November 2012 climate change news

November 29 - IPCC sea level rise predictions too conservative
Projections for sea level rise in the decades ahead could be too conservative, according to a peer-reviewed study that found satellite data reveals sea levels rose 60 percent faster than the 2 mm annual rise projected by the U.N.'s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change for the same period. The lead author of the study estimates sea level rise to be up to three feet this century. Read more.

November 26 - Scotland leads EU on emissions cuts
Between 1990 to 2010, emissions in Scotland fell by 22.8 per cent, the largest fall among the EU-15. Scotland has also recently passed climate change legislation that incorporates a target of a 42 per cent cut in emissions by 2020. Read more.

November 22 - Emissions cuts - too little, too late
Even if the world was to achieve current emissions reduction targets, carbon emissions will still be 8 gigatonnes too high says a new report from the United Nations Environment Programme. Greenhouse gas emissions levels are now around 14 per cent above where they need to be in 2020. Read more. 

November 20 - On Track For A 4°C Warmer World
The World Bank’s new report states there is also no certainty that adaptation to a 4°C world is possible and yet, we appear to be heading towards that scenario; and relatively soon - by 2100. Read more.

November 19 - High methane levels detected near CSG fields
High levels of methane gas and carbon dioxide have been measured around the Tara coal seam gas fields in Queensland, Australia. Methan has many times the Global Warming Potential (GWP) of carbon dioxide. Read more.

November 15 - Obama reaffirms climate change commitment
In his first post election press conference, US President Barack Obama reaffirmed his belief that "climate change is real, that it is impacted by human behavior and carbon emissions." He has pledged to investigate actions that can be taken to make short-term progress in reducing carbon emissions. Read more.

November 14 - Climate change deniers an endangered species
Contrary to popular belief, climate change denial is decreasing. A survey of Australians found while respondents thought 23% of Australians believed climate change was not happening, the actual proportion was just 7.2%. Read more.

November 13 - Panda food supply threatened
As if they didn't have enough in the way of challenges, Pandas exist almost exclusively on three species of bamboo for food; all of which are in danger of disappearing as temperatures rise. Read more.

November 12 - New Zealand a Kyoto 2 no-show
Unlike its close neighbour, Australia, the New Zealand government has stated it will not be signing on to Kyoto 2, saying it would be aligning its climate change efforts with countries such as the USA and China. Read more.

November 9 - Australia signals intention to sign Kyoto 2
The Australian government has indicated it will commit to a second period of the Kyoto protocol; however, there is a condition - developed and developing countries must work toward a new global climate change agreement by 2015. Read more.

November 8 - And finally, climate change mentioned
References to climate change or global warming were conspicuously absent in the final weeks of the US presidential campaign, but Barack Obama finally broke the drought in his victory speech. Read more. 

November 7 - IPCC report to "scare the wits out of everyone".
Former UN climate chief Yvo de Boer says scientists working on the next report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change suggested the findings would be shocking. The report, due out in 2013, will ''scare the wits out of everyone'' say de Boer. Read more.

November 6 - And still no mention of climate change
Even in the aftermath of Sandy, Barack Obama and Mitt Romney still appear unable to talk about climate change in the final days of the presidential campaign. Read more.

November 5 - Oregon's mountain meadows and climate change
Tree coverage of a subalpine meadow complex in the Oregon Cascade Range has increased from 8% in 1950 to 35% in 2007. Previously been covered by grasses, shrubs, and wildflowers; the transformation is thought to have occurred due to climate change, fire suppression and invasive species. Read more.

November 4 - Emissions intensive gas flaring still occurring
An estimated $50 billion worth of gas is still wasted annually through flaring which also adds substantially to greenhouse gas emissions. The practice has been labelled a crime against humanity. Read more

November 3 - Battling climate change - but not at any price.
While most Americans now believe climate change is occurring and causing problems such as more frequent and severe natural disasters, only 21 percent said they would be willing to pay substantially more for fuel or for electricity bills to fight it according to a recent survey.  Read more. Read more.

November 3 - U.S. streams heating up
Warmer water temperatures and low flow levels are creating harsh conditions for freshwater fish in streams in the USA's Northwest. Read more. 

November 3 - Australia's carbon price won't stop emissions growth
The introduction of a carbon price in Australia will have little effect on the nation's carbon emissions, which the Department of Climate Change and Energy Efficiency says will continue to rise to 2020 due in part to the pursuit of liquefied natural gas. Read more.

November 3 - Sea levels rising more rapidly than anticipated
Sea level rises by the end of this century may be double the estimates made by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change in 2007 according to a University of Colorado researcher. Read more.

November 3 - Climate change awareness high in China
93.4 percent of the Chinese public understand the concept climate change, and 77.7 percent  have expressed concern over the topic according to a recent survey of over 4,000 people. Read more.

November 2 - Climate change poses disease risk for UK livestock
Diseases not seen before in livestock in the UK will make their presence known within the next decade say researchers. Read more.

November 2 - Climate change a hot topic in New York
It seems suddenly many more people in New York are understanding that the threats posed by climate change are a clear and present danger, not some future "maybe" - and who can blame them? Read more.

November 2 - Panamanians abandoning island
More climate change refugees - rising ocean levels are forcing the Guna people of the Panamanian archipelago of San Blas to abandon their homes permanently. Read more.