2009 April: Climate
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Daniel Emery, Testing times for Arctic research, BBC, 2009 Apr. 30 (the BBC visits the most northerly human settlement on earth to see how scientists are measuring changes to our atmosphere)
Pen Hadow, Ann Daniels and Martin Hartley, Arctic diary: Explorers' ice quest, BBC, 2009 Apr. 18 (the team hopes its data—primarily now from drilling following the failure of a mobile radar unit—will help scientists better understand the changes taking place at the highest latitudes)
New limits to Antarctic tourism, BBC, 2009 Apr. 18 (parties to the Antarctic Treaty adopt limits to tourism in the region, in a bid to protect the fragile ecosystem)
Italy and Switzerland: A movable border, Economist, 2009 Apr. 18 (how global warming can shrink glaciers and alter frontiers)
When glaciers start moving: Tortuous UN talks on global warming receive some jolts, Economist, 2009 Apr. 11 (the numbing proceedings of the First Meeting of the Fifth Session of the Ad Hoc Working Group on Long-term Co-operative Action under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change jolted to life at the first speech by an American envoy since Barack Obama replaced the climate-insouciant George Bush as president)
David Shukman, Arctic team: 'London, we have a problem', BBC, 2009 Apr. 9 (after enduring ferocious weather, it has emerged that British explorers studying the Arctic are struggling with a series of technical problems)
Andrew Darby, Warming finds Wilkins ice shelf's weakest link, The Age, 2009 Apr. 7 (as if on cue, an ice wall damming the endangered Wilkins ice shelf against the Antarctic Peninsula has shattered just as scientific alarms ring about the region's rapid warming)
Ice bridge ruptures in Antarctic, BBC, 2009 Apr. 5 (an ice bridge that holds in place an ice shelf the size of Jamaica snaps, heightening concern over the impact of global warming)
Charlemagne, Fishy tales: Only radical actions can save Europe's fish, Economist, 2009 Apr. 25 (and its fishermen)
Melinda Houston, Chewing the cud on facts, fats and, er, farts, The Age, 2009 Apr. 19 (confounding the meat-eating issue even further is the environmental impact—land clearing, degradation of habitat, water use and greenhouse emissions—of cattle and sheep grazing)
James Melik, Seychelles sets out its priorities, BBC, 2009 Apr. 9 (people planning to spend their dream holiday lounging on the idyllic palm-lined beaches of the Seychelles might have to look elsewhere after the government decided to make food security a priority over the lucrative tourist sector)
David Elliot-Jones, We bin it, they bag it: the fruits of freegan life, The Age, 2009 Apr. 5 (skip dippers say it's not just about saving money, but the planet too)
Scientist to study plant stress, BBC, 2009 Apr. 2 (a Dundee scientist is given £1m to study plant stress and how they can survive things like climate change)
Roger Harrabin, Will the UK get a sizzling summer?, BBC, 2009 Apr. 30 (given the shortcomings in past summer forecasts, how much credence should we give this one?)
Thomas Fuller, Asia faces brunt of warming, The Age, 2009 Apr. 28 (the Asian Development Bank report focuses on Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand, Singapore and Vietnam)
Martin Flanagan, What will we tell the next generation?, The Age, 2009 Apr. 27 (the potential issues now facing us are almost unimaginable in their range and complexity; the political problems are immense)
Oxfam warns of climate disasters, BBC, 2009 Apr. 21 (the number of people hit by climate-related disasters worldwide is expected to rise by about 50%, to reach 375m a year by 2015, the UK-based charity Oxfam says)
Michael Blastland, How can a graph be so very wrong?, BBC, 2009 Apr. 16 (Sir David Attenborough is now patron of the Optimum Population Trust, which lobbies to cut the number of people on Earth; but predicting population change is tricky)
Andrew Mitchell, In search of rainforests' El Dorado, BBC, 2009 Apr. 28 (why we must not give up on the "impossible dream" of showing that tropical forests are worth more alive than dead)
Mark Kinver, Key role of forests 'may be lost', BBC, 2009 Apr. 18 (the ability of forests to act as massive carbon sinks is under threat as a result of climate change stress, scientists warn)
AFP, Deadly fires, tornadoes rage across US, The Age, 2009 Apr. 12 (rescue workers dig through the rubble left by tornadoes and firefighters battle deadly wildfires after a strong storm system cuts a swath of destruction across the US from Texas to Tennessee)
Navin Singh Khadka, Climate change 'fans Nepal fires', BBC, 2009 Apr. 1 (the forest fires that flared unusually viciously in many of Nepal's national parks and conserved areas this dry season have left conservationists worrying if climate change played a role)
Richard Black, 'Safe' climate means 'no to coal', BBC, 2009 Apr. 29 (keeping global temperatures within "safe" limits means leaving most fossil fuel reserves unburned, scientists say)
Allan Fels and Fred Benchley, The good oil is that stocks are already running thin, The Age, 2009 Apr. 19 (declining domestic oil production, refinery disruptions, extended supply lines, geopolitical turmoil and the carbon constrained future are all sending warning signals: Australia's easy energy ride is over, and moves to encourage renewable transport energy sources are long overdue)
The environment: Biofools, Economist, 2009 Apr. 11 (farming biofuels produces nitrous oxide; this is bad for climate change)
Renewable energy: Gordon Brown's New Deal will do little to advance renewable energy, Economist, 2009 Apr. 4 (if Keynesian stimulus is to be the order of the day, greenery seems a good sector in which to apply it; there are benefits besides decarbonisation)
Tom Arup, Cabinet split on Kimberley gas, The Age, 2009 Apr. 2 (a cabinet row develops over a massive liquid natural gas development in the environmentally significant Kimberley region in Western Australia)
Climate change: A green figleaf, Economist, 2009 Apr. 25 (the EPA's decision on greenhouse gases provides a boost for gloomy greens)
Adam Morton, UK emissions shame Australia, say Greens, The Age, 2009 Apr. 24 (a British commitment to boost its greenhouse emissions target makes a mockery of the Federal Government's claims to global leadership on climate change, the Greens say)
Mexico and climate change: What's hot, green and Mexican?, Economist, 2009 Apr. 18 (Felipe Calderón wants to talk to Barack Obama about drugs—'and windmills)
Italy and Switzerland: A movable border, Economist, 2009 Apr. 18 (how global warming can shrink glaciers and alter frontiers)
Water: Sin aqua non, Economist, 2009 Apr. 11 (water shortages are a growing problem, but not for the reasons most people think)
When glaciers start moving: Tortuous UN talks on global warming receive some jolts, Economist, 2009 Apr. 11 (the numbing proceedings of the First Meeting of the Fifth Session of the Ad Hoc Working Group on Long-term Co-operative Action under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change jolted to life at the first speech by an American envoy since Barack Obama replaced the climate-insouciant George Bush as president)
Adam Morton and Tom Arup, Climate talks fizzle out, The Age, 2009 Apr. 10 (latest round of international climate change negotiations end in familiar stalemate, with wealthiest nations refusing to meet demands to introduce tougher greenhouse targets)
Richard Black, UN demands more climate ambition, BBC, 2009 Apr. 9 (the year's first round of UN climate talks ends with developing countries and the UN itself calling for more ambition)
Roger Harrabin, US to be 'pragmatic on climate', BBC, 2009 Apr. 3 (America's lead climate negotiator tells the BBC that the US will only do what is politically and technologically achievable)
Adam Morton and Anne Davies, US to go further than Rudd over emissions, The Age, 2009 Apr. 2 (proposed US climate change laws aim for much deeper cuts in greenhouse emissions than promised by the Rudd Government, reigniting calls for Australia to adopt tougher targets)
Steve Harris and Richard Hames, Forget sports extravaganzas, here's a major event Melbourne has to have, The Age, 2009 Apr. 28 (the State Government should commit Victoria to switching itself to a sustainable economy; Premier John Brumby could join other leaders, such as those in Brazil, and commit to cutting Victoria's carbon emissions by 80 per cent by 2020 and shifting the basis of the state's economy to renewable resources)
Mathew Murphy, Carbon storage could save Latrobe Valley jobs, The Age, 2009 Apr. 27 (the inaugural head of Clean Coal Victoria believes carbon capture and storage technology is a viable proposition that could prevent the loss of hundreds of jobs in the coal sector)
Paddy Manning, Coal's push for carbon storage an impossible dream, The Age, 2009 Apr. 27 (the main problem is the sheer volume of carbon dioxide that needs to be captured and stored)
Adam Morton, Power bosses blasted over use of brown coal, The Age, 2009 Apr. 25 (former state MP Evan Thornley says Victoria's use of brown coal killing the planet for little pay-off because of failed leadership from power plant bosses)
Adam Morton and Mathew Murphy, Green is for grow, The Age, 2009 Apr. 24 (a report claims Victoria can revitalise its economy and reduce its carbon footprint by creating 26,000 "green" jobs)
David Rood, Pipes pre-dated environmental study decision, The Age, 2009 Apr. 23 (the ordering of pipes for the north-south pipeline was given the go-ahead more than a month before the State Government decided against a full environmental study of the project)
Melissa Fyfe, Benefits of water project 'inflated', The Age, 2009 Apr. 12 (a senate inquiry will hear damning evidence this week that casts further doubt on water savings from the $2 billion Food Bowl Modernisation Project, a key part of the Brumby Government's water plan)
Adam Morton, 'Use it or lose it' warning on solar energy, The Age, 2009 Apr. 11 (a bill before Parliament would grant households a premium subsidy for solar electricity fed back into the power grid, but the bill requires the subsidy to be paid as credit on electricity bills, not cash. If not used within a year, the credit would expire, effectively being swallowed by electricity retailers)
Paul Austin, Call for carbon tax to fight warming, The Age, 2009 Apr. 11 (Victorian Governor David de Kretser calls for consideration of carbon tax, to increase price of goods produced using energy from high-pollution power stations)
Peter Ker, EPA fears for health of rivers if sewer upgrades are ignored, The Age, 2009 Apr. 11 (Victoria's environment watchdog has sought assurances that sewer upgrades will not be cast aside in a bid to soften the impact of water price rises for Melbourne)
Peter Ker, Dry outlook for autumn, The Age, 2009 Apr. 7 (don't be fooled by the wet start to April, as another dry autumn is tipped for Melbourne and much of Victoria)
Peter Ker, Time for rethink on water, The Age, 2009 Apr. 3 (Victorians should consider water a commodity rather than clinging to their traditional belief that it is an "essential service", top water adviser says)
Paul Austin, Governor's call to arms on global warming, The Age, 2009 Apr. 2 (Govenor David de Kretser urges Victorians to build smaller homes, stop drinking bottled water and wear more clothes in winter to reduce energy consumption and help save the planet)
Roger Harrabin, UK funds sea acidification study, BBC, 2009 Apr. 28 (the UK government is funding research into ocean acidification, saying it is one of the century's "biggest environmental concerns")
Adam Morton and Mathew Murphy, Green is for grow, The Age, 2009 Apr. 24 (a report claims Victoria can revitalise its economy and reduce its carbon footprint by creating 26,000 "green" jobs)
1970s lifestyle 'protects planet', BBC, 2009 Apr. 20 (getting back to the slim, trim days of the 1970s would help to cut carbon emissions and tackle climate change, researchers say)
Michael Shmith, Creative climate change, The Age, 2009 Apr. 4 (former NGV head enters a new environment by directing a festival of ideas focusing on global warming)
Paul Austin, Governor's call to arms on global warming, The Age, 2009 Apr. 2 (Govenor David de Kretser urges Victorians to build smaller homes, stop drinking bottled water and wear more clothes in winter to reduce energy consumption and help save the planet)
Matt McGrath, Pollution 'fights global warming', BBC, 2009 Apr. 23 (scientists say air pollution may be helping the fight against global warming by making plants absorb more carbon dioxide)
David MacKay, Saving the planet by numbers, BBC, 2009 Apr. 23 (when it comes to saving the planet, "every little helps!"; or does it?)
Pallab Ghosh, 'Quiet Sun' baffling astronomers, BBC, 2009 Apr. 18 (the Sun is the dimmest it has been for nearly a century)
Adam Morton, Climate policy moment of truth, The Age, 2009 Apr. 23 (ACTU president Sharan Burrow says Australia faces a "republican moment" on climate policy: if it is knocked back, it will disappear from the agenda for years)
Allan Fels and Fred Benchley, The good oil is that stocks are already running thin, The Age, 2009 Apr. 19 (declining domestic oil production, refinery disruptions, extended supply lines, geopolitical turmoil and the carbon constrained future are all sending warning signals: Australia's easy energy ride is over, and moves to encourage renewable transport energy sources are long overdue)
Josh Gordon, Youth being brainwashed about climate, The Age, 2009 Apr. 12 (the Federal Government is running an Orwellian campaign to indoctrinate students about emissions trading, the Opposition has claimed; Climate Change Minister Penny Wong has announced a taxpayer-funded competition for students in grades 3 to 9)
Peter Ker, Murray towns on red alert over algal bloom, The Age, 2009 Apr. 10 (the bloom, caused by high temperatures and low water flows, yesterday extended from Hume Weir, near Wodonga, to the western side of Swan Hill; the latest reports showed it was spreading into tributaries in NSW)
Peter Ker and Tom Arup, Record low inflows to the Murray, The Age, 2009 Apr. 8 (the worst-case scenario is becoming a reality for the Murray River, with new data revealing inflows to the river during the first quarter of 2009 were the lowest since records began 117 years ago)
Peter Ker, With the Murray River, only opinions flow freely, The Age, 2009 Apr. 4 (forget what the poets and bush balladeers tell you; the Murray River does not flow neatly like a ribbon through the Australian landscape)
Peter Ker, On death row, The Age, 2009 Apr. 3 (the slow death of the Murray's Lower Lakes catchment has aroused little concern beyond South Australia's borders, but the environmental disaster could also have catastrophic consequences further up the river)
Adam Morton and Anne Davies, US to go further than Rudd over emissions, The Age, 2009 Apr. 2 (proposed US climate change laws aim for much deeper cuts in greenhouse emissions than promised by the Rudd Government, reigniting calls for Australia to adopt tougher targets)
Central Asia fails in water talks, BBC, 2009 Apr. 28 (the leaders of the five Central Asian states fail to reach a deal on sharing water resources—one of the region's key issues)
Palestinian water crisis deepens, BBC, 2009 Apr. 20 (bad management by the Palestinian Authority and restrictions by Israel have led to severe water shortages, says a World Bank report)
Matt McGrath, World's major rivers 'drying up', BBC, 2009 Apr. 21 (water levels in some of the world's most important rivers have fallen sharply over the past 50 years, US researchers say)
Melissa Fyfe, Benefits of water project 'inflated', The Age, 2009 Apr. 12 (a senate inquiry will hear damning evidence this week that casts further doubt on water savings from the $2 billion Food Bowl Modernisation Project, a key part of the Brumby Government's water plan)
AFP, Mexico City water cuts hit 2m, The Age, 2009 Apr. 11 (about 2 million residents of Mexico City going without water for 36 hours in emergency plan over Easter to respond to record drop in water supply and to work on repairs)
Water: Sin aqua non, Economist, 2009 Apr. 11 (water shortages are a growing problem, but not for the reasons most people think)
Peter Ker, Murray towns on red alert over algal bloom, The Age, 2009 Apr. 10 (the bloom, caused by high temperatures and low water flows, yesterday extended from Hume Weir, near Wodonga, to the western side of Swan Hill; the latest reports showed it was spreading into tributaries in NSW)
Peter Ker, Time for rethink on water, The Age, 2009 Apr. 3 (Victorians should consider water a commodity rather than clinging to their traditional belief that it is an "essential service", top water adviser says)
Denise Gadd, A new way to water the garden, The Age, 2009 Apr. 1 (a 21st-century, environmentally friendly garden with two billabongs, a hot outdoor shower, an orchard, vegetable garden, vertical garden, sunset-viewing platform and even a bushfire prevention system)
Richard Black, West Africa faces 'megadroughts', BBC, 2009 Apr. 16 (droughts lasting centuries occur regularly in West Africa, scientists find—and another one is coming, climate change or not)
AFP, Deadly fires, tornadoes rage across US, The Age, 2009 Apr. 12 (rescue workers dig through the rubble left by tornadoes and firefighters battle deadly wildfires after a strong storm system cuts a swath of destruction across the US from Texas to Tennessee)
Adrian Lowe, Heatwave blamed for deaths rise, The Age, 2009 Apr. 7 (just over 370 Victorian deaths were probably attributable to the state's heatwave in late January, health authorities say)
Peter Gregory, Havoc as wild storms lash city, The Age, 2009 Apr. 4 (severe storms cause havoc in Melbourne, with three planes struck by lightning, delays and cancellations to public transport and minor flooding)
AAP, Floods isolate areas on NSW mid-north coast, The Age, 2009 Apr. 2 (the regional hub of Coffs Harbour on the NSW mid-north coast is mopping up after torrential rain isolated it yesterday)