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News Roundup

Deforestation 'faster in Africa' | BBC news

June 1st, 2009

‘Africa’s forests are disappearing faster than those in other parts of the world because of a lack of land ownership, a report says.’

via BBC NEWS | Africa | Deforestation ‘faster in Africa’.

Climate change odds much worse than thought – MIT News Office

May 29th, 2009

‘The most comprehensive modeling yet carried out on the likelihood of how much hotter the Earth's climate will get in this century shows that without rapid and massive action, the problem will be about twice as severe as previously estimated six years ago – and could be even worse than that.’

It is worth noting that this study advances the argument, also mentioned at the Copenhagen Climate Conference by Lord Stern, that the most cost effective approach toward climate risk mitigation is to act quickly as there are increasing mitigation costs and risks with delay. The article goes on to quote study co-author Ronald Prinn:

‘Because vehicles last for years, and buildings and power plants last for decades, it is essential to start making major changes through adoption of significant national and international policies as soon as possible, Prinn says. “The least-cost option to lower the risk is to start now and steadily transform the global energy system over the coming decades to low or zero greenhouse gas-emitting technologies.”‘

via Climate change odds much worse than thought – MIT News Office.

Report: Climate Change Causes 300,000 Deaths Yearly Already

May 29th, 2009

LONDON — Climate-change disasters kill around 300,000 people a year and cause about $125 billion in economic losses, mainly from agriculture, a think-tank led by former U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan reported Friday.

via Report: Climate Change Causes 300,000 Deaths Yearly Already.

Global carbon market doubled in 2008, cut less CO2 | Reuters

May 28th, 2009

‘BARCELONA (Reuters) – The global market for carbon emissions trading doubled in value last year, but actual realised emissions cuts fell as the global economic slowdown dented clean energy financing, the World Bank said on Wednesday.

…A total 4.8 billion tons of carbon dioxide, the main greenhouse gas blamed for global warming, were traded last year, up 61 percent from the 3 billion traded in 2007.’

via Global carbon market doubled in 2008, cut less CO2 | Green Business | Reuters.

Obama touts solar power to break U.S. oil addiction | Reuters

May 28th, 2009

NELLIS AIR FORCE BASE, Nevada (Reuters) – President Barack Obama provided a spending boost to the solar and geothermal energy industries on Wednesday and said increased use of the fuels would make America more secure.

via Obama touts solar power to break U.S. oil addiction | Green Business | Reuters.

Pelosi's New Tactic: Telling China Environment Is A Human Right

May 28th, 2009

BEIJING — U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi urged Beijing on Thursday to cooperate on climate change, calling a safe environment a basic human right.

via Pelosi’s New Tactic: Telling China Environment Is A Human Right.

China Is Said to Plan Strict Gas Mileage Rules – NYTimes.com

May 28th, 2009

HONG KONG — Worried about heavy reliance on imported oil, Chinese officials have drafted automotive fuel economy standards that are even more stringent than those outlined by President Obama last week, Chinese experts with a detailed knowledge of the plans said on Wednesday.

via China Is Said to Plan Strict Gas Mileage Rules – NYTimes.com.

BlueFire Wants to Be Algae’s Sugar Daddy | Green Business | Reuters

May 28th, 2009

‘Two biofuel companies are joining forces to enhance algae’s ability to deliver a cheap energy source. Algal biofuel company Solazyme has formed an alliance with transportation-focused BlueFire Ethanol Fuels to develop new oils from affordable sugars.’

via BlueFire Wants to Be Algae’s Sugar Daddy | Green Business | Reuters.

Sen. Alexander Pushes For $700B For Nuclear Reactors

May 28th, 2009

‘OAK RIDGE, Tenn. — Tennessee Sen. Lamar Alexander called Wednesday for doubling the number of nuclear reactors nationwide, a potentially $700 billion proposal that calls for building 100 more over 20 years.’

via Sen. Alexander Pushes For $700B For Nuclear Reactors.

Caps, Trades and Offsets: Can Climate Plan Work? – washingtonpost.com

May 25th, 2009

It sounds like alchemy, an act of bureaucratic magic. Under the climate-change bill just approved by a House committee, the U.S. government would literally make a commodity — as tradable as a Pontiac or a pork belly — out of thin air.

via Caps, Trades and Offsets: Can Climate Plan Work? – washingtonpost.com.