Archive


    Climate change campaign can benefit business
    IT'S Energy Efficiency Week and the Carbon Trust in Wales is stepping up its campaign to help business, industry and the public sector save millions of pounds on energy bills - while helping fight against climate change. http://icwales.icnetwork.co.uk
    As Carbon Dioxide Levels Double, Data Suggest U.S. Will See Major Climate Changes
    Over the next 100 years, the eastern United States will see more winter precipitation because atmospheric carbon dioxide levels are increasing. But more precipitation does not necessarily mean more snow, according to Arthur T. DeGaetano, a Cornell climatologist who is one of several speakers at the symposium, Impacts of Climate Change on Horticulture, scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 4, at the Rhode Island Convention Center in Providence.
    www.sciencedaily.com
    Putin Says Kyoto Benefits Short-Lived for Economy
    President Vladimir Putin said on Friday that Russia's economy will benefit only in the short term from a landmark U.N. pact on limiting global warming that will collapse without Moscow's backing.
    And one of Putin's aides said the Kyoto Protocol, which seeks to rein in emissions of gases from fossil fuels burned mainly in factories and cars, could be an economic millstone as Russia recovers from a slump after the fall of the Soviet Union.
    http://asia.reuters.com
    Global warming 'will hurt Russia!
    A failure by Russia to sign up to the Kyoto Protocol would risk unleashing dangerous climatic changes at home, two of the country's top climate scientists have warned. The caution came during a conference on global warming in Moscow that ends on Friday.
    http://www.newscientist.com
    Global warming to run out of gas
    Global warming due to fossil-fuel burning is unlikely because oil and gas will run out too quickly, scientists have claimed. The controversial theory forecasts that all the fuel will be burned before there is enough carbon dioxide in the atmosphere to bring into reality melting ice-caps and searing temperatures. Geologists at Uppsala University in Sweden claim there are not sufficient reserves of oil and gas left in the world for even the most modest of the scenarios put forward by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) to come to pass. Predictions of global meltdown by the IPCC created the drive for the Kyoto Protocol, an international agreement requiring compliant nations to restrict their emissions. http://www.thescotsman.co.uk
    Russia MPs dash hopes of approving Kyoto soon
    MOSCOW — Russian deputies dashed hopes they would soon approve the Kyoto protocol — a step necessary to bring the global environmental treaty into force — saying on Thursday Moscow needed to approach the issue gradually. But European parliament deputies said after meetings with Russian counterparts they were convinced Russian deputies would approve the pact eventually and were just waiting for the nod from President Vladimir Putin. Russian approval of the pact, which aims to cut emissions of gases causing global warming, is vital to the protocol's future. "The Russian deputies upheld the opinion of the government, which thinks we should approach ratification gradually," said a statement from the Duma after the meeting, which grouped Russian deputies from environmental, economic, and energy committees.
    www.enn.com
    Nuclear Worries Proliferate Over North Korea, Iran September 19, 2003 (ENS) - On the final day of its annual meeting, the International Atomic Energy Agency General Conference today adopted a resolution calling for North Korea to promptly accept the UN nuclear agency's comprehensive safeguards and cooperate in their full and effective implementation. The resolution was adopted by acclamation. Another resolution adopted today calls upon nations to establish a nuclear weapon free zone in the Middle East.
    http://www.ens-newswire.com
    Active fungus may affect global warming: study
    Tiny fungi that live under the Rocky Mountain snowpack in the United States get busy reproducing in the winter and may affect global warming, US scientists said.
    They said they found a winter wonderland of fungal species, including many new to science, under the snow of a high-altitude Colorado meadow.
    www.abc.net
    Is Hydrogen the Gasoline of the Future?
    At Ford's Sustainable Mobility Technologies Lab in Dearborn, Michigan, where engineers are at work on the latest buzz-phrase in driving—hydrogen fuel cell cars—Mugeeb Ijaz runs down the vital stats on the Ford Focus above him. Suspended on a hydraulic lift, the underbelly of the popular sedan seems no different from the average car, except for the black metal box fastened to its middle.
    news.nationalgeographic.com
    Bulgaria and Denmark sign climate cooperation agreement
    Bulgaria and Denmark have signed a new climate cooperation agreement to pave the way for joint implementation projects.
    The agreement was signed by the Danish ambassador, Svend Boye Madsen, and the Bulgarian Minister for Environment and Water, Dolores Arssenova. It will enable Bulgaria to receive new technology to cut greenhouse gas emissions, while Denmark can transfer the carbon dioxide reduction to its own national emission accounts.
    www.edie.net
    Morley backs plan to dump CO2
    Controversial proposals to dump carbon dioxide produced by power stations under the North sea received cautious backing from the environment minister Elliott Morley yesterday.
    Mr Morley said the technology - revealed in the Guardian - could be needed if Britain was to meet its ambitious targets to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. www.guardian.co.uk
    Insurance industry to hot up
    Global warming would affect many sectors of the economy, including the insurance industry, according to Munich Reinsurance Company of Africa Limited. Fundamental changes in the world's climate had resulted in more frequent extreme climatic events. Heatwaves, droughts, floods, hurricanes and tornadoes across the world were happening at frequencies and intensities unprecedented in recorded history.
    www.busrep.co.za
    Climate change: new, big threat to protected areas
    Amidst heat waves, droughts, forest fires, and other extreme weather events over the past months, WWF warns at the 5th World Parks Congress that such climate change impacts will damage protected areas and other valuable habitats unless greenhouse gas emissions are reduced drastically.
    www.panda.org
    Minister: Russia Kyoto approval doubtful by summit
    A deputy minister on Tuesday ruled out Russian ratification of a landmark environmental treaty in time for a global conference in Moscow this month.
    Russia's ratification of the Kyoto protocol, that aims to cut emissions of gases causing global warming, is vital if the treaty is to come into force worldwide. www.cnn.com
    Climate change may bring benefits for growers
    The Bureau of Meteorology says global warning could have some positive impacts on agriculture in north-west Victoria.
    Regional director Andrew Watson says observations at Mildura in the past 50 years are showing a slow but steady climb in average temperatures.
    He says some climate change models also suggest rainfall might increase slightly. http://www.abc.net
    Record-breaking summer may be harbinger of planet warming up
    IT WAS a month that brought the hottest temperatures in the UK since records began, but also forest fires across Europe, a surge in heat-related deaths and even an appeal from the Pope to "grant the thirsty earth the coolness of rain". In Court 73 at the Royal Courts of Justice, the participants at the Hutton Inquiry baked while outside the London Eye was closed as the heat rendered the pods unusable. www.thescotsman.co.uk
    Global warmings before the storm
    CLIMATE change means insurance companies face paying out for a megastorm that could dwarf the 1999 Sydney hailstorm, the most expensive natural disaster in Australian history, Insurance Australia Group's risk manager Tony Coleman believes. Faced with payouts of more than $300 million after the Sydney storm – part of total insurance losses of $1.7 billion – IAG commissioned a study that looked at the effect climate change might have on storms around the city. www.theaustralian.news.com.au
    U.S. Senate panel blocks California emissions plan
    A Senate panel approved legislation Thursday that would block California from setting new air pollution standards for the engines which power lawn mowers, generators, pumps, and many other small machines. The Senate Appropriations Committee included the provision in a must-pass $90 billion annual spending bill funding U.S. housing and veterans' programs as well as federal agencies like the Environmental Protection Agency. It voted 16-12 to reject an effort by California Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein to strip the restriction from the bill. www.enn.com
    World
    EPA Says It Can't Regulate `Greenhouse' Gas Emissions
    The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency said it does not have the authority to regulate carbon dioxide and other ``greenhouse gas'' emissions, the second EPA decision in two days benefiting companies. quote.bloomberg.com
    Kyoto Protocol nears taking effect with Russian progress
    Russia's parliament will soon move toward ratifying the 1997 Kyoto Protocol on curbing global warming, a move that would clear the way for the international treaty to come into force, a Russian official indicated Thursday. www.japantoday.com
    EPA Won't Regulate Auto Greenhouse Gases
    The Environmental Protection Agency on Thursday said it lacked authority to regulate carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases from motor vehicles.
    The agency denied a petition by the International Center for Technology Assessment, a technology watchdog group, and other organizations to impose new controls on vehicles' greenhouse gas emissions blamed for contributing to global warming. guardian
    Environment panel calls for carbon tax in 2005
    A government advisory panel tasked with studying environmental taxes adopted a proposal Wednesday for the introduction of a carbon levy by as early as 2005. The plan, which is short on specifics but has the broad aim of helping to curb global warming, must now be sold to the public and the government. japantimes
    Emissions legislation to benefit innovative companies, claims Commission

    The European Commission is claiming that its proposed legislation on the reduction of fluorinated greenhouse gases will benefit innovative companies and act as a catalyst for less innovative companies to step up their research efforts. CORDIS News
    Victims of a hot climate and a cold society
    Dr. Lucien Abenhaïm, France's director general for health, resigned this week after acknowledging that up to 5,000 French citizens died during the recent heat wave. The minister for the aged said Thursday the number would "most probably" be more than twice that. French officials initially said that there was little they could do to prevent the catastrophe. But health experts and citizen groups have shown that the epidemic was caused by a sweeping set of social breakdowns and political failures. The heat wave, they insist, is hardly a natural disaster. www.iht.com
    American mountain rabbit is the first climate change victim, say scientists
    A small, mountain-dwelling, round-eared relative of the rabbit yesterday became the first mammal that scientists believe has fallen victim to climate change. www.telegraph.co.uk

    World

    EERC Develops Regional Framework for Emissions Reduction Partnership
    The University of North Dakota (UND) Energy & Environmental Research Center (EERC) has developed a collaborative regional framework to support a comprehensive effort by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to control carbon dioxide emissions. www.enn.com
    Desertification in Northern Nigeria: Which way forward?
    Northern Nigeria is located between latitudes 4° N and 14°N and longitudes 2°2' and 14o30’E. By virtue of its spatial extent the country encompasses various climatic regimes and physiographical units representing a wide variety of ecological zones such as Guinea Savannah, Sudan Savannah and Sahel Savannah. www.gamji.com
    Hit by heat and drought, Netherlands is rethinking its traditional approach to water
    — For centuries, the Dutch erected dikes and reclaimed land to keep out the North Sea and prevent flooding. Now, confronted by record heat and shrinking water levels, they are breaking tradition to keep water in, instead of out. The Rhine River reached its lowest level in more than 10 years on Sunday, and boats have been forced to halve their cargos or risk running aground, said Kees de Vries, a spokesman for the Council for Inland Navigation. www.enn.com
    Ice caps may melt completely by next century
    The Arctic ice cap will melt completely within the next century. That is if carbon dioxide emissions continue to heat Earth's atmosphere at current rates, according to an international study published on Thursday. http://www.iol.co.za
    Spanish Carbon Fund launched
    The first Spanish Carbon Fund is to be launched as a consortium led by CO2 Spain, an environmental investments group, working together with CO2e.com and international law firm, Baker and McKenzie. Its initial participants include both public and private firms in Spain that expect to be involved in the European Emissions Trading Scheme. http://www.edie.net
    Japan's Asahi to cut carbon dioxide emissions
    As part of its effort to become more environmentally friendly, Asahi Breweries Ltd aims to reduce the carbon dioxide emitted in brewing regular and low-malt beer in 2008 through 2012 to half the 1990 level. http://www.atimes.com
    “Energy’s Future” A New Opportunity
    The United States imports over 50% of its energy from foreign countries and this figure is set to exceed 60% by the year 2010. Political instability in the Middle East, fluctuations in oil prices, concerns over long term availability of oil and gas supplies, suggest the trend towards greater energy dependency may ultimately be deeply damaging to the North American economy and even threaten national security. A preferable and more sustainable strategy would be to encourage greater energy independence through the development of locally grown renewable energy resources. http://www.energypulse.net?

    World

    Let's take a long, cool look at the dangers of global warming
    This time last year, the rains were so heavy in central Europe, northern Italy and southern France that not merely crops, but whole buildings, indeed whole streets, were washed away. The Danube and Po rivers overflowed and flooded many of the cities on their banks, causing irreperable damage to historic buildings and destroying much of the year's agriculture.
    telegraph
    Ministry to back up business ideas to reduce CO2
    The Environment Ministry will give support to businesses which improve technology or ideas to reduce carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions to fight against global warming, according to ministry sources.
    www.japantoday.com
    The Hydrogen Revolution
    The 100-year run of the gasoline engine may end here, in an unpretentious riverside office park in western Canada. Inside, casually dressed employees walk unhurriedly around a modest-sized factory floor, overseeing the secretive process of manufacturing fuel cells, simple but miraculous devices that transform limitless hydrogen into highly efficient electric power -- with no emissions except harmless heat and distilled water vapor.
    www.ctnow.com
    Kyoto 'will not stop global warming'
    The Kyoto Protocol on cutting greenhouse gas emissions will not stop climate change, a leading think tank has warned. The report from the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) in the UK, which has close links to the government, comes as some experts cite Britain's heat wave as further evidence of global warming. bbc
    Oil industry looking for a free ride
    After the federal government adopted the Kyoto Protocol last December, Canadians could be forgiven for thinking that the issue had been solved, that the country was united in its quest to reduce the emissions responsible for climate change.
    Unfortunately, that assumption would be wrong. Groups that lobbied against the climate treaty in the first place, like the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers (CAPP), simply changed course and are now hard at work trying to make sure industry targets are marshmallow soft — even if that means sticking it to taxpayers.
    www.enn.com
    One man can take the heat off. Will he heed the global warning?
    The temperature in central London yesterday reached 35.4C (95.7F) - the hottest on record - with Gravesend in Kent even hotter, at 35.9C (96.6F). Even in Glasgow it was in the 80s Fahrenheit, and the UK record of 37.1C (98.8F) could be broken on Saturday, forecasters said, as all across Europe the merciless sun roasts citizens, sets forests ablaze and makes rivers run dry. news.independent.co.uk
    Russia may decide to ratify Kyoto Protocol in Sept.
    Russia may make a final decision on ratifying the Kyoto Protocol on curbing global warming in September, which could lead to it entering into effect as early as the beginning of 2004, Deputy Prime Minister Viktor Khristenko indicated Monday.
    www.japantoday.com

    World


    World Officials Agree to Share Ecology Data
    Officials from more than 30 countries agreed today to expand monitoring of the atmosphere, the oceans and the land and to create a system for sharing the resulting data. At a meeting here organized by the Bush administration, the officials said the goal of the 10-year effort was to fill in big gaps, primarily in developing countries, in the network of instruments recording earth's vital signs. The resulting benefits, like better crop and weather forecasts, are to be shared by rich and poor countries alike.
    NY-times
    Bush Welcomes Senate Vote on Bill to Boost Energy Production

    U.S. President George W. Bush welcomed Senate approval of an energy bill designed to increase domestic production, saying the legislation is a boost to the economy. bloomberg
    GOP Senators Blame Nature for Climate Change
    Some Senate Republicans say there is considerable doubt that the climate is warming and if it is, humans are not responsible. Backing up statements he made on the Senate floor Monday, Oklahoma Senator James Inhofe today told colleagues of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee that the science shows natural variability, not human activity, is the "overwhelming factor" influencing climate change. ens-news
    Powering an Economy: Kyoto Protocol helps Chinese industries catch up
    Its status as both a developing nation and a rising industrial power give China the unique advantage of being able to lure foreign technological assistance. A key advantage China enjoys is the so-called clean development mechanism (CDM) of the Kyoto Protocol on global warming. The mechanism exempts developing countries that have signed on to Kyoto from obligations to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases. asahi
    Ten governors will try regional approach on greenhouse gases
    Ten Northeastern governors have pledged to develop a regional strategy to limit carbon dioxide emissions from power plants, New York Gov. George Pataki said Thursday.
    news day
    Drought warning for Ireland
    Ireland's climate is likely to change dramatically in future years if nothing is done to change its environmental policy, a report has warned. bbc.co.uk
    Old trees poor carbon sponge?
    Mature trees might not offset global warming by mopping up excess carbon dioxide, suggests a forest study in Switzerland. They may already have all the carbon dioxide that they need.
    www.nature.com
    Archieve



    World

    Russia set to ratify Kyoto Protocol
    Russia has moved a step closer to ratifying the 1997 Kyoto Protocol following the conclusion by an ad hoc government team investigating the possible effects of the pact on the country that the agreement would be free from economic and political risks, The Yomiuri Shimbun learned Monday.
    The Daily Yumiuri
    Nature confused by changing climate
    Scientists predicted last month that the Earth’s worst mass extinction could be replicated within a century if global warming continues. Meanwhile, the Woodland Trust has already shown that many natural events associated with spring are now happening before Christmas.
    The Scotsman
    New Fund Uses Kyoto Protocol to Aid Poor Communities
    A new fund that will reduce emissions of the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide and at the same time use carbon finance as a development tool to benefit the least developed countries was set in motion on Tuesday.
    ens-news
    Why the Caribbean's gardens of the sea are vanishing?
    For decades, marine scientists have tracked the loss of once-bountiful coral-reefs in the Caribbean Sea. But few have tried to fit the disparate pieces of the coral reef puzzle into a region-wide picture.
    The Christian Science Monitor
    Clearer Skies with Energy Efficiency
    A new report, by the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE), examines the use of energy efficiency as a Clean Air Act compliance tool in the emissions trading system that emerged from the Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990. ACEEE concluded that as Congress currently contemplates action on multi-pollutant legislation, it should include energy efficiency as a compliance option. If not, Americans will pay needlessly high costs for cleaner air.
    www.enn.com
    Hydrogen-fueled cars not best way to cut pollution, greenhouse gases and oil dependency
    As politicians and the public leap aboard the hydrogen fuel bandwagon, a University of California, Berkeley, energy expert suggests we all step back and take a critical look at the technology and consider simpler, cheaper options. In a paper appearing in the July 18 issue of Science magazine, Alex Farrell, assistant professor of energy and resources at UC Berkeley, and David Keith, associate professor of engineering and public policy at Carnegie Mellon University, present various short- and long-term strategies that they say would achieve the same results as switching from gasoline-powered vehicles to hydrogen cars.
    www.eurekalert.org
    Experts gather to discuss air pollution crisis in Asia
    Key Asian cities face serious problems with air pollution which if left unresolved could cost the region billions of dollars annually in health costs and lost economic output, experts said yesterday.
    Air quality in several Asian cities such as Jakarta and Manila does not meet standards set by the World Health Organization and two-thirds of the 800,000 people who die globally from air pollution every year are from the region, they said.
    Taipei Times
    The end of the world as we know it?
    The UN and others are warning that the atmosphere is heating up and climate change could lead to a `holocaust'
    Taipei Times

    Iran


    source:Iran Green Pen

    World

    Scientists trace global warming in Interior
    A burst of hot air shot up at Dr. Glenn Juday as he looked down at the edge of a high bluff over the Tanana Flats. Blasted by the wind and sun, the bluff was covered with thin soil and sparse grass and ringed by stunted aspens. news miner
    Australia Introduces New Fuel-Consumption Label on Cars
    The Australian government has introduced a new fuel consumption label for new car models that lists both fuel consumption and carbon dioxide emissions.
    Dr. David Kemp, minister for the environment and heritage, said the fuel consumption label scheme had been expanded to include emission figures for carbon dioxide, a key greenhouse gas, in addition to the current fuel consumption information. Greenbiz
    Study says firms ignore global warming
    Many of the world's largest companies are doing a poor job of preparing for the business impact of global warming, according to a report issued by a coalition of investor, environmental and public interest groups. www.iht.com
    Climate change to affect water management
    The need for integrating climate change scenarios as well as negative impacts of withdrawal of river water at upstream in India for finalising an integrated water resources management plan was emphasised at a workshop in the city yesterday.
    The New Nation
    Why U.S. Is Running Out of Gas

    If all goes according to plan, the U.S. Senate in the next few weeks will follow the House and approve the latest in a long line of national energy policies. This one incorporates a favorite initiative of President George W. Bush's—the hydrogen-powered car. In his State of the Union address in January, the President proposed "$1.2 billion in research funding so that America can lead the world in developing clean, hydrogen-powered automobiles." As the President explained, his goal was "to promote energy independence ... in ways that generations before us could not have imagined." www.Time.com
    EU emissions trading will be tied to Kyoto flexible mechanisms

    On 16 July, the Commission will present its Communication on the link between its recently adopted greenhouse gas emissions trading scheme and the flexible mechanisms foreseen in the Kyoto Protocol. www.euractiv.com

    Iran


    No Permission for Car Import!

    Gasoline consumption: 36 million liters per year

    source:Iran Green Pen

    Human Effect on Climate Draws Scientific Consensus

    A group of climate scientists has reaffirmed the "robust consensus view" emerging from the peer reviewed literature that climate warming observed at least in the northern hemisphere in the late 20th century was different from warming in the previous 1,000 years, and that human activity likely played an important role in causing it.
    Leading climate scientists reaffirm view that late 20th Century warming was unusual
    A group of leading climate scientists has reaffirmed the "robust consensus view" emerging from the peer reviewed literature that the warmth experienced on at least a hemispheric scale in the late 20th century was an anomaly in the previous millennium and that human activity likely played an important role in causing it. In so doing, they refuted recent claims that the warmth of recent decades was not unprecedented in the context of the past thousand years. Writing in the 8 July issue of the American Geophysical Union publication Eos, Michael Mann of the University of Virginia and 12 colleagues in the United States and United Kingdom endorse the position on climate change and greenhouse gases taken by AGU in 1998. Specifically, they say that "there is a compelling basis for concern over future climate changes, including increases in global-mean surface temperatures, due to increased concentrations of greenhouse gases, primarily from fossil-fuel burning."
    Swiss told to do more to reduce CO2

    A new report says Switzerland needs to take tougher action to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by the required ten per cent by 2010.
    Industry to trade gas emission rights

    The European Parliament has paved the way for industry to trade greenhouse gas emission rights as of 2005. The new rules will create an EU market in greenhouse gas emissions in an attempt to protect the environment.
    Climate change could wipe out warm-water crabs

    Even a small change in climate could wipe out some species of warm-water crab, a scientist is warning. Ironically, their cold-water-loving peers may actually be more capable of weathering such a change.
    Greenhouse gas emissions from New Zealand still growing

    Greenhouse gas emissions from New Zealand's energy sector continue to grow, according to the latest available statistics.
    The report New Zealand Energy Greenhouse Gas Emissions 1990-2002, released today, shows that the energy sector's gross carbon dioxide emissions grew by 2.7 per cent from 2001 to 2002. Average annual growth since 1990 was 2.4 per cent.
    Extreme weather evidence of global warming

    In an astonishing announcement on global warming and extreme weather, the World Meteorological Organisation has signalled that the world's weather is going haywire.
    Extreme weather prompts unprecedented global warming alert

    In an astonishing announcement on global warming and extreme weather, the World Meteorological Organisation signalled last night that the world's weather is going haywire
    Global land temperatures rising fast

    Average temperatures over land areas in the world climbed to the warmest level ever recorded in May, the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) said on Wednesday.
    The global average land temperature reached 11.2 degrees centigrade, 0.96 degrees above the month's average, while the combined global land and sea average for May was the second highest since observations began in 1880, according to WMO.
    New Zealand is the Saudi Arabia of Wind

    Auckland, Wednesday 2 July 2003: Greenpeace today launched a groundbreaking new report Winds of Change11 The Greenpeace report, Winds of Change: Exploring New Zealand’s phenomenal wind resource and options to drive renewable energy development is available at www.greenpeace.org.nz on how our electricity needs could be met by harnessing the power of wind.
    Highest sea level in 100 years recorded around Japan

    The average sea level around Japan in 2002 was 5.12 centimeters higher than the average for the last 100 years due to what experts suspect are the effects of global warming, the Japan Meteorological Agency said Tuesday.
    Carbon dioxide project in Indonesia to begin

    The project - estimated to cost about 100 billion yen (US$847 million) - collects carbon dioxide from such facilities as electric power plants and injects it into the ground. The project was started last June through a joint effort between Nissho Iwai, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and an energy research and development organization affiliated with Indonesia's Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources.
    MORE ENERGY AND LESS EMISSIONS

    To produce more energy and create less emissions. This virtuous relation between environment and economy is foreseen by the programme for the reduction of greenhouse gases approved by the CIPE in the last few months in order to respect the aims of the Kyoto Protocol.

    www.carbonfinance.org
    White House cuts global warming from report
    The White House has removed damaging references to global warming from a major US government report on the environment due to be published next week. References to health threats posed by exhaust emissions that were part of the draft report by the environmental protection agency (EPA) have been removed, according to leaked versions of the report.
    Guardian
    Kyoto tax angers farmers
    Farm leaders have reacted angrily to the government's prescription for agricultural greenhouse gas emission research, which includes a compulsory new levy on farmers.
    The plans were "overkill" and would amount to a further 9c a sheep and 54c a beef cow in levies, Meat New Zealand chairman Jeff Grant said.
    "Farmers already fund research that not only improves productivity, but reduces methane emissions from livestock at the same time," Mr Grant said.
    National Business Review
    Emissions of greenhouse gases in Switzerland and the EU increased in 2001.
    In Switzerland the federal office for the environment has published figures for greenhouse gas emissions in 2001. These emissions rose by 2% in 2001 from 2000, due to a severe winter and the improved economic conditions in the country. The 2001 level was higher than the 1990 level too, by 0.7%. (Under the Kyoto agreement greenhouse gas emissions should be reduced by 8% in 2008-2012 compared with 1990.) The latest official figures for the European Union show greenhouse gas emissions rising by 1% in 2001 compared with 2000, but falling by 2.3% compared with 1990.
    Hoovers
    Global warming 'threatens Earth with mass extinction
    Global warming over the next century could trigger a catastrophe to rival the worst mass extinction in the history of the planet, scientists have warned.
    Researchers at Bristol University have discovered that a mere 6 degrees of global warming was enough to wipe out up to 95 per cent of the species which were alive on earth at the end of the Permian period, 250 million years ago.
    smh
    Doubts on Whether 20th Century the Hottest Ever
    Assertions that the 20th century was the warmest of the millennium and that within a hundred years the earth's average temperatures could rise 3.5 degrees centigrade are two of the most publicised hypotheses in the battle to curb climate change. ios news
    World Struggles to Fend Off Desertification
    Every year, vast patches of the Earth turn barren and unproductive, the consequence of drought and poor land management. This process - known as desertification - has far reaching costs to humanity, United Nations Secretary Kofi Annan said today, and poses "an ever increasing global threat." ens-news
    Iceland wants to become world's first hydrogen-powered economy
    Iceland could become the world's first economy free from the fossil fuels that add to global warming if it manages to produce enough hydrogen using renewable energy sources to run fuel cells, an official said here.
    Space Daily
    $500 - for a drink of water?
    Presenter Michael Embley argued that politicians are as much to blame as climate, a view long held by the pressure group Tourism Concern. To meet the needs of five-star hotels in Goa rivers hundreds of miles away have been dammed and diverted, depriving villagers of their water supply. Embley's first call was El Paso in Texas on the US-Mexican border where the Rio Grande is on the verge of drying up. Will Rogers, the country singer, said it was the only river he knew that was in need of irrigation.
    observer
    Runaway global warming from oceans' methane is real threat
    New information reveals a mechanism that, once under way, would proceed on its own momentum until the ice of Antarctica and Greenland would melt. This extra dimension of global warming pertains to methane clathrates. madison
    Presidential Hopefuls Push Energy Alternatives, Pan Kyoto
    As the U.S. Congress debates an energy bill roundly rejected by environmentalists and public health advocates, the Democratic hopefuls for the presidency in 2004 are seeking to distinguish themselves with energy plans that would wean the country from its addiction to fossil fuels.
    Former Vermont governor Howard Dean has sided most closely with the Bush administration, endorsing the National Governors Association policy, which opposed the Kyoto Protocol unless it included mandatory emissions cuts for developing countries. The policy recommended that the United States "not sign or ratify any agreement that would result in serious harm to the U.S. economy."
    While differing in details, these alternative energy plans all vow greater investments in renewable energy sources like wind, solar and biomass, stepping up fuel efficiency for vehicles and protecting sensitive oil-rich areas that President George W Bush, a Republican, has targeted for drilling. Common Dreams


    Climate Change Places Development Targets at Risk

    —Development efforts in achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDG’s) to reduce poverty by 50 percent by 2015, and to sustain progress beyond, are at risk because of the adverse impacts of climate change on the livelihoods of poor people in developing countries, especially because of the changes in the availability of natural resources, according to a report released today by the World Bank and nine other bilateral and multilateral development-oriented institutions, during the meetings of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).

    World Bank
    Pollution fights 'global warming'?
    Study finds smoke protects planet from greenhouse gases
    It turns out there's a silver lining to the cloud of smog that drapes large cities around the world, as an international team of atmospheric scientists conclude pollution protects the planet from "global warming." Woeld Net Daily
    World's vegetation is cleaning more carbon from skies
    If your dogwoods and peony patches are looking a bit more robust than they did 20 years ago, you may have climate change to thank for much of their growth. Using two decades' worth of data on climate and vegetation, a team of scientists has taken what may be the first planet-wide look at plant activity during a time when Earth's environment underwent significant change.
    Christian Science
    Russia not to gain by ratifying Kyoto accord
    A top adviser to President Vladimir Putin said Wednesday that Russia was not likely to gain anything by ratifying the Kyoto protocol on climate change and questioned the existence of global warming.
    Russia Journal
    The real 'greenhouse effect'
    The world has become a greener place in the past two decades as a result of climate change, according to a major study published today.
    As the climate has warmed, the Earth has become more lush and rich with vegetation, notably in the Amazon rainforests, according to a study jointly funded by the US space agency Nasa and the US Department of Energy.
    Daily Telegraph
    Climate changes making planet greener
    The Earth has become significantly greener over the past two decades, the result of climate changes that have furnished plants with more heat, light, water and carbon dioxide, according to a new Science magazine report.
    CNN
    Putin tells govt to get environment act together
    Russia must rethink its environmental policy if it is to overcome a Soviet-era legacy of heavy industrial pollution, acid rain and tonnes of nuclear waste, President Vladimir Putin told top officials on Wednesday.
    Putin called for a single body to manage Russia's environmental policy -- currently spread across at least five ministries and a myriad of intermediate government bodies.
    Reuters
    Greens glum on Environment Day
    Ecologists sounded a note of dismay on the 30th United Nations World Environment Day, an annual event aimed at boosting awareness about the planet's deteriorating health.

    Science and Medicine
    Hunt is on for ancient 'global warming' documents
    Experts are hunting for ancient tablets in Iraq that may hold the key to understanding global warming.
    Foreign Office Minister Bill Rammell told the Commons that the Government was taking steps to identify and protect the nearly 5,000-year-old Sumerian Tablets.
    ananova
    Rich nations to emit more greenhouse gases - UN
    - Industrialised countries will increase their emissions of the gases blamed for global warming by 10 percent this decade, a U.N. report said on Tuesday.
    The predicted rise comes despite international efforts to tackle greenhouse gas emissions and follows the near stabilisation of emissions in the 1990s.
    Reuters
    World Climate Change Conference to start in Bonn
    A ten-day conference on climate change throughout the world will begin today, Wednesday, in the German city of Bonn. Delegates from around 180 countries will be attending the conference, which is organised by the United Nations. The conference will focus on the implementation of the Kyoto protocol on the reduction of greenhouse emissions. According to a recent UN report, there will be a marked increase in greenhouse gas emissions in industrial countries during the course of the decade, despite all pledges to protect the world's climate.
    DW
    European refiners face Kyoto CO2 caps as hydroprocessing rates rise
    The European Union's adoption of the Kyoto Protocol has refiners there facing potential carbon dioxide (CO2) caps to meet greenhouse gas emission reduction requirements. Refiners are also gearing up to produce cleaner fuels through additional hydroprocessing, which could lead to higher CO2 emissions just as the protocol-required caps come into play.
    Hoovers
    Swiss Parliament approves Kyoto protocol
    Switzerland has taken a symbolic step towards reducing worldwide pollution, after parliament agreed to ratify the Kyoto protocol on reducing the emission of greenhouse gases.
    On Monday, the House of Representatives overwhelmingly endorsed the United Nations treaty on climate change. Swiss info
    G-8 Leaders Pledge to Develop Cleaner, Efficient Technologies
    Leaders of the G-8 industrial countries June 2 issued a statement in support of the development of cleaner, sustainable and more efficient technologies to improve public health and reduce pollution worldwide. US info
    Scientists study rising seas
    Two scientists at a Scottish university are examining the effect of rising sea levels on a Fife estuary as part of a 1m euro project. The Eden Estuary near St Andrews is one of five sites across Europe being assessed for the study into the impact of global warming. bbc
    Natural disasters biggest financial threat to insurers
    A major earthquake in California could cost insurers twice the $35-40 billion of the September 11 attacks, making natural disasters the single largest risk to sector finances, a leading industry executive said. Planet ark
    Beijing extends Kyoto Protocol to Hong Kong
    China has extended an international framework and its treaty aimed at controlling global warming to Hong Kong, the city's government said Thursday. Janap today
    How to Halve U.S. Transport Emissions by 2050
    By using a set of existing technologies and policies and building on them, it is possible to reduce U.S. carbon emissions from transportation 20 percent by 2015, and almost 50 percent by 2030, says a new report by the Pew Center on Global Climate Change. ens-new
    5.5C temperature rise in next century
    The 21st century could see the Earth warming more quickly than was previously estimated, according to a new approach to modelling climates. guardian
    SCIENTISTS TO MEASURE GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS OVER NORTH AMERICA
    Government and university scientists will be hanging out at the track this summer—only there aren’t any horses and the track is located 30,000 feet above sea level. NOAA news

    World

    Pakistan on road to renewable energy technologies
    Pakistan will have 100-wind power turbines installed in the remote coastal areas of Sindh and Balochistan provinces during the next one year.
    The country has already procured and installed 14 wind power turbines of 300 and 500-watt capacity, with the help of China, in coastal areas of Sindh and Balochistan. daily times
    US helping region to fight global warming
    Washington – The United States is helping finance a project in conjunction with the World Bank’s Global Environment Facility (GEF) to counter the destructive effects of global warming in the Caribbean. advocate
    UCI gets $1.2 million for climate-change research
    A prominent Chicago businessman concerned about global warming is giving the University of California, Irvine, $1.2 million to broadly expand the school's study of climate change, an area in which the campus has already won the Nobel Prize. ocregister
    Swiss Info
    An international conference is underway in Switzerland to discuss climate change and its impact for mountain regions. Organisers said the meeting was focusing on ways of improving protection against natural disasters, including flooding and mudslides, in the Alps. One of the key issues on the agenda is the impact of rising temperatures and melting glaciers. The four-day conference in the town of Brig is being attended by specialists from 25 countries. swiss info
    NASA finds soot has impact on global climate
    A team of researchers, led by NASA and Columbia University scientists, found airborne, microscopic, black- carbon (soot) particles are even more plentiful around the world, and contribute more to climate change, than was previously assumed by the Intergovernmental Panel of Climate Change (IPCC). The researchers concluded if these soot particles are not reduced, at least as rapidly as light-colored pollutants, the world could warm more quickly.
    The findings appear in the latest issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. It is authored by Makiko Sato, James Hansen and others from NASA's Goddard Institute for Space Studies (GISS) and Columbia University, New York; Oleg Dubovik, Brent Holben and Mian Chin of NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md.; and Tica Novakov, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, Calif. eurek alert
    New Climate Model Predicts Greater 21st Century Warming
    For the first time, scientists have incorporated multiple human and natural factors into a climate projection model. They predict that increased carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, due to changes in the carbon cycle, combined with a decrease in human-produced sulphates, may cause accelerated global warming during the 21st century, as compared with simulations without these feedback effects. science blog
    Environment conference opens in Ukraine
    Around 50 environment ministers from Europe, North America and former Soviet republics are due to open a three-day conference on Wednesday in Ukraine, a country still recovering from the devastating effects of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster 17 years ago.
    The agenda of the fifth pan-European environment conference ñ entitled "Environmental Security for Durable Development", will focus on access to potable water, biodiversity and energy, World Bank environment official here Kristalina Georgiyeva said. jang group
    French minister hints the country's energy future is nuclear
    A French government minister dropped a heavy hint Saturday that the country would stick with its pro-nuclear energy policy, saying a choice had to be made between the dangers of nuclear power and those of climate change. terra daily

    World

    Climate change raises health risks for Australians
    Australia's first official assessment of the risks to public health from climate change predicts rising global temperatures will cause more Australians to become ill or die from heat, flooding, and infectious diseases. abc news
    Moscow to Host World Climate Change Conference
    From September 9th till October 3rd Moscow will host the World Conference on Climate Change, held on the initiative of Russian President Vladimir Putin, with the support of the UN and G8 leaders.
    The news was announced at a press conference by the organising committee's representative, director of the Global Climate and Ecology Institute of the Meteorological Office of the Russian Academy of Sciences, academician Yuri Izrael.
    pravda
    Greenhouse gas might green up the desert
    Missing: around 7 billion tons of carbon dioxide (CO2), the main greenhouse gas charged with global warming. Every year, industry releases about 22 billion tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. And every year, when scientists measure the rise of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, it doesn’t add up – about half goes missing. Figuring in the amount that could be soaked up by oceans, some 7 billion tons still remain unaccounted for. Now, a study conducted at the edge of Israel’s Negev Desert has come up with what might be a piece of the puzzle.
    eurekalert
    EU greenhouse gas emissions increase for second year
    Greenhouse gas emissions from the EU have increased for the second consecutive year, moving the EU further away from meeting its commitment to achieve a substantial emissions cut by the 2008 to 2012 period, according to a new report from the European Environment Agency (EEA).
    The annual emissions inventory compiled by the EEA shows that total EU emissions of six gases widely considered to be contributing to global climate change are estimated to have stood 1% higher in 2001 (the latest year for which data is available) than a year earlier. environment centre
    Carbon Dioxide 'makes deserts greener
    RISING carbon dioxide levels may be helping forests to reclaim the world’s deserts, scientists have claimed.
    The trend could explain why a forest planted on the edge of the Negev desert in Israel 35 years ago is expanding much faster than expected and it could help account for the estimated seven billion tonnes of carbon dioxide that goes missing from the atmosphere each year. scotsman
    Humanity may not be to blame for global warming after all
    LAST week, the European Environment Agency revealed that the EU was lagging, quite significantly, in achieving its targets for reducing emissions of greenhouse gases under the Kyoto Protocol, because of a particularly cold winter, which required consumers to use more energy.
    scotsman
    NASA Finds Soot Has Impact On Global Climate
    A team of researchers, led by NASA and Columbia University scientists, found airborne, microscopic, black-carbon (soot) particles are even more plentiful around the world, and contribute more to climate change, than was previously assumed by the Intergovernmental Panel of Climate Change (IPCC). The researchers concluded if these soot particles are not reduced, at least as rapidly as light-colored pollutants, the world could warm more quickly. science daily
    Africa Expect Worse Effects of Climate Change
    In 2001, the Inter-governmental Panel on Climate Change revealed that, though, due to underdevelopment, Africa emits negligible amounts of greenhouse gases, it will suffer the most from the impact of climate change.
    Remember the 1997/98 El Nino flooding? Remember the severe La Nina drought of 2000? We should expect more of these phenomena in the near future, caused by global warming. all africa
    A New Roadmap for U.S. Greenhouse Gas Reductions
    The Bush administration may be steadfast against adopting any mandatory greenhouse gas emissions program, but there is increasing interest among some in the U.S. Congress for policies that would force the nation responsible for one quarter of the world's greenhouse gases to curb its emissions.
    ens-news

    Iran

    On the occaision of world environment day this year(June 5th) and the national environment week numerous ceremonies will be held nation wide
    The Fourth National Environment Awards Ceremonies will be held in Tehran on June 8th. In this year's competition more than 350 persons or organizations who have had significant achievements in the field of the environment were nominated for the award. The awards are given annually to individuals or organisations with outstanding roles in improving the state of the environment. The awards are divided in three categories of organizations, specialists and civil society.
    The First National Conference on Environment and the Law to Be Held in Tehran
    In a joint initiative with the Judiciary of the Islamic Republic of Iran , the Department of the Environment will convene the first National Conference on Environment and the Law during the Environment Week.
    Amortized and outdated minibuses will be collected and removed from the urban transportation system

    Global Warming causes food crises

    22 billion tone CO2 in the Atmosphere!

    Reduce Energy consumption with Green lands and roofs

    The Department of the Enviroment does not aproved current forest management policies

    All these titles were from Iran Green pen

    World

    Climate change raises health risks for Australians
    Australia's first official assessment of the risks to public health from climate change predicts rising global temperatures will cause more Australians to become ill or die from heat, flooding, and infectious diseases. abc news
    Moscow to Host World Climate Change Conference
    From September 9th till October 3rd Moscow will host the World Conference on Climate Change, held on the initiative of Russian President Vladimir Putin, with the support of the UN and G8 leaders.
    The news was announced at a press conference by the organising committee's representative, director of the Global Climate and Ecology Institute of the Meteorological Office of the Russian Academy of Sciences, academician Yuri Izrael.
    pravda
    Greenhouse gas might green up the desert
    Missing: around 7 billion tons of carbon dioxide (CO2), the main greenhouse gas charged with global warming. Every year, industry releases about 22 billion tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. And every year, when scientists measure the rise of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, it doesn’t add up – about half goes missing. Figuring in the amount that could be soaked up by oceans, some 7 billion tons still remain unaccounted for. Now, a study conducted at the edge of Israel’s Negev Desert has come up with what might be a piece of the puzzle.
    eurekalert
    EU greenhouse gas emissions increase for second year
    Greenhouse gas emissions from the EU have increased for the second consecutive year, moving the EU further away from meeting its commitment to achieve a substantial emissions cut by the 2008 to 2012 period, according to a new report from the European Environment Agency (EEA).
    The annual emissions inventory compiled by the EEA shows that total EU emissions of six gases widely considered to be contributing to global climate change are estimated to have stood 1% higher in 2001 (the latest year for which data is available) than a year earlier. environment centre
    Carbon Dioxide 'makes deserts greener
    RISING carbon dioxide levels may be helping forests to reclaim the world’s deserts, scientists have claimed.
    The trend could explain why a forest planted on the edge of the Negev desert in Israel 35 years ago is expanding much faster than expected and it could help account for the estimated seven billion tonnes of carbon dioxide that goes missing from the atmosphere each year. scotsman
    Humanity may not be to blame for global warming after all
    LAST week, the European Environment Agency revealed that the EU was lagging, quite significantly, in achieving its targets for reducing emissions of greenhouse gases under the Kyoto Protocol, because of a particularly cold winter, which required consumers to use more energy.
    scotsman
    NASA Finds Soot Has Impact On Global Climate
    A team of researchers, led by NASA and Columbia University scientists, found airborne, microscopic, black-carbon (soot) particles are even more plentiful around the world, and contribute more to climate change, than was previously assumed by the Intergovernmental Panel of Climate Change (IPCC). The researchers concluded if these soot particles are not reduced, at least as rapidly as light-colored pollutants, the world could warm more quickly. science daily
    Africa Expect Worse Effects of Climate Change
    In 2001, the Inter-governmental Panel on Climate Change revealed that, though, due to underdevelopment, Africa emits negligible amounts of greenhouse gases, it will suffer the most from the impact of climate change.
    Remember the 1997/98 El Nino flooding? Remember the severe La Nina drought of 2000? We should expect more of these phenomena in the near future, caused by global warming. all africa
    A New Roadmap for U.S. Greenhouse Gas Reductions
    The Bush administration may be steadfast against adopting any mandatory greenhouse gas emissions program, but there is increasing interest among some in the U.S. Congress for policies that would force the nation responsible for one quarter of the world's greenhouse gases to curb its emissions.
    ens-news

    Iran

    On the occaision of world environment day this year(June 5th) and the national environment week numerous ceremonies will be held nation wide
    The Fourth National Environment Awards Ceremonies will be held in Tehran on June 8th. In this year's competition more than 350 persons or organizations who have had significant achievements in the field of the environment were nominated for the award. The awards are given annually to individuals or organisations with outstanding roles in improving the state of the environment. The awards are divided in three categories of organizations, specialists and civil society.
    The First National Conference on Environment and the Law to Be Held in Tehran
    In a joint initiative with the Judiciary of the Islamic Republic of Iran , the Department of the Environment will convene the first National Conference on Environment and the Law during the Environment Week.
    Amortized and outdated minibuses will be collected and removed from the urban transportation system

    Global Warming causes food crises

    22 billion tone CO2 in the Atmosphere!

    Reduce Energy consumption with Green lands and roofs

    The Department of the Enviroment does not aproved current forest management policies

    All these titles were from Iran Green pen

    world

    Global Warming Troubles Qinghai-Tibet Railway Construction
    Global warming may prove to be another problem for designers and builders of the Qinghai-Tibet Railway under construction in northwest China.
    people daily
    Scientists: Global warming could make dead zone worse
    The dead zone in the Gulf of Mexico could get a lot bigger if the planet continues to warm because of greenhouse gases, according to scientists with the Louisiana State University.
    nola
    India, China will drive global energy use increase
    The U.S. Energy Department says much of the projected 58 percent growth in worldwide consumption of commercial energy is expected to occur in rapidly industrialising developing countries such as India, China and South Korea.
    The Energy Information Administration (EIA), an independent statistical agency in the department, lowered "substantially" its projection for a rise in energy demand in South America as a result of political and economic problems in the region last year.
    asia tribune
    Gore visit to push for Kyoto
    AL Gore, the former US vice-president who won the popular vote at the last presidential election, will visit Australia this month to urge the Howard Government to sign the Kyoto agreement on reducing greenhouse gases.
    smh
    Japan, Russia at odds over plan to reduce CO2
    Japan and Russia are at odds over a possible agreement related to swapping credits earned for reducing carbon dioxide emissions, it was learned Sunday. According to negotiators from both countries, the two are trying to work out an intergovernmental pact on the joint implementation of reductions as part of efforts to curb global warming.
    japan times
    Europe slips on greenhouse targets
    Emissions of greenhouse gases from the European Union increased in 2001 for the second year running.
    bbc
    Bush Administration Keen on New Nuclear Weapons
    As U.S. officials struggle to deal with North Korea and its renegade nuclear program, the Senate Armed Services Committee is set to consider a Bush administration proposal to research new nuclear weapons and to reduce the preparation time for underground testing from three years to 18 months.
    ens-news
    UN Makes Two Year Sustainable Water, Energy Plan
    Extending access to clean, safe water and abundant energy will be the focus of work for the next two years for a high level United Nations commission now meeting at UN headquarters in New York. Ministers from more than 40 countries attending the 11th session of the UN Commission on Sustainable Development agree that water and energy are the issues of first concern as they attempt to integrate economic growth, social development, and environmental protection on a global scale.
 		  
 

2002, Iran's Climate Change Office, Tehran, Iran
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