March 2012 climate change headlines and global warming news

March 29 - Victoria's emissions backflip
While the Obama administration moves ahead to cap greenhouse gas emissions from new coal plants, a similar promise made by the government of the Australian state of Victoria has been broken. It's been revealed the Baillieu government is also readying a campaign to promote development of Victoria's brown coal reserves - one of the filthiest forms of coal. Read more.

March 25 - Over 7,000 US temperature records topple
Over 7,000 warm temperature records have been set or equalled in the USA since March 12, including the most all-time monthly high temperature records. Read more

March 19 - Australia a carbon action laggard
Australia has emerged as the only country in the G20 to be less prepared for a low carbon future than it was in 1995. Since that time, Australia's dependence on polluting industries has grown more compared to just about every other major economy. Read more. 

March 17 - Thousands of high temperature records topple
It's not even two-thirds into March and already more than 2,000 daily record-high temperatures have been set in the U.S. this month, with more warm temperature records falling compared to cold records by a ratio of around 9-to-1. Read more.

March 15 - Millions of US citizens at risk from rising seas
Nearly 3.7 million live less than 1 meter above the high tide mark in the USA, making them increasingly likely of victims of inundation through climate-induced coastal flooding according to study from Climate Central. Read more.

March 14 - Carbon dioxide reaches 800,000 year high
According to scientists from Australia's CSIRO, atmospheric concentrations of carbon dioxide have reached their highest point in 800,000 years - and by a large margin. One of the researchers states global changes of this magnitude happen very rarely and "nasty surprises" are in store. Read more.

March 13 - Tar sands' added carbon burden
According to a study appearing in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences; tar or "oil" sands exploitation adds an additional carbon wallop due to the destruction of peat land that occurs during the process. An estimated 30,000 hectares of Canada's peatland will be destroyed to get at the resource beneath, adding an extra 11.4 - 47.3 million metric of carbon emissions to tar sands operations. Read more.

March 12 - Great Lakes experiencing major ice loss
Over the last four decades, the Great Lakes of Canada and the USA has declined an average of 71%. The biggest ice loss was on Lake Ontario at 88 percent followed by Lake Superior, at 79 percent. Less ice means more wintertime evaporation and the resulting reduced water levels can spur on early blooms of algae. Read more.

March 10 - Kiribati considers moving entire nation
Like so many low-lying islands, the people of of Kiribati face an uncertain future due to rising seas and the threat of inundation. Such is the level of concern, Kiribati leaders have agreed to purchase land in Fiji, in case the entire population needs a place to move to. Read more.

March 8 - Cheetah breeding affected by climate change
Warmer temperatures are indirectly playing havoc with male cheetah reproductive systems, with abnormal coils in their sperm singled out as the issue. The reason for the abnormality though is related to the cheetah's favored high protein prey - Thomson's gazelles - dwindling in numbers due to changes in climate and other human activities. Read more.

March 3 - Torres Strait Islanders face inundation
The Torres Strait Islands, situated off the northern coast of Australia are facing increased inundation events in the years ahead due to rising seas. The Torres Strait Council is lobbying for funding to build seawalls that will buy affected communities more time. Read more.

March 3 - Tornadoes unleash destruction in the USA
At least 37 people are dead and hundreds are injured after another series of tornadoes touched down in eight states in the US Midwest and South. These followed tornadoes earlier in the week, bringing the total to 133 reports of tornado activity for the week. Read more.

March 3 - Insurers warn of growing climate risks and costs
The USA's top insurance companies have stated costs from an uptick in extreme weather events will continue to escalate as extreme weather also continues to occur due to the effects of climate change. One insurer has warned if the trend continues, more homes and businesses will become uninsurable in the private insurance market, leaving the burden to taxpayers or individuals. Read more. 

March 2 - Ocean acidification to hit 300 million year high
Assuming the current trend continues, ocean acidification could see levels unprecedented in the last 300 million years. Ocean acidification occurs through seas being saturated with carbon dioxide. Acid oceans pose a major threat to many marine creatures; particularly corals and shell-building organisms. Read more.

March 2 - Climate refugees burdening Bangladeshi cities
Climate related issues and other factors are boosting the population of Bangladesh’s urban slums, piling on already significant socio-economic challenges. It's estimated more than a quarter of the nation's population now lives in urban areas. Read more.