Climate News Update

30th September, 2006

$1,000,000,000,000: the cost of capping greenhouse gas emissions. The costs of curbing greenhouse gases has been estimated at $1 trillion, spread over the coming generation. But that is less than the cost of the adverse impacts of climate change. The bill is equivalent to a year's output of the economy of Canada, and less than half of the total stock of debt that has been built up by households in the UK. The report was compiled by those well known greenie-treehuggers, Price Waterhouse Coopers. London Independent

U.S. on track with greenhouse goals, but too easy? Washington is sticking to goals for curbing greenhouse gases under a yardstick shunned by most of its allies as too easy. Reuters

Churches debate role in reducing warming. A growing movement to define reduction of global warming as a religious duty has touched off a spirited debate over whether the welfare of poor people would be served or damaged by limits on greenhouse gases. Cox News Service.

Climate change may drive lemurs to extinction. Climate change will condemn the already endangered lemurs of Madagascar to extinction, a study shows. London Independent

Land down under going under. It is Australia as we have never seen it before - a dry brown land transformed into an archipelago of disparate islands by a sea level rise of 500 meters. Is this art, science or politics? Sydney Morning Herald

Better hurricane research needed. Hurricanes cost taxpayers billions of dollars, but the government has not invested enough money in understanding them, according to a federal report released Friday that calls for more coordinated research. Associated Press

Companies put silicon knowledge to new use in solar-cell industry. As demand for clean energy rises around the world, the nation's high-tech hub is looking to squeeze more money out of silicon. Associated Press