LOS ANGELES (August 25, 2008) – A Los Angeles Superior Court judge today denied a legal challenge blocking increased bus fares in low-income neighborhoods. Conservation and community groups had argued the fare hike should not go forward until an environmental assessment is complete. Higher fares could make public transportation unaffordable for as many as 100,000 bus riders with an annual median income of $12,000, according to the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), the Bus Riders Union and the Labor/Community Strategy Center.

I am no doomsayer but the American National
Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC) has recorded a fall in
the Arctic ice to its second lowest level since satellite monitoring began 30 years ago. The consequences of fast
melting ice are not just dire for the polar
bears but also for coastal regions that will be submerged if sea levels
rise. Add to that the displacement of people dependant upon the Arctic for survival and other Arctic fauna like seals who
may see their natural habitat gone by as early as 2013.

The thawing of the Arctic leads to warmer oceans
which in turn melt the ice even faster putting the Arctic
in a vicious cycle until it completely liquefies. Last year was a record low
when only 4.13 million sq km of the Arctic was
covered by ice this time around. As of last Tuesday, the area covered by ice is 5.26
million sq km which is still lower than the 2005 figure of 5.32 million sq km and it could shrink further as the summer draws to a close.

According to the NSIDC, this trend clearly shows that the Arctic is increasingly shrinking year-on-year and has now
reached a tipping point where it’s at the risk of being completely ice-free. Our
continued addiction to fossil fuels risks causing huge temperature rises this
century. Burning of coal
for example releases carbon trapped underneath the surface back into the
atmosphere thus adding to the greenhouse effect causing climate change.

Unless we cut our greenhouse gas emissions by leaving
coal in the ground and converting energy from renewable
sources such as wind, solar and tidal, the Arctic
will continue melting a little more each summer until no ice is left. Ironically an ice-free Arctic will allow for more
drilling for oil
and gas whose use helped cause the Arctic to
melt in the first place. But see what you can do
to stop climate change and help preserve the Arctic.

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On Monday, six brave Greenpeace souls will be appearing at Maidstone Crown Court for the start of a trial centring around Kingsnorth, coal and climate change.

In October last year, they took a personal stand to protect the environment and climbed to the top of the smokestack at Kingsnorth coal-fired power station in Kent.

Now, the Kingsnorth Six (Ben Stewart, Emily Hall, Huw Williams, Kevin Drake, Tim Hewke and Will Rose) are being prosecuted for criminal damage and trespass.

The trial could last for up to two weeks. While we’ll be restricted in what we can write for legal reasons (including switching off commenting on some blog posts - sorry), I’ll be blogging and twittering from Maidstone every day.

You can sign up to get daily updates of the blog emailed to you, or keep checking the site for updates. Watch this space!

One of the largest U.S. utilities agreed to give its investors a thorough analysis of the financial and physical risks it faces from climate change.

The Slow Movement is gaining momentum. But can slowing the pace of our lives become a viable option in this increasingly frenetic age?

The portable device would supply hydrogen to the micro fuel cells of electronic gadgets

Yes, say ecologists, but not if the current enthusiasm for corn ethanol continues to hold sway

When the turbines go up, it’s not just the scenery that suffers, it’s the atmosphere too. Ed Douglas reveals the environmental costs of wind power

DEMAND for hybrid vehicles is beating supply, with almost 3000 petrol/electric powered cars and SUVs having been sold this year.

The waters of the Sea of Galilee where Jesus is said to have once sailed are at their lowest level on record due to drought and demand from Israel, it has been claimed.