ScienceDaily (July 2, 2009) – New research, which reconstructs the extent of ice in the sea between Greenland and Svalbard from the 13th century to the present indicates that there has never been so little sea ice as there is now. The research results from the Niels Bohr Institute, among others, are published in the scientific journal, Climate Dynamics. There are of course neither satellite images nor instrumental records of the climate all the way back to the 13th century, but nature ... Read Full Story

E&E News: Mount Speke — once one of the highest snowcapped peaks of Uganda’s Rwenzori Mountains, with 536 acres of ice coverage — has been reduced to a dismal 46 acres, according to the Climate Change Unit at Uganda’s ministry of water and environment, which blames global warming for the melting. Satellite images taken in 1987 and 2005 show that much of the disappearance occurred over the past two decades. Uganda’s National Environmental Management Authority ... Read Full Story

By Jean-Marie Macabrey E&E News: BRUSSELS — Yesterday, as European leaders gathered to ponder ways to pay for the fight against climate change, three scientists meeting only a few blocks away had a strong message for them: A soft climate change agreement may not stop the climate from reaching a tipping point. The trio of scientists was presenting a report synthesizing new research results on climate change and reviewing options for tackling the problem. The report, meant as an inspi... Read Full Story

GreenWire: India announced it plans to reject any new global warming treaty that requires the country to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions because that will harm its energy consumption, transportation and food security. “India cannot and will not take emission reduction targets because poverty eradication and social and economic development are first and over-riding priorities,” said Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh in a statement. India’s announcement comes in advance of th... Read Full Story

GreenWire: Scientists are enlisting puffins — short, stubby birds with lopsided beaks — to investigate the steep decline of seabirds across the British Isles. Over the past eight years, seabird numbers in the North Sea have declined by up to 40 percent. And just last year, the puffin population crashed, with malnourished puffins washing up on beaches all along the United Kingdom’s coast. On an archipelago 50 miles off the Northumberland coast, scientists are affixing small d... Read Full Story

By: Phil Taylor GreenWire: The American chestnut tree, which towered over eastern U.S. forests before succumbing to a deadly fungus in the early 20th century, appears to be an excellent sponge for greenhouse gases, according to a new study. If scientists can develop a fungus-resistant version of the tree, the chestnut could play a key role in the battle against climate change, Purdue University scientists say. “Maintaining or increasing forest cover has been identified as an important w... Read Full Story

The Scottish executive has published a plan outlining how it hopes to stimulate renewable energy in the country to make the most of its natural resources.Go to original Source Tweet This Post  Plurk This Post  Buzz This Post  Delicious This Post  Digg This Post  Ping This Post  Reddit This Post  Stumble This Post  Read Full Story

A £3m flood prevention scheme will go ahead in West Dunbartonshire after a public inquiry ruled that it met all the necessary criteria.Go to original Source Tweet This Post  Plurk This Post  Buzz This Post  Delicious This Post  Digg This Post  Ping This Post  Reddit This Post  Stumble This Post  Read Full Story

Isn’t it the best when environmental ideals, thriftiness, and saving time all point to the same solution? Take compact fluorescent light bulbs: Good for the planet, and they last so much longer than old-school bulbs, thereby saving money, trips to the store and time spent climbing up on chairs to change the ceiling fixtures. Online shopping, done right, also serves both the environment and your busy schedule. It’s convenient—sneaky people can even do it at work! —and can be far more carbon... Read Full Story

Sal Scuderi and his engine model in Manhattan. (Photo: Jim Motavalli) Everyone wants to have the next big thing in auto technology, and when they think they have the tiger by the tail, they call me to come take a look. Here are a few recent contenders: I am in the ballroom of a Manhattan hotel near Grand Central Station looking at an engine. Well, not an engine exactly, but a cutaway working model of one. There are cool lights blinking, and pistons moving up and down. This is the Scuderi ... Read Full Story