Stories related to: greenhouse gases

Soaring demand for flat-screen TVs could accelerate global warming faster than coal-fired power stations, the Guardian reports. A leading environmental scientist warns that a gas used in their manufacture and not controlled in the Kyoto treaty—as other greenhouse gases are—is 17,000 times more potent than carbon dioxide and is being made in escalating amounts. More »

The European Union struck a landmark deal yesterday to regulate carbon emissions from airplanes, requiring carriers to buy pollution credits for all flights entering or leaving airports in the EU. The agreement, which should go into effect in 2012, marks the first time that airlines will have to pay to pollute in the European emissions market the same way that other industrial polluters do, reports the New York Times . More »

An "unprecedented" combination of ills is threatening the Amazon, and if nothing is done to ease the pressure on the world’s largest rainforest, more than half of it could be gone or withered in 20 years, Rhett Butler writes for Yale Environment 360 . After a three-year decline, forest clearing doubled in the latter part of 2007 to help feed the insatiable demand of the growing economies in China, India, Russia, and elsewhere. More »

In its quest to be the first carbon-neutral country, New Zealand is cracking down on methane emissions--and that means regulating the gas released by livestock, the Los Angeles Times reports. Farmers are worried a government proposal to fine them if their livestock exceed greenhouse-gas limits could leave many bankrupt—a particular problem as the world faces a food crisis. More »

The world needs to pump $45 trillion into developing green technologies if it hopes to reach its goal of cutting emissions in half by 2050, the International Energy Agency said today. Otherwise, emissions will rise 130% over that period, and oil demand will climb 70%. The $45 trillion represents 1.1% of global GDP over the period, Bloomberg reports. More »

A team of American scientists says it's taken an important first step toward creating a so-called carbon scrubber that can rid greenhouse gases from the air, the Guardian reports. The scientists, led by a Columbia University physicist, have a prototype in the works that can suck a ton of carbon dioxide out of the air per day—and do so economically. More »

Last year's energy bill requiring House members to drive eco-friendly vehicles—if taxpayers are footing the bill—has some reps turning green at the thought of giving up their gas guzzlers, reports the Los Angeles Times . "I guarantee you my district is not upset that I'm driving a Chevy Tahoe," says one Texas Republican whose district manufactures the SUVs. "A Prius isn't made in the United States." More »

Exxon Mobil is facing a shareholder revolt by most of John D. Rockefeller's 300 descendants, who are pushing for the mammoth company to go greener, reports the Wall Street Journal . The Rockefellers are campaigning for Exxon to develop new energy technology, cut greenhouse gas emissions and appoint a new independent chairman. The revolt is opposed by Exxon senior management. More »

Climate scientists meeting this week in Vienna are contemplating a terrible prospect—the release of billions of tons of methane gas from the Arctic Ocean, Der Spiegel reports. Methane, 20 times more damaging to the atmosphere than carbon dioxide, lies frozen in gas hydrates on the ocean floor, but rising global temperatures are loosening the ice’s grip. More »

President Bush's new climate change policy announced yesterday is "too little, too slow, too late," writes Bryan Walsh of Time . Bush outlined a plan to gradually rein in the growth of US greenhouse gas emissions by 2025—but rejected mandatory international carbon emissions caps unless they also bind China and India. More »

President Bush set 2025 as the target date by which the US should stop the growth of greenhouse emissions from coal power plants, the AP reports. The goal is for those plant emissions to peak in 10 to 15 years, then begin declining. Bush called for legislation to introduce incentives for the development of green technology. More »

President Bush is expected to propose intermediate goals for reducing greenhouse gas emissions today on the eve of climate change negotiations in Paris. The goals won't include proposed legislation or specifics on changes needed to reach the targets, reports the Washington Post. He will also reiterate his opposition to mandatory emissions standards that don't apply to India and China. More »

The koala and its marsupial cousins are in serious danger of extinction because greenhouse gases are rendering the eucalyptus leaves they rely on nutritionally worthless, reports the Australian. "What we're seeing is that the staple diet of these animals is being turned to leather," a professor said. "Life is set to become extremely difficult for these animals." More »

Cutting greenhouse-gas emissions will put a dent in the world's bottom line, but the damage could be minimal with the right economic policies, the International Monetary Fund forecasts. A 60% reduction of 2002 emission levels will reduce global growth by 2.6% come 2040, but the world's economy would still double in size, the Wall Street Journal reports. More »

States, cities and environmental groups have teamed up to take on the federal government over global warming, the New York Times reports. The 18-state coalition is aiming to force the EPA to take action in the wake of last year's Supreme Court ruling that the agency should limit vehicle emissions if it finds greenhouse gases are endangering public health. More »

Greener tech solutions are a focus of this year’s CeBIT technology trade fair, which opens tomorrow in Germany. Tech companies from around the world will showcase products like servers that use less electricity alongside their hot new gadgets, AP reports. The emphasis on green ideas sets the tone for the international industry, Microsoft Germany’s general manager says. More »

Solar activity, which usually runs in 11-year cycles, has been so sluggish of late that space weathermen are worried we might be entering a mini-ice age. They expected to see sunspot activity pick up about last March, to peak in 2012; if the sun stays this sluggish for another year or two, it could trigger a prolonged period of massive snowfall and severe cold across the Northern Hemisphere, Popular Mechanics reports. More »

Scientists have identified nine danger zones where global warming could be pushed past the point of no return within years, the Independent reports. The scenarios include the melting of ice in the Arctic and Antarctic, the collapse of the Indian and West African monsoons, and the death of forests in Canada, Siberia and the Amazon. Once climate "tipping points" are reached in any of the zones, the change would likely be irreversible—and could all occur within this century, the experts warned. More »

Climate change could cause severe food shortages in South Asia and southern Africa, two of the poorest regions in the world, by 2030, National Geographic reports. "We were surprised by how much, and how soon, these regions could suffer if we don't adapt," said one of the study's authors. Decreased yields could pump up costs in the global food market as well. More »

Biofuels may actually exacerbate the environmental problems they were meant to allay, reports the Observer, and a UK Parliamentary committee has released a report examining the possible effects. Using fuel made from crops like tallow and rapeseed may actually worsen greenhouse gas emissions, kill rainforests, and drive up food prices due to land competition. More »