“Huge waves measured for first time in Arctic Ocean”
As the climate warms and sea ice retreats, the North is changing. An ice-covered expanse now has a season of increasingly open water that is predicted to extend across the whole Arctic Ocean before the middle of this century. Storms thus have the potential to create Arctic swell – huge waves that could add a new and unpredictable element to the region.
“White House Report: The Cost of Delaying Action to Stem Climate Change”
Click to access the_cost_of_delaying_action_to_stem_climate_change.pdf
The White House today released a new report from the Council of Economic Advisers that examines the economic consequences of delaying action to stem climate change. The report finds that delaying policy actions by a decade increases total mitigation costs by approximately 40 percent, and failing to take any action would risk substantial economic damage. These findings emphasize the need for policy action today.
“South Africa considers plan to move rhinos to protect them from poachers”
“Will 2015 be the year the world agrees how to live sustainably?”
http://theconversation.com/will-2015-be-the-year-the-world-agrees-how-to-live-sustainably-29578
Next year will be critical in environmental diplomacy. World governments will be negotiating important global agreements in two areas that will have a major impact on our well-being in coming decades, including the legal framework for climate action beyond 2020.
The second, far less well-known – but potentially just as important – agreement is about setting global Sustainable Development Goals, to follow on from the poverty-focused Millennium Development Goals that will end in 2015.
After a year and a half of negotiations, a picture is emerging of what those goals are likely to be:
tackling poverty,
hunger,
inequality and environmental damage, not just in the developing world but throughout the globe.
“Planet’s Hottest June On Record Follows Hottest May” July 23rd 2014
http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2014/07/21/3462251/hottest-june-on-record/?elq=~~eloqua..type–emailfield..syntax–recipientid~~&elqCampaignId=~~eloqua..type–campaign..campaignid–0..fieldname–id~~
Last month was the warmest June since records began being kept in 1880, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) reported Monday. That follows the warmest May on record.
“Electricity-Eating Bacteria Are Real and More Common Than We Thought”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3j_gJ2teK5E
In the extreme world of bacteria, stunts such as living in hot springs or without oxygen are, like, totally unimpressive. But then there are bacteria that live off electricity, feeding directly on naked electrons. Even more surprisingly, scientists are finding that these bacteria are not even that rare.
“Over 60% of breads sold in the UK contain pesticide residues, tests show”
Two in every three loaves of bread sold in the UK contain pesticide residues, according to a new analysis of government data by environmental campaigners. Tests on hundreds of loaves also showed that 25% contained residues of more than one pesticide.
“UK’s new energy and environment ministers opposed green energy”
The new set of Conservative environment and energy ministers announced on Tuesday bring a track record of opposing renewable energy, having fought against wind and solar farms, enthusiastically backed fracking and argued that green subsidies damage the economy.
“Climate Change Likely To Lead To More Kidney Stones”
The hotter weather expected with climate change is likely to cause a litany of figurative aches for humanity (and already is), but some of those pains may be quite literal. A new study found that higher temperatures significantly increase the risk of developing kidney stones, hard crystals that are painful to pass and which can cause damage to the organs. The idea is that hotter weather leads people to become more dehydrated, which allows minerals to concentrate and crystalize within the body.
“Australia Scraps Carbon Price as Abbott Meets Election Vow”
Australia’s Senate voted to scrap the nation’s price on carbon, fulfilling a key election pledge by Prime Minister Tony Abbott and leaving the nation without an approved mechanism to tackle emissions.
My Trip To The Amazon 
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