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| November 19, 2013 |
 Has the idea of 'zero deforestation' lost its meaning Arlington VA (SPX) Nov 19, 2013 - What exactly does "zero deforestation" mean? In an article published in the journal Science, authors Dr. Sandra Brown, of Winrock International, and Dr. Daniel Zarin, of the Climate and Land Use Alliance, posit that, while the idea seems simple and compelling, ambiguity surrounding global definitions and metrics actually creates risks for forest conservation and accountability. Over the pa ... more |  |
 Island biodiversity in danger of total submersion with climate change London, UK (SPX) Nov 19, 2013 - Sea level rise caused by global warming can prove extremely destructive to island habitats, which hold about 20% of the world's biodiversity. Research by C. Bellard, C. Leclerc and F. Courchamp of the University of Paris Sud look at 3 possible scenarios, from optimistic to very pessimistic, to bring attention to the dangers in store for some of the richest biodiversity hotspots worldwide. ... more |  |
 Researchers warn against high emissions from oil palm expansion in Brazil London, UK (SPX) Nov 19, 2013 - Expanding millions of hectares of Brazilian land to produce palm oil for food or for renewable, clean-burning biodiesel could result in extremely high emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2) unless strict controls are put in place. This is according to a new study published, 14 November, in IOP Publishing's journal Environmental Research Letters, by a group of researchers from the University of ... more |  |
 New malaria vaccines roadmap targets next generation products by 2030 Washington DC (SPX) Nov 19, 2013 - The world should aim to have vaccines which reduce malaria cases by 75 percent, and are capable of eliminating malaria, licensed by 2030, according to the updated 2013 Malaria Vaccine Technology Roadmap, launched Monday. This new target comes in addition to the original 2006 Roadmap's goal of having a licensed vaccine against Plasmodium falciparum malaria, the most deadly form of the disease, fo ... more |  |
 Snow melts faster under trees than in open areas in mild climates Seattle WA (SPX) Nov 19, 2013 - It's a foggy fall morning, and University of Washington researcher Susan Dickerson-Lange pokes her index finger into the damp soil beneath a canopy of second-growth conifers. The tree cover is dense here, and little light seeps in among the understory of the Cedar River Municipal Watershed about 30 miles east of Seattle. She digs a small hole in the leaf-litter soil, then pushes a thumb-si ... more |  |
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New generation of micro sensors for monitoring ocean acidification Southampton, UK (SPX) Nov 19, 2013 - The first step in developing a cost-effective micro sensor for long-term monitoring of ocean acidification has been achieved by a team of scientists and engineers. The new technology, that will measure pH levels in seawater, was developed by engineers from the National Oceanography Centre, in close collaboration with oceanographers from University of Southampton Ocean and Earth Science, wh ... more |  |
Amazon rainforest more able to withstand drought than previously thought Exeter, UK (SPX) Nov 19, 2013 - New research suggests that the Amazon rainforest may be more able to cope with dry conditions than previously predicted. Researchers at the University of Exeter and Colorado State University used a computer model to demonstrate that, providing forest conservation measures are in place, the Amazon rainforest may be more able to withstand periods of drought than has been estimated by other climate ... more |  |
 'Help Us': Isolated typhoon victims clamour for food Homonhon, Philippines (AFP) Nov 18, 2013 - The message spelt out in giant letters on the ground outside the remote, typhoon-shattered Philippine village was clear enough: "Help Us. We Need Food". Easily visible as the US helicopter carrying emergency food supplies made its approach Monday, it reflected the desperation of the villagers 10 days after Typhoon Haiyan slammed into the central Philippines. As soon as the chopper touch ... more |  |
 Sardinia flash floods leave nine dead Rome (AFP) Nov 18, 2013 - Flash floods on the Italian holiday island of Sardinia Monday left nine people dead as rivers broke their banks and a cyclone smashed cars, flooded homes and brought down road bridges. The worst affected area was in and around the city of Olbia in the island's northeast - a ferry port and popular destination in the summer months. Three people from the same family died when a road bridge ... more |  |
 Violent tornadoes kill 7 in US Midwest, dozens injured Chicago (AFP) Nov 18, 2013 - Residents sifted through piles of rubble Monday as they recovered from violent tornadoes that ripped through four midwestern US states, killing at least seven people and injuring dozens. An unusually powerful fall storm spawned reports of 81 twisters in Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky and Ohio on Sunday along with powerful winds and heavy rain which soaked a dozen states. Homes were smashed ... more |  |
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 Japan lowers carbon dioxide emissions reduction target Tokyo (UPI) Nov 18, 2013 - Japan has slashed its carbon dioxide emissions reduction target. Japan says it now tentatively aims to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 3.8 percent from fiscal 2005 levels by 2020 instead of the 25 percent cut from 1990 levels as promised in 2009. The announcement Friday from the world's fifth-largest emitter of carbon dioxide struck a blow to the United Nations' Nov. 11-22 ... more |  |
 Russia grants bail to first Greenpeace activist Saint Petersburg (AFP) Nov 18, 2013 - A Russian court on Monday extended the pre-trial detention of one of 30 Greenpeace activists arrested for a protest against Arctic oil drilling, but unexpectedly freed a Russian doctor on bail. Yekaterina Zaspa, a doctor with Greenpeace's Arctic Sunrise icebreaker, became the first of the arrested crew members to be freed pending trial, after two months in detention. She will be released ... more |  |
 Everyday chemical exposure linked to preterm births Washington (AFP) Nov 18, 2013 - Pregnant women who are exposed to chemicals known as phthalates found in plastics, lotions and food packaging may face higher odds of giving birth prematurely, a US study said Monday. The findings are important because prematurity is a leading cause of infant death around the world, said the report in the Journal of the American Medical Association. "Our results indicate a significant as ... more |  |
Indonesian woman dies of bird flu: health ministry Jakarta (AFP) Nov 18, 2013 - An Indonesian woman living near the capital Jakarta has died of bird flu, the health ministry said, the latest death from H5N1 in the country hardest hit by the virus. The 31-year-old housewife from Bekasi in West Java province is the 163rd fatality from the virus in Southeast Asia's biggest nation, the ministry said in a statement seen Monday. She came down with a fever last week and t ... more |  |
 Clinton tells China forum he hopes for female US president Beijing (AFP) Nov 18, 2013 - Former US president Bill Clinton hopes there will be a woman in the White House in his lifetime and will support his wife Hillary in whatever she decides to do, he told a Chinese audience on Monday. Hillary, who earlier this year stepped down as US secretary of state, has not yet said whether she plans another presidential run after her failed 2008 bid for the Democratic nomination. "I h ... more |  |
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Demonstrators at Warsaw climate summit demand emission cuts Warsaw, Poland (UPI) Nov 18, 2013 - Climate change demonstrators took to the streets of Warsaw during the weekend as host Poland comes under fire from critics at the U.N. COP19 climate summit. Chanting "Change the system, not the climate," and "Justice and positive energy for all," nearly 1,000 people marched through Warsaw Saturday as part of the international "March for Climate and Social Justice," the Polish broadcaste ... more |  |
Angry French farmers to 'blockade' Paris Paris (AFP) Nov 18, 2013 - Irate French farmers are threatening to bring Paris to a halt on Thursday by blocking arterial roads to the capital in the latest protest over tax hikes. Two unions from the Paris region on Monday announced a "blockade on Paris," to "make the voice of the agriculture sector, which has been sacrificed, heard." The FDSEA and JA unions said their members were being "bludgeoned" by tax rises ... more |  |
 Satellites to probe Earth's strange shield Paris (AFP) Nov 18, 2013 - Europe next week will launch a trio of hi-tech satellites to explore something that may seem utterly mundane: Earth's magnetic field. After all, magnetism has been with us for billions of years. We harness it in innumerable ways, in navigation and electrical devices. What's new? Well, plenty, actually. If all goes well, the 230-million-euro ($276-million) Swarm mission will expla ... more |  |
Cost from disasters quadrupled in 30 years: World Bank Warsaw (AFP) Nov 18, 2013 - The bill from natural and weather disasters is nearly $200 billion (150 billion euros) a year, four times higher than in the 1980s, the World Bank said on Monday. "As the global climate continues to change, the costs and damages from more extreme weather related to a warming planet are growing," it reported on the sidelines of UN climate talks in Warsaw. Disasters cost nearly $4 trillion ... more |  |
 China reform plan impresses, but analysts watch effects Beijing (AFP) Nov 18, 2013 - China's quick release of a surprisingly detailed national reform plan shows leaders are serious about economic change, analysts say, but uncertainties remain over its implementation. Just days after an initial outline announced at the end of a closely watched Chinese Communist Party meeting was largely panned as vague and disappointing, the ruling body added weight to the framework for chang ... more |  |
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