Tiempo Climate Newswatch

China is likely to move beyond curbing carbon intensity and set absolute emissions limits for certain industries in certain regions. "Setting limits on the absolute amounts of carbon that can be emitted will make it possible to carry out trades of emission credits," commented Sun Zhen from the National Development and Reform Commission.

Sun said that iron and steel companies, cement plants and other high energy-use businesses are likely to have limits set, with wealthy regions such as the Yangtze River Delta and the Pearl River Delta targeted. A monitoring and statistics system will be developed for verification purposes as a basis for carbon trading. China plans to reduce the amount of carbon it emits for each unit of GDP by 40 to 45 per cent below its 2005 level by the year 2010.

The famine affecting parts of Somalia is likely to continue to the end of the year and cover all of the south of the country, according to the latest United Nations assessment. Three new areas, including Mogadishu and the world's largest camp for displaced people at Afgoye, have been declared to have reached famine levels by the Food Security and Nutrition Analysis Unit (FSNAU). "The rest of southern Somalia is suffering severe food insecurity and is also likely to reach famine levels within the next six weeks, despite the mounting relief effort," the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reports.

OCHA says that at least 2.8 million people, including 1.25 million children, are in dire need of assistance in southern Somalia and that nearly half of Somalia's estimated ten million people require humanitarian aid. FSNAU described the drought as "the most severe humanitarian crisis in the world today and Africa's worst food security crisis since Somalia's 1991-92 famine." Drought is also affecting parts of Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya and Uganda, but restrictions on aid transport and supply by the Shebab rebels has rendered southern Somalia particularly vulnerable. With an estimated US$2.4 billion required to assist those affected by drought across the Horn of Africa, only half has so far been received.

Arctic scientist Charles Monnett, recently suspended by the United States Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement (BOEMRE), has been told that he will face questioning concerning his oversight of research contracts, particularly a study by University of Alberta scientist Andrew Derocher regarding the response of polar bears to the changing environment. Monnett's own research has contributed significantly to concern regarding the impact of climate change on the polar bear.

Jeff Ruch from Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility, which is defending Monnett, said that Monnett's management of the study had been approved by his supervisors at BOEMRE. "Every aspect of this study was approved by his chain of command, with a fairly transparent paper trail," he said. He said that PEER's concern is that the inspector general's office "has expanded its vindictive fishing expedition [beyond a research paper on polar bear drownings published by Monnett] into yet another area beyond its expertise." The group is seeking the documents BOEMRE used to justify Monnett's suspension.