Arctic spiders may hold clues to global warming: Reclusive spiders living in the Arctic may yield clues to the impact of global warming just like bigger, better-known predators such as polar bears, a researcher said on Tuesday. Any disruptions to tiny Arctic spiders, little studied and living much of their lives under snow, could ripple through the food chain since they prey on insects and are in turn eaten by birds. AlertNet

Brockovich posts a warning: Erin Brockovich uncovered one of the biggest cases of corporate pollution in the modern United States and her fight to get compensation for the victims was made into a hit film starring Julia Roberts. The environmental tiger in the leopard-print jacket is in Sydney to support the Climate Change Coalition, a group of independent candidates standing in the state election. SMH

Climate change opponent missing out: The debate about whether global warming is real misses the point. Last week, industrial magnate Sir Arvi Parbo talked about a “concerted and well-organised campaign to create worldwide apprehension and alarm” … But the green-bashers, who like to think of themselves as hard-nosed and practical, suffer from the tunnel vision typical of any ideologues, right or left. They seem oblivious to one inconvenient truth: even if climate change is, in the words of Mr Evans, “the most extraordinary example of scientific fraud in the post-war period”, it’s now having a very real impact on the market and investors. The Age

Global warming a hot spot for investors: Droughts. Hurricanes. Rising temperatures. Melting glaciers. In a world abuzz with talk about global warming, climate change is elbowing aside tech and biotech as the major investment theme of the future. Wall Street’s savviest analysts are devising ways to cash in on crazy weather, just as they did in response to the profound changes brought on by the dawn of the digital age, globalization and the graying of America. KARE

Asia smog fuelling Pacific storms “will melt Arctic ice”: Smog and air pollution from Asian cities have intensified storms over the Pacific Ocean, which will result in increased warming of the Arctic, scientists have warned. They report that the number of storm clouds in the region has increased by up to a half over the last 20 years as rapidly industrialised cities in countries such as India and China burn more coal as they grow. Guardian

Canadian tundra turning green: Northern Canada’s tundra is disappearing at a rapid rate, with forests of spruce trees and shrubs taking over the once frozen landscape, new research finds. The study offers further evidence of climate change and the authors warn it shows that the shift in the Canadian tundra can happen at a much faster speed than scientists originally thought. Environment News Service