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Post by KNOWTHIS on Jul 22, 2004 17:04:18 GMT -5
-17-4
The head of one of the world's biggest oil companies has admitted that the threat of climate change makes him "really very worried for the planet".
In an interview in today's Guardian Life section, Ron Oxburgh, chairman of Shell, says we urgently need to capture emissions of the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide, which scientists think contribute to global warming, and store them underground - a technique called carbon sequestration.
"Sequestration is difficult, but if we don't have sequestration then I see very little hope for the world,"said Lord Oxburgh. "No one can be comfortable at the prospect of continuing to pump out the amounts of carbon dioxide that we are pumping out at present ... with consequences that we really can't predict but are probably not good."
His comments will enrage many in the oil industry, which is targeted by climate change campaigners because the use of its products spews out huge quantities of carbon dioxide, most visibly from vehicle exhausts.
His words follow those of the government's chief science adviser, David King, who said in January that climate change posed a bigger threat to the world than terrorism.
"You can't slip a piece of paper between David King and me on this position," said Lord Oxburgh, a respected geologist who replaced the disgraced Philip Watts as chairman of the British arm of the oil giant in March.
Companies including Shell and BP have previously acknowledged the problem of climate change and pledged to reduce their own emissions, but the issue remains sensitive, and carefully worded public statements often emphasise uncertainties over risks.
Robin Oakley, a climate campaigner with Greenpeace, said: "This is an important statement to make but it does have to come with a commitment to follow through, and that means making the case to his peers in the oil industry who are still sceptical of climate change."
Mr Oakley said a gulf was opening between more progressive oil companies such as Shell, which invests in alternative energy sources including wind and solar power, and ExxonMobil, the biggest and most influential producer, particularly in the US.
In June 2002 ExxonMobil's chairman, Lee Raymond, said: "We in ExxonMobil do not believe that the science required to establish this linkage between fossil fuels and warming has been demonstrated."
Lord Oxburgh's words will also fuel arguments over sequestration. Supporters say it will allow a smoother transition to reduced emissions by allowing us to burn coal, oil and gas for longer. Critics argue that the idea is an expensive and probably unworkable smokescreen for continued reliance on fossil fuels.
Last year the Guardian revealed that ministers were considering plans for a national network of pipelines to carry millions of tonnes of carbon dioxide from power stations to be buried under the North sea.
"You probably have to put it under the sea but there are other possibilities. You may be able to trap it in solids or something like that," said Lord Oxburgh, who claimed even vehicle emissions could be trapped and disposed of. "The timescale might be impossible, in which case I'm really very worried for the planet because I don't see any other approach."
According to a 3,000m (about 10,000ft) ice core from Antarctica revealing the Earth's climate history, carbon dioxide levels are the highest for at least 440,000 years.
Lord Oxburgh said the situation is particularly urgent because many developing countries, including India and China, are sitting on huge untapped stocks of coal, probably the most polluting fossil fuel.
"If they choose to burn their coal, we in the west are not in a very good position to tell them not to, because it's exactly what we did in our industrial revolution."
Bryony Worthington, a climate campaigner with Friends of the Earth, said: "It isn't a responsible attitude to say we're going to pledge to do sequestration but if the plans don't work out then the world's messed up. He's done quite a clever job by making it clear he's concerned but at the same time not pledging to do anything about it."
She called for tougher emission standards for new vehicles, as well as greater investment in energy efficiency measures and renewable sources.
A former non-executive director with Shell, Lord Oxburgh was catapulted into the chairman's role after the company was forced to reveal it had overstated the extent of its reserves. He was widely viewed as a safe pair of hands.
He followed his long-standing academic career with spells as chief science adviser to the Ministry of Defence and rector of Imperial College, London. A crossbench life peer, he still chairs the Lords science and technology select committee, although he must retire from Shell next year. Guardian Unlimited © Guardian Newspapers Limited 2004
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Post by Boomer Chick on Aug 22, 2004 22:28:11 GMT -5
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Post by KNOWTHIS on Sept 14, 2004 18:24:16 GMT -5
www.reuters.co.uk/newsPackageArticle.jhtml?type=worldNews&storyID=583084§ion=newsTOKYO (Reuters) - A volcano in central Japan has spewed smoke high into the sky in its second eruption in less than a day, but officials say the scale does not appear to be large. Mount Asama, a 2,568 metre peak 87 miles northwest of Tokyo, sent greyish smoke about 1,000 metres into the sky around 3:30 p.m. (7.30 a.m. British time), an official at Japan's Meteorological Agency said. The volcano, one of Japan's more active, had spewed smoke 300 metres high for several minutes before dawn. There were no reports of injuries in either eruption, and no signs hinting at an eruption as large as one two weeks ago, in which the mountain spat hot rock and rained ash as far as 200 km away in what was described as its largest eruption since 1983. "These were small eruptions," a Meteorological Agency official said. "More eruptions could well lie ahead, but there are no signs of any noticeable changes in the mountain that could signal a substantial eruption." Mount Asama has had several other minor eruptions in recent years, including at least four in 2003. Japan, located in the so-called Ring of Fire, an arc of volcanoes and oceanic trenches partly encircling the Pacific Basin, has 108 active volcanoes -- 10 percent of all in the world. In 1991, 43 people including police, fire officials and journalists were killed by a lethal mix of steam, ash and rock when a volcano erupted on the southern island of Kyushu.
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Post by KNOWTHIS on Sept 14, 2004 18:25:13 GMT -5
www.wane.com/Global/story.asp?S=2296364BLOOMINGTON, Ind. A seismologist says the earthquake that rattled central Indiana yesterday didn't occur along any known fault line. The three-point-six magnitude earthquake was centered about six miles north of Shelbyville, according to the U-S Geological Survey. Indiana University seismologist Michael Hamburger says the earthquake was not along any mapped fault lines in central or southern Indiana. He says the quake occurred about seven miles below ground. The Geological Survey received more than 400 public reports of the quake, most from within a 20-mile radius of the epicenter. But some reports came from as far away as Muncie and Lafayette. Lafayette is 90 miles from the epicenter. Copyright 2004 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed
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Post by KNOWTHIS on Sept 14, 2004 18:26:26 GMT -5
www.cbsnews.com/stories/2004/09/13/tech/main642983.shtmlHawaiian Volcano Worries Scientists VOLCANO, Hawaii, Oct. 15, 2002 Hawaiian Volcano Mauna Loa (Photo: CBS/AP) "In some cases they're building on lava flows that are less than 100 years old." Peter Cervelli, Geophysicist (Photo: CBS) (AP) Mauna Loa is stirring after 18 years of inactivity, and an eruption could devastate the neighborhoods built on the volcano's slopes in the intervening years, scientists said Monday. Lava could reach Hilo on the eastern side of the island and the Gold Coast resorts of Kona in the west, and inundate neighborhoods in the southwest rift zone above South Point - possibly without much warning, said Peter Cervelli, a research geophysicist at the U.S. Geological Service's Hawaiian Volcano Observatory. Mauna Loa has erupted 33 times since 1843. In 1984, Mauna Loa erupted for three weeks, sending a 16-mile lava flow toward Hilo. Since then, more than $2.3 billion has been invested in new construction along Mauna Loa's slopes, according to the USGS. "In some cases they're building on lava flows that are less than 100 years old," Cervelli said. Scientists from Stanford University recently joined the observatory in monitoring the 13,500-foot volcano, which began to stir on May 12. Recent data has revealed that Mauna Loa's summit caldera, the basin inside the volcano, has begun to swell and stretch at a rate of 2 to 2½ inches a year, which can be a precursor of an eruption, scientists said. "We're at a stage where it's months to years, rather than days to weeks," before the next eruption, Cervelli said. Scientists are working to detect an eruption as early as possible to give people a chance to evacuate. "Earthquakes will always precede the movement of magma to the surface," Cervelli said.
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Post by KNOWTHIS on Sept 14, 2004 18:27:23 GMT -5
www.cbc.ca/cp/world/040913/w091388.htmlTropical storm Haima lashes eastern China; 120,000 evacuated 07:26 PM EDT Sep 14 SHANGHAI, China (AP) - Tropical storm Haima buffeted eastern China as authorities evacuated 120,000 people as a precaution against danger from flooding and landslides. Heavy rains and strong winds were forecast for Tuesday, though there were no reports of damages or injuries as the storm moved slowly inland through Zhejiang province, southwest of Shanghai. State media reported that local authorities declared a state of high alert and relocated 120,000 people ahead of the storm, the 21st of the season. Workers were rushing to shore up flood dudes. Haima, the Chinese name for sea horse, brought torrential rains and winds of 55 kilometres per hour as it passed over northern Taiwan on Sunday. The storm triggered a mudslide that buried a Taiwanese family of four and flooded thousands of homes. Parts of Taiwan, Japan and eastern China are still recovering from flooding and mudslides triggered by a series of storms that have swept through the region during this year's typhoon season. The barrage of storms has left water levels high and the ground saturated, the official Xinhua news agency reported. Rescuers called off a search for 16 crew members of a fishing vessel that capsized in rough seas over the weekend. The fishermen sought help as their boat foundered 45 kilometres off the Zhejiang coast, but a strong gale prevented their rescue, Xinhua said. Typhoon Rananim, the strongest typhoon to hit the Chinese mainland since 1956, struck Zhejiang last month, killing nearly 200 people.
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Post by KNOWTHIS on Sept 14, 2004 18:29:06 GMT -5
Hurricane Javier strengthens off Mexico's Pacific coast
MEXICO CITY (AFP) Sep 14, 2003
Hurricane Javier strengthened as it churned off Mexico's Pacific coast Monday, with winds at 195 kilometers (120 miles) per hour, the national weather service said. Javier was spotted 455 kilometers (280 miles) southwest of Manzanillo, Colima, in western Mexico, traveling at 17 kilometers (10 miles) per hour.
Meanwhile, deadly Hurricane Ivan threatened Mexico's Gulf coast, located 220 kilometers (145 miles) east of Cancun, after killing 69 people as it tore through the Caribbean.
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Post by KNOWTHIS on Sept 14, 2004 18:30:28 GMT -5
story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=589&e=5&u=/ap/20040914/ap_on_re_la_am_ca/tropical_storm_jeanneTropical Storm Jeanne Forms in Atlantic Tue Sep 14, 2:07 PM ET MIAMI - Tropical Storm Jeanne formed Tuesday in the Atlantic Ocean Tuesday and was expected to hit Puerto Rico with strong wind and heavy rain by Wednesday morning. The National Hurricane Center (news - web sites) posted tropical storm warnings for Puerto Rico, the U.S. and British Virgin Islands, St. Kitts and Nevis. Jeanne could be packing sustained wind of 60 mph and drop 9 inches of rain when it hits Puerto Rico, center forecasters said. "It's not the same as Ivan, but it is certainly threatening weather," forecaster Rafael Mojica said. At 2 p.m. EDT, Jeanne had top sustained wind of nearly 50 mph and was expected to strengthen. It was centered about 100 southeast of St. Croix in the U.S. Virgin Islands and was moving west-northwest at about 10 mph. Forecasters said the storm could hit or skim past the Dominican Republic on Thursday, Haiti on Friday and move over the eastern tip of Cuba or into the Bahamas by Saturday. There is a chance the storm could hit Florida early next week. Mojica said it could become a Category 1 hurricane with sustained wind topping 74 mph by Saturday. Jeanne is the 10th named storm to form in the Atlantic this tropical storm season, which began June 1. Three have hit Florida, and Ivan is threatening to hit the Gulf Coast this week. Hurricanes Charley and Frances caused up to $20 billion in damage to Florida and killed at least 50 people. Tropical Storm Bonnie caused minimal damage when it struck the Panhandle.
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Post by KNOWTHIS on Sept 14, 2004 18:32:04 GMT -5
www.reuters.co.uk/newsArticle.jhtml?type=scienceNews&storyID=6234527§ion=newsBlair Fears Climate Change Disaster, Challenges U.S. Tue 14 September, 2004 19:59 By Mike Peacock LONDON (Reuters) - Britain's Tony Blair pledged on Tuesday to force international action on global warming, despite the reluctance of big powers like the United States. Blair promised to make the issue a centerpiece of Britain's presidency of the G8 industrialized countries in 2005 and laid out a three-point international strategy to tackle a phenomenon he said could become "irreversible in its destructive power." Blair pointed to violent weather conditions across the globe this year and said the richest countries created most of the problem while the poorest bore the brunt. "It is the poorest countries in the world that will suffer most ... yet it is they who have contributed least to the problem," Blair said in a speech to experts in London. "That is why the world's richest nations in the G8 have a responsibility to lead the way." Bush dismayed many allies in 2001 by pulling the United States out of the U.N.'s Kyoto protocol, the main international pact meant to cap emissions of greenhouse gases. America is the biggest emitter of greenhouse gases. Blair said Kyoto was only a first step but noted that the last time the U.S. Senate voted on the issue, it was unanimously against it. "I doubt time has shifted the numbers very radically," he admitted. PERSUADING THE AMERICANS Opposition Conservative leader Michael Howard stirred the pot Monday, saying Blair's inability to make Washington shift on climate change demonstrated his impotence with Bush. "It is very disappointing that Tony Blair has not succeeded in persuading the present administration that the challenge of global warming is one that cannot be shirked," he said. Blair spelled out three aims for 2005: -- to reach agreement among the G8 on what causes climate change and the threat it poses -- to agree on scientific and technological measures to tackle it -- to persuade countries beyond the G8, notably China and India, to act to cut greenhouse gases "Such agreement will be a major advance but I believe it is achievable," he said. "If there were even a 50 percent chance that the scientific evidence is right, the bias in favor of action would be clear," Blair said. "But of course it is far more than 50 percent." At home, Blair's Labor government has committed Britain to green technology and more efficient use of energy to achieve a 60 percent cut in carbon emissions by 2050. Environmental pressure groups said they welcomed his intervention, although some critics said they had heard the prime minister talk passionately about climate change before, only to see little follow-up action. "Global warming dwarfs all other threats to the security of humankind. The prime minister has sounded the alarm," said Tony Juniper of Friends of the Earth. "There is still time to make the changes necessary to avert the worst catastrophes that could accompany rapid climate change but there is no room for delay."
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Post by KNOWTHIS on Nov 11, 2004 20:30:56 GMT -5
www.cnn.com/2004/US/11/10/ranier.ap/index.htmlEarthquake shakes Mount Rainier Wednesday, November 10, 2004 Posted: 10:51 AM EST (1551 GMT) SEATTLE, Washington (AP) -- Mount Rainier shook with a 3.2-magnitude earthquake, but scientists said Tuesday the quake was not related to recent rumblings at Mount St. Helens, its sister volcano 50 miles to the south. The quake was centered one mile below the surface of Rainier's crater, said Bill Steele of the Pacific Northwest Seismograph Network at the University of Washington. "Directly under the volcano, that's a significant size," Steele said. One other 3.2-magnitude quake has been recorded at the mountain in the past 30 years: on February 19, 2002. Sunday's quake occurred within a cluster of 17 to 18 shallow temblors over several hours, he said. Steele said quake activity at Rainier has increased over normal levels in recent weeks. Five quakes greater than magnitude 2.0 were recorded October 25-31, he said. Mount Rainier, which has been volcanically active for between a million and a half years, last erupted about 150 years ago and scientists say it's likely to erupt again at some point. Rainier calmed down Monday and has been "blessedly quiet" since, he said. Scientists are watching for continuing earthquakes near the volcano's surface and a particular type of seismic activity that results from fluid moving through rocks. Those clues might signal an eruption, Steele said. Despite Mount St. Helens' notoriety, Rainier is considered the most hazardous of all Cascade Range volcanoes because it is closer to more populated communities, Steele said. Mount St. Helens rumbled back to life September 23, with shuddering seismic activity that peaked above magnitude 3 as hot magma broke through rocks in its path. Molten rock reached the surface October 11, marking resumption of dome-building activity that had stopped in 1986. St. Helens continued Tuesday to build its lava dome, with molten rock reaching the surface at the rate of about one large dump-truck load per second. A more explosive eruption, possibly dropping ash within a 10-mile radius of the crater, is possible at any time, scientists have said.
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Post by KNOWTHIS on Nov 11, 2004 20:35:03 GMT -5
www.wane.com/Global/story.asp?S=2546862&nav=0RYbSy3m"Boom" is Back Email to a Friend Printer Friendly Version (Fort Wayne-WANE-November 10, 2004) - After about a month of silence, Fort Wayne's mysterious "boom" has returned. "You can't describe it," said Helene Lilly, who heard it almost 10 times Tuesday night and Wednesday morning. "You think you're in a war." Newschannel 15 and the Fort Wayne Police Department have each received dozens of phone calls about the noises. This time, the loudest ones seem to have come from near Parkview Hospital on eEst State Boulevard. The people in that neighborhood said their houses were rocked and their windows were rattled repeatedly sinceTtuesday night. According to residents, there were four loud booms between 9:30 p.m. and midnight, and another round of four between 6 a.m. And 8:15 a.m. Wednesday. As of right now, neighbors are concerned. "I need help because I can't sleep, it scares me, and it scares my whole neighborhood and the children over there, they're upset, too. And it just isn't right you know?" Lilly said. The Fort Wayne Police have no answers. "It's a rabbit we're still trying to chase down the hole right now," said PIO Michael Joyner. "We don't know what the source is." Joyner said the FWPD has already increased patrols of the area to try to identify the source.
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Post by KNOWTHIS on Jan 13, 2005 18:19:56 GMT -5
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