Oceans Rising Faster Than UN Forecast, Scientists Say

Polar ice caps are melting faster and oceans are rising more than the United Nations projected just two years ago, 10 universities said in a report suggesting that climate change has been underestimated. Global sea levels will climb a meter (39 inches) by 2100, 69 percent more than the most dire forecast made in 2007 by the UN’s climate panel, according to the study released today in Brussels. The forecast was based on new findings, including that Greenland’s ice sheet is losing 179 billion tons of ice a year. Full Story : Bloomberg.com…..

Climate Change Causes 300,000 Deaths a Year, Controversial Study Claims

300,000 people across the world die every year as a result of global warming, according to a new report by the Global Humanitarian Forum. Human-influenced climate change is elevating the global death rates from illnesses including malaria, malnutrition and heat-related ailments, mostly by worsening flooding and droughts. The report said that the lives of 325 million people were being seriously affected by global warming and that the number will double by 2030. It also stated that global warming is causing $125 billion in economic losses each year. Full Story : EarthFirst.com….

World’s Highest Ski Run Melted Away

Bolivia’s Chacaltaya Glacier, once known as the world’s highest ski run at 17,388 feet, has completely melted away. In 1999, Ramirez, the head of a team of researchers studying the glacier since 1991, believed that the glacier would continue to exist until 2015, but the rate of melting tripled in the last ten years, and the once popular tourist destination is now completely gone. Full Story : Ecoworldly.com….

US North East coast in high risk of rising sea level

The northeastern U.S. coast is likely to see the world’s biggest sea level rise from man-made global warming, a new study predicts. However much the oceans rise by the end of the century, add an extra 8 inches or so for New York, Boston and other spots along the coast from the mid-Atlantic to New England. That’s because of predicted changes in ocean currents, according to a study based on computer models published online Sunday in the journal Nature Geoscience. Full Story : MSNBC.com……

Tropical Species More Threatened from Global Warming?

A team of researchers say that in spite of all the media attention given to the Arctic region and polar bears, species living in the tropics may face an even greater risk as the world warms up. Shrinking polar ice has concerned ecologists that polar bears will soon start dying off as their hunting ground literally melts away. Because tropic species are adapted to living within a much more narrow temperature range. Once temperatures get beyond that comfortable range, many species will likely have a difficult time coping. Full Story : Dailygalaxy.com…………

Buckingham Palace Tops List of the Least Green Buildings in London

Buckingham Palace is found to be the top energy inefficient building in London. Buckingham Palace, the main residence of British sovereigns for almost 175 years, leaks so much energy it could be a sieve. Thermal imaging of the 775-room palace showed heat flowing from closed, curtained windows, pouring from the roof and streaming through cracks in the walls. In 2008 Buckingham Palace’s energy bill was close to $3 million.

Increased Number Think Global Warming Is “Exaggerated”

Although a majority of Americans believe the seriousness of global warming is either correctly portrayed in the news or underestimated, a record-high 41% now say it is exaggerated. Altogether, 68% of U.S. adults believe the effects of global warming will be manifest at some point in their lifetimes, indicating the public largely believes the problem is real. Full Story : Gallup.com

Risks of Global Warming Rising

The risk of catastrophic climate change is getting worse, according to a new study from scientists involved with the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). Threats—ranging from the destruction of coral reefs to more extreme weather events like hurricanes, droughts and floods—are becoming more likely at the temperature change already underway: as little as 1.8 degree Fahrenheit (1 degree Celsius) of warming in global average temperatures. Full Story : Sciam.com

G-8 For Controlling Global Emissions

The Group of Eight leading industrial nations agreed on halving world emissions of greenhouse gases by 2050. In the battle against global warming all major economies are called to join to eliminate the potentially dangerous rise in world temperatures. The G-8 countries include the United States, Japan, Russia, Germany, France, Britain, Canada and Italy.

Photo Source: http://president.wbcsd.org

Melting Ice sheets can cause earth quake

A new study showed that earthquakes are “suppressed in presence of the ice and promoted during melting of the ice”. As ice sheets melt, they can release pent-up energy and trigger massive earthquakes. Researchers say that Global Warming may already be triggering such earthquakes and may cause more in the future as ice continues to melt worldwide.

Earth Hour Tomorrow

Created to take a stand against the greatest threat our planet has ever faced, Earth Hour uses the simple action of turning off the lights for one hour to deliver a powerful message about the need for action on global warming. Millions of people in some of the world’s major capital cities, including Copenhagen, Toronto, Chicago, Melbourne, Brisbane and Tel Aviv will turn off the lights at 8pm March 29, 2008 for Earth Hour.