2008 May: Climate
Anchor: Base Index
Other months: April June
Other areas: Business computing
education health international
Internet science social
technology Others
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.
David Shukman, Vast cracks appear in Arctic ice, BBC, 2008 May 23 (dramatic evidence of the break-up of the Arctic ice-cap has emerged from research during an expedition by the Canadian military)
Sean Rayment, Russian fleet raises heat in icy battle for polar oil, The Age, 2008 May 18 (battle for "ownership" of polar oil reserves intensifies with Russia sending a fleet of nuclear-powered ice-breakers into the Arctic)
Roger Harrabin, Aviation impacts 'hotly disputed', BBC, 2008 May 20 (UK ministers have been urged to halt airport expansion until the true costs and benefits of the proposed increase in flying are properly understood)
Rice: Thin gruel and hungry stomachs, Economist, 2008 May 24 (Japan plans a tiny dent in its rice stockpiles)
Rice threat to Japanese inflation, BBC, 2008 May 21 (Japan's shoppers face paying about 20% more for rice in the coming months than they did a year ago, as world rice prices rise, analysts have warned)
Supply-chain management: Shrink rapped, Economist, 2008 May 17 (America's food retailers should wage a tougher war on waste)
Food prices and protest: Taking the strain, Economist, 2008 May 10 (the political fallout from the rising cost of food has been manageable—so far)
Nick Huber, Rice export bans 'fuelling shortages', Guardian, 2008 May 7 (governments banning the export of rice are fuelling soaring prices and exacerbating supply shortages, one of the world's biggest suppliers has warned)
Bloomberg, Rice surges in wake of Burma cyclone, The Age, 2008 May 7 (rice prices surged for a fourth day on speculation Burma may be forced to seek imports after a cyclone wiped out crops in the nation's main growing areas, adding further pressure to global food prices)
Philippines rice purchase fails, BBC, 2008 May 5 (the Philippines government fails to buy rice to replenish stocks after its tender attracts only one bidder)
Gene Sperling, Soaring food prices spell less education, The Age, 2008 May 2 (rising food prices have led to deadly riots in fledging democracies such as Haiti and caused World Bank president Robert Zoellick to project that 100 million more people will fall into poverty)
Dylan Tickell, Coldest winter in 10 years, The Age, 2008 May 31 (Melbourne is headed for its coldest winter in a decade; the weather bureau expects daytime temperatures to return to normal after a long above-average spell)
Ed Pilkington, Climate change threat to US crops and water, Guardian, 2008 May 29 (American south-west faces dramatic challenges in next 50 years from drought, wild fires and changing ecosystems)
Global warming: A lot of hot air, Economist, 2008 May 17 (looking at four recent books, one can observe another familiar dynamic: as quantity increases, so quality declines; The Hot Topic: What We Can Do About Global Warming, Gabrielle Walker and Sir David King; Earth: The Sequel—The Race to Reinvent Energy and Stop Global Warming, Fred Krupp and Miriam Horn; An Appeal to Reason: A Cool Look at Global Warming, Nigel Lawson; Fixing Climate: What Past Climate Changes Reveal About the Current Threat, Wallace S. Broecker and Robert Kunzig)
Marian Wilkinson and Ben Cubby, ANZ exit from pulp mill project confirmed, The Age, 2008 May 28 (the $2 billion Tasmanian pulp mill has lost its key financial backer, the ANZ bank, finance industry sources confirmed yesterday; but Environment Minister Peter Garrett has not been briefed by the developer, Gunns)
Philip Hopkins, Deficit mars growth in forestry, The Age, 2008 May 26 (Australia's forest industry continues to grow, with plantations, exports and volume of logs harvested increasing in past financial year)
Philip Hopkins, Skills shortage threatens forestry sector's growing future, The Age, 2008 May 23 (a critical skills shortage is threatening the future of the buoyant wood and paper products industry, according to an industry leader)
Andrew Darby, Bank in doubt as pulp mill backer, The Age, 2008 May 23 (ANZ Bank appears to have decided against funding Gunns' $2 billion pulp mill in northern Tasmania, dealing a blow to the controversial project)
Peter Ker, Not seeing the forest for the . . . maths, The Age, 2008 May 22 (Australia has 10% less forest than government has believed for the past five years, prompting fears that forestry policy have been based on flawed figures)
Mark Kinver, Mangrove loss 'put Burma at risk', BBC, 2008 May 6 (mangrove deforestation in Burma left coastal areas exposed to Cyclone Nagris, a top politician suggests)
Energy: Double, double, oil and trouble, Economist, 2008 May 31 (is it "peak oil" or a speculative bubble?; neither, really)
Fuel subsidies: Crude measures, Economist, 2008 May 31 (not everybody is paying higher prices for oil)
Simon Mann, The crude facts of oil, The Age, 2008 May 31 (every day, at a rate of 160,000 litres a second, crude oil gushes from the Good Earth)
Indonesia to withdraw from Opec, BBC, 2008 May 28 (Indonesia says it will quit the oil producers' body Opec as it is no longer a net exporter of the commodity)
Jan Rocha, The sweet hereafter, Guardian, 2008 May 28 (biofuels are now seen as polluting and as a threat to forests and food production; but Brazil is still pinning its hopes on becoming a big player in sustainable sugarcane ethanol and related technology)
Tim Colebatch, The perils of pleasing, The Age, 2008 May 27 (the rise in petrol prices gives us a real chance to find ways to live with less oil)
Nigeria attacks boost oil price, BBC, 2008 May 26 (crude oil prices rise after militant attacks on a pipeline in Nigeria stoke fresh supply concerns)
James Kirby, Bad oil on new crisis: this is only round one, The Age, 2008 May 25 (here's 10 things you may not know about the new oil crisis)
Grant Smith and Jim Kennett, Easy oil dries up, The Age, 2008 May 21 (never have so many oil and gas companies spent so much to produce so little)
Sean Rayment, Russian fleet raises heat in icy battle for polar oil, The Age, 2008 May 18 (battle for "ownership" of polar oil reserves intensifies with Russia sending a fleet of nuclear-powered ice-breakers into the Arctic)
Juliet Eilperin, Polar bear listing may spark legal wrangles, The Age, 2008 May 16 (the oil industry braces for courtroom battles to maintain its stake in Alaska's oil-rich fields after the US Government listed the polar bear as a threatened species)
Russia's oil industry: Trouble in the pipeline, Economist, 2008 May 10 (despite booming demand and record prices, Russia's oil industry faces problems)
Reuters, Ethanol clue from hungry fungus, The Age, 2008 May 7 (a deep-green fungus—best known for eating through uniforms and canvas tents during World War II—might provide a more efficient way to make biofuels such as ethanol)
Oil price 'may hit $200 a barrel', BBC, 2008 May 5 (the price of oil could soar to $200 a barrel in as little as six months, a report warns as crude passes $123)
Campaign promises: Priming the pump, Economist, 2008 May 3 (all three candidates promise to lower petrol prices)
James Randerson, 'False optimism' climate warning, Guardian, 2008 May 30 (scientists urge politicians to deliver 'stringent emissions cuts and major adaptation efforts' to minimise damage)
Dan Glaister and James Randerson, Act on climate change, top scientists warn US, Guardian, 2008 May 30 (1,700 leading scientists present letter to government calling for immediate reduction in US carbon emissions)
Julian Borger, Arctic declaration denounced as territorial 'carve up', Guardian, 2008 May 29 (Denmark, Canada, Russia, Norway and US in talks; environmentalists critical of deal signed by five countries chasing oil and gas reserves)
Chris Johnson, Hunger deaths spark emergency summit, The Age, 2008 May 28 (the Government will send a high-level delegation to Rome next week for a crisis meeting of world leaders aimed at finding a solution to the global food crisis, which is seen as an emerging threat to international security)
A moment of truth: Make-or-break for an idea that is meant to help the poor grow and be green, Economist, 2008 May 17 (for the system that is supposed to make it easier for people in the rich world to cut the greenhouse emissions of the poor, a "binary mpment" has come; that, at the least, is the prediction of a banker with an interest in the future of the clean development mechanism)
Juliet Eilperin, Polar bear listing may spark legal wrangles, The Age, 2008 May 16 (the oil industry braces for courtroom battles to maintain its stake in Alaska's oil-rich fields after the US Government listed the polar bear as a threatened species)
Tropics insects 'face extinction', BBC, 2008 May 6 (many tropical insects face extinction by the end of this century unless they adapt to the rising global temperatures predicted, US scientists have said)
Coastal erosion: The wisdom of Canute, Economist, 2008 May 24 (letting the waves rule Britannia)
Richard Black, Call to settle ocean care dispute, BBC, 2008 May 21 (governments are urged to agree measures to protect oceans and the sea floor at a UN conservation meeting)
The environment: Dead water, Economist, 2008 May 17 (too much nitrogen being washed into the sea is causing dead zones to spread alarmingly)
Mark Kinver, Mangrove loss 'put Burma at risk', BBC, 2008 May 6 (mangrove deforestation in Burma left coastal areas exposed to Cyclone Nagris, a top politician suggests)
Giant trees 'to clear excess CO2', BBC, 2008 May 31 (the scientist who coined the term "global warming" calls for millions of artificial trees to pull CO2 from the air)
Danny Bradbury, Can the ecohackers save us?, Guardian, 2008 May 29 (many scientists now believe the Earth can be altered to tackle global warming; but are these geoengineers being overly optimistic?)
Bibi van der Zee, Nuisance value, Guardian, 2008 May 28 (if you're not ready for direct action, you can play an equally vital role for a good cause by turning yourself into a political lobbyist)
Eli Greenblat, Rising costs to put holes in 2030 plan, The Age, 2008 May 26 (steep labour costs and run-up in key commodity prices could slow construction of high-density residential dwellings)
Computers and the environment: Buy our stuff, save the planet, Economist, 2008 May 24 (the internet could become as ungreen as aviation; a self-serving solution beckons: technologies including multi-core processor chips, more efficient power supplies and smart cooling systems are already available; so too is software that allocates computing resources more efficiently)
US city to charge polluting firms, BBC, 2008 May 22 (new rules have been passed in the San Francisco Bay Area that will require businesses to pay fees for the amount of carbon dioxide they emit)
Sir John Sorrell, Time to leave the comfort zone, BBC, 2008 May 20 (there are precious few examples of cities that are attempting to reduce energy and resource consumption and improve the quality of life for their citizens, says Sorrell; but nothing is going to happen, he argues, until politicians accept that they have a mandate to make the tough choices needed)
Cathy Alexander, Global dimming plan to curb warming, The Age, 2008 May 18 (scientist Tim Flannery has proposed a radical solution to climate change which may change the colour of the sky)
LED street lights: No smoke or mirrors, Economist, 2008 May 17 (Dusseldorf's municipal power utility plans to replace about 10,000 gas lamps with a technology that is cheaper to operate but so modern that only a handful of cities have begun to use it: light-emitting diodes)
Richard Black, Methane rise points to wetlands, BBC, 2008 May 22 (higher atmospheric levels of the greenhouse gas methane noted last year are probably related to emissions from wetlands, especially around the Arctic)
Chris Johnson, Hunger deaths spark emergency summit, The Age, 2008 May 28 (the Government will send a high-level delegation to Rome next week for a crisis meeting of world leaders aimed at finding a solution to the global food crisis, which is seen as an emerging threat to international security)
Chris Hammer, Rudd's renewable energy plan comes under fire, The Age, 2008 May 23 (there could be more bad news for the solar power industry if the Productivity Commission gets its way)
Adam Morton, Anger as shadow falls on solar rebate, The Age, 2008 May 16 (the solar power industry is predicting a dramatic decline in people installing solar panels, causing millions of dollars in lost business and job losses, after the Federal Government made it harder for households to receive an $8000 rebate)
Paul Austin and Adam Morton, Quarrels led to watered-down solar plan, The Age, 2008 May 8 (an ambitious plan to give big subsidies to people who put solar power panels on their homes has been watered down on the eve of the state budget)
Kenneth Davidson, Great water gamble could sink us all, The Age, 2008 May 7 (we should be worrying about what our state debt is made of, not how large it is)
Peter Ker and Adam Morton, Optimism for better river flow, The Age, 2008 May 7 (the health of 20 Victorian rivers will be a focus for water authorities next financial year)
Richard Black, Sharks swim closer to extinction, BBC, 2008 May 22 (more than half of the world's ocean-going sharks are at risk of extinction, says the world's official conservation agency)
Justine Parker, Japan to probe whale meat 'theft', BBC, 2008 May 22 (investigations begin into claims that meat from Japan's whaling programme is being stolen with official knowledge)
Juliet Eilperin, Polar bear listing may spark legal wrangles, The Age, 2008 May 16 (the oil industry braces for courtroom battles to maintain its stake in Alaska's oil-rich fields after the US Government listed the polar bear as a threatened species)
AAP, Climate change threat to koalas, The Age, 2008 May 7 (the koala is under threat from climate change, according to research which shows that rising carbon dioxide levels are killing nutrients in the plants they eat)
Richard Black, Cod fall may speed 'toxic tide', BBC, 2008 May 7 (declining fish stocks could be partially responsible for algal blooms in parts of the oceans, researchers find)
David Gow, Water shortages and drought are the next scourge, warns US group, Guardian, 2008 May 29 (General Electric to cut own use by 20% amid warnings that growing scarcity will lead to a price surge; plan for heavy investment in recycling technologies)
Philip Hopkins, Drought forces fern growers to keep their cool, The Age, 2008 May 26 (if you are going to grow a crop, it doesn't get much better than cultivating ferns)
David Rood and Chris Hammer, Bore water supplied to central highlands, The Age, 2008 May 21 (bore water from a farm is being used to supplement the plunging water supply in the Victorian goldfields town of Maryborough)
Jo Chandler, Is desalination the solution?, The Age, 2008 May 17 (there are more than 13,000 desal plants around the world, and one is planned for Victoria; but among the experts, the technology is far from universally embraced as the pragmatist's panacea)
Peter Ker and Adam Morton, Optimism for better river flow, The Age, 2008 May 7 (the health of 20 Victorian rivers will be a focus for water authorities next financial year)
Flood risk fear over key UK sites, BBC, 2008 May 7 (hundreds of power substations and sewage plants are potentially at risk from flooding, the BBC learns)
Rivers and conflict: Streams of blood, or streams of peace, Economist, 2008 May 3 (talk of thirsty armies marching to battle is surely overdone, but violence and drought can easily go together)
Dylan Tickell, Coldest winter in 10 years, The Age, 2008 May 31 (Melbourne is headed for its coldest winter in a decade; the weather bureau expects daytime temperatures to return to normal after a long above-average spell)
Drone planes research hurricanes, BBC, 2008 May 27 (as the hurricane season takes off in the US so too will drone planes which will fly into the eye of the storms)
Aung Hla Tun, Thousands dead as cyclone toll rises, The Age, 2008 May 6 (about 4000 people have been killed and another 3000 are missing in Burma after a devastating cyclone tore through the south of the country)
Stephen Cauchi, Rainfall hopes dampened, The Age, 2008 May 4 (La Nina might have brought heavy rainfall to Australia over summer, but it is now undergoing unprecedented weakening because of climate change)