May 2014 Climate Change News
May
29 - Massive Peat Bog Found In The Congo Republic
A massive peat bog larger than England has been discovered in West Africa's Republic of Congo.
Peat bogs are important carbon sinks; but if disturbed or damaged, they
can become major carbon emitters.
May
28 - Insects, Color And Climate Change
It appears light-colored insects are faring better than darker-colored ones
in adapting to climate change in some regions.
May
27 - Northern Hemisphere Hits 400PPM
In April, carbon dioxide levels throughout the northern hemisphere
reached 400 parts per million (ppm) for the first time in human history
according to the World Meteorological Organization. It's a level that
Earth probably hasn't experienced for millions of years.
May
26 - Australia Kicking The Can On Emissions Cuts
An analysis by The Climate Institute states more than 75% of the carbon emissions cuts Australia has committed to would be left until the "last minute" under the Australian Government's Direct Action plan.
May
25 - Nepal's Glaciers Shrinking Fast
A study by the Kathmandu-based International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development
(ICIMOD) states the area covered by glaciers in Nepal decreased by 24 per cent between 1977 and 2010.
May
23 - Oxfam Slams Australian Food Giants
Oxfam International has criticised Australia's food lobby and food industry in general for its failure to tackle climate change in a meaningful way.
The top ten food companies have been labelled "silent accomplices" to an "unfolding crisis"
May
22 - CO2 Impacting Wheat Protein Content
Research suggests higher carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere have
negatively impacted on the protein content of wheat and rice quality
will also suffer as temperatures increase.
May
21 - April Temperatures Tie Record High
According to the NOAA National Climatic Data Center's State of the Climate: Global Analysis for April 2014, the combined temperature over land and ocean surfaces in the Northern Hemisphere tied with 2012 for record April warmth. In the Southern Hemisphere, it was the fourth warmest on record.
May
20 - Antarctica Ice Loss Doubles
The climate naysayers who use Antarctica to back their arguments might
need to think again. Data from Europe's Cryosat spacecraft shows Antarctica is currently losing around 160 billion tonnes of ice a year - double the amount since the continent was last surveyed a few years ago.
May
19 - Glaciers In British Columbia Fading Away
Glaciers in British Columbia are in rapid retreat; melting at a rate of around 40 to 70 gigatons per year and shedding approximately 22 cubic kilometres of ice annually.
May
18 - And The Jellyfish Will Inherit The Earth
Global warming has been linked to an increase in jellyfish populations.
A new application, JeDI, is now plotting the location of jellyfish globally.
May
17 - Climate Change Could Impact Countries' Credit Rating
Standard & Poor's (S&P) Ratings Services have stated climate change could feed through to its ratings on sovereign states if extreme weather events continue to become more frequent and destructive.
May
16 - Australia Moves From Green Energy To "Asphalt Economy"
Australia's conservative government has delivered a Budget that slashes
support for renewable energy and emissions reductions efforts.
May
13 - Climate Change Refugee Fears Deportation
Referred to as the world's first climate change refugee, a man from Kiribati
has lost an appeal to remain in New Zealand. The man does not want to
return to Kiribati due to over-population and rising sea-levels. It's
predicted that most of the nation's arable land will be largely submerged
within a century.
May
12 - Wild Southern Ocean Winds
Researchers from the Australian National University (ANU) say the
Southern Ocean's winds are blowing at their strongest in a thousand
years. This is creating a colder Antarctica and a drier southern
Australia.
May
11 - Rock Snot And Climate Change
Rock snot, or Didymosphenia, is becoming a more prevalent form of algae in West Virginia due to climate change. The algae can make life more challenging for other aquatic species.
May
10 - Scientists Working On Heat Tolerant Chickens
With major negative impacts from climate change now an unavoidable
reality, science is working on breeding livestock more tolerant of
higher temperatures.
May
9 - US Airports Threatened By Storm Surges
More than a quarter of the USA's largest airports are vulnerable to storm surges that are expected to
increase as a result of climate change and the associated one to four
feet of sea level rise predicted.
May
7 - Stanford University Dumps Coal Investments.
Stanford University's board of trustees has voted to cease making direct investments in publicly-traded companies mining coal for energy generation and will divest those currently in its portfolio.
May
6 - Major Climate Change Impact Report Release
A major 840 page report to be released today in the USA will show
scientists are more convinced than ever that climate change is occurring
and will detail the major impacts that will occur in the nation. The
report is the culmination of 4 years work by hundreds of scientists.
May
5 - Ban Ki-moon: Delay And Pay
UN chief Ban Ki-moon has again urged countries to engage
"bold" action to address the threats posed by climate change,
saying if urgent action was not undertaken, "plans for increased global prosperity and security will be undone."
May
4 - A Warming Everest Makes Climbing Riskier
Climbing Mt. Everest has never been a walk in the park, but it will become even more dangerous as a result of climate change. A Sherpa who holds the record for ascents says trails that were once covered in layers of hard packed ice and snow are now full of bare exposed rock.
May
2 - Corn Under Strain From Temperature
It appears that perhaps agriculture has pushed corn to its limit - and
in a warming world; this could have serious repercussions. At current levels of temperature sensitivity,
corn crops could lose 15 percent of their yield within 50 years, or even
more if the sensitivity trend continues.
May
2 - New Climate Conditions Will Test Many Species
A recent study predicts warming in the tropics will create climatic
conditions currently not experienced by species anywhere else on Earth -
and whether and what species will adapt remains to be seen.
May
1 - Britons Getting Ticked Off
Mild and wet conditions during winter have created the perfect
conditions for an explosion in tick populations in Britain.
May
1 - Ocean Acidity Dissolving Shells Of Marine Creatures.
A study of ocean waters off California, Oregon and Washington has
confirmed that increasing acidity is dissolving the shells of a species
that plays a critical role in the oceans food chain.
May
1 - Carbon Dioxide Levels Hit New High
Instruments monitoring carbon dioxide levels at Mauna Loa in Hawaii
indicate that during the entire month of April, CO2 levels exceeded 400 parts per million for the first time
in their 50 years of operation.
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