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Archive for May 6th, 2011
Global warming ‘has reduced maize and wheat yields’
Posted by SciDev.Net: Yojana Sharma and Aisling Irwin on May 6th, 2011
SciDev.Net: Global warming has already reduced the global yields of key crops, say scientists.
Maize and wheat production have been 3.8 and 5.5 per cent lower, respectively, than they would have been without the temperature rises associated with climate change since the 1980s, according to the statistical analysis.
Rice and soya yields have dropped in some parts of the world and risen in others, so overall the warming has not changed their net global production.
Linking climate change to food prices...
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Diabetes is a “time bomb” in the Arctic: Expert
Posted by Nunatsiq Online: Jane George on May 6th, 2011
Nunatsiq Online: Diabetes is a ticking "time bomb" in the Arctic, says a public health expert at this week`s conference on climate change and pollution in the Arctic in Copenhagen.
That`s because the persistant organic pollutants found in the meat and blubber of marine mammals, like pilot whales, beluga and narwhal, are linked to the development of diabetes, said Philippe Grandjean from the University of Southern Denmark and the Harvard School of Public Health.
These man-made pollutants originate far to the...
Sea levels rising higher and faster
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on May 6th, 2011
Sydney Morning Herald: SEA levels will rise higher and faster than the United Nations predicted just four years ago, a major international study has found.
The new data suggests that, on average, the seas will rise by up to 1.6 metres by the year 2100 - a finding that has serious implications for Australian governments grappling with coastal planning.
The Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Program, based in Norway, found that the Greenland ice sheet is melting four times as fast as it was a decade ago.
''The past...
Seabrook relicensing request brings up old and new issues
Posted by New Hampshire Business Review: Bob Sanders on May 6th, 2011
New Hampshire Business Review: Right now, the battle is not in the streets, or in the marshes. It's in an obscure regulatory process, where the field of contention has already been narrowed according to Nuclear Regulatory Commission regulations. Here is what NRC will NOT look at, at least at the local level:
"¢ Early decision: Seabrook's license doesn't expire until 2030, and normally plant owners don't apply until five or 10 years before that expiration date. NextEra asked for another 20 years ahead of time, raising the question...
Grassland study to watch beavers
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on May 6th, 2011
BBC: Devon grassland study to watch beavers
The beavers have been placed in a secure fenced-off area, the Devon Wildlife Trust says
Two beavers have been placed in a secure fenced-off area in west Devon to see if they can help restore grassland.
The three-year experiment, by the Devon Wildlife Trust, is under way at a secret location near Okehampton.
The trust said it was hoped the beavers would improve water quality and reduce flood risks by clearing scrub and trees and improving watercourses....
Climate shifts ‘hit global wheat yields’
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on May 6th, 2011
BBC: Climate shifts 'hit global wheat yields' Most regions show a link between temperature rises and declines in crop yields Shifts in the climate over the past three decades have been linked to a 5.5% decline in global wheat production, a study has suggested.
A team of US scientists assessed the impact of changes to rainfall and temperature on four major food crops: wheat, rice, corn and soybeans.
Climate trends in some countries were big enough to wipe out gains from other factors, such as technology,...
Guyana/Norway forest pact impresses new Swiss Ambassador ? climate change on agenda of new French, Swedish Ambassadors
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on May 6th, 2011
Guyana Chronicle: THE Guyana/Norway forest agreement has been hailed by new Ambassador of Switzerland to Guyana, Markus-Alexander Antonietti, as a model to be emulated by the rest of the world.
Presenting his Letters of Credence to President Bharrat Jagdeo at the Office of the President Wednesday, Ambassador Antonietti spoke of climate change as his priority area of focus during his tenure in Guyana.
“… the low carbon scheme which you are doing together with Norway is one of the leading examples now in the world,”...