Rare Conservation Links

Now that the conspiracy theorists have blown off steam, it's time for a more sober analysis of those e-mails and what they mean. I can't go through all of th...

Darwin would be heart broken----The Galapagos archipelago has already been transformed by global climate changes and human activity, a report has concluded.

This is messed up, "A series of events, including the 1982 El Nino, overfishing and the appearance of urchins that destroy coral, has altered the islands' marine ecosystems. At least 45 Galapagos species have now disappeared or are facing extinction. "

"A new study from the Center for the Built Environment at the University of California, Berkeley, confirms what everyone probably knew intuitively: If you give people control of their own environment they use less energy. According to the New Scientist, by installing individual vents and controls for each worker (which automatically turn off when the desk is vacant) instead of cooling the whole office to one temperature, it can cut the energy consumed for cooling in half. It was particularly effective in hot, humid climates; they modeled it on Singapor and concluded that 'In an environment like Singapore, it's pretty clear that these systems would pay for themselves in energy savings.'"

Cool Green Science: The Conservation Blog of The Nature Conservancy - A blog on conservation, from migratory birds to coral reefs, from rainforests to climate change to personal green technology.

Stunning graphic that shows where emissions come from the in the world. A few countries put out most of the emissions in the world.

"The period from 2000 through 2009 has been "warmer than the 1990s, which were warmer than the 1980s and so on," said Michel Jarraud, the secretary general of the international weather agency, speaking at a news conference at the climate talks in Copenhagen."

"10:10 Campaign Director Eugenie Harvey responded to the news by saying, 'Today's announcement from the Tories is truly remarkable. This would mean that all central Government buildings, from Big Ben to Belmarsh Prison will follow the inspiring example set by families, businesses, schools, and faith groups across the country in making an ambitious 10% emissions reduction in 2010.'"

interesting visualization of the information provided by climate change skeptics versus science.

"Today, the State Council announced that China will commit to reduce its carbon dioxide emissions per unit of GDP, or carbon intensity, by 40 to 45 percent of 2005 levels by 2020. It was also announced separately by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs that Premier Wen Jiabao (also the chair of the State Council, and pictured right, showing what President Hu meant by a "notable margin"…at least in my imagination) will attend the Copenhagen climate conference that begins in less than two weeks."

"Benedict, who has already been hailed by some in the environmentalist community as a "Green Pope," is the head of the world's only carbon-neutral sovereign state. Last year, he had solar panels installed on the Vatican's rooftops--now a key source of the state's electricity. Then, he donated enough trees to an eco-restoration project in Hungary to nullify the small nation's carbon output. One of the first speeches given by the Green Pope included a call for Catholics to be 'better stewards of God's creation.'"

Community Inspiring Conservation

"Studying past climates can help scientists predict how the planet will change in the future. Using historical data, scientists at the University of Bristol, have developed a new model of climate change they believe is more accurate than previous estimates. Leaving certain data out of climate models, researchers discovered, has led to exceedingly modest estimates of the effect of carbon emissions on the planet."

The biggest climate talks in history opened on Monday with a stark U.N. warning of the risk of desertification and rising seas and an assurance by hosts Denmark that a deal to combat climate change was "within reach".

"But some positive news from the biggest developing nations--China, India, and Brazil--have encouraged the proceedings. Each has pledged to reduce carbon emissions on some level, and Obama has put forward an emissions reduction target based on the climate bill that passed the House of Representatives last summer. At 17% below 2005 levels, it's hardly what the international community was looking for--but it's progress nonetheless. Most importantly, hope seems to be in the air--real progress can be made in the coming days."

"As we draw closer to passing a clean energy and climate law that will create millions of jobs and curb global warming, people are debating how to achieve those goals most effectively. NRDC believes the cap and trade approach is the best way to get the job done, and here is why."