Environmentalists uncover Shell’s dirty flaring secret
by David Masters
Oil giant Shell continues to practice gas flaring in Nigeria despite having known of its environmental and health dangers for the past 15 years, according to a new report published this week. Since 1996 Shell has promised to stop gas flaring in Nigeria - the biggest source of heat trapping gas in sub-Saharan Africa, according to the World Bank - yet the practice continues to this day. 'Shell's Big Dirty Secret', written ...
Ladybird threatens other insect’s existence
by Alan Harten
Ladybirds have long been seen as innocent creatures, but the Harlequin ladybird may not be what it appears as the Royal Society’s Summer Science Exhibition suggests that the ladybird parasites are placing over 1,000 UK insect species in peril according to research. Dr. Helen Roy of the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology stated that the spread of the parasites is rapid and unprecedented. Scientists are considering counteracting the bird’s disastrous effects by ...
Recycled phones to help deaf charity
by Alan Harten
For those with old mobile phones who do not want to throw them away, but no longer have a use for them Regenersis and Deafness Research UK have created a new mobile recycling program that will aid deafness projects in the future. A donation is simple from your side, simply remove the SIM car, place the old mobile in an envelope marked FREEPOST Deafness Research UK-RA, and drop the package in ...
Obama happy with first step on climate change
by Alan Harten
President Obama of the US called the new climate bill passed by the House on Friday an ‘extraordinary’ first step and that he hopes it will move to further legislation that will enable renewable energy development to become a route to economic growth. He also added that he hopes Congress will remove a tariff that prevents the imports of countries that do not have a system in place for attacking CO2 ...
Scotland raises the CO2 bar
by Alan Harten
MSP’s have set a 42% target for cutting CO2 emissions by the year 2020 in a landmark move in Scotland to help reduce the threat of climate change. By 2050 the new goal of reduced emissions rises up to 80%. Scotland is proud of its recent legislation, with the SNP going as far as claiming that it is much more ambitious than anything that has been proposed in Westminster. The 42% ...
London beachfront property if sea level rises 25 meters
by Alan Harten
Global warming may rear its head quicker then thought as a new study shows that sea levels may rise up to 25 metres instead of the original figure of seven metres that was estimated by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). Part of the reason for the discrepancies in figures according to Professor Eelco Rohling who works at the Southampton National Oceanography Centre is because temperatures in the environment due ...
Half of all swifts disappeared?
by Alan Harten
Due to the recent decline of swifts across Britain the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) is planning to conduct a national census that will identify where they are most common across the country and the location of their nests. The RSPB suspects that the loss of swift nesting sites in buildings may have led to the drop in the swift population, but the study hopes to ...
Scotland’s plans for green future ‘completely inadequate’
by David Masters
The Scottish Government's new plans to "transform Scotland to a sustainable, low-carbon society" have come under heavy fire from eco-activists and Green Party politicians. Under the proposals, Scotland would reduce its greenhouse gas emissions 80% by 2050, with electric cars the norm on the country's road, energy provided by wind farms, and homes heated with renewable fuels. Almost all road and rail transport would become electric, and emissions from landfill would be ...
Here is the weather forecast, it will get hotter
by Alan Harten
While many of the Met Office Climate Projections 2009 in the UK are fuzzy in nature as they address science uncertainties, one thing is clear: without global action to reduce the effects of climate change Britain will face a much wetter future then people may think possible as well as much higher temperatures. Additionally, the implications of climate change will lead to intense and frequent shifting weather patterns globally ...
Australians demand climate action
by David Masters
Thousands of climate change activists took to the streets in Australia this weekend to protest the government's abysmal action on climate change. Protesters in Sydney blockaded the offices of Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, claiming the government is failing in its responsibility towards the environment. "The prime minister needs to recognise that baby steps is not what is needed, we need the giant leap to a zero emissions future," said Green MP Lee ...
American poor hit worst by climate change
by David Masters
Americans living in neighbourhoods with dirtier air and water – usually low income and ethnic minorities – will be the worst affected by climate change, a University of California report has revealed. The effects of climate change in the US will include increased pollution, higher food and water prices, more expensive energy bills, job losses, and damage to public health – and those living in poverty will feel these effects more ...
Scotch whisky goes green
by Alan Harten
As part of a new industry focused environmental strategy, Scotch Whiskey firms pledged to reduce their reliance on fossil fuels by approximately 80% within the next forty years, which they estimate will save about 750,000 tones of carbon dioxide from being released into the air. Richard Lochhead, the Scottish Environment Secretary welcomed the announcement that will have the same result as taking about 235,000 cars off the road. Fossil fuel reliance is ...
Climate change death toll hits 300,000 per year
by David Masters
Climate change is responsible for 300,000 deaths per year, a new report by the Global Humanitarian Forum (GHF) revealed this week. The report, 'The Human Impact Report: Climate Change The Anatomy of a Silent Crisis', is the most comprehensive ever on the human impact of climate change. Research for the report found that 325 million people are already seriously affected by climate change through damage to homes, crops, and livelihoods, at a ...
Supermarkets deny responsibility for rainforest destruction
by David Masters
British supermarkets have denied being “silent partners to crime” in the destruction of the Amazon rainforest. Tesco, Morrisons, Sainsbury's, Asda, and Marks and Spencer all deny purchasing beef products from cattle raised on illegally deforested land in the Brazilian Amazon. Their denial follows a three year investigation by Greenpeace, which discovered that meat from the illegally raised cattle is “laundered” to an “unwitting global market” by being processed and packaged into convenience ...
Charles turns Dalek on Grey squirrels
by Alan Harten
With 3 million grey squirrels spread across Britain and only somewhere around 150,000 red squirrels, Prince Charles issued a statement that said the foreign grey squirrels need to be exterminated if the native British squirrels have any chance at survival. His announcement is based on the thought that grey squirrels wreck the bark on trees, spread disease, kill birds, and destroy the natural habitat of the red squirrels, leading some conservationists ...
Climate change refugees offered rental islands
by David Masters
Indonesia is offering many of its 10,000 islands to climate change refugees driven off their homeland by rising sea levels – but only if the price is right. Indonesia's maritime minister has proposed renting out islands to communities displaced by climate change. The proposals must be approved by the Indonesian government before they are implemented. Pacific Island nations are among the hardest hit by rising sea levels, with more than half of the ...
Mediterranean heat in Eastern Europe by 2050
by David Masters
By mid-century, climate change will give Poland and Hungary weather patterns similar to Spain and Sicily, the World Bank warned this week. By 2050, the two Eastern European countries will experience 37 days per year above 30 degrees Celsius, up from 22 days in 1999. The World Bank's report examined what central Asian and Eastern European countries need to do to adapt to climate change. The report warned that the effects of climate ...
Cities are key site for climate battle
by David Masters
“The fight against greenhouse gas emissions will be won or lost in cities,” Toronto Mayor David Miller said yesterday in Seoul. Miller's words concluded a three day summit of leaders from the world's largest cities in the South Korean capital. In a summit declaration, the leaders stressed that half the world's population live in cities. Cities cover just 2% of the earth's surface, yet they consume 75% of the world's ...
China demands 40% emissions cut
by David Masters
China, the country pumping out more greenhouse gas emissions than any other, has demanded that the world's wealthiest nations reduce carbon emissions 40% by 2020. In a report published yesterday, China's National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) – the body responsible for the country's climate change policy – said the world's wealthiest countries need to cut emissions by at least 40% compared with 1990 levels. The report outlines China's stance ahead of ...
Using trees as a pollution barometer
by Alan Harten
If you want to know how much pollution is in the air, then look up towards the nearest tree. UK researchers from the University of Lancaster say that you can measure microscopic particles of pollution on urban trees, making the leaves of neighbourhood trees an accurate measure of pollution in the area. The pollution found on the leaves is left from car engines or factories that burn fossil fuel. This produces ...