07
Gap Fire: A sign of global warming?
California residents and workers are scratching their heads and wondering, are the 1,500 fire in their state caused by global warming?
Santa Barbara Independent.
07 July 2008
With gas over $4, cities explore whether it's smart to be dense.
In view of ever rising gas prices and greenhouse gas levels, Sacramento is one of the many cities with a plan to grow up, not out.
Wall Street Journal.
07 July 2008
Colleges, universities take the lead in building green.
East L.A. College once struggled to find eco-fluent builders, but now the field is multiplying. One designer says sustainability targets the "triple bottom line" of planet, people and profit.
Los Angeles Times.
07 July 2008
'Green' marketing loses buzz and credibility.
Over the past year, marketers around the world have jumped onto the green bandwagon. But the sheer volume of environmental advertising and the flimsiness of the claims in some of the campaigns show signs of generating an unintended effect.
International Herald Tribune.
07 July 2008
Planned power plant would take billions of gallons.
For conservationists along the Minnesota River, stopping the expansion of the Big Stone power plant has become the single most important goal in decades.
Mankato Free Press.
07 July 2008
Climate change to hit SA crops.
Climate change could cut South Africa's maize crop by 20 percent within 15 to 20 years as the west of the country dries out while the east is afflicted with increasingly severe storms, its environment minister said on Sunday.
Reuters.
07 July 2008
Welcome to a drought-stricken future.
Australia's agricultural regions face a hotter, drier, more drought-stricken future as a result of climate change, with major implications for both the price and supply of food.
Sydney Australian.
07 July 2008
Officials predict longer and stronger fire season.
The West's fire season used to stretch from May into August or September. Now it runs from April, or earlier, through October. But the lengthened season can't be blamed only on climate change.
Associated Press.
07 July 2008
'Invasive' humans threaten U.S. coral reefs.
Half of all U.S. coral reefs, the center of marine life in the Pacific and Caribbean oceans, are either in poor or fair condition, a federal agency warns today.
USA Today.
07 July 2008
Cherry producers face decline in efficiency.
As is the case in many parts of the world, Turkey's agriculture is suffering from the negative effects of climate change, and one of the major effects can be observed in cherry production.
Turkish Daily News.
07 July 2008
Australian climate report like 'disaster novel'.
Heatwaves, less rain and increased drought are the likely prospect for Australia, according to a new report on climate change which the agriculture minister said read like a "disaster novel".
Agence France-Presse.
07 July 2008
Australia in for barrage of heat waves.
Australia is in for a tenfold increase in heat waves as climate change sends the mercury soaring.
Australian Associated Press.
07 July 2008
Climate change report like a disaster novel, says Australian minister.
A new report by Australia's top scientists predicts that the country will be hit by a 10-fold increase in heatwaves and that droughts will almost double in frequency and become more widespread because of climate change.
London Guardian.
07 July 2008
Study to probe effects of climate change.
A major study has been launched to assess the potential impact of global warming on Yorkshire and the Humber.
Press Association.
07 July 2008
Kyoto's low-hanging fruit.
A popular UN program is intended to cut industrial emissions of greenhouse gases while bringing advanced technologies to developing countries. But a Chinese project suggests that the program rewards some companies in the industrialized world more than intended.
Chemical & Engineering News.
07 July 2008
Water keeps carbon locked into dead trees.
Researchers from the University of Missouri-Columbia have discovered that trees submerged in water can store carbon much longer than downed counterparts in the forest.
St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
07 July 2008
GM crops key to solving food crisis.
The UK Government's former chief scientific advisor Sir David King said that changing diets, global warming and pressure on fresh water supplies meant the long-term prospects for producing enough food without new bio-technology were poor, and that GM is the solution.
London Daily Telegraph.
07 July 2008
The perfect, gas-free vehicle - if only Segways were legal.
The Segway runs on pennies worth of electricity, produces zero emissions and can glide silently across a city or onto a subway car - the perfect vehicle for a world of high fuel prices, brutal traffic and melting polar ice caps.
Toronto Globe and Mail.
07 July 2008
Bike sales soar as drivers trade four wheels for two.
There have always been a few hardy commuters willing to forgo the comfort and safety of a car in favour of a bicycle, but in the face of ballooning gas prices their numbers are growing dramatically and that has proven a boon for manufacturers and retailers.
Edmonton Journal.
07 July 2008
Terrapass balances travelers' environmental damage.
A Terrapass is a handy little program that allows us to balance the environmental damage we do when we use energy we can't mitigate.
Los Angeles Daily News.
07 July 2008
The power of corncobs.
A $150,000 state grant will help the central Minnesota farmers' cooperative test two collection systems to gather the small, scratchy harvest remnant: one that rides piggyback on a combine and one that follows behind.
Minneapolis Star Tribune.
07 July 2008
Model T: 'Universal Car' sparked gasoline demand.
Both steam power and electricity were options at the time, but gas-powered cars were easier to refuel and quicker to start.
Morning Edition.
07 July 2008
EU 'green transport' plans to ignore CO2.
Despite the bloc's ambitious goal to slash greenhouse gas emissions by 20% by 2020, Commission proposals due to be unveiled tomorrow would effectively prohibit governments from including the cost of CO2 emitted by road transport in their toll tariffs.
Euractiv.
07 July 2008
The little engines that can.
American motorists have long preferred big vehicles, with big engines. But with gas at $4 a gallon, it's hard to justify buying a car or truck with a V-8 engine.
Forbes.
07 July 2008
Brown hires a luxury jet to fly to green summit.
Gordon Brown provoked ridicule last night after chartering a luxury jet from America to fly to Japan for a conference discussing global warming.
London Daily Express.
07 July 2008
Rudd faces climate revolt.
Kevin Rudd faces a savage backlash from unions and state Labor over an emissions trading scheme, with calls to offer free permits to polluters in order to protect electricity prices and prevent jobs moving offshore.
Sydney Australian.
07 July 2008
As G-8 meets, free trade under fire.
The long trend toward open trade and global markets is under new stress as problems from food shortages to climate change test its staying power.
Christian Science Monitor.
07 July 2008
Carbon market looks past G8 to US election.
Carbon market traders and backers of clean-energy projects aren't holding their breath for a strong statement on fighting change during this week's G8 summit and are more focused on who wins November's US election.
Reuters.
07 July 2008
Climate-change goals fall short at G8.
Hopes have dimmed for stronger action on climate change - a central goal of this week's G8 summit in Japan - with countries such as the United States and Canada resisting calls for the group to set hard midterm targets for reducing emissions.
Toronto Globe and Mail.
07 July 2008
Energy-frugal Japan toots horn at G8 summit.
From air conditioning using snow to green vehicles and humanoid robots -- this year's Group of Eight summit is getting the full flavour of high-tech Japan and its efforts to save the planet.
Agence France-Presse.
07 July 2008
Bush promises to be constructive on climate.
US President George W. Bush promised yesterday to be constructive in talks on global warming but said a deal was impossible unless fast-growing China and India agreed to limit their greenhouse gas emissions.
Reuters.
07 July 2008
Cars & toilets go green at eco-friendly G8 summit.
Toilets that take on a life of their own, eco-cars coming sooner than you might think and security on Segways have cast this year's G8 summit in a decidedly green hue.
Reuters.
07 July 2008
Hopes for climate solutions dim at G-8 summit.
The G-8 meeting in Japan this week was supposed to be a major milestone for talks on global warming. Instead, the process has bogged down.
Morning Edition.
07 July 2008
Climate deadlock seen at G8 despite 'constructive' Bush.
US President George W. Bush pledged Sunday to play a "constructive" role on climate change at a summit of rich nations, but hopes for a breakthrough were dim as he pressed developing countries.
Agence France-Presse.
07 July 2008
G-8: Bush to go green if India, China join in.
President Bush, attending his last G-8 summit, is resisting pressure to sign on to the goal of halving carbon emissions by 2050 unless China and India, two of the world’s leading polluters, make the same commitment.
Bloomberg News.
07 July 2008
G-8 leaders face rising expectations at summit.
The world's top industrialized nations begin their annual summit Monday confronted with demands they reinvigorate the world economy, push ahead languishing climate change talks and make good on pledges to battle poverty and hunger.
Associated Press.
07 July 2008
Leaders lack power to take action on the biggest issues at G8 summit.
The G8 summit is supposed to bring together the most powerful leaders in the world, but seldom have they formed a less credible group than the one that meets in the Japanese resort of Lake Toya today.
London Times.
07 July 2008
Global warming deal faces challenges.
How to deal with global warming is seen as the most important issue facing this year's G-8 summit, with debate surrounding what specific goals, if any, can be included in the statement to be released at the end of the convention.
Asahi Shimbun.
07 July 2008
G8 unlikely to agree on climate deal.
Prospects of the G8 reaching a meaningful agreement on how best to fight global warming dimmed as leaders, with a long list of global problems, began gathering in northern Japan for their annual summit.
China Daily.
07 July 2008
UN chief says US must take lead on climate change.
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said Monday that the United States must take the lead in fighting climate change as he opened talks with the world's most powerful leaders.
Agence France-Presse.
07 July 2008
G-8 plans to address aid accountability.
Leaders of the Group of Eight major industrialized nations expect to sign off this week on a plan to provide detailed assessments of how well individual countries are fulfilling promises of development assistance to Africa.
Washington Post.
07 July 2008
Asian giants 'must act on climate'.
Fast-growing Asian economies India and China must agree to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in order to achieve a global plan to combat climate change, George Bush, the US president, has said.
Al Jazeera.
07 July 2008
Challenges abound for Bush at last economic summit.
There are fewer than 200 days left in his term, and Bush’s dwindling presidency is a major factor hanging over the meetings involving leaders from the G8 Summit in Toyako.
Associated Press.
07 July 2008
Tumult surrounds G-8 summit, but Bush is bullish on progress.
In a joint news conference Sunday, President George W. Bush expressed greater optimism than Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda of Japan about the prospects for a substantial climate agreement at the G-8 summit in Japan.
Wall Street Journal.
07 July 2008
G-8 summit opens with spotlight on aid for Africa.
Talks were expected to shift Tuesday and Wednesday to climate change as leaders will try to move forward U.N.-led talks aimed at forging a new global warming accord by the end of 2009.
Associated Press.
07 July 2008
G8 leaders face tall order.
The world's top industrialized nations begin their annual summit today confronted with demands they reinvigorate the world economy, push ahead languishing climate change talks and make good on pledges to battle poverty and hunger.
Associated Press.
07 July 2008
The most energy-efficient countries.
Next year in Copenhagen, world leaders will assemble and attempt to write the successor agreement to the 10-year-old Kyoto protocol. In order for countries to make dramatic reductions for a greener future, energy efficiency will likely be a big part of the equation.
Forbes.
07 July 2008
G8 leaders get ready for business.
The G8 summit will focus on climate change, rising oil and food prices and African development, with heated debate expected on global warming, rising oil and food prices, and African development.
Japan Times.
07 July 2008
EU, greens urge Bush to back 2050 emissions target.
The European Union and green groups piled pressure on the United States on Monday to agree to a target to halve global greenhouse gas emissions by mid-century and back the need for rich countries to set 2020 goals as well.
Reuters.
07 July 2008
Ritter: West can shape energy future.
As Western states weigh in on energy heading into the November election, Colorado’s unique combination of resources makes it a good showcase for what a national policy can look like “going forward,” Gov. Bill Ritter said.
Associated Press.
07 July 2008
Campbell defends carbon tax, despite B.C. backlash.
One week into B.C.'s contentious carbon tax plan, Premier Gordon Campbell said he's willing to pay a political price at the polls to lower the province's future greenhouse gas output.
Toronto CTV.
07 July 2008
Garnaut scenario 'simply wrong'.
Climate change sceptics have attacked the Garnaut orthodoxy that without immediate action to slash greenhouse gas emissions, Australia will suffer "diabolical" consequences.
Sydney Australian.
07 July 2008
Carbon Coaltition says farm lobby groups failing farmers.
The Carbon Sense Coalition today accused the big farming lobby groups, government departments, politicians and Ministers representing agriculture of ignoring science and abandoning farmers to unjustified carbon taxation.
North Queensland Register.
07 July 2008
G-8 summit gives Japan a green spotlight.
The meeting, which begins today, lets the nation show off its long-running conservation programs. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda says he'll join Bush at the Olympics opening ceremonies.
Los Angeles Times.
07 July 2008
Rudd gets short time in G8 spotlight.
Kevin Rudd will have six minutes to be the human blowtorch Brendan Nelson wants him to be on climate change at this week's G8 discussions in Japan.
Melbourne Herald Sun.
07 July 2008
Politicians jockey for position as emissions trading gathers force.
After years of being a preoccupation of policy specialists among bureaucrats and business and environmental groups, emissions trading is about to blast off into the political stratosphere.
Sydney Morning Herald.
07 July 2008
Meet Penelope Ying-Yen Wong, the person responsible for our future.
Penny Wong, Labor's Climate Change Minister, is responsible for preventing a political train wreck.
Sydney Morning Herald.
07 July 2008
Australian government triples climate funding.
The Federal Government will more than triple its funding for research and development to help farmers deal with climate change.
Queensland Courier Mail.
07 July 2008
Australia splits on carbon trading.
Australia's commitment to tackle global warming wavered Monday with the opposition Liberal Party's shock decision to renege on a long-standing promise to introduce a carbon-trading scheme by 2012.
topnews.
07 July 2008
Rann corporation accused of 'greenwash'.
The Greens have attacked the Rann Government's carbon-neutral credentials as "greenwashing", saying the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission would have grounds to investigate if the state Government was a company.
Sydney Australian.
07 July 2008
Growing calls to delay emissions trading.
Federal Opposition Leader Brendan Nelson has backed away from emissions trading any time soon, warning it would be "economic suicide" for Australia to go it alone.
Australian Associated Press.
07 July 2008
Dion slams Tories' greenhouse gas 'mentality'.
A group of young activists had federal Liberal Leader Stephane Dion dancing and singing along to an anti-climate change ballad Sunday at the U of A.
Edmonton Journal.
07 July 2008
EU's Barroso fires up German nuclear power debate.
European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso said nuclear power could offer a temporary way to stop climate change -- comments that touched a nerve in Germany, where the Green movement's strength has made many hostile to nuclear energy.
Reuters.
07 July 2008
Fort Lauderdale conference looks for a lifeline for reefs.
It's a chance for scientists to compare notes and for the public to learn about worldwide attempts to curb pollution, measure the impact of global warming and contain damage from coastal development.
South Florida Sun Sentinel.
07 July 2008
French nuclear rivalry may hamper UK energy plans.
France's two biggest energy groups, EDF and GDF Suez, are vying to build the country's latest nuclear power plant, casting fresh doubt on their participation in Britain's planned nuclear renaissance.
London Guardian.
07 July 2008
Poplar trees hold promise for fuel.
With gasoline approaching $4.50 a gallon, Washington State University researcher Jon Johnson finds himself in a scramble to extract ethanol from fast-growing poplar trees.
Clark Columbian.
07 July 2008
Germany wants to build 30 windfarms.
The German government wants to build up to 30 offshore windfarms in a bid to meet its renewable energy targets, Environment Minister Wolfgang Tiefensee said in an interview published Sunday.
Agence France-Presse.
07 July 2008
Toyota plans solar-powered air conditioning.
Toyota's ecological Prius gas-electric hybrid will become even greener next year with solar-powered air conditioning on some high-end models, The Nikkei reported Monday.
Associated Press.
07 July 2008
Electric ride powering a transportation revolution.
The Solar Taxi made a pit stop in Vancouver last week. At the wheel was Swiss adventurer Louis Palmer, who set off from Lucerne almost a year ago in his quest to become the first person to circumnavigate the globe in an electric car.
Toronto Globe and Mail.
07 July 2008
Going green?
One of the fastest-expanding and well-heeled sectors of the travel industry, eco-tourism aims at serving the growing numbers of people who want to see exotic sights, rare wildlife and remote cultures, but feel guilty about the footprint they will leave.
Agence France-Presse.
07 July 2008
Environmental flower power.
Most Americans want to do something to help the environment. Many don't know how.
Peoria Journal Star.
07 July 2008
70,000 could be saved by healthy eating, government says.
A healthy eating drive will be launched in public-sector canteens following the publication of a report today saying that around 70,000 lives could be saved in the UK every year if people avoided unhealthy food.
London Guardian.
07 July 2008
Waste not want not, Gordon Brown tells families.
Families facing spiralling shopping bills were told by Gordon Brown yesterday to stop wasting food, as a government report said that Britons were throwing away groceries worth more than £1 billion a year.
London Times.
07 July 2008
Conservatives ready to battle McCain on convention platform.
Conservative activists are preparing to do battle with allies of Sen. John McCain to prevent his views on global warming, immigration, stem cell research and campaign finance from becoming enshrined in the GOP's official declaration of principles.
Washington Post.
07 July 2008
37 wildfires burning 557,000 acres in 9 states.
A respite of relatively cool calm weather will give way to a heat wave in the next several days, leading to worries that raging wildfires will continue to ravage the West.
The Daily Green.
07 July 2008
