Tiempo Climate Newswatch

The European Commission (EC) is demanding deeper cuts in greenhouse gas emissions than currently proposed by member states. Of the ten plans submitted for approval, only the United Kingdom's proposal was passed. Overall, the EC called for further reductions totalling seven per cent. "I think that with today's decisions the European Union will affirm its leadership role in fighting climate change and also our strong commitment to achieving the Kyoto Protocol targets," said environment commissioner Stavros Dimas. The European Union needs to recover from the impact of the first phase of its emissions trading scheme, which saw carbon prices crash after member states allocated more emissions permits than needed to industry.

Reaction to the decision was mixed. The German government described the action as "totally unacceptable" and vowed to challenge the ruling. "It's slightly stricter than I'd expected," commented Mats Ahl of German utility RWE. Michael Grubb of the Carbon Trust in the United Kingdom welcomed the move, saying that the European Union has "done a lot to create a level playing field." He commended the decision to cut back on only those plans where there were clear grounds for doing so, avoiding the "soft option of trying to cut everyone back by a similar amount." Germany's request to free new industrial installations from emissions restrictions would, he argued, have given free emissions rights to new coal power stations.

More than fifty Native American tribes met at the first Tribal Lands Climate Conference December 5-6th near the Lower Colorado River. "The issues and challenges caused by climate change being discussed during the Conference currently affect, and will continue to affect, all tribes on a global scale. This forum brings tribes together to address the issues and challenges, in efforts to one day find solutions. Native Americans can provide key inspiration regarding global warming and its impact on our world, unite broad stakeholder support, and demonstrate actions that alleviate global warming impacts," said Garrit Voggesser of the National Wildlife Federation's Tribal Lands Conservation Program. The meeting was hosted by the Cocopah Indian Tribe and National Wildlife Federation.

All participants reported changes in climate and wildlife that they saw as part of a long-term trend. "We basically have two seasons now," said Robert Gomez of the Taos Pueblo Environmental Office in northern New Mexico. "Hot and dry, and cold and dry." As wildlife migrate in response to climate trends, "we don't have the legal right to follow them," said Terry Williams, fisheries and natural resources commissioner for the Tulalip Tribes. If nothing is done, "within the next 20 to 25 years, our culture will be terminated, because the necessary species will be gone." The conference considered response options. For example, the Nez Perce Tribe in Idaho is growing trees for carbon sequestration. In Alaska, indigenous high school students launched a climate change awareness campaign, which prompted the state legislature to create a climate change commission. The campaign also resulted in the signing of a climate pact by the mayors of Anchorage and North Pole and several tribal resolutions on global warming.

A study of the link between ocean temperature and phytoplankton production suggests that higher temperatures will mean adverse effects on the entire oceanic food web as phytoplankton productivity drops. Analysis of recent satellite data shows "this very tight coupling between production and climate," said lead author Michael Behrenfeld of Oregon State University in the United States. Phytoplankton need nutrients, such as nitrogen, phosphates and iron, from colder water lying beneath the ocean surface, he explained. As the surface warms, these nutrients become less accessible. As less food is produced by phytoplankton the oceans get bluer in colour.

The European Alps are "currently experiencing the warmest period... in 1,300 years," reports Reinhard Böhm of Austria's Central Institute for Meteorology and Geodynamics. Warm weather during this past autumn and lack of snow has raised concerns in Austrian ski resorts. Wilma Himmelfreundpointner of the St. Anton Tourist Office says that snow machines cannot produce all the snow that is needed when temperatures and sunshine levels are high. In Switzerland, "the start in the skiing season was certainly not a success," said Daniela Baer for Switzerland Tourism. "But on the other hand we had an extremely strong September and October. The summer season was just extended." Over Europe as a whole, autumn 2006 was the warmest on record, which extends back to the 18th century.