Biodiversity vital to streams as extinctions rise
Reuters | 06 Apr 2011
As Earth enters a period of mass extinction, a study released on Wednesday offers a new reason to preserve biodiversity: it's an effective, natural pollution scrubber in streams.
 Climate Change | Biodiversity | Climate Variability

Weatherwatch: 'War winter' took it's toll on Britain's birds
Guardian Unlimited | 03 Feb 2011
Until the big freezes of 1946-47 and 1962-63, the coldest winter of the 20th century was the "war winter" of 1939-40. Unlike those other cold winters, though, the freeze relatively brief - a bitterly cold January was followed by a milder February and March. But the cold was still severe and widespread enough to have a devastating effect on Britain's birds. As in other cold winters, many birds migrated west and south to escape the effects of the ice and snow.
 England | Biodiversity | Climate Variability | Environmental Impacts | Extreme Weather

Monk's diaries help weather study
Yahoo! News | 17 Jan 2011
Ancient weather records including details gleaned from monks' diaries are helping scientists work out how and why climates have changed over the past 500 years.
 Access to Information | Climate and Atmosphere | Climate Change | Climate Variability | Environmental Awareness

Why is it so cold this winter?
Guardian Unlimited | 20 Dec 2010
How unusual is the cold spell in the UK and Europe, and what has caused it? What is causing the freezing weather? The freezing weather is being caused by cold air from the north, known to meteorologists as a "block pattern". The UK's weather is usually dominated by the jet stream, a strong wind that blows straight from west to east, about 8km above the Earth's surface, that brings damp, mild weather off the Atlantic.
 United Kingdom | Extreme Weather | Global Warming

Flood defences: not waving but drowning
Guardian Unlimited | 09 Dec 2010
First big budget cuts to flood defence spending were spun as 'broadly the same' - now ministers want communities that offer to pay part of the bill to be favoured. Not waving but drowning. But David Cameron's put-down to Ed Miliband last week is, I think, rather better suited to describing Defra's flood defence policy.
 England | Climate Variability | Floods | Governance | Urban Water and Sanitation

Paatelainen urges Scotland to follow Finland's lead and invest in more all-weather facilities
Daily Record | 02 Dec 2010
Mixu Paatelainen last night told Scotland to invest in more indoor training facilities to help beat the big freeze. The Kilmarnock gaffer booked his players into the state-of-the-art Toryglen facility after the freak weather conditions - which have forced the cancellation of the entire football card this weekend - threatened to also wreck his side's training schedule.
 Scotland | Climate Variability | Extreme Weather

How does a volcano measure up?
Guardian Unlimited | 07 Oct 2010
Human emissions dwarf volcanic emissions, but a big eruption can nonetheless kick out a huge amount of CO2. The carbon footprint of a volcano:1 million tonnes CO2: Mount Etna, Italy, in a quiet year 42 million tonnes CO2: Mount Pinatubo, Philippines, 1991 300 million tonnes CO2: all volcanoes in a...
 Climate and Atmosphere | Greenhouse Gas Emissions

Warmer planet temperatures could cause longer-lasting weather patterns
ScienceDaily.com | 19 Feb 2010
Although stagnant weather patterns are often difficult to predict, researchers are now studying whether increasing planet temperatures and carbon dioxide levels could lead to atmospheric blocking and when this blocking might occur, leading to more accurate forecasts.
 Climate Change

Africa: Increasing African participation in the Climate Change dialog
DFID - Department for International Development | 18 Mar 2008
The DFID-funded Climate Change Adaptation in Africa (CCAA) program is looking to provide financial assistance to institutions that facilitate African attendance at given conferences or meetings to strengthen their capacity to contribute to climate change adaptation in Africa.
 Climate Change Impacts | Climate Variability | Economics and the Environment

Friends of the Earth sue Canada for breaching Kyoto Protocol
Yahoo! News | 01 Jun 2007
The environmental group Friends of the Earth sued Canada on Tuesday for failing to meet its Kyoto Protocol obligations to cut greenhouse gas emissions linked to global warming.
 Air Pollution | Climate Change | Climate Change Convention and Kyoto Protocol | Climate Change Impacts | Climate Change Negotiations | Climate Variability