UK Government Is Warming to Nuclear Power
Companies wishing to prospect for shale gas in the UK have been granted 10-year tax breaks and will get special planning permission from the Government if they go for large scale projects. To avoid delays, the Government also used its budget to announce plans to tempt local communities with cash to accept these developments. This controversial … Read More
Volcanic Eruption in Iceland Did Little to Lower CO2
Plankton, tiny marine organisms, are a good way of cleansing the atmosphere of one of the main greenhouse gases, carbon dioxide. To do this they need dissolved iron to help them to grow, and if they lack iron then they cannot do much to reduce CO2 levels. So the eruption in 2010 of an Icelandic volcano gave scientists a perfect opportunity to see h… Read More
It’s ‘Survival of the Fattest’ for Canada’s Polar Bears
One of the most southerly populations of polar bears now has only limited time to hunt on sea ice due to a warming climate, research suggests. The polar bears of Hudson Bay, Canada, migrate onto land in the summer when the sea ice melts, relying on fat reserves to survive until the sea refreezes in late November or early December. During the winter… Read More
For Engineers, Climate Failure Becomes an Option
Civil engineers build rugged things designed to last for decades, like roads, bridges, culverts and water treatment plants. But a University of New Hampshire professor wants his profession to become much more flexible. In a changing climate, civil engineer Paul Kirshen argues, facilities will have to adapt to changing conditions over their useful … Read More
Africa’s Energy ‘Can Drive its Growth,’ Say Researchers
Africa can go a long way towards lifting itself out of poverty and ending its chronic shortage of energy by using its own resources, a report says. The report, entitled Powering Africa through Feed-in Tariffs – advancing renewable energies to meet the continent’s electricity needs, says renewable energy feed-in tariff policies (REFiTs) can unlock r… Read More
China Pours Cash into Melting Arctic to Win Influence
China has been cozying up to Arctic countries as part of its effort to secure "permanent observer" status on the Arctic Council, an eight-country political body that decides regional policy. Norway was initially sniffy at the approaches because of the Nobel row, but appears to have changed its tune before a formal decision in May.… Read More
Ramifications of Extreme Weather Tops Climate News
Katrina-like storm surges, drought and heavy rains, and what we can learn from the ancient past. … Read More
Coal Burning Exacts A Lethal Price, Says Study
Campaigners are urging a halt to the building of coal plants and an end to the burning of coal throughout the European Union by 2040. They say this is needed both to ensure better public health, and to help to lessen the damage from climate change. Air pollution from burning fossil fuels is blamed for causing thousands of premature deaths and … Read More
