Climate 'catastrophe' looms in Pacific: The Marshall Islands has warned of a Pacific "climate catastrophe" that will wipe it off the map without decisive action on global warming, saying the next 12 months are critical. Tony de Brum, minister in assistance to the Marshall Islands' president, is in Australia making the case for a major climate declaration at the 16-member Pacific Islands Forum it will host in September which he has insisted US Secretary of State John Kerry must attend. De Brum hopes the so-called Majuro Declaration can be presented to the United Nations General Assembly to help renew global efforts on emissions reduction as the Pacific region confronts rising seas and growing numbers of so-called climate refugees. "Our hosting of the forum comes at the cusp of the most important geopolitical period for the region since World War II," de Brum told reporters at a briefing in Sydney Thursday, adding the next 12 months "are critical to addressing climate change". "Business as usual will lead to a climate catastrophe and time is running out. "We feel very strongly that if (Kerry) does not attend it would be a slap in the face and like the United States would be reversing its so-called pivot to the Pacific," he added. De Brum said the tiny Pacific atoll of 55,000 people, which stands at an average of just two metres above sea level, was already feeling the impacts of global warming with an unprecedented seven-month drought in the north and a devastating king tide earlier this year triggering disaster declarations. "During my lifetime I have seen an island in the lagoon of Majuro atoll, the capital centre of the Marshall Islands, disappear from the surface of the Earth," he said. "We do not have scientists measuring this that and the other, we have experienced first-hand the effects of climate change... It is not something that is down the road or at the turn of the century." - Yahoo! She Philippines

Climate 'catastrophe' looms in Pacific: Marshall Islands - Yahoo! She Philippines: "De Brum said the Marshalls government was already ferrying food and drinking water to 13 outer island communities due to drought-linked shortages that were threatening the export of copra, the dried-out flesh of coconuts from which oil is extracted, which underpinned its economy. There had also been a "marked increase" in what he described as climate refugees from neighbouring Kiribati and Tuvalu and he said the government expected similar movements out of the Marshalls itself in coming years, with a two-metre sea level rise predicted by the World Bank before the end of the century. "This would fundamentally alter the world as we see it and be the end of my country, the end of Kiribati, the end of Tuvalu and many other countries like it.""

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Apples losing their crunch to global warming: Analysing data gathered from 1970 to 2010 at two orchards in Japan, a research team said there was clear evidence that climate change was having an effect on apple taste and texture. "All such changes may have resulted from earlier blooming and higher temperatures" during the growth season, they wrote in the journal Nature Scientific Reports. About 60 million tonnes of apples are produced every year, making it the world's third most popular fruit. Previous studies had shown that global warming was causing apple trees to flower earlier, and that harvests were also affected by changes in rainfall and air temperature. The orchards used in the study produce the Fuji and Tsugaru apples, the two most popular kinds in the world. - Yahoo! She Philippines

Apples losing their crunch to global warming: study - Yahoo! She Philippines: "The farms are located in Japan's Nagano and Aomori prefectures, which had seen a mean air temperature rise of 0.31 and 0.34 degrees Celsius (0.5 and 0.6 degrees Fahrenheit), respectively, per decade. The orchards were chosen because there had been no changes in cultivars or management practices for extended periods, thus ruling out non-climate factors like technological improvements in the apple change. The data collected over the years included measures of acid and sugar concentration, fruit firmness and watercore -- a disease that causes water-soaked areas in the flesh of an apple.The analysis showed a decrease in acidity, firmness and watercore, but a rise in sugar concentration over time." CLICK LINK TO READ MORE

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RENEWABLE ENERGY: Solar power co-operatives fast emerging with an innovative way for local communities to gain access to renewable energy generation. Over the last few years, several such initiatives have been successfully launched in the UK — with new schemes opening in a number of cities including London and Bristol. So, how do such schemes work? And what benefits can they provide to local people? Bristol Energy Cooperative The Bristol Energy Cooperative (BEC), a member of the Bristol Energy Network, was established following a meeting by several Bristol-based environmental activists. As Peter Thompson, Chair of the BEC explains, one of the key motivations was frustration at the limited options available to unincorporated informal community groups — coupled with the "desire to engage in action at a city-wide scale, beyond the remit of any of the community groups established up to that point."

Sharing Renewable Energy: Solar Power Co-operatives in the UK: "In total, the BEC has completed three installations, one at Hamilton House, a community centre in the Stoke's Croft area of the city, with two others at the Knowle West Media Centre, and at Easton Community Centre.

The Hamilton House project runs to some 20 kW, providing an estimated annual energy output of 14,145 kWh.  It was financed and installed by Ethical Solar, which gave BEC the option of buying the panels, and the resultant generation feed-in tariff income, at an early stage.  The system consists of 85 x 230-Watt Innotech panels and two 3-phase SMA inverters." CLICK LINK TO READ MORE

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Carbon Credit: Japan signed an agreement with Laos to launch a scheme that will allow Japanese companies to earn cheap carbon credits by helping the Southeast Asian nation cut carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions

Japan, Laos ink carbon deal - News - Point Carbon: "Japan, Laos ink carbon deal
07 Aug 2013 14:26
TOKYO, Aug 7 (Reuters Point Carbon) - Japan signed an agreement with Laos on Wednesday to launch a scheme that will allow Japanese companies to earn cheap carbon credits by helping the Southeast Asian nation cut carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, the Japanese government announced."Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/2013/08/13/3559463/soccer-loving-pope-meets-world.html#storylink=cpy

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CIVIC CLUB UPDATE: Rotary Club of Strongsville Give Back to the Community. From the Chili Open Golf Classic to the newly created Duck Race, the Rotary Club of Strongsville continues to be a major fundraising force in the city. The club, which is 159 members strong, celebrated its 35th anniversary on April 28. Last summer, the club cleared $100,000 in donations to community and charitable organizations over a 12-month period.

Rotary Club of Strongsville continues to give back to the community | cleveland.com: "“Our goal and objective is to give back to the community,” said Brian Kiplinger, who became president of the club July 1. “We want to give back through all the hard effort we put into these fundraisers. We take it pretty seriously who we select (for donations).”

Kiplinger, a CPA with Kiplinger & Co. CPAs, LLC in Strongsville, has been a club member since 1997. He previously served as president of the Rotary Club of Brunswick.

“We’re a service organization. We’re not a networking organization. There are other organizations that accomplish that,” said Kiplinger. “We want to give back to the community, both young and old.”" CLICK LINK TO READ MORE

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Cutting energy bills for your business - Energy is one of the biggest overheads for businesses, so it’s important to get the cheapest rate possible for gas and electricity. The thought of being locked into contracts puts many businesses off the idea of switching supplier, but it’s thought that around a third of businesses are in a position to switch at any time. There is a large commercial energy market, but it’s easy to fall into the trap of going with one of the ‘Big Six’: EG Opus, Haven, Gazprom, Total, Corona and Dual Energy. Switching commercial suppliers is a bit more complicated than at home, but still, it can be done. The contract will need to be terminated in writing before it comes to an end as suppliers tend to auto-renew without so much as a letter to inform businesses. Check the terms and conditions to find out the noticed period – it could be as much as 90 days. - Mirror Online

Cutting energy bills for your business - Mirror Online: "Some providers specialise in the provision of green and renewable energy systems, which can reduce energy bills and protect the environment. It’s important that businesses work with a supplier that can accurately assess the business needs before choosing the most effective system. Solar PV, solar thermal, biomass, wind power, air or ground source heat pumps are just a few of the examples available to UK businesses. Investing in renewable energy does involve an initial outlay, but with government incentives, such as the Feed-In Tariff (FIT) and Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI), it’s possible to earn additional income as well as cutting bills." CLICK LINK TO READ MORE

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RENEWABLE ENERGY: 5th Annual Renewable Energy Technology Conference & Exhibition (RETECH) - RETECH has become the meeting place for the renewable energy industry. More than 1,500 government, utility, technology and finance professionals from 35 countries will gather to discuss ways they’re driving the growth of renewable energy in the US and around the world.

Industry Leaders Unveil the Future of Renewable Energy at the 5th Annual Renewable Energy Technology Conference & Exhibition (RETECH) - SFGate: "RETECH 2013 is the premier event to connect with influential leaders and decision makers as they share insights on renewable energy and what the next year holds for the industry. Request a media pass by emailing Kristen Cullen, kcullen(at)rasky(dot)com with your complete contact information. Who: Notable speakers and attendees from both private and public sectors that include senior executives and industry experts from Siemens Smart Grid, GE Digital Energy, ExxonMobil, Walmart, as well as US Departments of Commerce, Energy and State. For a full list of confirmed speakers, visit http://www.retech2013.com." CLICK LINK TO READ FULL ARTICLE

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