NewsRack: 'Agriculture' news in 'Climate Change' topic for user Genecampaign

Alaska's erosion accelerated by climate change	15.5.2013	Guardian: Environment
Warmer temperatures, heavy rain, flooding, sea-level rise and retreating sea ice are stealing the ground from beneath Alaskans' feet Guardian US interactive team Greg Chen Gabriel Dance Feilding Cage Suzanne Goldenberg
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US windfarms avoiding prosecution for eagle deaths	14.5.2013	The Guardian -- World Latest
More than 83,000 hunting birds are killed by windfarms each year but no wind energy company has been fined The Obama administration has never fined or prosecuted a windfarm for killing eagles and other protected bird species, shielding the industry from liability and helping keep the scope of the deaths secret, an Associated Press investigation has found. More than 573,000 birds are killed by the country's windfarms each year, including 83,000 hunting birds such as hawks, falcons and eagles, according to an estimate published in March in the peer-reviewed Wildlife Society Bulletin . Each death is federal crime, a charge that the Obama administration has used to prosecute oil companies when birds drown in their waste pits, and power companies when birds are electrocuted by their power lines. No wind energy company has been prosecuted, even those that repeatedly flout the law. Wind power, a pollution-free energy intended to ease global warming, is a cornerstone of President Barack ...
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Richard Benyon vows to drive through 'ambitious' EU fishing reforms	14.5.2013	The Guardian -- World Latest
UK fisheries minister says he will refuse any deal that goes against three key principles at key meeting in Brussels Richard Benyon, the UK's fisheries minister, has vowed to drive "ambitious and radical reform" of the EU's common fisheries policy at a key meeting in Brussels this week. In an interview with the Guardian, he listed three main goals for the UK – to ensure that a new proposal for fishing to be carried on strictly within a "maximum sustainable yield" that would be legally binding; a ban on the discarding of edible fish at sea, and a devolution of key aspects of managing fishing quota to member states, instead of being controlled entirely from Brussels. This week's tense meeting , which follows more than two years of negotiations over the management of the EU's dwindling fish stocks , will not reach a conclusion until late on Tuesday night or some time on Wednesday morning, the European commission warned. Once a common position has been agreed, more talks will follow next week ...
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UN discusses role of technology for sustainable development (Cached)	14.5.2013	New Kerala: World News
New York, May 14 : Senior United Nations officials, policymakers, civil society representatives and other stakeholders gathered Monday at UN Headquarters in Here for a special Economic and Social Council forum on mobilizing science, technology and innovation for sustainable development.
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Climate change can cause widespread global-scale loss of flora and fauna (Cached)	14.5.2013	New Kerala: India News
London, May 13 : Climate change could lead to decline in more than 50 per cent of common plants and 33 per cent of animals can see this century, a research has suggested.
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One-third of animal species will be hit by climate change, scientists warn	13.5.2013	The Guardian -- World Latest
Plant and animal species could see dramatic losses as habitats become unsuitable and ecosystems collapse One-third of common land animals could see dramatic losses this century because of climate change, scientists predict. More than half of plants could be hit the same way as habitats become unsuitable for numerous species. The collapse of ecosystems would have major economic impacts on agriculture, air quality, clean water access, and tourism. Global temperatures are set to rise 4C above preindustrial levels by 2100 if nothing is done to stem greenhouse gas emissions. This could have a hugely destructive effect on thousands of common as well as rare and endangered species around the world, according to the researchers. An estimated 57% of plants and 34% of animals were likely to lose half or more of their habitat range. But the damage would be greatly reduced if emissions were scaled down in time, the study shows. Losses are reduced by 60% if global warming is cut to 2% ...
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European energy chief puts forward case for funding coal	13.5.2013	Guardian: Environment
EBRD chief Riccardo Puliti warns Europe not to be hasty in adopting 'ideological' policy on carbon intensity funding One of Europe's most influential government-owned investors in the energy industry has hinted it may expand funding of high-carbon coal projects despite mounting pressure from climate change campaigners to rule out such investments. Riccardo Puliti, energy chief at the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), warned against an "ideological" policy on carbon intensity in funding decisions without giving weight to other considerations. The EBRD, which is based in London and owned by more than 60 countries, including the UK, is reviewing its energy policy. It has a €37.5bn (£32bn) loan book, with 41% of its investments last year channelled into the energy and infrastructure sectors. Puliti's comments came as scientists declared the highest day-long concentration of C0 2 in human history and a line of global institutions such as the International Energy ...
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Climate change 'will make hundreds of millions homeless'	12.5.2013	The Guardian -- World Latest
Carbon dioxide levels indicate rise in temperatures that could lead agriculture to fail on entire continents It is increasingly likely that hundreds of millions of people will be displaced from their homelands in the near future as a result of global warming. That is the stark warning of economist and climate change expert Lord Stern following the news last week that concentrations of carbon dioxide in our atmosphere had reached a level of 400 parts per million (ppm). Massive movements of people are likely to occur over the rest of the century because global temperatures are likely to rise to by up to 5C because carbon dioxide levels have risen unabated for 50 years, said Stern, who is head of the Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change. "When temperatures rise to that level, we will have disrupted weather patterns and spreading deserts," he said. "Hundreds of millions of people will be forced to leave their homelands because their crops and animals will have died. The trouble will ...
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The Mr Men and Little Misses of Science \| Dean Burnett	10.5.2013	Guardian: Science
Michael Gove recently attacked the use of Mister Men characters to teach children History. If Michael Gove is attacking it, that's a reliable sign that it's a good idea. This method could also be used to teach the more complex elements of science Michael Gove recently criticised modern teaching methods in the UK by referencing the fact that children were being taught about Hitler via the use of Mr Men characters. He implies that this is a widespread, common teaching method, rather than a planned technique where year 11 students could revise what they'd learned by explaining it to younger pupils . Children, being encouraged to show creativity, original thinking and the ability to effectively communicate information to others? Can you imagine what fresh hell would be unleashed upon society if that became the norm? It's too hideous to even contemplate. Given his record , Michael Gove objecting to something is a strong indication that it's actually a good and valid educational technique. So ...
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Charles: 'Climate change sceptics are turning Earth into dying patient'	10.5.2013	Guardian: Environment
Heir to throne intervenes on issue dividing coalition, making outspoken criticism of attempts to tackle global warming Prince Charles has attacked corporate lobbyists and climate change sceptics for turning the Earth into a "dying patient", making his most outspoken criticism yet of the world's failure to tackle global warming just when the heir to the throne is assuming a growing number of the duties of what is supposed to be an apolitical monarchy. Hosting a two-day conference for forest scientists at St James's Palace in London, the Prince of Wales satirised those who stand in the way of climate action, characterising them as "the confirmed sceptics" and "the international association of corporate lobbyists". Faced with these forces of opposition, "science finds itself up the proverbial double blind gum tree", he added. At the debate on environmental issues, hours after the prince attended the Queen's speech, Charles attacked businesses which failed to care for the environment and ...
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Declaration of the Year 2013 as “Water Conservation Year-2013” (Cached)	9.5.2013	Govt of india: PIB
Declaration of the Year 2013 as “Water Conservation Year-2013”
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Insecticide spraying will be expanded to control pest caterpillar	9.5.2013	The Guardian -- World Latest
A new £1.5m fund will be spent on a pilot project to increase pesticide spraying to control the oak processionary moth Spraying of insecticide on oak trees will be increased to eradicate a pest moth that causes health problems and can strip the trees bare, under a new £1.5m government fund announced on Thursday. The escalation of efforts to control the oak processionary moth ( Thaumetopoea processionea ) follows the Forestry Commission announcement this week that it will use a helicopter in May to blanket-spray a woodland in West Berkshire, the first time aerial spraying will have been used . The extra funding will be spent on a pilot project to expand spraying in and around areas where the moth's caterpillars have been found around south and south-west London, and on trees where infestations are less obvious. Lord de Mauley, parliamentary under secretary at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), said: "Tree health is a priority for us and this pest not ...
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Pacific islands look for model to combat changes due to global warming	7.5.2013	Guardian: Environment
Islanders must adapt as environmental impact of climate change affects centuries-old ways of life With islands and atolls scattered across the ocean, the small Pacific island states are among those most exposed to the effects of global warming: increasing acidity and rising sea level, more frequent natural disasters and damage to coral reefs. These micro-states, home to about 10 million people, are already paying for the environmental irresponsibility of the great powers. "Pacific islands are the victims of industrial countries unable to control their carbon dioxide emissions. The truth of the matter is that we have no option but to accept this and adapt," says Dr Jimmie Rodgers, the head of the Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC), a regional development organisation. At the initiative of France's Research on Development Institute (IRD) and New Caledonia University , 30 or so scientists from the Pacific basin spent a week at the end of April discussing the design of a sustainable ...
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Safe drinking water disappearing fast in Bangladesh	7.5.2013	Guardian: Environment
Extreme weather increases salinity of water in coastal areas while excessive demand in Dhaka leaves dwindling supply The availability of safe drinking water, particularly in Bangladesh's hard to reach areas, is expected to worsen as the country experiences the effects of climate change, experts say. According to a study by the World Bank's water and sanitation programme (pdf), about 28 million Bangladeshis, or just over 20% of the population, are living in harsh conditions in the "hard-to-reach areas" that make up a quarter of the country's landmass. The study found that char – land that emerges from riverbeds as a result of the deposit of sediments – is among the most inaccessible, along with hilly areas, coastal regions and haors – bowl-shaped wetland areas in north-east Bangladesh. "People living in hard-to-reach areas are often vulnerable to natural calamities like flooding, riverbank erosion and siltation," said Rokeya Ahmed, a water and sanitation specialist at the World Bank. ...
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Rhododendron gardens being revived in Shimla (Cached)	7.5.2013	New Kerala: India News
Shimla, May 7 : Environmentalists in Shimla took steps to conserve the rare Rhododendron flower, which is nearing extinction in the region.
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Obama dares Ohio State graduates to break cycle of cynicism over future	6.5.2013	The Guardian -- World Latest
President tells graduates they are the key to overcoming political dysfunction in Washington A year to the day after kicking off his victorious re-election campaign there, President Barack Obama returned to Ohio State University and told graduates that only through vigorous participation in their democracy can they right a poorly functioning government and break through relentless cynicism about the nation's future. "I dare you, Class of 2013, to do better. I dare you to do better," Obama said. In a sunbaked stadium filled with more than 57,000 students, friends and relatives, Obama lamented an American political system that gets consumed by "small things" and works for the benefit of society's elite. He called graduates to duty to "accomplish great things", like rebuilding a still-feeble economy and fighting poverty and climate change. "Only you can ultimately break that cycle. Only you can make sure the democracy you inherit is as good as we know it can be," Obama told more than ...
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Climate changes could bring malaria to the UK	5.5.2013	Guardian: Environment
Health experts warn of growing threat from 'exotic' diseases Leading health experts are urging the government to take action against the growing threat that mosquito-borne diseases, including potentially fatal malaria, could soon arrive in the UK. The disturbing recommendation to "act now before it is too late" is being made as a growing body of evidence indicates that what were once thought of as tropical diseases are being found ever closer to the UK. Health experts meeting at the annual public health conference of the Chartered Institute of Environmental Health later this week will hear that rising incidences of a growing list of pest-borne diseases are now a "serious" cause for concern in the UK. The conference will be told that it would be complacent to think that diseases such as dengue fever, malaria and Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever, now present on the European continent but once considered "exotic and confined to faraway places", will not emerge in the UK. "With ...
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Is China really a climate change leader? \| Jennifer Duggan	3.5.2013	Guardian: Environment
A new report portrays China as a leader in tackling climate change but its emissions are still rising dramatically China's environmental woes have attracted a lot of attention internationally since the start of the new year. Air pollution was first up in January as levels in a number of cities, including the capital Beijing, hit lung clogging off the record levels. Dubbed the 'air-pocalypse' , hazardous smog left air pollution left cities enveloped in a thick layer of smog. And just last month water pollution took an unusual form in Shanghai after thousands of dead pigs were found floating in the city's main river which provides drinking water for up to 20 per cent of the city's 23 million residents. Concerns have also been raised about dangerous levels of soil pollution after heavy metals were found in soil samples. China's environment has suffered to help fuel its record-breaking economic growth. Its coal-powered factories and power stations pump out thick clouds of soot making it the ...
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Bengal Chambers hosts climate policy talk (Cached)	3.5.2013	New Kerala: India News
Kolkata, May 2 : The Bengal Chamber in association with British Deputy High Commission and Jadavpur University organized an interactive session on 'Climate Policy and Legislation - Sharing UK and Global Best Practices', here on Thursday.
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Energy secretary urges Michael Gove to reinstate climate change on curriculum	2.5.2013	Guardian: Environment
Ed Davey asks education secretary in private letter to rethink plans to remove climate change from geography curriculum Ed Davey, the energy secretary, has written a private letter to Michael Gove, the education secretary, urging him to rethink his plans to downgrade climate change in the new national curriculum. Amid protests from environmentalists and some students, Gove has removed debate about climate change from the draft geography curriculum. Davey, a Liberal Democrat, argues that inclusion of climate change in the geography curriculum would safeguard the very important role teachers can have in teaching children about climate change. Gove is seeking to slim down the curriculum, but his critics claim the omission of climate change from key stage 3 geography is an attempt to downgrade its significance, and even its validity. In a Guardian interview on Wednesday Nick Clegg revealed he was now spending more time trying to broker deals with the Conservatives on green issues than ...
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