Scorched | Weekend | Guardian Unlimited

As the conflict in Darfur spreads across central Africa, with thousands more displaced and killed, Julian Borger in Chad investigates the origins and contradictions of what is likely to be seen as the first climate change war

Source: Scorched | Weekend | Guardian Unlimited

Landslip fear over clifftop crack

Crack in cliff at barton on Sea may be linked to earthquake

Link to BBC NEWS | England | Dorset | Landslip fear over clifftop crack

Earthquake resources

Excellent blog with links to resources from Rob Cha (again!)

Link to GeoBlogBytes

Good images from the BBC

Excellent links and powerpoint from Alan parkinson at geographypages

UN: we have the money and know-how to stop global warming

Global climate change experts will this week lay out a detailed plan to save the planet from the catastrophic effects of rising temperatures. Climate change could be stopped in its tracks using existing technology, but only if politicians do more to force businesses and individuals to take action.

The UN study will conclude that mankind has the knowhow to reduce global greenhouse gas emissions by as much as 26bn tonnes by 2030 - more than enough to limit the expected temperature rise across the planet to 2-3C.Such a move would cost the world economy billions of pounds over the next two decades, but this could be recouped by savings due to the health benefits of lower levels of air pollution.

Cheaper solutions could bring down emissions to 1990 levels, but that would still see average temperatures rise by as much as 4C this century, with devastating consequences for wildlife, agriculture and the availability of water.

Sector by sector

Transport

Despite breakthroughs in cleaner options, such as hybrid cars, the sector is the fastest growing source of emissions, the report says. It highlights emerging technologies such as cars powered by hydrogen fuel cells and biofuels. The report says government policies such as mandatory carbon dioxide emission standards are crucial, but that hikes in car tax, fuel duty and moves such as road pricing will be less effective as incomes rise. Better public transport can make a significant contribution.

Potential saving by 2030 (million tonnes carbon dioxide equivalent): 3,200

Industry
Industry offers the largest potential savings, although the report acknowledges: "Their implementation requires a stable policy environment that is respecting international competitiveness and includes measures for stimulating technology uptake." The IPCC suggests new controls on industrial pollutants such as methane, nitrous oxide and the chemicals HFCs and PFCs, all potent greenhouse gases. It also says there are big savings for firms who invest in more efficient use of fuels, materials and electricity, combined heat and power systems, and recycling. Heavily polluting industries could benefit from new process technologies that avoid carbon and are expected to come on-stream beyond 2015, it says.

Potential savings: 6,500

Energy supply
More efficient supply, renewable sources, shifts from coal to less polluting gas and nuclear power will play a role in the short to medium term, the IPCC report says. Managing such a transition requires "active policy involvement" such as reducing subsidies for fossil fuels while helping cleaner technology with renewable quotas for power companies and subsidies. The EU has pledged to generate 20% of all energy from renewable sources by 2020. The report says concern over energy security, combined with the development of power infrastructure in the developing world, creates an opportunity to reduce emissions cheaply.

Potential savings: 5,100

Agriculture and forestry
Soils, trees and vegetation provide an important carbon store, and the report says improved land and forestry management offer some of the easiest and cheapest emission savings. "Many options are immediately deployable, do not reduce productivity and have co-benefits," it says. More efficient fertiliser use and better care of crop and grazing land are good too. On forestry, some 65% of the potential carbon savings are in the tropics, and the report says a "combination of afforestation, avoided deforestation and agro-forestry" is the best approach. One major sticking point is whether developing nations such as Brazil and Costa Rica should be paid not to chop down their virgin rainforest.

Potential savings: 6,000

Buildings
Low-cost measures to improve the energy efficiency of buildings could save greenhouse gas emissions and money, the report says. It recommends countries should follow the examples of Germany and Switzerland and force through policies to cut emissions from housing. Appliance standards, building codes, better labelling and procurement procedures for the private sector have worked to cut pollution. Geoffrey Levermore, buildings expert at Manchester University who helped write the report, said: "There's no blue sky technology to revolutionise this industry by giving us a little matchbox that will provide all the energy for your house, but if the right policies are implemented, there are some real savings to be made."

Potential savings: 4,400

Waste
The IPCC says post-consumer waste, such as plastic bags, generates less than 5% of global emissions, but that the rubbish sector can still help to tackle global warming. Recovering methane from landfill sites in the developing world generates more than 15% of carbon credits traded under the Kyoto protocol. Waste management is a key component of wider moves toward sustainable development, it says. Unlike some sectors, the technologies available to reduce emissions from waste are "mature and readily deployable". It adds: "Recycling and waste minimisation provide indirect greenhouse gas mitigation benefits via the conservation of raw materials, and energy from waste offsets fossil fuel consumption."

Potential saving: 1,250

Source: UN: we have the money and know-how to stop global warming | Climate change | Guardian Unlimited Environment

BBC NEWS Earthquake shakes parts of Kent

An earthquake has shaken parts of Kent, damaging buildings and disrupting electricity supplies.

Homes were evacuated, power was cut and one woman needed hospital treatment after parts of Kent were hit by an earthquake.

The tremor - measuring about 4.3 on the Richter scale - struck just after 8.15am on Saturday in an area with a history of some of the worst British quakes.

The emergency services were inundated with calls as the ground shook and buildings were damaged, with cracks and toppling chimneys.

The Association of British Insurers (ABI) reassured householders that damage will be covered. The ABI's Nick Starling said: "These sudden, unexpected, and unwanted events are exactly what insurance is designed to cover."

Kent Fire and Rescue Service took more than a 100 emergency calls, ranging from issues concerning structural damage to gas smells. A spokesman said: "We have had calls from people saying their chimneys have fallen down, large cracks in people's houses."

The fire brigade investigated reports of someone trapped under a collapsed building but everyone was accounted for.

Electricity and gas supplies to houses in some parts of Kent were cut off. Scottish and Southern Energy, which supplies gas to the area, was investigating 300 "possible gas escapes" in the system.

EDF Energy, which supplies electricity to people in the Dover and Folkestone area, said several thousand customers lost power, but it was later restored.

Police said there were no reports of serious injuries. But South East Coast Ambulance Service said one woman in her 30s suffering from a minor head injury and neck pain was taken to hospital. It sent five ambulances and three officers to the Folkestone area.

The quake is the largest in Britain since an earthquake in Dudley in 2002. British Geological Survey seismologist Roger Musson said the tremor was around 4.3 on the Richter scale, with an epicentre 7.5 miles off the Dover coast. That meant it could be weakly perceptible as far as London.

Source: BBC NEWS | England | Earthquake shakes parts of Kent

The Nuclear Debate

Should the UK consider a new generation of reactors? Use this guide to explore the issues including waste, cost and energy alternatives.

Source: BBC NEWS | In Depth | nuclear

YouTube - Tesco Attacks!

You have been warned

Australia's epic drought

Australia has warned that it will have to switch off the water supply to the continent's food bowl unless heavy rains break an epic drought - heralding what could be the first climate change-driven disaster to strike a developed nation.

The Murray-Darling basin in south-eastern Australia yields 40 per cent of the country's agricultural produce. But the two rivers that feed the region are so pitifully low that there will soon be only enough water for drinking supplies. Australia is in the grip of its worst drought on record, the victim of changing weather patterns attributed to global warming and a government that is only just starting to wake up to the severity of the position.

Excellent blog on the drought from GEOBYTES ADVANCED EXTENSION

Source: Australia's epic drought: The situation is grim - Independent Online Edition > Australasia