2008 December: Climate
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Jonathan Amos, Swiss glaciers 'in full retreat', BBC, 2008 Dec. 19 (glaciers in Switzerland are melting away at an accelerating rate and many will vanish this century, two new studies suggest)
Mark Kinver, Food needs 'fundamental rethink', BBC, 2008 Dec. 27 (a sustainable global food system in the 21st Century needs to be built on a series of "new fundamentals", a leading food expert says)
Global warming: Why the world has taken to chilies, Economist, 2008 Dec. 20 (hot chilies, once the preserve of aficionados with exotic tastes for cuisine from places such as India, Thailand or Mexico, are now a staple ingredient in everything from ready meals to cocktails)
Oysters: Gem of the ocean, Economist, 2008 Dec. 20 (a dozen ocean-cleaners and a pint of Guinness, please)
Carmel Egan, To avoid a yeti-sized carbon footprint, buy local and ditch the cranberry sauce, The Age, 2008 Dec. 14 (it seems innocuous enough: a scoop of sweet red berries in jelly sitting picture perfect beside a slice of steaming white turkey breast)
Tom Arup, Camel kebab? Report cooks up solution to plague, The Age, 2008 Dec. 10 (eat camels for Australia; that is one conclusion of a three-year report into environmental degradation caused by feral camels)
Paul Myers, Worldwide hunger pains, The Age, 2008 Dec. 6 (the planet is facing its worst food shortages in 40 years, with some estimating that production must double in the next four decades to meet rising demand)
Fionnuala Walravens , Ozone protection feels the heat, BBC, 2008 Dec. 16 (how the complex interactions of ozone depletion and climate change in the atmosphere are mirrored in the global political debate)
Bridie Smith, Cooling La Niña fails to ease rising heat, The Age, 2008 Dec. 18 (the past year may have been cooler than recent years due to the effects of La Niña, but scientists say long-term trends indicate the globe continues to warm)
Peter Ker, State moves to protect red gum forests, The Age, 2008 Dec. 31 (Australia's most cleared state will create four new national parks in 2009 after the Victorian Government promised significant extra protection for the prized river red gum forests in the state's north)
Climate change in Latin America: The accidental environmentalists, Economist, 2008 Dec. 13 (more reasons to stop deforestation)
Hackers 'aid' Amazon logging scam, BBC, 2008 Dec. 15 (hi-tech criminals have helped Brazilian logging firms evade official limits on how much timber they can harvest, says a report)
Simon Mann, The faces at the front line, The Age, 2008 Dec. 6 (fireys are preparing for another tense summer)
Jonathan Amos, Climate outcome 'hangs on coal', BBC, 2008 Dec. 18 (if the growth in CO2 emissions is to be constrained, the world cannot afford a coal renaissance, a major scientific meeting is told)
Sarah Shenker, In the shadow of Canada's oil boom, BBC, 2008 Dec. 14 (in the small northern community of Fort Chipewyan in western Canada, as winter draws in, talk turns to the ice road and when it will be ready; why some people fear Canada's oil sands industry)
Barry Park, US biofuel company keen to build plant in Victoria, The Age, 2008 Dec. 12 (food scraps, old tyres and even plastic bags could one day fuel your car if a US company keen to roll out its technology in Australia gets its way)
Climate change diplomacy: Fiddling with words as the world melts, Economist, 2008 Dec. 20 (global consensus on cooling the planet looks maddeningly elusive—but individual states and regional blocks may be stepping into the breach)
Euro MPs seal major climate deal, BBC, 2008 Dec. 17 (the European Parliament backs a far-reaching package to combat global warming, seen as a key EU initiative)
Fionnuala Walravens , Ozone protection feels the heat, BBC, 2008 Dec. 16 (how the complex interactions of ozone depletion and climate change in the atmosphere are mirrored in the global political debate)
Climate change in Latin America: The accidental environmentalists, Economist, 2008 Dec. 13 (more reasons to stop deforestation)
Richard Black, Climate talks hit stumbling block, BBC, 2008 Dec. 13 (after a hectic simultaneous two-day spell of climate talks in Brussels and Poznan, the issue is whether the talent in question is for finding a way to curb greenhouse gas emissions, or for finding a way to pretend convincingly that you are doing so)
——, Mood mixed as climate summit ends, BBC, 2008 Dec. 13 (the UN climate summit concludes with satisfaction among many delegates, but criticism from environmentalists)
Adam Morton, Progress slow as climate talks end with Gore's call for action, The Age, 2008 Dec. 14 (a call to arms by Al Gore and a contentious European deal to cut its greenhouse emissions overshadowed an anti-climactic finale to UN climate talks in Poland)
Adam Morton and Katharine Murphy, China blast over target statement, The Age, 2008 Dec. 12 (Australia and other wealthy nations criticised by China at UN climate talks for agreeing to greenhouse target statement that repeats what they agreed in Bali)
Richard Black, Call for no delay on climate deal, BBC, 2008 Dec. 10 (as ministers begin two days of talks on climate change, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said the world's financial woes must not block climate progress)
Adam Morton, 'Groundhog day' at climate talks, The Age, 2008 Dec. 10 (Australian diplomats are accused of turning UN climate talks into "groundhog day" by failing to support a proposal that rich countries look to climate scientists when setting greenhouse targets)
Richard Black, Poor countries 'need carbon cuts', BBC, 2008 Dec. 9 (developing countries need to make big cuts in carbon emissions if "dangerous" climate change is to be avoided, a report warns)
No deal amid EU climate deadlock, BBC, 2008 Dec. 6 (Nicolas Sarkozy reports progress with Eastern states over an EU climate change deal, but says no deal has yet been agreed)
Adam Morton, Stop talking, start doing, The Age, 2008 Dec. 6 (world leaders are at it again, stuck in a high-stakes stand-off over global warming, with stalling and self-interest the main game, writes Adam Morton at the climate talks in Poznan, Poland)
——, Time to act on emissions cuts, rich nations told, The Age, 2008 Dec. 6 (poor countries are justifiably frustrated with wealthy nations over their refusal to make strong commitments to tackle global warming at international climate talks, the UN's climate chief has said)
Adam Morton, Australia blasted on target delay, The Age, 2008 Dec. 4 (the South African Government has launched an extraordinary attack on Australia over its delay in announcing a greenhouse target, warning it would put a post-Kyoto climate deal at risk)
Adam Morton, Money counts but climate counts more, The Age, 2008 Dec. 3 (half of humanity could face water shortages by 2050 if the world lets the financial crisis distract it from fighting global warming, a key UN climate change summit of more than 185 countries has been told)
Adam Morton, Global financial crisis triggers dirty power fears, The Age, 2008 Dec. 2 (the United Nations' climate chief has raised fears the global financial crisis is pushing the world back towards dirty power, with clean-energy projects around the globe facing delays as investment money dries up and oil prices fall)
Rise in CO2 'affects jumbo squid', BBC, 2008 Dec. 16 (squid could become rarer in our oceans if current levels of ocean water acidification continue, research suggests)
Peter Ker, State moves to protect red gum forests, The Age, 2008 Dec. 31 (Australia's most cleared state will create four new national parks in 2009 after the Victorian Government promised significant extra protection for the prized river red gum forests in the state's north)
Peter Munro, It's power to the people as self-help groups fight climate change, The Age, 2008 Dec. 28 (the cracked bed of Ballarat's Lake Wendouree is a sorry place for the birth of one of Victoria's leading climate change groups)
Clay Lucas, Emotions run hot over 'missing link', The Age, 2008 Dec. 13 (land protection groups say Melbourne's fixation with building new roads must stop)
Peter Ker, Recycled water safe for Yarra, The Age, 2008 Dec. 13 (one of the major arguments against pumping Melbourne's recycled sewage into the Yarra River has been dismissed by a report recently submitted to Victorian Water Minister Tim Holding)
Peter Ker, Green group attacks farm hunting plan, The Age, 2008 Dec. 12 (plans to convert Victorian farms into recreational hunting zones will not create the conservation benefits spruiked by shooters and the Government)
Barry Park, US biofuel company keen to build plant in Victoria, The Age, 2008 Dec. 12 (food scraps, old tyres and even plastic bags could one day fuel your car if a US company keen to roll out its technology in Australia gets its way)
Peter Ker, State 'falling short' on poll promises, The Age, 2008 Dec. 8 (the environmental credentials of the Brumby Government have again been challenged, with an audit revealing that many 2006 election promises may not be honoured)
Peter Ker, Approval 'needs an overhaul', The Age, 2008 Dec. 5 (the environment must become central to all policy development in government as part of an overhaul of approval processes for major projects in Victoria, says report)
——, Brumby told to halt the sprawl, The Age, 2008 Dec. 5 (damning report on Victoria's environmental health calls for halt to urban sprawl and dramatic changes to citizens' "unsustainable" materialism and consumption)
Julian Siddle, Artistic clues to coastal change, BBC, 2008 Dec. 29 (two-hundred-year-old paintings can help modern engineers deal with coastal erosion, a study shows)
Anne Davies, Coral reefs at risk if climate ignored, The Age, 2008 Dec. 12 (world loses 19 per cent of coral reefs, with 15 per cent threatened within the next 10 to 20 years, according to report sponsored by the US and Australian governments)
Peter Ker and Jason Dowling, Climate change halts coastal sprawl, The Age, 2008 Dec. 11 (housing sprawl along coastal strips will be curtailed and new residential developments on canals banned under the State Government's coastal planning strategy)
AAP, Wave surge floods PNG leaving 1500 homeless, The Age, 2008 Dec. 10 (Papua New Guinea's northern island provinces and parts of the north coast were swamped by huge waves yesterday, causing widespread destruction but no reported casualties)
Melissa Fyfe, Our planet is in peril: the time for patience is past, The Age, 2008 Dec. 28 (anger at government inertia may lead to direct action from environmentalists)
Tony Arnel, Building a green future starts in cities, The Age, 2008 Dec. 22 (the built environment has an important role in tackling climate change)
Michael Green, Power from the ground up, The Age, 2008 Dec. 13 (around the country, small groups of ordinary but passionate people are banding together, lest they succumb to despair, to force action on global warming)
Darren Gray, Plan calls for farmers to be paid to restore habitat, The Age, 2008 Dec. 8 (an extra 650,000 square kilometres of farmland and other privately owned land could be set aside for nature conservation by 2020 if a program that paid landowners to restore and protect native habitat was introduced)
'Huge year for natural disasters', BBC, 2008 Dec. 29 (losses from natural disasters rose by 50% in 2008, underlining need for action on climate change, re-insurers Munich Re say)
Jonathan Amos, Nasa set to launch 'CO2 hunter', BBC, 2008 Dec. 18 (the US space agency is planning to launch a satellite that can map where all the carbon dioxide is in the atmosphere)
Navin Singh Khadka, New race to explore the Himalayas, BBC, 2008 Dec. 6 (the Hindu-Kush-Himalayan region in South Asia has remained a nagging gap in the global climate change knowledge bank)
Katharine Murphy, Welcoming Pacific migrants 'in our security interests', The Age, 2008 Dec. 30 (Australia needs to throw open its emissions trading scheme to neighbours in the Pacific—particularly Papua New Guinea and the Solomons—and welcome climate change refugees, a think tank says)
Kenneth Davidson, The economy won't matter if the Earth dies, The Age, 2008 Dec. 18 (Kevin Rudd and Penny Wong are prepared to bet the global environment against a plan to wedge the Coalition in the Senate to win the next election)
Tim Colebatch and Tom Arup, Government scraps $8000 solar subsidy, The Age, 2008 Dec. 18 (the Rudd Government scraps rebate to households installing solar power and instead require electricity retailers to increase solar subsidies)
Tim Colebatch, Kevin 07 morphs into a classic version of Howard, The Age, 2008 Dec. 16 (after all that, we are more or less back where we started; the Rudd model for tackling climate change now looks remarkably similar to the Howard model from 2007)
Michelle Grattan and Tim Colebatch, Cautious Rudd blinks on greenhouse action, The Age, 2008 Dec. 16 (carbon polluters have won big concessions and the economy will bear only modest costs under an emissions trading scheme designed by the Federal Government to win the backing of the Senate)
Michelle Grattan, Push to turn Kimberley into northern food bowl, The Age, 2008 Dec. 15 (PM will promote the importance of developing Northern Australia's agricultural potential as one way of coping with climate change and protecting food security)
How much climate change can a hungry koala bear?, The Age, 2008 Dec. 28 (koalas are under threat from rising levels of carbon that poison their only food source, eucalyptus leaves)
Peter Ker, Recycled water safe for Yarra, The Age, 2008 Dec. 13 (one of the major arguments against pumping Melbourne's recycled sewage into the Yarra River has been dismissed by a report recently submitted to Victorian Water Minister Tim Holding)
Anna Hurlimann, People will drink recycled water, The Age, 2008 Dec. 12 (the water crisis has changed our attitude to this precious resource)
Lucy Hooker, Ghana's daily struggle for water, BBC, 2008 Dec. 3 (Ghanaians struggle daily to get hold of regular supplies; all over Ghana's capital city Accra you see people carrying water)
Adam Morton, Money counts but climate counts more, The Age, 2008 Dec. 3 (half of humanity could face water shortages by 2050 if the world lets the financial crisis distract it from fighting global warming, a key UN climate change summit of more than 185 countries has been told)
Stephen Cauchi, La Niña leaves Victoria high and dry, The Age, 2008 Dec. 28 (in an all-too-familiar story for Victoria's climate, 2008 was warmer and drier than usual)
Erratic weather 'harms wildlife', BBC, 2008 Dec. 27 (UK wildlife is struggling to cope as erratic and unseasonal weather has taken its toll for a second consecutive year, the National Trust says)
Alexandra Zavis and Jennifer Oldham, Rare snow makes Las Vegas fabulously frigid, The Age, 2008 Dec. 19 (the storm's combination of frigid air, powerful winds and heavy precipitation dropped the snow level to an unusually low 610 metres, with 12.5 centimetres in the hills above Malibu; forecasters expect the cold to continue as the storm moves out, but another storm is expected to hit the region on Sunday)
Darren Gray, Rain fills dams, tanks and hearts, The Age, 2008 Dec. 15 (Melbourne received its average rainfall for the month, water storages were boosted and farmers won't need to water crops for days after the wet weekend)
Jill Stark and Stephen Cauchi, The rain we had to have, with more to come, The Age, 2008 Dec. 14 (Melbourne yesterday experienced its wettest day of the year with driving rain and strong winds lashing the state)