Coral bleaching occurs when sea temperatures rise and kill algae that are the source of color and food for most corals around the globe – and a new study shows that there could be mass bleaching by 2056 if current greenhouse gas emissions continue unabated. Researchers used data from the Fifth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) to demonstrate that unless significant measures are taken to reduce emissions, annual mass bleaching could occur in 74 percent of coral by 2045. The results of the NOAA’s Cooperative Institute for Marine and Atmospheric Studies report were published in the journal Nature Climate Change this week.

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Post tags: algae, carbon emissions, climate models, CO2, coral bleaching, coral reef, Environment, environmental destruction, global warming, greenhouse gas emissions, IPCC, mass bleaching events, nature climate change, News, NOAA, science

Researchers led by experts from Oxford University warn that a 1.5C temperature rise would melt Siberia’s permafrost, which would in turn release hundreds of gigatonnes of stored carbon dioxide and methane into the atmosphere. Covering nearly a quarter of the northern hemisphere, this ticking carbon bomb would speed up global warming and cause widespread climate change. However, The Guardian reports, it would likely take a few decades for the permafrost to melt and therefore greenhouse gas emissions would initially trickle into the atmosphere.

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Post tags: carbon bomb, carbon emissions, Climate Change, CO2, Environment, global warming, greenhouse gas emissions, methane, News, oxford university, permafrost, research, science, siberia

A new CSIRO study released last week reveals that the Australian landscape soaked up one third of the country’s fossil-fueled carbon emissions over the last two decades. It also revealed that Australia exported 2.5 times as much carbon in fossil fuels than it emitted within its own borders. The landmark study called The Australian Terrestrial Carbon Budget was conducted over a three year period, and the results were published in the journal Biogeosciences. The main aim was to understand how much land carbon is lost or gained through what scientists call plant and soil “breathing,” and how climate variability affects those patterns.

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Post tags: australia, biogeoscieces, Climate Change, climate variability, coal, CSIRO, Drought, floods, fossil fuels, global warming, greenhouse gas emissions, outback, Pollution, The Australian Terrestrial Carbon Budget

In 2011, we published a story that non-native earthworms were a threat to the US as they were releasing more carbon into the atmosphere. Now a new Dutch/US study has revealed that it’s not just non-native earthworms that accelerate carbon release, but ALL earthworms. However, the report, which was published in the Nature journal, states that it is not so much the earthworms’ fault, but the soil in which they live.

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Post tags: carbon dioxide, Climate Change, earthworms, greenhouse gas emissions, greenhouse gases, nature journal, nitrous oxide, soil, US study

Bring on the four day work week. New research shows that working fewer hours and enjoying more downtime could forestall climate change. The Center for Economic Policy and Research claims that if the developing world eschews the American working model (long hours and very little vacation time) in favor of the European model, which advocates more reasonable work hours and plenty of time for leisure and holidays, the output of greenhouse gas emissions would slow and subsequent temperature rise could be cut in half by 2100.

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Post tags: carbon dioxide, Climate Change, CO2, CO2 emissions, Environment, four hour work week, global warming, greenhouse gas emissions, News, slow global warming, The Center for Economic Policy and Research, work less

Rupert Murdoch has been known to use Twitter to voice controversial social and political opinions – and recently the media tycoon made several sweeping statements on climate science. Citing an article in the Wall Street Journal (which it should be noted is owned by Murdoch), the media mogul tweeted, “World growing greener with increased carbon. Thirty years of satellite evidence. Forests growing faster and thicker.” The piece he referenced was by Matt Ridley, who stated that “green vegetation on the planet has been increasing for three decades.” This conclusion is based on a summarized lecture by Ranga Myneni of Boston University and NASA images of global vegetation. Members of the scientific community have accused Murdoch of misinterpreting some very complicated science to further his known disdain for environmentalism.

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Post tags: Boston University, Climate Change, co2 fertilization effect, desertification, forests, global carbon project, greenhouse gas emissions, matt ripley, nasa, ranga myeni, Rupert Murdoch, twitter, wall street journal

From March to September this year a staggering 4.47 million square miles of Arctic ice melted – that’s an area bigger than the United States. The U.N. World Meteorological Organization said this Arctic ice melt is one of the most extreme and record-breaking weather events of 2012. Yet delegates from nearly 200 countries meeting at the Doha Climate Change Conference can’t come to an agreement to collectively cut emissions to slow global warming.

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Post tags: arctic ice melt bigger than the united states, china, Climate Change, climate change taking place before our eyes, COP18, developing countries, Doha, Doha Climate Change Conference, eradicating poverty before reducing emissions, global warming, greenhouse gas emissions, India, kyoto protocol extension to 2020, record-breaking weather events of 2012, UN climate change talks in Doha, un world meteorological organization, us refuses to sign binding emissions pact, wmo secretary general michael jarrud

A spokesperson for the United States at the 18th Conference of the Parties to the UNFCCC in Doha, Qatar cited the country’s investments in “fracking” as its contribution to the global goal of cutting greenhouse gas emissions. Long vilified for failing to ratify the 1997 Kyoto Protocol, which it initially signed, the U.S. was the biggest spewer of greenhouse gas emissions for many years until China took the lead. This is due in part to a widespread program to replace coal plants throughout the U.S. with shale gas, the extraction of which comes with its own environmental price.

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Post tags: china, climate talks, COP18, Doha, environmental news, fracking, global warming, greenhouse gas emissions, kyoto protocol, Middle East, qatar, UN, unfccc, usa

A team of researchers from Arizona State University have developed a new software system that is capable of estimating greenhouse gas emissions across entire urban landscapes, all the way down to street level and individual buildings. The project, known as Hestia after the Greek goddess of home and hearth, allows the team to combine extensive public database “data-mining” with traffic simulation and building-by-building energy-consumption modeling.

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Post tags: Arizona State University, carbon emissions, environmental science and technology, greenhouse gas emissions, greenhouse gases, hestia, hestia system, urban landscapes, urban pollution

Marks and Spencer is the first retailer in the United Kingdom to become carbon neutral. In an announcement yesterday, the company described how a combination of increased energy efficiency measures and carbon offset purchases have led its stores, offices, warehouses and delivery fleets in the UK and Ireland to reach a net-zero carbon impact in accordance with the CarbonNeutral certification program. So what exactly has Marks and Spencer achieved so far?

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Post tags: "energy efficiency", carbon neutrality, carbon-neutral, carbonneutral certification, energy conservation, greenhouse gas emissions, joanna lumley, marks and spencer, plan a, sustainable business

Tomorrow Japan will become completely nuclear free for the first time since 1970 as it shuts down the Tomari nuclear reactor on the island of Hokkaido. One by one the country’s 54 nuclear reactors have been shuttered for maintenance, but they have not reopened because of the public’s fears over their safety. Anti-nuclear demonstrators plan on celebrating Tomari’s shutdown, but one consequence Japan faces is a 15 percent increase in greenhouse gas emissions because of its increased reliance on fossil fuels.

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Post tags: fukushima daiichi, greenhouse gas emissions, Japan, nuclear energy, nuclear free, nuclear power, nuclear power plants, oil and gas, tomari nuclear reactor

It’s hardly news that eating meat is a bad idea: it’s long been recognized that the dietary choice is not only damaging to your health, but also a significant driving factor in global warming. However, a new study has detailed another worrying element in meat production – the greenhouse gas emissions from fertilizers used to grow animal feed. The study from the Woods Hole Research Center in Massachusetts, published in Environmental Research Letters, calls for a 50 percent reduction in meat consumption and changes in agricultural practices so as to stem rising emissions of nitrous oxide, reported to be the most potent of all greenhouse gases.

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Post tags: agriculture environment, eric davidson, fertilizers pollution, global warming, greenhouse gas emissions, meat environment, meat production, nitrous oxide, vegan, vegan diet, vegetarian, vegetarian diet, woods hole research center

UPS has added 10 large biomethane diesel trucks to its dedicated 2012 London Olympics fleet. With Olympic organizers striving to put on the greenest and most ethical games ever and the city struggling to find find ways to control air pollution, the addition to UPS’s fleet is a dose of good news. For UPS, this announcement adds to the logistic giant’s commitment to turn “Brown” more “green.”

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Post tags: alternative fuels, biomethane, Biomethane diesel, biomethane trucks, diesel, greenhouse gas emissions, London, London Olympics, olympics, organic waste, united parcel service, UPS

The Environmental Protection Agency and Department of Transportation unveiled their new CAFE standards yesterday, which require an impressive 54.5 mile-per-gallon average for light duty vehicles by the year 2025. The new rules build on the recent requirement of 35 mpg by 2016 and are designed to help further wean the U.S. off foreign oil, save consumers money at the pump, and reduce vehicle emissions. Is it possible? And just how much good will it do the average consumer?

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Post tags: 2025 CAFE goal, 2025 CAFE standards, 54.5 mpg, cafe standards, dot, epa, fuel economy standards, fuel efficiency standards, green transportation, greenhouse gas emissions, new fuel economy standards

Barack Obama has something in common with George Washington, besides his occupation. Our president has been brewing his own in-house organic beer, which he has dubbed White House Honey Ale. The ale is even flavored with White House-raised honey from Michelle Obama’s beehive. We have to applaud the Pres for embracing sustainably made, home-brewed beer! If you’re reading Obama, we’d love some samples.


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Post tags: barack obama, eco design, green design, greenhouse gas emissions, home brew, local honey, Sgt. Dakota Meyer, sustainable design, White House Honey Ale

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Google just announced that it has been carbon neutral since 2007, and the internet giant also recently unveiled plans to invest in pig poop as a form of renewable energy. Working in collaboration with Duke University and Duke Energy, the company will share funding for a poo-powered methane power plant in Yadkinville for five years. Using poop from the 9,000 hogs, the facility can produce enough electric power to run 35 homes for an entire year.

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Post tags: duke energy, Duke University, eco design, Google, green design, greenhouse gas emissions, north carolina, Pig Excrement, Poo Power!, Poo to Power, renewable energy, sustainable design, winston salem, Yadkinville

Some hardcore carnivores have a hard time finding meat alternatives such as soy protein or tofu burgers to be palatable. But non-meat eaters may lose their appetite along with their carnivorous friends over this one – a meat alternative made from HUMAN EXCREMENT. Yep, you heard me correctly — Japanese scientist Mitsuyuki Ikeda has developed a “burger” made from soya, steak sauce essence, and protein extracted from human feces. Hit the break for a video explaining the process!

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Post tags: Environmental Assessment Center, greenhouse gas emissions, Japan, meat alternative, meat packing industry, methane, Mitsyuki Ikeda, poop burgers, recycled human excrement, turd burgers, vegetarianism

The EPA has just revealed a new design for the stickers you see in the windows of new cars. The new setup aims to help consumers calculate the equivalent mileage of electric and hybrid vehicles and judge how a car stacks up against the competition for fuel savings and greenhouse gas emissions. For Tesla, this means a new industry-topping 119 mile-per-gallon equivalent sticker in the window of the company’s Tesla Roadster.

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Post tags: alternative transportation, electric vehicle, elon musk, epa, fuel economy equivalent, fuel economy sticker, green automotive design, green transportation, greenhouse gas emissions, hybrid vehicle, MPGe, new car sticker, smog rating, tesla, Tesla independence, tesla model-s, Tesla roadster

It’s generally agreed the world over that transportation is the largest contributor to global warming. As such, governments have begun heavily investing in high-speed rail projects and other transport schemes in order to keep emissions down. In the UK a new study out of the Stockholm Environment Institute at the University of York has reported “a significant breakthrough in climate change policy by showing how to make drastic cuts in carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from transport.” The study revealed that a low-carbon transport future would create a less stressful, quieter, healthier, more resilient and confident society. While you may be thinking this is a blatantly obvious statement, the really interesting part is actually how society would go about reducing those emissions. From the technological to the financial to behavioral changes, those in the UK feel that a clear and phased program could potentially enable a 76 percent reduction in emissions by 2050.

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Post tags: carbon emissions, Climate Change, CO2, CO2 emissions, emissions, Global Weirding, greenhouse gas emissions, greenhouse gases, Stockholm Environment Institute, timon singh, transport, transport emissions, transportation emissions, Transportation Tech, UK, uk transportation emission reduction, united kingdom

It’s hard to imagine a cement plant going green. Creating cement is a scarily dirty process, and the industry is responsible for about five percent of global greenhouse gas emissions. One Canadian company aims to change that situation. Pond Biofuels, a three-year-old start-up, hopes to capture a cement plant’s carbon emissions in algae. The algae would then be turned into a biofuel and used to fuel cement kilns and company trucks.

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Post tags: algae, algae absorbs emissions, algae biofuel, algae from cement emissions, cement industry, emissions from cement, greenhouse gas emissions, Pond Biofuels, St. Mary's cement