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UN Climate Conference: The countdown to Copenhagen
2009 January 9 Friday 8AM — The Independent

In 331 days' time, 15,000 officials from 200 countries will gather in the Danish capital with 1 goal: to find a solution to global warming. Michael McCarthy, Environment Editor, presents the first in a series of dispatches on the crucial summit Three hundred and thirty-one days, plus a final frantic fortnight: not very long, really, to put together the most complex and vital agreement the world has ever seen. But that's all the time there is: in 331 days from now, on 7 December, the UN Climate Conference will open in Copenhagen and the world community will try to agree a solution to the gravest threat it has ever faced: global warming.

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Billions face food shortages, study warns
2009 January 9 Friday 8AM — The Guardian

Half of the world's population could face severe food shortages by the end of the century as rising temperatures take their toll on farmers' crops, scientists have warned. Harvests of staple food crops such as rice and maize could fall by between 20% and 40% as a result of higher temperatures during the growing season in the tropics and subtropics. Warmer temperatures in the region are also expected to increase the risk of drought, cutting crop losses further, according to a new study.

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SPOTLIGHT

Markey to become chair of House environment panel

Clean Air Watch
"It's time to create the clean-energy age. My goal is now to create an energy policy that creates millions of new jobs in the United States." - Representative Edward Markey A big development today, as Rep. Ed Markey (D-MA) declares he intends to take over the chairmanship of the House Energy and Commerce Committee's subcommittee on Energy and the Environment. This is a very significant development, and one that should enhance the prospects for good global warming legislation in this Congress.
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COMMENTARY

Comment: Move over, polar bear

William Laurance, New Scientist
I HAVE a problem with the polar bear - or at least with its status as an icon for the perils of global warming. Sure, this magnificent animal is being assailed by rising temperatures and vanishing habitat. But when it comes to convincing people of the need for action on climate change, the threat to the polar bear doesn't come close to representing the urgency of the situation. A much greater danger is faced by the thousands of species - including many large, photogenic mammals - living in tropical rainforests. These lush forests are the world's most diverse ecosystems. With an area of 25 hectares - the size of 50 football fields - going up in smoke every minute, it's clear that wildlife there is massively at risk from habitat destruction. What may be less obvious is that species already adapted to sultry conditions are at dire risk from global warming.
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