2008 August: Climate
Anchor: Base Index
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and New Scientist's special report, which is continually updated.
Robin McKie, Meltdown in the Arctic is speeding up, Observer, 2008 Aug. 10 (scientists warn that the North Pole could be free of ice in just five years' time instead of 60)
Chris Evans, Mountaineers killed as ice falls off K2, The Age, 2008 Aug. 4 (at least nine mountaineers died and several more climbers are missing near the summit of the world's second highest mountain)
Our melting planet: ominous warning signs in the Arctic, The Age, 2008 Aug. 4 (the vast Arctic sea ice that spreads across the North Pole could disappear during the summer within five years, leading ice and snow scientists are warning)
Melting ice threatens Arctic park, BBC, 2008 Aug. 1 (a national park in Canada's Arctic has been partly closed after record high temperatures caused flash flooding)
Mirko Bagaric, Greenies' concern misplaced, even morally repugnant, The Age, 2008 Aug. 10 (to care for future people at the expense of existing people is indefensible)
Dan Glaister, Credit crunch: live the crisis, see the movie, IOUSA, Guardian, 2008 Aug. 8 (documentary set for release ignores climate change and aims to warn Americans of debt)
David McKnight, Who is behind climate change deniers?, The Age, 2008 Aug. 2 (Exxon Mobil has been attempting to distort public perceptions)
Gary Duffy, Brazil's farms see quiet revolution, BBC, 2008 Aug. 20 (can Brazil's farms help to feed the world?; on the family farm run by Joao Baggio Neto in the southern Brazilian state of Parana, you get some sense of the determination and competitive spirit that motivates Brazil's farmers)
Peter Ker, Murray-Darling crops in doubt, The Age, 2008 Aug. 16 (future of rice and cotton farming in Murray-Darling Basin under further pressure after audit finds these crops not producing in line with their water consumption)
Eat kangaroo to 'save the planet', BBC, 2008 Aug. 9 (switching from beef to kangaroo burgers could significantly help to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, an Australian scientist says)
Larry Elliott, Can a dose of recession solve climate change?, Guardian, 2008 Aug. 25 (subverting the growth-at-all-costs model is appealing but not politically feasible)
Kate Lahey, Violence to rise as city gets hotter, The Age, 2008 Aug. 9 (rising temperatures likely to bring increased levels of violence to Melbourne by 2010, and are highly likely to by 2030, report being considered by city council finds)
AFP, Global warning of violent decade, The Age, 2008 Aug. 7 (rising food and energy prices, water scarcity, climate change and increasing migration could fuel growing instability and violence around the world over the next decade, a global research report has concluded)
Andrew Simms, The final countdown, Guardian, 2008 Aug. 1 (time is running out to stop irreversible climate change; we have only 100 months to avoid disaster; why we must act now—and where to begin)
Ian Sample, '100 months' to stop overheating, Guardian, 2008 Aug. 1 (New Economics Foundation predicts 8 years of today's emissions rates will pass crucial greenhouse gas threshold)
Jill McGivering, Corruption 'threatens China rainforest', BBC, 2008 Aug. 21 (farmers in the tropical region of Xishuangbanna in China's south-west Yunnan province recently staged a protest, accusing local officials of colluding with the rubber industry to destroy the local rainforest)
Jamie Doward, Wildfire risk to tinder-dry rural Britain, Observer, 2008 Aug. 10 (as heath blazes increase, firefighters say global warming threatens to devastate the countryside)
Adam Morton, Government finds itself up a gum tree over forest inquiry's protection plan, The Age, 2008 Aug. 9 (what do you do when, after a three-year investigation, experts you appointed tell you many of northern Victoria's river red gum forests risk being lost forever and need to be locked up in five new national parks?)
The Amazon: Paying for the forest, Economist, 2008 Aug. 9 (donations welcome, even from foreigners)
Flames engulf woodlands in Turkey's tourist region, Observer, 2008 Aug. 3 (firefighters battle to control major forest fire that has devastated 10,000 acres of woodland in Antalya)
Brazil launches rainforest fund, BBC, 2008 Aug. 1 (Brazil launches an international fund to protect the Amazon rainforest but warns against foreign interference in its policy)
Andrew Clark and Mark Milner, Oil and gas prices rise as operators prepare for a battering from Gustav, Guardian, 2008 Aug. 30 (oil and gas companies ready for complete shutdown of rigs in Gulf of Mexico as US storm gathers strength)
Andrew Clark, Fuel price rises 'saving lives', Guardian, 2008 Aug. 27 (US road deaths at lowest since 1960s as high petrol prices cause motorists to cut mileage)
Michael Fitzpatrick, Cars with a green conscience, Guardian, 2008 Aug. 21 (technology that uses hydrogen to reduce emissions from petrol-burning cars could be on the market in three years)
Glenn Tong, The word on ethanol is waste not want not, The Age, 2008 Aug. 21 (work is proceeding on second-generation biofuels to restore waste's good name)
Mark Milner and Andrew Clark, Fall in oil price comes with a warning, Guardian, 2008 Aug. 13 (world oil prices, which have fallen by more than $30 a barrel since the July peak, touch three-month low; US demand for crude dips by 800,000 barrels a day)
Energy dilemma: Cheap or green?, Economist, 2008 Aug. 9 (when poverty and greenery collide; the British government's energy policies are being attacked from all sides, by anti-poverty campaigners and businesses as well as by greens)
Energy supplies: The devil and the deep blue sea, Economist, 2008 Aug. 9 (finding more oil has become the first issue of the campaign)
Oil 'could hit $200 within years', BBC, 2008 Aug. 8 (oil prices could rise as high as $200 a barrel within the next 10 years as a result of a looming supply crisis, a report warns)
Simon Lewis, A dangerous untruth, Guardian, 2008 Aug. 1 (E.ON's claims for coal are deluded; we can't afford the huge environmental cost of burning this fuel)
Terry Macalister, Tar sands less damaging than coal, insists Shell, Guardian, 2008 Aug. 1 (fuel giant warns failure to exploit tar sands could lead to environmentally-damaging reliance on coal)
George Monbiot, Rich countries once used gunboats to seize food. Now they use trade deals, Guardian, 2008 Aug. 26 (the world's hungriest are the losers as an old colonialism returns to govern relations between wealthy and poor nations)
Matt McGrath, Summit targets world water issue, BBC, 2008 Aug. 17 (a summit this week in Sweden will tackle the key issue of water, including sanitation, climate change and drinkable supplies)
Oliver Tickell, On a planet 4C hotter, all we can prepare for is extinction, Guardian, 2008 Aug. 11 (there's no 'adaptation' to such steep warming; we must stop pandering to special interests, and try a new, post-Kyoto strategy)
Part of bird reserve left to sea, BBC, 2008 Aug. 25 (about a third of one of Britain's most important bird reserves is to be abandoned because of coastal erosion)
David Adam, Japanese study finds worrying loss of blubber in whales, Guardian, 2008 Aug. 26 (scientists fear that global warming could be making it more difficult for minkes to reproduce; research 'was only possible by killing minkes'; campaigners fear new respectability for hunting)
Juliette Jowit, Beauty spots to be devoured by sea, Observer, 2008 Aug. 24 (National Trust warns of losing battle to save much-loved coastal landmarks from rising sea levels and erosion)
Clem Newton-Brown, Sea rise threats mustn't stop development on coast land, The Age, 2008 Aug. 24 (sunset clauses are a sensible option for buildings on the coast)
Josh Gordon, State seeks funds to defend against rising seas, The Age, 2008 Aug. 17 (the Victorian Government is worried about the impact of coastal erosion and is already appealing to the Commonwealth for money to shift seaside towns inland)
Tuna fishing suspended, The Age, 2008 Aug. 4 (Japanese tuna fishermen have temporarily halted operations in a bid to revive stocks that are rapidly declining under pressure from a worldwide sushi craze)
Peter Coombes, Don't knock tank power, The Age, 2008 Aug. 27 (a wide range of water strategies are needed to meet the challenges of a drier climate, and decisions about the best approaches are not always simple)
Philip Hopkins, Methane cuts up down on the farm, The Age, 2008 Aug. 18 (Dr Eckard said his team was concentrating on short-term research rather than long-term projects such as eugenics, which aims to breed cattle that emit fewer emissions, and methane vaccines)
Peter Ker and Chris Hammer, Plan to save lakes—buy six farms, The Age, 2008 Aug. 8 (the demise of the lower Murray River in South Australia could be averted if six big farms are targeted, environmentalists say)
Mathew Murphy, 'Carbon-neutral' road motors towards award, The Age, 2008 Aug. 2 (BMD Constructions was the contractor for the $13.3 million Mickleham Road duplication at Greenvale, in Melbourne's north-west; VicRoads has used the project as a pilot to measure the carbon impact of road building and find ways to reduce and offset carbon emissions from roadworks)
Thomas Friedman, Global warming has its own language. For our children's sake, we have to start speaking it, Observer, 2008 Aug. 10 (some countries have vintage whisky; some have vintage wine; Greenland has vintage ice)
Ian Sample, Intense rainfall due to global warming could raise flood risk, Guardian, 2008 Aug. 8 (scientists voice fresh safety fears for vulnerable areas as new research predicts increase in heavy storms)
David Spratt, Middle of the road . . . towards a cliff, The Age, 2008 Aug. 8 (already our carbon targets are putting us behind the climate change eight ball)
Peter Ker, Water plant to guzzle energy, The Age, 2008 Aug. 30 (Australia could be using 400 per cent more energy to supply its drinking water by 2030 if the policy trend towards seawater desalination were to continue)
Peter Ker and Royce Millar, Two-way water pipeline a possibility, The Age, 2008 Aug. 26 (Victoria's north-south pipeline could be reversed to carry water from Melbourne to the country under long-term considerations being worked into the project)
Kenneth Davidson, State Government's arguments for desalination plant don't hold water, The Age, 2008 Aug. 25 (the objective of the plant is to make the eventual privatisation of urban water a profitable reality)
Royce Millar, Desal and water tank wars, The Age, 2008 Aug. 25 (desalination and other big-ticket solutions to Melbourne's water woes threaten to sideline alternatives)
Darren Gray, Angry farmers get physical over Mildura water merger, The Age, 2008 Aug. 21 (a press conference called to inform country media about a forced water authority merger descended into a pushing and shoving match yesterday when angry farmers turned up to ask some questions of their own)
Adam Morton, Environmental study gives desal plant green light, The Age, 2008 Aug. 21 (more than 1.4 million tonnes of greenhouse gas will be pumped out during the construction of Victoria's proposed desalination plant, and another 1.2 million tonnes emitted each year once it starts boosting Melbourne's water supply)
Kenneth Davidson, Common sense goes down the drain, The Age, 2008 Aug. 18 (Australia is facing a water policy disaster that seems set to destroy the lower Murray River)
Adam Morton, Coming down to earth, The Age, 2008 Aug. 16 (David Karoly once flirted with scepticism, but the vocal scientist who this week became a top climate adviser to John Brumby is now one of the world's leading global warming experts)
Adam Morton, State 'failing to grasp' urgency of climate change, The Age, 2008 Aug. 16 (head of new expert panel advising Premier on climate change criticises State Government's performance in cutting greenhouse emissions)
Leon Gettler, Coming clean on climate change, The Age, 2008 Aug. 10 (it's risky business when we don't put our money where our mouths are on warming)
Kenneth Davidson, Proper process would reveal the deception in desal, The Age, 2008 Aug. 4 (in the light of the alternatives, the Wonthaggi desalination plant appears to be the worst infrastructure bet ever taken by a first world government)
Adam Morton, Despite a dull forecast, solar panel market heats up, The Age, 2008 Aug. 2 (the number of households applying for an $8000 government rebate on the cost of installing rooftop solar panels has risen dramatically, bucking predictions that a means test would ruin the solar power industry)
David Adam, Japanese study finds worrying loss of blubber in whales, Guardian, 2008 Aug. 26 (scientists fear that global warming could be making it more difficult for minkes to reproduce; research 'was only possible by killing minkes'; campaigners fear new respectability for hunting)
Ancient tree helps birds survive, BBC, 2008 Aug. 17 (an ancient species of tree is helping Britain's birds survive the effects of climate change)
Darren Gray, Aquifers drying up, controls tightened, The Age, 2008 Aug. 28 (seven key Victorian groundwater systems were recently assessed as being at their "lowest [level] on record and falling" as at May 2008; a further seven were described as "below average and falling" in the recent State Government report)
Carmel Egan, Crunch time for the Gippsland Lakes, The Age, 2008 Aug. 24 (the future of Australia's largest inland waterway is in jeopardy)
Business and water: Running dry, Economist, 2008 Aug. 23 (everyone knows industry needs oil; now people are worrying about water, too)
Peter Ker, Visual design key for desalination plant, The Age, 2008 Aug. 16 (bidders in the race to build Victoria's desalination plant scramble for expensive and distinguished architects)
Alan Moran, Dam good idea holds water, The Age, 2008 Aug. 13 (the Government is ignoring a reliable and affordable supply source; even in the drought, more than 11 million megalitres of stream flow is unused, or comprises environmental flows)
Melissa Fyfe, Water costs tipped to more than double, The Age, 2008 Aug. 10 (Melburnians face even bigger water bills than predicted, as the global credit squeeze and a continuing lack of rain force up costs)
Melissa Fyfe, Rainwater tanks could save public $600m, The Age, 2008 Aug. 10 (taxpayers would save more than $600 million if every new house and apartment block in Victoria was built with a rainwater tank, a study has found)
Penelope Debelle, People of the lower Murray vow to fight on for water, The Age, 2008 Aug. 9 (there were few more friendless places this week than at the South Australian end of a sold-out river system that flowed through three states before faltering, long before the river should meet the sea)
Chris Hammer, Last rites for stricken Murray River lakes, The Age, 2008 Aug. 7 (the Murray River's lower lakes appear beyond salvation, according to federal Water Minister Penny Wong)
Peter Ker, Some rain tumbled down in July, but it's not dam good enough, The Age, 2008 Aug. 2 (the grass may look green, but don't be fooled into thinking July was a wet month)
Andrew Clark and Mark Milner, Oil and gas prices rise as operators prepare for a battering from Gustav, Guardian, 2008 Aug. 30 (oil and gas companies ready for complete shutdown of rigs in Gulf of Mexico as US storm gathers strength)
Randeep Ramesh, 1m displaced by floods in northern India, Guardian, 2008 Aug. 29 (Nepal accuses India of failing to uphold its commitment to maintaining the embankment)
Oil price rises on hurricane fear, BBC, 2008 Aug. 27 (the price of oil climbs as Tropical Storm Gustav heads towards the Gulf of Mexico—home to many offshore energy installations)
Richard Black, World heading towards cooler 2008, BBC, 2008 Aug. 21 (global temperatures recorded so far this year suggest is likely to emerge as the coolest this century, scientists say)
Richard Luscombe, Florida Keys evacuated as deadly Fay builds to hurricane strength, Guardian, 2008 Aug. 18 (four lives already claimed by tropical storm in Caribbean as Florida prepares for onslaught)
Scotland hit by floods, Guardian, 2008 Aug. 8 (train services delayed and roads closed around Edinburgh after two inches rainfall in just 24 hours)
Lizzy Davies, Ill wind: Freak tornado kills three in French town, Guardian, 2008 Aug. 5 (bodies pulled from wreckage of their homes after epicentre sweeps through Hautmont, near Belgian border)