For better or worse, I get a large dose of my daily news from the BBC online, and they spend much, much more time addressing climate change than does any other news organization that I know of (including Daily Kos). Here are the tops of some stories from the past few weeks. Read them and weep. Then ask yourself, out of all the issues that are addressed on this site, is any one of them more important than this?
April 21, 2009
Water levels in some of the world's most important rivers have declined significantly over the past 50 years, US researchers say.
They say the reduced flows are linked to climate change and will have a major impact as the human population grows.
The only area with a significant increase in water flows was the Arctic due to a greater snow and ice melting.
The study was published in the American Meteorological Society's (AMS) Journal of Climate. [ ... ]
April 20, 2009
The number of people hit by climate-related disasters is expected to rise by about 50%, to reach 375m a year by 2015, the UK-based charity Oxfam says.
Current humanitarian systems are barely able to cope, an Oxfam study contends.
It warns agencies are in danger of being overwhelmed by events such as flooding, storms and drought. [ ... ]
April 1, 2009
The forest fires that flared unusually viciously in many of Nepal's national parks and conserved areas this dry season have left conservationists worrying if climate change played a role.
At least four protected areas were on fire for an unusually long time until just a few days ago.
Nasa's satellite imagery showed most of the big fires were in and around the national parks along the country's northern areas bordering Tibet.
Active fires were recorded in renowned conservation success stories like the Annapurna, Kanchanjunga, Langtang and Makalu Barun national parks.
The extent of the loss of flora and fauna is not yet known.
Press reports said more than 100 yaks were killed by fire in the surrounding areas of the Kanjanchanga National Park in eastern Nepal.
Trans-Himalayan parks host rare species such as snow leopards, red pandas and several endangered birds. [ ... ]
March 31, 2009
The Norfolk Broads face severe damage from climate change unless more is done to help habitats recover, a report by Natural England said.
The study into the future of the Broads recommends new wetlands are created and species given more support before sea levels rise further.
The report authors found climate change will lead to the Broads becoming salty.
They said coastal defences will come under more pressure, while wetlands face harm from floods and drought. [ ... ]
March 31, 2009
Parts of Dorset will resemble Portugal by the 2080s with temperatures 4C (7F) higher in the month of July, a Natural England report has claimed.
The study said without action to tackle climate change rainfall at Dorset Downs and Cranborne Chase will fall by 12%.
Beech trees numbers will decline and be replaced by more drought-resistant trees, the report noted.
Natural England said potential solutions include better floodplain management and increased water storage.
It said the re-establishment of grassland and woodland to bind the soil would also help. [ ... ]
March 12, 2009
The worst-case scenarios on climate change envisaged by the UN two years ago are already being realised, say scientists at an international meeting.
In a statement in Copenhagen on their six key messages to political leaders, they say there is a increasing risk of abrupt or irreversible climate shifts.
Even modest temperature rises will affect millions of people, particularly in the developing world, they warn.
But, they say, most tools needed to cut carbon dioxide emissions already exist.
More than 2,500 researchers and economists attended this meeting designed to update the world on the state of climate research ahead of key political negotiations set for December this year.
New data was presented in Copenhagen on sea level rise, which indicated that the best estimates of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) made two years ago were woefully out of date. [ ... ]
March 11, 2009
Carbon dioxide emissions from human activities are acidifying the oceans and threaten a mass extinction of sea life, a top ocean scientist warns.
Dr Carol Turley from Plymouth Marine Laboratory says it is impossible to know how marine life will cope, but she fears many species will not survive.
Since the Industrial Revolution, CO2 emissions have already turned the sea about 30% more acidic, say researchers.
It is more acidic now than it has been for at least 500,000 years, they add.
The problem is set to worsen as emissions of the greenhouse gas increase through the 21st Century. [ ... ]
March 2, 2009
Some of Britain's birds will struggle to survive the effects of climate change, according to new research.
A report by the RSPB and University of Durham predicts that an average range of birds will move 340 miles (550km) to the north by the end of this century.
Warmer temperatures could force some species to find a home outside the UK, but those unable to fly long distances over the sea may struggle to adapt. [ ... ]
And this, from March 3, 1999, just to illustrate how long the Beeb has been tracking this horrific story:
[ ... ] In his talks with the Indian Environment Minister, Suresh Prabhu, John Prescott will cover climate change and technology transfer.
This is especially important to developing countries like India, which want access to the best technology to enable them to deal with air pollution and greenhouse gases.
After India Mr Prescott is due to visit the Maldives, one of the Indian Ocean archipelagoes worried at the prospect of sea levels rising as climate change takes hold. [ ... ]
This is the single, most important issue confronting humanity now. Health care, gay rights, prosecuting torturers, reproduction rights, recognizing Cuba, unemployment--all of these pale in comparison, and many of these concerns will grow only more critical because of the stresses of global warming.
I know that we've recently taken a poll on Earth Day, and that most of those who responded effectly said that Earth Day is every day. So why aren't we acting like it? What are we waiting for?