Wednesday, January 16, 2008

Seas levels may rise more than 5 feet

News update: Worldwide sea levels could rise twice as much this century as the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change predicted, increasing more than 5 feet rather than 32 inches. Researchers studying what happened the last time the Earth was hot – about 100,000 years ago – said Greenland was the same temperature IPCC predicts for the next 50-100 years. In the interglacial period, seas eventually rose 20 feet above current levels. The findings were published in the journal Nature Geoscience. (Source: Reuters PlanetArk)

Economic problems could push climate change to back burner
Turbulent financial markets and geopolitical tension in 2008 could mean less attention to global warming, the World Economic Forum warned last week. If the global economy weakens substantially, climate solutions may be delayed, making it harder to solve problems in the future, said WEF in advance of its meeting in Davos this month. WEF named systemic financial risk, supply chain disruption, energy and food security as the 4 key issues this year. Extreme weather linked to climate change topped the list for environmental risks. (Source: PlanetArk))

China, Australia say no plastic bags in supermarkets, stores
China last week banned the use of plastic bags in supermarkets and shops, effective June 1. Shoppers will be urged to use cloth bags and baskets. Chinese people use about 3 billion such bags per day. The country uses 37 million barrels of oil per year for these bags and other packaging. Australia also called for a ban in supermarkets. NYC, which uses 1 billion bags, voted to require large stores to set up bag recycling programs. San Francisco banned plastic bags after a recycling effort didn’t work. (Source: PlanetArk)

Southern California could be hub for geothermal, solar energy
Southern California holds great promise for clean energy. Because of low-level volcanic activity near the sea, geothermal power is available 24/7, so CalEnergy Operating Corp. plans to develop enough to power a quarter-million homes. And applications have come in for 34 solar plants in the dry, expansive desert. If all were built, they could generate enough power for 8 million homes. (Source: Greenwire)

When it’s oil versus polar bears, guess who loses out?
The Interior Dept. has delayed a decision on listing polar bears as an endangered species. At the same time, it will go ahead Feb. 6 with a sale of leases to drill for oil in Alaska’s Chukchi Sea, home to 10% of the polar bear population. Hmmm, says environmental groups. If the designation for the bears had been announced by the legal deadline this week, oil leases would have to meet protections under the Endangered Species Act. Polar bears, around 40,000-50,000 years, could be reduced two-thirds by 2050 because global warming is melting of their habitat. Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin (R) opposes designation of the bears as endangered. (Sources: Greenwire, San Francisco Chronicle)

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