October 2014 Global Warming News
October 29 - Colder Winters Caused By Melting Arctic Ice
While global average temperatures are increasing, melting Arctic ice has been contributing to colder winters in some regions according to a new study - and the trend is set to continue.
October 28 - Australia Sets Heat Records
It's only just past halfway through spring, but a large chunk of Australia has experienced a lengthy spell of summer-type temperatures. Average maximums across the nation reached 36.39 degrees Celsius (97F) says Australia's Bureau of Meteorology.
October 27 - IPCC Report Out Soon
The final report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) will be published on November 2 and warns of "serious, pervasive and irreversible" impacts. The IPCC believes with a 95% degree of certainty that human activities have been the main driver of climate change since 1950
October 26 - Florida To Split Over Climate Change?
A campaign to split the state of Florida into two states has been triggered by issues relating to climate change and has been described as a "necessity for the very survival of the entire southern region of the current state of Florida.".
October 26 - Hawaii Corals Suffering
Large area of coral reef off Oahu and Kauai are being heavily impacted by increasing water temperatures. While the hardier species will bounce back, more sensitive corals may disappear altogether.
October 26 - EU Agrees To Climate Deal
The European Union leaders will cut carbon emissions by 40 per cent by 2030 and has set a target of 27 per cent renewable energy by the same year.
October 23 - Insurers: A Lack Of Climate Change Preparedness
A report from Ceres based on a survey of hundreds of insurer disclosures states there is a profound lack of preparedness in the insurance sector in addressing climate-related risks and opportunities
October 22 - The Incredible Shrinking Goats
Alpine goats are apparently shrinking in size due to the effects of global warming over the past 3 decades. A reduction in body size has also been noted in other animal species.
October 20 - Australia's Ranking Tanks On Climate Change Efforts
Australia has ranked second last among 58 countries assessed for leadership on global warming, dropping 6 places, according to the Global Green Economy Index.
October 20 - Renewables Drive US Emission Cuts
Analysis by Greenpeace states clean energy was responsible for 40 per cent of carbon emissions decline in the USA since 2007, compared to 30 per cent from shale.
October 18 - Aussie Firefighters Recognise Climate Change Threat
In the state of New South Wales in Australia, Rural Fire Service Commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons has stated Climate change is having an impact on every level of fire management and with more than 1.2 million homes in NSW built on the edge of bushland; the service is facing a "bad legacy situation".
October 18 - Peru's shrinking glaciers
Peru's glaciers have shrunk by more than 40 percent since 1970 due to climate change. The Pastoruri glacier in the Andes mountains has lost 52 percent of its surface due to melting
October 16 - Gas Not The Climate Change Answer
Increased use of gas around the world may be displacing coal; but it is not the answer to climate change, as it also pushes out even cleaner energy sources such as solar power.
October 14 - Climate Change An Immediate Risk - Pentagon
The Department of Defense views climate change as an “immediate” risk according to a document released on Monday. Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel has also referred to climate change as a "threat multiplier"
October 14 - Increased Sea Level Rise Recent
Researchers say sea levels were oscillating by no more than 20 centimetres over several millennia - until recently. For the last 150 years, sea levels have been rising a few millimetres a year and is clearly the impact of rising temperatures.
October 13 - The Tropical Fish Exodus
Some species of tropical fish are moving poleward at rate of 26 kilometres per decade and large numbers of fish will disappear from the tropics altogether by 2050 says a new University of British Columbia study
October 10 - EPA Head's "My Generation" Apology
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) head Gina McCarthy has apologized on behalf of her generation for failing to take action in addressing climate change earlier, stating "We didn’t quite get it quick enough".
October 9 - Our Increasingly Acidic Oceans
Ocean acidification, caused by carbon emission saturation, has risen by more than a quarter since pre-industrial times and poses a major direct threat to many sea creatures - and other marine organisms that depend on them.
October 8 - Antarctic Sea Ice Reaches Record Maximum
Antarctic sea ice hit a record annual winter maximum this year - but that isn't necessarily good news. One of the reasons may fresher water around the continent from the melting glaciers has provided more suitable conditions for the sea ice to form.
October 6 - Oceans Heating Faster Than Realized
Research just published states that temperatures in the upper regions of the Southern Hemisphere’s oceans may have warmed twice as quickly after 1970 than had previously been believed. This heating "bakes in" a warming climated, even if all greenhouse gas emissions were stopped today.
October 5 - Climate Change Worsening Hayfever
Hay fever sufferers in Australia don't have a lot to look forward to in term of their ailment - the hayfever season is expected to last longer and become more intense with climate change.
October 5 - Florida's Taste Of Rising Seas
An annual king tide, caused by the alignment of the sun, moon and Earth, is threatening to flood Miami Beach next week. Flooding is likely to become more common in the years ahead as Miami Beach is one of the world's most at-risk urban communities from sea level rise.
October 2 - Massive Ice Melt Affected Gravitational Field
So much ice melted from West Antarctica's ice sheet between 2009 and 2012; it was enough to create a slight dip in the Earth’s gravitational field over the region. It's estimated West Antarctica lost 230 billion tons of ice each year during the period.
October 2 - Ditch the 2C Warming Goal
The goal of not allowing global average temperatures to increase more than 2 degrees Celsius is not only probably unattainable, but also wrong according to a new study; which advises a more holistic approach.
October 2 - Mass Beaching Of Walruses
More than 35,000 Pacific walruses have beached themselves in Alaska, a phenomenon attributed to the melting of arctic ice due to climate change depriving them of their usual resting places.
October 1 - Climate Change And The 6th Great Extinction
The world’s populations of non-human mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians and fish has dropped 52 percent since 1970 and one of the culprits contributing to the decimation is climate change.
October 1 - US Electricity Emissions Creeping Up.
US power generation emissions have been on the rise again, increasing 3% in the first six months of this year compared to the same period last year. This is reportedly due to the effect of the shale gas boom wearing off.
October 1 - China Cracking Down On Power Generation Emissions
10 GW of inefficient coal-fired power plants in China will be shuttered by 2020 and approximately 350 GW capacity will need to improve operational efficiency. New power plants will need to rein in their average consumption to 310 grams per kWh of electricity and existing power plants will be limited to 315 grams per kWh generated.
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