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Archive for February 16th, 2011
Researchers Find Damage Already Done To Climate
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on February 16th, 2011
redOrbit: New University of Washington research has found that the world is already committed to a warmer climate because of emissions that have occurred up to now.
The researchers said that there would continue to be warming even if the most stringent policies were adopted because there would still be some emissions of heat-trapping greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide and methane.
The team found that even if all emissions were stopped now, temperatures would remain higher than pre-industrial Revolution...
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In pictures: The floods of 2000: Was climate change to blame?
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on February 16th, 2011
Guardian: The floods of 2000: Was climate change to blame?
Scientists estimate that climate change doubled or even trebled the likelihood of the floods that hit England and Wales in 2000
Parrots and pigeons threaten Argentine sunflowers
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on February 16th, 2011
Reuters: Flocks of hungry parrots and pigeons are plaguing sunflower farmers in some parts of Argentina, eating their crops and thinning their wallets.
As swelling numbers of birds feed on fields, growers try to scare them away using balloons with "menacing eyes" painted on them. Farmers in the South American country, a leading global food exporter, also try to scare the birds using reflective tape, scarecrows, and by setting off fireworks.
"The problem is huge, especially in Buenos Aires province....
‘Substantial’ increase in heavy rainstorms proof of human-caused climate change: study
Posted by Postmedia News: Margaret Munro on February 16th, 2011
Postmedia News: Canadian climate sleuths have detected for the first time a human hand in the increasing fury of intense storms battering the Northern Hemisphere.
According to researchers, greenhouse gases generated by human activity have intensified heavy-precipitation events since 1950 across much of North America, Europe and Asia, increasing flooding and devastation.
"Human influence is more pervasive than just a response in surface temperature," says Francis Zwiers, of the University of Victoria, referring...
Alberta backs new $5 billion refinery plan
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on February 16th, 2011
Reuters: The Alberta government is backing construction of a C$5 billion ($5.05 billion) bitumen refinery planned by Canadian Natural Resources Ltd and North West Upgrading Inc as it seeks to develop energy-processing facilities in the province and create jobs.
Under the agreement, the culmination of more than a year of talks between the parties, the Western Canadian province will supply 75 percent of the feedstock and Canadian Natural the remainder for the 50,000 barrel a day plant.
The deal essentially...
Scientists connect global warming to extreme rain
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on February 16th, 2011
Associated Press: Extreme rainstorms and snowfalls have grown substantially stronger, two studies suggest, with scientists for the first time finding the telltale fingerprints of man-made global warming on downpours that often cause deadly flooding.
Two studies in Wednesday's issue of the journal Nature link heavy rains to increases in greenhouse gases more than ever before.
One group of researchers looked at the strongest rain and snow events of each year from 1951 to 1999 in the Northern Hemisphere and found...
Floods caused by climate change
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on February 16th, 2011
Telegraph: Devastating floods which wreaked havoc across Britain in 2000 were made more likely by global warming, according to the first study to link flooding in this country to climate change.
The Oxford University study said the floods, which damaged nearly 10,000 homes and cost £1.3 billion, were made twice as likely by a warming climate.
This is because warm air holds more moisture, making outbreaks of heavy rainfall more frequent.
The research will not only strengthen the case for increased flood...
Despite $8.6B Ruling, Long Road Remains for Chevron Pollution Case
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on February 16th, 2011
New York Times: When a court in Ecuador ruled yesterday that Chevron Corp. should pay at least $8.6 billion in damages for pollution in the Amazon jungle, it opened up a new chapter in a case that has already been contested for 18 years.
It is by no means certain that the plaintiffs in Ecuador will see one penny of the damages awarded, which experts are saying is the second biggest environmental case of all time after last year's Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.
In that case, BP PLC has already...
A warm welcome in a cold climate
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on February 16th, 2011
Telegraph: At a time of year when there's often little else to be cheerful about, I'm sure we're all grateful for plants that flower in winter. But many of you may find yourselves wondering why plants bother to do so at all (it is obviously not just for our enjoyment).
There are two serious problems with winter: pollinators are scarce, and low temperatures make it difficult for the pollen to germinate or the seeds to sprout. Over the years, botanists have discovered that plants have worked out at least two...
Water flea vital to our survival
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on February 16th, 2011
San Francisco Chronicle: The water flea, Daphnia culex, is not a flea but a crustacean about the size of the = on a keyboard. Its genes can respond to many environmental challenges.
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The genes of ants held center stage in the world of science a week ago, and now it's the genes of water fleas, those tiny shrimp-like...