (PIX 11)- A five-month-long summer could be in Tri-State residents’ future, according to a variety of meteorological models. Assuming they’re true, whether or not New Yorkers are prepared for the hazards associated with them is an open question. So is the accuracy of the meteorological models. Most weather professionals have been commenting in the last few weeks about a new study from the Columbia University Earth Institute that predicts a rise in heat-related deaths in Manhattan in the years and decades ahead. One specific finding of the study is that heat-related deaths in May and September are likely to rise exponentially as the century proceeds, and as the summers start to lengthen. While that may be true, an expert on long-term forecasting, forensic meteorologist Thomas Downs of Weather2000.com in Manhattan, said that here on the East Coast the May heat-up is not expected to be nearly as great as it might become in landlocked parts of the U.S. “You have the air conditioning of the Atlantic Ocean,” he said in an interview. ”That impacts the New York City area.” He said that because May always follows the colder months of winter and spring, the ocean in our area will always be relatively cool for the duration of the fifth month of the year. It, in turn, cools the air in our region.
The Irrelevance of Climate Change Skeptics http://theenergycollective.com/roger-pielke-jr/230251/irrelevance-climate-skeptics Earlier this week, Martin Wolf of the Financial Times announced that the “climate skeptics have won.”His comments echo those of former Nasa scientist James Hansen who told an audience in Edinburgh last year that the skeptics “have been winning the public debate with the help of tremendous resources.” The action needed in response to this situation was spelt out by Lord Stern – the eponymous author of the well-known 2007 report on the economics of climate change – who once called skeptics “forces of darkness” who had to be “driven back.”HYPERLINK “http://http/www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2013/may/09/prince-charles-climate-change-sceptics” Such comments reflect a conventional wisdom in the climate debate. Climate skeptics, or deniers as they are often called, are presented as all-powerful forces bankrolled by rich corporations who have wielded their awesome power to block efforts to deal with the threat of human caused climate change. How do we know that climate skeptics have such power? As Martin Wolf explains, it is the “world’s inaction” on climate policy which reveals their power.