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
Impact of religions will have ‘deeper roots’ than Copenhagen Ecologist 31st October, 2009 Archbishop speaks of the lasting impact of a religious movement to tackle climate change ahead of major summit of religious leaders The Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams, has spoken out about the crucial role of the world’s religions in tackling climate change Continue Reading →
EU credibility is at stake over deal to finance global fight against climate change. Photograph: John Giles/PA
European leaders were locked in an east-west tussle over how to foot the bill for combating climate change, a key issue seen as a test of European credibility on global warming in the run-up to the Copenhagen conference in December.
Scrap this regressive fuel tax and let countries be prosperous and free enough to cope with the effects of climate change
When the Grocer magazine accused Ken Clarke of planning to increase the rate of VAT on domestic fuel and power bills in 1997 it was a political scandal.
He was quick to deny their report. But, as our study released this morning shows, the European Union Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) is now effectively doing just what the Grocer accused Clarke of planning. The ETS is now costing British consumers £3bn a year – equivalent to around £117 per family, and a large part of that bill is coming through higher electricity prices. When combined with other climate change policies such as the Renewables Obligation, it now accounts for 14% of the average household electricity bill. Yet, what percentage of the population even knows these policies exist, let alone how much they’re paying for them?
By banning logging, mining and oil drilling in an area twice the size of California, Canada is ensuring its boreal forests continue to soak up carbon
Canada’s boreal forest soaks up 22% of the carbon stored on the earth’s land surface … Jasper National Park, Alberta, Canada. Photograph: Karen Schwartz/AP
In the far north latitudes, buried within a seemingly endless expanse of evergreen forests, the authorities in Canada are building up one of the world’s best natural defences against global warming.
In a series of initiatives, Canadian provincial governments and aboriginal leaders have set aside vast tracts of coniferous woods, wetlands, and peat. The conservation drive bans logging, mining, and oil drilling on some 250m acres – an area more than twice the size of California.
Matthew Franklin and Dennis Shanahan | October 30, 2009
LIBERAL Party frontbenchers have begun to dump their support for carbon emissions trading after receiving party research showing voters are increasingly skittish about putting a price on carbon.
Despite Malcolm Turnbull’s ongoing attempts to broker a deal with Labor that would clear the way for Kevin Rudd’s proposed ETS, political hardheads among the Liberals are moving closer to the Nationals’ view that endorsing carbon trading is political poison.
• Obama administration warns of cost of inaction
• Move met with opposition from Baucus and Inhofe
Barack Obama speaks during a visit to Florida Power & Light’s Desoto Next Generation Solar Energy Centre. Photo: Steve Nesius/AO
The epic confrontation about how America will power the economy of the future formally got underway today amid stark warnings from the Obama administration of the costs of inaction on energy reform.
Today’s hearing, the first of three blockbuster sessions in the Senate, marks a last heave by administration officials and Democratic leaders to advance a bill to reduce America’s greenhouse gas emissions before an international climate change meeting at Copenhagen, now just six weeks away.