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From The ABC A climate research group is warning coastal Queensland communities need to start preparing for the effects of climate change. Dr John Hunter from the Antarctic Climate and Ecosystems Cooperative Research Centre says it has designed a new web-based program that can predict the risk of flooding in Cairns and other regions based Continue Reading →
BRITAIN is facing a future of wildfires, storm surges and crop failures during blisteringly hot summers, according to the most authoritative assessment yet of the threat of climate change.
At the publication of the UK Climate Projections 2009 report, Hilary Benn, the Environment Secretary, also warned that by 2070 the Thames Barrier may need to be replaced to cope with increased risk of flooding in the Thames Estuary and sea levels up to 68cm higher than now.
The bleak new government forecasts – the result of 12 years of research by Met Office scientists – indicate that, in one scenario, summer temperatures in London could regularly exceed 40C by 2080.
The Obama administration‘s long-awaited scientific report on the sweeping and life-altering consequences of a failure to act on global warming – Global climate change impacts in the United States – was released on June 19.
It provides the most detailed picture to date of the impacts on the US in the worst case scenarios, when no action is taken to cut emissions. Examples include: floods in lower Manhattan; a quadrupling of heatwave deaths in Chicago; withering on the vineyards of California; the disappearance of wildflowers from the slopes of the Rockies; the extinction of Alaska’s wild polar bears in the next 75 years.
What lies ahead by region
North-east
The winter snow season could be cut in half in southern New York, Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine — maybe as short as a week or two, under the higher emissions scenario. This would destroy winter traditions like skiing and skating and outdoor ponds. Native cranberries and blueberries would disappear; dairy herds, the biggest agricultural industry, would decline under the higher emissions scenario.
The announcement on June 19th of the Federal Government’s $650 million investment in water infrastructure in NSW is an important kick-along for the state’s farmers, irrigators, regional communities and the environment, according to the National Farmers’ Federation (NFF).
“The NFF has insisted the Federal Government improve the balance between water buy-backs and infrastructure upgrades under its water plan,” NFF President David Crombie said. “The preeminent focus on water buy-backs had seen farmers support for water reform in Australia seriously undermined.
U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) was joined yesterday by Apollo Alliance Chairman Phil Angelides and other notable business, labor and clean energy leaders as he introduced the “Investments for Manufacturing Progress and Clean Technology (IMPACT) Act of 2009,” a bill that would put America’s ailing manufacturing sector on the road to recovery by facilitating the development of domestic clean energy manufacturing and production.
The stimulus and other policies being considered in the energy bill — such as a Renewable Energy Standard or a carbon cap — will generate unprecedented demand for clean energy parts and systems. Yet, 70 percent of America’s clean and efficient energy systems are currently produced abroad, including half of the country’s existing wind turbines and all transformers for the electrical grid.
Investors shun North Sea despite rebounding oil prices
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ABERDEEN, Scotland (AFP) – Despite a recent spike in oil prices, energy industry chiefs warn that infrastructure investment in the North Sea will not jump in tandem as market volatility is scaring away investors.
Bosses from the oil and gas sector gathered last week in the Scottish coastal city of Aberdeen for an industry conference that delivered little optimism regarding the outlook for North Sea development.
Oil & Gas UK, an organisation representing Britain’s offshore energy industry, hosted the Aberdeen gathering amid a sharp domestic downturn that has curbed business investment across the country.
