Climate change biggest threat to health, doctors say
Climate change biggest threat to health, doctors say
- guardian.co.uk, Wednesday 13 May 2009 19.27 BST
- Article history
Senior doctors today published a report warning that climate change is the biggest threat to global health of the 21st century.
Rising global temperatures would have a catastrophic effect on human health, the doctors said, and patterns of infection would change, with insect-borne diseases such as malaria and dengue fever spreading more easily.
Heatwaves such as occurred in Europe in 2003, which caused up to 70,000 “excess” deaths, will become more common, as will hurricanes, cyclones and storms, causing flooding and injuries.
Green feed-tariff needs to maximise solar power
Green feed-in tariff needs to maximise solar power
MPs and others are now starting to recognise the potential of solar power technology in the UK, but we are still only scratching the surfa
- guardian.co.uk, Thursday 14 May 2009 15.14 BST
- Article history
April 2010 could be a major milestone in the UK’s attempts to deliver a low-carbon economy. Assuming all goes well, that is the date when the government will introduce new “feed-in tariffs”, where a price premium is paid to homeowners, schools and businesses for every unit of electricity they generate from small-scale renewable technologies, such as solar photovoltaics (PV), wind and micro hydro power.
All of these technologies have immense potential in the UK. However, there is still a very real danger the government will lose its bottle and go for a tariff that will at best make a very marginal difference to uptake. If that happens, it will be a massive lost opportunity at a time when the government needs all the help it can get in meeting its 2020 renewable energy targets.
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International seabed claims flood into UN
Conflicting boundary claims for possession of the continental shelf are expected to generate fresh diplomatic unease
From the Guardian UK
An avalanche of last-minute claims for millions of square kilometres of the seabed is pouring in to a United Nations office in advance of an international deadline for demarcating possession of the ocean floor.
The UK is among countries racing to register submissions with the UN’s Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf before 13 May in the hope of securing valuable oil, gas and mineral resources around the world.
Read other Generator stories on this topic Armed conflict for Arctic seabed / Arctic oil reserves relieve economic pressure / Bush claims seabed as parting Gesture
Carbon trading won’t stop climate change
ONE day renewable energy looks like a sunrise industry, the next, tumbleweeds are blowing around a setting solar panel. What has changed? The price of emitting carbon dioxide.
In 2005 the European Union created the world’s first proper carbon market, the EU Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS), which compels highly polluting industries to buy permits to emit CO2. The number of permits is limited, so the idea is that supply and demand set a price that encourages the development of a low-carbon economy. A rising price with no wild fluctuations sends an economic signal to invest in clean energy. But it’s not working.
The price of a tonne of CO2 on …the ETS has had a roller-coaster ride – soaring one minute, plummeting the next. In the past year it has lurched from over €30 to €8, and now languishes at around €10. Disastrously, such low and unpredictable prices for CO2 remove the economic incentive to decarbonise economies.
The bullish outlook for lithium
ANOTHER week. Another set of challenges, no doubt.
But the trend is once again, for the moment, our friend.
While most eyes were on Wall Street and other equity markets, there were some astonishing moves in metals. And particularly for nickel and tin.
Look at the action on the London Metal Exchange. On Wednesday, nickel added $US700/tonne to its price, and then on Thursday the price advanced a further $US595, but lost only a fraction of that on Friday to end the week at $US13,100/tonne.