Nukes? Climate Change? Love 'Em to Death

Sulfur pollution masked effect of CO2 emissions

(NEWSER) - The vast amounts of coal China burned during the 2000s may have actually slowed down climate change, according to a new study. Researchers believe the sulfur pollution caused by burning coal deflected the sun's rays, causing a temporary plateau in warming, the AP reports. But while sulfur drops out of the air quickly, carbon dioxide, another byproduct, remains for a long time—and carbon dioxide's warming effects are beginning to be visible again. Temperatures lurched upward in 2009 and 2010, the study finds. More»

Which way unknown, but move will be streamed live online

(NEWSER) - The hands of the Doomsday Clock, which the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists maintains to represent the severity of nuclear catastrophe, will move this Thursday. In which direction, no one knows, but for the first time everyone can watch the change here during the announcement at 10am EST. More»

The West's getting the blame, but Beijing's the real villain here

(NEWSER) - Barack Obama is getting the blame for the limp Copenhagen deal, but Mark Lynas knows it was China that really scuttled it—because he watched it happen. Sitting in on the closed-door meetings, the Guardian writer “saw Obama fighting desperately to salvage a deal, and the Chinese delegate saying ‘no,’ over and over again.” China sent a second-tier official to sit opposite the world’s most powerful leaders, forcing them to pause, frequently, while he called his superiors. More»

Copenhagen deal creates 'league of super-polluters'

(NEWSER) - The Copenhagen climate deal President Obama struck with China, India and South Africa flies in the face of progressive values, environmental writer Bill McKibben rages. Here’s how:

• Obama made the UN obsolete: “The clear point is, you poor nations can spout off all you want on questions like human rights or the role of women or fighting polio or handling refugees. But when you get too close to the center of things that count—the fossil fuel that’s at the center of our economy—you can forget about it.”

Copenhagen summit yields basic deal to fight climate change

(NEWSER) - President Obama and the leaders of China, India, and South Africa reached a "meaningful agreement" tonight in Copenhagen on steps to curb greenhouse gas emissions, the White House announced. The deal requires the nations of the world to list their actions to curb emissions and sets up a framework for rich countries to pay poor nations in order to cope with the effects of climate change. The agreement is meant to limit global warming to 2° Celsius. More»