Climate Change news from around the world:

• Since Congress has refused to work on Climate Change, President Obama is moving to reduce the limits on emissions from Coal plants.  This is a very important move and one that needs to become law.  Over time, the limits need to be lowered even further - both here, and around the world.  China is now worse than the US when it comes to coal emissions.
• A recent military report concludes that Climate Change represents a national security risk, that could lead to global "instability and conflict".  In fact for thousands of years, climate issues have led to clashes, wars, and even demise of entire civilizations.   For example, extreme drought around 1200 BC in the Aegean and Eastern Mediterranean regions led to widespread death, and the displacement of people. Egyptians, Hittites, Canaanites, Cypriots, Minoans, Mycenaeans, Assyrians and Babylonians and 'sea peoples' from the Mediterranean area had conflicts during this time.  Drought and the famine it brings are very destabilizing.  Drought, earthquakes, and other events led to the collapse of civilization in this part of the world, as the Bronze Age was ending.
• You can become a tree!  There is a neat product from Unabios.com that lets you put your ashes into an urn, from which a tree grows - Maple, Oak, Pine, or othre choices.  Its a beautiful idea, and a way for a person to have an enduring legacy.
• Climate models predict increased storms near the poles.  A recent study found that very large ocean waves are accelerating the break of the ice in Antarctica.  This seems to be happening more, than in the Arctic or Greenland.   While the large waves can fracture ice even further inland, they are also behind the process 

• Climate Change leads to health risks.  We are seeing that in California already.   Drought there means that underground water supplies are being used more and more - supplies which can be contaminated by pesticides and herbicides.   Plus, drought leads to a drop in agriculture, which in turn hurts the economy of the entire area.
• The State of Wyoming has rejected new science standards for education because they include education about Climate Change.  This is backwards and hurts our children, and our future.
• Shell oil now says that Climate Change is a serious issue; they are joining Exxon and Mobile in calling for change.
• Cities cannot wait for the federal government to take action.  Cities all around the US, and around the world, are forming sustainability policies, and developing plans for dealing with Climate Change, and rising seas.  Coastal cities cannot ignore this risk - even if Congress is completely ignoring it.  
• A new study says that Climate Change will reduce Biodiversity
• Companies are starting to offer Climate Change Insurance
• The government of Scotland is preparing national standards for dealing with Climate Change; one of the first countries to do so.  We need more countries to follow suit.  Germany has pledged to be completely run by Renewables by 2050.
• Invasive species will invade the arctic, as melting continues.
• On a positive note, Israel no longer has water shortages; they are building desalinization plants.  If this could be run from renewable energy sources, it would be ideal.  Israel has 4  such plants now, and a fifth one is being produced.  Negotiations are underway for more sharing of water resources with Palestinians.  
• How to best reduce emissions in coal plants and other kinds of energy producing plants is not clear; it needs to be cost-effective to be accepted.  Experts do not agree.  Here is a good article in the New York Times.
• Good article in the Huffington post about the *rate* of species extinction; the rate is increasing.  We are killing off species faster than ever before.  Human activities like strip mining, deforestation, and even pollution are being eclipsed by Climate Change as the mechanism of species extinction.  Some are calling this the next "Great Exinction"; there have been 5 of them before, in all fo Earth's history.  We are causing the sixth.

  

He explains how the Earth has had many periods of change: land-mass movement, asteroids, ice ages and warming periods, massive species extinction, and so on.  That sets the context for what we are doing to the Earth now.

Millions and millions of years of plant growth, particularly trees, are now in the soil. a gigantic Carbon storage, and about to be released if there is widespread melting. Those trees became coal, which we burn now and fill the atmosphere with CO2. Climate change is, to some degree and perhaps a large degree, because of Man's activities - yet we can get solar power for free, wind power for free, and so on.
  

    
Tyson does not debate Climate Change 'deniers' - nor should he.  Debate and discussion need to be rational, and not politicized.  Too many people are rejecting science because they are either (1) scared of climate change, (2) brainwashed by Talk Radio and other Conservative efforts, or (3) through lack of education.  Having said that, there are some scientists who question some of the conclusions of Climate Change that those discussions can be interesting.  We are looking for skeptics who can write articles questioning Climate Change - if that is you, please submit a summary of your proposed article here.
  
Cosmos covers a different topic each week.  We are very glad that Tyson took on the task of explaining Climate Change. You can find the episode online and the series can be found on FOX.
  

China is now the world's largest product of atmospheric CO2, and the Chinese are not showing any indication that they care about the environment  However, there is some good news.  In the US the Supreme Court just upheld the governments action to reduce Coal Pollution; read more here.

Clearly, the atmosphere is going in the wrong direction.  Our global efforts so far have not made a dent in the rise of CO2.  This will further fuel Global Warming, and gives more risk for catastrophic Climate Change.
  

  
This is the first time in about 800,000 years that global CO2 levels have been this high. This should worry everyone.   We know that the Earth has had many cycles of warming and cooling; this should not 'reassure' anyone but actually should be a concern - it means that the Earth is ready.  It will adapt, and does not care if we are hurt in the process.  In the worst warming periods, much of the lilfe on Earth died.  

And CO2 is not the only problem; there are other gases that humans are releasing into the air, on a regular basis - including Methane, Ozone, and Nitrous Oxide.  Methane is potentially worse than CO2, and this is a concern because as Global Warming continues, we will see more and more of the Permafrost melting - in Siberia, and other areas near the poles.  Permafrost stores carbon; this carbon storage is in the form of Peat, and Methane gas.  Current estimates of this carbon pool in Permafrost are an amount of carbon larger than all living things combined, and twice as much as is currently in the atmosphere.  This helps us understand how climate models show a sea level rise of 250 feet or more, in the worst case of all melting (the Poles, Permafrost, and Greenland).

Scientists believe we will not get back below 400 PPM for at least 100 years - if ever.
 

China has a large and growing economy.  When you combine that with a lack of concern for the environment, it is the perfect storm for damaging the climate.  In China there are many new coal plants being built every year.  Historically, the US was the worst offender when it came to Man Made Climate Change; but now China is doing more damage than anyone, and its getting worse every year.  This is a stark example of what happens when a country focuses only on growth and on their economy, instead of focusing on what is good for the country, its people - and its future.  To read a non-biased summary of just how bad the Chinese climate viewpoint is, read this Wikipedia article.

We would like to hear from people living in China who are about the environment.  I believe that the citizens of every country in the world do car about the environment, do are about the future and want to have a safe and healthy world for their children, and their children's children.  If you live in China, and want to help us here at ManMadeClimateChange.com, then contact us.  We need volunteers, blog articles, and help organizing local/company events.