Tiempo Climate Newswatch
Week ending September 25th 2005
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Featured sites
The Blue Carbon Portal brings together the latest knowledge and resources on the role of oceans as carbon sinks.
WalkIt provides walking routes between user-defined points in selected British cities, with an estimate of the carbon savings.
Joto Afrika is a series of printed briefings and online resources about adapting to climate change in sub-Saharan Africa.
And finally,
The CoolClimate Art Contest presents iconic images that address the impact of climate change.
About the Cyberlibrary
The Tiempo Climate Cyberlibrary was developed by Mick Kelly and Sarah Granich on behalf of the Stockholm Environment Institute and the International Institute for Environment and Development, with sponsorship from the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency.
While every effort is made to ensure that information on this site, and on other sites that are referenced here, is accurate, no liability for loss or damage resulting from use of this information can be accepted.
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United States President George Bush has accepted responsibility for failures in the response to Hurricane Katrina. "This government will learn the lessons of Hurricane Katrina," he said. Head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Michael Brown resigned earlier in the week "to avoid further distraction from the ongoing mission of FEMA." |
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Some 40 per cent of the city of New Orleans is still flooded. Louisiana governor Kathleen Blanco, reporting that bodies had been decomposing in the city for two weeks, said that the dead "deserve more respect than they have received." The official death toll stands at 795 as of 16th September. It is believed that earlier reports of fatalities reaching ten thousand will prove unfounded. |
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The United Nations has launched an urgent appeal for US$88 million to assist over 4 million people threatened by food shortages in Malawi. Maize production this year stands at little more than half that needed, with the central and southern regions most at risk. The World Food Programme (WFP) has warned that funding shortfalls mean that only a fraction of those needing aid in countries such as Malawi, Mozambique, Zambia and Zimbabwe will receive it. |
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"The warning signs are already clear," said Mike Sackett, WFP Southern Africa director. "Massive international assistance is needed," he continued, "but we simply cannot respond in time unless we get immediate donations. By raising the alarm now, we are hoping that the international community will help us to reach millions of the hungry - before they become the continent's next group of starving." |
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A new study shows a worldwide trend towards a greater number of the most powerful hurricanes and typhoons and claims that this might be the result of global warming. "What I think we can say is that the increase in intensity is probably accounted for by the increase in sea surface temperature and I think probably the sea surface temperature increase is a manifestation of global warming," reported project leader Peter Webster of the Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, in the United States. |
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There has been no rise in the total number of storms, but the proportion of hurricanes reaching categories 4 or 5 (wind speeds above 56 metres per second) increased from 20 per cent in the 1970s to 35 per cent over the past decade. "This trend has lasted for more than 30 years now. So the chances of it being natural are fairly remote," concludes Greg Holland of the National Center for Atmospheric Research, Boulder, Colorado. |
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Bright Ideas
General Electric plans to cut solar installation costs by half
Project 90 by 2030 supports South African school children and managers reduce their carbon footprint through its Club programme
Bath & North East Somerset Council in the United Kingdom has installed smart LED carriageway lighting that automatically adjusts to light and traffic levels
The United States National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the American Public Gardens Association are mounting an educational exhibit at Longwood Gardens showing the link between temperature and planting zones
The energy-efficient Crowne Plaza Copenhagen Towers hotel is powered by renewable and sustainable sources, including integrated solar photovoltaics and guest-powered bicycles
El Hierro, one of the Canary Islands, plans to generate 80 per cent of its energy from renewable sources
The green roof on the Remarkables Primary School in New Zealand reduces stormwater runoff, provides insulation and doubles as an outdoor classroom
The Weather Info for All project aims to roll out up to five thousand automatic weather observation stations throughout Africa
SolSource turns its own waste heat into electricity or stores it in thermal fabrics, harnessing the sun's energy for cooking and electricity for low-income families
The Wave House uses vegetation for its architectural and environmental qualities, and especially in terms of thermal insulation
The Mbale compost-processing plant in Uganda produces cheaper fertilizer and reduces greenhouse gas emissions
At Casa Grande, Frito-Lay has reduced energy consumption by nearly a fifth since 2006 by, amongst other things, installing a heat recovery system to preheat cooking oil
Tiempo Climate Newswatch
Updated: April 12th 2013