2008 November: Climate
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vertebrates water weather
See also The Guardian's archive
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and New Scientist's special report, which is continually updated.
Clue to break-up of ice shelves, BBC, 2008 Nov. 27 (a US team produces a computer model to predict the rate at which ice shelves break apart into icebergs)
Jonathan Amos, Under-ice flood speeds up glacier, BBC, 2008 Nov. 17 (great floods beneath the Antarctic ice sheet can now be linked directly to the speed at which that ice moves towards the ocean, scientists say)
Adam Morton, Fears mount as Arctic melt prompts historic methane rise, The Age, 2008 Nov. 3 (atmospheric concentrations of methane, "a greenhouse gas more than 20 times more potent than carbon dioxide", have risen for the first time in eight years, prompting concern about the pace of climate change)
Adam Morton, Greenhouse opponents trade modelling blows, The Age, 2008 Nov. 19 (it is the weapon of choice of lobbyists when pressuring the Government over the pace of action to combat climate change: economic modelling)
Caroline Milburn, Green issues leave students colour blind, The Age, 2008 Nov. 18 (Australian teenagers just aren't ready to change their lifestyle to protect the environment)
Tania Branigan, Soil erosion to cut harvests in China's breadbasket by 40%, Guardian, 2008 Nov. 22 (4.5bn tonnes of soil lost each year due to farming, forestry and overpopulation, survey finds)
Julian Borger, Rich countries launch great land grab to safeguard food supply, Guardian, 2008 Nov. 22 (rising food prices set off a second 'scramble for Africa' as Korean firm buys 99-year land lease in Madagascar; states and companies target developing nations; small farmers at risk from industrial-scale deals)
Biggest deals, Guardian, 2008 Nov. 22 (the Philippines gives Chinese companies access to 1.24m hectares of land to grow crops)
Billy Head, Deal brings many jobs, but at what price?, Guardian, 2008 Nov. 22 (South Korea is poised to become Madagascar's biggest farm tenant with 99-year lease)
Ian MacKinnon, The resentment rises as villagers are stripped of holdings and livelihood, Guardian, 2008 Nov. 22 (between 2m and 3m hectares of land—as much as 15% of Laos territory—has been signed away)
Tom Phillips, Rush to buy sends prices soaring, Guardian, 2008 Nov. 22 (Brazil is one of the most attractive options for countries seeking agricultural acreage overseas)
Robin McKie, Fruit and veg boom needed to feed Britain, Observer, 2008 Nov. 16 (in the face of climate change, food experts call for more home-grown fruit and less grain for cattle)
Darren Gray, Big dry savages grain forecasts, The Age, 2008 Nov. 6 (once bright outlook for this season's wheat crop getting more gloomy by the day, with the latest forecast cutting Victoria's harvest almost in half)
Carmel Egan, Call for action as state food security at risk, The Age, 2008 Nov. 2 (Victoria is at risk of being unable to feed itself if the current drought continues and governments fail to safeguard the state's food chain, a leading group of land managers and conservationists has warned)
Clue to break-up of ice shelves, BBC, 2008 Nov. 27 (a US team produces a computer model to predict the rate at which ice shelves break apart into icebergs)
Tim Colebatch, World on track for 6 degree warming, The Age, 2008 Nov. 13 (world on track to increase average temperatures by six degrees above pre-industrial levels by 2100—three times the target limit set by governments at last year's Bali summit, International Energy Agency reports)
Roger Harrabin, UK experts give blackouts warning, BBC, 2008 Nov. 12 (energy experts warn the UK could face an unacceptable risk of major blackouts in less than 10 years unless policy is improved)
Juliette Jowit, Drought land 'will be abandoned', Observer, 2008 Nov. 2 (climate change will cause 'economic deserts' even in rich countries, warns UN environment chief)
Michael Bachelard, Snow, beaches, jobs to vanish: new pointers to a parched land, The Age, 2008 Nov. 2 (a report released today predicts catastrophe unless global warming is arrested)
Adam Morton, Act soon or face $15 trillion climate bill, The Age, 2008 Nov. 1 (the world could face a bill of more than $15 trillion if it chooses to let atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration reach a dangerous level before trying to wind it back, Treasury modelling suggests)
Amazon deforestation accelerates, BBC, 2008 Nov. 29 (the destruction of the Amazon rainforest in Brazil has accelerated for the first time in four years, officials say)
Ed Helmore, How Haiti hopes to break the cycle of disaster: restoring its lost forests, Observer, 2008 Nov. 23 (deforestation left country vulnerable to floods, so now aid agencies are trying to replant woodlands)
Philip Hopkins, Expansion plans for Tasmanian sawmill, The Age, 2008 Nov. 21 (despite the financial crisis and falling building activity, a bullish Forest Enterprises Australia is on track to expand its new Bell Bay sawmill in Tasmania)
Selma Milovanovic, Plea for forest fuel burns, The Age, 2008 Nov. 20 (East Gippsland residents call on State Government to massively increase fuel-reduction burns as they brace for an expected difficult bushfire season)
Sandra Laville, Cocaine users are destroying the rainforest—at 4 square metres a gram, Guardian, 2008 Nov. 19 (Colombian vice-president appeals to eco-conscious drug-users to stop their habit for environment's sake)
Thousands flee as winds whip up California firestorms, The Age, 2008 Nov. 17 (winds sometimes blowing at cyclone strength have fanned two more monstrous bushfires in southern California, destroying hundreds of homes and putting 30,000 people under a mandatory evacuation order)
Martha Groves, Cash can't quell the flames as fires ravage exclusive haven, The Age, 2008 Nov. 16 (once populated by grizzly bears and wolves, Montecito, a verdant enclave in Santa Barbara County, Southern California, for decades has been home to celebrities and corporate titans residing in luxurious estates; yesterday, firefighters were battling a wind-driven bushfire that ripped through the area, forcing celebrities, millionaires and thousands of residents to flee)
Mark Kinver, Tropical farms 'aid biodiversity', BBC, 2008 Nov. 4 (long established, low-impact farming methods can help sustain the biodiversity of tropical forests, a study shows)
Stephen Cauchi, State a tinder box and 'ready to burn', The Age, 2008 Nov. 2 (Victoria faces its worst bushfire season in more than a decade, and it is likely to come earlier than in previous years, according to the Bureau of Meteorology)
John Mangan, ‘It's very dry. I've never seen anything quite like it’, The Age, 2008 Nov. 2 (“see this,” says Brett Magrath, holding up a desiccated twig; “there's no moisture in that; and it's been like this all winter”)
Ian Traynor, Europe joins international contest for Arctic's resources, Guardian, 2008 Nov. 21 (mineral riches opened up by global warming could be key source of energy, according to EU paper)
Tim Colebatch, Australia turns its coal shoulder, The Age, 2008 Nov. 20 (approach to emissions trading virtually wipes coal off the table of options for new power stations in Australia, official survey reveals)
Mathew Murphy, Biofuels 'should come from non-food crops', The Age, 2008 Nov. 18 (Biofuels from non-food crops should be used to enhance Australia's energy security, not those that come at the expense of food production, says a report by a leading science organisation)
David Gow, World energy watchdog fears oil crunch due to lack of investment, The Age, 2008 Nov. 13 (International Energy Agency calls for energy revolution and "major de-carbonisation" of global fuel sources)
Oil price slides to 20-month low, BBC, 2008 Nov. 12 (oil prices fall to their lowest levels since the beginning of 2007 amid worries about weakening energy demand)
Oil: Well prepared, Economist, 2008 Nov. 8 (oil prices have plunged; another spike may be on its way)
Terry Macalister, Britain burying huge amounts of potential fuel, Guardian, 2008 Nov. 6 (Wood for Gold says biomass industry will miss targets unless ‘blockages in the system’ are removed by government)
Adam Morton, Running on empty: deserts could solve energy crisis, The Age, 2008 Nov. 5 (deserts could generate enough renewable energy to power Australia, in the process creating unprecedented opportunities for its remote communities, a leading scientist says)
Alok Jha, Scientists discover Patagonian diesel that grows on trees, Guardian, 2008 Nov. 4 (find greeted as an encouraging step in quest for sustainable biofuels)
Christopher Landau, Faith leaders urge climate curbs, BBC, 2008 Nov. 28 (about 1,000 representatives of leading religions gather in Sweden for a summit on climate change, said to be the first of its kind)
Tom Hyland, Indonesia 'crucial' in weathering climate storm, The Age, 2008 Nov. 23 (Australia is urged to set up a climate change commission with Indonesia amid warnings global warming could have a devastating effect on hundreds of millions of people in the Asia-Pacific region)
The environment and people power: Revolutions coloured green, Economist, 2008 Nov. 22 (new ways of sharing data and rallying support are a boon for eco-warriors)
Margot Roosevelt, Obama vows to lead on climate change, The Age, 2008 Nov. 20 (president-elect sends explicit message to international negotiators of new global warming treaty that, under his administration, US will move to greatly reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by mid-century)
Richard Black, Obama vows climate 'engagement, BBC, 2008 Nov. 18 (US President-elect Barack Obama promises to "engage vigorously" on climate change, ahead of a major UN summit)
Erwin Jackson, The energy revolution has already begun; it's time to march, The Age, 2008 Nov. 17 (climate-change action could well lift us from this economic slump)
Renewable energy: The green pound, Economist, 2008 Nov. 15 (greenery may create jobs—but not the ones its boosters think)
Terry Macalister, Renewable energy: Obama's cruise to the White House puts the wind back in green sails, Guardian, 2008 Nov. 6 (after Bush's years of neglect, the new president promises the planet a fresh start)
Ben Shore, Why are Europe's bees dying?, BBC, 2008 Nov. 20 (members of the European Parliament have joined a growing chorus urging action to save the world's threatened bee populations; the phenomenon is far more serious than simply a rise in honey prices)
David Rood, Peter Ker and Tom Arup, Move to ban cities drinking from Murray, The Age, 2008 Nov. 27 (Adelaide and Ballarat, Bendigo and other regional cities would be forced to stop taking water from the Murray River under moves approved by the Senate)
Kenneth Davidson, Water waste of our dam money, The Age, 2008 Nov. 17 (there is no water problem in Melbourne, but a lack of thoughtful planning and the influence of greedy entrepreneurs is going to cost us all dearly)
Peter Ker, $34m buyback to return water to Murray River, The Age, 2008 Nov. 15 (major irrigation firm agrees to return 250 billion litres worth of entitlement to ailing Murray River)
——, Bill stalls Murray reform, The Age, 2008 Nov. 13 (Victoria further delays reform in Murray-Darling River system after bill to refer state powers to Commonwealth stalls for weeks of extra scrutiny)
——, Households face big rise in water bills, The Age, 2008 Nov. 8 (water bills will rise by more than 96% by 2013 if pricing requests lodged by Melbourne's water authorities are granted)
——, Water suppliers fear more mergers as consultants arrive, The Age, 2008 Nov. 4 (spectre of mergers and rationalisation within Victorian water sector re-emerges, as private consultants conduct major management review of 19 water authorities)
Darren Gray, 'Nuisance value' rain pushes grain growers to the wall, The Age, 2008 Nov. 4 (it may have drenched some city office workers cycling to work and commuters rushing for peak-hour trains, but yesterday's rain did little for Melbourne's dams and mostly teased Victorian farmers)
Carmel Egan, Call for action as state food security at risk, The Age, 2008 Nov. 2 (Victoria is at risk of being unable to feed itself if the current drought continues and governments fail to safeguard the state's food chain, a leading group of land managers and conservationists has warned)
Stephen Cauchi, State a tinder box and 'ready to burn', The Age, 2008 Nov. 2 (Victoria faces its worst bushfire season in more than a decade, and it is likely to come earlier than in previous years, according to the Bureau of Meteorology)
John Mangan, ‘It's very dry. I've never seen anything quite like it’, The Age, 2008 Nov. 2 (“see this,” says Brett Magrath, holding up a desiccated twig; “there's no moisture in that; and it's been like this all winter”)
Michelle Grattan, Climate change warning to ALP, The Age, 2008 Nov. 1 (GetUp poll of its members in inner-city seat of Melbourne finds 84% of Labor supporters threatening to switch votes unless Government takes strong action on climate change)
Richard Black, Slow progress on ocean protection, BBC, 2008 Nov. 20 (two years after pledging to protect 10% of the oceans, governments have protected less than 1%, a survey finds)
Rod Salm, Recipe for rescuing our reefs, BBC, 2008 Nov. 5 (the colourful world supported by coral reefs is under threat as oceans absorb greater quantities of carbon dioxide, and we must accept that we are going to lose many of these valuable ecosystems, but not all hope is lost)
David Hencke and Larry Elliott, 10,000 jobs to be created by insulating homes, Guardian, 2008 Nov. 24 (government aims to reduce energy bills and generate work for newly unemployed construction workers)
Richard Macey, Spaced out, sewage on tap treat, The Age, 2008 Nov. 15 (residents of most expensive house ever built ready to swallow recycled sewage)
Randeep Ramesh, Maldives plans to buy a 'new homeland', The Age, 2008 Nov. 10 (a tourist's paradise seeks insurance against global warming)
Gary Tippet, The roo shooter, The Age, 2008 Nov. 9 (climate change expert Ross Garnaut says kangaroo farming could replace cattle and beef in Australia's arid regions by 2020; meet a man at the front line of a controversial industry)
Climate change: Green, easy and wrong, Economist, 2008 Nov. 8 (why a verdant New Deal would be a bad deal)
Adam Morton, Greenhouse opponents trade modelling blows, The Age, 2008 Nov. 19 (it is the weapon of choice of lobbyists when pressuring the Government over the pace of action to combat climate change: economic modelling)
Adam Morton, Lights out for solar panel plant, The Age, 2008 Nov. 19 (Australia's only commercial-scale solar panel plant will shut in March, axing about 200 jobs and sparking fears that skilled "green-collar" workers will be lost overseas)
Tony Wright, Garrett snubs energy conference, The Age, 2008 Nov. 13 (organisers and participants of Asia-Pacific region's leading conference on renewable energy express exasperation at Rudd Government's failure to support their interests while spending billions on the car and coal industries)
Tony Wright, Growers' dying dream, The Age, 2008 Nov. 1 (South Australia's fruit growers say they are the forgotten people in the fight over Murray-Darling water rights)
Climate pushing lemmings to cliff, BBC, 2008 Nov. 5 (warmer winters are affecting the lemmings of southern Norway, scientists find, which may be bad news for animals that eat them)
Ed Pilkington, The eco machine that can magic water out of thin air, Observer, 2008 Nov. 23 (Canadian firm of eco-inventors claims to have found the solution to the world's worsening water shortages)
Kenneth Davidson, Why is water recycling being overlooked?, The Age, 2008 Nov. 20 (forget the expensive desal plant; recycling is a more cost-effective option)
Juliette Jowit, Is water the new oil?, Observer, 2008 Nov. 2 (it's the world's most precious commodity, yet many of us take it for granted; but that's all about to change)
David Barbeler, Brisbane picks up the pieces amid warnings of more wild weather, The Age, 2008 Nov. 19 (soldiers, prisoners, the Red Cross and more than 1000 volunteers join forces to clean up devastation left by Brisbane's worst storm in 25 years)
AAP, Brisbane in chaos after wild storm, The Age, 2008 Nov. 18 (Brisbane declared natural disaster area, as soldiers help repair damage caused by one of the biggest storms to hit the city in two decades)
Peter Ker, Dry, dry, dry again, The Age, 2008 Nov. 1 (Melbourne has had the driest and second-hottest start to spring on record)