New study ties global warming to stronger hurricanes
Most of the increase in ocean temperature that feeds more intense hurricanes is a result of human-induced global warming, says a study that one researcher says "closes the loop" between climate change and powerful storms like Katrina. A series of studies over the past year or so have shown an increase in the power of hurricanes in the Atlantic and Pacific oceans, a strengthening that storm experts say is tied to rising sea-surface temperatures. And most of that temperature increase can be blamed on global warming caused by human activities such as automobile and industrial pollution, scientists report in Wednesday's issue of Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Kew spreads climate change word
he Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew has issued a "position paper" saying that man-made global warming is changing the outlook for plants and trees worldwide. It says four species on its own lands are flowering earlier each year. Kew's conservation scientists say other human activities such as the expansion of cities are also hurting plants, some which poorer societies depend on. It advises gardeners in Britain to adopt water-conserving techniques such as mulching and composting.

Climate change ‘a risk to millions’
THE potential effects of climate change may be far greater than previously believed, Environment Affairs and Tourism Minister Marthinus van Schalkwyk said yesterday. Speaking at a meeting of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change in Somerset West, Van Schalkwyk warned that climate change in southern Africa would place “millions of lives at risk”. The panel was established by the United Nations Environmental Programme and the World Meteorological Organisation in 1988 to assess information on climate change, its effects, and options for mitigation and adaptation.