treehugger
12.31.09

And Thus Ends the Hottest Decade on Record . . .
by Brian Merchant, Brooklyn, New York

Yup, the aughts or naughts or naughties or whatever you want to call them have been confirmed to be the hottest decade in recorded history—a full 0.2 degrees C warmer than the nineties. And now, as Joe Romm puts it, “the hottest decade begins.” So were do we stand?

Nature news
Published online: 17 December 2009

Arctic mix-up
by: Harvey Leifert

The traditionally quiescent Arctic Ocean may soon become a more active environment owing to its diminishing sea ice. Floating ice impedes winds from transferring energy to the ocean, thereby minimizing waves both on and beneath the surface. Subsurface internal waves have an important role in mixing water between various depths, but this process occurs less in the Arctic than in other ocean basins.

Read More at: http://www.nature.com/

treehugger
12.31.09

Study Finds Cross-Border Cooperation Reduces Conservation Costs by 45%
by David DeFranza

Most conservation studies focus on biodiversity, but to be successful in a real-world application, they must also consider the cost of research and protection programs. A new study that looked at conservation programs in the Mediterranean region has found that cross-border cooperation can increase program effectiveness while significantly reducing the expense.

treehugger
12.31.09

Investors Expect 2010 To Be A Big Year for Clean Tech
by: Jaymi Heimbuch, San Francisco, California

A new survey shows that clean tech investing will do just fine in 2010, despite the unfortunate outcome of the Copenhagen talks. The Jeffreys survey shows that globally, investments will remain healthy but particularly strong in Europe.

Environmental Leader
December 28, 2009

Wind Trends to Watch for in 2010

With wind turbine prices falling and government incentives rising, more businesses should be able to adopt wind power in the coming year, according to the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA).In identifying top wind trends for 2010, the AWEA notes that the 30 percent federal investment tax credit on small wind systems has been expanded for eight years.

Environmental Leader
December 28, 2009 @ 9:21 am

Revenue from smart grid applications is expected to reach a short-term peak of about $35 billion in 2013, according to a new report from Pike Research.

At about $10 billion in 2009, the smart grid market should be worth about $18 billion in 2010 and rise steadily until 2013, according to the report “Smart Grid Technologies.”

Read More at: http://www.environmentalleader.com/

The Guardian
Wednesday 23 December 2009 18.20 GMT

Plants and animals race for survival as climate change creeps across the globe - Lowland tropics, mangroves and deserts at greater risk than mountainous areas as global warming spreads, study finds
By: David Adam

Global warming creeps across the world at a speed of a quarter of a mile each year, according to a new study that highlights the problems that rising temperatures pose to plants and animals.

Millenium Art

How Big is 1 Metric Tonne of CO2?

Measured and stored at standard atmospheric pressure,
1 tonne of CO2 = 8m³ (27 feet³).

This is the size of a three-story building!

The Guardian
Tuesday 22 December 2009 19.54 GMT

How do I know China wrecked the Copenhagen deal? I was in the room - As recriminations fly post-Copenhagen, one writer offers a fly-on-the-wall account of how talks failed
By: Mark Lynas

Copenhagen was a disaster. That much is agreed. But the truth about what actually happened is in danger of being lost amid the spin and inevitable mutual recriminations.

The New York Times
Published: December 26, 2009

To Save the Planet, Save the Seas
Peterborough, England
By Dan Laffoley, Op-Ed Contributor

For the many disappointments of the recent climate talks in Copenhagen, there was at least one clear positive outcome, and that was the progress made on a program called Reducing Emissions From Deforestation and Forest Degradation.