August 2015 Global Warming Headlines
2015 Likely To Be Warmest On Record
2015 is on track to be the hottest year on record by quite a margin according to Climatic Research Unit at the University of East Anglia. If this should occur, three of the warmest years since records began in 1880 will have occurred in the last 5 years.
Rising Seas, New And More Pronounced Hazards
Melting ice sheets are contributing to sea level rise sooner and more than anticipated, according glaciologist at the University of California, Irvine. The threat of rising seas may also be more dangerous than previously thought.
Anti-AGW Studies Unable To Be Replicated
A group of climate scientists have attempted to replicate the work of 2-3% of all peer-reviewed climate studies that are either neutral or disagree anthropogenic global warming is real - and haven't been able to
Obama Puts Climate Deniers On Notice
US President Barack Obama's speech at the National Clean Energy Summit contained a number of rebukes directed towards climate change deniers and parties attempting to stand in the way of renewable energy.
Massive Ice Chunk Shed From Jakobshavn Glacier
A 12.4km sq section of ice has broken away from the Jakobshavn Glacier in Greenland; the largest ever witnessed. Its mass is estimated to be enough to cover the whole of Manhattan Island by a layer of ice around 300 metres.
Tropical Rainforests - A Shadow Of Their Former Selves
Tropical forest expert Dr Simon Lewis says the planet has lost 100 million hectares of tropical forest over the last three decades, mostly to agricultural developments, and fears global simplification of the world's most complex forests.
Paris Talks Failure "Not An Option"
Tuvalu prime minister Enele Sopoaga has said upcoming climate talks in Paris are crucial and that "failure is not a fallback position, it is not an option". The prime minister said climate change is now his nation's biggest enemy.
West Antarctic Ice Sheet's Contribution To Sea Level Rise
A new study says the West Antarctic Ice Sheet could contribute around 80,000 cubic kilometres of lost ice to sea-level rise by 2100, which corresponds to a 20 cm increase in global sea level - enough to fill the Caspian Sea
Pikas And Climate Change
The highly elusive and resilient Pika may be facing a battle that it can't win - climate change. The furry little creatures can't survive in temperatures that we would find quite pleasant.
July Likely Hottest On Record.
"Hottest month" is becoming a regular headline - and it seems July was the hottest on record according to data from NASA and the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA).
Abbott A Climate Change "Villain" : Klein
Canadian social activist Naomi Klein says Australia is currently a “hotbed of climate denial” and the nation's Prime Minister, Tony Abbott, a "villain" of climate change
Dealing With Climate Change: Saltwater Agriculture
Scientists are researching various types of plants that could be used on saltwater contaminated lands, including halophytic rice.
Increased Food Shortages And Huge Price Hikes By 2040
A program that monitors food security in 57 countries has stated that global food shortages and price hikes will triple by 2040. While technology is keeping food levels sufficient currently, these gains will be more than offset by more drought and floods.
Sea Level Rises Higher, Sooner : Hansen
Sea level rises are likely to be much higher and happen much sooner than previous predictions says Dr. James Hansen, the climate scientist who alerted the world to global warming in 1998.
Wild Boar Populations Growing
A study recently published in the journal PLOS One states wild boars have been gaining in numbers and distribution since the 1980's mainly due to warmer conditions
Climate Change Linked To Texas Floods
In May enough rain fell on Texas to cover the entire state in eight inches of water. A new study states anthropogenic global warming had a detectable effect on the conditions that contributed to the major flooding event.
Church Drops Fossil Fuel Investments
One of Canada’s largest churches, United Church, has voted to divest from fossil fuels, but not everyone in the clergy was happy.
Millions Of Shade Balls To Conserve LA Reservoir Water Supplies
96 million shade balls have been released into Los Angeles Reservoir as California's crippling drought continues. The use of the balls will reduce water evaporation by 300 million gallons each year.
Record Temperatures In Iran - A Taste Of Things To Come?
High temperatures combined with high humidity saw the heat index rise to more than 70 degrees Celsius last week in the Iranian city of Bandar Mahshahr. The city experienced the second-highest temperature ever recorded on Earth and gave pause for thought to many in the region as to the future effects of climate change
Permafrost Carbon Winding Up In The Sea
As much as 2.2 million metric tons of organic carbon released from melting permafrost is being transported into the Arctic Ocean by a single river each year.
New Australian Emissions Targets Fail To Impress
The Australian government will set a greenhouse emissions reduction target of a minimum 26 per cent below 2005 levels by 2030 - but the announcement failed to impress some scientists, analysts and financiers.
Shell Abandons ALEC
Royal Dutch Shell have followed in the footsteps of BP; announcing they will end their association with the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) due to its ongoing denial of the science of climate change.
New Zealand To Ditch Coal By 2018
New Zealand will shutter it's last two remaining coal fired power stations by 2018 as renewable energy sources are increasingly decreasing the need for fossil fuel based electricity generation.
US Electricity Emissions Falling
While in Australia electricity generation emissions are on the rise due to the axing of that nation's carbon tax, power plants in the U.S. emitted less emissions in April than they have in any month since April 1988
Ocean Warming And Acidification Locked In
Even if humanity was able to somehow remove excess carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, it would take the Earth's oceans centuries or even thousands of years for the damage to be repaired - and by that time, many species will be extinct.
Adani Coal Mine Approval Overturned
A massive "carbon bomb" coal mine granted approval in the Australian state of Queensland has had that approval reversed by the Federal Court. It wasn't the issue of carbon emissions that would result from the burning of the coal - it was due to a lizard and a snake.
US Clean Power Plan Unveiled
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA’s) Clean Power Plan sets out a roadmap and regulation to reduce carbon emissions from the USA's power sector by 32 percent below 2005 levels by 2030. It will also see 30% more renewable energy generation in 2030.
Australian Political Leaders 'Willfully Blind" On Climate Change
The former head of a major Australian bank has said political leaders in Australia are "willfully blind" regarding climate change and that the country is threatened by an economically reckless reliance on fossil fuels.
Cruz Says Scientist Falsify To Create Fear
Sen. Ted Cruz says facts don’t support climate change and there is no factual basis for scientists raising the alarm. He also accused government researchers of reverse engineering data sets to falsify changes to climate records.
Salmon A Victim Of Climate Change
Rivers in the USA's Northwest were already warmer than usual at the start of Spring - and the situation has gotten worse, contributing to the deaths or looming deaths of 250,000 to 400,000 Columbia River Basin.
Clinton Backs Obama's Climate Plan
Hillary Clinton has said she'll support the Obama administration's key climate change policies and defend them against opposition if elected US President.
Climate Change Driving Increased Wildfires
The number and ferocity of wildfires across the Americas is increasing due to the effects of climate change. In the example of Alaska, the average annual number of large fires in the northern state has doubled in the last 3 decades.
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