Common species will also be lost with global warming

Posted on May 13, 2013 by Bob Berwyn
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Even common backyard plants and animals will be affected by global warming. Bob Berwyn photo.

New study projects percent of all plant species will lose half their climatic range

By Summit Voice

FRISCO — Plenty of relatively rare plants and animals have already been flagged because of threats from global warming, but even common backyard plants and animals are likely to decline this century as their climatic ranges shift.

Plants — being sessile— reptiles and particularly amphibians are expected to be at highest risk. Sub-Saharan Africa, Central America, Amazonia and Australia would lose the most species of plants and animals. And a major loss of plant species is projected for North Africa, Central Asia and South-eastern Europe, according to new research from the University of East Anglia published May 12 in the journal Nature Climate Change. (more…)

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Study shows ocean acidification impacts to sea snails

Posted on November 25, 2012 by Bob Berwyn

Corrosive waters in Southern Ocean destroying pteropod shells

Pteropods swimming in the Scotia Sea. Photo courtesy British Antarctic Survey.

By Bob Berwyn

FRISCO — Numerous lab experiments have already shown that some shell-forming ocean species will likely suffer as the ocean absorbs atmospheric carbon dioxide and becomes increasingly acidic.

Now, a new study based on 2008 research in the Scotia Sea shows that the shells of tiny marine snails called pteropods are already being dissolved by ocean acidification where atmospheric CO2 being absorbed by the sea is exacerbating acidic conditions resulting from upwelling of cold water from deep below the surface.

The tiny animals are a valuable food source for fish and birds and play an important role in the oceanic carbon cycle. Pteropods are open-ocean animals, moving about by using water wings that evolved from their snail feet. (more…)

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Report: UN climate talks are too big and unwieldy

Posted on November 19, 2012 by Bob Berwyn

Research recommends capping delegate numbers

October 2012 brought above average temperatures to most of the globe. Graphic courtesy NASA.

By Summit Voice

SUMMIT COUNTY — Large delegations from rich countries and a cumbersome decision-making process are hindering progress at the United Nations’ annual climate talks, according to research published last week by University of East Anglia and the Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research.

The report was timed to precede the 18th UN Climate Change Summit, which starts Nov. 26 in Doha, Qatar. The findings suggest that delegations from some countries have increased in size over the years, while others have decreased, limiting poor countries’ negotiating power and making their participation less effective.

“The UN must recognize that these antiquated structures serve to constrain rather than compel co-operation on international climate policy,” said Dr. Helke Schroeder, with the University of East Anglia’s School of International Development. “The time is long overdue for changes to institutions and structures that do not support decision-making and agreements.”

The researchers recommend that countries consider capping delegation numbers at a level that allows broad representation across government departments and sectors of society, while maintaining a manageable overall size. (more…)

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Scientists cleared in ‘climategate’ emails — again

Posted on February 25, 2011 by Bob Berwyn

Inspector General report finds no wrong-doing, no reason to doubt NOAA‘s climate data

Earth is getting warmer, and no amount of political tap-dancing is going to change that.

By Summit Voice

SUMMIT COUNTY — Global warming skeptics may have to find a new axe to grind after the Department of Commerce Inspector General reviewed the so-called Climategate emails and found there was no evidence of improper manipulation of data, failure to adhere to appropriate peer review procedures, or failure to comply with Information Quality Act and Freedom of Information Act guidelines.

The infamous e-mails were stolen from the University of East Anglia’s Climate Research Unit in Nov. 2009. Ideologically driven critics of global warming science manipulated the content of the e-mails to make it look like climate scientists were trying to hide and manipulate data.

Senator James Inhofe, a Republican from Oklahoma who is one of the most vocal climate science skeptics, requested the Inspector General to review the emails. The Inspector General report is available online. (more…)

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CO2 emissions bounce back in 2010

Posted on November 22, 2010 by Bob Berwyn

Global total could reach record levels after a one-year drop

The bar graph indicates how much heat in terms of Watts per meter squared that each greenhouse gas traps in the Earth's lower atmosphere. Carbon dioxide (CO2) (light gray) is clearly the largest contributor. From the 1970s to the late 1980s, Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) (red) were the second largest contributor until the Montreal Protocol banned them. Their effects, now dropping off are now much less of a contributor. The other two main greenhouse gases are Nitrous oxide (N20) (yellow) and Methane (CH4) (blue).

By Summit Voice

Global carbon dioxide emissions — the main contributor to global warming — show no sign of abating and may reach record levels in 2010, according to a study led by the University of Exeter, in the UK..

The study, which also involved the University of East Angliaand other global institutions, is part of the annual carbon budget update by the Global Carbon Project.

In a paper published today in Nature Geoscience, the authors found that despite the major financial crisis that hit the world last year, global CO2 emissions from the burning of fossil fuel in 2009 were only 1.3 percent below the record 2008 figures — less than half the drop predicted a year ago.

The global financial crisis resulted in big drops in CO2 emissions in 2009. Emissions in the UK dropped 8.6 percent, with similar reductions in other major industrial countries, including the USA, Japan, France and Germany. (more…)

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