Activists sue to protect ribbon seals in Arctic

Ribbon seals should be listed as threatened or endangered because global warming is quickly melting sea ice, two environmental groups said in a lawsuit filed Thursday.

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Study: Warming Arctic should be cooling

The Arctic is warmer than it's been in 2,000 years, a new report concludes, even though it should be cooling because of changes in the Earth's orbit that cause the region to get less direct sunlight.

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Why coral reefs face a catastrophic future. If you thought you had heard enough bad news on the environment, then steel yourself. Coral reefs are doomed. The situation is virtually hopeless. The tropical coral reef looks like it will enter the history books as the first major ecosystem wiped out by our love of cheap energy. [News Source]

U.S., Canada near agreement to control pollutants from ships. The U.S. and Canada are nearing an international agreement to clean up the emissions of ships traveling within 200 nautical miles of shore. Pollution controls should save the lives of 8,300 people each year and help more than 3 million avoid respiratory problems. [News Source]

No safe harbor: A lack of authority. Although the original shipping emissions standards of the International Convention on the Prevention of Pollution from Ships, commonly referred to as MARPOL, went into effect in 2005, they were written in 1997. Getting the 2008 revisions approved was a battle--and the rules still do not address global warming risks. [News Source]

Coastal home owners face huge losses from rising sea. Around the world, owners of prized seaside properties face the prospect of not just losing their homes but receiving no compensation as insurance policies may not cover climate change losses in the future. [News Source]

Albania to Zimbabwe: the climate change risk list. Africa and much of south Asia face extreme risk from climate change but top carbon polluters will be relatively shielded from its ravages, according a ranking of 166 nations obtained by AFP Wednesday. [News Source]

Arctic ecology: Tundra’s burning. Understanding the effect of fires on the Arctic tundra may become more important as the climate gets warmer. Tundra fires used to be rare events, but higher temperatures and a more arid climate seem to be changing that. [News Source]

Firm suspends controversial geothermal project. A Sausalito startup testing a new kind of geothermal energy production that critics feared could trigger significant earthquakes in Lake County has suspended its $17 million project after running into unexpected problems drilling its first well. [News Source]

People won’t change lifestyle for planet-straw poll. People want to save the planet but are unwilling to make radical lifestyle changes like giving up air travel or red meat to reduce the effects of climate change, a straw poll by Reuters showed. [News Source]

“No Impact Man” charts U.S. couple’s climate fight. Colin Beavan so despaired at a lack of political action on climate change that he decided to see what difference he could make by living for a year with as little impact on the environment as possible. [News Source]