News: Archive for May, 2013
‘WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The amount of climate-warming carbon dioxide in the atmosphere topped 400 parts per million at a key observing station in Hawaii for the first time since measurement began in 1958, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said on Friday.’
via Carbon dioxide level crosses milestone at Hawaii site – Yahoo! News Canada.
‘WASHINGTON (AP) — Worldwide levels of the chief greenhouse gas that causes global warming have hit a milestone, reaching an amount never before encountered by humans, federal scientists said Friday.’
via Greenhouse gas milestone; CO2 levels set record – Yahoo! Weather.
‘In 2009, President Obama pledged to reduce America’s greenhouse gas emissions by 17 percent from 2005 levels by 2020. Thanks to several factors, the country is halfway there. On Monday, Mr. Obama announced the appointment of two seasoned officials who could fulfill that pledge — but only if the president himself helps them navigate the formidable political obstacles ahead.’
‘Yesterday, for the first time in human history, concentrations of carbon dioxide, the primary global warming pollutant, hit 400 parts per million in our planet’s atmosphere. This number is a reminder that for the last 150 years — and especially over the last several decades — we have been recklessly polluting the protective sheath of atmosphere that surrounds the Earth and protects the conditions that have fostered the flourishing of our civilization.’
‘An elderly Catholic nun and two peace activists have been convicted for damage they caused while breaking into a US nuclear defence site.’
via BBC News – Elderly nun convicted over US nuclear site break-in.
‘The European Commission is on the verge of a trade war with China over the import of solar panels worth 21bn euros (£18bn) a year.’
‘The proposal that a global climate deal by 2015 should be based on national “contributions” gained traction at last week’s round of U.N. climate talks in Germany, although China, the world’s biggest carbon emitter, said it wanted far more binding commitments by wealthy countries.’
via U.S. envoy sees new plan energizing global climate talks | Reuters.
‘A comprehensive new analysis of temperature changes over the continents through 2,000 years has found that a long slide in temperatures in most regions preceded the unusual global warming of recent decades, but with a lot of regional variability and other fascinating details.’
via Study Charts 2,000 Years of Continental Climate Changes – NYTimes.com.
‘In the Northern Hemisphere, drought-prone areas include the Southwestern United States, Mexico, North Africa, the Middle East, Pakistan and northwestern China. In the Southern Hemisphere, drought could become more likely in South Africa, northwestern Australia, coastal Central America and northeastern Brazil.’
via Climate change may bring drought to temperate areas, study says – latimes.com.
‘…In their report, Goodland and Anhang note that when you account for feed production, deforestation and animal waste, the livestock industry produces between 18 percent and 51 percent of all global greenhouse gas emissions. ‘
via Would we give up burgers to stop climate change? – Salon.com.