Moving cooler: an analysis of transportation strategies for reducing greenhouse gas emissions (summary)

Source: Natural Resources Defense Organisation
"The first-ever comprehensive analysis of transportation efficiency and its relationship to greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction and consumer savings was released by a diverse group of stakeholders committed to addressing climate change. Sponsored by transportation experts, industry, environmental organizations, federal agencies, trade associations and leading foundations, the report provides an objective and scientific analysis of the effectiveness and cost of almost 50 scalable transportation strategies, both alone and combined, to reduce GHG emissions."

Climate change adaptation actions for local government

Source: Snowy Mountains Engineering Corporation
"The report says many Australian sectors and systems are highly vulnerable to climate change, including the functions and responsibilities of local government. It says local government’s response to climate change requires a dual approach:
- management and reduction of greenhouse gas emissions (mitigation); and
- making adjustments to existing activities and practices so the potential impacts of climate change can be reduced (adaptation).
The report says mitigation and adaptation measures should be considered simultaneously because they are complementary rather than exclusive. It looks at the potential impacts of climate change on a wide range of services that councils provide including infrastructure and property services; recreational facilities; health services; planning and development approvals; natural resource management and water and sewerage services."

Gearing up: business readiness for climate change

Source: KPMG
"A major national survey into business readiness for climate change shows that while businesses are beginning the journey of adapting to emerging carbon constraints, there is a lack of understanding about the proposed Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme (CPRS) and a worrying surge in regulation associated with greenhouse gas emissions. The Australian Industry Group (Ai Group) / KPMG report “Gearing Up: Business Readiness for Climate Change”, is based on a survey of around 400 businesses in the manufacturing, construction and services sectors. It examines what stage businesses are at in adapting to emerging carbon constraints; how well businesses are prepared for the introduction of a national emissions trading scheme; and the extent of regulatory burdens in this area."

State of denial: the impact of the CPRS on state government budgets

source: Australia Institute
"While the Commonwealth will receive a windfall of more than $10 billion per year in revenue from auctioning pollution permits, state and local governments will transfer more than $2 billion a year to the Commonwealth Government. In addition, the states will be liable for tens of billions of dollars-worth of expenditure associated with adapting to climate change because the federal government, which is giving away more than $10 billion in compensation to households and polluters each year, will not be providing state governments with any financial assistance to meet either the direct costs of the CPRS or the need for urgent investment in adaptation infrastructure."

Climate change reference guide

source: World Resources Institute
"The one-stop resource of essential facts on Climate Change... including
Critical climate change facts at your fingertips; Sources of climate change; Measuring climate change; Consequences of greenhouse gas buildup; Climate diplomacy; Climate change glossary."

A quiet revolution: city governments tackle climate change

Source: Australian Review of Public Affairs, July 2009.
"While the introduction of policies to deal with global warming continues to cause angst for the Australian federal government, a quiet revolution has been occurring in the nation’s capital cities. Since the mid-1990s Australia’s city governments have been introducing policies and signing international agreements that seek to reduce the contribution of metropolitan areas to global warming."

Breaking through on technology: perspectives from Australia

Source: Climate Institute
"This paper presents an Australian perspective on the opportunities and barriers to clean technology development, deployment and transfer, both within and between countries. The research is based on interviews with individuals from government, the private sector, academia, industry groups and other stakeholders. The research focussed on five key themes: (i) national priorities for clean technology development and deployment; (ii) barriers to technology development and deployment within Australia; (iii) opportunities and challenges presented by the domestic policy setting; (iv) barriers to technology transfer between countries; and (v) priorities for the post-2012 climate change agreement."

Climate science 2008: major new discoveries

Source: World Resources Institute
"A new report of scientific findings confirms not only that human activity is the primary cause of rising temperatures, but that climate change impacts are accelerating. The compilation of peer-reviewed research includes evidence that melting rates for mountain glaciers around the world doubled between 2004 and 2006, and that more than 28,000 plant and animal species are changing habits due to new climatic conditions."

The UK low carbon transition plan

source: UK Dept. of Energy and Climate Change
"The UK Low Carbon Transition Plan plots out how the UK will meet the cut in emissions set out in the budget of 34% on 1990 levels by 2020. A 21% reduction has already been delivered – equivalent to cutting emissions entirely from four cities the size of London. Transforming the country into a cleaner, greener and more prosperous place to live is at the heart of our economic plans for Building Britain’s Future and ensuring the UK is ready to take advantage of the opportunities ahead."

Key scientific developments since the IPCC fourth assessment report

Source: Pew Center on Global Climate Change
"The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)released its Fourth Assessment Report (AR4) in 2007. Since the IPCC considers only published, peer-reviewed science in its assessments, the AR4 did not examine any research published after July 2006. In the years since then, a significant body of new peer-reviewed science has been published, much of which is relevant to policy decisions that will be made before the next IPCC assessment, due in 2014. A brief overview of some key new findings is provided here."

International journal of global warming

Issues 1,2 & 3 of the International journal of global warming - free downloads.

Climate change 2009: faster change and more serious risks

source: Dept. of Climate Change
"Prepared by Professor Will Steffen from the ANU Climate Change Institute, ‘Climate change 2009: Faster change and more serious risks’ draws on the science of climate change since the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s 2007 Fourth Assessment Report.

Key findings of the report include:

- The climate system appears to be changing faster than earlier thought likely.

- The need for effective reduction in greenhouse gas emissions is urgent, to avoid the risk of crossing dangerous thresholds in the climate system.

- Once thresholds in ice sheet and carbon cycle dynamics are crossed, such processes cannot be stopped or reversed by human intervention."

Expansion of the Tropics: evidence and implications

Source: James Cook University
"Growing scientific evidence shows the earth's tropical zone is expanding towards the north and south poles with the potential to radically change regional climates, researchers from James Cook Uni (JCU) in Townsville say. Dr Joanne Isaac and Prof Steve Turton said the trend had "immense" social, political, economic and environmental implications. They based their analysis on 70 previously published peer-reviewed research reports from scientists and institutions around the world using long-term satellite measurements, weather balloon data, climate models and studies of sea surface temperatures. The data suggested the pole-ward movement of the tropical zone could deliver drier conditions in some areas, eg southern Aust, southern Africa, the southern Europe-Mediterranean-Middle East region, south-western USA, northern Mexico and southern South America. At the same time, expansion north and south of the high-precipitation equatorial region could cause extreme rainfall events and floods in areas not previously exposed to such conditions. The researchers said the shift could also cause cyclonic activity over a wider range and increase the spread of tropical diseases and pests, eg malaria and dengue fever."

An atlas of the global water cycle

source: ANU E-Press
"What do climate models predict for the rainfall where you live? What about evaporation or runoff? Should your local community consider constructing new dams or do the existing water storages appear adequate? What about the availability of water for irrigation farming? Do the predictions differ between different climate models or do all the models basically predict the same changes in water availability where you live? The Atlas contains maps and tables that document model predictions contributed by international climate modelling groups to the 2007 4th Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. The predictions are made available here via the wonders of the internet and ongoing cooperation by the international climate modelling community who routinely archive their results. The maps and tables in the Atlas document rainfall, evaporation and runoff estimates for the 20th century along with predictions of the same quantities at the end of the 21st century."

Towards a low carbon future

Source: Royal Society
"This document is the report of a two-day discussion meeting Towards a low carbon future that was held at the Royal Society on 17–18 November 2008. The meeting reviewed the current and potential technological options and considers how they can contribute to an integrated energy strategy for the future. The Royal Society has previously commented on how to meet the UK’s energy needs, while reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The key conclusion arising from the meeting was that there is no single best solution in moving towards a low carbon future: an integrated approach making best use of all available technologies is required."

The good, the bad and the ugly: EU-US cooperation on climate chanage

source: Brookings Institute
"When it comes to the international effort to address climate change, there is little doubt that a transatlantic bridge is needed. The question remains, however, to what end? I think that a quick review of the good, the bad, and the ugly of the current transatlantic relationship will show that, among other things, the old bridge has had structural flaws in how politics, political culture, and political systems in the U.S. and EU structured their negotiations with one another. That has contributed to how the sides have viewed the challenge, and viewed one another. As a result, a new bridge—that is, a new climate regime—is in order that takes into account those different political cultures and systems."

Cars and climate: what can EPA do to control greenhouse gases from mobile sources

Source: US Congressional Research Service
"This report discusses EPA’s authority under Title II and provides information regarding the mobile sources that might be regulated under this authority. Among these sources, motor vehicles (passenger cars and light trucks, including SUVs) are assumed to be the most likely initial targets for regulation, both because a petition addressing these sources began EPA’s consideration of the endangerment issue, and because these are the most significant GHG emission sources among those covered by Title II."

Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme Bill 2009

Source: Senate Standing Committee on Economics
"The Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme bills have been introduced to the Senate and will be debated from 22 June 2009. The Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme (CPRS) is the cap-and-trade emissions trading scheme designed as Australia's contribution to limiting the global emissions of greenhouse gases so as to contain global warming and climate change. The CPRS is the result of a long process of analysis and consultation by successive federal parliaments and governments. A Senate Committee started examining the issue over two decades ago. The Committee was unanimous in regarding the risk of climate change as deserving a serious response."

Climate change: global risks, challenges and decisons: synthesis report

Source: UN Conference on Climate Change
"This synthesis report presents an up-to-date overview of a broad range of research relevant to climate change – including fundamental climate science, the impacts of a changing climate on society and environment, and the many tools and approaches available to deal effectively with the challenge of climate change. The report has been produced by a writing team comprised of members of the Scientific Steering Committee for the IARU Congress and individuals invited to give the writing team academic and geographic breadth. It is based on the 16 plenary talks given at the Congress as well as input from over 80 chairs and cochairs of the 58 parallel sessions held at the Congress."

Glacier retreat: reviewing the limits of human adaptation to climate change

Source: Environment, vol.51,no.3 May 2009
"This article discusses the environmental impact of glacial melt. The relationship between melting glaciers and changing human ecology in mountainous regions is described. The relationship between glacier retreat and sea level rises is addressed. Risks of flooding in low lying coastal areas and below the basins of glacial lakes are assessed. Adaptations to the melting of glaciers in countries including Norway, Switzerland, and Italy are considered. Changes in the hydrology of countries that depend on glacial meltwater for agriculture and hydropower such as Nepal and Peru are also assessed."