Friday, 17 Feb 2006

Sir David King made a big splash two years ago when he declared global warming to be a bigger threat to the world than terrorism -- and he hasn't let up since. As Britain's chief scientific adviser, he's been instrumental in convincing Prime Minister Tony Blair to commit to greenhouse-gas cuts bigger than those required by the Kyoto treaty and make global warming a focal point of his administration. In an interview with Amanda Griscom Little, King talks about why American climate skeptics are dead wrong, why Britain is top of the heap in terms of climate research, and why he drives a Prius.

Below the Melt

Greenland ice sheet melting speedily, making seas rise faster

New research indicates that the Greenland ice sheet is melting faster than we thought, will be gone sooner than we thought, and may raise sea levels more than we thought. Whee! The new study, published in Science, says Greenland's glaciers -- among the earth's largest freshwater reservoirs -- are sliding into the Atlantic at twice the rate of a decade ago. The study attributes the accelerated melting to rising surface-air temperatures, and while it doesn't speculate as to what might be raising temperatures ... well, we have a theory. Flood-prone areas worldwide (like practically the entire nation of Bangladesh) could be looking at more major storms and stronger storm surges -- and a real drop in beachfront property value -- much sooner than scientists heretofore expected. "There's a lot of fear out there right now, even among scientists, that ice caps are not all that stable," says climate researcher Mark Chandler. Sleep tight!


You might think there's just one valuable liquid resource causing trouble in the Middle East. But surprise! There's another: water. This past week, NATO sponsored a gathering of scientists and others in Israel to explore the region's water woes, from the shrinking Dead Sea to battles over drinking supplies. Eric Pallant, a codirector of the event, sends dispatches from the ground.

Ice Knowing You

Enviros seek endangered status for Glacier National Park

Greenland's not the only place where the glaciers, they are a-melting. Montana's Glacier National Park has lost over half its icy cover, and eco-activists have petitioned the United Nations to declare it endangered by global warming -- hoping to force U.S. policy makers to act on reducing the nation's greenhouse-gas emissions. Since Glacier is part of the larger Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site straddling the Canada-U.S. border, the conservationists argue that the U.S. -- a signatory of the U.N. World Heritage Convention -- is obligated to cut emissions to preserve the site's environment. Similar petitions have been filed over World Heritage Sites in the Himalayas, Belize, and the Andes, and UNESCO has established a special commission to review these petitions.


As head of Green Guerillas, a community-gardening group, Steve Frillmann brings together neighbors who may not necessarily be environmentalists or garden advocates. No matter the color of their thumbs, they all work together to clean up urban areas, making them a little safer, a bit more humane. In answering reader questions, Frillmann chats about digging into the community-gardening scene, growing food on urban rooftops, and dealing with hose-related squabbles.

Brave Newmont World

Newmont Mining to pay Indonesia $30 million to settle pollution suit

Colorado-based Newmont Mining Corp. has agreed to pay $30 million to the government of Indonesia to settle a long-running pollution lawsuit, but the parties have agreed to disagree about the pesky question of whether, um, any illegal pollution occurred. Indonesia's civil suit against Newmont, which sought $135 million, charged the company with letting waste from its gold mine in Northern Sulawesi province pollute Buyat Bay with arsenic and mercury -- reportedly sickening area residents with tumors, rashes, and more. Newmont denied the charges, and both sides rallied scientific evidence to prove their cases. The company won't have to admit any wrongdoing in the settlement, which will fund community development and environmental monitoring around the now-closed mine for 10 years. A criminal case under way against Newmont and its Indonesian director won't be affected by the agreement, and Newmont continues to operate a much larger and more lucrative gold and copper mine on Indonesia's Sumbawa island.