Archive for the ‘I.O.M & Channel Isles’ Category

As doctors warn of rising climate impacts new research predicts sea levels will rise 75cm by 2100

More than 100 medical and military professionals, including Dr Hamish Meldrum, chairman of council at the British Medical Association and Lord Michael Jay, chairman of medical relief charity Merlin, yesterday backed a statement declaring climate change the greatest current threat to public health.

They urge policy makers to take concrete steps to tackle climate change, warning that failure to do so poses an immediate, grave and escalating threat to the health and security of billions of people around the globe. Read the rest of this entry »

Business group calls for global emissions-cutting deal and greater certainty around domestic regulations

Soon on the heel of Richard Branson’s call on governments to create green tax regimes to encourage renewables globally – here in the UK the CBI has warned about green policy uncertainty.British businesses are committed to tackling climate change, but their ambition is being thwarted by the failure of politicians at home and abroad to provide certainty for investors, according to the CBI’s Deputy Director-General Dr Neil Bentley.
Businesses want to lead the development of a low-carbon economy, but their “patience is wearing thin” with politicians’ inconsistent approach to climate change policy. Read the rest of this entry »

A group of taxonomists has made a 2011 top-10 list of new animal and plant species discovered last year

Taking a cue from Letterman, a committee of taxonomists has issued a 2011 top-10 list of coolest new species discovered last year. They include … a leech with huge teeth, an iron-oxide-eating bacterium on the wreck of RMS Titanic, a flat-as-a-pancake batfish, glow-in-the-dark mushrooms, a high-jumping cockroach, a six-and-a half foot long fruit-eating lizard, a cricket that only pollinates a rare orchid species, underwater mushrooms, a spider that builds enormous webs, and a new duiker (antelope-like animal) species first discovered at a bushmeat market in West Africa. Read the rest of this entry »

Cod, haddock and other fish traditionally eaten in the UK are on the decline, but warm-water fish are thriving, study claims

According to the first “ big picture” study of rising sea temperatures – global warming is leading to profound population changes in most common fish species in waters off the UK.

Around three-quarters of the species affected have grown in numbers, the government-funded study claims.
While cold-water species such as cod and haddock fare badly, those that can do well in warmer conditions, including hake, dab and red mullet, are thriving. Read the rest of this entry »

Ban Ki-moon says countries must abandon ‘negotiating gamesmanship’ at Durban Summit in November

UN secretary general Ban Ki-moon has called on world leaders to re double efforts to reach a global emissions cutting deal at the forthcoming Durban climate summit. He warned that time is running out to avoid the most severe impacts of climate change.

Ban concluded his tour of the south Pacific with a speech at Sydney University today in which he said that the November talks must overcome the political deadlock over the future of the Kyoto Protocol which marred the previous climate summits at Copenhagen in 2009 and Cancun last year. Read the rest of this entry »

Ministers and UN officials dismiss reports of poor preparation and departmental “turf wars”

After weeks of speculation amongst diplomats and green groups that preparations for Durban Climate Change Summit talks were not moving fast enough –and following accusations of a “turf war” between the two departments tasked with organising the crucial meeting – The UN and the South African government have both moved to alleviate concerns.

Speaking to reporters late last week, UN conference coordinator Salwa Dallalah told reporters in Durban that preparations for the COP 17 summit remained on schedule. “We are moving very well and we are on target,” she said. “We will finish our work soon.” Read the rest of this entry »

Finds Sustainably-Farmed Seafood Holds Key to Future Global Food Security

First-Ever Global Assessment Of Environmental Costs Of Aquaculture Shows Farmed Seafood To Be Less Ecologically Damaging Than Livestock Production; Great Potential For Improvements In Efficiency

BANGKOK//WASHINGTON D.C. (June 14, 2011) — A new and comprehensive analysis released by WorldFish Center and Conservation International (CI) has investigated the environmental impact of the world’s major aquaculture production systems and species, and today offers a first-ever global assessment of trends and impacts of cultivated seafood. The analysis has found that, from the 75 species-production systems reviewed, more production means more ecological impact, but that compared to other forms of animal protein production such as livestock, aquaculture is more efficient. Read the rest of this entry »

METHANE, BLACK CARBON, TROPOSPHERIC OZONE ARE GROWING THREATS

CLEAN AIR TASK FORCE ADVOCATES FOR SLCF MITIGATION STRATEGIES

Today – tuesday, June 14 the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) will release the full text of its long-awaited report: “The Integrated Assessment of Black Carbon and Tropospheric Ozone,” following the distribution in February of the report’s Summary for Decision Makers. Key findings of the report include: Read the rest of this entry »