PART OF ATLANTIC CURRENT HALTED FOR TEN DAYS ALARMING SCIENTISTS

JAMES RANDERSON, GUARDIAN - Scientists have uncovered more evidence for
a dramatic weakening in the vast ocean current that gives Britain its
relatively balmy climate by dragging warm water northwards from the
tropics. The slowdown, which climate modelers have predicted will follow
global warming, has been confirmed by the most detailed study yet of
ocean flow in the Atlantic. Most alarmingly, the data reveal that a part
of the current, which is usually 60 times more powerful than the Amazon
river, came to a temporary halt during November 2004. . .

Warm water brought to Europe's shores raises the temperature by as much
as 10C in some places and without it the continent would be much colder
and drier.

Researchers are not sure yet what to make of the 10-day hiatus. "We'd
never seen anything like that before and we don't understand it. We
didn't know it could happen," said Harry Bryden, at the National
Oceanography Centre, in Southampton, who presented the findings to a
conference in Birmingham on rapid climate change.

Is it the first sign that the current is stuttering to a halt? "I want
to know more before I say that," Professor Bryden said. Lloyd Keigwin, a
scientist at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, in Massachusetts,
in the US, described the temporary shutdown as "the most abrupt change
in the whole [climate] record".

He added: "It only lasted 10 days. But suppose it lasted 30 or 60 days,
when do you ring up the prime minister and say let's start stockpiling
fuel? How can we rule out a longer one next year?"

http://environment.guardian.co.uk/climatechange/story/0,,1932761,00.html

[The Review reported this possibility back in the 1990s]

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BEFORE YOU GET A GREEN ROOF, FIGURE OUT HOW TO MOW IT

TREVOR MARTIN, DAILY RECORD, UK - Bosses at the new Scottish Natural
Heritage HQ are facing a L5000 bill every time they cut the grass - on
their roof. The L13 million centre, which has won acclaim for its
eco-friendly credentials, includes a roof garden. But health & safety
regulations mean scaffolding and other safety measures must be installed
when people are working above ground. . . Local councillor Jimmy
MacDonald said: "It seems the extra costs to cut the grass will make
this building not as eco-friendly as first believed." An SNH spokesman
said: "The roof was chosen due to its low-maintenance regime, which is
why it is so popular for green roof projects."

http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/tm_headline=we-ll-mow-your-roof-for--
pound-5000-&method=
full&objectid=17998583&siteid=66633-name_page.html


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THE BOTTLED WATER LIE

MICHAEL BLANDING, ALTERNET - The corporations that sell bottled water
are depleting natural resources, jacking up prices, and lying when they
tell you their water is purer and tastes better than the stuff that
comes out of the tap. . . In the past decade, the bottled water market
has more than doubled in the United States, surpassing juice, milk, and
beer to become the second most popular beverage after soft drinks.
According to a 2003 Gallup poll, three in four Americans drink bottled
water, and one in five drink only bottled water. Together, consumers
spent some $10 billion on the product last year, consuming an average of
26 gallons of the stuff per person, according the Beverage Marketing
Corporation. At the same time, companies spend some $70 million annually
to advertise their products. Typical are Aquafina's ads advertising the
beverage as "the purest of waters," Dasani's ads contending the water is
"pure as water can get."

In fact, says Kellett, not only does tap water often taste the same as
bottled water, but it is also often safer to drink as well. "They are
spending tens of millions of dollars every year to undermine our
confidence in tap water," she says, "even though water systems here in
the United States are better regulated than bottled water." That's
because tap water is regulated by the Environmental Protection Agency,
which imposes strict limits on chemicals and bacteria, constant testing
by government agencies, and mandatory notification to the public in the
event of contamination.

Bottled water, on the other hand, is regulated by the Food and Drug
Administration, which according to federal law is technically required
to hold itself to the same standards as the EPA. The devil is in the
details, however, since FDA regulations only apply to water that is
bottled and transported between states, leaving out the two-thirds of
water that is solely transported within states.

http://www.alternet.org/stories/43480/

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SCOTLAND TO LOSE ITS SNOW

THOMAS QUINN, OBSERVER, UK - If the past is another country, it's
impossible to deny that present-day Scotland is a lot further south than
it used to be. Scientists this week confirmed that, by the end of the
century, the only snow that residents of Glasgow and Edinburgh might
experience will be created for artificial ski slopes. The amount of snow
settling has decreased by a third over the past 45 years, according to
research. . . And the trend is set to continue.

http://environment.guardian.co.uk/climatechange/story/0,,1928551,00.html

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HOME DEPOT TO START PUSHING SOLAR

TREE HUGGER - The Home Depot has teamed up with BP Solar to provide
solar installation service to customers. It is offering its customers
the ability to sign-up online for free, in-home consultations.
California is also getting ready to make solar roofs mainstream.
Renewable Energy Access reports: "When the clock strikes midnight on
January 1, 2007, SB 1, California's new state law that provides $3.2
billion in funding to build a million solar roofs over the next ten
years, will officially take effect." . . .

http://www.treehugger.com/files/2006/10/selling_solar_t.php#perma

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ETHANOL HIGH COULD RAISE FUEL ECONOMY

PLANET ARK - Injecting small quantities of ethanol into car engines at
moments of peak demand -- such as accelerating sharply or climbing a
steep hill -- could improve the fuel economy of gasoline engines by 20
percent to 30 percent, a scientist said. A team of researchers at the
Massachusetts Institute of Technology is working on the system, which
scientists say would allow carmakers to use smaller engines in their
vehicles, reducing weight and improving fuel economy at a lower cost to
consumers than by adding a hybrid engine. . . He estimated that adding
the ethanol injection system to a car would cost about $1,000 and that
cars using the new system could be in mass production by 2011.

http://www.planetark.com/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/38678/story.htm

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