Clipmarks | zephyr1's 'global warming' clips

Want to Save Polar Bears? Follow the Ice

Fri, 01 Jun 2007 18:13:38 GMT

clipped by: zephyr1

Science Daily — In the wake of the U.S. government’s watershed decision to propose listing the polar bear as “Threatened” under the Endangered Species Act, the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) is launching a bold initiative to save the Earth’s largest terrestrial predator, not by following the bears themselves, but the receding sea ice habitat that may drastically shrink as a result of global warming. In a project named “Warm Waters for Cool Bears,” WCS will use both current and historical satellite imagery to predict where sea ice is likely to persist and where subsequent conservation efforts to save the species will be most effective.

Tags: polar bears, watershed, threatened, habitat

Climate Change Leads to Lawsuits

Wed, 30 May 2007 01:53:58 GMT

clipped by: zephyr1

Clip Source: www.sciencedaily.com

CHICAGO, May 25 (UPI) -- A new book says concern about global warming is causing U.S. corporations and law practices to taken on more litigation.

While Congress has not adopted any laws that explicitly require the control of greenhouse gases, lawsuits have been brought all over the country concerning the applicability of the Clean Air Act, the National Environmental Policy Act and other statutes, the American Bar Association said Friday in a release.

The ABA said the widespread assumption that mandatory federal regulation is inevitable is already affecting many corporate practices.

The ABA's new book, "Global Climate Change and U.S. Law," is an account of federal, state and local laws and litigation that are rapidly developing around climate change.

The association said "the book addresses the international and national frameworks of climate change law, including clean air regulation, civil remedies and the impact of the Kyoto Protocol on many domestic actions."

Tags: climate change, lawsuits, greenhouse gasses.clean air act

US and Germany split on Climate Change

Tue, 29 May 2007 00:08:08 GMT

clipped by: zephyr1

Clip Source: www.ft.com

The US and Germany will make one last attempt at drafting a joint position on climate change and preventing tensions over the issue spiralling into a diplomatic row ahead of the Group of Eight leading industrialised nations’ summit next week.

The US, by contrast, thinks global warming should be fought through the deployment of new technologies and by encouraging the use of renewable energy. The White House said on Monday: “We expect to be talking to the Germans and our other G8 partners on the agenda between now and the start of the summit on climate change and the other agenda items – especially including the important poverty-reduction priorities. This level of negotiation is no different than the lead up to any G8 gathering.”

Germany holds both the G8 and European Union presidencies. It has pushed for the world’s richest nations to make a binding pledge on reducing greenhouse gas emissions, mirroring a decision adopted by the EU’s 27 members earlier this year.

Tags: climate change, g8

Candidates on Global Warming

Mon, 28 May 2007 14:24:50 GMT

clipped by: zephyr1

Clip Source: www.cfr.org

The debate on global warming reached a new intensity as the presidential campaign season got underway. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) released the first part of an assessment report in February 2007 that said human activity is “very likely” accountable for global warming and immediate action to stabilize greenhouse gas emissions is necessary. A fourth part of the report, released in May 2007, said the rise in global carbon emissions would need to cease by 2015 to stabilize global temperatures. Democratic candidates seized on the reports as evidence of a need for federal action on carbon emissions. Most Republican candidates, excepting Sen. John McCain, have been wary of embracing federally mandated controls on emissions.

Tags: presidential candidates, climate change

National Geographic on Global Warming

Sun, 27 May 2007 18:53:33 GMT

clipped by: hudgal1

Clip Source: news.nationalgeographic.com

• Since the 1860s, increased industrialization and shrinking forests have helped raise the atmosphere's CO2 level by almost 100 parts per million—and Northern Hemisphere temperatures have followed suit. Increases in temperatures and greenhouse gasses have been even sharper since the 1950s.

Water vapor is the most important greenhouse gas. Carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide also contain heat and help keep Earth's temperate climate balanced in the cold void of space. Human activities, burning fossil fuels and clearing forests, have greatly increased concentrations by producing these gases faster than plants and oceans can soak them up. The gases linger in the atmosphere for years, meaning that even a complete halt in emissions would not immediately stop the warming trend they promote.

Tags: global warming, greenhouse gases

Whales In Hot Water: Global Warming's Effect On World's Largest Creatures

Wed, 23 May 2007 22:18:34 GMT

clipped by: zephyr1

Clip Source: www.sciencedaily.com

Science Daily — Whales, dolphins and porpoises (cetaceans) are facing increasing threats from climate change, according to a new report published by WWF and the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society.

The report "Whales in hot water?" examines the impacts on cetaceans including:

Changes in sea temperature

Declining salinity because of the melting of ice and increased rainfall

Sea level rise

Loss of icy polar habitats

Decline of krill populations in key areas. Krill is a tiny shrimp-like marine animal that is dependent on sea ice and is the main source of food for many of the great whales.

“Whales, dolphins and porpoises have some capacity to adapt to their changing environment,” said Mark Simmonds, International Director of Science at WCDS. “But the climate is now changing at such a fast pace that it is unclear to what extent whales and dolphins will be able to adjust, and we believe many populations to be very vulnerable to predicted changes.”

Tags: whales, global warming, sea temperature

Pill stops cow burps, reduces methane

Wed, 23 May 2007 01:52:45 GMT

clipped by: zephyr1

Clip Source: eartheasy.com

"Our aim is to increase the wellbeing of the cow, to reduce the greenhouse gases produced and to increase agricultural production all at once."

Cut down on flying, sell the car and recycle your bottles. But if you really want to tackle global warming, you should stop your cow from burping.

According to scientific estimates, the methane gas produced by cows is responsible for 4% of greenhouse gas emissions. And now, German scientists have invented a pill to cut bovine burping.

The fist-sized plant-based pill, known as a bolus, combined with a special diet and strict feeding times, is meant to reduce the methane produced by cows.

"Our aim is to increase the wellbeing of the cow, to reduce the greenhouse gases produced and to increase agricultural production all at once," said Winfried Drochner, professor of animal nutrition, who has led the ground-breaking project at the University of Hohenheim in Stuttgart. "It is an effective way of fighting global warming."

Tags: cows, global warming, methane

Sunflowers Could Be Pushed North

Tue, 22 May 2007 18:20:59 GMT

clipped by: zephyr1

Clip Source: dsc.discovery.com

Imagine the Sunflower State without its sunflowers. That's one of the dire predictions contained in a new report on global warming released by the National Wildlife Federation, which says the Kansas state flower could move north to other states in a few decades.

Increasingly warm temperatures also could mean the end of the eastern cottonwood, according to "The Gardener's Guide to Global Warming."

"Everything being equal, these plants won't thrive and will shift north," said Patty Glick, the report's author and senior global warming specialist for the National Wildlife Federation.

While conditions could change, Glick and others say projected increasing temperatures also could wipe out cool-weather grasses, such as Kentucky bluegrass, and many fescues that cover lawns in the region.

The projection that the sunflower could fade from Kansas' landscape surprised some experts and scientists.

This is a plant that has survived for eons,"

Tags: sunflower, global warming, extinction, kansas

George Bush Global Warming Video

Mon, 21 May 2007 19:44:27 GMT

clipped by: zephyr1

Clip Source: www.youtube.com

[Video]

Tags: comedy, george bush, global warming

Permanent Ice Fields Are Resisting Global Warming

Mon, 21 May 2007 03:25:39 GMT

clipped by: zephyr1

Clip Source: www.terradaily.com

The small ice caps of Mont Blanc and the Dome du Gouter are not melting, or at least, not yet. This is what CNRS researchers have announced in the Journal of Geophysical Research. At very high altitudes (above 4200 meters), the accumulation of snow and ice has varied very little since the beginning of the 20th century. But if summer temperatures increase by a few degrees during the 21st century, the melt could become more marked, and could affect the "permanent" ice fields.

Alpine glaciers, which are mainly at an altitude between 2000 and 4000 meters, shrank considerably during the 20th century and particularly during the past twenty years, losing an average of 1 to 1.5 kilometers in length. However, the situation is different above 4200 meters.

At the altitude of the Dome du Gouter (4300 m) or the summit of Mont Blanc (4810 m), all precipitation is solid, falling as snow. The ice fields melt very little, and only in extreme conditions such as the 2003 heatwave.

Tags: glaciers, ice fields, geophysics, global warming

Changing bird migration patterns attributed to global warming

Mon, 21 May 2007 00:22:53 GMT

clipped by: zephyr1

Clip Source: www.centredaily.com

BONN, Germany -- Disoriented by erratic weather, birds are changing migration habits and routes to adjust to warmer winters, disappearing feeding grounds and shrinking wetlands, a migration expert says.

Failure to adapt risks extinction. Birds face starvation when they arrive too early or too late to find their normal diet of insects, plankton or fish. In the north, some birds have stopped migrating altogether, leaving them at risk when the next cold winter strikes.

"Species that adapted to changes over millennia are now being asked to make those adaptations extremely quickly because of the swift rise in temperatures," said Robert Hepworth, executive secretary of the Convention on Migratory Species, a treaty under the auspices of the U.N. Environment Program.

Tags: migrating, birds, un, millennia

Japanese Waters Warming Faster Than World Average

Sun, 20 May 2007 16:03:48 GMT

clipped by: zephyr1

Clip Source: www.terradaily.com

The temperature of waters around Japan has risen at a much faster rate than the rest of the world's oceans in the past century, partly because of global warming, according to an official report

Average sea temperatures in areas around Japan rose by 0.7-1.6 degress Celsius between 1900 and 2006, a higher rate than the world average of 0.5 degrees Celsius, the Japan Meteorological Agency said.

The warmer ocean was expected to impact fish resources and the ecosystem including colonies of corals, said Yasushi Takatsuki, a marine meteorology specialist at the agency.

"It cannot be totally attributed to global warming. There are factors such as natural changes in the ocean environment. We want to check how much global warming accounts for the sea temperature rise," he said.

The findings were based on an analysis of temperatures recorded by ships, mostly merchant vessels, the report said.

Tags: meteorology, oceans, corals, fish, ecosystem

Branson gives $3bn to fight global warming

Sat, 19 May 2007 16:38:22 GMT

clipped by: zephyr1

Clip Source: www.philanthropyguide.com

“The billionaire said business had a duty to future generations and the money would come from the profits of his Virgin Group’s airline and train operations, making it one of the most significant investments by a private firm in green initiatives.

The funds will be invested in schemes to develop new renewable energy technologies, including new biofuels for aircraft which could cut down on damaging CO2 gases.

“As part of the investment, more than half of the profits of Virgin Trains - of which Sir Richard’s Virgin Group owns 51% - will be allocated to the environment.

“Perth-based Stagecoach, which has the remaining 49% stake in Virgin Trains, said it had no plans to match Branson’s pledge.
A Stagecoach spokesman said it had been aware of the Virgin Group’s announcement, and it hoped to pilot some of the renewable energy initiatives financed by Sir Richard.

Tags: global warming, branson, renewable energy, biofuels

Plastic Waste: More Dangerous than Global Warming

Sat, 19 May 2007 14:58:42 GMT

clipped by: zephyr1

Clip Source: www.greenbiz.com

We have all seen those graphic photos depicting the fate of marine mammals tangled in discarded fishing nets. And the sight of a soft drinks bottle floating by while we are canoeing in our local lake or river of choice is not a rarity.

But the real problem with plastic pollution in the world's waters -- the fact that it never, ever, degrades -- is more or less invisible to the naked eye, and is more immediate than anyone thought. And some argue that companies have the potential to alleviate the crisis in a big way.

Stephan Becker, founder of Beautiful Oceans, a for-profit corporate framework that offers courses in marine conservation to scuba divers and snorkelers, is one of those people who believes the corporate world can have a tremendous impact on reducing plastic pollution.

Plastic is particularly damaging because it is not biodegradable, he says, and plastic particles, although invisible, remain unmoving in the water and eventually become part of the food chain.

Tags: plastic, environment, degrade, ocean

Simpler Way to Counter Global Warming

Mon, 14 May 2007 14:47:43 GMT

clipped by: zephyr1

Clip Source: www.sciencedaily.com

Science Daily — Writing in the journal Nature, a Cornell biogeochemist describes an economical and efficient way to help offset global warming: Pull carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere by charring, or partially burning, trees, grasses or crop residues without the use of oxygen.

When bioenergy is produced by pyrolysis (low-temperature burning without oxygen), it produces biochar, which has twice as much carbon in its residue than that from other sources. This makes bioenergy carbon-negative and improves soil health.

This process, he writes, would double the carbon concentration in the residue, which could be returned to the soil as a carbon sink. The exhaust gases from this process and other biofuel production could then be converted into energy.

This so-called biochar sequestration could offset about 10 percent of the annual U.S. fossil-fuel emissions in any of several scenarios,

says Johannes Lehmann, associate professor of soil biogeochemistry

Tags: global warming, environment, bioenergy, pyrolysis, biochar