November 12, 2009

News summaries

US pushes for compromise in Copenhagen climate talks
The United States called Wednesday for a compromise at next month's
global climate talks in Copenhagen and vowed to support a fund to help
developing countries cope with emissions cuts. "We cannot let the
pursuit of perfection get in the way of progress," US Secretary of
State Hillary Clinton told a news conference in Singapore ahead of a
weekend Pacific Rim summit. AFP

Gore urges Obama to take lead on climate change
Gore tells NPR's Robert Siegel that he hopes President Obama will go to
the conference to send a message. He says that if the Senate passes
legislation on climate change before then, Obama will have a
"strengthened hand." "Unless the United States plays its customary
leadership role, it would be impossible to resolve this crisis. But
with the United States leading in a responsible way, we can." He adds:
"In writing this book over the last 3 1/2 years, I came to the
conclusion that we have all of the tools we need to solve three or four
climate crises — and we only have to solve one. But we have to choose
to do it." NPR

Obama may attend
Barack Obama says he would travel to Copenhagen next month if a climate
summit is on the verge of a deal and his presence there will make a
difference. Reuters

Reducing greenhouse gases may not be enough to slow warming
A new research by a scientist at the Georgia Institute of Technology
has determined that reducing greenhouse gases may not be enough to slow
down global warming, and policymakers would need to address the
influence of global deforestation and urbanization on climate change
According to Stone's research, slowing the rate of forest loss around
the world, and regenerating forests where lost, could significantly
slow the pace of global warming. "The role of land use in global
warming is the most important climate-related story that has not been
widely covered in the media," he added. Economic Times

Group urges protection of northern forests
A coalition of conservation groups are calling on international climate
negotiators in Copenhagen next month to develop land-use policy
incentives designed to encourage governments to protect natural carbon
storehouses — especially those in northern boreal forests and peatlands
found in Canada, Scandinavia and Russia. Green Inc.

Winners and losers in the energy future
In a nutshell, the IEA’s vision of the next two decades would make T.
Boone Pickens crow: Wind power and natural gas are the two big winners
under the IEA’s climate-change scenario. In contrast, clean coal and
nuclear power—battlehorses of the traditional energy business—might
play only a relatively minor role over the next two decades, the IEA
says. Environmental Capital

Warming drives off Cape Cod's namesake
''How much of that is directly impacted by climate change is hard to
get a handle on,'' Dempsey said. ''There are a number of other factors
that have been at play, one being overharvesting in inshore areas and,
subsequently, ecological changes as inshore areas have become dominated
in a lot of areas by spiny dogfish populations.'' The New York Times

Climate change bill's effect on jobs debated
Economists told a Senate panel on Tuesday that legislation to combat
global warming could kill jobs in refining, manufacturing and other
industries, even as union and energy company leaders hailed the promise
of a new “green” workforce trained in renewable power. The comments
came in testimony before the Senate Finance Committee, which was
examining how proposed caps on greenhouse gas emissions blamed for
global warming could bring major changes to the U.S. energy workforce
by shifting jobs away from dirtier oil and natural gas toward wind,
solar and nuclear power. The finance panel — a committee filled with
members from the Midwest, Rust Belt and coal-reliant regions who have
been critical of the leading climate change legislation — will play a
key role in shaping the pending legislation. Houston Chronicle

Fresh demands from ‘front-line states’ in climate fight
The “ climate divide” between countries that are rich and poor,
insulated from climate impacts and vulnerable to them, was on vivid
display in the Maldives over the last few days. Countries that consider
themselves most threatened by human-driven global warming — mainly
places exposed to the sea or reliant on rainfall — concluded a forum
there and issued a declaration of their concerns and demands. Dot Earth

UN chief to link food, global warming at FAO summit
UN chief Ban Ki-moon will prod world leaders to step up the fight
against global warming and hunger when he attends the UN Food and
Agriculture Organization summit in Rome next week,
a spokesperson said Wednesday. Space Daily

Lindsey Graham censured by SC county GOP
Republicans in Charleston County censured their own U.S. Sen. Lindsey
Graham, saying he puts bipartisanship before the party on issues like
climate change. AP

China confronts global warming dilemma
China, the world leader in both economic growth and carbon emissions,
faces the dilemma of how to respond to the challenges of global warming
while not harming its robust economy. The Christian Science Monitor

New technology makes energy production cheaper
The technology, built by Fremont's Solyndra Inc., uses racks of solar
cells roughly the size and shape of long fluorescent light tubes. The
shape allows the panels to harvest sunlight from any angle, including
what's reflected from the white rooftops common on large commercial
buildings. The technology promises to cut the cost of solar power. The Sacramento Bee

Koalas could face extinction
Australia's koalas could be wiped out within 30 years unless urgent
action is taken to halt a decline in population, according to
researchers. Development, climate change and bushfires have all
combined to send the numbers of wild koalas plummeting. ENN

Sleepouts for climate action
Valley climate change activists have been staging sleep-out protests on
campuses and town commons over the past few weeks and on Sunday will be
joined in Boston by environmental author and advocate Bill McKibben. The Daily Hampshire Gazette