We’ve gone from hope and promise to doom and gloom, all in one short day. Yes folks, this morning’s Cool Green News updates will make you contemplate just how bad the future could be. Read ‘em and weep… then polish up your half-empty glass and send us your message of hope (cause we all need it).

1. A new climate change report released today by the U.S. government says climate change is happening now, it’s already affecting our lives and it will get more severe. The Guardian reports the Obama team is treating the news as a call to action for the American public. Also, hear what a Conservancy scientist has to say about the report’s signficance.
2. Mridul Chadha at Red Green and Blue says achieving an international agreement on climate change at Copenhagen this December seems very unlikely.
3. A study of nearly 300 communities in Brazil found that clearing forest for ranches and farmland did not lead to long-term economic, social and health benefits for residents. The prosperity of such boom towns is short-lived, says the study, suggesting that sustainable development is better for the forest and the people.
4. Sure, jellyfish look like alien invaders, but could they really take over our oceans? Scientist Anthony Richardson warns of a jellyfish explosion that could have dire consquences for marine life.
5. Pacific oysters are dying in huge numbers – for the fifth year in a row. Scientists suspect the die-off could be due to ocean acidification. (Hat-tip: Blogfish and Yale Environment 360.) 

Posted: June 16th, 2009 under Animals, Climate Change, Conservation Issues, Cool Green Morning, Europe, Forest Trade, Forests, Media, Oceans & Coasts, Policy, South America, Sustainable Livelihoods, The Nature Conservancy, United States.
Tags: Anthony Richardson, Blogfish, Brazil, climate change report, Copenhagen, jellyfish, Mridul Chadha, Obama, ocean acidification, Pacific oysters, Red Green and Blue, sustainable development, The Guardian, Yale Environment 360