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The Carbon Brief Interview: Tony de
Brum
Carbon Brief interviews Tony de Brum, the foreign minister
of the Marshall Islands, one of the most vulnerable countries to
sea level rise. We ask him about negotiating climate talks as a
small island state, the Green Climate Fund, and the unstoppable
collapse of the West Antarctic ice sheet.
Carbon Brief
Climate and energy news
Locals to get veto over wind
farms
Local residents will be able to block future onshore wind
farms under new measures to be fast-tracked into law, the new
energy secretary has announced. In an interview with
The Sunday Times, Amber Rudd said she
had "put a rocket" under her officials to "put the local community
back in charge" of their own neighbourhoods. Rudd also revealed the
new government would kick-start a shale gas revolution and loosen
rules so it could be extracted from under national parks. Rudd also
said she is "very keen" on new nuclear plants and that a worldwide
climate deal in Paris in November is "one of the most important
things I'm going to do this year".
The Sunday Times
Canada reneges on emissions targets as tar sands
production takes its toll
Canada has announced a commitment to reduce greenhouse gas
emissions by 30% below 2005 levels by 2030. The target is far
weaker than the European Union or the US, and less ambitious than
the one they set in 2009, reports The Guardian. It also leaves open
the possibility for Canada to purchase carbon offsets elsewhere. In
a related announcement describing new regulations on the fossil
fuel industries, there was no mention of the emissions stemming
from the tar sands that Canada produces, reports Inside Climate News. Climate Central and Climate Progress also have the
story. The
Guardian
Shell accused of strategy risking catastrophic
climate change
Shell has been accused of pursuing a strategy that would
lead to potentially catastrophic climate change after an internal
document acknowledged a global temperature rise of 4C, twice the
level considered safe for the planet. A Guardian investigation uncovered a
business planning paper that assumes carbon dioxide emissions will
miss a 2C target and instead refers to a forecast by the
International Energy Agency of a 4C temperature rise in the short
term, rising later to 6C. The document says the company "do[es] not
see governments taking steps now that are consistent with 2 degrees
C scenario." The
Guardian
Activists call on EU to shut down £100m 'slush
fund' for coal
Greenpeace has identified an EU research fund which they
claim offers coal companies tens of millions of pounds of public
money in grants. The European commission's Research Fund for Coal
and Steel has awarded £107m to companies such as E.On UK, RWE
Npower and UK Coal Production Ltd, according to their research. In
calling for the fund to be closed, Doug Parr, Greenpeace's chief
scientist, said that the fund made little environmental, economic
or scientific sense. The
Guardian
'The climate change movement must overcome
political tribalism'
We're all hardwired to ignore climate change, says activist
and climate change thinker, George Marshall. In a Guardian event,
Marshall said that while much of the world still denies or ignores
the obvious impacts of climate change, there are some simple ways
to go about changing public opinion. These include ending political
tribalism, drawing attention to the "here and now" of climate
change impacts, and challenging the "pervasive silence" on the
issue. The Guardian
India, China commit to work together on climate
change
China and India have made a joint statement asking rich
countries to provide finance, technology and other necessary
support to emerging countries to help reduce their own emissions.
While both countries stopped short of making any commitments, they
said they would submit their plans to curb greenhouse gas emissions
well before the global climate talks in Paris in
December. RTCC also has the story.
Reuters
'Paddle in Seattle' Arctic oil drilling
protest
Hundreds of people in kayaks and small boats have staged a
protest in the US port city of Seattle against oil drilling in the
Arctic by Shell. "Paddle in Seattle" was held by activists who said
the firm's drilling would damage the environment. It comes after
the first of Shell's two massive oil rigs arrived at the port.
Earlier this week, Shell won conditional approval from the US
Department of Interior for oil exploration in the
Arctic. The Independent and The Telegraph also have the story.
Also in , Andrew Critchlow says Shell's search for
resources in the Arctic is a sign that the world is running out of
options for new oil reserves.
BBC News
Shellfish species shrinking as rising carbon
emissions hit marine life
Sea creatures are set to shrink as the world's oceans become
more acidic, says new research from an international group of
biologists. The group reveals that hundreds of marine species are
likely to be wiped out as more and more carbon dioxide is dissolved
in the Earth's oceans. For the creatures that do survive - in
particular those with shells, such as clams, oysters and snails -
will be left puny and shrunken as a result, the Guardian says.
The
Observer
Climate and energy comment
David Cameron's 'green crap' is back on the
agenda
Recent evidence suggests that David Cameron is showing his
green colours again, says Geoffrey Lean in The Telegraph. Rather
than appointing an unenthusiastic minister to run the Department of
Energy and Climate Change, or even to abolish it altogether,
Cameron chose "probably the most committed candidate available" in
Amber Rudd. Other appointments, such as Greg Clark and Oliver
Letwin, suggest an increasing green influence in the Cabinet, says
Lean. Geoffrey Lean, The
Telegraph
Government needs to clarify position on onshore
wind, says energy boss
The new Energy Secretary, Amber Rudd, should act quickly to
clarify onshore wind farm policy, says the chief executive of
energy company SSE. The Conservatives have a mandate to "halt the
spread of onshore wind farms", but the government will need to
discuss with investors how to achieve this while meeting climate
change targets and retaining the economic benefits of investment in
renewable sources of energy, he says.
Alistair Phillips-Davies, The Telegraph
This demonising of fossil fuels is
madness
Matt Ridley, the climate sceptic Conservative peer with a
declared financial interest in coal mining, argues that the
"fanatics" who advocate for divestment from fossil fuels are
"mad". Matt
Ridley, The Times
New climate science
A Quantitative Definition of Global Warming Hiatus
and 50-Year Prediction of Global Mean Surface
Temperature
A new study looks at how natural variability from one decade
to the next causes the temperature at Earth's surface to speed up
and slow down. The ups and downs of natural variability on top of
the long term warming trend from greenhouse gases cause the
temperature to rise in "ladder like" steps, the paper
notes. Journal of the
Atmospheric Sciences
Grazing in Arctic peatlands-an unknown agent in
the global carbon budget
A new study finds that grazing by muskoxen in the high
Arctic alters ecosystem processes enough to have an impact on the
release of greenhouse gases. This finding highlights the potential
of grazers to act as a major player in the global carbon budget,
say the researchers.
Environmental Research
Letters
Quantifying above- and belowground biomass carbon
loss with forest conversion in tropical lowlands of Sumatra
(Indonesia)
Converting natural forest to rubber and palm plantations in
South-East Asia significantly reduces the trees' carbon-storing
ability, according new research. The paper finds carbon stayed
locked up in the trees for 3 to 10 times longer in the natural
forest than rubber and oil plantations.
Global Change Biology
Other stories
Spy satellite to spy on countries' CO2
emissions
The Sunday Times
Solar car parks could power 1.7 million UK homes,
developer claims
BusinessGreen
Have wind turbines ruined Britain's prized lobster
haul?
The Observer
Industry lobbyists 'trying to undermine' Paris
Climate Summit
BusinessGreen
With Climate Change, Ticks Marching Farther and
Earlier
Climate Central
To make climate change an election battleground,
start now
Noise of the crowd
Queensland in grip of drought and there's worse to
come
The Times
Drought-hit California is drowning in
kittens
The Telegraph
Are climate scientists influenced by
sceptics?
Responding to Climate Change
Brussels urged to review Europe's coal policy by
mining boss
The Telegraph