News: Archive for November, 2014
‘The United States and China sprang a surprise last week with their secretly-negotiated deal to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions. Although cheered as “historic milestone in the global fight against climate change,” “the real deal,” a “landmark,” “ambitious,” and “game-changer” by western media, the agreement received a less than enthusiastic response in India.’
via Indians are not impressed with US-China climate deal | Janaki Lenin | Environment | The Guardian.
‘…For McConnell (Ky.) and other GOP critics, regulation of carbon emissions is a pocketbook issue where constituents’ short-term interests must prevail. They reject or minimize the arguments of leading scientists that such emissions are directly linked to global warming and climate change and could have catastrophic long-term consequences.’
via The moral issue of climate change – The Washington Post.
‘…rather than reclaim these hills or rethink their exploitation, the government is digging deeper in a coal rush that could push the world into irreversible climate change and make India’s cities, already among the world’s most polluted, even more unlivable, scientists say.’
via Coal Rush in India Could Tip Balance on Climate Change – NYTimes.com.
‘Climate change threatens to worsen the severity and duration of floods in low-lying Bangladesh.’
‘Floating farms — and produce that can flourish in flood conditions — are a way to help Bangladeshis live with rising waters.’
via Farming on Water to Prevent the Effects of Climate Change – NYTimes.com.
‘Studies conducted on a ranch in the heart of Marin County and led by UC Berkeley researchers and alums seem to confirm what home gardeners have long suspected: Compost really can save the world.’
via New Global Warming Remedy: Turning Rangelands into Carbon-Sucking Vacuums | California Magazine.
‘German cleantech company Sunfire GmbH has unveiled a machine that converts water and carbon dioxide into synthetic petroleum-based fuels.’
‘FIVE years ago next month, disagreement between America and China, the world’s biggest greenhouse-gas emitters, scuppered the UN’s Copenhagen climate-change conference. On November 11th Presidents Barack Obama and Xi Jinping announced a deal on carbon emissions. This is welcome, with two caveats: China has not conceded much, and Congress will do its best to prevent America from delivering what the president has promised.’
‘BEIJING — The United States and China are the world’s two largest economies, two largest consumers of energy, and two largest emitters of greenhouse gases. Together we account for about 40 percent of the world’s emissions.’
via John Kerry: Our Historic Agreement With China on Climate Change – NYTimes.com.
‘WASHINGTON — President Obama’s landmark agreement with China to cut greenhouse gas pollution is a bet by the president and Democrats that on the issue of climate change, American voters are far ahead of Washington’s warring factions and that the environment will be a winning cause in the 2016 presidential campaign.’
via In Climate Deal With China, Obama May Set 2016 Theme – NYTimes.com.
‘BEIJING — China and the United States made common cause on Wednesday against the threat of climate change, staking out an ambitious joint plan to curb carbon emissions as a way to spur nations around the world to make their own cuts in greenhouse gases.’
via U.S. and China Reach Climate Accord After Months of Talks – NYTimes.com.