Clipmarks | kmcolo's 'climate change' clips

CO2 improves tolerance of barley to salinity

Wed, 09 Jul 2008 14:04:07 GMT

clipped by: kmcolo
clipper's remarks: Global warming means more beer! Maybe I'll rethink my position...

In future, climate change will bring an increase in salty surfaces on the Earth and in the concentration of CO₂ in the atmosphere. However, this higher CO₂ has some positive effects on the physiology of barley plants and increases its tolerance to salinity.

As with other plants, the correct development of barley depends on a suitable balance between the availability of water, nutrients and CO₂. Nevertheless, it is predicted that there will be an increase in salinity in the soil in future, causing various imbalances which will result in a reduction in the growth of barley.

she concluded that CO₂ does not mitigate the accumulation of sodium in the tissues, despite the plant showing greater growth and less transpiration.

In short, Dr. Pérez-López's research concludes that the increase in CO₂ enables greater growth of barley plants subject to saline conditions, thanks to the improvement in their hydric state and turgescence, but, above all, to the increase in photosynthesis.

Tags: global warming, climate change, carbon, co2, agriculture, food

More intense storms with climate change - model

Wed, 09 Jul 2008 13:59:50 GMT

clipped by: kmcolo

Clip Source: esciencenews.com

A new mathematical model indicates that dust devils, water spouts, tornadoes, hurricanes and cyclones are all born of the same mechanism and will intensify as climate change warms the Earth's surface.

"This model allows us to relate changes in storms' intensity to environmental conditions," Renno said. "It shows us that climate change could lead to increases in how efficient convective vortices are and how much energy they transform into wind. Fueled by warmer and moister air, there will be stronger and deeper storms in the future that reach higher into the atmosphere."

Renno's work bolsters studies by others who say hurricanes have grown stronger over the past 50 years as sea surface temperatures have risen.

This new model helps explain the formation of spiral bands and wall clouds, the first clouds that descend during a tornado. It's clear now that they are the result of a pressure drop where the airspeed has increased.

Tags: climate change, global warming, storms, model

Acidifying oceans add urgency to CO2 cuts

Sat, 05 Jul 2008 22:17:56 GMT

clipped by: kmcolo

Clip Source: esciencenews.com

It's not just about climate change anymore. Besides loading the atmosphere with heat-trapping greenhouse gases, human emissions of carbon dioxide have also begun to alter the chemistry of the ocean

This acidification can damage marine organisms. Experiments have shown that changes of as little as 0.2-0.3 units can hamper the ability of key marine organisms such as corals and some plankton to calcify their skeletons, which are built from pH-sensitive carbonate minerals. Large areas of the ocean are in danger of exceeding these levels of pH change by mid-century, including reef habitats such as Australia's Great Barrier Reef.

Tags: co2, carbon, oceans, climate change, global warming

Penguins setting off sirens over health of world's oceans

Tue, 01 Jul 2008 20:25:04 GMT

clipped by: kmcolo

Clip Source: esciencenews.com

Like the proverbial canary in the coal mine, penguins are sounding the alarm for potentially catastrophic changes in the world's oceans, and the culprit isn't only climate change, says a University of Washington conservation biologist. Oil pollution, depletion of fisheries and rampant coastline development that threatens breeding habitat for many penguin species, along with Earth's warming climate, are leading to rapid population declines among penguins, said Dee Boersma, a University of Washington biology professor and an authority on the flightless birds.

"Penguins are among those species that show us that we are making fundamental changes to our world," she said. "The fate of all species is to go extinct, but there are some species that go extinct before their time and we are facing that possibility with some penguins."

Tags: climate change, global warming, oceans, ecosystem

Climate change: A Significant Upward Shift in Elevation for Plants in the 20th Century

Sat, 28 Jun 2008 03:07:53 GMT

clipped by: kmcolo

Clip Source: www.sciencemag.org

Spatial fingerprints of climate change on biotic communitiesare usually associated with changes in the distribution of speciesat their latitudinal or altitudinal extremes.

we show thatclimate warming has resulted in a significant upward shift inspecies optimum elevation averaging 29 meters per decade. Theshift is larger for species restricted to mountain habitatsand for grassy species, which are characterized by faster populationturnover.

Tags: climate change, global warming, plants

Climate change causing significant shift in fish communities

Fri, 27 Jun 2008 19:39:35 GMT

clipped by: kmcolo

Clip Source: esciencenews.com

A detailed analysis of data from nearly 50 years of weekly fish-trawl surveys in Narragansett Bay and adjacent Rhode Island Sound has revealed a long-term shift in species composition, which scientists attribute primarily to the effects of global warming.

the fish community has shifted progressively from vertebrate species (fish) to invertebrates (lobsters, crabs and squid) and from benthic or demersal species – those that feed on the bottom – to pelagic species that feed higher in the water column. In addition, smaller, warm-water species have increased while larger, cool-water species have declined.

This is a pretty dramatic change, and it's a pattern that is being seen in other ecosystems, including offshore on Georges Bank and other continental shelf ecosystems,

Tags: climate change, global warming, fish, ecosystems

Climate Change May Sap Military, Intel Chief Says

Thu, 26 Jun 2008 20:30:17 GMT

clipped by: kmcolo

Clip Source: blog.wired.com

One of the country's top spies came to Capitol Hill today, to warn Congress that global climate change could sap the country's military forces -- while fueling new conflicts around the world. But he warned that responding to global warming might be even more costly than the problem itself.

Tags: climate change, global warming, military, security

Bioenergy potential of reviving abandoned agricultural land

Thu, 26 Jun 2008 16:12:58 GMT

clipped by: kmcolo

Clip Source: esciencenews.com

Across the globe, hundreds of millions of acres of once-productive agricultural land lie abandoned

If this land was used to grow crops for conversion into biofuel, it could help ease the energy crunch without worsening the world food shortage or contributing to global warming.

"So this result is basically showing us that biofuels could be a meaningful, but a small portion of our total energy future."

Perhaps the biggest limiting factor with biofuel production is finding land to grow the biomass needed to produce the energy. Taking cropland out of food production clearly is not a good long-term answer. Nor is clearing forestland.

"Basically, what happens when you cut down forest is that all the carbon that was stored in those trees is released to the atmosphere,"

"If you put biomass energy in locations that previously had agriculture but don't now, you can avoid those problems."

Between 1- and 1.2-billion acres of abandoned agricultural land is lying fallow, according to the researchers.

Tags: climate change, global warming, alternative energy, energy, carbon, carbon cycle

Climate change threatens human rights

Wed, 25 Jun 2008 20:33:18 GMT

clipped by: kmcolo

Clip Source: www.research4development.info

Climate change policies ignore likely impacts on human rights according to a new report published by the International Council on Human Rights Policy (ICHRP). The report, Climate Change and Human Rights: A Rough Guide argues that human rights principles can influence climate change policy by focusing on the suffering and risk faced by all people, and especially the global poor.

Climate Change and Human Rights: A Rough Guide is available for download here.

Tags: climate change, global warming, human rights

Climate Change: “Essential” Foreign Policy Issue

Wed, 25 Jun 2008 20:29:04 GMT

clipped by: kmcolo

Clip Source: newsecuritybeat.blogspot.com

“Domestic policy alone is not enough; a new U.S. foreign policy to tackle climate change is also essential,” argues a Council on Foreign Relations Independent Task Force in Confronting Climate Change: A Strategy for U.S. Foreign Policy. “Unchecked climate change,” the authors write, “is poised to have wide-ranging and potentially disastrous effects on…human welfare, sensitive ecosystems, and international security.”

The United States, uniquely positioned to “steer international efforts to confront climate change,” must take a leadership role in advancing global policies, Levi said.

However, the report strongly cautions against the United States entering into any global framework to which other large emitters, like China and India, are not willing to adhere.

“[J]ust like scientists tell us that no one technology is going to solve the problem, there’s no one diplomatic solution that’s going to solve it,”

Tags: climate change, global warming

Ethiopia: Food Security, Population, Climate Change Align

Wed, 25 Jun 2008 20:19:32 GMT

clipped by: kmcolo

Clip Source: newsecuritybeat.blogspot.com

“The only future is resettlement,” a local Ethiopian official recently told the Economist, commenting on dire conditions in the Goru Gutu district, which is facing starvation following unpredictable rains and insect infestations.

“the agricultural sector—the mainstay of the national economy—is less productive per capita today than it was 20 years ago.”

climate change “has intensified these environmental problems by altering the region’s rainfall patterns.” Ethiopia’s population and climate challenges will likely lead to additional pressure for resettlement, paving the way for possible conflict.

Tags: climate change, global warming, food, population, migration, africa, ethiopia

The Big Thaw

Tue, 24 Jun 2008 17:36:06 GMT

clipped by: kmcolo

Clip Source: tamino.wordpress.com

The blogosphere is buzzing with discussion of new research soon to be published in Geophysical Research Letters, Accelerated Arctic land warming and permafrost degradation during rapid sea ice loss (Lawrence et al. 2008, GRL, in press, scheduled for publication tomorrow)

Their research indicates that, in large part due to the rapid reduction of summer sea ice in the arctic, land areas in the far north will warm much faster than the rest of the globe. This would lead to rapid melting of permafrost, which in turn could release massive stores of CO2 trapped in the permafrost.

The atmospheric release of a massive store of sequestered carbon is one possible hitherto-unanticipated feedback in the climate system, one which may quite literally be disastrous, not just for the Arctic but for the entire planet

Tags: climate change, global warming, sea ice, arctic, arctic ocean

Krugman: Home ownership - why?

Mon, 23 Jun 2008 20:37:30 GMT

clipped by: kmcolo

Clip Source: www.nytimes.com

In effect, U.S. policy is based on the premise that everyone should be a homeowner. But here’s the thing: There are some real disadvantages to homeownership.

First of all, there’s the financial risk. Although it’s rarely put this way, borrowing to buy a home is like buying stocks on margin: if the market value of the house falls, the buyer can easily lose his or her entire stake.

Owning a home also ties workers down. Even in the best of times, the costs and hassle of selling one home and buying another — one estimate put the average cost of a house move at more than $60,000 — tend to make workers reluctant to go where the jobs are.

Finally, there’s the cost of commuting. Buying a home usually though not always means buying a single-family house in the suburbs, often a long way out, where land is cheap. In an age of $4 gas and concerns about climate change, that’s an increasingly problematic choice.

Tags: economics, home, housing, rent

Vietnam and UK boost co-operation in climate change

Mon, 23 Jun 2008 18:17:51 GMT

clipped by: kmcolo

Clip Source: www.nhandan.com.vn

Scientists have warned that Vietnam is one of the five countries that will be hardest hit by climate change. As the world’s temperature is forecast to increase by between one to three degrees Celsius in 100 years, Vietnam’s sea level will rise by one metre. If Vietnam does not have proper policies on adaptation and mitigation of climate change, the country’s food output will decrease by five percent as the two major rice baskets - the Mekong delta and the Red River delta – are submerge in salt water.

The UK ranks Vietnam among its first priority countries for assistance and support. The UK has helped Vietnam in coping with climate change, reducing poverty and using new energy. The UK has also joined the donor community to sponsor Vietnam’s National Target Programme on Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation (NTP) and a plan to implement the programme.

Tags: climate change, global warming, uk, vietnam, asia

Climate Change & Human Rights

Mon, 23 Jun 2008 18:10:21 GMT

clipped by: kmcolo

Clip Source: webdiary.com.au

When climate change is viewed through a human rights lens, the picture looks very different from the scientific statistics and economic forecasts we generally hear. The human rights lens shows populations becoming increasingly vulnerable to poverty and social deprivation as large tracts of previously fertile land become useless.

What’s more, the human rights lens brings into focus the reality that the world's poor and marginalised, all too often women and children, will be disproportionately affected by climate change – they are more exposed to disasters and have much lower capacity to cope with them – exacerbating existing social inequity at both the local and international level.

recognising that climate change will continue, even with successful mitigation measures, governments have also moved to encourage adaptation by providing financial support to affected communities

sustainable development has become part of the new mitigation and adaptation vocabulary

Tags: climate change, global warming, human rights