carbon emissions

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State of the Union to Target Emissions Cuts

EPA could move to limit existing plants' greenhouse gases

(Newser) - President Obama's 2013 State of the Union address will follow up on his inaugural call to arms against climate change, insiders say. Though the specifics aren't clear yet, it's likely Obama will discuss limiting existing power plants' emissions—a plan that could depend on his use of...

World Carbon Emissions Hit New Record in 2011

Climate change goals moving out of reach, scientists warn

(Newser) - Neither concern for the planet nor a weak global economy have been able to keep carbon emissions down, researchers say. Emissions rose 3.6% to a new record last year and have risen another 2.6% so far this year, putting the planet on what now appears to be an...

UN Climate Summit Meets Today, Doomed as Usual

Kyoto extension the top item on the docket

(Newser) - Seventeen thousand delegates from 194 countries are meeting in Doha, Qatar, today for the 18th UN climate change conference, and pretty much no one is expecting anything useful to emerge from it. Here's what you need to know:
  • The stakes are especially high this year because the Kyoto Protocol
...

US CO2 Emissions Dive to 20-Year Low

Cheap natural gas has made a huge difference

(Newser) - America's carbon emissions have, amazingly, dropped to levels near where they would be in an alternate reality where President Al Gore signed the Kyoto Protocol. Emissions of the greenhouse gas are at their lowest in 20 years and government officials say the dramatic fall is thanks to cheap natural...

Carbon Dioxide Levels Pass 'Depressing' Milestone

Levels of gas in Arctic hit level not seen for 800K years

(Newser) - In a development climate scientists are calling "depressing" and "troubling"—but not the least bit surprising—the level of the main global warming pollutant has passed a new milestone. Monitoring stations all over the Arctic are measuring more than 400 parts per million of carbon dioxide in...

The Coal-Powered Secret of Some Electric Cars

Coal-powered states make it dirty to 'em power up

(Newser) - Your electric car (or the one you dream of having) is greener than your neighbor's gas guzzler—right? Well, scientists now say it depends on where you live, the New York Times reports. For people in states that use natural gas, nuclear power, or hydroelectric power to fire up...

Oceans Acidifying at Highest Rate in 300M Years

Columbia researchers warn of dangers to marine life

(Newser) - Industrial emissions are causing the oceans to acidify at a fast rate—the fastest in 300 million years, say researchers from Columbia University. That could spell danger for sea creatures. In the last century alone, the pH of the oceans dropped by 0.1 units. That's 10 times faster...

CO2 Emissions 'Will Defer Ice Age'

Carbon dioxide levels creating long 'interglacial' period

(Newser) - On the glass-half-full side, our carbon dioxide emissions may fend off the next Ice Age, the BBC reports. Researchers say the Ice Age due in about 1,500 years won't happen because CO2 levels will be too high: "At current levels of CO2, even if emissions stopped now...

Canada Slammed for Kyoto Pullout

Canada gov't says fines huge, no real environmental help

(Newser) - Countries and environmentalist groups around the world are slamming Canada for pulling out of the Kyoto climate treaty on Monday, reports the Guardian . "Preposterous" and "an excuse to shirk responsibility," was how the withdrawal was described by China, the world's largest carbon dioxide producer . The UN...

Canada Drops Out of Kyoto Accord to Curb Carbon Emissions
 Canada Drops 
 Kyoto Accord 
Dec 12, 2011 5:43 PM CST

Canada Drops Kyoto Accord

Treaty won't work without US and China: minister

(Newser) - Canada's environment minister said today his country is pulling out of the Kyoto Protocol on climate change. Peter Kent said that Canada is invoking its legal right to withdraw and said Kyoto doesn't represent the way forward for Canada or the world. Canada, joined by Japan and Russia,...

China Admits: It's Smog, not Fog

State-run media finally talking about health threats of pollution

(Newser) - Those shadowy days that appear in mid-afternoon in Beijing aren't just caused by fog after all, Chinese officials are finally admitting. It's throat-choking, eye-watering, blinding smog. And it's been so atrocious the last few days that authorities have had to cancel flights out of Beijing International Airport,...

How to Create 1.5M Jobs: Bump Up Recycling
How to Create 1.5M Jobs: Bump Up Recycling
new report
Nov 15, 2011 11:58 AM CST

How to Create 1.5M Jobs: Bump Up Recycling

Increasing recycling could boost economy and reduce pollution

(Newser) - Help the planet and create jobs, all at the same time? According to a new report, it might be that easy: If the US increases its recycling rate from 33% to 75% by 2030, an additional 1.5 million jobs will be created, according to the Tellus Institute. Why such...

California OKs Cap-and-Trade
 California OKs Cap-and-Trade 
Oct 21, 2011 7:39 AM CDT

California OKs Cap-and-Trade

Other states are watching to see how well program works

(Newser) - California became the first state in the nation to adopt its own cap-and-trade system yesterday, as its Air Resources Board voted unanimously to approve the regulations. The vote came after a grueling eight-hour meeting filled with the opinions of angry union members, disapproving industry representatives, and miscellaneous plan supporters, the...

London Ditches Carbon Offsets for 2012 Olympics

Plan was part of bid to host games

(Newser) - As part of London’s bid to host the 2012 Summer Olympics, organizers offered a plan to keep the Games green—but they’ve changed their minds. The committee will “no longer pursue formal offsetting procedures,” it said, dropping its pledge to balance carbon emissions from the Games...

We're Headed for Vast Ocean Extinction: Panel

Human activity is rapidly wiping out marine life, panel warns

(Newser) - Human activity has degraded the world's oceans with dizzying speed and a mass extinction of marine life only seen five times before in the planet's history is likely if urgent action is not taken, a panel of marine experts warns. The International Program on the State of the...

2010 Saw Shock Rise in Carbon Emissions

Experts warn consequences could be dire

(Newser) - Greenhouse gas emissions rose by a record amount in 2010, leading to the worst-ever carbon output in history, according to unpublished International Energy Agency estimates. The record rise—which, contrary to some predictions, even the recession couldn’t curb—means that hopes of keeping global warming to a safe level...

'Earth Hour' Won't Solve Our Energy, Climate Change Troubles: Bjorn Lomborg

 'Earth Hour' Is a Joke 

Bjorn Lomborg
Mar 24, 2011 11:08 AM CDT

'Earth Hour' Is a Joke

We need real green solutions, not just 'feel-good' movements: Bjorn Lomborg

(Newser) - This Saturday night, environmental activists are calling on the world to dim the lights for “Earth Hour”—a nice idea, but one that may actually be counterproductive. Look at it this way: "If everyone in the world participated in this year's Earth Hour, the result would be...

To Save Nature, Leave It
 To Save Nature, Leave It 
OPINION
Feb 10, 2011 4:59 PM CST

To Save Nature, Leave It

Harvard economist: City life is greenest

(Newser) - Living in the least natural setting—the city—may be the best way to save nature, a Harvard economist writes in the Boston Globe . Urban dwellers drive less and have smaller homes to heat than their suburban counterparts, writes Edward Glaeser. By his reckoning, an average suburban Boston household emits...

Sea Levels to Rise 13 Feet by Year 3000
Sea Levels to Rise
13 Feet by Year 3000
study says
Jan 10, 2011 7:34 AM CST

Sea Levels to Rise 13 Feet by Year 3000

And that's actually the best case scenario

(Newser) - Best case scenario: Even if we give up using all fossil fuels this very second and manage to stop all carbon dioxide emissions, the West Antarctic ice sheet is expected to collapse by the year 3000, causing sea levels to rise by at least 13 feet. The catastrophic prediction is...

Greenhouse Gas Emissions on Track to Set Record

If economy continues to recover, emissions likely to rise

(Newser) - The bad news: Greenhouse gas emissions could hit record highs this year, a new study shows. The kinda good news: Researchers say a recovering economy is to blame. Scientists found that—despite the financial crisis—global carbon dioxide emissions only dropped by 1.3% last year compared to 2008's record...

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