2008 April: Climate
Anchor: Base Index
Other months: March May
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Topics: Aquatic causes data
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fires food forecasts
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international invertebrates
marine mitigation modelling
national suppression transport
vertebrates water weather
See also The Guardian's archive
and current collections,
and New Scientist's special report, which is continually updated.
Alok Jha, Greenland's disappearing lakes leave giant ice sheets largely unmoved, Guardian, 2008 Apr. 18 (research allays fears that the rapid draining of water from the top of Greenland's ice sheet may be contributing to the rise of global sea levels; meltwater plays only small role in glacier flow; study casts doubt on 'lubrication' theory)
Oliver Burkeman, A very cold war indeed, Guardian, 2008 Apr. 5 (as the polar icecap melts, huge deposits of gas and oil below the seabed will become accessible for the first time; but the question of who owns what in the Arctic is far from clear; with major military build-ups beginning in the area, Burkeman heads north to investigate)
Richard Black, 'No Sun link' to climate change, BBC, 2008 Apr. 3 (scientists have produced further compelling evidence showing that modern-day climate change is not caused by changes in the Sun's activity)
John Vidal, The green scare, Guardian, 2008 Apr. 3 (when a luxury housing development in Washington was torched, it seemed an open and shut case; the Earth Liberation Front was to blame; but was it?; does it even exist?; and why is the Bush government intent on casting 'eco-terrorists' as public enemy number one?)
Helen Pidd, When is Doomsday?, Guardian, 2008 Apr. 3 (it is not just scary cults who believe the end is nigh)
Wroughton and Jewel Topsfield, World's new crisis: soaring food prices, The Age, 2008 Apr. 15 (World Bank issues urgent call to rich countries to help stem rising food prices)
David Blair and Ambrose Evans-Pritchard, A world of hunger, The Age, 2008 Apr. 15 (a life-and-death food crisis has engulfed people around the globe with terrifying speed: the causes and consequences)
The food industry: Tightening belts, Economist, 2008 Apr. 12 (as commodity prices rocket and America's economy sickens, food companies and retailers are racing to adapt)
Peter Beaumont, Food riots fear after rice price hits a high, Observer, 2008 Apr. 6 (shortages of the staple crop of half the world's people could bring unrest across Asia and Africa)
Julian Borger, UN chief calls for review of biofuels policy, Guardian, 2008 Apr. 5 (Ban Ki-moon speaks out as a crisis in global food prices threatens to trigger global instability; 33 countries facing unrest as families go hungry)
John Vidal, Crop switch worsens global food price crisis, Guardian, 2008 Apr. 5 (UN secretary general raises doubt over policy encouraging farmers to produce biofuels amid signs of worst food crisis in a generation)
Russell Blinch, Scarce food beginning to cost the Earth, The Age, 2008 Apr. 2 (a range of factors including population growth, global warming and the rise of China are driving up food prices)
India introduces rice export ban, BBC, 2008 Apr. 1 (the Indian government blocks the sale of non-basmati rice in a bid to ease spiralling domestic food costs)
Charles Clover, Greenhouse 'could spark major wars', The Age, 2008 Apr. 24 (climate change could cause global conflicts as large as the two world wars but lasting for centuries unless the problem is controlled, British defence think tank warns)
Ed Pilkington, Scientist turns up the heat with new alert on warming, The Age, 2008 Apr. 8 (leading climate scientist says EU and its international partners must urgently rethink targets for cutting carbon dioxide in the atmosphere because of fears they have grossly underestimated the scale of the problem)
Peter Ker, New plans outlined for bushfire prevention, The Age, 2008 Apr. 8 (controlled fires will burn longer and across larger swathes of Victoria under policy shift designed to cut bushfire risks)
Simon Jenkins, The cost of green tinkering is in famine and starvation, Guardian, 2008 Apr. 16 (biofuels threaten food supplies, rainforest and climate - yet our leaders push them in the name of the environment)
Terry Macalister, Surprise discovery off coast of Brazil may confound the oil and gas doom-mongers, Guardian, 2008 Apr. 16 (claims that offshore field is world's third biggest as shares in partner BG close up 5% despite doubts)
Chris Hammer, 'Sour grapes' accusation on clean coal technology, The Age, 2008 Apr. 16 (a rift in the environment movement has widened, with the head of WWF accusing other groups of "sour grapes" over its support for clean coal and Greenpeace rushing forward the release of findings opposing the technology)
David Blair and Ambrose Evans-Pritchard, A world of hunger, The Age, 2008 Apr. 15 (a life-and-death food crisis has engulfed people around the globe with terrifying speed: the causes and consequences)
Renewable energy: German lessons, Economist, 2008 Apr. 5 (an ambitious cross-subsidy scheme has given rise to a new industry)
Julian Borger, UN chief calls for review of biofuels policy, Guardian, 2008 Apr. 5 (Ban Ki-moon speaks out as a crisis in global food prices threatens to trigger global instability; 33 countries facing unrest as families go hungry)
John Vidal, Crop switch worsens global food price crisis, Guardian, 2008 Apr. 5 (UN secretary general raises doubt over policy encouraging farmers to produce biofuels amid signs of worst food crisis in a generation)
David Adam, Fuel made from coal ignites green row, Guardian, 2008 Apr. 5 (energy companies planning to replace dwindling supplies of oil with synthetic fuels derived from coal; method devised by Nazis sparks worldwide interest; greenhouse gas emissions around double that of oil)
Andrew Clark, Oil executives taken to task over soaring pump prices, Guardian, 2008 Apr. 2 (leading petrol companies lambasted by Washington select committee on energy independence and global warming)
Charles Clover, Greenhouse 'could spark major wars', The Age, 2008 Apr. 24 (climate change could cause global conflicts as large as the two world wars but lasting for centuries unless the problem is controlled, British defence think tank warns)
Climate change: Lukewarm, Economist, 2008 Apr. 19 (the "toxic Texan" discovers a belated resolve on global warming)
David Adam, UN warns of a hungry and less stable world, The Age, 2008 Apr. 10 (rising food prices could spark worldwide unrest and threaten political stability, the UN's top humanitarian official has warned, after riots in Egypt)
Gwyn Prins, The road from Kyoto, Guardian, 2008 Apr. 4 (the strategy has failed; the world must follow Japan in a radical rethink of climate change policy)
Suzanne Goldenberg, Gore to recruit 10m-strong green army, Guardian, 2008 Apr. 1 (Alliance for Climate Protection plans to spend $300m to force politicians to act on climate change)
Ross Allen and Anthony Bergin, When our oceans turn sour, The Age, 2008 Apr. 21 (rising ocean acidity is alarming scientists and demands action)
Richard Black, Greens fear 'weak' Marine Bill, BBC, 2008 Apr. 3 (the government is due to publish its long-awaited Marine Bill, designed to regulate better the various activities taking place in UK waters)
Tom Crompton, Begging for more than small change, BBC, 2008 Apr. 22 (small changes to lifestyles are not going to be enough to tackle the challenges facing the planet)
Cath Smith, Being green isn't easy when you are poor, The Age, 2008 Apr. 9 (social equity measures should be part of any moves to mitigate the effects of climate change)
Peter Singer, We put it there, so let's go first in cleaning up, The Age, 2008 Apr. 3 (it's time to apply ethics and fairness in the climate change crisis)
Mark Kinver, Concern over 'zero carbon' homes, BBC, 2008 Apr. 2 (UK home-owners are not prepared to make the changes needed to live in "zero carbon" homes)
Richard Black, Hints of methane's renewed rise, BBC, 2008 Apr. 24 (levels of the greenhouse gas methane appear to be rising again after years of stability, data suggests)
Richard Black, More doubt on cosmic climate link, BBC, 2008 Apr. 18 (new data throws more doubt on the notion that cosmic rays are a major influence on the Earth's climate)
David Adam, I underestimated the threat, says Stern, Guardian, 2008 Apr. 18 (new scientific findings show greenhouse gas emissions causing more damage than previously thought)
Richard Black, 'No Sun link' to climate change, BBC, 2008 Apr. 3 (scientists have produced further compelling evidence showing that modern-day climate change is not caused by changes in the Sun's activity)
Miki Perkins, March's record sizzle, The Age, 2008 Apr. 1 (Melbourne has experienced its warmest daytime temperatures in March for 68 years, which climate experts say is in keeping with an overall "background warming trend")
David Rood, Plan to help climate-proof farmers, The Age, 2008 Apr. 23 (the Brumby Government will plough millions of dollars into preparing farmers for the impact of climate change)
Peter Munro, Lights left in limbo over $80m lamp sum, The Age, 2008 Apr. 20 (two million Victorians may have switched off their lights for Earth Hour, but every night more than 300,000 street lights are switched on)
Peter Ker, Going against the pipeline flow, The Age, 2008 Apr. 12 (envy or valid criticism?; debate on the state's water plan has moved up a notch)
Peter Ker, Auditor finds state water-saving plan too rushed, The Age, 2008 Apr. 10 (a scathing report has accused the State Government of rushing and mismanaging its plan to spend billions of dollars to secure Victoria's water supplies)
Kenneth Davidson, Murray River plan hinges on a miracle, The Age, 2008 Apr. 10 (the Water Minister has authority over the states - she should exercise it)
Jason Dowling and Peter Munro, Labor harvests advice on farm strategy, The Age, 2008 Apr. 6 (Premier John Brumby, desperate to win back Labor support in rural and regional electorates, has met farmers as he prepares Victoria's first official strategy for safeguarding the state's agricultural future)
David Rood, $72 million for green energy plan, The Age, 2008 Apr. 5 (renewable energy projects involving solar, wave and geothermal power will receive a funding boost of more than $70 million as part of the first stage of a State Government strategy to tackle climate change)
Adam Morton and David Rood, How to slash emissions without pain, The Age, 2008 Apr. 4 (Victoria could slash greenhouse gas emissions by using technology that is already available, according to report to be launched at State Government climate change summit)
Adam Morton, Where to now?, The Age, 2008 Apr. 4 (the State Government's climate change summit is being held today; Victoria is about to deal with some troubling home truths)
Ray Cassin, Garnaut's verdict on Eddington report, The Age, 2008 Apr. 3 (climate change is at its heart an ethical problem: from the other climate conference)
Kenneth Davidson, In La La Land, you just privatise to manage water, The Age, 2008 Apr. 3 (competition is suddenly seen as the answer to urban water supplies)
Peter Ker, Recycled water 'too clean' for Yarra, The Age, 2008 Apr. 18 (a Victorian Government proposal to divert billions of litres of recycled sewage into the Yarra River could hurt the waterway because the water could be "too clean", environmental groups have warned)
Carmel Egan, Never-ending stream threatens to run dry, The Age, 2008 Apr. 13 (water from Victoria's once seemingly limitless underground reservoirs is being sucked up by thirsty towns, farms and irrigators faster than it can be replaced)
Orietta Guerrera, Ways of adapting to less water on agenda, The Age, 2008 Apr. 10 (for two years there has been no water, and consequently little income, for many crop and dairy farmers in southern NSW; yet the bills continue to pile up—including delivery charges for water that never arrives)
Graham Keeley, Drought ignites Spain's 'water war', Observer, 2008 Apr. 6 (after months of low rainfall, parched Catalonia has had to appeal to Madrid for help—and now ecologists fear the costs of a long-term solution)
Peter Munro, The bush bites back, The Age, 2008 Apr. 6 (Brumby's Folly tracks down to the river's edge amid the dry hills of the Goulburn Valley)
Kenneth Davidson, In La La Land, you just privatise to manage water, The Age, 2008 Apr. 3 (competition is suddenly seen as the answer to urban water supplies)
Thunder and lightning: Out of the clouds, Economist, 2008 Apr. 26 (summoning lightning bolts with a laser)
Martin Wainwright, Snow forecast as cold front returns across country, Guardian, 2008 Apr. 5 (pleasant spell of spring likely to end abruptly, as front of cold weather moves south from Scotland)
Andra Jackson and Dan Oakes, Two die as storm fury lashes state, The Age, 2008 Apr. 3 (Victorians are left wondering what had hit them after fierce winds that reached speeds of up to 130 km/h, dust storms and rain cause widespread destruction)