March 2013 global warming headlines

March 30 - Bacteria may convert CO2 to biofuels
Scientists working with a bacteria that lives near geothermal vents in the ocean say they are now a step closer in utilising it to convert carbon dioxide into biofuels. Read more.
 
March 29 -IMF: end fossil fuel subsidies
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) says energy subsidies reinforce inequality as the rich use more energy than the poor and eliminating energy tax subsidies would slash carbon dioxide emissions by 4.5 billion tons, a 13 percent reduction. Read more

March 26 - Crazy weather threatens UK butterflies
Rain and cold during the UK summer saw declines in most British species of butterflies, some to a degree that they may become extinction in areas. Read more.

March 25 - Britain's heaviest March snowfall for 3 decades
Drought, flood, snow - the UK has been copping a hammering with weather extremes in recent years and the weekend added to the list of events. Heavy snow and winds of up to 60mph battered north-west England, south-west Scotland and Northern Ireland. Read more.

March 23 - Climate change increasingly seen as security issue
A study has found nearly three out of four governments view the potential effects of climate change as a serious national security issue. This could aid efforts raising awareness and action on climate change. Read more.

March 22 - More tornadoes wreak havoc in Australia
Tornado activity would appear to be on the increase in Australia; the latest incident occurring in the state of Victoria where two twisters are believed to have touched down; causing massive damage and injuries to at least 20 people. Read more.

March 21 - A more hurricane prone Europe
European climate scientists believe global warming will expand the tropical Atlantic hurricane breeding ground and result in four times as many storms of tropical origins hitting sections of Western Europe in the decades ahead. Read more.

March 18 - Climate change increases locust threat.
An early locust plague along Lebanon's coast has raised concerns of an increasing threat posed by the creatures, which eat just about any sort of green plant material - and in huge quantities. Read more.

March 12 - US Admiral: climate change Pacific's biggest threat
Admiral Samuel J Locklear III, commander, US Pacific Command believes the biggest long term security threat in the Pacific region is climate change. The Admiral has warned hundreds of thousands or millions of people could be displaced and then "security will start to crumble pretty quickly". Read more.

March 11 - Plankton running hot and cold.
One of the most important food sources in marine environments, plankton, may be more adaptable to water temperature variations than previously believed. The potential threat wasn't warm water, but cold.  Read more.

March 10 - 1C increase in record time.
New research indicates a one-degree Celsius temperature variation that took 11 thousand years to occur since the end of the last major ice age has been replicated in the 150 years since the dawn of the Industrial Revolution. Read more.

March 9 - 10,000 Indian villages enduring worst drought in decades
Millions of Indians in thousands of villages are suffering a drought of a magnitude not seen since the 1970's. Water is rapidly running out and 2,000 tanker trucks are being used to provide supply. Read more.
  
March 7 - Isn't it ironic - weather delays climate science review
A major snowstorm in Washington, D.C. has put a hearing to “review” climate science on hold. The great irony is many those meant to be attending are reportedly climate change deniers. Read more.

March 6 - Warmer Arctic = more storm surge
Retreating ice in some parts of the Arctic have resulted in more intense and frequent storm surges over the last 150 years and particularly since 1980. Read more.

March 5 - A flood in Britain ever 5 days last year
Floods affected Britain on one in every five days last year, while one in four days were in drought according to the nation's Environment Agency; which warns extreme weather may continue and become more frequent. Read more.

March 4 - Australia's climate "on steroids"
A newly released report from the Federal Government's Climate Commission - entitled The Angry Summer - says the extreme heat, floods and bushfires experienced around country were all exacerbated by a changing climate and Climate Commission chief Professor Tim Flannery says the nation is now experiencing a "climate on steroids". Read more.

March 3 - Cod moving north
The UK's icon food fish, the cod, is in danger of disappearing from its waters. Stocks of cod in the Celtic and Irish Seas could disappear by the end of the century due to increasing ocean temperatures; which is sending the young cod's most important food source 600 miles north. Read more.

March 2 - More UK ash dieback
Dieback in ash trees in the UK has raised its ugly head again and has been found at three new sites in young trees in Wales. It's thought warming temperatures have played a role in the fungus responsible for getting such a foothold in the UK. Read more.

March 1 - Australian summer hottest on record
Australia's Bureau of Meteorology has confirmed that the nation has just experienced its hottest summer on record and warns the conditions will become the new normal within the next few decades. Read more

March 1 - Historic warming and CO2 possibly linked 
Results of new research suggest rising carbon dioxide levels may have caused Antarctic warming 18,000 and 11,000 years ago; the last time the planet warmed naturally and glaciers melted. Read more.