The atmosphere is to the earth as a layer of varnish is to a desktop globe. It is thin, fragile and essential for preserving the items on the surface.150 years of burning fossil fuel have overloaded the atmosphere to the point where the earth is ill. It now has a fever. Read the detailed article, Soothing Gaia’s Fever for an evocative account of that analogy. The items listed here detail progress on coordinating 6.5 billion people in the most critical project undertaken by humanity.Â
Revealed: polluters’ fear tactics on climate
November 6, 2009
“Older, well-capitalised and deeply entrenched industries” are dominating the debate on climate climate change, the report has found. Photo: Peter Braig
BIG greenhouse polluting companies around the world, employing thousands of lobbyists, are exerting heavy pressure on governments to weaken climate change laws at home and slow progress on an international climate agreement in Copenhagen, a global investigation reveals.
If we are serious about meeting climate targets we must open the energy market to support independent project developers
To accelerate the decarbonisation of our energy supply, we will have to accelerate the decentralisation of energy generation. Photograph: David Sillitoe
On Monday, new nuclear power stations and big energy projects were on everyone’s lips. So yesterday’s agreement by the European Investment Bank to provide £700m of loans to independent windfarm developers marks a refreshing alternative to Britain’s utility-centric energy policy.
Our reliance on a small handful of utilities has failed to meet carbon-cutting targets, a fact backed up by recent reports from Ofgem and the Committee on Climate Change. And there is no evidence to suggest that the same handful of suppliers will do any better in the future.
IPCC chairman Rajendra Pachauri accuses Indian environment ministry of ‘arrogance’ for its report claiming there is no evidence that climate change has shrunk Himalayan glaciers
The Himalayas. The IPCC has warned that Himalayan glaciers are receding faster than in any other part of the world and could “disappear altogether by 2035 if not sooner”. Photograph: Frederic Soltan/© Frederic Soltan/Corbis
A leading climate scientist today accused the Indian environment ministry of “arrogance” after the release of a government report claiming that there is no evidence climate change has caused “abnormal” shrinking of Himalayan glaciers.
Jairam Ramesh, India‘s environment minister, released the controversial report in Delhi, saying it would “challenge the conventional wisdom” about melting ice in the mountains.
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Mr McFarlane says there is mounting evidence to back his pessimism. (ABC TV News – file image)
The Federal Government has defended carbon capture and storage technology as a viable option for Australia to cut its emissions.
The Opposition’s emissions trading spokesman, Ian Macfarlane, says clean coal technology has passed Australia by and will probably never work.
Kevin Rudd’s speech to the Lowy Institute last Friday was one of the most extraordinary pieces of rhetorical hypocrisy this country has seen in recent years.
Coming only days after he had been singled out by African negotiators at the Barcelona pre-Copenhagen talks as one of the leaders whose action does not match his political manifesto, you have to admire our PM’s gall for blaming the lack of global and domestic action on sceptics who, frankly, are not in a position of real power. Sure, the sceptics make a lot of noise. Sure, they make life annoying and difficult. But a real leader would stand up, sweep them aside, and do what it takes.
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The state Opposition says development needs to take account of rising sea levels. (ABC)
Figures from the National Tidal Centre show sea levels along Western Australia’s coast are rising at a rate double that of the world average.
Global sea levels rise at an average of just more than 3 millimetres a year.
Latest figures show sea levels have risen an average 8.6 millimetres a year off Perth and 8.1 millimetres in the Kimberley.