GREEN FEATURES Serial No. 17 (November 2013)

ECOLOGICAL NEWS

Source: http://www.countercurrents.org/shiva011113.htmThe Guardian | 1 November, 2013 | Vandana ShivaHow Economic Growth Has Become Anti-Life

An obsession with growth has eclipsed our concern for sustainability, justice and human dignity. But people are not disposable – the value of life lies outside economic development

Limitless growth is the fantasy of economists, businesses and politicians. It is seen as a measure of progress. As a result, gross domestic product (GDP), which is supposed to measure the wealth of nations, has emerged as both the most powerful number and dominant concept in our times. However, economic growth hides the poverty it creates through the destruction of nature, which in turn leads to communities lacking the capacity to provide for themselves.

The concept of growth was put forward as a measure to mobilise resources during the second world war. GDP is based on creating an artificial and fictitious boundary, assuming that if you produce what you consume, you do not produce. In effect, “growth” measures the conversion of nature into cash, and commons into commodities…Source: http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2013/nov/01/gore-warns-carbon-bubbletheguardian.com | 1 November 2013 | Fiona Harvey, Environment Correspondent Al Gore: world is on brink of 'carbon bubble'

Gore and partner David Blood call on companies to 'do their fiduciary duty' and identify carbon risks in their portfolios

The world is on the brink of the "largest bubble ever" in finance, because of the undisclosed value of high-carbon assets on companies' balance sheets, and investment managers who fail to take account of the risks are failing in their fiduciary duty to shareholders and investors, Al Gore and his investment partner, David Blood, have said.

"Stranded carbon assets" such as coal mines, fossil fuel power stations and petrol-fuelled vehicle plants represent at least $7tn on the books of publicly listed companies, and about twice as much again is owned by private companies, state governments and sovereign wealth funds…Source: http://www.scidev.net/global/gm/news/rifts-emerge-in-scientists-views-on-safety-of-gmos.html SciDev Net | 1 November 2013| Carla Almeida

Press clippings compiled by SADED, Delhi. Acknowledgment and CopyrightWe thankfully acknowledge the published articles, which have been taken from various sources, indicated as ‘Source’ for reference. SADED does not claim copyright on the articles collected for non-commercial purpose to generate awareness among the people.(These articles do not reflect the official views of SADED. We are not responsible for the authenticity of the contents, and are also not responsible for the use which might be made of the information contained herein.)

1

Rifts emerge in scientists’ views on safety of GMOs

Scientists from around the world challenge claims of GMO food safety Closing off scientific debate could encourage complacency and poor regulation Yet others say the group failed to provide enough evidence for its strong claims

[RIO DE JANEIRO] Claims of there being a scientific consensus that genetically modified organisms (GMOs) are safe are misleading and misrepresentative with potentially dangerous effect on regulation of GMOs, says a group of scientists. The statement was signed last week (21 October) by an international group of 93 scientists, academics and physicians, gathered under the umbrella of the European Network of Scientists for Social and Environmental Responsibility, a non-profit association…Source: http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2013/nov/03/climate-scientists-support-nuclear-powertheguardian.com | 3 November 2013 | Associated Press in Pittsburgh Top US climate scientists support development of safe nuclear power

Open letter to environmentalists and world leaders says wind and solar power are not enough to diminish carbon emissions

Some of the world's top climate scientists say wind and solar energy won't be enough to head off extreme global warming, and they're asking environmentalists to support the development of safer nuclear power as one way to cut fossil fuel pollution…Source: http://www.countercurrents.org/cc051113A.htmCountercurrents.org | 3 November 2013 | By Countercurrents.orgOceans Heating Up Faster Now Than In The Past 10,000 Years, Find Scientists

A new study suggests the oceans are warming more rapidly than any time during the past 10,000 years. This is one of the conclusions that have been drawn from a recently conducted study, report of which has been published in the reputed journal Science…Source: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/11/131104092726.htmScienceDaily - Science News | 4 November 2013The Transition to Sustainable Energy Will Not Be Automatic or Painless

The production and consumption of energy cause serious problems - such as global warming, pollution and geopolitical conflicts - that make the current energy system unsustainable. Transformation into an alternative, sustainable energy system is essential. Jérôme Dangerman studied the world energy system and concluded that the system is locked into its current situation and no transformation will come about without intervention or a crisis. On 5 November he will defend his doctoral thesis at Radboud University…Source: http://www.countercurrents.org/yeo051113.htmRTCC.org | 5 November, 2013 | Sophie YeoWorld’s Carbon Budget Could Be Blown By 2034, Says PwC

The planet could face irreversible and potentially catastrophic levels of global warming in just

2

over 20 years unless the world commits to a much higher rate of decarbonisation.

A new report from leading consultancy PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) says that the amount of greenhouse gas emissions countries can release is likely to be blown by 2034…Source: http://www.countercurrents.org/cc051113B.htmCountercurrents.org | 5 November, 2013 | By Countercurrents.orgGeoengineering: A Pick-Your-Poison Solution

Although a significant build-up in greenhouse gases in the atmosphere would alter worldwide precipitation patterns, a widely discussed technological approach to reduce future global warming would also interfere with rainfall and snowfall, finds a new research. Geoengineering doesn't cure the problem, tells lead author of the study report.

The study report appears in an online issue of the Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres, published this week by the American Geophysical Union…Source: http://www.countercurrents.org/sagar051113.htmCountercurrents.org | 5 November 2013 | Satya SagarWhy Bullshit Matters!

Attempting a critique of science or engineering in the times we live in, of great ecological destruction and global warming, is not a very novel enterprise anymore. While we remain deeply affected in our lives by the concepts of science and even more dependent on its technological products, there is also quite widespread awareness about its various pitfalls.

The nineteenth century notion of science inherently being a force of good or of technology as always beneficial to humankind has receded considerably in the public mind. Once representing the triumph of reason over obscurantism and human ‘mastery’ over nature, science and technology today are seen as flawed in many ways and even worse as an integral arm of state, military and commercial power…Source: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/11/131105081228.htmScienceDaily - Science News | 5 November 2013Oldest Ice Core: Finding a 1.5 Million-Year Record of Earth's Climate

How far into the past can ice-core records go? Scientists have now identified regions in Antarctica they say could store information about Earth's climate and greenhouse gases extending as far back as 1.5 million years, almost twice as old as the oldest ice core drilled to date…Source: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/11/131105081400.htmScienceDaily - Science News | 5 November 2013Global Map Provides New Insights Into Land Use

In order to assess the global impacts of land use on the environment and help provide appropriate countermeasures, a group of researchers under the leadership of the Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research (UFZ) has created a new world map of land use systems. Based on various indicators of land-use intensity, climate, environmental and socio-economic conditions, they identified twelve global patterns called land system archetypes. The scientists from UFZ

3

with colleagues from the Humboldt-University Berlin and University Bonn have recently published their results in the journal Global Environmental Change…Source: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/11/131105093233.htmScienceDaily - Science News | 5 November 2013Emissions Pricing Revenues Could Overcompensate Profit Losses of Fossil Fuel Owners

Revenues from global carbon emission pricing could exceed the losses fossil fuel owners suffer from this policy. Stabilizing global warming at around 2 degrees Celsius by cutting greenhouse-gas emissions from fossil fuels would mean to leave much of coal, gas and oil unused underground.

Yet the instrument of pricing global CO2 emissions could generate a revenue of 32 trillion US dollars over the 21st century, exceeding by far the 12 trillion US dollars reduction of fossil fuel owners' profits, according to a study now published by scientists of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research…Source: http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/news-by-industry/et-cetera/funding-for-tackling-climate-change-to-top-un-agenda-at-warsaw/articleshow/25283057.cmsThe Economic Times | 6 November 2013 | Urmi A Goswami, ET BureauFunding for tackling climate change to top UN agenda at Warsaw

NEW DELHI: An effort to provide developing countries with funds to tackle climate change and its adverse impacts will be on top of the agenda at the UN-sponsored climate change meet in Warsaw.

A ministerial dialogue will be held at the summit to devise a strategy that will ensure funding, from private and public sources, for tackling climate change…Source: http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/economy/agriculture/unchecked-climate-change-to-lower-food-production/articleshow/25282739.cmsThe Economic Times | 6 November 2013 | Urmi A Goswami, ET BureauUnchecked climate change to lower food production

NEW DELHI: Unchecked climate change, scientists warn, will slow down economic growth, impact poverty reduction, lower food production and drive up food prices.

A leaked copy of the draft report of the Working Group II of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), reviewed by ET, sounds the most urgent warning till date on the adverse impacts of unchecked climate change…Source: http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/opinion/interviews/time-is-running-out-to-counter-adverse-impacts-of-climate-change-christiana-figueres/articleshow/25282365.cmsThe Economic Times | 6 November 2013 | ET BureauTime is running out to counter adverse impacts of climate change: Christiana Figueres

Time to take action to counter the adverse impacts of climate change is running out, and countries must scale up their efforts to reduce emissions and adapt to the phenomenon, says Christiana Figueres, who heads the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). In an interview with ET's Urmi A Goswami, Figueres says she expects the

4

upcoming meet in Warsaw this month to register key progress on issues such as finance for policies aimed at arresting climate change…Source: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/11/131106122113.htmScienceDaily - Science News | 6 November 2013Clean Air Act Has Led to Improved Water Quality in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed

A new study shows that the reduction of pollution emissions from power plants in the mid-Atlantic is making an impact on the quality of the water that ends up in the Chesapeake Bay. The study by scientists at the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science confirms that as the amount of emissions of nitrogen oxide from coal-fired power plants declined in response to the Clean Air Act, the amount of nitrogen pollution found in the waterways of forested areas in Pennsylvania, Maryland and Virginia fell as well…Source: http://www.countercurrents.org/cc061113.htmCountercurrents.org | 6 November 2013 | By Countercurrents.org UNEP Report Warns Global Efforts To Combat Climate Change Could Fail

Global efforts to prevent dangerous levels of climate change are on course to fail, says a UN report released November 5, 2013.

The UN Environment Programme says current pledges to reduce emissions are inadequate, and likely to see options to limit warming to 2C above pre-industrial levels fade by 2020…

As world leaders prepare to meet in Poland for the latest UN summit on climate change, the new report has warned that the chance to limit global temperature rises to below 2C is swiftly diminishing…Source: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/11/131106131948.htmScienceDaily - Science News | 6 November 2013Climate Change Scientists Must Turn Their Attention to Clean Skies, Experts Urge

Natural aerosols, such as emissions from volcanoes or plants, may contribute more uncertainty than previously thought to estimates of how the climate might respond to greenhouse gas emissions…

Aerosols tend to increase the brightness of clouds, which would increase the reflection of solar radiation to space, thereby partially masking the climate-warming effects of greenhouse gas emissions. Firmly establishing the effect of aerosol-induced changes on cloud brightness is an important challenge for climate scientists…Source: http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/environment/pollution/warning-bell-greenhouse-gas-levels-hit-new-high/articleshow/25348308.cmsThe Economic Times | 7 November 2013 | By AFPWarning bell: Greenhouse gas levels hit new high

GENEVA: The amount of greenhouse gases in Earth's atmosphere hit a new record high in 2012, continuing an ever-faster rise that is driving climate change, the UN weather agency said on Wednesday. "The concentrations are reaching once again record levels," Michel Jarraud, who heads the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), told reporters in Geneva…

5

Source: http://www.countercurrents.org/cc071113.htmCountercurrents.org | 7 November 2013 | By Countercurrents.orgCO2 Levels Hit Record High Again, “Time Is Not On Our Side”

The amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere has risen to a record high – again, says the World Meteorological Organisation…

The current WMO bulletin (The State of Greenhouse Gases in the Atmosphere, Based on Global Observations through 2012, No. 9) shows that GHGs are heating the climate more and more every year. The rate of increase appears to be accelerating, too. 2012 was already above average for the last decade, but 2013's rate of increase looks almost certain to be higher still…Source: http://www.countercurrents.org/baker071113.htmCarolynbaker.net | 7 November, 2013 | By Carolyn BakerFukushima And Catastrophic Climate Change: The Earth Community In Hospice

To be in a body is to hear the heartbeat of death at every moment. ~Andrew Harvey~

As I write these words in early November 2013, humanity is confronting an unprecedented and horrific challenge which it may or may not survive. I’m referring to two uncanny realities about which we are not being told the unmitigated truth.

The Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant which suffered a catastrophic meltdown on March 11, 2011 is poised to inflict death and disastrous illness on millions, if not billions of people, as a result of ghastly amounts of contaminated water that is gushing daily into the Pacific Ocean and has already been detected on the West coasts of Canada and the United States. (28 Signs That The West Coast Is Being Fried By Fukushima Radiation)…Source: http://articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com/2013-11-09/news/43855561_1_domestic-solar-manufacturers-solar-power-thin-film-panelsThe Economic Times | 9 November 2013 | Sajal Ghosh Coming down to earth: Why solar power isn’t a big deal

The government targets 20 GW of solar power by 2022. With India importing almost 75% of its crude oil and 25% of its coal needs, it is imperative that solar energy should be given high priority. The cost of solar power has fallen from Rs 18 per unit a few years ago to Rs 7.50, and is about to reach grid parity — a big accomplishment to promote clean energy. But one must look critically at India's solar energy market and its distortions…Source: http://www.countercurrents.org/cc111113A.htmCountercurrents.org | 11 November 2013 | By Countercurrents.orgClimate Crisis: Preparing For Hell

Burning of fossil fuels, deforestation and large-scale agriculture are changing the Earth's climate. People everywhere will have to adjust to the changes as these are turning stronger. In this week's issue of the journal Science, an international group of researchers urge the development of science needed to manage climate risks and capitalize on unexpected opportunities. Climate preparedness research needs to integrate social and climate science, engineering, and other disciplines…

6

Source: http://www.countercurrents.org/cc111113B.htmCountercurrents.org | 11 November 2013 | By Countercurrents.orgClimate Crisis Finance: Poor Countries Are Left In The dark

The climate crisis talks could collapse because of a lack of financial support from rich nations. Murky accounting and a lack of transparency by rich countries has left the poor countries with little idea about what money is available to help them cope with climate change, says Oxfam. The NGO claims developed nations spend up to US$90 billion on fossil fuel subsides, but have slashed climate crisis finance support…Source: http://www.countercurrents.org/cja111113.htmCountercurrents.org | 11 November, 2013 | By Pan African Climate Justice AllianceFinance, Emissions Budget And Loss And Damage Key Demands Of African Civil Society

Warsaw, Poland - TODAY - Civil society groups across Africa demanded that developed countries fulfil and implement their commitments under the UN climate convention, in order to fairly share a necessary 'emissions budget', and avoid catastrophic climate change…Source: http://www.countercurrents.org/mccauley121113.htmCommonDreams.org | 12 November, 2013 | Lauren McCauleyPhilippine Representative Makes Plea For 'Global Solidarity' To Fight 'Climate Madness'

The climate crisis is "madness" and environmentally vulnerable nations such as the Philippines do not have time for failed climate negotiations, Philippines climate negotiator Naderev "Yeb" Saño told the delegation at the 19th United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP19) Monday as he vowed to go on hunger strike until "clear progress is made."…Source: http://www.countercurrents.org/cc121113A.htmCountercurrents.org | 12 November, 2013 | By Countercurrents.orgTyphoon Haiyan Roars Through Warsaw Climate Crisis Summit

Typhoon Haiyan’s trail of devastation in the Philippines prompts three groups of developing countries to call for climate compensation scheme to be rolled out. The call came at the 12-day UN Climate Change Convention’s 19th Conference of the Parties (CoP) that began on November 11, 2013 in Poland's capital Warsaw…

“Disasters are never natural. They are the intersection of factors other than physical. They are the accumulation of the constant breach of economic, social, and environmental thresholds. Most of the time disasters is a result of inequity and the poorest people of the world are at greatest risk because of their vulnerability and decades of maldevelopment, which I must assert is connected to the kind of pursuit of economic growth that dominates the world; the same kind of pursuit of so-called economic growth and unsustainable consumption that has altered the climate system…Source: http://www.countercurrents.org/cc131113A.htmCountercurrents.org | 13 November 2013 | By Countercurrents.org15,000 Extreme Weather Events Between 1993-2012: 530,000 People Dead And Losses Of More Than $2.5 Trillion

More than 530,000 persons died as a direct result of approximately 15,000 extreme weather incidents, and losses between 1993 and 2012 amounted to more than US$2.5 trillion, says Global

7

Climate Risk Index 2014 released by Germanwatch on November 12, 2013 at the Warsaw climate crisis talks…Source: http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/economy/agriculture/warsaw-climate-conference-no-discussion-on-agriculture-in-ongoing-session/articleshow/25780934.cmsThe Economic Times | 15 November 2013 | Urmi A Goswami, ET Bureau

WARSAW: India and other developing countries have succeeded in ensuring that there will be no discussion on agriculture in the ongoing climate change negotiations in Warsaw, a development that could well prove a pyrrhic victory. 

Discussion on ways to deal with the impact of climate change on agriculture, such as variations in rainfall and temperature, has now been pushed for talks scheduled for mid-2014. The discussions, which will be taken up by the United Nations' climate changes technical committee, will focus on adapting to climate change and emission reduction that such measures are likely to entail…Source: http://www.countercurrents.org/symonds151113.htmWSWS.org | 15 November, 2013 | Peter Symonds Climate Scientists Warn Of More Super-Typhoons In an emotional speech to the UN Climate Change summit in Warsaw, the chief delegate for the Philippines, Naderev Saño, warned that massive tropical storms like Super Typhoon Haiyan, which just devastated his country, would become more frequent unless action was taken to reduce greenhouse gas emissions…

“Science tells us that simply, climate change will mean more intense tropical storms. As the Earth warms up, that would include the oceans. The energy that is stored in the waters off the Philippines will increase the intensity of the typhoons and the trend we now see is that more destructive storms will be the new norm,” he said…Source: http://www.countercurrents.org/cc171113A.htmCountercurrents.org | 17 November, 2013 | By Countercurrents.orgConsumers Drive Climate Crisis

Consumers, rather than people per se, drive climate change, finds a study.

Models of future climate scenarios have taken insufficient account of population patterns and trends, according to a UCL review to be published in the print edition of The Lancet in November 2013. The review, "Population, development, and climate change, links and effects on human health", examines the interconnections between population growth and climate change, from the perspective of global health…Source: http://www.countercurrents.org/banerjee171113.htmDown To Earth | 17 November, 2013 | By Srestha BanerjeeShip-Breaking Industry Back In Business In Bangladesh

A visit to Sitakunda, the ship-breaking hub of Bangladesh, does not give an impression that only a few years ago the apex court of the country had intervened to clean up the hazardous industry following years of campaign by environmental and human rights groups.

8

The coastal strip in Chittagong division remains littered with scrap metals stained with toxic oil and chemicals; some of the chemicals are carcinogenic. Stories of accidents and deaths at ship-breaking yards are frequent, but only a few get reported (see ‘Harbour of...’). “Last year, 22 workers died while dismantling ships,” informs Muhammad Sahin, senior programme manager of non-profit Young Power in Social Action (YPSA). “This year till July, seven have died and hundreds have been injured,” he adds…Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/home/environment/global-warming/India-skips-mention-of-natural-disasters-at-climate-meet/articleshow/25953360.cms?The Times of India | 17 November 2013 | Vishwa Mohan, TNN India skips mention of natural disasters at climate meet

WARSAW: World may be looking at India for its response to what had happened recently in Odisha and Uttarakhand due to natural disasters which were results of climatic extremes, but there was not a word on these two unfortunate incidents from Indian side, comprising official negotiators, here at the UN climate change conference during the first week of this mega event that would eventually culminate into a global climate deal in Paris in 2015.

Neither the Indian government's open statement nor the negotiators' remarks during various rounds of discussions could mention how the country was equally vulnerable to such climate disasters caused by global warming…Source: http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/articleshow/26005141.cmsThe Economic Times | 19 November 2013 | Urmi A Goswami, ET BureauWarsaw talks may yield setup to deal with climate change impacts

WARSAW: A dedicated institutional mechanism to address the adverse impacts of climate change such as extreme weather events like Typhoon Haiyan and Cyclone Phailin may well be within reach at the end of the ongoing global talks at Warsaw.

After a weekend of intense negotiations, government representatives have prepared a draft plan that will be taken up for further discussions by the ministers when they arrive in Warsaw over the next two days…Source: http://www.countercurrents.org/ciobanu191113.htmInter Press Service | 19 November 2013 | Claudia CiobanuCoal Tries To Clean Up Its Image

An International Coal and Climate summit organized by the Polish Ministry of Economy and the World Coal Association kicked off Monday in the Polish capital Warsaw in parallel to the United Nations Climate Change Conference COP19, amid outcry from environmentalists who accused COP host Poland of bias in favor of the coal industry…

Coal is the dirtiest of fossil fuels, accounting for over 40 percent of global CO2 emissions coming from fuel combustion, according to the International Energy Agency…Source: http://www.countercurrents.org/klare191113.htmTomDispatch.com | 19 November 2013 | Michael T. KlareSurviving Climate Change: Is A Green Energy Revolution On The Global Agenda?

9

A week after the most powerful “super typhoon” ever recorded pummeled the Philippines, killing thousands in a single province, and three weeks after the northern Chinese city of Harbin suffered a devastating “airpocalypse,” suffocating the city with coal-plant pollution, government leaders beware! Although individual events like these cannot be attributed with absolute certainty to increased fossil fuel use and climate change, they are the type of disasters that, scientists tell us, will become a pervasive part of life on a planet being transformed by the massive consumption of carbon-based fuels. If, as is now the case, governments across the planet back an extension of the carbon age and ever increasing reliance on “unconventional” fossil fuels like tar sands and shale gas, we should all expect trouble. In fact, we should expect mass upheavals leading to a green energy revolution…Source: http://www.countercurrents.org/cc201113A.htmCountercurrents.org | 20 November 2013 | By Countercurrents.orgGlobal Carbon Emissions Set To Reach Record 36 Billion Tons In 2013

Global emissions of carbon dioxide from burning fossil fuels are set to rise again in 2013, reaching a record high of 36 billion tonnes, informed the Global Carbon Project.

The 2.1 percent rise projected for 2013 means global emissions from burning fossil fuel are 61 percent above 1990 levels, the baseline year for the Kyoto Protocol…Source: http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/environment/global-warming/india-tells-rich-nations-not-to-treat-climate-issues-for-providing-market-to-domestic-companies/articleshow/26111507.cmsThe Economic Times | 21 November 2013 | Vishwa Mohan, TNN India tells rich nations not to treat climate issues for providing market to domestic companies  

WARSAW: Hitting out at developed countries for backtracking on their commitments to fight climate change, India on Thursday used the UN climate talks platform to tell the rich nations not to treat global warming issues with a "business perspective of providing markets to domestic companies".

New Delhi also expressed dismay at decision of some of the rich nations — including Japan, Canada and Australia — to scale down ambition and lowering of targets of emissions… Source: http://www.countercurrents.org/dipankar221113.htmCountercurrents.org | 22 November, 2013 | Dipankar Bhattacharya Industrialisation: For Whom, By Whom?

It is really encouraging to see students at IIM Kolkata hosting a symposium on the human cost of industrialisation. The acknowledgement that industrialisation involves a human cost and that this cost may often outweigh the presumed benefits, is a welcome departure from the dominant discourse in the country today which aggressively advocates industrialisation at any cost…Source: http://www.countercurrents.org/michael221113.htmInter Press Service | 22 November, 2013 | Wambi MichaelStorm Brews At U.N. Climate Talks

10

WARSAW, Nov 21 2013 (IPS) - Hundreds of representatives from various NGOs walked out of the negotiating rooms at the United Nations climate talks in Poland on Thursday in protest against the reluctance by developed nations to commit towards achieving a global climate treaty…Source: http://articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com/2013-11-25/news/44449827_1_seed-revenue-basf-crops The Economic Times | Bloomberg  | November 25, 2013 As opposition to GM grows, companies are turning to mutant breeding

Last July, when Monsanto withdrew its applications to sell genetically modified biotech seeds in the European Union, it opened the way for competitors to challenge Monsanto's market share.

As opposition to genetically modified crops spreads, leading chemical companies including BASF and DuPont have turned to mutagenesis — a technique that mimics the sun's irradiation of plants — to create herbicide-resistant crops…Source: http://articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com/2013-11-25/news/44449713_1_new-global-regime-industrialised-countries-climate-talksThe Economic Times | November 25, 2013 | Urmi A Goswami, ET Bureau UN climate talks bring about a deal, but fail to resolve major issues

WARSAW: After almost 30 hours of overtime, the United Nations-sponsored Warsaw climate change talks came to a close with a deal that failed to resolve key contentious issues but managed to keep every country at the table.

The intense-and-sometimes-acrimonious negotiations yielded modest agreement on an international mechanism to address extreme and adverse impacts of climate change in vulnerable developing countries, a way forward on financing for developing countries and a deal to move ahead on fashioning a new global regime to address climate change…Source: http://www.countercurrents.org/dyne251113.htmWSWS.org | 25 November, 2013 | Bryan Dyne Climate Conference Ends With UN Admission Of Failure

During the final press conference of the 19th Conference of Parties (COP19), the latest international climate change summit, which ended on November 23 in Warsaw, a top UN official admitted that current efforts were not adequate to halt the pace of global warming.

United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Executive Secretary Christiana Figueres said that the summit “does not put us on track for a two-degree world.”…Source: http://www.countercurrents.org/hedges251113.htmTruthDig.com | 25 November, 2013 | Chris HedgesShielding A Flickering Flame

With the folly of the human race—and perhaps its unconscious lust for self-annihilation—on display at the U.N. Climate Talks in Warsaw, it is easy to succumb to despair. The world’s elite, it is painfully clear, will do little to halt the accelerating destruction of the ecosystem and eventually the human species. We have, through our ingenuity and hubris, unleashed the next

11

great mass extinction on the planet. And I suspect the reason we have never discovered signs of intelligent life elsewhere in the universe is because extraterrestrial societies that achieved similar levels of technological development also destroyed themselves. There are probably more wreckages of advanced civilizations, cursed by poisoned ecosystems, floating through the universe than we imagine…Source: http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/news-by-industry/et-cetera/india-manages-to-keep-hfcs-out-of-un-climate-talks/articleshow/26379524.cmsThe Economic Times | 26 November 2013  | Urmi A Goswami, ET Bureau India manages to keep HFCs out of UN Climate Talks

NEW DELHI: India can claim a measure of victory at Warsaw as it succeeded in keeping the discussion on reducing the use of refrigerant gases with high global warming potential, or hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), out of climate change negotiations.

The final decision at the UN sponsored climate talks in the Polish capital-"Further advancing the Durban Platform"-doesn't include the European Union and United States-backed proposal to refer phasing out HFCs to the Montreal Protocol, which is the United Nations-sponsored agreement to protect the ozone layer… Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/home/environment/global-warming/Warsaw-climate-summit-pledges-funds-for-afforestation/articleshow/26380410.cms?The Times of India | 26 November 2013 | Vishwa Mohan, TNNWarsaw climate summit pledges funds for afforestation

NEW DELHI: The climate talks in Warsaw may not have come up to the expectation of poor nations but it ended on a hopeful note on Sunday with negotiators taking a significant step towards reducing greenhouse gas emissions from deforestation by agreeing to result-based payment to developing countries which cut carbon by leaving trees standing.

The money — to be collected through contributions from rich nations — will be used for increasing forest cover…Source: http://www.countercurrents.org/cc271113.htmCountercurrents.org | 27 November, 2013 | By Countercurrents.orgUS Methane Emissions Surpass Previous Estimates

Government calculations of total US methane emissions may underestimate the true values by 50 percent, finds a new study.

The study found large discrepancies with government estimates in some regions of the US , particularly the south-central US, where total methane emissions were 2.7 times greater than those reported in most inventories.

Emissions from oil and gas drilling and processing in this region could account for 50% of that total, representing a source of methane almost five times higher than in the most commonly used global emissions database…Source: http://www.countercurrents.org/biron271113.htmInter Press Service | 27 November 2013 | By Carey L. Biron

12

US Unveils Military Strategy For Arctic

The United States is calling for greater cooperation in the Arctic, even as it warns that it will defend its sovereignty in the face of strengthening international interest in newly opening shipping lanes and natural resource extraction opportunities as the region’s ice disappears.

For the first time, the United States has come out with an overarching strategy aimed at guiding its military response in the Arctic. Openly prompted by concerns over climate change, officials say the US vision aims at balancing “human and environmental security” in the region…Source: http://www.countercurrents.org/cc291113A.htmCountercurrents.org | 28 November 2013 | By Countercurrents.orgEven If Emissions Stop, CO2 Could Warm Earth For Centuries

Even if carbon dioxide emissions came to a sudden halt, the carbon dioxide already in the Earth's atmosphere could continue to warm our planet for hundreds of years, found a new study.

If the results are correct, said one of the scientists conducting the study, the total carbon emissions required to stay below 2 degrees of warming would have to be three-quarters of previous estimates, which is only 750 billion tons of carbon instead of 1,000 billion tons…Source: http://www.countercurrents.org/king291113.htmRTCC.org | 28 November 2013 | By Ed King Global Warming ‘Slowdowns' Will Be Frequent, Say UK Scientists

Prolonged slowdowns in global warming could occur as frequently as 3-4.5 times a century, according to new analysis published by the UK Met Office.

The findings were printed in a document distributed to delegates at the UN climate summit in Warsaw, which ended last weekend.

“For simulated warming rates of 0.15 °C and 0.1 °C per decade (the observed long-term rate of warming from 1951–2012 is around 0.12 °C), 15-year slowdowns would be expected around 3 and 4.5 times respectively per century,” it reads…

* * * * * * *

13