Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) In the News: Climate change

UN urges business people to join climate change battle
The United Nations urged the financial community to play an active part in partnership to combat climate change. Kofi Annan, UN Secretary general made the call in a message to government ministers meeting at the UN –sponsored climate change conference in Buenos Aires. The investment community could ‘make a major contribution to achieving our objectives’, especially in financing new energy systems he said.

Financial Times, London, Dec. 16, 2004, Page No. 7

Developing giants under pressure on climate change
While developing nations China, Brazil and India grow at break-neck pace with their burgeoning industry and farming, industrialized countries want them to clean up the dirty practices that have made them some of the world`s biggest polluters. China is the second producer of greenhouse gases, behind the United States, thanks to an industrial boom based on coal-burning energy. Brazil is estimated to be ranked sixth because of the carbon dioxide produced by the burning of the Amazon forest to clear land for soy, and India, also reliant on coal, is the fifth-largest source of the heat-trapping gases. At the Dec. 6-17 UN conference on climate change in Buenos Aires, negotiators and activists aim to get developing countries on board for the next stage of reducing emissions after the Kyoto protocol concludes in 2012.

Planet Ark (Internet), Australia, Dec. 14, 2004

Blair said to seek new climate pact with Bush
British Prime Minister Tony Blair is trying to involve the United States in a new international treaty on global warming. It said Blair had held lengthy discussions with US President George W. Bush over a fresh initiative that would bypass Washington`s opposition to the Kyoto Protocol, which seeks to curb climate change. The United States has not signed up to the Kyoto pact, which will go into effect in February after Russia ratified it last month. Blair has made the environment and Africa his two top issues for next year when Britain assumes the presidency of the G8 group of rich nations.

Planet Ark (Internet), Australia, Dec. 10, 2004

UK initiative on climate change
Tony Blair is to host a major scientific conference on climate change in February as part of an attempt to create an international consensus on the science involved and so lock the US and the G8 group of industrial nations into action beyond the Kyoto protocol. He has long accepted that there is no medium-term prospect of the US administration signing up to Kyoto, but wants to keep momentum going on the issue. The conference, a precursor to the G8 summit in June, will be held at the Hadley Centre for Climate Prediction and Research in Exeter.

The Guardian (Internet), UK, Dec. 10, 2004

Limiting carbon emissions damages growth, says US
The gulf between the US and Europe on climate change yawned as wide as ever after Washington said an international conference that limiting carbon emissions in line with the Kyoto protocol on climate change would damage growth. Harlan Watson, senior climate negotiator for the US State Department said the meeting on signatories in Buenos Aires that the treaty’s success would depend on ‘whether or not the Kyoto parties will be willing to take on what we believe would be non-growth economic policies.

Financial Times, London, Dec. 10, 2004, Page No. 6

Defra launches review of climate change programme after admitting missing targets
The UK Government has launched a consultation on the review of its Climate Change Programme after admitting it will fail to meet its own goals for reducing carbon dioxide emissions using current policies. Originally launched in 2000, the programme introduced a series of measures to meet the UK target of cutting CO2 levels to 20% below 1990 levels by 2010. However, UK emissions are only 7.5% below 1990 levels - exactly the same level as they were when Labour came to power in 1997.

Edie (Internet), UK, Dec. 10, 2004

Climate aid for poor states
Opec nations and Saudi Arabia in particular are standing in the way of getting financial help to developing countries to cope with global warming, the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) said. WWF, a leading environmental group, said that Opec was blocking potential aid to developing nations until their own demands for compensation for losses in oil export revenues, caused by any cuts in the use of fossil fuels, were met. WWF made its warning on the sidelines of the 12-day UN conference on climate change in Buenos Aires. The UN hopes for an aid deal to help poor countries cope with global warming, from curbing flooding to new farming methods for drought-stricken areas.

Business Recorder (Internet), Pakistan, Dec. 10, 2004

Financial Times, London, Dec. 10, 2004, Page No. 6

Beckett admits defeat on climate change target
Britain will miss greenhouse gas reductions goal by big margin but is still on course to meet Kyoto requirement, says government. The government will fail to meet its own target to cut carbon dioxide emissions by 20% by 2010, the environment secretary, Margaret Beckett, admitted. Yesterday`s projections suggest that the government will miss the targeted reductions by at least one third. "We will not, on the basis of current policies alone, achieve our ambitious domestic goal of a 20% cut in carbon dioxide emissions," Ms Beckett said.

The Guardian (Internet), UK, Dec. 09, 2004

Climate change policy review reflects failure on emissions
The UK government will announce a fundamental review of its climate change programme in an implicit admission that it is not cutting carbon emissions as fast as it had originally hoped. The issue is important to the prime minister, who has made leadership on the international stage on climate change an important part of his G8 presidency next year. Mr Blair`s credentials as a green have come under attack from groups such as Greenpeace, which claim he has been making strong speeches over green issues, but failing to take the action required.

The Guardian (Internet), UK, Dec. 08, 2004

Time to take stock
As the world`s environment leaders gather for the tenth anniver- sary of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in Buenos Aires, Argentina, from December 15-17, they will approach the problem of hanging climatic conditions due to global warming with the belief that the scale of the problem is measured in centuries. With this approach, they run the risk of not address- ing the problem without the sense of urgency that it deserves.The Tenth Conference of Parties (COP-10) to the UNFCCC begins on December 6 with meetings of the subsidiary bodies of the conven- tion. However, panel discussions scheduled for environment minis- ters and other heads of delegation during the last three days are sure to be closely watched. They will assess the convention`s accomplishment so far, deliberate over present challenges and provide direction for future discussion, analysis and action.

Central Chronicle, Bhopal, Dec. 07, 2004, Page No. 6

‘Global climate turned warmer’
Global climate has shown appreciable, warming in the 20th century, with 1998 recorded as the warmest year, according to a senior official of the Pune based India Meteorological Department (IMD).The globally averaged annual mean temperature at the end of 20th century was about 0.6 Degree Celsius, higher than that recorded at the end of the 19th century and th rise was slightly greater in the southern hemisphere , Deputy Director General (Meteorological Research) Shravan Kumar said on Friday at a seminar on ‘Climate and Environment ‘in Mumbai.

The Free Press Journal, Mumbai, Dec. 04, 2004, Page No. 15

Global electricity firms still snubbing clean power
Energy companies from around the world have been assessed in a shock report released this week, which reveals that the power sector is failing to curb CO₂ emissions sufficiently. According to their use of and investment in green power, 72 electric power companies from 18 industrialised countries were assessed by global conservation organisation the WWF. Findings showed that leading companies from the power sector, the single biggest contributor to greenhouse gas emissions and climate change, were barely investing in renewable power and improving energy efficiency at a time when world leaders have stated that fighting back against climate change must be a global priority.

Edie (Internet), UK, Dec. 03, 2003

U.K. keen on climate change retardation project in Tamil Nadu
The United Kingdom is looking for partnerships in Tamil Nadu to aid in and develop projects for combating climate change. A U.K. team, led by the Deputy High Commissioner to India, Mark Runacres, is here after discussing such projects in Andhra Pradesh."We have a dialogue on with the Indian Government. We are looking at cooperating with the State Governments," he said. The States had more to do with such projects, right from sanction to implementation. In particular, development of renewable energy was of great interest and so was cultivation of the bio-diesel yielding jatropha.

The Hindu, Chennai, Dec. 03, 2004, Page No. 6 & www.hinduonnet.com

Blair urges dialogue with US on climate change
British Prime Minister Tony Blair urged a new international dialogue with the United States on climate change, weeks before Britain takes over the presidency of the G8 group of industrialised nations. "The most important thing is to try to get a dialogue with America on how we recognise both the scale of the problem on greenhouse gas emissions and a process that enables us to confront and deal with it," Blair told a news conference. The US, the world`s biggest polluter, withdrew in 2001 from the Kyoto Protocol which aims to reduce manmade atmospheric pollutants known as greenhouse gases -- said by scientists to cause global warming.

Planet Ark (Internet), Australia, Nov. 30, 2004

Opinions split on climate change
Nearly two thirds of the British public want political leaders to take urgent action on climate change, but less than half of US adults (46 per cent) would agree, according to a poll by Mori published. The poll, commissioned by the Climate Group, UK based environmental group, found that four in 10 Americans favoured a ‘wait and see’ approach to climate change, saying ‘no major action should be taken until we know more’.

Financial Times, London, Nov. 25, 2004, Page No. 6

Plan to save Arctic from melting
A plan to try to save the Arctic from melting was announced at a meeting of officials from the eight countries with Arctic territories. The countries agreed to ‘address the risk assessment of climate change in the Arctic’ that had been drawn up for the Arctic Council by more than 250 scientists.

Financial Times, London, Nov. 25, 2004, Page No. 6

Arctic climate warming rapidly: study
The Arctic Climate Impact Assessment (ACIA), a four-year study carried out by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), provides clear evidence that the climate is warming rapidly now. Conducted by an international team of 300 scientists, the study projects larger changes in the near future. Increasing concentrations of Green Houses Gases (GHG) from human activities are projected to contribute to additional warming of 3-9 degrees over the next 100 years. Its global impact, such as sea-level increase, will be staggering, says the report.

The Hindu, New Delhi, Nov. 14, 2004, Page No. 11 & www.hinduonnet.com

Date on climate change in S Asia to be out in ’07
Wait three years to get a clear picture on what changes in climate patterns will mean for South Asia. Russia has just breathed life into the Kyoto Protocol aimed at checking the pace of global warming but the world still needs to know how to cope with this change. This, quite simply, is what the UN-mandated inter-governmental panel on climate change (IPCC) hopes to do in its fourth assessment report, expected in 2007.

The Times of India, New Delhi, Nov. 12, 2004, Page No. 9

How El Nino’s cycle controls the rain
El Nino Southern Oscillation, the cycle of warming and cooling in the eastern part of the tropical Pacific Ocean, is the main driver of change in rainfall patterns all over the world, Nasa scientists have shown. The researchers first used data from the Tropical Rainfalll Measuring Mission to draw up a ‘ rain-change index, showing how rainfall varied around the globe between 1998 and 2003.

Financial Times, London, Nov. 12, 2004, Page No. 9

UK should increase climate change levy to lead G8 by example
The UK Government should get its own house in order and increase the climate change levy if it is to be credible in leading action on climate change through the presidencies of the G8 and the EU, a thinktank report has stated this week. Accusing the government watering down UK commitments under the EU emissions trading scheme after caving in to pressure from business lobbyists, The Burning Question report from the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) recommends an annual increase in the climate change levy to double it over the next five years.

Edie (Internet), UK, Nov. 12, 2004

`AR4 will provide new information on climate change`
Environment and Forest Minister A Raja said that the fourth Assessment Report, being prepared at present, will provide necessary data to identify vulnerable locations and suggest possible strategies to counter the impact of climate change. Inaugurating the 22nd session of inter-governmental panel on climate change, Mr Raja said, "The fourth Assessment Report (AR4) can help convey new information on the range of likely climate change impacts, identify locations and systems that may be most vulnerable and evaluate different possible adaptation strategies." He said the report would highlight the research being done in developing countries and voice the concerns of the South. The minister also stressed the need for making the findings of the study available to the masses.

The Pioneer, New Delhi, Nov. 10, 2004, Page No. 5

China in for extreme weather as climate change felt, report says
China can expect more droughts, floods and other extreme weather as it struggles to balance rapid development with environmental concerns, a report on climate change released. The report, part of China`s commitment to the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change, comes as parts of south China suffer their worst drought in 50 years, withering crops, drying up reservoirs and cuts to power supplies. "It (global warming) affects food security, education, child and maternal mortality and the basic biological systems on our planet and if action is not taken today we are seriously endangering our future livelihood," UNDP China Representative Khalid Malik told a news conference.

Environmental News Network(Internet), US, Nov. 09, 2004

Political climate warms for Kyoto
The Kyoto protocol on climate change will come into force next spring. This is now certain after the Russian Duma ratified it on Friday. For reasons specific to the way the treaty was written, Russian approval has become key to its taking effect, and it will do so three months after Moscow completes all ratification formalities.....Editorial

Financial Times, London, Oct. 25, 2004, Page No. 12

Bad weather may cloud the picture
Climate change will be one of the items at the top of the agenda when the UK takes over the presidency of the European Union and G8 next year, promises Tony Blair, the UK prime minister. His enthusiasm for the subject reflects growing public concern that "extreme weather events", such as storms, droughts and floods, could be the result of human action changing the planet`s weather systems.

Financial Times, Lahore, 2sp, Oct. 14, 2004

‘Emission curbs do not hamper development’
UK Minister for environment Margaret Beckett said that economic development was possible inspite of emission reduction if “energy efficiency” was made the focus. The concern that curbing emissions to tackle climate change will inhibit development or damage economy was misplaced, she said. Many MNCs were discovering that checking emissions was leading to higher energy efficiency and financial savings.

The Hindustan Times, New Delhi, 17, Oct. 07, 2004

Commission launches consultation on climate change policy
The European Commission has launched a web-based consultation on the future of its climate change
policy giving stakeholders the opportunity to contribute to the debate. The Commission will use the contributions in the development of the EU`s future climate change policy. "Climate change is one of the greatest challenges of our generation. The first Kyoto commitment period will end in 2012. Already now, we need to prepare for what comes after. The international community will soon start discussing how we can build on the Kyoto Protocol and launch a new phase of international co-operation on climate change.

Edie (Internet), UK, Sept. 17, 2004

Blair to press on climate change, challenge Bush
Britain`s Tony Blair will make an uncompromising speech on climate change, urging the world to act in concert and pressing Washington to change its stance. Government sources say the prime minister`s speech, to environmental experts, should not be seen as a cooling of relations with President George W. Bush. Blair has long promised to make the environment and cutting greenhouse gases the centerpiece of Britain`s presidency of the G8 in 2005.

Environmental News Network(Internet), US, Sept. 14, 2004

Good guess of climate change
Computer models of climate, particularly, have become a lightning rod in the climate debate, and are likely to remain so for years to come. Run on the world’s most powerful computers, they are essentially best-guess re-creations of the way the climate system works, using thousands of equations to simulate the flows of energy, water, air, clouds and pollution in the atmosphere. The models provide one of the few tools for unraveling the causes and consequences of climate change, given that it is impossible to run an experiment with the real earth other than the one that is already under way as greenhouse gases build. They have thus become a cornerstone of calls to limit warming. But they remain rough sketches of reality.

Deccan Herald, Bangalore, 4supp, Sept. 13, 2004

Climate change growing concern for businesses
Growing scientific evidence of global warming is becoming an increasingly urgent priority for business leaders, a report from The Conference Board has shown this week. The report states that "governments and markets are likely to act" on expanding scientific evidence, and perceptions that climate change have become "an urgent priority that must be addressed through a variety of measures."

Edie (Internet), UK, Sept. 10, 2004

Californian wine grapes under climate threat
California`s illustrious wine industry could be destroyed if more is not done to combat climate change, US environmental experts have warned. A recent report showed how California is becoming increasingly drier and hotter, and unless more is done to cut greenhouse gas emissions, heat waves will become more intense and crop irrigation will be disrupted. Dr Chris Field, director of the Carnegie Institution`s Department of Global Ecology and lead author of the study, said that, if the current climate model continues, California`s grape production will come under serious threat.

Edie (Internet), UK, Sept. 3, 2004

Full impact of global warming masked by air pollution
Air pollution could have been masking the true impact of the effect of global warming on the earth, a leading scientist stated this week. Speaking at the 13th World Clean Air and Environmental Protection congress, Professor Meinrat Andreae of the Max Planck Institute in Germany said that the presence of aerosol gases in the atmosphere could have actually been protecting the earth from feeling the full force of climate change. Research conducted by Professor Andreae shows that a cooling effect caused by aerosols in the air, which scatter light back to space, could have reduced the acceleration of the warming effect on the earth. However, this would simply be delaying the catastrophic end results of climate change.

Edie (Internet), UK, August 27, 2004

Climate change policy `off course`
Government targets for reduced carbon dioxide emissions to the atmosphere will not be met, and
environmental taxes, particularly on road traffic, are falling rather than rising, the Commons environmental audit committee says. The climate change policy is "seriously off course" and it is doubtful that even the minimal policies in place are producing the benefits ministers have claimed, it says. The report on the 2004 budget and energy policy says the cost of motoring continues to fall in real terms set against disposal income, and the cost of public transport continues to rise.

The Guardian (Internet), UK, August 12, 2004

Climate change threatens Peruvian peaks
Many of Peru`s stunning glaciers running through the central and southern Andes could melt and disappear over the next few years as a direct result of global warming. Experts at Peru`s National Environment Council (CONAM) recently stated the urgency of the situation: "If climatic conditions remain as they are, all the glaciers under 18,000 feet will have disappeared by around 2015. This includes a total of 18 glaciers that are in danger." Peru has the most tropical glaciers in Latin America, according to CONAM, but 22% of them have already been lost to global warming over the last 30 years. The fast-melting Andean glaciers could cause avalanches and floods, and experts say that 35 climbers have been killed in the past five years because of melting ice slabs on the mountains, caused by climate change.

Edie (Internet), UK, August 06, 2004

Small steps to limit climate change
Energy security is high on the agenda of governments and policy makers. Concern is driven by the
combination of growing demand, war, terrorism, rising prices and the growing dependence of the world’s energy-importing regions on a tiny number of exporters, many of, which are politically unstable. The concerns are serious. Equally worrying is the risk that the growing consumption of hydrocarbons will impose an unsustainable burden on the earth’s climate.

Financial Times, London, June 30, 2004, Page No. 13

Climate change to impact livelihood scenario
The initial communication of India to the United Nations Framework Con-vention on climate change, offically relased in Chennai recently, highlights the low emission level in India and the dangers that the country could face in the event of climate change . The intensity of floods and harshness of droughts are set to increase in various parts of the country. India is a party to the UN Framework Convention on climate change, which was adopted.

The Financial Express, New Delhi, June 23, 2004, Page No. 7

America warned to anticipate rather than react to climate change
US academics have called for urgent action to reduce the severity of impacts of climate change, saying we are already past the point of its prevention and that minimising carbon dioxide output should no longer be the sole strategy for coping with the climate shift. Anticipating the impacts of global warming, rather than just reacting to them is the strategy advised by a collective of academics in a new report Coping with Global Climate Change: The Role of Adaptation in the United States, which was launched this week.

Edie (Internet), UK, June 18, 2004

First-ever standards set for land use projects target climate change
The first-ever set of standards certifying land use projects that reduce global warming while conserving the environment and alleviating poverty will be opened up for global peer review and comment next week by the Climate, Community, and Biodiversity Alliance. This "multiple-benefit" approach, which incorporates climate, environmental, and social issues, addresses shortfalls in existing land-based climate strategies. With input from environmental organizations, academic institutions, and the private sector, the Climate, Community, and Biodiversity (CCB) Standards will help companies, conservation organizations, governments, and international funding groups to efficiently identify cost-effective carbon emission reduction projects that also have a positive impact on biodiversity and local communities.

Environmental News Network(Internet), US, June 18, 2004

Climate change experts despair over us attitude
Climate change experts said they are frustrated the U.S. government and the public are not taking the risk of global warming seriously. They said even as sea levels rise and crop yields fall, officials argue over whether climate change is real and Americans continue to drive fuel-guzzling SUVs. There is going to be large change," said atmospheric scientist David Battisti of the University of Washington in Seattle. "The risks are very large."

Planet Ark (Internet), Australia, June 16, 2004

Insurance cover could run out if climate change not tackled, threatens report
Insurance claims could treble by 2050, with cover becoming increasingly difficult or potentially impossible to get due to the inevitability of climate change damage, claims a report from Britain`s insurance industry this week. Global warming could threaten the insurance industry unless action is taken. In an ultimatum like statement, the Association of British Insurers has said, that action to manage climate change risks can help ensure that widespread insurance cover remains readily available.

Edie (Internet), UK, June 11, 2004

Climate changes could impact business practices
The Hollywood flick The day after tomorrow, set against the backdrop canvas of global warming, playing at a nearby theatre, could be a racy entertainer with special effects. But in real life too, climatic change is no more a marginal issue and is in fact changing the way companies are to do business in future. "Insurance is in the frontline of climate change," says Mr John Parker, Association of British Insurers (ABI). A recent study commissioned by the ABI has used Europe-centric examples to illustrate the "changing climate for insurance". But the study released this month provides a repertoire of green lessons, which countries on a growth path like India, could do well to leaf through.

Business Line, New Delhi, June 10, 2004, Page No. 2

Sea rising
Satellite images of sea levels have provided evidence of a bizarre effect — the oceans rising faster near the coast than in their middle segments. Simon Holgate and Philip Woodworth of the uk-based Proudman Oceanographic Laboratory used the images of the Topex satellite to nail down the discrepancy. As per their analysis, on an average, global sea level rose by 2.8 millimetres per year between 1993 and 2002. But the water level within 100 kilometres of the coast rose faster — 3.7 millimetres per year. In 1996, atmospheric scientists had predicted this effect.

The New Indian Express, Bangalore, June 06, 2004, Page No. 19

Climate change: Boom or bust for biodiversity?
Will climate change trigger mass extinctions or will new life bloom in its wake? Some of the scientific scenarios are apocalyptic and see a warmer world leading to the most profound changes since the demise of the dinosaurs. "The biodiversity and nature impacts (of global warming) are well-documented.... All the signals are there: birds migrating earlier, flowers blooming earlier, seasons changing," said Jennifer Morgan, director of the climate change program for the conservation group WWF International. Global warming could wipe out one-quarter of all species of plants and animals by 2050, according to one international study.

Environmental News Network(Internet), US, May 25, 2004

Climate change may drain rivers
Climate change will have a disastrous effect on the flow of rivers, which provide water for most of Earth’s cities. Rising levels of carbon dioxide pollution, caused by the unbridled burning of oil, coal and gas, will warm the troposphere, the lowest layer of the world’s atmosphere, in addition to the land and seas. Warmer air temperatures will affect water vapour, cloud cover, solar radiation and ozone, which in turn will have an impact on evaporation and rainfall.

Business Line, New Delhi, May 22, 2004, Page No. 20

Climate Change Gets a Hollywood Makeover
It is just another digitally enhanced disaster movie, but campaigners hope "The Day After Tomorrow," a climate change Armageddon blockbuster, will have a lasting special effect on respect for the planet. 20th Century Fox`s $125 million film opens in cinemas worldwide on May 28. Riding on its coat tails is an army of environmentalists hoping it will win new recruits to their cause. Roland Emmerich of "Independence Day" and "Godzilla" fame directs a story of how global warming caused by man`s insatiable desire to keep burning oil, gas and coal, melts the polar ice caps and neutralizes warm ocean currents to trigger an Ice Age.

Business Line, New Delhi, May 13, 2004, Page No. 20

Inuit `poisoned from afar` due to climate change
The Inuit living in the Arctic region are being "poisoned from afar" as climate change takes its toll on the area and threatens their existence, the head of the Inuit Circumpolar Conference said. Sheila Watt-Cloutier, chairwoman of the group that represents about 155,000 Inuit in the Arctic regions of Canada, Russia, Greenland and the United States, said Inuit were paying dearly for the actions of people elsewhere.

Planet Ark (Internet), Australia, May 13, 2004

US says misunderstood on climate change policy
The United States is committed to fighting global warming even if it has rejected the Kyoto treaty, the U.S. climate change negotiator said. President Bush`s decision in 2001 to reject the Kyoto pact on cutting carbon dioxide emissions, believed to cause global warming, prompted fierce criticism around the world and hurt international relations on environmental issues. "We use every opportunity that we can in many fora around the world to get our message out...We feel that people don`t hear all that we are doing," senior climate change negotiator Harlan Watson told reporters ahead of a conference.

Planet Ark (Internet), Australia, May 11, 2004

Climatic change and its effect on Sri Lanka
Present global climate is defined here as the climate of the decade 1980-2000. This period witnessed the highest level of development in climatology, since its origin in the early part of 19th century. The development of digital recorders and use of weather satellites to view the earth globally has enabled climatologists to understand the global picture better than ever before. In summary global climate and environment was in a time of change in the decade of 1990 to 2000 and the changes in climatic phenomena identified in the early 1980s were confirmed by research conducted in this period.

Daily News (Internet), Sri Lanka, May 07, 2004

Workshop on climate change to have Indian, German experts
Environment experts from India and Germany will take part in a day-long workshop on `Climate Change Adaptation in India` being organised in Delhi on May 12 to discuss climate change and its effects on natural and human systems.

The Tribune, New Delhi, 2sp, April 29, 2004

Nations approve climate project
Dozens of nations and international organisations endorsed a 10-year blueprint for a global climate change watch system that would let governments share information about the earth to assess climate change, forecast natural disasters and fight disease.

Financial Times, London, April 26, 2004, Page No. 3

New group battling to beat climate change
Environmental activist Steve Howard hopes to work himself out of a job within a decade by convincing people to stop global warming. As head of the newly formed Climate Group, Howard`s mission is to stop global warming and climate change, which experts say is the biggest single threat humankind has ever faced. "If there were a huge asteroid heading for Earth on a path that looked like being a direct hit, we would all mobilize to do something to divert it," said Howard at the group`s British headquarters in Weybridge, some 20 miles southwest of London. "Climate change is that asteroid, and the way we are going now it will be a direct hit."

Environmental News Service(Internet), US, April 07, 2004

Senate committee backs $60 million "abrupt climate change" research program
A $60 million program for researching sudden or unexpected changes in the climate would be created under legislation that won approval Tuesday by a Senate committee. By voice vote and with little discussion, the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee sent the bill to the full Senate for consideration. Sen. Ted Stevens, R-Alaska, told fellow committee members the bill was important for Alaska. He had previously expressed concern with climate warming problems in his home state such as melting permafrost, possible village relocations, receding Alaskan forests, and submerged air strips.

Environmental News Network(Internet), US, March 10, 2004

Leaked Pentagon report warns climate change may bring famine, war
A secret report prepared by the Pentagon warns that climate change may lead to global catastrophe costing millions of lives and is a far greater threat than terrorism, The report was ordered by an influential US Pentagon advisor but was covered up by "US defense chiefs" for four months, until it was "obtained" by the British weekly. The leak promises to draw angry attention to US environmental and military policies, following Washington`s rejection of the Kyoto Protocol on climate change and President George W. Bush`s skepticism about global warning -- a stance that has stunned scientists worldwide.

Haveeru Daily (Internet), Maldives, February 23, 2004

‘Climate change can destroy Earth’
Climate change over the next 20 years could result in a global catastrophe costing millions of lives in wars and natural disasters. A secret report, suppressed by US defence chiefs, warns that major European cities will be sunk beneath rising seas as Britain is plunged into a `Siberian` climate by 2020. Nuclear conflict, mega-droughts, famine and widespread rioting will erupt across the world. The document predicts that abrupt climate change could bring the planet to the edge of anarchy as countries develop a nuclear threat to defend and secure dwindling food, water and energy supplies. The threat to global stability vastly eclipses that of terrorism, say the few experts privy to its contents.

The Hindustan Times, New Delhi, February 23, 2004, Page No. 1

Now the pentagon tells bush: climate change will destroy us
Climate change over the next 20 years could result in a global catastrophe costing millions of lives in wars and natural disasters. A secret report, suppressed by US defence chiefs and obtained by The Observer, warns that major European cities will be sunk beneath rising seas as Britain is plunged into a `Siberian` climate by 2020. Nuclear conflict, mega-droughts, famine and widespread rioting will erupt across the world.

Environment Nepal(Internet), Nepal, February 22, 2004

Addressing climate change
Global climate change is a concern just as the rising emission of greenhouse gas. How will one respond? Attempting to address that issue in Bhutan would be the outcome of two project documents signed between the national environment commission (NEC) and the UNDP with the global environment facility (GEF), on February 20. The projects are funded by UNDP/GEF at US$200000 each.

Kuensel, Bhutan, February 21, 2004, Page No. 3

Study estimates oil giant`s climate change emissions
A study by Friends of the Earth International (FOEI) claims that one oil company, ExxonMobil, has emitted three times as much carbon dioxide as the current annual emissions from fossil fuels worldwide, and has been responsible for five per cent of all CO₂ emissions over the last 120 years. ExxonMobil strenuously deny the claim and say that any allegation that the company is not taking a constructive approach to climate change is completely unfounded.

Edie (Internet), UK, January 30, 2004

New Institute to study climate change and air quality, and forewarn public
A new £2.3 million research institute, launched this week, could help UK scientists become experts in predicting the quality of air we breath, and safeguard public health through forewarning of poor conditions. The Distributed Institute for Atmospheric Composition (DIAC), funded by the Natural Environment Research Council Centres for Atmospheric Sciences, incorporates research teams from six universities in the UK, and will look predominantly at the implications of climate change on air.

Edie (Internet), UK, January 30, 2004

Glaciers and Sea Ice Endangered by Rising Temperatures
By 2020, the snows of Kilimanjaro may exist only in old photographs. The glaciers in Montana`s Glacier National Park could disappear by 2030. And by mid-century, the Arctic Sea may be completely ice-free during summertime. As the earth`s temperature has risen in recent decades, the earth`s ice cover has begun to melt. And that melting is accelerating. In both 2002 and 2003, the Northern Hemisphere registered record-low sea ice cover. New satellite data show the Arctic region warming more during the 1990s than during the 1980s, with Arctic Sea ice now melting by up to 15 percent per decade. The long- sought Northwest Passage, a dream of early explorers, could become our nightmare. The loss of Arctic Sea ice could alter ocean circulation patterns and trigger changes in global climate patterns.

Environmental News Network(Internet), US, January 27, 2004

`Climate greater threat than terror`
British Prime Minister Tony Blair`s chief scientist has launched a withering attack on US President George W Bush for failure to tackle climate change, which he says is more serious than terrorism. Sir David King, the UK government`s chief scientific adviser, says in an article in the journal Science that America, the world`s greater polluter, must take the threat of global warming more seriously. "In my view, climate change is the most servere problem that we are facing today, more serious even than the threat of terrorism, Sir David says.

The Asian Age, New Delhi, January 10, 2004, Page No. 5

EC rejects water directive proposals and dilutes climate change rules
The European Environment Council has failed to agree on proposals for a new Bathing Water Directive which aimed to cut the risk of swimmers contracting illnesses from polluted seas. The revision of the current bathing water directive, considered too old and inadequate by many, was the only item on the agenda of the European Environment Council meeting where a decision could have been taken. Britain was among the group of countries that opposed measures to introduce stricter scientific tests when assessing the safety of beaches and inland water areas. Others included France, the Netherlands, Belgium and Ireland.

Edie (Internet), UK, January 09, 2004

Thought experiment on macro engineering to combat climate change
An international conference looking at macro engineering solutions to climate change management and mitigation has taken place this week, with a view to deciding what ideas are plausible for further scientific research. Seeding oceans with iron filings, sending millions of tiny helium balloons into the atmosphere and carbon sequestration will all be on the discussion agenda for scientists attending the conference organised by the Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research and the Cambridge MIT Institute.

Edie (Internet), UK, January 09, 2004

Global heat to kill 1 million species
Climate change over the next 50 years is expected to drive a quarter of land animals and plants into extinction, according to the first comprehensive study into the effect of higher temperatures on the natural world. The sheer scale of the disaster facing the planet shocked those involved in the research. They estimate that more than 1 million species will be lost by 2050. The results are described as "terrifying" by Chris Thomas, professor of conservation biology at Leeds University, who is lead author of the research from four continents published in the magazine Nature.

The Hindustan Times, New Delhi, January 9, 2004 Page No. 13

Running out of time
Surreal. This is how a newspaper described the just concluded meeting on climate change in Milan. Ministers and several hundred government officials gathered to fuss over the final details of a treaty they know may never come into force. But even more surreal is what the negotiators spent their time fussing over. Their big achievement was a resolve to include-by rule now-genetically-modified forests in the calculation for sinks (sinks are forests that sequester carbon from cars and power plants and other sources).

Business Standard, New Delhi, December 23, 2003, Page No. 6

U.S. official calls for sustained effort on climate change
A U.S. official says that addressing the issue of global climate will require a sustained effort by all nations over many generations. Under Secretary of State Paula Dobriansky, head of the U.S. delegation at the Nonth Session of the Conference of Parties to the Framework Convention on Climate Change meeting December 1-12 in Milan, Italy told that the United States recognizes that international collaboration is crucial for an effective, global response to the complex challenge of climate change over the long-term.

USIS Official Text, New Delhi, December 12, 2003

Hungary`s shrinking lake fuels climate change fears
Lake Balaton, central Europe`s biggest fresh water lake and one of Hungary`s main tourist attractions, is shrinking, prompting warnings of a potential ecological and economic catastrophe. For the first time since records began in 1865, four consecutive hot summers and low annual rainfall have sucked millions of gallons of water from the lake, exposing large mudflats and forcing vacationers to walk far out into the lake before they can swim. One legend has it that a young girl sits weeping in a church in the center of the lake, her tears the source of water for one of central Europe`s favorite family resorts.

Planet Ark (Internet), Australia, September 03, 2003

Not clear on the concept
The World Meteorological Organisation normally produces statistics-heavy reports at the end of the year, not news bulletins about today`s weather. Its announcement on 2 July that the record extremes in weather being experienced globally this year are evidence that climate change is actually underway is therefore much more than just another salvo in the long argument about global warming...editorial

The Kashmir Times, Jammu, July 06, 2003, Page No. 6

Planet greener owing to climate change
The planet has become greener over the past 20 years owing to changes in the global climate, a study funded by NASA and the US Energy Department has found. Planets have flourished in many areas especially in the tropics and the far northern forests because they variously received more sun, water, heat or carbon dioxide, said the study.

The Statesman, New Delhi, June 10, 2003, Page No. 8

Season`s hottest day so far
If you thought Delhi was in the grip of a severe heat wave these days, this might come as a surprise. The maximum temperature may be a couple of degrees above normal, but the Capital is, in the strict technical sense of the term, not experiencing such a condition. So, has the Capital`s climate then really changed over the years? "No one really knows," says Anju Sharma of the Centre for Science and Environment(CSE). "We have been urging the scientists of the Indian Meteorological Department to study the regional impact of climate change on cities like Delhi and Mumbai." While CSE has put together a fact sheet on climate change in India, not much data about local climate change here is available.

The Hindu, New Delhi, June 3, 2003

Climate change raises health risks for Aussies
A hotter drier climate over the next century wil influence floods, droughts, and infectious diseases in Australia. Australia`s first official assessment of the risks to public health from climate change predicts rising global temperatures will cause more Australians to become ill or die from heat, flooding and infectious diseases.

Sahara Time, New Delhi, May 24, 2003, Page No. 17

Future climate change to be more rapid
As sulphur dioxide levels fall off, the change in climate due to greenhouse gases will become more rapid, according to a study by a group of scientists at the world renowned Hadley Centre for Climate Change, in the UK. The study has used a model that includes both interactive carbon and sulphur cycles, along with natural forcings due to solar changes and volcanic aerosol. Previous research has not included the additional forcings – which the researchers say, have a significant impact on the carbon cycle – and consequently
overestimated the level of carbon dioxide in the twentieth century by as much as 50%.

Edie (Internet), UK, May 23, 2003

28 killed as tornadoes strike US Midwest
A series of tornadoes and high winds pummelled the midwest, killing an estimated 28 people in three states as storms left a swath of destruction a quarter-mile wide in some places. In Missouri, Lawrence county sheriff Doug Seneker estimated a dozen people were killed when a tornado careened through the southwest part of the state. Kansas governor Kathleen Sebelius declared seven counties disaster areas, and Missouri governor Bob Holden said the process was under way to declare disaster areas in his state.

The Asian Age, New Delhi, May 06, 2003, Page No. 6

Climate change may make a few variety of vegetation extinct
The pattern of some of the vegetation may change by the year 2050 if the temperatures continue to rise at the current rate. The different models suggest an increase of 2-4 Centrigrade temperature rise in the next 50 years.

The Kathmandu Post, Kathmandu, April 04, 2003, Page No. 12

Siraj calls for steps to mitigate climate change
Bangladesh Environment and Forest Minister Shajahan Siraj emphasized the need for taking global mitigation measures to face the climate change and said agrarian least developed countries like Bangladesh would be the worst hit because of global warming and sea-level rises.

The Bangladesh Observer, Dhaka, March 10, 2003, Page No. 3

U.S. officials announce international forum to address climate change
U.S. officials have announced a public-private effort to construct a prototype electric and hydrogen production plant and the formation of a new international forum to advance carbon capture and storage technologies as ways to reduce the world's heat-trapping greenhouse gas emissions.

USIS Backgrounder, New Delhi, March 03, 2003

Investors insist companies prepare for climate change
Climate change is recognised as a serious business threat by 80% the world's 500 largest companies. However less than half of these have taken preventative action according to a survey conducted by shareholders. The Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP) was set up to provide information to investors and funders. An acknowledged 'knowledge deficit' concerning the financial impact of climate change, left shareholders unable to demand company action in this area. CDP surveyed big businesses to make up the shortfall in information.

Edie (Internet), UK, February 21, 2003

UK`s Blair demands new push on climate change:
British Prime Minister Tony Blair urged the United States and other rich nations this week to do more to tackle global poverty and environmental damage or risk a permanent split with the developing world. In a speech to highlight new green energy pledges by his government, Blair said a stronger commitment by rich nations on climate change could help convince poorer countries of its desire to act justly over crises like Iraq, the broader Middle East peace process and the threat posed by terror organisations.

Planet Ark (Internet), Australia, February 26, 2003

Carbon dioxide won the elections:
Future generations may look back on the victory of President George W. Bush in the 2002 congressional elections and see a casualty other than the Democrats. In the world beyond 2050 - our children's easily be a paramount concern. The republican triumph could doom for another protracted period efforts to forge a responsible U.S. policy on global climate change.

International Herald Tribune, Bangkok, January 16, 2003, Page No. 6

EU emissions trading scheme could spell end to UK scheme:
The EU emissions trading scheme, due to come into effect in 2005, pending European Parliament approval, could result in an end to the UK emissions trading scheme and major changes to the Climate Change Levy, say researchers at the University of Sussex. "The EU Directive has driven a coach and horses through UK climate policy and has turned the UK's early start in emissions trading into a false start," said the reports author, Steve Sorrell of Science and Technology Policy Research (SPRU) at Sussex University. He also stated that the full implications of the discrepancy have not yet been appreciated by government and industry.

Edie (Internet), UK, January 10, 2003

El Niño in mature stage; effects should linger through end of spring:
Storms batter California. Snow piles up in the Northeast. Dry weather persists in the Ohio Valley. Blame El Niño, the periodic Pacific weather phenomenon that has been disrupting weather worldwide. U.S. forecasters predicted that it will continue through spring before easing back toward more normal conditions. The El Niño phenomenon has reached its mature stage, the National Weather Service said in its monthly update.

USA Today (Internet), US, January 09, 2003