entire Web this site home > eco-news econews archive Encyclopedia of Alternative Energy and Sustainable Living Eco-news: Earth and the environment Earth 'heading for 6C' of warming (Nov 18, 2009) Average temperatures across the world are on course to rise by up to 6C without urgent action to curb CO2 emissions, according a new analysis. Emissions rose by 29% between 2000 and 2008, says the Global Carbon Project. All of that growth came in developing countries, but a quarter of it came through production of goods for consumption in industrialised nations. Read more. Source: BBC Greenland ice loss 'accelerating' (Nov 12, 2009) The Greenland ice sheet is losing its mass faster than in previous years and making an increasing contribution to sea level rise, a study has confirmed. Published in the journal Science, it has also given scientists a clearer view of why the sheet is shrinking. The team used weather data, satellite readings and models of ice sheet behaviour to analyse the annual loss of 273 thousand million tonnes of ice. Read more. Source: BBC Amazon deforestation 'record low' (Nov 12, 2009) The rate of deforestation in the Amazon has dropped by 45% and is the lowest on record since monitoring began 21 years ago, Brazil's government says. According to the latest annual figures, just over 7,000 sq km was destroyed between July 2008 and August 2009. The drop is welcome news for the government in advance of the Copenhagen summit on climate change. Read more. Source: BBC Species' extinction threat grows (Nov 3, 2009) More than a third of species assessed in a major international biodiversity study are threatened with extinction, scientists have warned. Out of the 47,677 species in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, 17,291 were deemed to be at serious risk. These included 21% of mammals, 30% of amphibians, 70% of plants and 35% of invertebrates. Read more. Source: BBC 'Freezer plan' bid to save coral (Oct 25, 2009) The prospects of saving the world's coral reefs now appear so bleak that plans are being made to freeze samples to preserve them for the future. A meeting in Denmark took evidence from researchers that most coral reefs will not survive even if tough regulations on greenhouse gases are put in place. Scientists proposed storing samples of coral species in liquid nitrogen. Read more. Source: BBC Baffin Island reveals dramatic scale of Arctic climate change (Oct 20, 2009) A frozen lake on a remote island off Canada's northern coast has yielded remarkable insights into how the Arctic climate has changed dramatically over 50 years. Muddy sediment from the bottom of the lake, some of it 200,000 years old, shows that Baffin Island, one of the most inhospitable places on Earth, has undergone an unprecedented warming over the past half-century. Read more. Source: The Independent Arctic to be 'ice-free in summer' (Oct 15, 2009) The Arctic Ocean could be largely ice-free and open to shipping during the summer in as little as ten years' time, a top polar specialist has said. "It's like man is taking the lid off the northern part of the planet," said Professor Peter Wadhams, from the University of Cambridge. Professor Wadhams has been studying the Arctic ice since the 1960s. Read more. Source: BBC Madagascar biodiversity under threat as gangs run wild (Oct 13, 2009) Roasted lemurs and criminal gangs exporting precious hardwood: this is the sad state of affairs for Madagascar's legendary biodiversity. Since a military coup forced the president to resign in March, conservationists and biologists have watched as loggers have stripped the country's forests and killed its animals for bushmeat. Read more. Source: New Scientist Decline of a tribe: and then there were five (Oct 13, 2009) They are the last survivors: all that's left of a once-vibrant civilisation which created its own religion and language, and gave special names to everything from the creatures of the rainforest to the stars of the night sky. Just five people represent the entire remaining population of the Akuntsu, an ancient Amazonian tribe which a generation ago boasted several hundred members, but has been destroyed by a tragic mixture of hostility and neglect. Read more. Source: The Independent Himalayan sherpas bugged by the sight of house flies at 5,000m (Oct 12, 2009) Earlier this year Dawa Steven Sherpa was resting at Everest base camp when he and his companions heard something buzzing. "What the heck is that?" asked the young Nepali climber. They searched and found a big black house fly, something unimaginable just a few years ago when no insect could have survived at 5,360 meters. Read more. Source: The Guardian Climate pledges so far are nowhere near enough (Oct 8, 2009) With just 60 days left before world leaders meet in Copenhagen to thrash out a new global climate deal, how do the chips that are on the table tally up? Not very well. According to the latest estimate of the carbon cuts offered by rich nations, the pledges fall well short of the reductions that climate scientists say are needed to avoid dangerous climate change. Read more. Source: New Scientist Warning over global oil 'decline' (Oct 8, 2009) There is a "significant risk" that global production of conventional oil could "peak" and decline by 2020, a report has warned. The UK Energy Research Council study says there is a general consensus that the era of cheap oil is at an end. But it warns that most governments, including the UK's, exhibit little concern about oil depletion. Read more. Source: BBC Green roofs save on carbon overheads (Oct 5, 2009) Green roofs are not just a load of greenwash. That's according to a new study which has measured the amount of carbon absorbed by 13 different green roofs. A team led by Kristin Getter at Michigan State University in East Lansing examined 12 existing green roofs and grew their own Sedum-covered roof. They found that the roofs absorbed up to 375 grams per square meter over the two years of their study. Read more. Source: New Scientist The great drought: Disaster looms in East Africa (Oct 3, 2009) On the plains of Marsabit the heat is so intense the bush seems to shiver. The leafless scrub, bleached white by the sun, looks like a forest of fake Christmas trees. Carcasses of cattle and camels are strewn about the burnt red dirt in every direction. Read more. Source: The Independent Earthquakes weaken distant faults (Oct 1, 2009) The major 2004 earthquake in Sumatra may have weakened the San Andreas fault, 8,000km away in California. This is according to scientists who took measurements from the fault over two decades. Reporting in the journal Nature, the team found that small "repeating earthquakes" became more frequent as the San Andreas Fault weakened. Read more. Source: BBC Four degrees of warming 'likely' (Sep 29, 2009) In a dramatic acceleration of forecasts for global warming, UK scientists say the global average temperature could rise by 4C (7.2F) as early as 2060. The Met Office study used projections of fossil fuel use that reflect the trend seen over the last 20 years. Their computer models also factored in new findings on how carbon dioxide is absorbed by the oceans and forests. Read more. Source: BBC 'Millions at risk' as deltas sink (Sep 21, 2009) Most of the world's major river deltas are sinking, increasing the flood risk faced by hundreds of millions of people, scientists report. Damming and diverting rivers means that much less sediment now reaches many delta areas, while extraction of gas and groundwater also lowers the land. Rivers affected include the Colorado, Nile, Pearl, Rhone and Yangtze. Read more. Source: BBC Warming Arctic 'halts migration' (Sep 17, 2009) Milder winters in the Arctic region have led to fewer Pacific brants, a species of sea goose, migrating southwards, say researchers. A study by the US Geological Survey found that as many as 30% of the birds were overwintering in Alaska rather than migrating to Mexico. Until recently, more than 90% of the species were estimated to head south. Read more. Source: BBC Arctic 'warmest in 2,000 years' (Sep 4, 2009) Arctic temperatures are now higher than at any time in the last 2,000 years, research reveals. Changes to the Earth's orbit drove centuries of cooling, but temperatures rose fast in the last 100 years as human greenhouse gas emissions rose. Scientists took evidence from ice cores, tree rings and lake sediments. Read more. Source: BBC Engineering Earth 'is feasible' (Sep 1, 2009) A UK Royal Society study has concluded that many engineering proposals to reduce the impact of climate change are "technically possible". Such approaches could be effective, the authors said in their report. But they also stressed that the potential of geo-engineering should not divert governments away from their efforts to reduce carbon emissions. Read more. Source: BBC Axolotl verges on wild extinction (Aug 28, 2009) The amphibian that never grew up is on the verge of going extinct in the wild. New survey work suggests that fewer than 1,200 Mexican axolotls remain in its last stronghold, the Xochimilco area of central Mexico. The axolotl is a type of salamander that uniquely spends its whole life in its larval form. Read more. Source: BBC 'Artificial trees' to cut carbon (Aug 27, 2009) Engineers say a forest of 100,000 "artificial trees" could be deployed within 10 to 20 years to help soak up the world's carbon emissions. The trees are among three geo-engineering ideas highlighted as practical in a new report. The authors from the Institution of Mechanical Engineers say that without geo-engineering it will be impossible to avoid dangerous climate change. Read more. Source: BBC Launch for amphibian 'life raft' (Aug 27, 2009) Conservationists have launched a new initiative aimed at safeguarding the world's amphibians from extinction. The Amphibian Survival Alliance will bring together existing projects and organisations, improving co-ordination, scientific research and fund-raising. About a third of amphibian species are threatened with extinctions. Read more. Source: BBC Global warming could change Earth's tilt (Aug 21, 2009) Warming oceans could cause Earth's axis to tilt in the coming century, a new study suggests. The effect was previously thought to be negligible, but researchers now say the shift will be large enough that it should be taken into account when interpreting how the Earth wobbles. Read more. Source: New Scientist Methane seeps from Arctic sea bed (Aug 19, 2009) Scientists say they have evidence that the powerful greenhouse gas methane is escaping from the Arctic sea bed. Researchers say this could be evidence of a predicted positive feedback effect of climate change. As temperatures rise, the sea bed grows warmer and frozen water crystals in the sediment break down, allowing methane trapped inside them to escape. Read more. Source: BBC Antarctic glacier 'thinning fast' (Aug 14, 2009) One of the largest glaciers in Antarctica is thinning four times faster than it was 10 years ago, according to research seen by the BBC. A study of satellite measurements of Pine Island glacier in west Antarctica reveals the surface of the ice is now dropping at a rate of up to 16m a year. Since 1994, the glacier has lowered by as much as 90m, which has serious implications for sea-level rise. Read more. Source: BBC 'Many hurricanes' in modern times (Aug 14, 2009) Hurricanes in the Atlantic are more frequent than at any time in the last 1,000 years, according to research just published in the journal Nature. Scientists examined sediments left by hurricanes that crossed the coast in North America and the Caribbean. The record suggests modern hurricane activity is unusual – though it might have been even higher 1,000 years ago. Read more. Source: BBC Warning: Oil supplies are running out fast (Aug 3, 2009) The world is heading for a catastrophic energy crunch that could cripple a global economic recovery because most of the major oil fields in the world have passed their peak production, a leading energy economist has warned. Higher oil prices brought on by a rapid increase in demand and a stagnation, or even decline, in supply could blow any recovery off course, said Dr Fatih Birol, the chief economist at the respected International Energy Agency. Read more. Source: The Independent Revealed: the secret evidence of global warming (Jul 26, 2009) Graphic images that reveal the devastating impact of global warming in the Arctic have been released by the US military. The photographs, taken by spy satellites over the past decade, confirm that in recent years vast areas in high latitudes have lost their ice cover in summer months. The pictures, kept secret by Washington during the presidency of George W Bush, were declassified by the White House last week. Read more. Source: The Observer Arctic glacier to lose Manhattan-sized 'tongue' (Jul 15, 2009) The biggest glacier in the Arctic is on the verge of losing a chunk of ice the size of Manhattan. A group of scientists and climate change activists who are closely monitoring the Petermann glacier's ice tongue believe the rapid flow of ice is in part due to warm ocean currents moving up along the coast of Greenland, fuelled by global warming. Read more. Source: New Scientist Many sharks 'facing extinction' (Jun 25, 2009) Many species of open ocean shark are under serious threat, according to an assessment by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). The Red list gives the status of 64 types of shark and ray, over 30% of which are threatened with extinction. The authors, IUCN's Shark Specialist Group, say a main cause is overfishing. Read more. Source: BBC Largest wind farm comes on stream (May 20, 2009) The final section of Europe's largest onshore wind farm is coming on stream as plans are under way to expand it. The £300m Whitelee development on Eaglesham Moor, in East Renfrewshire, is made up of 140 massive turbines. Developers ScottishPower Renewables estimate the wind farm can generate enough energy to power 180,000 homes. Read more. Source: BBC Ice sheet melt threat reassessed (May 15, 2009) The collapse of a major polar ice sheet will not raise global sea levels as much as previous projections suggest, a team of scientists has calculated. Writing in Science, the researchers said that the demise of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet (WAIS) would result in a sea level rise of 3.3m (10 ft). Previous estimates had forecast a rise in the region of five to six meters. Read more. Source: BBC Key coral reefs 'could disappear' (May 13, 2009) The world's most important coral region is in danger of being wiped out by the end of this century unless fast action is taken, says a new report. The international conservation group WWF warns that 40% of reefs in the Coral Triangle have already been lost. The area is shared between Indonesia and five other south-east Asian nations and is thought to contain 75% of the world's coral species. Read more. Source: BBC 'Safe' climate means 'no to coal' (May 2, 2009) About three-quarters of the world's fossil fuel reserves must be left unused if society is to avoid dangerous climate change, scientists warn. More than 100 nations support the goal of keeping temperature rise below 2C. But the scientists say that without major curbs on fossil fuel use, 2C will probably be reached by 2050. Read more. Source: BBC New rare orangutan find in Borneo (Apr 15, 2009) A hitherto unknown population of orangutans numbering perhaps 1-2,000 has been found on the island of Borneo, conservation researchers say. Members of the reclusive endangered species were found by scientists acting on tip-offs from local people. Much of the orangutan's tropical forest habitat in Indonesia and Malaysia has been cut down for timber extraction and to create palm oil plantations. Read more. Source: BBC Ice bridge ruptures in Antarctic (Apr 5, 2009) An ice bridge linking a shelf of ice the size of Jamaica to two islands in Antarctica has snapped. Scientists say the collapse could mean the Wilkins Ice Shelf is on the brink of breaking away, and provides further evidence or rapid change in the region. Sited on the western side of the Antarctic Peninsula, the Wilkins shelf has been retreating since the 1990s. Read more. Source: BBC Climate changes Europe's borders – and the world's (Mar 28, 2009) Italy and Switzerland are planning to redraw their shared alpine border, as global warming is melting the glaciers that originally guided the line. Although peaceful, the move raises fears of future conflicts over shifting borders and resources. Read more. Source: New Scientist Carbon emissions creating acidic oceans not seen since dinosaurs (Mar 10, 2009) Human pollution is turning the seas into acid so quickly that the coming decades will recreate conditions not seen on Earth since the time of the dinosaurs, scientists will warn today. The rapid acidification is caused by the massive amounts of carbon dioxide belched from chimneys and exhausts that dissolve in the ocean. The chemical change is placing "unprecedented" pressure on marine life such as shellfish and lobsters and could cause widespread extinctions, the experts say. Read more. Source: Guardian Parts of Amazon close to tipping point (Mar 6, 2009) The Mato Grosso, the most scarred region of the Amazon rainforest, is teetering on a deforestation "tipping point", and may soon be on a one-way route to becoming a dry and relatively barren savannah. Mônica Carneiro Alves Senna and colleagues at the Federal University of Viçosa, Brazil, used computer models to simulate how the Amazon would recover from various amounts of deforestation. Read more. Source: New Scientist earlier econews BACK TO TOP

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