Archive for Climate
April 15, 2007 at 12:43 pm · Filed under Activism, Climate
Earthsave.org has published a report about the connection between global warming and global meat consumption.
“By far the most important non-CO2 greenhouse gas is methane, and the number one source of methane worldwide is animal agriculture. Methane is responsible for nearly as much global warming as all other non-CO2 greenhouse gases put together. Methane is 21 times more powerful a greenhouse gas than CO2. While atmospheric concentrations of CO2 have risen by about 31% since pre-industrial times, methane concentrations have more than doubled. Whereas human sources of CO2 amount to just 3% of natural emissions, human sources produce one and a half times as much methane as all natural sources. In fact, the effect of our methane emissions may be compounded as methane-induced warming in turn stimulates microbial decay of organic matter in wetlands—the primary natural source of methane.”
Download the pdf. report here
April 7, 2007 at 9:43 pm · Filed under Solar, Green Tech, Climate
Top hurricane forecasters Dr. William Gray believes the recent uptick in strong hurricanes is part of a multi-decade trend that will lead to dropping ocean temperatures in the next five to 10 years. Link
New solar cells developed by Massey University don’t need direct sunlight to operate and use a patented range of dyes that can be impregnated in roofs, window glass and eventually even clothing to produce power. Link
US set to ban incandescent light bulbs, hoping it will lower electric prices and shed coal plants faster. Unfortunately, it will do the opposite. Link
Scientists discover global warming on Mars. Link
March 19, 2007 at 11:38 am · Filed under Climate
It looks like a colour-coded terror alert scale and meteorologically speaking, that’s exactly what it is. With climate change making conditions more unpredictable, national weather services from across the European Union have joined forces to create http://www.meteoalarm.eu a new website providing up-to-the-minute information on ‘extreme weather’ across the continent. The initiative, managed by Austria’s Central Institute for Meteorology and Geodynamics, is designed to give Europeans a single source for details on flash floods, severe thunderstorms, gale-force winds, heat waves, blizzards and other violent weather that poses a threat to life or property. It also issues 24- and 48-hour warnings for heavy fog, extreme cold, forest fires and ‘coastal events’ such as high waves or severe tides. Although the European site officially will launch in Madrid, Spain, on March 23 World Meteorological Day it is already live on the web in test form. The Network of European Meteorological Services includes 20 countries and covers land stretching from Portugal to Sweden. Not every nation in the region is contributing, but the site hopes to bring others online eventually.
At the moment there are code red warnings in the north-west corner of Spain for ‘Coastal Events’ and in southern Austria for heavy snowfall.
December 18, 2006 at 9:11 pm · Filed under Ecology, Climate
Planting forests to combat global warming may be a waste of time, especially if those trees are at high latitudes, new research suggests. Scientists say the benefits that come from trees reducing atmospheric carbon dioxide can be outweighed by their capacity to trap heat near the ground. Computer modelling indicates that trees only really work to cool the planet if they are planted in the tropics. Link
November 17, 2006 at 8:25 pm · Filed under Climate
An iceberg has been spotted from the New Zealand shore for the first time in living memory, and scientists are trying to determine where it and several other giant chunks drifting in the country's waters orginated from. Last year, icebergs were seen in New Zealand water for the first time in 56 years, but couldn't be seen from the shore. This year one was visible from Dunedin on South Island on Thursday. It has since moved away, driven by winds and ocean currents. The floating ice blocks have become a tourist attraction, as sightseers pay up to 500 New Zealand dollars (US$332; euro252) each to fly over the icebergs. Theories about where on the Antarctic coastline the icebergs originated have gripped the science community since they were first spotted. National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Researc, says the iceberg could not spefically be linked to global warming.
November 15, 2006 at 5:16 pm · Filed under The Politics, Climate
Breaking news: UN Climate Conference 2009 will be held i Copenhagen. Nothing much more to report about that.
Haven’t seen Al-I-used-to-be-the-next-president-of-USA-Gores movie yet? Here is a 44 min. interview/documentary about him made this summer:
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November 14, 2006 at 12:40 am · Filed under The Politics, Climate
The German environment research organization has just released their Climate Performance Index 2006 at the UN Climate Conference in Nairobi. The list only includes the 56 industrialized countres that each emits more than one percent of the global CO2.
Iceland wins this time, but they are cheating by using geothermal heating systems. We got the entire report as pdf in the reseach section. Link.
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