December 2013 global warming news

December 31 - Australian Government Adviser's Climate Change Rant
The Australian Government's chief business adviser has launched an attack on the UN climate body and the issue of climate change in general, calling it a "scientific delusion". Read more.

December 30 - Climate Change - A Legal Reckoning For The West?
The possibility exists that victims of climate change could commence international legal action against the countries responsible says this Guardian article. Read more.

December 29 - Global Warming's Impact On Scottish Fisheries.
While warmer water species of fish in Scotland's offshore waters may increase, the cold-water species that have traditionally sustained the Scottish fishing industry will decline says a recent report from The Marine Climate Change Impacts Partnership. Read more.

December 28 - Some Caterpillars Adapting To Climate Change
Caterpillars of two butterfly species are evolving to adapt to higher temperatures. The adaptation is believed to be the first instance of physiological traits changing in response to climate change observed. Read more.

December 27 - Melting Glacier - Message In A Bottle
A message placed in a bottle in 1959 at the foot of a glacier has been discovered. The message noted that at the time it was written and placed in the bottle its location was just 4 feet from the glacier. Today, the bottom of that glacier is now over 300 feet away. Read more.

December 26 - A Meat Tax To Battle Climate Change?
With 50 percent more livestock on the planet today than half a century ago, livestock related emissions are skyrocketing. It's been suggested a "meat tax" may be needed to rein in consumption. Read more.

December 25 - Solar Activity Has Little Impact On Climate
A new study has found while average temperatures have varied significantly over the past thousand years, the variation has little to do the amount of activity from the Sun. The researchers say volcanic eruptions and changes in greenhouse gas concentrations seem to have been the most important influence over the past thousand years. Read more.

December 23 - The Massive Climate Denial Network
A network of 91 think tanks and industry groups, 80% of which are registered as charitable organisations, have been identified as the driving force behind conservative opposition to climate policy according to an extensive study. Read more.

December 19 - Temperature Record Set In November
According to the The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, November 2013 was the warmest November on record on Earth since record-keeping began in 1880. The month was 1.4 degrees (0.78 degrees Celsius) above the 20th century average. Read more.

December 18 - A Convergence Of Crises
In a low probability-high impact worst-case assessment, the Inter-Sectoral Impact Model Intercomparison Project (ISI-MIP), has concluded that almost the entire inhabited world is at risk of disastrous situations relating to water, agriculture, ecosystems and health occurring simultaneously as a result of climate change. Read more.

December 18 - Coal Simply Unsustainable : IEA
International Energy Agency has stated that coal in its current form is simply unsustainable and lamented the fact that radical action on reining in greenhouse gases "is disappointingly absent." Read more.

December 16 - A Return To More Brown Coal In Australia?
While a report from the Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO) states renewables will be the only new power generation in the country to 2020, in the absence of a carbon price, the nation's power generators would start using more brown coal; which is far more emissions intensive than black coal. Read more.

December 13 - Biomass Power Stations And Greenhouse Gases
While proponents of biomass burning power stations believe they are carbon-neutral; others believe burning trees for energy means more carbon emissions than burning coal for decades.  Read more.

December 10 - China Admits It Isn't Ready For Climate Change
China's National Development and Reform Commission has stated there are many "weak links" in its efforts to deal with the effects of climate change and the nation is unable to protect basic infrastructure during extreme weather events. Read more.

December 9 - Australia will need double the fire-fighters by 2030
A new report from Australia's Climate Council states the nation will need twice the number of fire-fighters it has now to cope with increased bushfire risk as a result of climate change. Read more.

December 9 - Fraser Critical Of AU Climate Change Authority Axing
Australia's former Reserve Bank governor Bernie Fraser has expressed disappointment in the nation's government's decision to disband the Climate Change Authority and challenged its claims that it could get similar counsel from other public servants. Read more.

December 8 - Record flooding event in the UK
Several thousand properties have been affected in the biggest coastal flooding event of the last 60 years in the UK. Storm surges raised sea levels to record heights in some regions. Several areas saw conditions that only occur every 500 years. Read more.

December 7 - Warmer temperatures threaten freshwater mussels
a new U.S. Geological Survey report warns global warming could make many native US species of mussels extinct as some have little tolerance for increased water temperatures. Read more.

December 6 - Geoengineering Not Such A Good Idea
Two German researchers have found that attempts at geoengineering such as reducing the amount of sunlight that reaches the Earth's surface may slow down the water cycle "with wide-ranging potential consequences". Read more.

December 5 - More "Bury It" Carbon Sequestration Suggestions
In another of what could be described as sweeping dirt under a rug concepts, scientists from the University of Southampton suggest storing carbon dioxide in particularly stable formations under the ocean bed in locations off Australia, Japan, Siberia, South Africa and Bermuda. Read more. 

December 3 - Abrupt Climate Change Effects A Concern
Some of the effects associated with climate change could happen within a period of just a few decades or even years. These tipping points could leave very little time for society and ecosystems to adapt warn scientists. Read more

December 2 - 2C Temperature Increase "Disastrous"
While the goal with regarding to reining temperature increases is 2 degrees Celsius, a group of scientists have said that even at this level the impact would be disastrous. Read more.

December 2 - Australia Experiences Warmest Spring
The spring of 2013 has been Australia’s warmest ever with temperatures 1.57C above the 1961-1990 average. At this rate, Australia will also have its warmest year on record. Read more.

December 1 - So Few Have Given So Much.
90 companies have been responsible for 65% of total global carbon dioxide and methane emissions since 1751. Among the top 5 are 3 oil companies. Read more.

December 1 - The Case Of The Disappearing Carbon Speech
Australia's Prime Minister, Tony Abbott, has made repealing the nation's carbon tax a major focus. However, just a few years ago, he supported a price on carbon; but transcripts of related speeches indicating support have reportedly mysteriously vanished from his party's web site. Read more

December 1 - California Water Supply Runs Low
The driest year on record has left California reservoirs so depleted that farmers may only receive 5 percent of the water they were expecting for next year. Read more.