Prairie Climate Stewardship Network: Archived News

News Articles on Climate Change

Impact / Action

For more news go to Challenges and Solutions

Impact

Arctic summers ice-free 'by 2013' BBC news (December 12, 2007) "Scientists in the US have presented one of the most dramatic forecasts yet for the disappearance of Arctic sea ice. Their latest modelling studies indicate northern polar waters could be ice-free in summers within just 5-6 years."

In Iceland, Unintended Witnesses to Climate Change NPR (December 4, 2007)

A melting Alaska draws visitors Christian Science Monitor (November 14, 2007) "Warming five times faster than the rest of the world, the state is seeing ecotourism change with the climate."

Explorers Find Thin Ice at the North Pole NPR (October 22, 2007)

In the Philippines, Religion and Nature Collide NPR (October 22, 2007)

Oceans interact to dry Australia further Reuters AlterNet (October 8, 2007) "Interactions between major oceans, triggered by climate change, will produce increasingly dry conditions in southern parts of Australia for decades to come, projections by the country's main science organisation show. Further projected decreases in rainfall in southwest and southeast Australia could be arrested if carbon dioxide emission increases were halted, but a full recovery would take around 600 years, Dr Wenju Cai, a leading scientist with the government-backed Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) said. "The recovery takes a long, long time.... Not in our lifetime," Cai said."

Dengue fever epidemic hits Caribbean, Latin America Reuters AlterNet (October 5, 2007) "Dengue, a mosquito-borne virus that causes high fever, nausea and painful body aches, is reaching epidemic levels in the Caribbean and Latin America, health officials say. Changing weather patterns as well as increased tourism and migration have raised its prevalence, according to a Pan American Health Organization report released this week."

Climate change seen posing big risk for insurers Reuters AlterNet (October 3, 2007) "The global insurance industry faces substantial risks from climate change due to the increased incidence of cyclones, floods, drought and bushfires, a major European reinsurer told the Greenhouse 2007 conference."

Climate will alter travel patterns in decades Reuters AlertNet (October 2, 1007) "Global warming will produce stay-at-home tourists over the next few decades, radically altering travel patterns and threatening jobs and businesses in tourism-dependent countries, according to a stark assessment by U.N experts. The U.N. Environment Programme, the World Meteorological Organisation and the World Tourism Organisation said concerns about weather extremes and calls to reduce emissions-heavy air travel would make long-haul flights less attractive."

Australia to be hit hard by climate change Reuters Alert net (October 2, 2007) "Australia, the driest inhabited continent in the world, will get even hotter and drier due to climate change triggered mainly by greenhouse gases, authorities said on Tuesday in new projections. Temperatures had already increased, sea levels had risen and the oceans surrounding the country had warmed, said Scott Power, principal research scientist at the Bureau of Meteorology."

Summit-Arctic melt threatens indigenous people Reuters Alert net (October 2, 2007) "A 'grab for the Arctic' will add strains to indigenous hunters' cultures as a record melt opens the icy region to shipping or oil and gas exploration, an Inuit activist said on Tuesday."

Tourism industry faces rising climate change threat Reuters AlertNet (October 1, 2007) "Booming demand for international travel is exacerbating climate change pressures and threatening many coastal, mountain and outdoor destinations, United Nations experts said on Monday. Tourism currently accounts for 5 percent of global emissions of heat-trapping greenhouse gases, and the sector's contribution to global warming is expected to jump as increasing numbers of people travel, particularly by air."

Climate change may sink Maldives this century Reuters AlertNet (October 1, 2007) "Unless the world starts taking climate change seriously and cuts greenhouse emissions, the Maldives could become uninhabitable this century, the president of the Indian Ocean archipelago says. "

In Greenland, potatoes thrive as seal hunting wanes Christian Science Monitor (October 1, 2007) "Global warming is a boon for farmers and fishermen but a hardship for ice-dependent Inuit."

Disease moves north with climate change and Fresh crisis for farmers as new virus strikes Guardian Unlimited (September 24, 2007) "First case of bluetongue found on rare breeds farm. Chief vet urges vigilance for 'devastating' disease'"

Ice withdrawal shatters records BBC News (September 21, 2007) "Earlier this month, it was reported that the Northwest Passage was open. The fabled Arctic shipping route from the Atlantic to the Pacific is normally ice-bound at some location throughout the year; but this year, ships have been able to complete an unimpeded navigation."

Grim outlook for poor countries in climate report The Guardian (September 18, 2007) "Hundreds of millions of people in developing nations will face natural disasters, water shortages and hunger due to the effects of climate change, the leading international scientific body on global warming warned today."

Climate Changes Lives of Whalers in Alaska NPR (September 17, 2007)

Warming 'opens Northwest Passage' BBC News (September 14, 2007) "The most direct shipping route from Europe to Asia is fully clear of ice for the first time since records began, the European Space Agency (Esa) says."

Warming Waters Take Toll on Florida's Reefs NPR (September 8, 2007)

Arctic Businesses Learn to Adapt to Climate Change NPR (September 5, 2007) "Climate change is not only affecting wildlife in the area, it's affecting the economy."

Higher CO2 may imperil grasslands San Francisco Chronicle (August 28, 2007) "Scientists warn of dire consequences for grazing areas."

Arctic sea ice set to hit new low BBC News ( August 13, 2007)"Arctic sea ice is expected to retreat to a record low by the end of this summer, scientists have predicted."

Massive Storms, Biblical Floods, Scorching Heat ABC News (August 9, 2007) "Weather Is Breaking Records and Making Headlines Around the World."

Purple Snail May Be Climate Change Casualty NPR (August 8, 2007)

Climate change escalates Darfur crisis Christian Science Monitor (July 27, 2007) "Less rainfall on the fringes of the Sahara Desert is putting more of a strain on resources than ever before."

Glover's Reef, Belize: Yes, the Water's Warm . . . Too Warm Washington Post (July 15, 2007) "When people think of habitats collapsing from rising global temperatures, they tend to think of frigid climes where polar bears have been frolicking on snow and ice for centuries. Think again. Coral reefs rank as one of the ecosystems most vulnerable to climate change: Recent scientific studies suggest global warming has already destroyed 20 percent of the world's reefs, and an additional 50 percent are in danger of disappearing."

Arctic spring's 'rapid advance' BBC News (June 18, 2007) "Spring in the Arctic is arriving 'weeks earlier' than a decade ago, a team of Danish researchers have reported."

Global warming to multiply world's refugee burden Reuters (June 18, 2007) "If rising sea levels force the people of the Maldive Islands to seek new homes, who will look after them in a world already turning warier of refugees? The daunting prospect of mass population movements set off by climate change and environmental disasters poses an imminent new challenge that no one has yet figured out how to meet."

Common bird species in dramatic decline Christian Science Monitor (June 15, 2007) "Habitat loss is still the major concern," says Greg Butcher, Audubon's bird conservation director in an interview. "But we're also seeing increasing impact from large-scale problems like global warming."

World's great apes face disaster, says Leakey Guardian Unlimited (May 31, 2007) "[E]fforts to tackle global warming through the use of biofuels could cause more damage to ape populations because of pressure to chop down their tropical forest homes."

Damage from climate change may cost Alaska $10 bln Reuters (May 29, 2007)

Hope dries up for Nicaragua's Miskito Guardian Unlimited (May 29, 2007) "Central American indigenous people are among first to suffer from climate change but least equipped to adapt."

Polar ocean 'soaking up less CO2' BBC News (May 17, 2007) "One of Earth's most important absorbers of carbon dioxide (CO2) is failing to soak up as much of the greenhouse gas as it was expected to, scientists say."

One billion to be displaced by 2050, global warming a factor, group warns Agence France Presse (May 13, 2007) "At least one billion people risk fleeing their homes over the next four decades because of conflicts and natural disasters that will worsen with global warming, a relief agency warned Monday. In a report, British-based Christian Aid said countries worldwide, especially the poorest, are now facing the greatest forced migration ever -- one that will dwarf those displaced by World War II."

Arctic melt faster than forecast BBC News (April 30, 2007) "Arctic ice is melting faster than computer models of climate calculate, according to a group of US researchers."

Global warming may put U.S. in hot water Seattle Post-Intelligencer (April 17, 2007) " As the world warms, water - either too little or too much of it - is going to be the major problem for the United States, scientists and military experts said Monday. It will be a domestic problem, with states clashing over controls of rivers, and a national security problem as water shortages and floods worsen conflicts and terrorism elsewhere in the world, they said."

Global warming health effects: Smog, heat waves may contribute to big rise in illness San Francisco Chronicle (April 17, 2007) "Higher temperatures over the coming decades are expected to cause more smoggy days and heat waves, contributing to a greater number of illnesses and deaths in the United States, according to international climate scientists."

Coastal areas face risks from warming The Boston Globe (April 17, 2007) "Coastal communities around New England and the rest of the United States will be "increasingly stressed" by global warming in the coming decades and are especially vulnerable to widespread flooding from storm surges, according to a draft report released yesterday by an international group of scientists."

Kilimanjaro's ice set to linger BBC News (April 17, 2007) "A fresh assessment suggests the famous ice fields on Africa's tallest mountain will be around for decades yet. . . .'We have done different kinds of modelling and we expect the plateau glaciers to be gone roughly within 30 or 40 years from now, but we have a certain expectation that the slope glaciers may last longer,' added colleague Georg Kaser. . . .The team stresses that the drying of the East African climate around Kilimanjaro may itself be a regional impact of global climate change."

Tracing global warming's toll to Tuvalu The Hankyoreh (April 12, 2007) featuring Funafuti Atoll, one of Tuvalu's low-lying coral atolls.

Q & A: IPCC report on impact of climate change Guardian Unlimited (April 6, 2007) Update.

Billions face climate change risk BBC News (April 6, 2007) "Billions of people face shortages of food and water and increased risk of flooding, experts at a major climate change conference have warned."

Climate change around the world BBC News (April 6, 2007) Summaries of impact on Africa, Asia, Australia and New Zealand, Europe, Latin America, North America, Polar Regions, and Small Islands; impact on water, ecosystems, food, coasts, industry, and health.

US Southwest headed for Dust Bowl dryness Reuters (April 5, 2007) "The U.S. Southwest, home to some of the fastest growing cities in the country, could be on a path toward permanent drought caused by greenhouse warming, a new study said."

Briny future for vulnerable Malta BBC News (April 4, 2007) on global warming's effect on Malta's drinking water supply.

Global Warming Expert Fears 'Refugee Crisis' ABC News (April 2, 2007) "Within two or three decades, there could be one and a half billion people without enough water, according to a new report on the impacts of global warming. Such droughts would produce "refugee crises like we've never seen," as one of the study's lead authors told ABC News. . . ."

Seafood poisoning on the rise as oceans get warmer International Herald Tribune (April 1, 2007) on the increase of ciguatera poisoning. "Scientists say the risks are getting worse, because of damage that pollution and global warming are inflicting on the coral reefs where many fish species feed."

Fighting for air: frontline of war on global warming Guardian Unlimited (March 26, 2007) "Progress comes at a high price for China and India, but there are grounds for hope."

Climate change has parched Aussie farmers looking north Christian Science Monitor (March 14 2007) The on the ongoing drought and the prediction of scientists "that rainfall in Australia's agrarian south may reduce by 15 percent in the coming decades. "

Peru's alarming water truth BBC News (March 12, 2007) on the rapid melting of the Andean glaciers and the impact on Peru.

Climate change brews ocean trouble Christian Science Monitor (March 8, 2007) on "Scientists tie global warming to increased upwelling of deep ocean water, which can create crippling aquatic dead zones." " Evidence is starting to accumulate that global warming may contribute to – or even trigger – troubling ecological changes taking place in these key regions of coastal upwelling, where some of the world's richest fisheries exist."

How climate change hits India's poor BBC News (February 1, 2007) on the relocation of 6,000 people in the Sundarbans because their land is underwater. In 2003, "satellite imagery showed that the sea level in the Sundarbans had risen at an average rate of 3.14 centimeters a year over the past 20 years - much higher than the global average of two millimetres a year." The Sundarbans is the world's largest delta and mangrove forest in the Bengal basin region.

10 wonders of the vanishing world The Observer (January 28, 2007) on "the wonders we can no longer take for granted -- [f]rom the Caribbean coral reef to the snows of Kilimanjaro, many of the world's best-loved natural icons are threatened to global warming."

Alaska the 'poster state' for climate concerns USA Today (May 29, 2006) "Alaska is important in measuring the effect of global warming on the USA because what happens here soon will be felt in the Lower 48 states, say experts such as Robert Corell, a senior fellow at the American Meteorological Society."

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Action

FutureGen to build 'clean coal' plant in Illinois Christian Science Monitor (December 19, 2007) "The $1.8 billion facility will demonstrate a novel technology to fight global warming. . . .By 2013, the plant is expected to start cranking out 275 megawatts of electricity from gasified coal while emitting almost no pollutants and only 10 percent of the carbon dioxide from today's coal-fired plants. The taxpayer-supported project, called FutureGen, joins a global race to develop clean-coal technology."

Congress Boosts Vehicle Fuel-Efficiency Mandate NPR (December 18, 2007) "Congress approved the first increase in automobile fuel economy in 32 years on Tuesday, a measure that will boost fuel-efficiency mandates from 25 to 35 miles per gallon."

Midwest governors sign pacts to cut greenhouse gas and boost renewable energy Pioneer Press (November 16, 2007) "A pledge to cut greenhouse gas Midwest governors sign pacts to cut polluting emissions and boost renewable energy." Link to Midwestern Governors Association Energy Security and Climate Stewardship Summit

Scientists strive for pinpoint warming forecasts Reuters AlertNet (November 12, 2007) "Moving on from the risk of global warming, scientists are now looking for ways to pinpoint the areas set to be affected by climate change, to help countries plan everything from new crops to hydropower dams."

Japan Trades in Suits, Cuts Carbon Emissions NPR (October 2, 2007)"Two years ago, the Japanese government — essentially with the stroke of a pen — instituted a new policy that has so far trimmed more than two million tons of greenhouse gases from the country's growing emissions. "

Deal on ozone and climate relief BBC News (September 24, 2007) "Nearly 200 governments have agreed a faster timetable for phasing out chemicals that deplete the ozone layer and contribute to global warming."

Swiss Town Guards Itself Against Climate Hazard NPR (August 27, 2007)

Local couple taking steps to shrink carbon footprint The Forum (September 14, 2007) "The north Moorhead couple, parents of three young children, decided they could take a few modest steps to decrease their 'carbon footprint' – the carbon they release to the atmosphere from heating and cooling their home, driving their cars, and turning the lights on."

States are closer to trimming autos' CO2 emissions Christian Science Monitor (September 14, 2007) "The move by 12 states could coax Congress to pass efficiency limits."

In Greenland, an interfaith rally for climate change Christian Science Monitor (September 12, 2007) "Patriarch Bartholomew is leading an interfaith shipboard symposium down the coast of Greenland to improve cooperation between religious and political leaders."

Can 'green chic' save the planet? Christian Science Monitor (July 26, 2007) "Ecofriendly buying choices alone can't sustain America's lifestyle, experts warn – unless 'looking green' becomes 'voting green.'"

US grassroots tackle climate change BBC News (July 11, 2007) "The US government may have refused to throw its weight behind efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, but Americans are increasingly acting on their own initiative."

Live Earth: A briefing Christian Science Monitor (July 5, 2007) "The latest in a long list of concerts for causes, Live Earth will stage a multimedia assault on the world's attention span July 7, urging action against human-induced climate change." Includes a seven-point pledge.

In quest to go green, US firms retool car fleets Christian Science Monitor (June 22, 2007) "Companies are looking for ways to cut down on greenhouse gases and save money on increasingly expensive gasoline."

Stashing seeds in 'Noah's fridge' Christian Science Monitor (June 13, 2007) "Researchers worldwide are collecting seeds from wild plants to guard against the ravages of climate change."

Solar power, biodiesel set for use in NYC buildings, International Herald Tribune (June 12, 2007)

Simple steps reduce carbon footprints Seattle Times (M ay 1, 2007) "One family offering "a look at some of the steps people can take to reduce their individual carbon footprints . . . . [T]he family produces less than half the carbon of a typical two-person American household."

China to take part in post-Kyoto talks Reuters (April 7, 2007) on China's intention to participate in negotiations on a framework to limit global warming after 2012, and Japan's announcement to assist China with energy-saving technology.

Australia pledges aid package to help clean up China's environment International Herald Tribune (April 5, 2007) on Australia helping China develop cleaner coal technology.

It's plug-in hybrid -- and its a school bus Christian Science Monitor (April 2, 2007) on production of environmentally friendly school buses.

Scientists weigh risks of climate 'techno-fixes' Christian Science Monitor (March 29, 2007)

Australia switches on to light bulb change Guardian Unlimited (February 20, 2007) on the Australian governments announcement that it will "ban incandescent light bulb to help cut greenhouse gas emissions."

New combatant against global warming: insurance industry Christian Science Monitor (October 13, 2006) on "[t]he world's second-large industry, worried about losses related to climate change, offers incentives to 'go green.'"