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February 3 News: EU Climate Chief Calls for Doubling of Renewable Energy Targets at Rio Summit

2012-02-03 08:45
Other stories below: Cedar trees are victims of climate change; Poor minorities face greatest health risks from climate change EU Climate Chief Seeks Doubling of Global Clean Energy at Rio European Union Climate Commissioner Connie Hedegaard said countries meeting at a conference in June should pledge to double the share of renewable energy they use by 2030 and give all citizens access to sustainable power. The nations also need to double the worldв s energy efficiency, Hedegaard told reporters today in New Delhi. World leaders will gather in Rio de Janeiro in June for the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development, known as Rio+20 in policy circles. The first conference in Rio in 1992, known as the Earth Summit, drew 108 heads of state and set up the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change to stabilize increasing greenhouse gas emissions. If we could have these targets accepted by the whole world in Rio, then we could make a substantial step forward, Hedegaard said, declining to say whether promises made at the conference should be legally binding. Cedar trees said victims of climate change Yellow cedars, a culturally and economically valuable tree in Alaska and British Columbia, have been dying off because of shifting climate, researchers say. The die-offs have affected about 60 percent to 70 percent of trees in forests covering 600,000 acres in the region, researchers say, and it 8217;s all down to snow 8212; or more accurately the lack of it. The cause of tree death, called yellow-cedar decline, is now known to be a form of root freezing that occurs during cold weather in late winter and early spring, but only when snow is not present on the ground, U.S. Department of Agriculture scientist Paul Hennon said. Poor, minority residents face most health risks with climate change Poor, urban and minority residents are most at risk for health problems linked to climate change, according to a new California Department of Public Health analysis of Los Angeles and Fresno counties. The department examined social and environmental factors ranging from the rising sea level to public transportation access and found that African Americans and Latinos living in these counties are more likely to be exposed to health and safety risks related to poor air quality, heat waves, flooding and wildfires stemming from climate change. Clearly, climate change risks are not equal across the state or within individual counties, according to the report PDF . Identifying communities at greatest risk is a necessary step in efficiently employing limited resources to protect public health. In Los Angeles County, neighborhoodsВ near Santa Monica and Long Beach were among those deemed most vulnerable, largely from risks due to sea level rise, but also partially attributable to poor public transit, wildfire risk, and a large proportion of elderly living alone, the report said. China 8217;s miners, oil firms reap rewards of high prices China 8217;s mining and oil ex...
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