2009 August: Climate
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David Shukman, Antarctic glacier 'thinning fast', BBC, 2009 Aug. 13 (one of the largest glaciers in Antarctica is thinning four times faster than 10 years ago, research suggests)
Adam Morton, High time for action, says Sherpa, The Age, 2009 Aug. 11 (Pemba Dorje Sherpa is, according to the Guinness World Records, the world's fastest summit climber. He has scaled Mount Everest 10 times, but says he has had an advantage his predecessors did not—human-induced climate change)
Jonathan Levin, Bolivian ski run vanishes as an early victim of a warming world, The Age, 2009 Aug. 8 (when the Chacaltaya glacier vanished six years sooner than scientists predicted, a victim of global warming, so, too, did the world's highest ski run; the loss of the 18,000-year-old glacier this year that loomed above Bolivia's Altiplano threatens to diminish water supplies to 2 million people clustered around La Paz, according to the World Bank)
Suzanne Goldenberg, Melting glaciers send a chilling signal, The Age, 2009 Aug. 8 (climate change is melting America's glaciers at the fastest rate in recorded history, exposing the country to higher risks of drought and rising sea levels, a US Government study of glaciers has revealed)
Clifford Krauss and Jad Mouawad, Big Oil wheels in climate-policy protesters, The Age, 2009 Aug. 20 (hard on the heels of the US health-care protests, another citizen movement seems to have sprung up, this one to oppose Washington's attempts to tackle climate change; but behind the scenes, an industry with much at stake—Big Oil—is pulling the strings)
Peter Ker, River chief goes against the flow on climate, The Age, 2009 Aug. 19 (extreme climate patterns that have parched south-eastern Australia in recent years will not prove to be the new norm, according to the man in charge of reforming the Murray-Darling river system)
Michelle Grattan and Mathew Murphy, Climate change sceptic briefs key Liberals on eve of vote, The Age, 2009 Aug. 13 (on the eve of the Opposition and cross-benchers rejecting the Government's emissions trading scheme today, several leading Liberals have attended a briefing from climate change sceptic Professor Bob Carter)
Mathew Murphy, MIT scientists weigh in on sceptic Fielding, The Age, 2009 Aug. 12 (climate scientists at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in the US have distanced themselves from the views of a colleague who helped shape Family First senator Steve Fielding's sceptical stance on global warming)
Peter Munro, Overfishing pushing seas to the end of the line, The Age, 2009 Aug. 23 (“where have all the fish gone?” is the key question asked by new documentary film The End of the Line; and it doesn't pull punches in detailing the ravages of global overfishing; collapsed species, poor people going hungry, our seas emptied of all but mud and worms)
Sarah Murch, The vegetable gardeners of Havana, BBC, 2009 Aug. 22 (Climate change, drought, population growth—they could all threaten future food supplies; but global agriculture, with its dependence on fuel and fertilisers is also highly vulnerable to an oil shortage, as Cuba found out 20 years ago)
Henry Samuel, Warming could cork French wine, The Age, 2009 Aug. 18 (prominent French chefs have warned that the country's wines will lose their complexity and the best produce will come from Scotland if the effects of climate change are not tackled)
Harry Wallop, Have a butcher's at the latest trend, The Age, 2009 Aug. 16 (butchery classes are enjoying record waiting lists in Britain, with foodies increasingly desperate to know whether they can cut out the supermarket by producing food themselves)
Mark Kinver, 'Radical rethink' needed on food, BBC, 2009 Aug. 10 (the government launches a debate on how the UK can ensure its food supply will remain secure in the future)
Jennifer Sheridan, Zoo goes ape to preserve precious forests, The Age, 2009 Aug. 9 (by law, manufacturers must declare the use of peanut, soy bean and sesame oils under food allergy regulations, but they disguise the use of palm oil by listing it as vegetable oil)
Miranda Spitteler, 'Trees of life' are vital food source, BBC, 2009 Aug. 4 (the “famine food” of trees can keep drought-hit communities alive when all other food crops fail and die; policy makers need to recognise the important role trees play in providing emergency food aid)
Jason Dowling, Sea rise 'will exceed forecast', The Age, 2009 Aug. 29 (climate change is likely to lead to sea level rises above the State Government's previous expectation of 80 centimetres by 2100, a new report says)
Steven McKenzie, Species climbing to new heights, BBC, 2009 Aug. 9 (growing numbers of wildlife have pushed northwards into Scotland from other parts of the UK and also to higher altitudes, according to experts)
David Rood, Firefighters to start earlier, The Age, 2009 Aug. 8 (firefighting crews will start work a month early to prepare for the coming bushfire season, which authorities have warned could be a summer of unprecedented danger)
Christopher Weber, Huge blaze threatens Los Angeles, The Age, 2009 Aug. 31 (a growing fire sending billows of smoke into the sky north of Los Angeles has prompted mass evacuations in a number of mountain communities)
Tom Arup, Australia goes soft on timber ban, The Age, 2009 Aug. 25 (Forestry Minister Tony Burke has quietly signed off on changes watering down an election promise to “ban” imports of timber illegally logged overseas to instead “promote the trade” of legal timber)
AP, Evacuations as forest infernos approach Athens, The Age, 2009 Aug. 24 (dozens of forest fires across Greece torch olive groves and cut off villages, sending residents fleeing as one large blaze sweeps perilously close to suburbs of Athens)
David Rood, Firefighters to start earlier, The Age, 2009 Aug. 8 (firefighting crews will start work a month early to prepare for the coming bushfire season, which authorities have warned could be a summer of unprecedented danger)
Ian Munro, No clear mandate on felling, The Age, 2009 Aug. 8 (clearing trees and vegetation in high-risk areas is dividing already traumatised communities and raising questions about the regulations that allowed people to build there in the first place)
AP, High winds fan blaze, The Age, 2009 Aug. 3 (a forest fire fanned by high winds has forced the evacuation of about 4000 residents on La Palma, one of the the Canary Islands, the Spanish Government says)
AFP, Canadians flee as 530 wildfires rage, The Age, 2009 Aug. 3 (thousands of people in the Canadian province of British Columbia ordered to leave their homes as more than 500 fires rage out of control)
Mathew Murphy, Body to study 'clean coal' gets $16m, The Age, 2009 Aug. 25 (the study of brown coal and development of technologies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions will be boosted today with the establishment of Brown Coal Innovation Australia)
Michelle Grattan, 20% of all energy renewable by 2020, The Age, 2009 Aug. 20 (Australia is about to get a 20 per cent renewable energy target after a compromise that left the Government and Opposition happy and gave a glimmer of hope for negotiations on emissions trading)
Fred Dryer, How aviation can clean up its act, BBC, 2009 Aug. 11 (the aviation industry—a rapidly expanding sector—is looking for ways to secure its fuel supplies without increasing greenhouse gas emissions; Dryer outlines some of the options available to deliver these goals)
David Shukman, Time 'runs short' on climate deal, BBC, 2009 Aug. 10 (the UN's top climate official warns that progress towards a new treaty is "too slow", as talks convene in Bonn)
Dean Nelson, Sacrifice your luxuries, India tells West, The Age, 2009 Aug. 6 (western countries are hypocritical and must sacrifice some luxuries before asking developing countries to cut greenhouse gas emissions)
Brendan Nicholson and Hamish McDonald, Too little, too late on climate, warn Pacific leaders, The Age, 2009 Aug. 6 (the world was acting too slowly on global warming despite being just months from what is supposed to be a breakthrough international climate summit, regional leaders have warned)
Bridie Smith, Weather wild but commuters largely unscathed, The Age, 2009 Aug. 26 (the wild windstorm that swept across Victoria yesterday afternoon caused peak-hour delays with trees falling on cars, houses, power and railway lines)
Kate Lahey, Tree deaths triple as city's soil turns to dust, The Age, 2009 Aug. 24 (Melbourne lost 900 trees last year—three times more than usual—and 40 per cent of the remaining trees are stressed, council data shows)
Peter Ker, More Thomson River flow to go to dry city, The Age, 2009 Aug. 24 (with dams near record lows, Melbourne heading for its driest year on record and a drying El Nino pattern forecast for the months ahead, the Brumby Government is on the brink of approving further flow suspensions in the river that feeds Melbourne's biggest dam)
Peter Ker, Minister tries to break water deadlock, The Age, 2009 Aug. 21 (a second bid to establish water rights for the north-south pipeline is about to be launched, as the Brumby Government seeks to break an impasse that has threatened billion-dollar deals in northern Victoria)
Marika Dobbin and Natalie Craig, Murray farm sale a water-rights test, The Age, 2009 Aug. 19 (an historic irrigation farm once owned by fallen tycoon John Elliott is being sold in what will be a test case for government plans to save the Murray; the 4400-hectare Madowla Park, near Echuca, is one of northern Victoria's biggest land holdings and fronts the Murray and Goulburn rivers near their junction)
Records, trees fall as wind gusts wreak havoc, The Age, 2009 Aug. 17 (wild weekend weather toppled trees around Victoria and broke a record for the hottest August night)
Peter Ker, Pass (on) the salt and look to the roofs, The Age, 2009 Aug. 6 (just when it seemed desalination had won the water-supply battle, the humble roof tile is about to strike back; while Melbourne has opted for expensive technology to secure extra water, Warrnambool will soon use its roofs to boost dam levels)
Peter Ker, Water shortage threatens pipe plan, The Age, 2009 Aug. 4 (desalination might have the green light, but things are not looking any better for the State Government's other controversial water project, the north-south pipe)
Jason Dowling, Sea rise 'will exceed forecast', The Age, 2009 Aug. 29 (climate change is likely to lead to sea level rises above the State Government's previous expectation of 80 centimetres by 2100, a new report says)
Peter Munro, Overfishing pushing seas to the end of the line, The Age, 2009 Aug. 23 (“where have all the fish gone?” is the key question asked by new documentary film The End of the Line; and it doesn't pull punches in detailing the ravages of global overfishing; collapsed species, poor people going hungry, our seas emptied of all but mud and worms)
Seth Borenstein, Warming fears intensify as oceans heat up, The Age, 2009 Aug. 22 (July was the hottest month for the world's oceans in almost 130 years of record keeping; meteorologists say there is a combination of forces at work: a natural El Nino weather pattern just getting started on top of worsening man-made global warming, and a dash of random weather variations)
Adam Morton, $38bn warning on Great Barrier Reef bleaching, The Age, 2009 Aug. 10 (bleaching of the Great Barrier Reef will cost Australia almost $38 billion if climate change due to greenhouse gas emissions continues unchecked, an analysis has found)
Brendan Nicholson, PM offers to help Pacific nations hold back the tide, The Age, 2009 Aug. 6 (as Pacific nations plead for help dealing with rising sea levels and savage storms brought by climate change, Prime Minister Kevin Rudd has offered to help build sea walls and assist in rehousing those driven from their homes)
Karl Quinn, Captain Planet, The Age, 2009 Aug. 30 (the Earthship is a house; it harnesses water, sunlight and the thermal properties of the planet for heating and cooling; it has systems for treating sewage and storing energy, and provides power, compost and food for its inhabitants; Earthships exist totally off the grid—nothing comes in and nothing goes out; they're a utility company's nightmare)
Darren Gray, A tool for greener pastures, The Age, 2009 Aug. 24 (soon farmers will have a chance to assess their farm emissions, with the launch today of a new computer tool; known as the FarmGAS calculator, the tool was developed by the Australian Farm Institute and the NSW Government, with funds from the federal Department of Climate Change)
Adam Morton, Sun to shine again on solar, The Age, 2009 Aug. 17 (if all goes as expected, solar panel sales people across Australia will at some point this week uncross their fingers and toes and crack open the champagne)
Peter Ker, Pass (on) the salt and look to the roofs, The Age, 2009 Aug. 6 (just when it seemed desalination had won the water-supply battle, the humble roof tile is about to strike back; while Melbourne has opted for expensive technology to secure extra water, Warrnambool will soon use its roofs to boost dam levels)
Melissa Fyfe, It's not drought, it's climate change, say scientists, The Age, 2009 Aug. 30 (scientists working on the $7 million South Eastern Australian Climate Initiative say the rain has dropped away because the subtropical ridge—a band of high pressure systems that sits over the country's south—has strengthened over the past 13 years)
Adam Morton, Records fall as temperatures rise nationwide, The Age, 2009 Aug. 25 (the north is sweltering and, in historical terms, the south is rarely cold; the result, according to the Bureau of Meteorology, has been a winter of record-breaking warmth across the continent)
Richard Black, 'Many hurricanes' in modern times, BBC, 2009 Aug. 13 (hurricanes in the Atlantic are more frequent than at any time in the last 1,000 years, according to research just published in the journal Nature)
Navin Singh Khadka, Uncertainties surround future monsoons, BBC, 2009 July 31 (it is almost halfway through the rainy season, and the monsoon in many parts of South Asia continues to remain unreliable)
Adam Morton, Records fall as temperatures rise nationwide, The Age, 2009 Aug. 25 (the north is sweltering and, in historical terms, the south is rarely cold; the result, according to the Bureau of Meteorology, has been a winter of record-breaking warmth across the continent)
Michelle Grattan, 20% of all energy renewable by 2020, The Age, 2009 Aug. 20 (Australia is about to get a 20 per cent renewable energy target after a compromise that left the Government and Opposition happy and gave a glimmer of hope for negotiations on emissions trading)
Mark Davis, MPs driving what they tell us not to, The Age, 2009 Aug. 15 (only a few frontbenchers are following the Federal Government's exhortations to cut greenhouse gas emissions when it comes to their choice of cars)
Michelle Grattan and Tom Arup, Heat on over climate bills, The Age, 2009 Aug. 14 (the Federal Government is expected to cave in to intense industry pressure to change its renewable energy target bills)
Michelle Grattan and Mathew Murphy, Climate change sceptic briefs key Liberals on eve of vote, The Age, 2009 Aug. 13 (on the eve of the Opposition and cross-benchers rejecting the Government's emissions trading scheme today, several leading Liberals have attended a briefing from climate change sceptic Professor Bob Carter)
Tim Colebatch, No time to pass the buck, The Age, 2009 Aug. 11 (neither major political party is prepared to do the hard yards on climate change)
Adam Morton, Frontier no wind of climate change, The Age, 2009 Aug. 11 (it sounds too good to be true: an alternative climate policy that is better for the environment and keeps bills lower while allowing faster jobs growth)
Chris Berg, Going green is just another rinse in government washer, The Age, 2009 Aug. 9 (our great, green ambitions have been found wanting elsewhere)
Tom Arup, Emission price caps could threaten power supply, The Age, 2009 Aug. 3 (Australia's chief scientific body, the CSIRO, says the design of Australia's emissions trading scheme could stifle investment in renewable technologies and threaten power supplies)
Bridie Smith, Hot but not so bothered by warming, The Age, 2009 Aug. 28 (warmer waters plus a feast of fast, fishy food equals frisky little penguins who have started their breeding season early)
Jeffrey Gettleman, Kenya and Uganda in fish fight over island, The Age, 2009 Aug. 18 (a decline in Nile perch has sparked a battle over a rock in Lake Victoria)
Adam Morton, Global warming shrinking bird life, The Age, 2009 Aug. 13 (Australian birds are getting smaller and global warming is probably to blame, new research suggests)
Peter Ker, More Thomson River flow to go to dry city, The Age, 2009 Aug. 24 (with dams near record lows, Melbourne heading for its driest year on record and a drying El Nino pattern forecast for the months ahead, the Brumby Government is on the brink of approving further flow suspensions in the river that feeds Melbourne's biggest dam)
Jeffrey Gettleman, Kenya and Uganda in fish fight over island, The Age, 2009 Aug. 18 (a decline in Nile perch has sparked a battle over a rock in Lake Victoria)
Richard Black, India's water use 'unsustainable', BBC, 2009 Aug. 13 (parts of India are on track for severe water shortages, according to results from Nasa's gravity satellites)
Peter Ker and Adam Morton, Clean-coal technologies may imperil water supply, The Age, 2009 Aug. 6 (controversial "clean coal" technologies could dramatically increase the amount of water used to produce electricity in Australia)
Peter Ker, Pass (on) the salt and look to the roofs, The Age, 2009 Aug. 6 (just when it seemed desalination had won the water-supply battle, the humble roof tile is about to strike back; while Melbourne has opted for expensive technology to secure extra water, Warrnambool will soon use its roofs to boost dam levels)
Records, trees fall as wind gusts wreak havoc, The Age, 2009 Aug. 17 (wild weekend weather toppled trees around Victoria and broke a record for the hottest August night)
Taiwan typhoon toll rises, The Age, 2009 Aug. 13 (at least 66 people were killed and 61 others are missing after floods triggered by typhoon Morakot ravaged Taiwan at the weekend)
Barbara Demick and Xiao Aijun, Death toll to rise as typhoons wreak havoc across Asia, The Age, 2009 Aug. 12 (mudslides caused by the punishing rains of a late-summer typhoon buried people sleeping in a remote Taiwanese village and toppled buildings from Taiwan to the Chinese mainland, raising fears that hundreds may have perished)
AFP, Mass evacuation in China after typhoon pounds Taiwan, The Age, 2009 Aug. 10 (China rushed nearly one million people out of harm's away as Typhoon Morakot slammed into its coast after triggering Taiwan's worst flooding in 50 years, leaving at least four people dead)
Thomas Hunter, Bayside damage as storm tears through Melbourne, The Age, 2009 Aug. 3 (brief, violent storm travelling at 100 km/h cuts across Melbourne, drenching city and ripping roof from bayside yacht club)