November 2014 Climate Change News
November 29 - Peru Climate Talks To Kick Off
Representatives from 200 nations will participate in climate talks in the Peruvian capital of Lima next week. It's the latest in the series of discussions working towards a new deal to limit rising greenhouse gas emissions intended to be finalised at a summit in Paris in December next year.
November 28 - Former Pop Star's Last Wish
Terminally ill and with just days to live, former pop star Peter Juster has released a new song from his death bed; the proceeds of which will fund a campaign to save polar bears. Mr. Juster says the polar bear is losing its battle against climate change and he wanted to do something to save it from extinction.
November 27 - China Announces Cap On Coal
China’s State Council has just announced an action plan featuring a cap on national coal consumption by 2020. The cap is set at 4.2 billion tons and the plan also stipulates coal’s share of China’s primary energy mix to be reduced to less than 62% by the same year.
November 26 - Geoengineering - The Bitter Pill
A new set of studies into geo-engineering has found that humanity purposefully tinkering with climate systems to rein in global warming could harm billions of people, but may ultimately be necessary.
November 25 - Climate Change Benefiting Nordic Wine Industry
In one of those case of an ill wind blowing nobody any good; warmer temperatures and new, cold-resistant vines are assisting wine production in Nordic countries where just a few years ago growing grapes to produce wine on a commercial scale would have been considered unviable.
November 24 - Germany Considering Closing More Coal Plants
Germany may shutter another eight coal-fired power stations in an effort to achieve its carbon reduction targets. The nation already intends to close 50 coal based power plants.
November 23 - More Emphasis Needed On Other Greenhouse Gases
Carbon dioxide has stolen the limelight so to speak in relation to climate change; but other gases such as methane which have many times the GWP (Global Warming Potential) of CO2 should be getting more attention says a group of scientists.
November 22 - Heading For Another Record Year.
Combined average temperature over global land and ocean surfaces for October 2014 was the highest on record for October. For the year to end of October, combined global land and ocean average surface temperature were the highest on record says NOAA National Climatic Data Center.
November 20 - NASA's Carbon Emissions Lifecycle Animation
A high resolution animation produced by NASA shows the ebb and flow of carbon dioxide emissions around the planet.
November 18 - Coffee, Chocolate, Maple Syrup Supplies Threatened
Climate change is and will continue to have an impact on these crops - perhaps returning these popular treats into true luxury foods again.
November 16 - Climate Change At G20
Much to Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott's displeasure, the topic of climate change did get a mention at the G20 meeting in Brisbane - which made the PM's boasting about axing the carbon tax look a little shameful for the nation.
November 15 - The Cerrado: A Ticking Carbon Bomb
The Cerrado is the largest and most biologically diverse savannah region of South America. It's also a massive carbon sink - and far more threatened by industrial farming than the Amazon.
November 14 - Warming To Increase Lightning Strikes
Each one degree Celsius rise in global average air temperature will create around 12 percent more lightning strikes according to a climate scientist at the University of California, Berkeley.
November 13 - Historic US/China Emissions Agreement
U.S. President Barack Obama and Chinese President Xi Jinping have forged an agreement that will see both countries slash their greenhouse gas emissions by nearly a third over the next two decades.
November 11 - Taxpayers Footing The Bill For Fossil Fuel Exploration
Taxpayers in rich countries are subsidising exploration by oil, gas and coal companies to the tune of around $88 billion a year.
November 10 - Australian Renewable Energy Investment Plummets
Thanks to a renewables-hostile government that has created instability in the sector, investment in renewable energy has dropped by 70% in the past year in Australia.
November 9 - Bangladesh's Floating Schools
Low lying Bangladesh is home to 22 floating schools; a concept that may become more common as rising sea levels threaten the nation.
November 8 - Climate Change Interfering With Bee Pollination
A new study has found warmer springs are resulting in both bees and flowers emerging earlier than usual; knocking pollination of some plant species out of synch. By the time flowers bloom, male bees are so engrossed in mating that their pollination activities suffer.
November 7 - Tanzania To Plant Millions Of Trees.
Tanzania's government has announced a plan to plant millions of trees over the next 16 years to help address deforestation; which leads to high carbon dioxide emissions.
November 6 - Republicans Gain Control Of US Senate.
US voter have given Republicans control of the Senate in Tuesday’s midterm elections, raising fears fossil fuels will regain congressional support, while renewable energy and environmental protections will be left floundering. "The election’s over – and the planet lost," said Friends of the Earth President Erich Pica of the result.
November 4 - Company Turns CO2 Into Omega-3 Fatty Acids
New Zealand-founded company LanzaTech has developed a way to turn carbon dioxide emissions into essential omega-3 fatty acids - usually sourced from fish oil. It's not just interesting news on the carbon front, but fish would be pretty happy about it too.
November 3 - Climate Change Ad Banned
A digital billboard highlighting climate change and targeting world leaders as they arrive in Queensland, Australia for the G20 summit has been given the flick by Brisbane airport authorities who stated the the message was too political.
November 3 - GHG Levels Highest In 800,000 Years
The United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) says greenhouse gas levels are at their highest in 800,000 years and that that majority of the world's electricity should be produced from low carbon sources by 2050.
November 2 - Denmark Considering Ditching Coal Earlier
Denmark's climate minister Helveg Petersen has tabled a plan to bring forward a phase-out of all coal use in the country by 2025 instead of 2030.
November 2 - Climate Change To Be (Briefly) Discussed At G20
The Australian Government has reluctantly agreed to discuss climate change at the G20 summit in Brisbane, Queensland - but there isn't any new commitment to any specific action on the issue.
November 1 - Australian Emissions Plan A 'Mickey Mouse' Scheme.
The Australian Government's $2.55 billion Emissions Reduction Fund has been referred to as a "Mickey Mouse scheme that has been stitched up with the leader of a mining company," says a former government advisor.
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