2008 June: Climate
Anchor: Base Index
Other months: May July
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Topics: Aquatic causes data
denial energy environment
fires food forecasts
forests fuel ice
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.
Liz Kalaugher, Ice diary: Science in the fast-changing Arctic, BBC, 2008 June 23 (travelling with the ship monitoring rapid Arctic change)
Richard Black, Arctic sea ice melt 'even faster', BBC, 2008 June 18 (after a cold winter, Arctic sea ice has melted quickly, suggesting that summers could be ice-free within five to 10 years)
Juliette Jowit, Poll: most Britons doubt cause of climate change, Observer, 2008 June 22 (majority not convinced that humans cause climate change, and many believe scientists are exaggerating, reveals poll)
Jason Dowling and Cameron Houston, Flawed design for a perfect city, The Age, 2008 June 7 (the millions of dollars spent to make Melbourne more sustainable have all been a waste of money, according to British author and architect Austin Williams)
Ed Pilkington, Nasa climate reports 'swayed by politics', Guardian, 2008 June 4 (appointees placed by the Bush administration acted to play down and distort global warming findings)
Mathew Murphy, Messenger trusted if scientific, The Age, 2008 June 2 (Australians are more likely to trust information from scientists and environmental groups on global warming than views given from business, government or the media)
Jay Rayner, The future of food is not on the farm, Observer, 2008 June 22 (Thanet Earth will be the largest greenhouse development ever seen in Britain, covering an area equivalent to 80 football pitches)
Jo Tuckman, Mexico freezes food prices in response to global crisis, Guardian, 2008 June 20 (150 processed foodstuffs named on list of capped prices in effort to alleviate local effects of food shortage)
Ewen MacAskill and Daniel Nasaw, Farms hit as floods kill 24 in US , Guardian, 2008 June 20 (devastation caused by week-long flooding in America's farm belt threatens to push food prices up further)
Corn prices surge to record high, BBC, 2008 June 11 (corn prices hit new records after a US government forecast that output will fall because of poor weather)
Darren Gray, Food prices 'could stay high for years', The Age, 2008 June 7 (world food prices could stay high for the next two years because of plummeting stocks, the push for more food to be used in biofuels and political limitations on exports in some countries, a report to Federal Government warns)
UN sets out food crisis measures, BBC, 2008 June 3 (UN secretary general calls for revitalising agriculture as a way of tackling the world's worsening food crisis)
Jo Chandler, Rising hunger could dwarf tsunami, warns Oxfam, The Age, 2008 June 2 (the global food crisis looms as a humanitarian catastrophe that could dwarf even the 2004 Asian tsunami, posing an immediate threat to 290 million people, according to estimates released overnight by aid group Oxfam International)
Kevin Watkins, Mere sticking plasters, Guardian, 2008 June 2 (the global food crisis is escalating, yet the Rome summit is likely to offer only palliative solutions)
Chris Hammer, Land usage to change along with climate, The Age, 2008 June 27 (CSIRO: climate change hits Victorian farmers harder and faster than previously thought, with dairy producers and other irrigators particularly exposed)
Mathew Murphy, Climate change threatens weather havoc for Western Port, The Age, 2008 June 26 (Victoria's Western Port region is at risk of experiencing more bushfires, rising sea levels and higher temperatures unless measures are taken to combat climate change)
Andrew Revkin, New warning from US climate change prophet, The Age, 2008 June 24 (twenty years ago yesterday, James Hansen, a climate scientist at NASA, told the world that he was "99%" certain that humans were already warming the climate)
The Future of Energy: Flights of fancy, Economist, 2008 June 21 (the world of energy must change if things are to continue as before; part of a special report)
Duncan Green, The age of scarcity, Guardian, 2008 June 21 (the huge challenges of dwindling resources and climate change can only be met by a global New Deal)
Climate book is judges' hot pick, BBC, 2008 June 16 (Mark Lynas' book on global warming wins this year's Royal Society prize for popular science writing)
Mark Lynas, Climate chaos is inevitable. We can only avert oblivion, Guardian, 2008 June 12 (at best we will limit the extent of global warming, but Kyoto barely helps; does humanity have the foresight to save itself?)
Chris Hammer, 'No return' fears on climate change, The Age, 2008 June 12 (the world could be tracking towards irreversible climate change as warming takes place much quicker than previously thought, an Adelaide academic warns)
Ambrose Evans-Pritchard, Water 'the petrol of the 21st century' as world faces dire shortages, The Age, 2008 June 6 (Water shortages could prove an even bigger threat to mankind this century than soaring food prices and the relentless exhaustion of energy reserves)
Philip Hopkins, Forestry claims role in carbon trading, The Age, 2008 June 30 (Australian forestry is a net carbon sink and its inclusion in the national emissions trading scheme could help drive international greenhouse policy)
Steven Morris, Eye in sky looks for arsonists, Guardian, 2008 June 27 (a rural fire brigade that tackles fires every summer launches model spy plane to help catch arsonists)
Helena Smith, Fires stoke anger at Greek government, Guardian, 2008 June 26 (water-dumping planes used in fight against forest fires raging near Athens as fears for repeat tragedy grow)
Philip Hopkins, Changes ahead for private forestry, The Age, 2008 June 26 (regional plantation committees are about to lose funding and the State Government's private forestry unit is facing closure)
Josh Gordon, Almost two-thirds oppose pulp mill, The Age, 2008 June 22 (Australians remain opposed to construction of a pulp mill in Tasmania as the company responsible, Gunns, struggles to find a backer prepared to finance the project)
Andrew Darby, New Premier digs in on Gunns deal, The Age, 2008 June 19 (Gunns' $2 billion Tasmanian pulp mill is called into further question as the state's new Premier, David Bartlett, withholds support for it)
Philip Hopkins, Company gets its teeth into new sawmilling technology, The Age, 2008 June 9 (forging innovation in the timber industry has always been Andrew Knorr's strength - and now the Victorian businessman aims to sell his new technology worldwide through links with China's forestry sector)
Brazil and the Amazon: Welcome to our shrinking jungle, Economist, 2008 June 7 (a political storm over environmental policy has coincided with a rise in deforestation)
Measuring deforestation: Spot the rancher, Economist, 2008 June 7 (what the numbers do and don't say about deforestation)
Images reveal 'rapid forest loss', BBC, 2008 June 2 (high-resolution satellite images have revealed the "rapid deforestation" of Papua New Guinea's biodiversity rich rainforests over the past 30 years)
Chris Hammer, PNG forest logging threatens emission scheme, The Age, 2008 June 2 (doubt has been cast on Australia's planned emissions trading scheme by research on Papua New Guinea forests)
Coal-bed methane: Canary in a coal mine, Economist, 2008 June 28 (a hostile bid highlights a new way of producing natural gas)
Nigeria: The slippery business of oil, Economist, 2008 June 28 (why foreign oil companies find it harder than ever to operate in Nigeria)
Biofuels in Brazil: Lean, green and not mean, Economist, 2008 June 28 (the United States may drop a tariff on Brazilian ethanol; but the industry is still the victim of much misplaced criticism)
AFP, Ireland touts seaweed as biofuel without bad image, The Age, 2008 June 25 (Ireland could become a key player in the production of biofuel from seaweed, scientists have told a conference in the west of the country)
David Adam, Is the fuel crisis a blessing in disguise?, Guardian, 2008 June 23 (there is some evidence that the surge in oil prices is succeeding where green campaigners and government initiatives have not: in persuading people to drive less)
Thomas Friedman, Hooked on oil? Have another drag, baby, The Age, 2008 June 23 (Bush's head-in-the-sand oil policy is undermining the push for alternatives)
Editorial: The future of energy, Economist, 2008 June 21 (a fundamental change is coming sooner than you might think; introduces the following special report)
Geoffrey Carr, The Future of Energy: The power and the glory, Economist, 2008 June 21 (the next technology boom may well be based on alternative energy; but which sort to back?; introduction to a special report; other items:
Trade winds: Wind power has come of age, but to make the most of it, electrical grids will have to be overhauled;
Dig deep: Carbon storage will be expensive at best; at worst, it may not work;
Another silicon valley?: The rise of solar energy:, in one form or another;
Beneath your feet: Geothermal could be hot: around a quarter of its electricity is generated from underground heat;
Grow your own: The biofuels of the future will be tailor-made;
The end of the petrolhead: Tomorrow's cars may just plug in;
Life after death: Nuclear power is clean, but can it overcome its image problem?;
Flights of fancy: The world of energy must change if things are to continue as before)
Andrew Kramer, Big oil wins return to Iraq, The Age, 2008 June 20 (four Western companies in final stages of talks on contracts that will give them renewed hold on Iraq's oil, 36 years after Saddam Hussein's Baath party nationalised the industry and scrapped their concessions)
Nassim Khadem, Oil price to drive inflation higher, The Age, 2008 June 18 (petrol prices in capital cities could reach almost $1.90 by the end of the year, economists have warned after seeing new Reserve Bank forecasts on inflation)
Daniel Ziffer, In search for oil, US aims for the stars, The Age, 2008 June 15 (surging oil prices are hitting hard in the gas-guzzling home of hulking sport utility vehicles and greasy drive-throughs)
Two dead in Europe fuel protests, BBC, 2008 June 11 (two lorry drivers are killed in fuel protests in Spain and Portugal as strikes over rising diesel prices continue)
Josh Gordon, Clouds loom as oil price soars and petrol hits $1.70, The Age, 2008 June 8 (motorists face petrol prices of up to $1.70 a litre within days and could be paying more than $1.80 a litre by next month after fresh tensions in the Middle East pushed the oil price to a record high)
Peter Pae, Weed gets airline high on possibility of cheaper fuel, The Age, 2008 June 6 (if all goes well, an Air New Zealand 747 jumbo jet will take off from Auckland in September powered by fuel refined from the seed of a fast-growing weed)
Kelly Burke, Gadgets prove power hungry, The Age, 2008 June 4 (energy-guzzling gadgets are costing households hundreds of dollars a year, yet most people have little idea of the price they are paying)
Home energy generation, Guardian, 2008 June 3 (seven options for saving energy)
Elliot Fishman, Oil: they're not making it any more, The Age, 2008 June 2 (the usual supply-demand dynamics don't work with a commodity that is finite)
Steve Schifferes, OECD boss hails high oil prices, BBC, 2008 June 3 (high oil costs are welcome as they signal to consumers and firms to cut fuel usage, the OECD's head says)
Reid Sexton, Petrol pinch fuelling hunt for alternatives, The Age, 2008 June 1 (to biofuel or not to biofuel: that is the question more motorists are asking these days)
Rajendra Pachauri, The world's will to tackle climate change is irresistible, Guardian, 2008 June 30 (far from stymying the environmental cause, the downturn in the world's economies highlights just how pressing it is)
Adam Morton, Still cool on halting global warming, The Age, 2008 June 28 (Japan is moving to tackle climate change in numerous small ways, but when it comes to making large-scale carbon cuts of the order environmentalists say are needed to avert global disaster, it is one country among many that appears to lack the necessary will)
John Vidal, No smoke without ire, Guardian, 2008 June 25 (climate change activists are targeting coal-fired power stations and new opencast mines in a wave of direct action that echoes the protests of the 80s and 90s; but this time, their goals are global)
Andrew Rawnsley, Don't rely on the boys with the black stuff, Mr Brown, Observer, 2008 June 22 (as the Prime Minister visits Saudi Arabia, the lesson of rising oil prices is that green politics matter more than ever)
Yvo de Boer, Mechanics of curbing climate change, BBC, 2008 June 10 (despite recent criticisms, the Kyoto Protocol's Clean Development Mechanism is delivering the goods)
Reuters, G8 urged to act on gas emissions, The Age, 2008 June 8 (world governments must quickly start a $US45 trillion "energy technology revolution" or risk a 130% surge in carbon emissions by 2050, International Energy Agency warns)
China, India and climate change: Melting Asia, Economist, 2008 June 7 (China and India are increasingly keen to be seen to be tackling climate change; though it is dirtier, China is making a more convincing show of action)
Climate change: A convenient truth, sadly ignored, Economist, 2008 June 7 (a deal to be done between rich and poor countries on global warming is going begging)
The world food summit: Only a few green shoots, Economist, 2008 June 7 (some good ideas, but too little cash, were among the fruits of a global gathering)
Julian Borger, Food summit fails to agree on biofuels, Guardian, 2008 June 6 (world leaders leave unadopted plan to ensure crops are not produced at expense of the world's 850 million hungry)
Julian Borger, Summit struggles for consensus on global food crisis, Guardian, 2008 June 5 (agreement that immediate food aid needed to tackle world hunger but digressions on key policy disputes)
Julian Borger, US attacked at food summit over biofuels, Guardian, 2008 June 4 (UN officials claim the alternative energy source is 'satisfying a thirst for fuel' at the expense of the hungry)
Jo Chandler, Rising hunger could dwarf tsunami, warns Oxfam, The Age, 2008 June 2 (the global food crisis looms as a humanitarian catastrophe that could dwarf even the 2004 Asian tsunami, posing an immediate threat to 290 million people, according to estimates released overnight by aid group Oxfam International)
Kevin Watkins, Mere sticking plasters, Guardian, 2008 June 2 (the global food crisis is escalating, yet the Rome summit is likely to offer only palliative solutions)
Steven McKenzie, Bees seeking 'sugary' garden pest, BBC, 2008 June 27 (a lack of suitable flowers may be forcing bumblebees to seek out aphids to feed on their sugary secretions)
Royce Millar, Beach house prices under threat, The Age, 2008 June 28 (coastal property prices could plunge and seaside development projects could be abandoned as the State Government toughens stance on climate change)
Sea-level spy in sky, The Age, 2008 June 19 (an orbiting version of a police speed camera is set to reveal whether the global rise in sea levels is accelerating)
Richard Black, Natural lab shows sea's acid path, BBC, 2008 June 8 (natural CO2 vents on the sea floor show scientists how life will be affected as carbon emissions acidify the oceans)
Jo Chandler, Scientist's oceanic plea warns of imminent reef eulogy, The Age, 2008 June 7 (a mass extinction of marine life is looming on the Great Barrier Reef)
Which renewable energy for your home?, Guardian, 2008 June 27 (we weigh up the pros and cons of improving your carbon footprint by installing heat pumps, photovoltaics or micro combined heat and power)
Terry Macalister, Rising bills will pay for low-carbon economy, Guardian, 2008 June 27 (household gas bills could rise by 37% and electricity by 13% as consumers pay for green revolution)
Jess Smee, German town forces homes to fix solar tiles, Guardian, 2008 June 23 (a controversial new law forces owners of new or renovated buildings in Marburg to include solar panels)
Paul Kelbie, Boscastle reborn as a green beacon, Observer, 2008 June 22 (Cornish village devastated by flood in 2004 has been rebuilt as most eco-friendly place in Britain)
John Vidal, Householders could be forced to insulate homes, Guardian, 2008 June 21 (new legislation may include mandatory renewable energy for extensions and high carbon appliance bans)
Energy efficiency: Fridges of the world, unite!, Economist, 2008 June 7 (Smarter appliances that turn themselves down at times of peak demand should mean fewer brown-outs; part of a Technology Quarterly)
John Vidal, How power from the people could cut CO2 emissions—with government help, Guardian, 2008 June 3 (microgeneration report calls for official incentives as UK criticised for doing less than others)
Rachel Browne, Pushing a line to foist hoist on US, The Age, 2008 June 1 (it has been a feature of Australian backyards for more than 60 years but now the humble Hills Hoist is about to go global)
Warming world sends plants uphill, BBC, 2008 June 27 (climate change has resulted in many plant species moving an average of 29 metres uphill every decade, a study finds)
Sea-level spy in sky, The Age, 2008 June 19 (an orbiting version of a police speed camera is set to reveal whether the global rise in sea levels is accelerating)
New 'lookouts' for climate change, BBC, 2008 June 18 (corries high in the Scottish mountains are to be monitored to better understand global warming)
Tony Parkinson, The climate of climate opinion, The Age, 2008 June 6 (the PM could do worse than talk to the Japanese about new fuel technologies)
Tim Colebatch and Peter Ker, Nelson warns Coalition may not back Rudd on climate change, The Age, 2008 June 30 (opposition Leader Brendan Nelson has flagged a looming confrontation with the Rudd Government on climate change, saying there is "a high probability" that the Coalition will oppose the Government's blueprint to tackle global warming)
Chris Hammer, Land usage to change along with climate, The Age, 2008 June 27 (CSIRO: climate change hits Victorian farmers harder and faster than previously thought, with dairy producers and other irrigators particularly exposed)
Kenneth Davidson, Here's how the Murray can live, The Age, 2008 June 23 (parts of the lower Murray could be dead by October; the solutions demand courage and leadership)
Adam Morton, Ebb and flow of debate, The Age, 2008 June 5 (two sides of the story in the great Victorian water debate)
Melissa Fyfe, Water savings queried, The Age, 2008 June 1 (despite the crippling drought in northern Victoria, the Brumby Government stands by its estimated water savings for Melbourne from the controversial north-south pipeline)
John Elder, No rain, no gain—Mallee fowl threatened by big dry, The Age, 2008 June 1 (for nearly 20 years, Joe Benshemesh has been monitoring the mound-building Mallee fowl, trying to discern what's killing them off, and whether they have a future)
Peter Ker, Dry days spark calls to drop river bypass plan, The Age, 2008 June 30 (the Barmah Choke is famous for constricting the flow of water down the Murray, but a largely overlooked decision last week has highlighted its loosening grip on the river and raised fresh doubts about the need for a multimillion-dollar bypass being considered by the Brumby Government)
Ben Doherty, Angry Bass Coast council rejects desalination plant plans, The Age, 2008 June 20 (desalination plant officially not welcome on the Bass Coast)
Chris Hammer, Goulburn River health check 'very poor', The Age, 2008 June 20 (Goulburn River found to have poorest health of any of the 23 rivers in the Murray-Darling basin)
Chris Hammer, Murray lakes may be lost, The Age, 2008 June 19 (Federal Water Minister Penny Wong leaves open the possibility of allowing fresh water lakes at the mouth of the Murray River to be inundated by sea water)
Adam Morton, Cost to offset desal plant's carbon footprint hits $42m, The Age, 2008 June 16 (offsetting the Victorian desalination plant's contribution to climate change will add $42 million a year to its electricity bill, a new analysis shows)
'National effort' urged on floods, BBC, 2008 June 11 (a national effort is needed to tackle the vulnerability of key infrastructure to flooding, warns the Environment Agency)
Tapping the oceans: Desalination turns salty water into fresh water, Economist, 2008 June 7 (as concern over water's scarcity grows, can it offer a quick technological fix?; part of a Technology Quarterly)
Sharon Klyne, Debt worries to trouble desalination plant bids, The Age, 2008 June 6 (desalination plant near Wonthaggi will need at least $2 billion of project finance debt, sources say, after State Government said it had sought expressions of interest in the $3.1 billion development)
Ambrose Evans-Pritchard, Water 'the petrol of the 21st century' as world faces dire shortages, The Age, 2008 June 6 (Water shortages could prove an even bigger threat to mankind this century than soaring food prices and the relentless exhaustion of energy reserves)
Darren Gray, Sewage plant's sweet smell of success frees up farmland, The Age, 2008 June 2 (it's one of the biggest livestock farms in Victoria, running up to 15,000 cattle and 40,000 sheep at a time)
Mississippi bursts banks as floods bring ruin, The Age, 2008 June 29 (the Mississippi River bursts through an earthen levee possibly weakened by burrowing muskrats)
Hail damages up to 30,000 new VWs, BBC, 2008 June 27 (up to 30,000 Volkswagens are damaged by hail stones the size of table tennis balls hitting new cars at its Emden plant)
Helen Carter, Gales hit travel and bring down trees, Guardian, 2008 June 23 (unseasonal gale force winds sweep across much of the UK from the Atlantic bringing trees down)
Ewen MacAskill and Daniel Nasaw, Farms hit as floods kill 24 in US , Guardian, 2008 June 20 (devastation caused by week-long flooding in America's farm belt threatens to push food prices up further)
Philip Hopkins, Recent rains refresh outlook for life on land, The Age, 2008 June 18 (agribusiness returns are tipped to be 11% higher than the broader sharemarket over the next year due to the promising harvest outlook)
Chris Buckley, Chinese brace for fresh flood misery, The Age, 2008 June 16 (Chinese forecasters have warned that the Yellow River, the nation's second longest, may suffer serious flooding as the south endures some of its worst storms and floods for decades)
Ryan Schlader, Iowans 'just hanging on' amid flood destruction, The Age, 2008 June 16 (floodwater breaks a levee and swamps Iowa's capital as the US Midwest tries to cope with its worst flooding in 15 years)
Stephen Cauchi, And since we've no place to go . . . er, fire up the snowmaker, The Age, 2008 June 8 (reports that this winter would be the coldest in decades, giving a fillip to the Victorian ski industry, have been quashed by the Bureau of Meteorology)
Behavioural targeting: Not necessarily a bad idea, Economist, 2008 June 7 (a new way to target online advertisements could do a lot of good; but only if it is handled sensitively)