Physicist Turns Tables on Congressional Climate Deniers. By Margot Roosevelt, LATimes, 4/4/11. “A team of UC Berkeley physicists and statisticians that set out to challenge the scientific consensus on global warming is finding that its data-crunching effort is producing results nearly identical to those underlying the prevailing view. The Berkeley Earth Surface Temperature project was launched by physics professor Richard Muller, a longtime critic of government-led climate studies, to address what he called ‘the legitimate concerns’ of skeptics who believe that global warming is exaggerated. But Muller unexpectedly told a congressional hearing last week that the work of the three principal groups that have analyzed the temperature trends underlying climate science is ‘excellent... We see a global warming trend that is very similar to that previously reported by the other groups.’… Muller said his group was surprised by its findings, but he cautioned that the initial assessment is based on only 2% of the 1.6 billion measurements that will eventually be examined.

“Other scientists noted that temperature is only one factor in climate change. ‘Even if the thermometer had never been invented, the evidence is there from deep ocean changes, from receding glaciers, from rising sea levels and receding sea ice and spring snow cover,’ [Peter Thorne, a leading expert at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's National Climatic Data Center in Asheville, N.C.] said. ‘All the physical indicators are consistent with a warming world. There is no doubt the trend of temperature is upwards since the early 20th century. And that trend is accelerating.’”

Arctic Shipping Will Hasten Ice Melt, Study Says. By Randy Boswell, Postmedia, 10/26/10. “Global shipping firms are not only taking advantage of melting ice in the Arctic Ocean -- they're actually helping to drive the meltdown that continues to unlock sea routes across the top of the world. And as a rapidly warming Arctic encourages more ship traffic through Canada's Northwest Passage and along other polar routes, the sooty emissions from passing freighters will significantly accelerate climate change in the region, according to a new Canadian-American study [Arctic Shipping. PDF, 16 pp] that, for the first time, predicts the potential impact of engine exhaust particles on the Arctic environment.”

Serengeti-Mara Wildebeest Migration Disrupted by Climate Change. By Adam Ihucha, EastAfrican, 10/25/10. “A change in the spectacular wildebeest migration schedule in the great Serengeti-Mara ecosystem has caught ecologists off guard. Ecologists speculate that last year’s drought might have disrupted the natural wildebeest movement… The wildebeest migration attracts thousands of tourists every year… Traditionally, the wildebeest spend three months in Maasai Mara and nine months in Serengeti but for this year it appears it was two and 10 months in Maasai Mara and Serengeti respectively.”

China Escalates Trade Fight with U.S. on Subsidies. By Michael Wines, NYTimes, 10/18/10. “A dispute between China and the United States over Beijing’s subsidies to clean energy industries escalated on Sunday [10/17/10] when a senior Chinese economic official warned that Washington ‘cannot win this trade fight.’ In an abruptly scheduled news briefing in Beijing, the official, Zhang Guobao, sharply rebuked the Obama administration for opening an inquiry on Friday into the subsidies. Mr. Zhang accused American trade officials of repeatedly delaying talks over the same issues that the White House now wanted to investigate and suggested the administration was playing election season politics…

“Mr. Zhang was reacting to an announcement on Friday that the United States Trade Representative’s office would investigate Chinese government support for manufacturers of wind turbines, solar energy products, energy-efficient vehicles and technologically advanced batteries… The United Steelworkers trade union filed a complaint on Sept. 9 accusing China of ignoring W.T.O. rules prohibiting excessive subsidies of those markets. The trade representative’s inquiry, in reaction to the Steelworkers’ complaint, is potentially a first step toward filing formal charges against China with the W.T.O…

”With campaigning for the November midterm elections defined in large part by bleak economic and employment statistics, candidates in both parties have increasingly blamed Chinese trade policies for slowing the American recovery from the 2008 economic collapse. The White House has increased criticism of China in recent weeks, even as it dispatched senior officials to China to try to defuse trade tensions. Mr. Zhang’s comments signaled that tensions were rising not only over trade issues but also over longstanding claims that the Chinese have artificially depressed the value of their currency. He is widely seen in the West as China’s top policy maker on energy because he heads the country’s National Energy Administration.”

Climate Risks Greater for Long Distance Migratory Birds. By Mark Kinver, BBC, 9/25/10. "Swallows are among the species that make long distance migrations to northern Europe. Birds embarking on long distance migrations are more vulnerable to shifts in the climate than ones making shorter journeys, a study suggests. Scientists say the increasingly early arrival of spring at breeding sites in Europe makes it harder for the birds to attract a mate or find food. The researchers warn that the 'increasing ecological mismatch' can lead to a decline in bird populations. The findings appear in the journal Proceedings B of the Royal Society [Climate Warming… and Population Decline in Migratory Birds].'The study was based on a very large dataset of 117 migratory bird species that migrate from Africa or southern Europe to northern Europe, covering about 50 years,' explained co-author Nicola Saino, from the University of Milan. By arriving late, the birds are probably missing the best period in which to breed.'"