President Obama announced Saturday at the conclusion of the G8 Summit at Camp David, Maryland that the G8 leaders have committed to cutting short-lived climate pollutants to mitigate near-term climate change, save lives, and improve crop yields, and have joined the new Climate and Clean Air Coalition for Reducing Short Lived Climate Pollutants (CCAC).

A post summer check up of the Great Barrier Reef has revealed low level coral bleaching at some locations and signs of minor stress from wet season flooding.

The low to moderate coral bleaching was found in the central region of the Great Barrier Reef and some bleaching occurred in the northern and southern regions. The floodwater impact was described by Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority (GBRMPA) as low.

GBRMPA's Climate Change Director Paul Marshall said it was a reminder of the importance of building the Reef's health so it can withstand these pressures.

"This summer was a milder one for the Great Barrier Reef compared to the extreme weather of last year, but climate change continues to be the greatest threat to coral reefs worldwide," he said.

"The events of last summer showed us that coral, seagrass and wildlife such as turtles and dugong are vulnerable to extreme weather.

"A range of climate change projections suggest the intensity of these types of events will increase."

Over this summer scientists, researchers and industry partners contributed over 190 reef health surveys at 43 reefs in the Great Barrier Reef ecosystem as part of our Eye on the Reef program.

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Their monitoring found small, isolated areas of bleaching at a few locations, but no reefs were seriously affected.

Monitoring also found juvenile and adult crown-of-thorns starfish and patchy coral damage from anchoring.

"There will be ongoing monitoring to keep an eye out for further changes," Dr Marshall said.

Sea temperatures and rainfalls rose above average monthly levels throughout most of the Great Barrier Reef during February and early March, but didn’t get high enough to cause serious problems.

Localised heavy rainfalls resulted in isolated flood plumes entering Reef waters, but the impact was low compared to the extensive flooding of last summer.

Surveys will also be undertaken over the next few months to assess whether there are signs of recovery for reefs affected by extreme weather last year.

While this guide to important environmental issues is not comprehensive, if you’re new to green or simply want a refresher overview, this list neatly summarizes some of our most pressing environmental concerns … some of which cannot be solved simply via creative upcycling or small-space living.

A law recently passed by the Mexican legislature will reduce emissions of carbon dioxide by 30 percent below business-as-usual levels by 2020, and by 50 percent below 2000 levels by 2050, reported Nature. By 2024, Mexico will also derive 35 percent of its electricity from renewable resources, according to the new law.

In Greenland Ice is melting fast. New Studies find temperatures rising.

ROCKPORT — When it comes to the acid-base balance in human blood or ocean water, a small change can mean a lot. That was the message presented at a March 3 seminar at the Maine Fishermen's Forum.

The current trend of increasing ocean acidification, which threatens fisheries around the world, is driven mainly by man-made changes and is higher even than that seen at the end of the last ice age, some 11,000 year ago, a study has said. Much of the carbon released by human activity ends up in the oceans, increasing their acidity and reducing the growth of corals and molluscs, which in turn may affect fisheries and aquaculture.

Feb. 2 is World Wetlands Day, a holiday that has promoted global appreciation and protection of wetlands for 41 years. It commemorates an international treaty signed in 1971, the Ramsar Convention, that aims to conserve swamps, marshes and bogs around the world, from Albania to Mexico to Zambia.

Prior to taking Mr. Visco's high school science class, Keith Hogan did not believe humans had had any hand in climate change.

"I thought the media had just picked that up and blown it out of proportion," he said.