News Roundup
‘Despite the stereotype of a business lobby warning about the prohibitive costs of cutting back on greenhouse gases, there are increasing signs that capitalism and market forces are actually rescuing us from climate change.’
via How market forces are winning the climate change battle – Business – CBC News.
‘BEIJING (AP) — The Harvard president told students at one of China’s most prestigious universities Tuesday that academic institutions must be unfettered places where every topic can be raised and every question asked to help tackle challenges such as climate change.’
via Harvard’s president speaks in China about climate change – US News.
‘If Republicans get their way, the CIA and the Defense Department could soon have a lot less cash for climate research. The House GOP budget unveiled on Tuesday calls for cuts to CIA and DOD programs devoted to the study of global warming, despite the fact that the military has identified climate change as a major national security threat and a key priority.’
via Republicans Push Climate Change Cuts at CIA, Defense Department – NationalJournal.com.
‘…In other words, when coal, oil and gas are produced, they will be used. Continued production will overwhelm attempts to restrict consumption. Even if efforts to restrict consumption temporarily succeed, they are likely to be self-defeating. A reduction in demand when supply is unconstrained lowers the price, favouring carbon-intensive industry.’
via Keep fossil fuels in the ground to stop climate change | George Monbiot | Environment | The Guardian.
‘THE decision by the administration of Gov. Chris Christie to settle an environmental lawsuit against Exxon Mobil Corporation for roughly three cents on the dollar after more than a decade of litigation is an embarrassment to law enforcement and good government.’
via Chris Christie’s Exxon Settlement Is Bad for New Jersey – NYTimes.com.
‘…The catastrophic result of all this obfuscation and procrastination is now undeniable. In 2013, global carbon dioxide emissions were 61% higher than they were in 1990, when negotiations toward a climate treaty began in earnest. Indeed the only thing rising faster than our emissions is the output of words pledging to lower them.’
via Don’t look away now, the climate crisis needs you | Naomi Klein | Environment | The Guardian.
‘…The Republican-led Senate failed to override President Barack Obama’s veto of legislation that would have allowed construction of the Keystone XL pipeline from Canada to the Texas Gulf Coast.’
via GOP-led Senate fails to override Keystone XL pipeline veto – UPI.com.
‘Arctic sea ice — the ice that freezes and floats on Arctic waters — is thinning at a steadier and faster rate than researchers previously thought, a new study finds.’
via Arctic Sea Ice ‘Thinning Dramatically,’ Study Finds – Yahoo News.
‘…in the winters of 2006 and 2012, scientists traveled to this region, sometimes called “the roof of the world,” to see how male and female yaks are coping with the impacts of climate change at elevations over 15,000 feet’
‘…Through his research on these zeolitic imidazolate frameworks, or ZIFs, Khazeni has synthesized a new subclass of ZIF that incorporates a ring carbonyl group in its organic structure, giving it a vastly greater affinity and selectivity for separating and adsorbing carbon dioxide and a more chemically and thermally stable structure.’
via New material captures carbon dioxide with high capacity.