Global Warming Today articles from September 2006

Global Warming Today archives from September 2006

Workshop aims to reduce deforestation, global warming.
September 7, 2006... Deforestation is responsible for 25-30% of greenhouse gases released into the atmosphere each year, according to experts attending a climate change workshop in Rome last week. The workshop was organized by the United Nations Framework...

Professor attacks Brown's environmental commitment.
September 7, 2006... A Nottingham University Professor has accused the likely next Prime Minister of British Parliament, Gordon Brown, of blocking attempts to fight global warming. "[Brown] has repeatedly refused to provide adequate finances for green energy,"...

$1 billion pollution relief deal for China.
September 7, 2006... A $1 billion greenhouse-gas emissions trade deal will help China fight pollution. The agreement is a joint venture by The World Bank and a group of utilities, banks, and trading companies. The deal allows for the creation of the Umbrella...

Australian government succeeding in energy reduction.
September 8, 2006... A report on Australian Government's energy consumption shows a decrease by 5.2% and a reduction of greenhouse gas emissions by 2.3% since 1997. The report, Energy Use in the Australian Government's Operations 2004-2005, included...

Study reveals greater methane release than previous estimates.
September 8, 2006... A study in Nature Magazine from the University of Alaska at Fairbanks indicates global warming is causing methane gas to rise up from Siberian lakes at six times the rate previously thought. According to the study, heat from global warming...

Report criticizes insurance industry's efforts on global warming.(Editorials, Reviews & Asides)
September 8, 2006... The insurance industry is coming under scrutiny for not encouraging clients to be more environmentally friendly and thus reduce risks of global warming. A recent report from Ceres, a coalition of American investors, environmental groups...

Weekly update.(Conference Calendar)(Calendar)
September 8, 2006... CANADIAN ENVIRONMENTAL MARKETS ASSOCIATION'S (CEMA) 2ND ANNUAL CONFERENCE: POLICIES AND TECHNOLOGIES TO CLOSE THE GAP, September 18-19, 2006, TBA, Ottawa, Ontario 3RD ANNUAL ENGINEERING GREEN BUILDINGS CONFERENCE AND EXPO, September 18-19,...

California edges closer to decreased emissions law.
September 11, 2006... A call for California's large industrial producers to reduce greenhouse gas emissions met with approval in Sacramento this week, bringing legislation designed to curb global warming closer to law. Assembly Bill 32 will make law a series of...

Senator introduces global warming bill.
September 11, 2006... Oklahoma Senator James Inhofe introduced a bill in the Senate last week that would increase penalties for the nation's most polluted air regions, both in California. Inhofe introduced the bill after reacting negatively to California's passing...

Sacramento fights global warming with trees.(Editorials, Reviews & Asides)
September 11, 2006... Sacramento, California, is using trees to battle global warming. Over the past 16 years, the city has planted hundreds of shade trees, hoping to lower temperatures and trap greenhouse gases. The city is ahead of many other US cities in...

Exxon chair says technology is answer to GW, and world oil supplies are ample.
September 12, 2006... According to Exxon Mobil Australia Chairman Mark Nolan, carbon trading schemes are not an effective way to deal with global warming and technological solutions should be pursued instead. His comments came as Nolan addressed 600 petroleum...

Supreme Court to hear first global warming case.(Legislative)
September 12, 2006... The National Wildlife Federation filed a brief with the US Supreme Court Aug. 31 on behalf of itself and 73 other sporting and conservation organizations, professional fish and wildlife societies, zoos and aquariums and religious organizations....

Helsinki meeting touches on global warming.(International Report)
September 12, 2006... A message on climate change emerged from a Sept 8-9 Helsinki summit that brought together top leaders from 38 nations in Europe and Asia. "The basic idea [was] to find a platform for work after 2012," Asia-Europe Meeting (Asem) participant...

The Bahamas looks at global warming.(International Report)
September 13, 2006... The Bahamas and other low-lying small island states will suffer most if global warming continues, according to The Bahamas Climate Change Committee (CCC). The CCC is creating adaptation policies while feeling medium and long-term effects of...

New study links higher ocean temperatures and global warming.(Editorials, Reviews & Asides)
September 13, 2006... Human-induced global warming is primarily responsible for increases in ocean temperature according to a new study funded by the Department of Energy. The study conducted at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California looked at the...

Study looks at nitrous oxide emission from soil, effects on greenhouse gases.(Editorials, Reviews & Asides)
September 13, 2006... Forest ecosystems may provide a strong source of nitrous oxide, according to a joint study from the Resoe National Laboratory in Denmark, Federal Research Center in Austria, and Institute for Environmental Research in Germany. The study...

Evidence suggests global warming tipping point only 10 years off.(International Report)
September 14, 2006... An exponential global warming acceleration could be as little as a decade off, according to new global warming evidence. Data from a deep ice core drilled from Antarctic permafrost demonstrates a surprising rate of change in carbon dioxide...

US Energy backs carbon dioxide flooding project.(Industry Report)
September 14, 2006... The US Energy Department has approved a $3 million project to increase domestic oil production and safely store greenhouse gases. The project, proposed by the University of Alabama at Birmingham, will flood the state's largest oil producing...

UC Riverside technology to change waste to fuel.(Industry Report)
September 14, 2006... The University of California, Riverside has developed technology that transforms waste and carbon-based materials into transportation fuels that costs less than half the current price of oil. The university will unveil a commercial pilot...

UN Climate Chief says US far behind Europe in curbing global warming.(International Report)
September 15, 2006... UN Climate Chief Yvo De Boer said the United States will lag behind Europe for years to come in adopting laudable initiatives on global warming. After taking office last week, De Boer said the Bush administration no longer doubts climate...

Health News Digest reports global warming speeds spread of diseases.(Industry Report)
September 15, 2006... According to Health News Digest, climate change accelerates the spread of diseases. As global temperatures rise, the geographic area in which disease-carrying animals, insects, and microorganisms can survive expands. As a result of global...

British trees show decline due to global warming.(Industry Report)
September 15, 2006... British horticulture experts are concerned about global warming's effects on the country's best known trees. Kew trees at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew are increasingly losing ground, according to Garden Head Tony Kirkham. Mild winters and...

Weekly update.(Conferences)(Calendar)
September 15, 2006... CANADIAN ENVIRONMENTAL MARKETS ASSOCIATION'S (CEMA) 2ND ANNUAL CONFERENCE: POLICIES AND TECHNOLOGIES TO CLOSE THE GAP, September 18-19, 2006, TBA, Ottawa, Ontario (EIN STAFF: 9/14)

NASA links Arctic summer ice melt to global warming.(International Report)
September 18, 2006... NASA scientists say expanses of ice floating in the Arctic Sea are shrinking in winter as well as summer, most likely due to global warming. "This is the strongest evidence yet of global warming in the Arctic," NASA research scientist...

Global warming helping shrink Swiss glaciers.(International Report)
September 18, 2006... Experts in Switzerland believe global warming is taking its toll on glaciers in the Swiss Alps. Their findings indicate the Alps are shrinking at twice their normal speed. "In about 50 years we think that more than half the glaciers which...

New Canadian fertilizer aims to reduce global warming.(Industry Report)
September 18, 2006... Intelegacy Corp has introduced a totally organic fertilizer in Canada meant to sequester carbon dioxide. Currently, many Canadian farmers use synthetic chemical fertilizers that add to the global warming problem. As much as 20% of greenhouse...

Warming trend continues in 2006.(International Report)
September 19, 2006... The first eight months of 2006 were the warmest in the US since record keeping began in 1895, according to National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) officials. According to NOAA, the average June-August 2006 temperature for the...

Global warming blamed for newly discovered islands and polar bear deaths.(International Report)
September 19, 2006... In the 2006 Arctic summer thaw, polar bears are drowning and previously unknown islands have been uncovered. Many experts are blaming global warming. The summer minimum for Arctic ice is usually reached between mid-September and early...

Power industry braces for federal regulation.(Industry Report)
September 19, 2006... Federal regulation of greenhouse gases is coming, according to American Public Power Association (APPA) President Alan Richardson. APPA members supply 15% of the nation's power. "The issue is no longer whether there is a human...

Global warming taking toll on Spain's beaches.(International Report)
September 20, 2006... According to a study commissioned by Spain's environment ministry, the country's sea level is rising 2.5 millimeters annually. It is expected to go up ever faster, pushing beaches backward by an average of 15 meters by 2050. "The evidence...

EU ambassador calls for EU-US cooperation on global warming.(Editorials, Reviews & Asides)
September 20, 2006... John Bruton, European Union Ambassador to the United States, last week called for increased dialogue between the EU and the US on global warming. "We need to get together more than we're doing now," Bruton told Atlanta, Ga., business...

BP sees business opportunities in global warming.(Editorials, Reviews & Asides)
September 20, 2006... An official for British Petroleum said the company not only believes in the threat of global warming, it is planning new businesses around it. Charles Christopher, BP carbon dioxide program manager, spoke Monday to mayors from around the...

British Arctic survey reveals unpredented ice melt.(International Report)
September 21, 2006... Ice is being discharged from Greenland and the West Antarctic Peninsula at a much greater rate than glaciologists previously thought possible, researchers with the British Antarctic Survey (BAS) said at this week's Climate Clinic, a UK global...

South Africa prepares for stricter air pollution law.(International Report)
September 21, 2006... South Africa's Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism (DEA&T) will review the country's top 50 air-polluting industries in an attempt to improve air quality. The effort is an interim measure to curb air pollution while the government...

Project discovers increased tracking, little action on greenhouse gas emissions.(Industry Report)
September 21, 2006... The Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP) asks the 500 largest companies in the world for carbon emission-related data, practices, and policies. The results of this year's CDP reveal almost three quarters of Fortune 500 companies tracking their...

Virgin Atlantic Airlines pledges 100% of profits to combat global warming.(Industry Report)
September 22, 2006... British business mogul Richard Branson on Thursday pledged to commit all profits from his transportation businesses over 10 years to combat global warming. Branson estimated the profits would reach $3 billion. Billionaire Branson, who's...

Bush administration outlines global warming plan.(Industry Report)
September 22, 2006... The Bush administration Wednesday laid out a long-term plan for using technology to curb effects of global warming to the House Science subcommittee on energy. Reiterating that scientific research and voluntary actions can curb greenhouse...

California sues automakers over global warming.(Editorials, Asides & Reviews)
September 22, 2006... California sued six of the world's largest automakers over global warming on Wednesday. The lawsuit is the first of its kind to seek to hold manufacturers liable for the damages caused by their vehicles' emissions, California Attorney...

Weekly update.(Conferences)(Calendar)
September 22, 2006... CANADIAN ENVIRONMENTAL MARKETS ASSOCIATION'S (CEMA) 2ND ANNUAL CONFERENCE: POLICIES AND TECHNOLOGIES TO CLOSE THE GAP, September 18-19, 2006, TBA, Ottawa, Ontario

Report reveals ocean temperature decrease.(Industry Report)
September 25, 2006... Despite a global, long-term warming trend, oceans have cooled in the last three years, according to NASA and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) researchers. "Global warming isn't always steady," NASA Researcher Josh...

Satellite images show extended Arctic ice damage.(Industry Report)
September 25, 2006... Satellite images of the Arctic show large openings in the perennial ice cover, a consequence of global warming, scientists from the European Space Agency said last week. The images show that up to 10% of the perennial sea ice has been...

Poll: Americans more convinced of global warming.(Editorials, Reviews & Asides)
September 25, 2006... A recent Zogby poll from public opinion tracker Zogby revealed that Americans have become more convinced in the last two years that global warming is happening. Zogby surveyed 1000 likely US voters for the National Wildlife Federation. ...

California greenhouse gas Law faces challenges.(Industry Report)
September 26, 2006... California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger is expected to sign into law the United States' first state cap on greenhouse gas emissions on Wednesday. With Federal lawsuits pending related to greenhouse gas issues in California, Vermont and...

Advocacy group pushes New Jersey on global warming.(Industry Report)
September 26, 2006... Advocacy group Environment New Jersey last week outlined 12 steps the state should take to combat global warming. While the state already has a number of the recommended policies in place to help reduce greenhouse emissions, the group said...

EU Energy Commissioner outlines energy policy.(International Report)
September 26, 2006... EU Commissioner for Energy Andris Piebalgs Sept. 24 outlined five policy areas he called the backbone of Europe's energy policy. The five policy areas include an EU strategic energy review with a step-by-step road map on how to source the...

NASA study shows global temperatures rising.(Industry Report)
September 27, 2006... Global temperatures are close to the highest estimated to occur in the past million years, NASA scientists said Monday. "Evidence implies that we are getting close to dangerous levels of human-made pollution ," NASA's Goddard Institute...

Coral reef suffering in warm waters.(Industry Report)
September 27, 2006... Waters around the Caribbean Sea have reached unusually high temperatures this year, prompting scientists to warn that coral reefs may suffer. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) urged scuba-dive operators and...

Mississippi sound facing possibility of new gas terminals.(Editorials, Reviews & Asides)
September 27, 2006... A consortium of energy companies is close to winning government approval for a pair of gas terminals in Mississippi that could make the region one of the nation's premiere routes for imported liquefied natural gas (LNG). LNG is often seen as...

Commerce Department accused of blocking global warming report.(Industry Report)
September 28, 2006... The journal Nature reported Tuesday that the US Department of Commerce blocked release of a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) report that suggests global warming is contributing to the frequency and strength of hurricanes....

Canada backs away from Clean Development Mechanism.(International Report)
September 28, 2006... The Canadian Government has pulled back on a $1.5 million pledge to the United Nations Climate Change Secretariat to support the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM). The CDM allows industrialized nations to earn greenhouse gas emissions credits...

Arctic waters show unprecedented warmth, scientists say.(Editorials, Asides & Reviews)
September 28, 2006... Scientists at the University of Alaska Fairbanks International Arctic Research Center (IARC) have documented that recent surges of warm water from the North Atlantic Ocean continue to pulse into the Arctic Ocean and are moving toward Alaska and...

Schwarzenegger signs law to fight global warming.(Legislative)
September 29, 2006... California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger Wednesday signed into law the broadest restrictions on greenhouse gases in the nation. Assembly Bill 32 requires a 25% reduction in carbon dioxide produced within California by 2020, bringing emissions...

Study links China's growth to increased methane.(Editorials, Reviews & Asides)
September 29, 2006... China's economic growth over the past seven years is linked with a rise in emissions of man-made methane, a recent study found. Methane levels in the atmosphere have risen since the Industrial Revolution, but in recent years they appeared...

Climate change panel suggests adaptation.(Editorials, Reviews & Asides)
September 29, 2006... The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change recently released a five-year report suggesting ways to help the world adapt to climate change. "Without adaptation, the consequences of global warming and sea level rise would be disastrous,"...