Tiempo Climate Newswatch

Following the shortest winter in a decade, Bangladesh experienced the longest wait for the summer monsoon in 33 years. The monsoon arrived on June 20th, two weeks late. "Our records show the last time the monsoon came so late was in 1972 when it arrived on June 14th, reported Akram Hussain, Bangladesh Meteorological Department director.

Hussain blamed the disruption of the seasons on climate change. "We believe these adverse impacts are mostly due to global warming," he said, "as our studies also have shown that the temperature is gradually rising in the country." Winter rainfall was 60 per cent below normal and, so far, the summer monsoon has not produced much rainfall.

More information

• Terra Daily

• Monsoon Progress 2005, Monsoon On Line

The United States Senate has rejected a proposal for an ambitious bipartisan trading programme to slow greenhouse gas emissions in favour of a weaker, voluntary plan. The voluntary plan offers tax credits and loan concessions to utilities, refiners and manufacturing facilities that deploy technology to limit emissions. It also commits to more federal research on climate change. The Senate later rejected a plan to cap emissions in the year 2010 at 2000 levels proposed by Republican John McCain and Democrat Joseph Lieberman.

Earlier, the Senate had approved a five-fold increase in renewable energy production as part of the emerging comprehensive energy plan. Ten per cent of electricity would be generated from renewable sources by 2020 if the commitment stands against what may prove to be tough opposition. "It imposes a one-size fits all mandate on the whole country without regard for whether the requirement is technologically or economically feasible," argued Republican Saxby Chambliss.

More information

• ENN
• Marketwatch
• ENS

• Lieberman Floor Statement
• Summary of McCain-Lieberman proposal

The report The Global Climate and Economic Development highlights the threat that the chasm between rich and poor will widen as a result of climate change. Poverty and environmental degradation must be considered a single issue, it concludes. In a foreword to the report, Rajendra K Pachauri, chair of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, predicts that "the impacts of climate change will fall disproportionately upon developing countries and the poor persons within all countries. It will therefore exacerbate inequalities in health status and access to adequate food, clean water and other resources."

A combination of technology and grass roots action is recommended to combat climate change while promoting social and economic development. Development programmes tend to be more successful and sustainable when they tackle climate change and programmes to mitigate and adapt to climate change work better when geared to fit a country's development framework, the report's authors argue. The report was prepared by the Hubert H Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs at the University of Minnesota

More information

• EDIE

• Download report (30Mb), HHI