A summary of today’s top climate and clean energy stories.
Email the team on [email protected] or get in touch via Twitter.
100 earthquakes have been triggered in Ohio.
US: New geophysical research concludes that over 100 small earthquakes were triggered in a single year of fracking-related activities in one region of Ohio. (New Scientist)
UK: David Cameron has unnecessarily stoked resistance to shale gas drilling in Britain by making people believe this potential new energy source was “literally coming out of the ground” now rather than being a decade away, Labour has warned. (Financial Times)
Arctic: Arctic sea ice extent maintained a steady, near-average pace of retreat through the first half of August, making it highly unlikely that a new record low minimum will be reached this year. (National Snow & Ice Data Center)
Europe: Since 2005, the amount of atmospheric CO2 absorbed by the continent’s trees has been slowing as a result of a declining volume of trees, deforestation and the impact of natural disturbances, researchers reported. (BBC)
US: One of the biggest solar photovoltaic farms is expected to be constructed using 1.1million 250 watt solar panels from Trina Solar. The 250MW solar farm will be built in Nevada. (Tree Hugger)
Finance: Some of the world’s largest financial institutions, including UBS and CitiGroup, say that investing in solar power is now making cold, hard financial sense as solar panels become more efficient and vastly cheaper, and household power bills keep rising. (The Global Call for Climate Action)
Research: New research led by the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) shows that when three atmospheric patterns came together over the Indian and Pacific oceans, they drove so much precipitation over Australia in 2010 and 2011 that the world’s ocean levels dropped measurably. (Science Daily)
Ecuador: Ecuador President Rafa Correa confirmed the news that many had feared for some time – the Yasuni initiative, to persuade rich countries to pay to preserve the Amazon rainforest, was finished. (RTCC)
Research: By 2050, flood damage in the world’s coastal cities is expected to reach US$1 trillion a year as sea levels rise and global warming triggers more extreme weather. (RTCC)