Pollution: Greenhouse gas levels hit new record high

Atmospheric volumes of greenhouse gases blamed for climate change hit a new record in 2012, the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) said on Wednesday.

"For all these major greenhouse gases the concentrations are reaching once again record levels," WMO Secretary-General Michel Jarraud told a news conference in Geneva at which he presented the U.N. climate agency's annual Greenhouse Gas Bulletin .

Jarraud said the accelerating trend was driving climate change, making it harder to keep global warming to within 2 degrees Celsius, a target agreed at a Copenhagen summit in 2009.

"This year is worse than last year, 2011. 2011 was worse than 2010," he said. "Every passing year makes the situation somewhat more difficult to handle, it makes it more challenging to stay under this symbolic 2 degree global average."

Greenhouse gas emissions are set to be 8 to 12 billion tonnes higher in 2020 than the level needed to keep global warming below 2 degrees, the U.N. Environment Programme said on Tuesday.

Read more: Greenhouse gas levels hit new record high - Technology & Science - CBC News

Envronment: BP Sued by Obama Administration Over Worst Oil Spill

The Obama administration sued units of BP Plc and four other companies, saying they violated environmental laws in the largest offshore oil spill in U.S. history.

The lawsuit, filed today in federal court in New Orleans, is the first brought by the U.S. over the oil spill caused by the explosion of the Deepwater Horizon rig in April. The Justice Department’s civil investigation is continuing, as is a probe of potential criminal violations.

The lawsuit seeks damages under the Clean Water Act and to declare four of the defendants liable under the Oil Pollution Act for all removal costs and damages caused by the oil spill, including damages to the environment, according to a Justice Department statement. The lawsuit doesn’t ask for a specified amount of damages.


For more: BP Sued by Obama Administration Over Worst Oil Spill - Bloomberg

EU to send equipment to help US clean up Gulf oil spill

The European Commission said on May 28 that it would send equipment to help the US clean up the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, having received a request for assistance from the US coast guard a day earlier.

"We stand shoulder to shoulder with our American friends as they work to deal with this environmental disaster," EU's commissioner for international co-operation, humanitarian aid and crisis response Kristalina Georgieva said in a statement. "We have already developed an excellent cooperation on emergency response and this positive reaction from Europe to the call for equipment for the Gulf of Mexico is an international solidarity in dealing with ecological disasters," she said.

European Commission's monitoring and information centre (MIC) put together the consolidated offer within hours, using equipment available from Spain, the Netherlands and the European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA). All costs associated with the transport, handling and replacement of the arms and related equipment will be covered by a US contracted company.

For more: EU to send equipment to help US clean up Gulf oil spill - Foreign - The Sofia Echo

Watch Live Feed Of The Ongoing BP Oil Spill

Want to see what more than 1 million gallons of oil leaking into the Gulf of Mexico looks like? Now you can. WKRG, a local TV station in Mobile/Pensacola, Florida, is live streaming the environmental disaster on Ustream (ustream)

For more: VIDEO: Watch Live Feed Of The Ongoing BP Oil Spill | News One

Outer Space: Space Station nearly completed: Atlantis shuttle to be retired heads home after smooth mission

The six-member crew of Atlantis launched nine days ago and joined the six space station residents a week ago. It undocked from the station Sunday after completing all of the mission's tasks, including the installation of a Russian module and six large new batteries on the station. With just two shuttle flights remaining, the station is nearly complete. Piers Sellers, who last flew to the station in 2006, says the station was about one-third the size at that time. 

“It was very different,” he said. “This place is now a palace. It's huge. We're seeing the station in pretty much its final form, and it's fantastic.” During their limited time off during their stay, the shuttle crew members have joined the station crew in staring out of the orbiting laboratory's cupola, a large, seven-paned window that looks back on Earth. They've enjoyed many highs, seeing hometowns, oceans and islands. But there has been a big downer, too, explained Soichi Noguchi, a station astronaut.

“The oil spill, we're watching above every day,” he said. “It's kind of sad to see. These days the stain has spread to the south. We're hoping for a quick recovery.”

For more: Likely to retire, Atlantis heads home after smooth mission | National | Chron.com - Houston Chronicle

OIL SPILL USA: Leaked report: Government fears Deepwater Horizon well could become unchecked gusher | al.com

A confidential government report on the unfolding spill disaster in the Gulf makes clear the Coast Guard now fears the well could become an unchecked gusher shooting millions of gallons of oil per day into the Gulf.

"The following is not public," reads the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Emergency Response document dated April 28. "Two additional release points were found today in the tangled riser. If the riser pipe deteriorates further, the flow could become unchecked resulting in a release volume an order of magnitude higher than previously thought."

Asked Friday to comment on the document, NOAA spokesman Scott Smullen said that the additional leaks described were reported to the public late Wednesday night. Regarding the possibility of the spill becoming an order of magnitude larger, Smullen said, "I'm letting the document you have speak for itself."

In scientific circles, an order of magnitude means something is 10 times larger. In this case, an order of magnitude higher would mean the volume of oil coming from the well could be 10 times higher than the 5,000 barrels a day coming out now. That would mean 50,000 barrels a day, or 2.1 million gallons a day. It appears the new leaks mentioned in the Wednesday release are the leaks reported to the public late Wednesday night.

Note EU-Digest: the total lack of results in getting this spill in the Gulf quickly under control, either on a national or international level, shows Public and Private organizations are unprepared and have no contingency plans in solving disasters of this scale. It is high time the Oil Industry becomes more seriously regulated.

For more: Leaked report: Government fears Deepwater Horizon well could become unchecked gusher | al.com