Watch out Big Oil, and King Coal. Your day in court is rapidly coming. One of Britain’s leading climate scientists believes that the day when people affected by worsening storms, heatwaves and floods could soon be able to sue oil, coal and power companies is fast approaching. Myles Allen, a physicist at Oxford University, argues … Read More
climate change impacts
The Other CO2 Problem…
The other day I went to a lecture by one of Britain’s leading marine scientists. His talk was on the “Other CO2 Problem,” which is not the problem of rising CO2 levels in the atmosphere, but of rising acidity in the world’s oceans. The oceans absorb about a third of the CO2 released into the … Read More
Paradise Lost
Thirteen years ago today, the world watched in horror as a brutal military dictatorship executed Ken Saro-Wiwa and eight other Ogoni activists. Ken and the others were fighting against Shell for a greater share of the oil waealth that was being drilled from their land, but more importantly they were fighting for clean air, water … Read More
As Arctic Ice “Plummets,” JFK Speaks on Climate…
More bad news on the climate. A study by British researchers has found that the Arctic sea ice thickness “plummeted” last winter, thinning by as much as half a metre in some regions. The team from University College London argue that the results provided the first definitive proof that the overall volume of Arctic ice … Read More
Climate Change Happening Faster, Stronger, Sooner
Just as European leaders are faltering in their efforts to tackle climate change, a new survey of the science by WWF has found that the climate is changing much faster, stronger and sooner than even the IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) forecast. According to WWF, research on climate change and its impacts published since … Read More
Welcome to 2030: Refugees in Antarctica, bio-warfare over water….
If you think that the events of the last few weeks have been unprecedented, they are mild compared to the bumper roller-coaster ride you are in store for because of climate change. A set of possible future scenarios for 2030 envisages refugees in Antarctica, a virtual Olympics, and bio-warfare over water. Developed by the British … Read More
Beware of the “Deadly Dozen”
Its that time of year again when people start coming down with a cold or the flu. But they could soon be the least of your worries. Avian flu, TB, cholera and Ebola are just some of the broad range of infectious diseases that will get worse because of climate change. If that is not … Read More
The Methane Time Bomb Explodes
For nearly twenty years anyone concerned about climate change has been worried about the millions and millions of tonnes of frozen methane locked in the permafrost slowly melting and being released into the atmosphere. It was seen as a nightmare scenario, known as a positive feedback mechanism, where the more the Arctic melted the more … Read More
Warming Oceans are “Engine Drivers” of Stronger Hurricanes
So Gustav has effectively gone. The hurricane that struck the U.S on Monday was less fierce than expected and largely spared New Orleans and Louisiana, although the cost of cleanup could still be $10 billion. But there may not be much respite for some areas. There are currently four tropical storms swirling around the Atlantic. … Read More
Talk to the birds …
The uncomfortable truth for climate campaigners is that despite the increasing urgency of the issue, and despite the huge political and media coverage global warming has received over the last two years, the public is becoming LESS concerned about it. Let’s quickly look at Britain. In 2005, polling by the authoritative polling company MORI found … Read More