Grim forecast for paper giant’s wood supply raises deforestation fears in South Sumatra

By Jonathan Vit 22 April 2016 (mongabay.com) – Asia Pulp & Paper’s (APP) plans to operate a giant mill in South Sumatra later this year have raised some uncomfortable questions about the veracity of the conglomerate’s lauded no-deforestation commitment and the potential environmental impact on one of Indonesia’s most-fire prone provinces. The new mill, which […]

Was Tasmania’s summer of fires and floods a glimpse of its climate future?

    By Alistair Hobday, Eric Oliver, Jan McDonald, and Michael Grose19 April 2016 (The Conversation) – Drought, fires, floods, marine heatwaves – Tasmania has had a tough time this summer. These events damaged its natural environment, including world heritage forests and alpine areas, and affected homes, businesses and energy security. In past decades, climate-related […]

Unprecedented global warming as 2016 approaches 1.5°C mark

By Michael le Page19 April 2016 (New Scientist) – Global surface temperatures could get close to the 1.5 °C-above-preindustrial limit before the Paris climate agreement even comes into effect. That’s alarming news, considering that the deal aspires to limit global warming to no more than this. Last week Gavin Schmidt, head of NASA’s Goddard Institute […]

New climate studies: Worse risks at 2°C rise, higher rise likely

By Megan Gannon21 April 2016 (Eos) – To mark Earth Day, leaders from more than 165 countries are expected to gather at the United Nations tomorrow for a ceremony to sign the Paris climate agreement, reached last December. Under the historic deal, each country has set targets to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, with the ultimate […]

Historic Houston floods bear classic signature of climate change

19 April 2016 (Climate Nexus) – Heavy rains and flooding in Houston have taken six lives and put much of the city under water. Dozens of schools, roads, and freeways were closed after rainfall dumped more than a foot of water. More storms are predicted across the region, posing the threat of renewed flooding. The […]

‘We are in a race against time,’ says Ban Ki-moon, as leaders sign landmark Paris climate accord

22 April 2016 (UN) – As world leaders gathered at United Nations Headquarters in New York this morning to officially sign the Paris Agreement on climate change – the landmark accord that sets outs a global action plan to put the world on track to avoid dangerous global warming – Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called on […]

Coral bleaching spreads from Great Barrier Reef to Western Australia – Between 60 and 90 percent of coral at Scott Reef have been bleached

By Michael Slezak21 April 2016 (The Guardian) – The global coral bleaching event devastating the Great Barrier Reef has spread to reefs in Western Australia, where the federal government halted the implementation of marine parks, which would help the reefs recover. In light of worsening bleaching, the Greens have called on the government to urgently […]

Children bear brunt of southern Africa’s devastating drought – ‘I have never seen what I am seeing today’

By Lucy Lamble 21 April 2016 Harare and Lilongwe (The Guardian) – Chidyamakondo high school, near Masvingo in southern Zimbabwe, has won the national girls’ football championships three years in a row. But that cherished record – and far, far more – is now at risk. “Students are fainting, struggling to concentrate in lessons, dropping […]

Australia coalition government proposes 1.2GW coal plant to power the Carmichael coal mine, using climate funds – ‘It boggles my mind’

By Sophie Vorrath 19 April 2016 (RenewEconomy) – The Turnbull Coalition government has kicked off its informal re-election campaign by repeating its desire to build a massive coal fired power station in north Queensland, only this time it proposes to use climate funds to help pay for the project. In confirmation that little has changed […]

Severe Arctic Ocean acidification via permafrost thawing and river runoff

18 April 2016 (Stockholm University) – When organic material released from thawing permafrost is transported to the sea it gets broken down in the seawater contributing to a more rapid acidification of the Arctic Ocean, finds new research by scientists from Stockholm University and colleagues. Ocean acidification is an important consequence of humankind’s release of […]

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