Global warming headlines and climate change news for July 2010

July 30 - Global warming wipes out Malaysia's corals
90% of Malaysia’s corals are dead due to global warming. Major coral bleaching events have occurred in marine parks at Pulau Payar, Pulau Tioman and Pulau Redang. Coral bleaching usually occurs when sea temperature rises above 31 °C for more than two days. Read more

July 29 - Phytoplankton decimated by global warming
Phytoplankton, microscopic plants that are the first link in the ocean's food chain, have declined by 40% over the last century, with the majority of losses in the last 60 years. One of the causes for the dramatic drop is thought to be rising sea temperatures brought on by global warming. Read more

July 28 - Fish under threat from carbon emissions
Researches say baby fish may become easy prey for predators as the world's oceans become more acidic due to carbon dioxide saturation connected with human activity. As carbon levels rise, the behaviour of baby fish changes in ways that decrease their chances of survival by 50 to 80 per cent. Read more

July 25 - Cash for clunkers on the cards for Australia
Green groups have slammed Australia's government for plans to fund a U.S.-style "cash for clunkers" scheme with money already tagged for solar power. The Australian Greens say funding should instead come from subsidies for fossil fuels. The Australian Government says it will offer a $2,000 rebate to owners of pre-1995 to upgrade to more fuel efficient and emissions friendly cars. Read more

July 24 - U.S. climate bill pulled
On Thursday, U.S. Democrat party leaders abandoned a goal of passing a comprehensive energy bill over the next few months and would instead push for more limited measures, such as tightening energy efficiency standards. Read more

July 23 - Australia's "lack of leadership" on climate
Australian Prime Minister Gillard's climate change policy announced today is an excuse for more delay on the climate crisis, according the Australian Greens. The Greens' comments came after Prime Minister Gillard said she wanted the same policy on climate change that her predecessor, Kevin Rudd, failed to pass, but that any action would be delayed until at least 2012. Australia's government took a beating in polls earlier this year after abandoning its efforts to have its emissions trading scheme legislation passed.  Read more

July 20 - Great Lakes: a climate change canary
Analysis of several buoys that measure temperatures in Lake Superior show the waters are around 15 degrees warmer than usual for this time of the year. The senior adviser to the U.S. EPA on the Great Lakes says the lakes aren't just a canary in the coal mine for the region or nation, but for the world. Read more.

July 18 - Climate change a key Australian election issue
Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard will send the nation to the voting booth on August 21 and has listed climate change as one of her top priorities. The Labor government was slammed in opinion polls after shelving its carbon emissions trading scheme earlier in the year. Read more

July 17 - Russia's worst drought for 130 years
Russia's summer has been a cruel one with nearly 10 million hectares of crops destroyed by high temperatures and peat and forest fires raging around Moscow. The current drought is thought to be the worst for 130 years. Read more

July 16 - Earth's hottest June on record
The US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration reports June 2010 was the fourth consecutive month that was the warmest on record for the combined global land and surface temperatures. NOAA says thatMarch, April, and May 2010 were also the warmest. Read more.

July 14 - Australia's outback a giant carbon sink
As dry and desolate as it may be in some places, the Australian outback is also a massive carbon sink according to a new study, with a 6 million square kilometre chunk sequestering 9.5 billion tonnes of carbon. Read more

July 12 - Climate countdown for Hudson Bay's polar bears
Hudson Bay's polar bears are the most studied population in the world and with the health of polar bears directly tied to the amount of time they spend on sea ice hunting seals, a researcher has been able to gauge how much longer before they disappear - no more than a few decades. Read more

July 10 - U.S heatwaves to become more frequent
According to climate scientists from Stanford University, most of the USA could experience heat as intense as the hottest season ever recorded at least four times between now and 2049. In some states, hot seasons could occur as frequently as seven times. Read more

July 9 - EU could slash emissions 95% by 2050
The European Union could source 92% of its energy from renewables by 2050 while slashing carbon emissions by 95% compared with 1990, according to a report from Greenpeace International and the European Renewable Energy Council. Read more.

July 8 - When algae attacks
A flotilla of more than 60 ships are set to do battle with a massive tide of algae approaching the coast of Qingdao, China. The outbreak is believed to be caused by warm ocean temperatures and nutrient rich runoff from agriculture and aquaculture. Algae can become so dense that it removes most of the oxygen from the water below it, creating underwater "dead zones" that most aquatic organisms cannot survive in. Read more

July 7 - UPS expands carbon neutral shipping
UPS has announced an expansion of its carbon-neutral shipping initiative to 35 countries and territories including Argentina, Brazil, France, Germany, Australia, Japan, the Philippines, South Korea, China and the UK. The program allows customers to pay a small premium to calculate and offset the carbon emissions associated with their shipping. Read more.

July 6 - Prehistoric humans contributed to climate change
According to new research, humans may have begun affecting global climate much earlier than thought. The disappearance of woolly mammoths likely helped to change the climate and if the animals were hunted to extinction, that means humans played a role in climate change. Read more

July 5 - Climate change a concern during Nixon era
Documents released from the Nixon Presidential Library detail how some members of US President Richard Nixon's inner circle raised concerns about global warming over 40 years ago. A 1969 memo shows even then, increases in carbon dioxide levels and the possible effects were recognised. Read more

July 3 - Kyoto encouraging carbon emissions?
The United Nations has expressed concern that a scheme under the Kyoto Protocol scheme may be encouraging some factories to generate more greenhouse gases as a result of incentives related to carbon offsets. Read more

July 3 - EPA finalizing greenhouse gas reporting
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is in the process of finalizing greenhouse gas reporting requirements for sub-surface coal mines, industrial wastewater treatment systems, industrial waste landfills and magnesium production facilities. The resulting data will assist the EPA and industries involved in developing policies for the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. Read more.

July 3 - The "hockey stick" temperature graph stands
Penn State has issued an exoneration of Dr. Michael Mann in relation to his scientific practices for conducting climate change research and in doing so has vindicated his controversial "Hockey Stick" graph which shows a major increase in temperatures coinciding with human industrial activities. Read more

July 3 - Global warming favors cane toads
Already a major pest in Australia, increased temperatures will allow the cane toad to thrive, helping it to spread further across the nation. The cane toad's skin is toxic and deadly when ingested by other animals - some of them native predators. The cane toad was imported into Australia to deal with sugar cane beetles, but their numbers rapidly grew and they now also compete with native fauna for other food sources. Read more.