Cross posted at Wildlife Promise.
- The Human Development Report was released today, invoking warnings that greenhouse gas emissions must be stabilized by 2015.
Floods, droughts and other climate disasters will rob millions of children of the decent meals and schools they need unless rich nations pony up $86 billion by 2015 to help the poor adapt to global warming, an expert panel warned Tuesday.
The U.S. government needs to cover $40 billion of that spending, which will "strengthen the capacity of vulnerable people" to cope with climate-related risks, according to the report commissioned by the U.N. Development Program.
- Orange County officials in California have a novel idea for dealing with the shortage of adequate drinking water.
- Environmental guru Emil Salim predicted new global attitudes toward global warming Monday.
"I am convinced that we are going to have a new regime to address the global warming issue on the back of Australia's election results and the anticipated changes on the U.S. political stage," said Emil, speaking at a training session by held by Leadership for Environment and Development (LEAD).
- A company called Skyonic has developed a way to combine greenhouse gas emissions with sodium hydroxide to turn it into baking soda.
- A new research project has begun which could develop global warming resistant crops.
The five-year study should lead to a greater understanding of how warmer winters and summers, and the changing lengths of seasons, impact on crop yields.
The £6 million initiative, being lead by researchers at the University of Edinburgh, will also look into how climate change affects forests, woodlands, heaths and moors.
- Texas Instruments India has developed technology which can drastically reduce the greenhouse gas emissions of industrial and commercial buildings.
- The Seattle Times has a great article about NWF employee Patty Glick and our Gardener's Guide to Global Warming.
- The Salem, Oregon Statesmen Journal explains how climate change makes life easier for invasive species, and more difficult for natives.
As new species move into Oregon, native species less able to adapt and other Oregon species move north to find a more familiar climate in which to live. Scientists worry about timing within natural systems being thrown off.
For example, scientists have studied an alpine flower species blooming three to four weeks earlier than in the past -- timing that completely misses the humming birds that arrive to pollinate them.
- Time Magazine has a solid piece on the changing climate on climate change on capitol hill.
You can tell when the politicians are getting serious about an issue: they stop taking cheap shots at one another and suddenly become pragmatic. Amazingly, that's happening right now on global warming.
- Al Gore visited President Bush in the White House yesterday. "Of course, we talked about global warming — the whole time," Mr. Gore said afterward.
See anything interesting today?