April 29th, 2008

April Environmental News Review

Posted by Jessica Jensen

Here is a selection of the leading new stories on environmental topics from the month of April. As always, we welcome your comments.

McCain, Clinton support summer gas-tax rollback — Grist.org–April 29, 2008

U.S. presidential candidates Hillary Clinton and John McCain have said they support temporarily suspending the federal excise tax on gasoline and diesel fuel over the summer to ease the impacts of high fuel prices on consumers. McCain indicated he would shift revenue from other sources to cover the estimated $9 billion dip in highway infrastructure funds that would result; Clinton has proposed enacting a windfall-profits tax on oil companies to make up the shortfall. Both Clinton and McCain attacked Barack Obama for opposing the tax suspension. 

Artic Ice Shelf Seen Melting Faster Than Anticipated — Reuters– April 24, 2008

Arctic ice may be melting faster than most climate change science has concluded, the conservation group WWF said in a report published on Thursday. It found that ice in Greenland and across the Arctic region was retreating “at rates significantly faster than predicted in previous expert assessments.”

Security Risk from Climate Said Underestimated — Reuters– April 23, 2008

Countries around the world have hugely underestimated the potential conflicts stemming from climate change and must invest heavily to correct that mistake, a report said on Wednesday. The report for Britain’s Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) by environment expert Nick Mabey said the response had been “slow and inadequate” and to rectify it spending needed to surge to levels comparable to sums spent on counter-terrorism.

Treading Lighter with Low Carbon Diets — Los Angeles Times — April 22, 2008

Conscientious consumers who want to tread lightly are increasingly concerned about their own carbon footprints. They’ve changed lightbulbs. They covet a Prius more than a Porsche. Now their anxiety over global warming has shifted to the supermarket and dinner table. The global food and agriculture system produces about one-third of humanity’s contribution to greenhouse gases. So questions about food are shifting from the familiar “Is this good for me?” or “Will it make me fat?” to “Is it good for the planet?”

Bee Colonies Continue to Decline — The Alternative Consumer– April 21, 2008

Honey bee population declines continue to trouble the U.S. agricultural industry. America’s honey bees are responsible for pollinating more than 100 different crops worth $15 billion annually and continue to experience population decreases as evidenced by a study commissioned by Apiary Inspectors of America, (AIA).

Bush Calls for Flat US Greenhouse Emissions by 2025 — New York Times Dot Earth– April 16, 2008

President Bush, in a Rose Garden speech on climate change, challenged the world’s biggest (and most polluting) countries to immediately end trade barriers on energy-related technology, beef up a fund to help bring less-polluting energy options to poor countries, and commit to curbing their greenhouse-gas emissions.

Bush’s Climate Speech: Too Little Too Late — World Wildlife Fund– April 16, 2008

Dr. Richard Moss, Vice President and Managing Director of Climate Change for the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), and member of the U.N. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, issued the following statement today in response to President Bush’s speech on climate change:

President Bush is not offering a realistic policy proposal.  His plan is so lacking in substance, it seems designed only to undercut efforts in Congress and at the international level to reduce climate emissions. 

Agriculture: The Need for Change — United Nations Environment Programme– April 15, 2008

The way the world grows its food will have to change radically to better serve the poor and hungry if the world is to cope with a growing population and climate change while avoiding social breakdown and environmental collapse. That is the message from the report of the International Assessment of Agricultural Science and Technology for Development, a major new report by over 400 scientists which is launched today. The assessment was considered by 64 governments at an intergovernmental plenary in Johannesburg last week.

Climate Change Rises on World Bank Agenda — Reuters– April 10, 2008

Climate change is now one of the World Bank’s top concerns because of its expected impact on health and economic growth in developing countries, the bank’s lead environmental economist said. Latin America, Sub-Saharan Africa and Asia are where global warming’s damage will disproportionately be felt, and that makes it a key issue for the World Bank and other financial institutions aiming to foster development, said Kirk Hamilton, co-author of the Global Monitoring Report.

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