greenhouse gas emissions News

Peru’s Melting Glaciers Pose Deadly Threat as Temperatures Rise

High in the Peruvian Andes, the glacier-fed lake Laguna 513 brims with meltwater atop a populated valley in a region prone to earthquakes. Scientists warn that if a giant chunk of ice from the Hualcan glacier breaks off it could …

Time Running Short to Avert Worst Effects of Climate Change

Governments can keep climate change in check at manageable costs but will have to cut greenhouse gas emissions to zero by 2100 to limit risks of irreversible damage, a U.N. report said on Sunday. The 40-page synthesis, summing up 5,000 …

Human Factor, Culture Often Overlooked in Climate Debate, Expert Says

When Hurricane Sandy came, Deborah Star Reed stayed home. Irene, the year before, had been over- hyped. Her 1919 concrete house in New York was left unscathed by Donna in 1960 and the “Big One” of 1938. So, on Oct. …

New Study Says Ditch U.N. Temperature Target for Global Warming

A temperature goal set by almost 200 governments as the limit for global warming is a poor guide to the planet’s health and should be ditched, a study published in the journal Nature said on Wednesday. The world’s environment ministers …

Climate Change Threatens Tourism as Ski Slopes Thaw, Seas Rise

Climate change is a growing threat to tourism, from thawing ski resorts to coral reefs hit by warmer seas, and the industry itself should do more to curb its soaring greenhouse gas emissions, a study showed on Tuesday. Tourism’s greenhouse …

3rd IPCC Report: Greenhouse Gas Emissions Accelerate Despite Reduction Efforts

The latest in a series of reports from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) unfortunately confirms that “global emissions of greenhouse gases have risen to unprecedented levels despite a growing number of policies to reduce climate change. Emissions grew …

308 Disaster Events; $140 Billion Economic Losses in 2013: Swiss Re Report

Swiss Re’s latest sigma report highlights the 308 disaster events in 2013, of which 150 were natural catastrophes and 158 man-made. Almost 26 000 people lost their lives or went missing in the disasters. The biggest “humanitarian catastrophe” was typhoon …

UNEP Report: Global Action Needed to Close 8-12 Billion Ton Emissions Gap

Greenhouse gas emissions in 2020 will be 8 billion to 12 billion tons more than the level needed to keep global warming to only 2 degrees Celsius [3.6°F] and avoid severe climate change, a United Nations report estimated on Tuesday. …

Emerging Economies Nearing Half of Global Warming Emissions

Total greenhouse gas emissions by China and other emerging nations since 1850 will surpass those of rich nations this decade, complicating U.N. talks about who is most to blame for global warming, a study showed on Thursday. Developing nations accounted …

Study Concludes Shift to a New Climate Likely by Mid-Century

Billions of people could be living in regions where temperatures are hotter than their historical ranges by mid-century, creating a “new normal” that could force profound changes on nature and society, scientists said on Wednesday. Temperatures in an average year …