Posted on 4 May 2013 by John Hartz

China taking the lead on climate change

China is fast becoming a global leader on climate change, according to a report by Australia's Climate Commission.

China taking the lead on climate change: report, Australian News Network, Apr 29, 2013  

Climate collision course: CO2 levels about to hit 400 PPM 

In a first in human history, "it looks like the world is going to blow through the 400-ppm level without losing a beat."

Climate Collision Course: CO2 Levels About to Hit 400 PPM by Andrea Germanos, Common Dreams, Apri 29, 2013

Climate negotiations resume in Bonn

This morning, a new round of climate negotiations opened in Bonn. The negotiations are taking place in the former federal parliament of Germany (before the capital city was moved to Berlin), a building made of glass in order to symbolize transparency. The co-chair of the talks emphasized the relevance of this theme as a principle to guide the negotiations. Stakeholders hope that the coming five days will provide an opportunity to move from conceptual discussions into more substantial dialogues. 

Climate negotiations resume in Bonn with urgency; as underlying theme by Sebastien Duyck, The Adopt a Negotiator Project  Apr 29, 2013

Federal (US) Disaster-Relief Expenditures Rise amid More Extreme Weather

A new report from the Center for American Progress (CAP) reveals that the United States has spent a total of $136 billion in disaster relief from the surge in extreme weather the nation has faced since 2011. Government agencies have been coping with the economic consequences of persistent drought, record-breaking heat waves, intense hurricanes and wildfires, attempting to regain normalcy in a changing climate.

Infographic: Federal Disaster-Relief Expenditures Rise amid More Extreme Weather, TckTckTck.  Apr 29, 2013

Global carbon dioxide levels set to surpass 400 ppm milestone

Scientists at the Mauna Loa observatory in Hawaii are expected to confirm this week that carbon dioxide concentrations in our atmosphere have reached 400 parts per million (ppm), a level unseen for more than 3 million years.

This threshold will likely be passed during a week when diplomats from around the world are gathered at the UN climate talks in Bonn, where they continue to struggle to find ways to cut emissions and break the dangerous trend in atmospheric CO2 concentrations.

Atmospheric levels of carbon dioxide (CO2) have been steadily rising for 200 years, registering around 280 parts per million (ppm) at the start of the industrial revolution, and 316 ppm in 1958 when the Mauna Loa Observatory started measurements. 

Global carbon dioxide levels set to surpass 400 ppm milestone by Tierney Smith, TckTckTck, Apr 30, 2013

Hurricane Sandy dumped 11bn gallons of raw sewage

Scientists say waste-treatment plants must follow subways and power stations in being protected against climate change.

Hurricane Sandy dumped 11bn gallons of raw sewage in eastern US waterways by Suzanne Goldenberg, The Guardian, Apr 30, 2013

Scientists anxious as CO2 levels to cross 400 PPM

'Stronger storms, droughts, rising seas. We are already seeing the impacts of increased CO2 in the atmosphere ... How much further can we really go?'

All Eyes on Keeling Curve: Scientists Anxious as CO2 Levels to Cross 400 PPM by Katherine Bagley, Insdie Climate News, Apr 30, 2013

U.S. cities joining push to dump fossil fuel investments

Nearly a dozen U.S. cities have announced their interest in withdrawing municipal investments from fossil fuel companies, joining a fast-growing movement among colleges and universities that supporters say is allowing citizens concerned with environmental degradation and global climate change to act in lieu of federal action from the U.S. Congress.

U.S. Cities Joining Push to Dump Fossil Fuel Investments by Carey L. Biron, Inter Press Service (IPS), Apr 26, 2013

Video of Arctic sea ice loss goes viral

They say a picture can be worth a thousand words. If so, then this video of the Arctic Sea ice loss between 1979 and 2012 must be worth a million. As the recently released video begins to go viral, more people are waking up to the reality of climate change.

Produced by Andy Lee Robinson, this beautiful short clip with its haunting music is revealing the reality of climate change in a brutal and honest way - perhaps even better than any journalist ever could.

Climate change: Video of Arctic sea ice loss goes viral by Dorsi Diaz, Examiner.com, Apr 30, 2013

Warmer seas may impact Antarctic clams’ reproduction

Antarctic clams (Laternula elliptica) play a vital role in the ocean ecosystem, drawing down carbon into sea-bed sediments and circulating ocean nutrients.

Warmer Seas May Impact Antarctic Clams’ Reproduction by Kieran Cooke, Climate News Network, Climate Central, Apr 28, 2013

Where the sea has risen too high already

The deceptively calm waters of Langa Langa Lagoon on the west coast of Malaita Island in the Solomon Islands is home to thousands of people who have lived on artificial islands for centuries. For generations the islanders in this south-west Pacific nation have employed tenacity and ingenuity to maintain their existence on these tiny low-lying man-made atolls, devoid of freshwater and arable land. But climate change is now the greatest threat to their survival.

Where the Sea Has Risen Too High Already by Cahterine Wilson, Inter Press Service (IPS), Apr 30, 2013