News Roundup
‘GENEVA — The global need to cope with climate change is fueling a desire to make climate forecasts as common as weather forecasts, U.S. officials attending a U.N. conference said Wednesday.’
via The Associated Press: US wants to fill need for climate forecasts.
‘GENEVA — The world is speeding towards a climate catastrophe, UN chief Ban Ki-moon warned on Thursday, urging rapid progress in talks to cut emissions and tackle global warming.
“Our foot is stuck on the accelerator and we are heading towards an abyss,” the UN Secretary General said in a speech to the World Climate Conference.’
‘CANBERRA Reuters – Australia’s Great Barrier Reef, the world’s largest living organism, is under grave threat from climate warming and coastal development, and its prospects of survival are “poor,” a major new report found on Wednesday.’
via Outlook poor for Great Barrier Reef: study | Science | Reuters.
‘In a striking example of ingenuity, Australian inventor Tom Chalko has converted a deep freezer into an incredibly efficient refrigerator.’
via Dan Gould: Hyper-Efficient Refrigerator Uses Less Electricity than a Light Bulb.
‘Aug 29 – Sculptures of children carved from glacial melt were displayed in Beijing as Greenpeace marks the 100-day countdown to climate talks.’
via Climate change ‘meltdown’ in China | Video | Reuters.com.
‘LONDON (Reuters) – Humans may have to reset the Earth’s natural thermostat and develop new technologies like reflecting sunlight back into space if climate talks fail, Britain’s top science academy said on Tuesday.’
via World must plan for climate emergency: report | Green Business | Reuters.
‘The World Climate Conference [in Geneva] will look at ways to help countries cope with the effects of climate change, such as an increase in floods and drought.’
‘HONG KONG (Reuters) – U.S. billionaire Warren Buffett intends to raise his stake in Chinese electric car and battery maker BYD Co Ltd (1211.HK), BYD’s chairman said on Monday, sending shares in his company up 8 percent.’
via China’s BYD says Buffett wants to raise stake | Reuters.
Seeking to replace China as the leading supplier of these scarce materials, Colorado-based Molycorp Minerals LLC plans to reopen its long-idled quarry to resume extracting and refining thousands of tons of rare earth ore in the next few years.
‘LOS ANGELES Reuters – The Prius hybrid automobile is popular for its fuel efficiency, but its electric motor and battery guzzle rare earth metals, a little-known class of elements found in a wide range of gadgets and consumer goods.’
via As hybrid cars gobble rare metals, shortage looms | Green Business | Reuters.