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Simon Fox :: Feeds

May 24, 2012

Germany stalled on the expressway to a green future.

Germany's energy revolution has hardly begun, but it's already running out of steam. There is a lack of political decisiveness and companies are complaining of a dearth of incentives to invest billions in necessary infrastructure. Progress or no progress, taxpayers continue footing the bill.


150,000 more US heat deaths projected by 2100.

Killer heat fueled by climate change could cause an additional 150,000 deaths this century in the biggest US cities if no steps are taken to curb carbon emissions and improve emergency services, according to a new report.


New and frozen frontier awaits offshore oil drilling.

Experts and security officials view the Alaskan Arctic as the last great domestic oil prospect. But many Alaska Natives and environmental advocates say drilling threatens wildlife and pristine shorelines, and perpetuates the nation’s reliance on dirty fossil fuels.


Cancelled project spurs debate over geoengineering patents.

Technologies to keep Earth cool could one day provide a radical fix for climate change and, in a world struggling to control its greenhouse-gas emissions, could also prove highly lucrative for inventors. But who should own the intellectual property behind these world-changing techniques?


New York tries to help landlords, tenants pick 'low-hanging fruit.'

When Mayor Michael Bloomberg unveiled his plan to cut this city's greenhouse gas emissions, he knew buildings would have to be a major part of the plan. New York City has more than a million of them, including a large collection of the oldest, draftiest, most soot-spewing buildings in the United States.


Shale gas boom helps slash US emissions.

The shale gas boom in the US has led to a big drop in its carbon emissions, as power generators switch from coal to cheap gas.


Study predicts Louisville will lead nation's large cities in heat-related deaths.

As many as 19,000 Louisville residents will die of heat-related causes by the end of the century – topping 40 large American cities, according to a new environmental report.


Wind farm that enraged Donald Trump is vital for Scotland, says expert.

Scotland's foremost energy economist will today tell delegates at the opening session of an “All Energy” conference in Aberdeen that plans for a controversial demonstrator wind farm in Aberdeen Bay could enable Scotland to take a global lead in the development of offshore wind energy.


Special interests chip away at Jakarta tree-cutting ban.

A year ago this week, Indonesia kick-started plans to radically reduce its greenhouse-gas emissions by pledging to stop issuing new forest-clearing permits for two years. But after drawing international acclaim, Indonesia's moratorium on forest clearing has proved hard to implement,


Heartland Institute in financial crisis after billboard controversy.

The ultra-conservative Heartland Institute admitted it was in financial crisis on Wednesday, with the flight of corporate donors making it difficult to pay staff or cover the costs of its annual conference aimed at debunking climate science.


Overseas investors join in criticism of UK energy bill.

Two large overseas investors in the UK energy market have joined the chorus of criticism of the government's new energy bill. The German-based E.ON, one of the big six electricity providers in Britain, said national subsidy schemes for renewables such as Britain's contracts for difference had helped "bust" key European carbon reduction initiatives.


EU warns climate talks at risk of floundering.

Europe warned at climate talks in Bonn on Wednesday that efforts to forge a new global pact to avert environmental disaster were in danger of floundering, and some pointed fingers at China.


Pulled both ways.

Flowers that fail to open early in spring may be taking cue from previous autumn.


Climate change could contribute to 17,877 deaths in Detroit by end of century, according to report.

Climate change can be a killer, according to a report released today by the Natural Resources Defense Council – and Metro Detroit is one of the most vulnerable areas in the nation.


A river runs through it: Scientists explain Arctic mercury.

Scientists have been explaining for years that the Arctic is a key region when it comes to climate change. Now a new study states that significant amounts of toxic mercury are flushed into the Arctic Ocean every spring by three mighty rivers most Americans have probably never heard of: the Lena, the Ob, and the Yenisei, all of which flow north through Siberia.


El Niño not good for dwindling leatherback sea turtles.

El Niño has been linked with higher mortality rates in populations of critically endangered leatherback sea turtles, and those impacts could be exacerbated by global warming, which may lead to more frequent warm and dry spells in key breeding areas.


Hot nests mean baked baby leatherbacks.

As if sea turtles didn’t already have enough troubles. On beaches, poachers snatch up their eggs and babies for stewing; at sea, adults get snagged by fishermen’s long lines and nets. Now, climate change joins the list, threatening the survival of critically endangered leatherback sea turtles in the Pacific.


Weather and climate research conducted in Tennessee Valley.

Researchers in three airplanes took to the skies over the Tennessee Valley earlier this week to collect data about thunderstorm development and its effects on the Earth’s atmosphere.


Study: Seagrass can combat climate change.

Beds of ocean seagrasses can store twice as much carbon as the world's forests and are a vital part of the solution to climate change, U.S. scientists say.


Countries doing too little on warming: researchers.

Greenhouse gas emissions in 2020 could rise to nine billion tonnes above what is needed to limit global warming as some countries look set to miss their emissions cut targets, a report by three climate research groups said on Wednesday.


Greenhouse gas gap grows as climate pledges fall short.

The gap between the emissions cuts needed to contain global warming and actual reductions by 2020 is at risk of widening as countries including the U.S., Brazil and Mexico fail to meet pledges, Climate Action Tracker said.


Air district not ready to raise fees just yet.

The county Air Pollution Control District Board of Directors Wednesday engaged in a detailed discussion of the district’s long-term budget priorities. The district faces funding shortfalls that could grow to $655,000 per year by 2017.


Indonesia is wilting.

Unless the rapid deforestation in one of the world’s most richly-forested countries is controlled, Indonesians may one day wonder, "where are all the flowers gone." To those lyrics by legendary U.S. singer Joan Baez they might also have to add, and where are all the tigers, elephants, orangutans, birds and ancient forest communities gone.


Boss defends ABC over bias claims.

Opposition accusations that the ABC was soft on global warming activist Tim Flannery have drawn a heated denial from the broadcaster's managing director, Mark Scott.


A charter for geoengineering.

Geoengineering research has a problem. That much should be clear following last week's cancellation of a field trial for the Stratospheric Particle Injection for Climate Engineering project. The solutions to this problem are not so obvious, but they must be found — and fast.


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