Hawaiian Islands weather details & Aloha paragraphs

Interesting: Sea levels could rise by up to 4.9 feet by the end of this century, according to a new scientific analysis. This is substantially more than the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) forecast in last year’s landmark assessment of climate science. Sea level rise of this magnitude would have major impacts on low-lying countries such as Bangladesh. The findings were presented at a major science conference in Vienna. The research group is not the first to suggest that the IPCC’s forecast of an average rise in global sea levels of 14 inches by 2100 is too conservative. The IPCC was unable to include the contribution from "accelerated" melting of polar ice sheets as water temperatures warm because the processes involved were not yet understood. The new analysis comes from a UK/Finnish team which has built a computer model linking temperatures to sea levels for the last two millennia.

Interesting2: A United Nations-sponsored report has warned that modern farming practices and rules must change in response to rising food prices.  "Business as usual is no longer an option", says the report, as extra food costs threaten to plunge millions more people into poverty. The study, published by Unesco in Paris, calls for more emphasis on protecting natural resources. More natural and ecological farming techniques should be used, it says. These should include reducing the distance between production and the consumer. The report is the result of three years of work involving scientists and other experts, as well as governments of developed and developing countries. The authors conclude that progress in agriculture has reaped very unequal benefits – and that it has come at a high social and environmental cost. Unesco notes the ”considerable influence” of big transnational corporations in North America and Europe. By contrast, Latin America and the Caribbean are largely dependent on imported food. The UN body describes the need for action as urgent, warning that staple food prices are likely to continue to rise because of increased demand from countries like China and India, and the alternative use of maize and soya beans for biofuels. The report says more than a third of the world’s most deteriorated land has been caused by farming.

Interesting3: The Colombian authorities have declared a state of red alert after a volcano erupted 240 km (149 miles) southwest of the capital, Bogota. The Nevado de Huila, the country’s third highest peak, began to belch smoke and ash late on Monday night. Thousands of people living in the shadow of the volcano are being evacuated, as emergency services seek halls and schools to use as shelters. The volcano became active again in after lying dormant for centuries.Experts are trying to assess whether the eruption is likely to get worse or stabilise. Since 1985, Colombia has treated the rumblings of volcanoes with dread and respect, says the BBC’s Jeremy McDermott in Colombia. In that year the Nevado del Ruiz volcano erupted in the western province of Caldas, with lava swallowing up the town of Armero and its 25,000 inhabitants.

Interesting4: China has already overtaken the US as the world’s "biggest polluter", a report to be published next month says. The research suggests the country’s greenhouse gas emissions have been underestimated, and probably passed those of the US in 2006-2007. The University of California team will report their work in the Journal of Environment Economics and Management. They warn that unchecked future growth will dwarf any emissions cuts made by rich nations under the Kyoto Protocol.The team admit there is some uncertainty over the date when China may have become the biggest emitter of CO2, as their analysis is based on 2004 data. Until now it has been generally believed that the US remains "Polluter Number One".

Interesting5: Construction will halt, heavy industries will close, and even spray painting will stop in order to clean Beijing’s polluted air for the Olympics — an issue that suddenly has taken a back seat to political protests.  An aggressive plan to temporarily shutter belching steel and chemical plants, cut back emissions by 30 percent at 19 heavy-polluting companies and stop excavation and pouring of concrete at hundreds of sites around the city was explained Monday by the city’s Environmental Protection Bureau.  “From the suggestions of experts we think that we need to take these measures to guarantee the air quality of Beijing,” said Du Shaozhong, the bureau’s deputy director. The measures are severe and will be in effect officially for two months — July 20-Sept. 20 — although reports a few months ago suggest some production cutbacks may come even sooner.Officials also are expected to ban about half of Beijing’s 3.3 million vehicles for the Aug. 8-24 Olympics. Du said specific details would be announced later.