March 2016 Climate Change News

Australian Eucalypts Threatened By Climate Driven Embolisms
Even the incredibly hardy eucalyptus trees of Australia could fall victim to climate change. It seems particularly extreme droughts could lead to widespread death of eucalypts from embolisms - air bubbles.

Scrawny Mangroves A Major Carbon Sink
The mangroves of Baja California occupy just 1 percent of northwestern Mexico, but store 28 percent of the region’s carbon. The mangrove forests are thousands of years old and as new trees have replaced old, the remnants have produced thick layers of peat.

Calamity On The Great Barrier Reef
The northern end of Australia's Great Barrier Reef is in the midst of the worst coral bleaching event in history; stretching over 4,000 kilometres. The bleaching is caused by sustained high water temperatures.

The End Of Coal Fired Power Generation In Scotland
Longannet Power Station, which has burned more than 177 million tonnes of coal over its lifetime, has been shut down. The power station was responsible for twenty percent of Scotland's greenhouse gas emissions.

Singapore's Fish Farms Threatened By Climate Change
Since 2009, serveral huge dieoffs at Singapore's fish farms have been caused by phytoplankton blooms. This may become an increasingly regular occurrence due to rising temperatures.

Rockefeller Family Fund Dumping Fossil Fuel Investments
The Rockefeller Family Fund has announced its intent to divest from fossil fuels; saying it it makes little sense financial or ethical sense to continue holding investments in these companies.

NYC Inundated Sooner Than Thought?
New York, London, Rio de Janeiro and Shanghai could be underwater by 2100 according to a new paper published in the journal Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics.

British Plant Growing Season Lengthens
Over recent decades, the growing season for plants in the UK has been extended by a month due to a warming climate. Between 1861 and 1890, the average growing season was 244 days; now it's 280 days

Carbon Emissions Rate Highest In 66 Million Years
The rate of carbon emissions is now higher than at any time in fossil records dating back 66 million years states a study published in the journal Nature Geoscience. What is happening on the Earth today resembles the time when an asteroid is thought to have wiped out the dinosaurs

Plant Based Diet Could Tackle Climate Change
A switch around the world to a diet with more fruit and vegetables could save up to 8 million lives and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by two-thirds by 2050.

A Record Earth Hour
Millions of people in a record 178 countries switched off their lights last night to observe Earth Hour, the world's largest single action demanding action on climate change. 

Scientists Working On Climate Change Resistant Wheat
Scientists are racing against the clock in their efforts to boost wheat production by more than 60 percent over the next 35 years - and the wheat will need to battle warming temperatures and less water. 

Climate Change Concern Grows
According to a recent Gallup poll, sixty-four percent of adults in the USA say they are worried a “great deal” or “fair amount” about global warming. This is up substantially from 55% at this time last year and the highest level since 2008.

China's Impact On Global Warming
China accounts for around 10% of global warming since the pre-industrial era, according to a study published in the journal Nature. It needs to remembered though that China is the world's factory - so much of its impact could be considered outsourced emissions.

Entire US Community Relocating Due To Climate Change
The entire community of Biloxi-Chitimacha-Choctaw Indians on the Isle De Jean Charles Louisiana are relocating. The tribe has lost 98 percent of its land as a result of rising sea levels since the 1950's. 

Energy Carbon Emissions Flat In 2015
Last year saw energy related emissions barely budge again. The International Energy Agency (IEA) says renewable energy played a crucial role.

World "Losing Battle" With Climate Change
Australia's chief scientist, Alan Finkel, says humanity is "losing the battle" on climate change, after reports indicate February set a new record for the hottest month on the planet since global records began.

Disaster Unfolding On The Great Barrier Reef
Parts of Australia's Great Barrier Reef are in the grip of a severe coral bleaching event; due in part to El Niño and global warming caused by carbon emissions. The first recorded bleaching event on the Great Barrier Reef didn't occur until 1998

Did Climate Change Kill The Ichthyosaurs?
Ichthyosaurs, dolphin-like reptiles, are now thought to have gone extinct 28 million years ago because they were unable to adapt to a rapidly changing climate. 

Influence Of Climate Change On Severe Weather
It is now possible to estimate the influence of climate change on some types of extreme events, states a new report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine

Beautiful One Day, Deforested The Next
The Australian state of Queensland's carbon pollution could increase by 35 per cent by 2030 due to tree clearing, which is now releasing more stored carbon into the atmosphere than at any other time in the past eight years

"Pause" In Global Warming Never Happened
A discrepancy in a dataset from a satellites monitoring temperature that seemed to indicate no warming has occurred for the last 18 years has been fixed.

China's Emissions May Have Already Peaked
Carbon emissions in China may have peaked already - years in advance of commitments by the country's leaders. Global economic factors plus a hard push via government policy are two forces that have brought this about according to a study co-authored by Lord Stern.

The Climate Beef With Beef
European scientists believe reducing beef consumption by half would assist the EU in helping the global battle against rising temperatures.

China's Coal Power Capacity Increasing
While China reduced coal consumption again last year, Greenpeace says there is rapid and accelerating net increase in coal-fired generating capacity in the country; with 95 projects having received final regulator permits

February The Warmest Ever
Satellite data analyzed by the University of Alabama at Huntsville has revealed February 2016 was the warmest ever - 1.5°F (0.83°C) compared to the historical global average over nearly 30 years

Climate Threat To Diets
Climate change triggered heatwaves and other severe weather events will take its toll on humanity, but its impact on the availability of fruit and vegetables could lead to 500,000 deaths in 2050 that would otherwise have been avoided.

Yale’s Climate & Energy Institute To Close
Yale’s Climate & Energy Institute will close by the end of June after the University cut all its funding. Some students believe it will be shuttered due to a lack of interest from the institution's administration.

DiCaprio Uses Oscars As Climate Platform
Actor Leonardo DiCaprio used his Oscars speech to encourage leaders around the world “stop procrastinating” and take a toughers stance on climate change; saying the planet should not be taken for granted.

China's Coal Consumption Decreases
Coal use in China fell 3.7% last year, following a 2.9% drop in 2014. Coal made up 64% of the country’s energy mix in 2015, while wind power grew 34% and solar power jumped 74%.