Climate change headlines and global warming news for June 2009

June 30 - Florida Keys to lose 59,000 acres to sea level rise
While one of the most prone areas for climate change related sea rise in the USA, the Florida Keys are well behind in planning for the potentially disastrous problem. By 2100, in a best case scenario of a seven-inch sea-level rise, the Keys would lose about 59,000 acres of real estate worth $11 billion. Read more

June 29 - India's heatwave cripples New Delhi power
A heatwave in the Indian capital of New Delhi has caused record power and water shortages, leading to widespread civil unrest. Dozens have died and some have gone to the extreme of sleeping in their air conditioned cars at night. The cause of the heatwave has been a delay in monsoon activity. Read more

June 26 - Scotland passes ambitious climate legislation
Scottish legislation has set a target of cutting emissions 80 per cent by 2050, including emissions from international shipping and aviation. The Scottish bill also sets demanding medium-term targets of a 42 per cent cut in emissions by 2020; much deeper cuts than the UK. The bill sets a goal of having all Scotland's electricity generated from low carbon sources such as renewable energy or carbon capture and storage plants by 2030. Read more

June 25 - Patagonia's vanishing glaciers.
Scientists are concerned that glacier ice in the Patagonia region are melting in larger proportions and in much higher alpine zones than anywhere else in the world, including Alaska and the Himalayas. Between 1944 and 1986 glacial ice in the Southern Patagonia Ice Field was recorded as retreating at an average of 57 meters per year. Read more.

June 24 - Climate change theory a "religion"
An Australian professor, in a speech promoting his new book, labeled climate change theory an "ascientific, urban, religious, fundamentalist movement" promoted by people who would be "unemployable outside taxpayer-funded climate institutes". Read more.

June 22 - Ocean warming nearing worst case predictions
A report presented at a science congress in Copenhagen earlier this year says recent ocean temperature observations are near the worst-case predictions of the IPCC and sea level rises are even greater than projected. Read more

June 20 - Carbon counting billboard unveiled
A 70 foot tall digital billboard outside Madison Square Garden and Penn Station in New York is displaying real time greenhouse gas levels in a bid to raise awareness about climate change. At the point of unveiling, the the billboard showed 3.64 trillion tonnes of long-lived greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, rising by 800 metric tonnes a second. Read more

June 19 - Carbon dioxide levels reach 2.1 million year high
Atmospheric carbon dioxide levels are higher than any point in the last 2.1 million years, according to a report in the journal Science. Peak CO2 levels over that period averaged only 280 parts per million, today they stand stand at over 385 parts per million, or 38% higher than the long-term peak. Read more

June 15 - US gov. report - climate change "here and now"
According to a government report titled "Global Change Impacts in the United States.", U.S. temperatures have increased by almost 2 degrees over the past half century and are expected to increase between 4 to 11 degrees by 2100. The report says that climate change is not something to be debated further, but actioned now.  Read more

June 14 - Australia wants bushfire CO2 emissions exempt
While Australia is lobbying for carbon credits for its forests and soils absorbing carbon dioxide, it doesn't want penalties when the landscape releases it, such as in the common bushfires that occur in the country. Read more.

June 13 - 50% to suffer hay fever due to climate change
Prof Jean Emberlin, from the University of Worcester, believes that over half of humanity could suffer hay fever by 2060 due to climate change altering the length of pollen seasons for trees and plants. The professor also says that climate change will increase the number of plants to which people are allergic. Read more

June 12 - Interpol issues carbon fraud warning
Businesses desperate to offset emissions will need to be wary of organised crime's involvement in carbon offsets, bogus "carbon credits" that fail to lower emissions, according to an Interpol environmental crimes specialist. Read more 

June 11 - Australian gov. holds solar rebates to ransom
The Australian Government is fending off attacks from all quarters after its decision to link two key pieces of environmental legislation - the renewable energy targets which include a new rebate scheme for solar panels,  and the highly controversial emissions trading scheme. Read more.

June 10 - Climate change alters Caribbean corals
In just four decades, the once spectacular and intricate coral reefs of the  Caribbean have been replaced by shorter rival species – and climate change  is thought to be at least partly to blame. Read more

June 9 - Climate change conference for Australia's youth.
Thousands of young Australians from around the country and overseas will gather next month in Sydney to discuss climate change, "green jobs" and greenhouse gas cuts. The event, dubbed Power Shift, has been organised by the Australian Youth Climate Coalition. Read more

June 6 - California freshwater fish under threat
California's once bountiful rivers are under increasing threat after a third year of drought. The state's thirst for water has pushed salmon and other fish species to the edge of extinction. The National Marine Fisheries Service has called for a 5 percent to 7 percent cut in water diversions from waterways for cities and agriculture. Read more

June 5 - Invest in trees says UN report
The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) says that curbing deforestation and caring for the soil may be cheaper and more effective in fighting climate change than trying to reduce emissions from coal plants. The Earth's living systems could sequester more than 50 billion tonnes of carbon over the coming decades with the right support. Read more

June 4 - Syria's climate change refugees.
Around 160 villages in northern Syria were deserted  in 2007 and 2008 because of climate change, according to a study released on Tuesday. The group behind the study predicts even modest global warming will lead to a 30-percent drop in water in the Euphrates, which runs through Syria. Read more

June 3 - Glowing clouds becoming more widespread
"Noctilucent", or night-shining, clouds float dozens of kilometres higher than other clouds and have become an increasingly common sight in recent years. Usually only seen in polar regions, the clouds have also been appearing at lower latitudes. Why the increased coverage of the clouds is unclear, but some believe it could be due to an increase in greenhouse gases. Read more

June 3 - Indonesia may offer islands for lease
The Indonesian Maritime Minister has proposed the country leases some of its 10,000 inhabited islands to other island nations threatened by deluge from risings seas spurred on by climate change. Satellite measurements show warming oceans have risen at double the average rate since 1993 compared to the rest of the 20th century. Read more

June 3 - Major lake in Turkey drying up.
Turkey's Lake Tuz, Lake has lost 60 percent of its water over the past 18 years and may dry up altogether in the next decade according to a local environmental activist. The cause: a drought resulting from global warming, and an excessive number wells dug for the use of groundwater in irrigation. Rainfall that replenishes the the groundwater in the winter has declined by 30 percent in the last 35 years. Read more

June 3 - China to encourage low emissions appliances
China believes it can save 75 terawatt hours of power annually and avoid the equivalent of 75 million tonnes of carbon dioxide, by providing incentives to its citizen to buy energy-efficient air-conditioners, refrigerators and other home appliances. Read more.