Copenhagen...

I'd be surprised if you were not aware by now that today was the first day of the Climate Change Summit in Copenhagen.

About 100 world leaders are meeting to discuss climate change and try to reach an agreement about what can be done to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and help developing countries to adapt to the impacts of climate change that they are experiencing already.

There are lots and lots of news articles I could post, but I'd be here all night so....

- do a Google News search for Copenhagen
- check out COP15's YouTube channel
- have a look at the BBC's Copenhagen Summit pages
- visit the official COP15 page

AND.... do your bit - how can you help???

The Great Global Warming Swindle

The latest twist in the global warming/climate change tale is that it is all a conspiracy, and scientists are lying when they say that our carbon dioxide emissions are to blame...

So says the documentary to be shown on Channel 4 on Thursday (8th March) at 9pm, anyway!

A quick search for "The Great Global Warming Swindle" will provide you with more opinions on the matter than you'll know what to do with...

However, I'll be interested to hear what you have to say when you have watched the programme on Thursday...

Second warmest January since records began!

Despite that cold spell we had last week, the Met Office have announced today that this January's average temperature is 5.9oC - the second warmest January since UK-wide records began in 1914. According to the BBC website yellow roses have been blooming in Tyneside....

Thinking about it, it was rather odd that I had to chuck a daddy long-legs outside when I got home from school this evening... Not what you expect in January!

And while we're on the subject of global warming and climate change...
One of the four parcels I received today contained some impressive posters for the Ice Edge competition I mentioned a while back. The idea is that teams of 2-4 students come up with an interesting and original idea to save the planet... And if your idea's the best, you win a trip to the Arctic! HOW GREAT WOULD THAT BE?!

Check out the competition's website: http://www.iceedge.co.uk/docs/home.php and get your thinking caps on!! The competition's stiff - there are twice as many teams registered now as when I first posted about the competition... But if I know you lot, your ideas will be up there with the best of them!! Come and see me if you want to know any more...

The Big Melt...

You might well have already seen that ITV News are running a series of features about Antarctica and global warming this week, with reports live from the Antarctic... I missed the first one this evening, but there is lots of information on the website - including video clips, a quiz, websites and an opportunity to email your questions about Antarctica and climate change (unfortunately it's to their Science Editor, rather than Geography Editor, but you can't win 'em all!).




Click on the picture to go to the site, and make sure you're watching tomorrow...

"Muddle-headed"?!

Tony Blair was accused yesterday of "muddle-headedness" as he told the world that he had no intention of giving up flying to far-flung holiday destinations, and he suggested that technology and science would get us out of the climate change mess we're in...

Quotes from Mr Blair's interview with Sky News included:

"It's like telling people you shouldn't drive anywhere"

"I'm not going to be in a situation of saying I'm not going to take holidays abroad or use air-travel. It's just not practical."

Yr11 had some interesting views on this today... Read the full story here and then let us know what you think! Should Tony and Cherie be spending their summers in Skeggie?! Or should they carry on jetting halfway round the world? (After all, an aeroplane a couple of times a year is nothing when there are all these factories in China pumping out nasty greenhouse gases!)

And speaking of greenhouse gases... The EU have announced new plans today to tackle climate change... Read all about them here... It's well worth having a look at the comments people have sent in as well - some interesting views!

And MORE New Year Geography!

The front page of this morning's Independent looks at a warning from a "leading climate expert" that a combination of El Nino and global warming are set to make 2007 the world's hottest year yet...

Click here for the full story, including an explanation of El Nino and how it affects the climate.

Thames offshore windfarms to go ahead...

You may well have heard in the news today that the Government has approved plans for two offshore windfarms in the Thames estuary, which it claims will produce "green" electricity for about a million homes. The larger of the two schemes - the London Array - which will have 341 turbines, and is set to cost £1.5 billion, will be the world's largest windfarm.

Unsurprisingly, there have been mixed responses to the proposals...


The BBC coverage of the story is here, and clicking on the logo will take you to the London Array website where you can find lots more information about the projects.



A Google search will also bring up lots of links to various websites. Lots of these sites make interesting reading - but it is always worth remembering that pretty much anyone can put pretty much anything on the internet... Read and absorb, but always with a critical eye!

• What are the advantages of the planned schemes?
• Why do you think some people might be concerned?
• WHAT DO YOU THINK? (And would your opinion be the same if you lived near to the planned developments?)

Post your comments here, or "Have Your Say" on the BBC website!

Winter cancelled in Europe??

I mentioned the other day the threat to ski resorts in Europe... Concern is growing, according to a BBC news report today, with many ski resorts having had to delay their openings, and ski races and events being cancelled due to a lack of snow.


The story also reports on the confusion amongst people - and animals - in Russia! The unusually warm conditions in a country known for its harsh, cold winters, and where temperatures this time last year fell as low as -29 degrees, have prompted mixed reactions. Some are happy that walking and driving are much easier, and that they are not slipping and sliding around. Others are worried - having to find alternatives to their traditional winter past-times of ski-ing and ice fishing. And Red Square, normally covered in a blanket of white snow by now, remains grey and damp, without a snowflake in sight.

2006 - Britain's warmest year...

According to scientists from the Met Office and the University of East Anglia, this year is likely to be the warmest on record since records began - back in 1659!

The graph on the left shows how temperatures have varied from the average since 1772. Click on the graph to link to the full story on the BBC website.

The Guardian also has a story about ski resorts in Europe being threatened because of a lack of snow - this will have serious consequences for the economies in these areas, as tourism here is worth billions of Euros. (Click on the picture for the full story.)

"Season's Eatings" from Ben and Jerry's!

Amidst all the hype (or is it?) about global warming and ethical consumerism that's about at the moment, it was interesting to hear that Ben and Jerry's are the latest company to jump on the bandwagon, launching two new flavours - "Fairtrade Vanilla", and "Fossil Fuel". Their website also has a lot of information about Fairtrade and about global warming and CO2 emissions...

Click on the picture to go to their website and look at Caring Dairy and Cool Your Jets...

An Arctic with no ice?

That could be the case by 2040, according to some new Nasa-funded research today! The images above show the Arctic ice in 2000 (on the left) and the predictions for 2040 (on the right). If the climatologists are right, what effects will this have? Click on the pictures to link to the full story on the BBC website. (For Yr13 especially, this is important reading!)

The story was also covered in the national newspapers - check out this article from the Times Online.