BLOG
Wooden Worries, Part II
-- Alex -- 03/13/2007
Wooden Worries, Part II
Trees encroaching on Arctic tundra is probably not a solution to the deforestation Adam documented in his last blog entry. According to the Journal of Ecology, scientists at the University of Alberta have found:
Yet another disconcerting and unintended consequence of climate change.
Wooden Worries
-- Adam -- 03/13/2007
The U.N. Food and Agriculture Organisation released its 2007 State of the World's Forests publication this week. One subsection of the report discusses climate change as it relates to forestry.
"There is increasing evidence that forests will be profoundly affected by climate change. The recent outbreak of the mountain pine beetle in British Columbia, for example, appears to be related to historically high temperatures and may become the worst forest catastrophe in Canadian history."
The authors note that currently Kyoto and other climate-minded policies have had "little impact on the forest sector", with few incentives to encourage practices within the industry to mitigate greenhouse gases. A major consequence for forests is the increasing threat of wild fires as warming dries the land and lightening strikes increase. ""Forest fires may increase in severity if the global climate continues to become warmer and more variable."
Bogged Down
-- Adam -- 03/12/2007
Denver Post journalist Katy Human reported this weekend on the many ways in which global warming is altering landscapes around the planet. Some of the most dramatic examples of these changes are of course in and around polar regions. In northern Siberia and Alaska, scientists have observed "cracking, sinking and buckling" of the ground close to the shores. In turn, bogs have been created and filled with collapsed trees, undermined by thawing permafrost. Within the same region, increased amounts of freezing rain has been observed literally smothering lemmings in lower layers of snow, as air flow is blocked by newly formed ice sheets above. Elsewhere, coral reefs are being "smothered" as well. As Human notes, these underwater habitats were once expected to benefit from warming, but the ongoing, wide-spread trend of bleaching has completely changed large stretches of ocean floor, leading to a scientific conclusion that warming is and will be rather devastating.
South Carolina Mayors Mobilize on Global Warming
-- John -- 03/09/2007
Last week the South Carolina Wildlife Federation hosted a teleconference featuring U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham and over a dozen mayors from around the state. The topic: global warming and what local governments can do to address it. As Charleston Mayor Joe Riley said, “The U.S. Conference of Mayors has now close to 500 mayors who have signed a commitment to meet or beat the Kyoto accord, which is a 7 percent reduction in 1990 CO2 emission levels by the year 2012 — in our communities.” Charleston is already taking measures, such as promoting less wasteful vehicles and more efficient streetlights. So far the mayors of three South Carolina cities, Charleston, Columbia, and Greenville, have signed on to the U.S. Mayors Climate Protection Agreement, which is the first step to becoming part of the Sierra Club’s “Cool Cities” network. But there was also consensus that national leadership is needed, and on this point Senator Graham offered an astute observation: “We've turned a corner up here in Washington, and in the 2008 election it will be difficult to be elected if you deny that climate change is happening and that man is at least part of the problem.”
Warm Climate Bugs Bite Europe
-- Adam -- 03/09/2007
More examples of the threat posed by climate change to human health appeared in a story by Jeremy Clarke of Reuters today. The warming of average temperatures paving the way for African pathogens to make their way into livestock populations in Europe. These diseases are carried by insects who can now or will be able to survive at higher latitudes due to lengthened warm seasons. One, called bluetongue, hit bovine and sheep stock across Northern Europe recently. According to an executive of GALVmed interviewed for the article, greater threats with the potential for human infection will occur as additional diseases, notably River Valley Fever, advance with global warming into previously unexposed areas.
Green Attracting “Green”
-- Alex -- 03/09/2007
More and more investors are putting their hard-earned "green" into technologies that are, well, green ... another indication that reducing heat-trapping emissions and finding energy alternatives are key priorities for the nation.
Recent articles and commentary address the array of renewable fuels "from wave power, to hydrogen fuel cells, to lithium batteries, to cow manure for making methane" that are attracting droves of investors and billions in capital.
So not only is there a big place for global warming and alternative energy in the "marketplace of ideas" for 2008, but it would seem there's also a place for it in the regular ol' marketplace.
And it's not just environmentalists in the article who are taking note of the massive investments in sustainable energy to stem the impact of climate change.
"I think the smart money on Wall Street and elsewhere has figured out that the days of carbon-based energy are ending. New technologies for energy and new strategies for conservation are coming and they will be highly profitable," said Chicago Tribune "financial markets" columnist Bill Barnhart on Wednesday's Nightly Business Report.
With investors making these commitments and entrepreneurs striving for innovations, global warming is clearly a far-reaching issue which deserves to be a part of the national debate.
‘Soviet-style directive’
-- Alex -- 03/08/2007
That's exactly how a former Interior Department official from a previous administration described a recent memo to government officials and scientists who might be asked about the Arctic's warming climate. As today's New York Times reports:
"Internal memorandums circulated in the Alaskan division of the Federal Fish and Wildlife Service appear to require government biologists or other employees traveling in countries around the Arctic not to discuss climate change, polar bears or sea ice if they are not designated to do so."
In a particularly Orwellian passage, a memo states an employee seeking permission to travel "understands the administration's position on climate change ... and will not be speaking on or responding to these issues."
But given the administration's lackluster commitment to global warming during the last six years, maybe it's best those who "understand" President Bush's position not speak on the topic after all.
This latest story reinforces what an important opportunity 2008 presents in developing a new national leadership on the issue.
Richardson: “Clean-Energy State” of Mind
-- Adam -- 03/08/2007
Bill Richardson signed legislation this week that will require a doubling of New Mexico's clean-energy standard. Electric utilities must produce 10% of their power by 2011, 15% by 2015, and 20% by 2020. Environment New Mexico claims that the existing lower standard has been an "enormous success", noting that one major power supplier will likely reach the goal well in advance of the deadline. Measures will also encourage utilities to transmit excess renewable energy out of the state. This and the new jobs created to meet higher production levels are two just two of the economic benefits to the state Richardson suggests will accrue.
And we thought the swimsuit issue was hot
-- Jim -- 03/07/2007
Read the Sports Illustrated story here: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2007/more/03/06/eco0312
New Species as Food Chain Declines
-- Adam -- 03/07/2007
The Santiago Times reported today on the research being conducted on the seas formerly beneath icecaps Larsen A and Larsen B. Various marine species, including a suprising number of Minke whales, have filled into areas once occupied by ice. The newly exposed seabed is host to several previously unknown species, such as 15 new types of amphipods and 4 cnidarians. The reality is that, despite these scientific discoveries, the net ecological effect of the icecap failure has been negative. Krill, which provide nutriment to numerous larger species, depend on algae that grows beneath ice shelves. A further decrease in ice cover will bring further reductions in the Antarctic Ocean food chain.
1 comments