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Australia drying out thanks to our emissions

New Scientist: Australia is drying out, and it's largely our fault. The south-west of the country can expect to see average annual rainfall drop by 40 per cent compared with the mid-20th century, and a new model suggests that the main cause is human greenhouse gas emissions. Water from the skies is the stuff of life but the expectation is that many parts of the world will see less of it with climate change. But predicting how much rain will fall where is devilishly difficult. It is an important question,...

China battles be 1st ecological civilisation

New Scientist: SO YOU want to live in a country that is guided by a philosophy of "ecological civilisation", run by people with the vision to implement policies that will benefit their children even if it costs more in the short term? Move to China. Not convinced? Last week, news circulated that China is considering limiting its greenhouse gas emissions so that they peak in 2030, followed by an orchestrated fall. It was one man's view, expressed at a Beijing conference, not an official announcement. But He...

Blame human emissions for British floods

New Scientist: Al Gore famously had his knuckles rapped for implying that human-induced climate change had caused hurricane Katrina. The scientific party line then was "No single weather event can be attributed to climate change". It's a line that has held strong but is beginning to fray. This week, a study has shown that the devastating floods which damaged nearly 10,000 properties in England and Wales in 2000, and cost £1.3 billion in insurance losses, were made significantly more...