Climate – Oct 29

October 29, 2006

Click on the headline (link) for the full text.

Many more articles are available through the Energy Bulletin homepage


Climate change: Five ways to make a difference

Lucy Siegle, The Observer
1: Have your own no-fly zone …
2: Buy a green car …
3: Switch off …
4: Go on to a low-carbon diet …
5: Make your own power …

1: Have your own no-fly zone
The problem

We are flying more frequently and further than ever before. Uncurbed, air travel is set to become the fastest-growing contributor to climate change. It also necessitates continued airport expansion, which has implications for local environments. There remains no tax on aviation fuel, and a nationwide airport expansion plan is in clear contradiction to efforts to cut carbon dioxide emissions. Meanwhile a single flight from Paris to New York uses up one-and-a-half times a person’s overall carbon ration (the estimated amount each person can ‘safely’ produce) for an entire year, according to the transport expert Dr Mayer Hillman.
(29 Oct 2006)
Better than many green guidelines, in that the article sets priorities, emphasizing steps that yield the best results for the effort. -BA


SEJ panel with Morano, Blakemore, Fagin, and Revkin

David Roberts, Gristmill
At the 16th annual conference of the Society of Environmental Journalists, there was a panel on media coverage of global warming. One of the panelists was Marc Morano, Sen. James Inhofe’s right-hand man (ha ha). The others were:
* Andrew Revkin, Environment Reporter, The New York Times
* Bill Blakemore, Senior Correspondent, ABC News
* Dan Fagin, Associate Professor of Journalism/Associate Director of the Science, Health and Environmental Reporting Program, New York University
* Marc Morano, Director of Communications, Environment and Public Works Committee, U.S. Senate

Via DeSmogBlog (where I stole the picture above) comes this full audio recording (MP3) of the panel. I’m listening to it now. I shall blog along:
(29 Oct 2006)
Fascinating battle between climate journalists and climate skeptic Marc Morano, “Sen. James Inhofe’s right-hand man.” Robertson gives some highlights and opinions. Audio of the original panel is available. -BA


Africa ‘faces catastrophe’ unless West acts on climate change

James Hamilton, Sunday Herald (Scotland)
Africa will go “up in smoke” unless the international community acts to curb climate change. A coalition of the UK’s leading development and environment agencies argue that global warming is already having a serious impact on Africa and will get much worse unless urgent action is taken now.

The group has released a report in the run-up to the next major United Nations conference on climate change, in Nairobi, Kenya, and the publication of the Treasury’s Stern Review on the economics of the problem.

Entitled Africa – Up In Smoke 2, the report is based on the latest available scientific research and evidence from those living on the front line of global warming.

Africa is already on average 0.5˚C warmer than it was 100 years ago, which is putting more strain on water resources. According to the UK’s Hadley Centre for Climate Change, future temperature increases over many areas of Africa will see double the global average increase, and drought patterns stand to worsen catastrophically.

The coalition calls for rich countries to make good their promises to reduce greenhouse gases made at Kyoto and go beyond them. It also calls for an overhaul of humanitarian relief and development; for donors to fund urgent measures to help communities adapt to a new and more erratic climate; and for both foreign donors and African governments to tackle poverty and invest in agricultural development.

Africa is the continent probably most vulnerable to climate change and the one that faces the greatest challenges to adapt to those changes. For millions of people in the Horn of Africa and the east of the continent, the success or failure of rains due over the next two months will be critical. The rains – or lack of them – will determine if 2007 will offer the prospect of recovery from the serious drought of 2005-06 or if it will be another year of desperately struggling to survive.
(29 Oct 2006)


Tags: Education, Transportation