Global Warming Today articles from October 2006

Global Warming Today archives from October 2006

Federal methane reduction program up and running.(Industry News)
October 2, 2006... Seven oil and gas companies have joined the Natural Gas Star International program, a federal program to voluntarily reduce, capture and use methane emissions as a fuel source. The program is an expansion of the US Environmental Protection...

Study addresses Greenland ice melt.(Industry News)
October 2, 2006... Data gathered by scientists at the University of Colorado at Boulder indicates Greenland continued to lose ice mass at a significant rate through April 2006, and the rate of loss is accelerating. The study relied on information from...

Survey reveals global warming concerns.(Editorials, Asides & Reviews)
October 2, 2006... Americans don't think Congress is paying attention to big issues on the horizon, like global warming, according to a survey released last week. The survey found 81% of respondents were very or somewhat worried about energy issues. The...

Weather Channel program takes stance on global warming.(Editorials, Asides & Reviews)
October 3, 2006... The Weather Channel began airing The Climate Code with Dr. Heidi Cullen this week. The program and the channel will take the position that global warming is happening, people are contributing to it, and it's a big problem. "There are...

Poll reveals Australian opinions on global warming.(Editorials, Asides & Reviews)
October 3, 2006... Australians consider global warming a critical threat to the continent, according to this year's Lowry Institute poll. The Lowy Institute is an independent international policy think tank based in Sydney. The annual poll indicated there...

Canadian concern about global warming revealed.(Editorials, Asides & Reviews)
October 3, 2006... Nearly two-thirds of Canadians believe the Conservative government will fail to take adequate steps to fight global warming, and blame the oil and gas industry for making matters worse. And a similar number, 63%, are "desperately concerned"...

Scientists discuss global warming and the Indian Ocean.(Editorials, Asides & Reviews)
October 4, 2006... Scientists from around the world gathered Tuesday in Panaji, India, to talk about global warming. They specifically addressed global warming and the Indian Ocean region. As part of a four-day international workshop on sustained Indian...

Court sets date for global warming case.(Editorials, Asides & Reviews)
October 4, 2006... The US Supreme Court Monday set November 29 as the date for oral arguments in a global warming case it agreed to hear. The plaintiff is a coalition of states and environmental groups that say the federal government is obligated under the...

National religious program focuses on global warming.(Editorials, Asides & Reviews)
October 4, 2006... Faith leaders in the US have united to mobilize a religious response to global warming. During the first week of October, in churches, mosques, synagogues and halls of worship across the country, congregations are participating in an...

UK study addresses drought due to global warming.(International Report)
October 5, 2006... According to recent predictions from leading UK climate scientists, drought threatening the lives of millions will spread across half the land surface of the Earth in the coming century because of global warming. Extreme drought, in which...

Tufts looks at potential impact of global warming on Boston coast.(Editorials, Asides & Reviews)
October 5, 2006... The southern New England coastline shrinks by roughly 65 acres a year due to erosion, but experts say that's nothing compared to what could happen if global warming isn't checked. According to research from Tufts University, rising sea...

Nations meet to discuss global warming.(Editorials, Asides & Reviews)
October 5, 2006... Representatives from 20 of the world's most polluting nations met in Monterrey, Mexico, Tuesday to discuss ways to combat global warming. Energy and environment ministers from G-8 nations as well as developing countries such as China,...

Scientists predict Georgia-like temperatures for northeast.(Industry Report)
October 6, 2006... The Union of Concerned Scientists, an independent nonprofit alliance of more than 100,000 citizens and scientists, recently said the climate of the nine northeastern states could become like that of the southern US by the end of the century,...

Poll measures Alaskans' thoughts on global warming.(Industry Report)
October 6, 2006... According to a recent poll, four of every five Alaskans believe the Earth is getting warmer, and most of them think global climate change is transforming the landscape as the summer Arctic ice pack shrinks. The survey of more than 1,000...

UK company ties cell phone purchases to rainforest restoration.(International Report)
October 6, 2006... A new partnership between the Brazilian Atlantic Rainforest Trust and UK cell-phone company Charity Mobiles will allow BART to plant 5 new trees in the rainforest for every mobile phone sold on charitymobiles.co.uk. According to Charity...

French campaign aims to increase media coverage of global warming.(International Report)
October 9, 2006... Global warming could turn diseases like malaria into epidemics in developing countries, French Environment Minister Nelly Olin said last week. Olin made her comments while launching global warming awareness campaign Green Garden in Paris....

National Wildlife Federation report paints bleak picture on global warming.(Editorials, Asides & Reviews)
October 9, 2006... According to a recent report from the National Wildlife Federation, rising temperatures in the 11 Western states due to global warming will cause more prolonged droughts, more widespread wildfires, and extensive die-offs in regional plant, fish...

Scientists offer ministers global warming predictions.(Editorials, Asides & Reviews)
October 9, 2006... Environment and energy ministers met in Monterrey, Mexico last week to discuss global warming. Scientists told attendees to prepare for decades of weather turmoil even if they act now to curb emissions and pursue green energy sources. ...

Pennsylvania EPA weighs emissions regulations.(Industry Report)
October 10, 2006... The Pennsylvania Environmental Protection Agency is moving forward with regulatory approval of measures to curb automobile pollutants. Despite protests from state lawmakers and industry groups, environmentalists say the new regulations...

New Jersey prepares energy plan.(Industry Report)
October 10, 2006... New Jersey Governor Jon Corzine last week said his administration would create a plan over the next year for the state's energy needs through 2020. The Energy Master Plan will be "one of the most aggressive and far-reaching energy plans in the...

Report: global warming to cause damage in Asia-Pacific region.(International Report)
October 10, 2006... According to a report from the Australian government's Commonwealth Scientific and Research Organization, millions of people in the Asia-Pacific region could be forced from their homes and suffer increasing disease, cyclones and floods caused...

Canadian Prime Minister to reveal tough law on global warming.(Industry Report)
October 11, 2006... Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper this week said his government would unveil a tough law next week to curb air pollution and greenhouse gases that cause global warming, but only in the long term. "Canada's clean air act will allow us...

Warming, melting take toll on Alaskan village.(Industry Report)
October 11, 2006... Alaskan villagers Inupiaq of Shishmaref have lived in an island village for generations, but rising water levels and fierce storms are forcing villagers to move away. Many blame global warming for the changing conditions. "There is a...

Scientists discuss global warming and rice production.(Industry Report)
October 11, 2006... Climate change caused by global warming is a challenge to rice production and productivity, scientists said this week at the second International Rice Congress held in India. According to MS Swaminathan, Asian rice production could decline...

Global warming to affect insurance rates.(Industry Report)
October 12, 2006... Global warming will push up insurance premiums in high-risk areas like coastal Florida and other hurricane-prone parts of the United States, according to insurance industry experts. "It will cost more, there's no question," said Clem...

Investors urge companies to examine global warming risks.(Industry Report)
October 12, 2006... Investors from around the world urged companies Wednesday to pay more attention to the long-term risks of global warming. The 14 groups include the UN Environment Program's Finance Initiative and major pension funds; they offered guidelines...

New England foliage to decrease as temperatures rise.(Editorials, Asides & Reviews)
October 12, 2006... New England's autumn foliage may one day fade permanently due to global warming, according to scientists. Some climate scientists said that even if steps are taken now to limit global warming, temperatures in New England will rise enough...

Environmental defense report focuses on global warming and Texas.(Industry Report)
October 13, 2006... The Environmental Defense Organization issued a report this week stating Texas is on a "collision course" with global warming. The EDO is a national nonprofit organization that since 1967 has addressed national environmental problems. ...

UN considers extending talks on Kyoto Protocol.(International Report)
October 13, 2006... Talks on extending a UN-led fight against global warming beyond 2012 may last until 2010 to allow a wider US role after President Bush steps down, UN climate expert Michael Zammit Cutajar said Thursday. Many environmentalists and some...

Australia reviews global warming report.(International Report)
October 13, 2006... The Australian government this week received a brief on the threat global warming poses to Australia. The brief came from various government advisory bodies including the National Climate Centre. The message came as bushfires raged in South...

EPA recognizes 13 companies for pledging to cut emissions.(Industry Report)
October 16, 2006... The US Environmental Protection Agency recognized 13 companies as "climate leaders" for setting new targets for reducing their emissions, which range from 9% to zero. EPA estimates that efforts by these companies will prevent greenhouse gas...

Underground carbon dioxide gas storage focus of Calif. research project.(Industry Report)
October 16, 2006... A coalition of more than 70 government and private agencies are planning a research project in California on how to store carbon dioxide gas underground to help combat global warming. The coalition, led by the California Energy Commission,...

Report: global warming fight helps UK economy.(International Report)
October 16, 2006... Combating global warming won't bankrupt Britain's economy and could be worth billions for business, says an oil company-sponsored report released last Thursday. The cost of action will amount to 0.3% of Britain's economic output, but that...

Scientists link ice shelf collapse to global warming.(Industry Report)
October 17, 2006... Scientists with the British Arctic Survey said Monday they've found direct evidence linking the collapse of an ice shelf in Antarctica to global warming. The chunk that collapsed into the Weddell Sea in 2002 stretched 1,255 square miles,...

Report estimates costs of global warming.(Industry Report)
October 17, 2006... A new Friends of the Earth-sponsored report by economists at Tufts University's Global Development and Environment Institute indicates that global warming could cost trillions of dollars should temperature increases exceed 3.6 degrees...

Schwarzennegger links CA with Northeast on emissions credits.(Industry Report)
October 17, 2006... California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger announced in New York on Monday an executive order that joins California's landmark global warming law with the Northeast's program to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The executive order "will now...

Proposed Texas coal plants stir debate.(Industry Report)
October 18, 2006... Texas, where 16 new coal-fired plants are proposed-11 of them by Dallas-based TXU Corp., the state's biggest power company--is seeing a surge of support and opposition to the plants. TXU says the proposed plants will meet the state's...

Global warming tied to shrinking Alaskan lakes.(Industry Report)
October 18, 2006... More than 10,000 Alaskan lakes have dried up or shrunk in size over the past 52 years, according to scientists from the University of Alaska, Fairbanks. Longer growing seasons, increased thawing of permafrost, and greater water loss from...

Rise in disease in UK linked to global warming.(International Report)
October 18, 2006... Cases of Legionnaires' disease, a bacterial lung infection that kills more than one in ten of those it infects, reached record levels in August and September in Britain. According to experts, the extreme summer weather, attributed to global...

Bellamy joins New Zealand coalition.(International Report)
October 19, 2006... Environmental campaigner Professor David Bellamy has joined a group of New Zealand scientists trying to refute what they say are unfounded claims about man-made global warming. Bellamy joins scientists such as former MetService chief...

German environment minister encourages global warming action.(International Report)
October 19, 2006... At a recent German conference on environment change, German Environment Minister Sigmar Gabriel presented a national concept for adapting to climate change that would create a competency center on the issue. The center will coordinate more...

Report reveals companies' thinking around emissions regulations.(Editorials, Asides & Reviews)
October 19, 2006... Many companies that have developed a strategy for addressing climate change anticipate that a federal law regulating greenhouse gas emissions could take effect as early as 2010, according to a report released Wednesday from the Pew Center on...

Newly-discovered bacteria may fight global warming.(Industry Report)
October 20, 2006... Scientists have discovered methane-eating bacteria that live in volcanically heated mud deep under the sea off the coast of Norway and feed on methane, often blamed for climate change. The newly-discovered creatures were found in the Haakon...

UN environment chief conveys global warming concerns.(International Report)
October 20, 2006... The United Nation's environment chief said Thursday the world is not doing enough to combat global warming, which, if left unchecked, could trigger a mass migration of people and have serious consequences for security. In an interview with...

Law firms consider new services to address global warming.(Editorials, Asides & Reviews)
October 20, 2006... Law firms are taking note of global warming in the news and hiring staff to address possible issues around climate change. After California Attorney General Bill Lockyer announced he was suing carmakers over vehicle pollution, and the state...

Australia not spending global warming budget.(International Report)
October 23, 2006... More than one-third of the budget, $362 million, set aside for Australian government projects aimed at tackling global warming has not been spent. The figures, compiled by the Department of Environment and Heritage, show the government did...

Blair issues warning on global warming.(International Report)
October 23, 2006... Prime Minister Tony Blair last week issued a warning that the world is close to a "catastrophic tipping point" on global warning. Last week Blair attended an EU Summit in Lahti, Finland, to advise other European leaders on the serious...

Scientists question peat bogs roles in global warming.(Industry Report)
October 23, 2006... The rapid growth of a huge northern bog complex may have helped activate global warming around the time of the ice age, according to a new UCLA study. Peat bogs, masses of organic matter such as leaves and plants, cause plant material to...

Study forecasts changes due to global warming.(Industry Report)
October 24, 2006... The world, particularly the Western United States, the Mediterranean region and Brazil, will likely suffer more extended droughts, heavy rainfalls and longer heat waves over the next century because of global warming, according to a new study....

Environmental Council sees growth in corporate membership.(Industry Report)
October 24, 2006... The Pew Center's Business Environmental Leadership Council, created to engage businesses in deterring climate change, saw tremendous growth in membership in the past year. The corporations joining BELC in 2006 include Alcoa, Boeing, Duke...

Farmers seen adapting to global warming.(Editorials, Asides & Reviews)
October 24, 2006... According to researchers, farmers are developing new farming methods to brace for the possibility of widespread drought and crop-pounding storms caused by global warming. Kevin Trenberth of the National Center for Atmospheric Research said...

US and EU meet to discuss climate change.(International Report)
October 25, 2006... The United States and the European Union met Tuesday in Helsinki to seek ways to curb greenhouse gases and promote clean energies, setting aside years of disputes over the UN's Kyoto Protocol which caps emissions. President Bush pulled out of...

India to look at wheat and increased temperatures.(International Report)
October 25, 2006... Warm temperatures stretching well into wheat season have resulted in falling wheat productivity in India. In response, the Department of Biotechnology, the Ministry of Science and Technology and the government have approved research to study...

Australian wine industry warned of global warming threats.(International Report)
October 25, 2006... Global warming will force changes to Australia's 3.6 billion wine-export industry, threatening the existence of some varieties as temperatures rise, according to scientists. The Australian Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research...

Utah voices support for EPA in Clean Air Act case.(Industry Report)
October 26, 2006... Utah is supporting the Bush administration and the Environmental Protection Agency against 10 other states trying to force the EPA to consider global warming when setting air pollution standards. The issue is whether the Clean Air Act gives...

Kiribati warns of environmental refugees due to global warming.(International Report)
October 26, 2006... South Pacific nation Kiribati, an archipelago of 33 coral atolls barely six feet above sea level, is reportedly vanishing as global warming causes oceans to rise. Kiribati President Anote Tong Tuesday warned Australia and New Zealand to...

Greenpeace calls on Australia to address GW, sign Kyoto protocol.(International Report)
October 26, 2006... Greenpeace Australia Pacific has called on leaders attending the 37th Pacific Leaders Forum in Nadi this week to do more to address global warming. The organization said leaders should start preparing themselves for the worst-case scenario...

Correction.(International Report)(Correction notice)
October 26, 2006... Correction: In the Oct. 24 edition of Global Warming Today in the article titled Environmental Council Sees Growth in Corporate Membership, EIN reported that Alcoa, Boeing, Duke Energy, DuPont, General Electric, Georgia Pacific, Hewlett...

Study says deserts to increase due to global warming.(Industry Report)
October 27, 2006... Deserts could expand to cover almost a third of the world's surface by the end of the century under climate change, a study from the Met Office has found. The UK-based Met Office provides environmental and weather-related services...

Researchers connect cook stoves and global warming.(Industry Report)
October 27, 2006... Soot produced by traditional cook stoves in developing nations is contributing to global warming, according to scientists at the University of Illinois-Champaign. Researchers Tami Bond and Chris Roden estimate as many as 400 million of the...

Deceased amphibian population linked to global warming.(Industry Report)(Obituary)
October 27, 2006... Rising temperatures due to global warming have been linked to a decline in amphibian species in highland areas of Spain, according to a study published in the Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences journal. Researchers...

Agricultural industry adapts as temperatures rise.(Industry Report)
October 30, 2006... Many in the agriculture industry are reacting to the potential effects of global warming, developing new technology and farming methods to brace for the possibility of widespread drought and crop-pounding storms. Kevin Trenberth, head of...

Ski industry grapples with global warming.(Industry Report)
October 30, 2006... For the ski industry, global warming poses a threat as snowpacks shrink due to warmer temperatures. Since 1950, spring temperatures in the Sierra Nevada have increased 2 to 3 degrees Farenheit, bringing peak snowmelt two to three weeks...

Britain encourages emissions framework.(International Report)
October 30, 2006... Britain called Friday for world powers to agree to a framework by 2009 to cut greenhouse gas emissions before the first phase of the UN's Kyoto Protocol ends, and urged China to sign up to any new deal. Environment Minister Ian Pearson...

Panel report to suggest human activity responsible for global warming.(Industry Report)
October 31, 2006... Rajendra Pachauri, chairman of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, said recently that scientific evidence that human activity is heating the Earth has become "far more robust" in the last five years. The IPCC, open to all...

Report says global warming could cost $7 trillion.(Industry Report)
October 31, 2006... Excerpts of a 700-page report released yesterday by Sir Nicholas Stern, a former World Bank chief economist, indicate that climate change could turn 200 million people into refugees amid drought or flood. The Observer weekly, which...

Coalition warns of potential catastrophe in Africa due to global warming.(International Report)
October 31, 2006... The African continent will face a catastrophe due to global warming unless the international community acts to fight it, a coalition of British environmental and development agencies including Oxfam and Britain's Hadley Centre for Climate...