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MIT report finds China’s actions on climate change crucial; argues for global economy-wide greenhouse gas tax

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A new report from the MIT Joint Program on the Science and Policy of Global Change shows the importance of all major nations taking part in global efforts to reduce emissions—and in particular, finds China’s role to be crucial. From 2000 to 2010, China’s energy use grew 130%, up from a growth of 50% the previous decade.

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Study Finds Stratospheric Water Vapor Is An Important Driver of Decadal Global Surface Climate Change

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Decadal warming rates arising from (i) greenhouse gases and aerosols alone (black); (ii) that obtained including the stratospheric water decline after 2000 (red); and (iii) including both the stratospheric water vapor decline after 2000 and the increase in the 1980s and 1990s (cyan). Credit: Solomon et al., Click to enlarge.

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Black carbon is a much larger cause of climate change than previously assessed; about twice previous estimates, and 2/3 the effect of CO2

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Accounting for all of the ways black carbon can affect climate, it is believed to have a warming effect of about 1.1 Emission rates of BC in the year 2000 by region, indicating major source categories in each region. Black carbon aerosol plays a unique and important role in Earth’s climate system. Source: Bond et al.

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Study projects thermoelectric power in Europe and US vulnerable to climate change due to lower summer river flows and higher river water temperatures

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Projected changes in summer mean usable capacity of power plants in the US and Europe for the SRES A2 emissions scenario for the 2040s (2031–2060) relative to the control period (1971–2000). A study published in Nature Climate Change suggests that thermoelectric power plants (i.e., Source: van Vliet et al. Michelle T.

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Columbia team organizes available scientific evidence on the effects of air pollution on children’s health

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Researchers at Columbia University, with colleagues at Boston University and Abt Associates, have identified concentration-response (C-R) functions for a number of adverse health outcomes in children associated with air pollutants largely from fossil fuel combustion. A paper on their work is published in journal Environmental Research.

Pollution 247
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ExxonMobil and Global Thermostat in joint development agreement to advance atmospheric carbon capture technology

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Advancing technologies to capture and concentrate carbon dioxide for storage and potential industrial use is among a suite of ExxonMobil research programs focused on developing lower-emissions solutions to mitigate the risks of climate change. This entire process is mild, safe, and carbon negative.

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IPCC Scientist Says Climate Change Likely to Accelerate More Quickly and Be More Damaging Than Predicted

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Without decisive action, climate change this century is likely to accelerate at a much faster pace and cause more environmental damage than predicted, according to Professor Chris Field of Stanford University, and a leading member of the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.