Welcome ! As a young French Marketing professional with a Master's in International Management I have been selecting since January 2007 the latest headlines and best researches on sustainable development, climate change, cleantech and the world energy sector. Sounds great ? Don't hesitate to subscribe now !
With current outdoors temperatures below the freezing point in large parts of Europe, it is easy to think that climate change is either a hoax or that it will be most welcome as it would get us rid of those patches of ice on the roads.
This won’t be the case as the Independent reports : “The bitterly cold weather sweeping Britain and (…) Europe has been linked by scientists with the ice-free seas of the Arctic, where global warming is exerting its greatest influence.”
This is another example of climate change’s influence on weather extremes, and thus another reason to tackle the problem before it really gets out of our control. Continue »
If climate change, rising sea levels and the threats to global peace and food production weren’t enough to you, here is another reason to fight carbon dioxide : ocean acidification. To Mongabay :
” Emissions of carbon over the last two centuries have raised the acidity of the oceans to the highest levels in 21,000 years and likely beyond, according to a new study in Nature Climate Change. “
This could have serious implications for marine biodiversity, notably corrals and mollusks. So, what are we waiting for to act ?
According to RIA Novosti – the Russian state-owned news agency – quoting the local emergencies ministry : ” Temperatures in Russia in the past century rose at twice the rate of warming in the rest of the world “
The article goes further : ” (…) In addition, as compared to the 100-year trend, the rate of warming grew several times, annual precipitation figures are growing… as is the frequency and intensity of flooding.”
” (…) Water resources will increase in regions with higher precipitation, while arid zones, on the contrary, will face further precipitation decline.”
To Reuters quoting a local scientific report : ” Global warming threatens China’s march to prosperity by cutting crops, shrinking rivers and unleashing more droughts and floods. “
“China faces extremely grim ecological and environmental conditions under the impact of continued global warming and changes to China’s regional environment,”
Given how the situation is dire already, one can wonder how it could be even worse… This sure explains why the People’s Republic is acting so massively on cleantech. Continue »
I know, I am way late on this one. But here is my selection of most important tweets for December 2011. There are so many great articles there you have enough to read for the next weeks.
This is why I keep on using Twitter. I believe it offers a good complement to this website. So if you are on Twitter and like this selection, don’t hesitate to start following me.
Hopefully I won’t be late for the selection of tweets next month. Nota : the layout is broken. Nonetheless, the tweets are readable. Sorry for the inconvenience. Continue »
What if we could in the same time slow down climate change, increase health and boost agriculture ? Is this too good to be true ? No, as to a NASA scientist we could do just that by focusing on both methane and soot (black carbon).
Out of the 400 ideas that were studied, these 14 were chosen as they have a direct and immediate impact on people’s lives. None of these methods are concerning carbon dioxide, which also have to be tackled in the meantime.
One of the main ways is switching to cleaner burning cookstoves. I have previously tackled this topic here and explained how this could save two million people per year. Continue »
With some delay I would like to propose you today my selection of the most important news of 2011. As I wrote close to 250 articles, selecting only 25 proved to be difficult.
I have mixed topics so you will find stuff on climate change, cleantech, environmental issues and sustainable development. I have also mixed personal reflections with news and book reviews.
If you think that I have missed something out or have a more personal selection, please don’t hesitate to share in the comments ! I look forward to read your own selection. Continue »
This is getting truly worrying. To TreeHugger : “The first week of the new year has seen temperatures that are in some parts of the nation nearly 40 degrees (Fahrenheit) higher than average. Which is crazy. “
The situation on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean is similar as The Guardian notes : “The first signs of spring are emerging weeks early in the countryside and in gardens as a result of the mild winter, experts said on Sunday. “
So, a year without winter ? I haven’t seen snow this year and it seems I won’t see any. After a year 2011 that was really records-setting, it seems 2012 will break even more records of heat…
Here is a rundown of all the extreme weather we witnessed in the past few months around the world and the numerous calamities that struck all continents without exception…
To The Guardian : ” The year 2011 was another ecologically tumultuous year with greenhouse gases rise to record levels, Arctic sea ice nearly equalling 2007′s record melt, and temperatures the 11th highest ever recorded. “
” It was marked on the ground by unparalleled extremes of heat and cold in the US, droughts and heatwaves in Europe and Africa and record numbers of weather-related natural disasters. “
To CleanTechies : ” The increased use of hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) in the production of refrigerators, air conditioners, and other products could play a significant role in accelerating global warming “
The United Nations Environmental Program (UNEP) study notes that the projected emissions of HFCs by 2050 could equal nine billion tons of carbon dioxide — or about one-third of current CO2 emissions.
HFCs were introduced in the 1990s to replace chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), which were a threat to the ozone layer. So, this was a good idea with a strong downside. Continue »
