Climate Challenge
http://feeds.blogsieve.com/493
European Legislators Back Emissions Rules (NYT > Global Warming)
European Union legislators voted in favor of laws aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions, but frustrated some environmental advocates by taking steps to ease the burden on industry.
World Rivers Sound Warning on Climate Change (Climate Change Australia)
Water, rivers and climate change are inextricably linked, and are ringing warning bells across the world. More than ever before, the global water situation is uniting people in hardship, with billions being spent to protect water supplies, livelihoods and, ultimately, lives.
In Australia, one of the driest continents, a growing population and drying climate is challenging environmental scientists, water managers and politicians to find short and long-term solutions to the growing crisis. And answers are not cheap or easy, often being social problems that require political action.
The statistics alone are frightening. Of the water available for Australians to use, one quarter of the rivers and lakes are already used for drinking, industry and agriculture, and one third of underground water is being pumped to the surface and used for the same purposes.
If you ask Australia?s national science agency, the CSIRO, about climate change, the outlook is bleak. By 2030 rainfall on the major capitals (except Hobart) could drop by 15 per cent. According to the 2001 report, Climate Change Projections for Australia, Perth could loose up to 20 per cent of rainfall. At the same time, rising temperatures will increase evaporation, further reducing water supplies in dams, rivers and reservoirs.
In another recent scientific report by the same agency, which examines water price implications for each of Australia?s main cities and regions in 25 years? time, the real price of water could skyrocket.
The 2006 report, Without Water: The economics of supplying water to 5 million more Australians, says if governments do not act to expand water trading and access ?new? sources of water such as building desalination plants, establishing large sewage recycling schemes and making use of storm water, the price of water would increase by between five and ten times in large cities to manage demand.
Internationally, the situation is not much better, and in many areas is far worse. The United Nations describes the global water situation as a ?crisis? essentially caused by the way in which we mismanage water.? The U.N. is so concerned about water, it has named 2005 to 2015 as the Decade of Water.
More than 2.7 billion people will face severe water shortages by the year 2025 if the world continues consuming water at the same rate, the United Nations has warned in its annual World Water Assessment Program report.
The looming crisis is being blamed on mismanagement of existing water resources, population growth and changing weather patterns. The areas most at risk from the growing water scarcity are in semi-arid regions of sub-Saharan Africa and Asia.
“Even where supplies are sufficient or plentiful, they are increasingly at risk from pollution and rising demand,” says U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan.
Extremes in water supply deliver unacceptable shocks to the developing world, explains World Bank Senior Water Advisor, David Grey. ?Monsoons, droughts, depleted groundwater resources, and typhoons devastate poor countries because they?re in too deep a hole economically to reduce their risk,? he says.
Grey, soon to visit Australia as a keynote speaker for the International Riversymposium, sees a strong link between the sophistication of a country?s water management and its economic health. He says investors are avoiding countries with unpredictable food production, health problems related to poor water quality, and unreliable electricity supplies.
?Investment doesn?t flow to places where catastrophic water events cause huge social and economic problems and large-scale losses of life,? says Grey.
Like many international water experts, Grey believes Australia must take a lead role with international assistance, training and capacity building for river management, particularly in the Asian Pacific region. He?s impressed by organisations such as the International Riverfoundation which has set up ?twinning? programs to help developing countries better manage their river catchments.
Partnerships and community action are critical to managing water and protecting rivers. Many will be highlighted at the coming International Riversymposium in Brisbane in September.
The theme, ?Managing rivers with climate change and expanding populations? will investigate the challenge of meeting human needs for water under changing climatic conditions. It?s an opportunity for hundreds of people to share ideas, case studies and examples on how to tackle threats to rivers and catchments.
?Local communities can do amazing things,? says Riversymposium chair Professor Paul Greenfield of the University of Queensland. ?There are many positive stories showing how science, public policy and community action are addressing river and global warming issues.?
?For example, the Bulimba Creek Catchment Association, typical of many local conservation groups throughout Australia, has an outstanding record of revegetating bushland and improving water quality in a network of Brisbane creeks,? says Professor Greenfield.
?The association coordinates Waterwatch, supports 23 local Bushcare groups, provides training programs to volunteers, and involves students and community groups in practical conservation projects.?
?Since 1999, the group has involved the community in rehabilitating 46 sites within the catchment, and four sites outside it with support from Landcare, the Natural Heritage Trust and local leaders.?
Each year, the symposium highlights new international and Australian industry practices, government regulations, technology and community education programs to sustain river water supply and quality. The four-day event also includes the prestigious Thiess International and National Riverprize.
The prize, regarded as the ?Noble prize for saving rivers?, recognises outstanding achievements in river conservation and management. There are overseas nominations from Israel, U.S.A., Kyrgyzstan, China, and Canada vying for the $225,000 Thiess International Riverprize. There are also nominations from Australia competing for the $75,000 Thiess National Riverprize.
While Australia may not yet be experiencing some of the more dramatic and life threatening situations as many river systems overseas, the clock is ticking, particularly in relation to the current drought and low levels in large dams that supply water to major population centres.
The 9th International Riversymposium will be held at Brisbane?s Convention & Exhibition Centre from 4 -7September as part of the city?s annual Riverfestival. Other activities include Riverfire, Riverfeast and post-symposium study tours.
Regular updates on international river issues, such as water scarcity, estuary flows, wastewater treatment, community consultation, legal frameworks, damming rivers and water policy, will be published in free e-newsletters. For more information please visit the following websites:
This article was written by
Don Alcock
International Riversymposium Media
Methane Release Caused Massive Global Warming 180 Million Years Ago (Climate Change Australia)
Open University researchers have uncovered startling new evidence about an extreme period of a sudden, fatal dose of global warming some 180 million years ago during the time of the dinosaurs. The scientists’ findings could provide vital clues about climate change happening today and in the future.
The OU Department of Earth Sciences team, PhD student Dave Kemp and supervisors Drs. Angela Coe and Anthony Cohen, along with Dr. Lorenz Schwark of the University of Cologne, discovered evidence suggesting that vast amounts of methane gas were released to the atmosphere in three massive ‘methane burps’ or pulses. The addition of methane, a greenhouse gas, to the atmosphere had a severe impact on the environment, warming Earth about 10 C, and resulting in the extinction of a large number of species on land and in the oceans.
Dr Angela Coe says: “We’ve known about this event for a few years through earlier work by our team and others, but there’s been a great deal of uncertainty about its precise size, duration, and underlying cause. What our present study shows is that this methane release was not just one event, but 3 consecutive pulses. Importantly, our data demonstrate that each individual pulse was very rapid. Also, whilst the methane release was very quick, we’ve found that the recovery took much longer, occurring over a few hundred thousand years”.
The methane came from gas hydrate, a frozen mixture of water and methane found in huge quantities on the seabed. This hydrate suddenly melted, allowing the methane to escape. The OU researchers based their findings on geochemical analyses of mudrocks that are preserved along the Yorkshire coast near Whitby, UK, and date from the Jurassic Period of geological time.
Dave Kemp, whose PhD is funded by the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC), says: “The methane was released because slight wobbles in the Earth’s orbit periodically bring our planet closer to the Sun, warming the oceans sufficiently to melt the vast reserves of hydrate. We believe that this effect was compounded by warming from greenhouse gases from volcanoes. After the methane was released into the atmosphere from the seabed it reacted rapidly with oxygen to form carbon dioxide. Carbon dioxide is also a powerful greenhouse gas that persists in the atmosphere for many hundreds of years, and it was this gas which caused such a massive global warming effect”.
Dr Anthony Cohen adds: “One of the most important aspects of the study is that it provides an accurate timescale for how the Earth, and life, reacted to a sudden increase in atmospheric carbon dioxide. Today we are releasing large amounts of carbon dioxide to the atmosphere, primarily through the burning of fossil fuels. It is possible that the rate at which carbon dioxide is being added to the atmosphere now actually outstrips the rate at which it was added 180 million years ago. Given that the effects were so devastating then, it is extremely important to understand the details of past events in order to better comprehend present-day climate change. With this information, we are better informed about what action needs to be taken to mitigate or avoid some of the potential detrimental future effects”.
Original press release: Earth’s Wobble Burps (NASA - Open University)
Emissions Trading: The Pros and Cons (Climate Change Australia)
The externality associated with the non-rival and non-excludable costs of the release of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere is inherently difficult to internalise. Emissions trading has emerged as a popular method of achieving socially optimal emissions reduction. The following analysis discusses the flaws in emissions trading ? particularly in light of its use in the European Union ? and puts forward suggestions regarding policy initiatives that may help overcome these problems.
The recent use of emissions trading has created a Coasian market for ?polluting property rights?, which has allowed for increased information sharing, preference revelation and signalling compared with approaches based on strict government intervention (DEFRA, 2003). The so called ?cap and trade? system has been used to limit total greenhouse gas emissions and grant allowances to companies giving them the right to pollute. Firms wishing to exceed their allowance must purchase credits from those polluting below their allocation or face heavy penalties.
Both emissions trading and conventional Pigovian taxation provide incentives for individuals and firms to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions to a socially optimal level. Pigovian taxes involve the government increasing the cost per unit of ?carbon inputs? while the market determines the efficient quantity. By contrast, ?cap and trade? emissions trading schemes involve a government set quantity with a market determined price of carbon based on the reallocation of polluting permits (Gittins, 2007). Controlling either variable theoretically yields the same emissions reduction; however the advantage of emissions trading is that polluting rights are allocated through a market to those who can make the most efficient use of them. Companies that can affordably reduce their emissions will do so in order to sell their credits while firms that generate the highest valued output per unit of input will choose to buy polluting rights (DEFRA, 2003).
To further illustrate this point, if two firms were to face a tax, the emissions target (which would equate to the socially efficient level ?Q*? where MB = MSC if perfect information were to exist) would be achieved since neither firm will produce when it is no longer profitable to do so. If tradeable permits were used, the firm for which emissions reductions are more costly could buy permits from the other firm, and ?Q*? could be reached without sacrificing as much output. Emissions trading schemes arguably have lower administrative costs due to the incentive for firms to negotiate amongst themselves in order to achieve a ?least cost? reduction (Pindyck & Rubinfeld, 2005). It also succeeds in promoting the development of innovative ways to reduce the original externality.
Limited knowledge of climate science creates uncertainty surrounding the probability and magnitude of future consequences, making it impossible to measure the size of the externality and determine the socially optimal level of emissions. This presents a problem for any reduction mechanism, and provides a breeding ground for lobbyists to push their own agenda without the scrutiny that might exist if more accurate information was available. This uncertainty is arguably one of the reasons why Australia is yet to establish an effective emissions trading scheme. Given the possible irreversibility of damage to the Earth?s climate, Wills (2006 p. 350) argues that policy makers ought to follow the maximum decision rule and choose a cautious approach which ?maximises the minimum outcome?.
While the use of markets appears to succeed in making emissions reductions occur at minimal cost, critics argue that trading schemes can provide a short term incentive to over pollute. Harvey (2007) describes how firms that have already reduced their emissions in the past may ?lose out? under such a system. This is because many such schemes allocate polluting permits based on the past emissions of each firm. Companies often have an incentive to increase polluting behaviour prior to a scheme?s implementation in order to inflate past emissions data and receive a higher allocation. Michaelowa and Butzengeiger (2005) describe how this process ? coined ?grandfathering? ? may also result in blatant over-allocation, leading to a market with low liquidity and a low permit prices. Policies that provide allocations on the basis of average industry sector emissions rather than those of individual firms could be adopted in order to virtually eliminate the incentives for individual firms to over-pollute as a means of enhancing their entitlements. The use of reputation could also further encourage voluntary compliance, as many consumers arguably place significant existence value on a healthy atmosphere and would be inclined to support like minded corporations.
The European Union Emissions Trading Scheme (EU ETS)The European Union Emissions Trading Scheme (EU ETS) was the world?s first large scale trading system for carbon dioxide. Ellerman and Buchner (2007) outline the process of allowance allocation in the EU ETS, and argue that a lack of ?installation-level? data has had considerable consequences for the cost of enforcing the scheme. The absence of any existing legal authority to collect the data within the desired time frame meant that planners required extensive industry cooperation. While few examples of fraudulent data submissions exist ? likely due to incentives for firms to divulge information in order to receive allocations ? the voluntary nature of industry participation highlights the potential costliness in monitoring and enforcing any emissions trading scheme on a large scale. The establishment of concise legal guidelines for firms to submit their emissions data is essential for the future enforcement of emissions trading.
Restricting emissions to reflect past levels formed the basis of Kyoto protocol, which used 1990 as its base year. It was therefore desirable for the EU ETS to base allocations on historical levels, so that participating countries could automatically meet their Kyoto targets. Ellerman and Buchner (2007) found that this was not feasible, again due to fact that ?installation-level? data from 1990 was impractical and too costly to obtain. Furthermore, significant growth in certain countries and industry sectors since 1990 makes such a historic base year inappropriate. Future international agreements ought to adopt reduction targets based on a portion of current emissions. Collaboration between local policy makers and those involved in formulating international agreements is essential in ensuring that the cost of gathering the information required to implement global emission reduction targets is minimised.
Beauman (2007) discusses other significant hurdles to any emissions trading scheme in the context of the global steel manufacturing industry. Ninety per cent of the sector’s emissions come directly from the primary blast furnace method, which is far cheaper than environmentally friendly alternatives. Given the inefficiency of this method, firms utilising it must purchase carbon credits, adding significantly to their cost of production. This has led many European steel manufacturers to source semi-finished steel from lower-cost locations such as Brazil and Ukraine, which are not subject to the EU ETS (Beauman, 2007). The obvious implication of this trend is that carbon dioxide emissions are not reduced; they merely occur elsewhere instead. This significant flaw is arguably not inherent in emissions trading; rather it is the result of such a scheme?s inability to include all members of the global economy. Given the interconnected nature of world industry, future policy makers must ensure that any emissions trading scheme also encompasses developing nations in some way. Additionally, the ?carbon inputs? used in the overseas manufacturing of imported goods could count towards the emissions of importers as a way of preventing the outsourcing of ?carbon intensive? manufacturing.
The diverse range of contributing pollutants and industry sectors undermine the efforts of any social coordination systems to accurately target the cause of climate change. Harvey (2007) discusses how greenhouse gases such as nitrous oxide produced as by products of processes used to manufacture chemicals are not included in the EU ETS, despite contributing nearly five percent of total emissions; a proportion which greatly exceeds the market capitalisation of the chemical industry. The difficulty of any one mechanism to fully internalise an externality resulting from numerous causes could be aided significantly if future emissions trading schemes were to merely measure the effect of various greenhouse gases in terms of their ?carbon dioxide equivalent?, or the amount of carbon dioxide that would have the same global warming potential. Adopting such an approach could prevent certain industries from avoiding their emission reduction obligations.
The use of emissions trading is an effective means to encourage industry to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions; however flaws in its implementation need to be addressed in future policy initiatives. Any emissions trading scheme needs to be carefully integrated with international agreements to ensure consistent targets, minimal information costs and the possibility of permit exchange between regions. Given the uncertainty over the likelihood and magnitude of future events, policy makers ought to adopt a cautious approach given the irreversibility of climate change damage.
ReferencesBeauman, Chris (2007), ?Climate change poses stern challenge? in Financial Times. London (UK): Oct 8, 2007. pg. 4
Ellerman, A. Denny and Buchner, Barbara K. (2007), ?Symposium: The European Union Emissions Trading Scheme: Origins, Allocation, and Early Results? in Review of Environmental Economics and Policy, Winter 2007, v. 1, iss. 1, pp. 66-87
Freebairn, John (2003), ?Principles for the Allocation of Scarce Water? in Australian Economic Review, June 2003, v. 36, iss. 2, pp. 203-12
Gittins, Ross (2007), ?Carbon trading v taxes - a winner eases ahead? in The Sydney Morning Herald 31/03/2007 viewed 10/10/2007 <http://www.smh.com.au/news/business/carbon-trading-v-taxes–a-winner-eases-ahead/2007/03/30/1174761748992.html>
Harvey, Fiona (2007), ?Doubt about regime? in Financial Times. London (UK): Sep 18, 2007. pg. 3
Michaelowa, Axel and Butzengeiger, Sonja (2005), ?EU Emissions Trading: Navigating between Scylla and Charybdis? in Hamburg Institute of International Economics; Climate Policy, 2005, v. 5, iss. 1, p. 1-9
Pindyck, R. & Rubinfeld, D. (2005) ?Microeconomics? 6th ed. Pearson Prentice Hall New Jersey p. 642-653
Stern, Nicholas (2007), ?The Economics of Climate Change ? The Stern Review?, Cambridge University Press
Wills, I. (2006), ?Economics and the Environment: A signalling and incentives approach? 2nd ed, Allen & Unwin NSW p. 5, 240-260
(UK) Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (2003), ?Emissions Trading Schemes?, viewed 03/09/2007 <http://www.defra.gov.uk/environment/climatechange/trading/index.htm>
European Commission (2007), ?The Kyoto Protocol ? A Brief Summary?, viewed 03/09/2007 <http://ec.europa.eu/environment/climat/kyoto.htm>
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (2007) ?Climate Change 2007: The Physical Science Basis? in Contribution of Working Group I to the Fourth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
Author unknown (2006), ?Govt rules out carbon tax? in ABC News Online 09/11/2006
Viewed 09/10/2007 <http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200611/s1785099.htm>
Earth Hour: Turning off the Lights (Climate Change Australia)
On March 29 at 8 pm cities around the world will plunge themselves into darkness as a gesture in the fight against global warming. At a similar event in 2007, Sydney residents and businesses demonstrated their concern about global warming by switching their lights off for one hour. The Earth Hour campaign was launched by the World Wide Fund for Nature Australia (WWF) and the Sydney Morning Herald, and was part of a larger effort to reduce Sydney?s annual emissions by 5 per cent. The event reduced electricity consumption during the hour by 10.2 per cent, and nearly 2.5 million people (57 per cent of Sydney’s population) are believed to have participated. In 2008, Sydney will not be the only city participating. The following is a list of cities taking part in the event:
Aalborg
Aarhus
Adelaide
Atlanta
Bangkok
Brisbane
Canberra
Chicago
Christchurch
Copenhagen
Dublin
Manila
Melbourne
Montreal
Odense
Ottawa
Perth
Phoenix
San Francisco
Suva
Sydney
Tel Aviv
Toronto
Vancouver
(Source: Earth Hour official site)
The actual reductions in carbon dioxide emissions as a result of Earth Hour will be negligible (less than one hundredth of a percent of Sydney?s annual emissions). Caroline Overington (The Austrailan) criticised Earth Hour in 2007 saying that it was a “monumental flop”. Readers should however note that The Australian is owned by News Limited (a rival of the newspaper that sponsored the event). One prominent neo-conservative blogger (whom I will not dignify with a link) has even started an ?Anti-Earth Hour? campaign in which she encourages readers to turn on as many household appliances as possible during the time when Earth Hour is scheduled.
Despite the criticism of a handful of individuals, the overall reaction by the world?s media last year was overwhelmingly positive. Whilst I agree with critics who make the somewhat obvious statement that actual emissions reductions will be negligible, I think the event is worthwhile for a few reasons:
It has received and will continue to receive a large amount of publicity. It is a very cost-effective way to promote the cause of preventing climate change. It will raise the awareness of individual participants regarding the household activities that cause carbon emissions. People will feel empowered to make small changes in their daily lives on an ongoing basis (eg to switch unnecessary lights off every night!) It sends a message to governments and political parties that this is an issue that people are concerned about. 57 per cent of the population is enough voters to win an election! It could lead to future events that are larger in scale and scopeI strongly encourage all readers to participate in Earth Hour 2008 by switching their lights off for an hour at 8 pm on March 29. Please send photos (eg of your city?s darkened skyline) and I?ll be glad to post them here!
For more information, please visit the Official Earth Hour site or any of the following blogs with useful information and discussion about Earth Hour:
Join Earth Hour on March 29 - Powerfull Living
The City of Ottawa Signs up for Earth Hour Green Living Ottowa
ESA MERIS/AATSR Workshop: Focus on Envisat Sensors Measuring Heat and Light (Climate Change ...
ESA’s Envisat satellite has been continuously observing the Earth with a suite of ten instruments for the last three and a half years. A major workshop is about to bring together users of Envisat’s two most complementary sensors: MERIS, which acquires multispectral imagery of the planet’s ocean, land and atmosphere, and AATSR, a radiometer measuring global surface and cloud temperatures down to a fraction of a degree.
The five-day MERIS/AATSR Workshop is scheduled to take place in ESRIN, the European Centre for Earth Observation in Frascati overlooking Rome, from Monday 26 September. More than 200 Principal Investigators from over 30 countries, including ESA’s 17 member states and Canada, as well as India, New Zealand, Nigeria and Japan are expected to attend. There will be 90 presentations during the Workshop and around 65 posters on show. The Medium Resolution Imaging Spectrometer (MERIS) takes visible-light images of the precise ‘colour’ of the ocean and coastal zones, enabling determination of the biological and sediment loading of the water.
The instrument also acquires land-based images showing land use and vegetation cover. Because these images are acquired in up to 15 spectral bands, they provide additional environmental information such as chlorophyll levels, plant health and local geology. MERIS can also monitor the distribution of atmospheric aerosols and otherwise invisible water vapour concentrations.
The Advanced Along Track Scanning Radiometer (AATSR) also has a visible-light imaging capability for land surfaces and atmospheric clouds and aerosols, but its view also extends further than that of MERIS into near and thermal-infrared wavelengths.
Working day and night AATSR measures global sea surface temperature (SST) to an accuracy of 0.3º K, constantly extending a 14-year satellite dataset commenced by predecessor ATSR instruments flown aboard ERS-1 and 2. The top two metres of the ocean alone contain more energy than the entire atmosphere, and so this long, continuous time-series of SST data is important for predicting the magnitude of climate change. AATSR also delivers land-based images, and is especially sensitive to soil moisture, vegetation extent and anomalous heat sources such as volcanoes or the central cores of forest fires.
AATSR is also used to study clouds and aerosol concentrations in the atmosphere. It has a dual view design which means it can takes forward as well as nadir-looking images. Because its twin views of the same scene pass through different atmospheric path lengths, the instrument has an enhanced ability to estimate and correct for distortion effects from the atmosphere ? information which could potentially be applied to improve MERIS data quality in turn.
“Following on from a successful MERIS event in November 2003, this Workshop is an opportunity for us to have a dialogue with the scientific community,” explains Workshop organiser Peter Regner of ESA. “The event will begin with updates on the status of the spacecraft and instruments, data quality and dissemination. The emphasis then splits to us receiving ideas from the users ? in particular what can be done with the MERIS and AATSR datasets. Research utilising data from one or both sensors will be presented over a series of thematic sessions.
“We are particularly interested in stimulating discussion on what can be done by merging data from the two instruments. For MERIS products over land we still need to improve our algorithms to deal with the effects of atmospheric aerosols, and here it is possible that merging MERIS with AATSR data could be a way forward.”
Researchers already combine results from the two sensors in many cases. While MERIS detects smoke and burned areas from wildfires, AATSR can identify central hot spots. The spread of colourful phytoplankton blooms across the face of the sea can be better forecast utilising SST data. And merged optical and thermal infrared views of the sea and the clouds above it give an enhanced understanding of the dynamics of storms and hurricanes.
The workshop will include training sessions for using the software tools used to process images from both sensors - known as the Basic ERS & Envisat AATSR and MERIS (BEAM) toolbox. An additional half-day course will cover how to programme new processing algorithms using the BEAM Application Programming Interface as a basis.
Original press release: MERIS/AATSR Workshop: focus on Envisat sensors measuring heat and light (ESA)
CryoSat Mission Fails! (Climate Change Australia)
Today at 21.00 CEST Mr Yuri Bakhvalov, First Deputy Director General of the Khrunichev Space Centre on behalf of the Russian State Commission officially confirmed that the launch of CryoSat ended in a failure due to an anomaly in the launch sequence and expressed his regret to ESA and all partners involved.
Preliminary analysis of the telemetry data indicates that the first stage performed nominally. The second stage performed nominally until main engine cut-off was to occur. Due to a missing command from the onboard flight control system the main engine continued to operate until depletion of the remaining fuel.
As a consequence, the separation of the second stage from upper stage did not occur. Thus, the combined stack of the two stages and the CryoSat satellite fell into the nominal drop zone north of Greenland close to the North Pole into high seas with no consequences to populated areas.
An investigating commission by the Russian State authorities has been established to further analyze the reasons for the failure, results are expected within the next weeks. This commission will work in close cooperation with a failure investigation board consisting of Eurockot, ESA and Khrunichev representatives.
This information is released at the same time by Eurockot and ESA.
Original press release: CryoSat Mission lost due to launch failure (ESA)
Australian Museum Eureka Prize for Young Leaders in Environmental Issues and Climate Change ...
Entries and nominations are now invited for the Young Leaders in Environmental Issues and Climate Change prize, one of 20 prizes on offer in this year?s competition and one of only two in the category of Science Leadership!
Sponsored by the British Council, the Eureka Prize for Young Leaders in Environmental Issues and Climate Change is awarded to a young Australian aged 21 - 30 for scientific or technological leadership in responding to the challenges that threaten our environment and our climate.
The prize is intended to benefit outstanding young people who have demonstrated:
scientific or technological leadership which aims to improve the environment or reduce the impact of climate change, and the potential to accelerate quickly into leadership positions in fields relevant to this prize.The winner will receive a $10,000 study tour to the United Kingdom, organised by the British Council.
Entries close 2 May 2008
For further information on the prize, judging criteria, and how to enter, go to australianmuseum.net.au/eureka or email eureka@austmus.gov.au
Asia-Pacific Climate Change Summit Open for Business (Climate Change Australia)
High-level international talks have begun in Sydney about the best way to tackle global warming.
Senior officials and ministers from Australia, Japan, the United States, China, South Korea and India are taking part in the two-day Asia Pacific Partnership on Clean Development and Climate meeting (AP6).
Read the full article: Summit open for business (The Age)
Related article: Climate change bloc may grow to rival Kyoto (Sydney Morning Herald)
2005 Warmest Year in Over a Century (Climate Change Australia)
The year 2005 was the warmest year in over a century, according to NASA scientists studying temperature data from around the world.
Climatologists at NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies (GISS) in New York City noted that the highest global annual average surface temperature in more than a century was recorded in their analysis for the 2005 calendar year.
Some other research groups that study climate change rank 2005 as the second warmest year, based on comparisons through November. The primary difference among the analyses, according to the NASA scientists, is the inclusion of the Arctic in the NASA analysis. Although there are few weather stations in the Arctic, the available data indicate that 2005 was unusually warm in the Arctic.
In order to figure out whether the Earth is cooling or warming, the scientists use temperature data from weather stations on land, satellite measurements of sea surface temperature since 1982, and data from ships for earlier years.
Previously, the warmest year of the century was 1998, when a strong El Nino, a warm water event in the eastern Pacific Ocean, added warmth to global temperatures. However, what’s significant, regardless of whether 2005 is first or second warmest, is that global warmth has returned to about the level of 1998 without the help of an El Nino.
The result indicates that a strong underlying warming trend is continuing. Global warming since the middle 1970s is now about 0.6 degrees Celsius (C) or about 1 degree Fahrenheit (F). Total warming in the past century is about 0.8° C or about 1.4° F.
“The five warmest years over the last century occurred in the last eight years,” said James Hansen, director of NASA GISS. They stack up as follows: the warmest was 2005, then 1998, 2002, 2003 and 2004.
Over the past 30 years, the Earth has warmed by 0.6° C or 1.08° F. Over the past 100 years, it has warmed by 0.8° C or 1.44° F.
Current warmth seems to be occurring nearly everywhere at the same time and is largest at high latitudes in the Northern Hemisphere. Over the last 50 years, the largest annual and seasonal warmings have occurred in Alaska, Siberia and the Antarctic Peninsula. Most ocean areas have warmed. Because these areas are remote and far away from major cities, it is clear to climatologists that the warming is not due to the influence of pollution from urban areas.
Original press release: 2005 Warmest Year in Over a Century (NASA)
10 Amazing Photos: Climate Change, its Causes and Effects (Climate Change Australia)
The following list consists of photos I have gathered from around the internet, the subject matter of which relates to climate change, its causes and its effects. If you find these photos interesting, please bookmark this site as I will make similar posts in the future.
Perito Moreno Glacier, Argentina
The Perito Moreno Glacier is one of the most important tourist attractions in the Argentine Patagonia. The terminus of the glacier is 5 km wide, with an average height of 60 meters above the surface of the water, with a total ice depth of 170 meters.
Night shift
A dramatic shot of a refinery in action!
Vanishing City by Priya Verma
One of the winners of the top prize for the 2006 British Council USA Climate Change Photo Competition
Shanghai: Central intersection
Intersection of the Yan’an and North-South elevated roads in Shanghai. This particular section brightly violet illuminated at night.
London climate change demonstration
A sea of people protest at the London Climate Change Demonstration in December 2007
Smog City
The urban landscape of Shanghai disappearing in smog.
Darkness, Earth Hour
A comparison of the Sydney CBD during and immediately following Earth Hour 2007.
Quixote’s Nightmare
The San Gorgonio pass, home to the Palm Springs windmills, creates a perfect wind tunnel, allowing for energy production upwards of 300 days a year. This photo shows a spectacular view of the wind farm at sunset.
Untitled
This amazing shot shows a barren, devastated landscape used to fuel a coal fired power station in the distance. An all too familiar scene throughout the world today.
What science can tell us (BBC News | In Depth | 2004 | climate_change | UK Edition)
Clearer science, despite uncertainties, boosts fresh warnings on climate change
Viewpoints: Climate change (BBC News | In Depth | 2004 | climate_change | UK Edition)
Is climate change really worrying and, if so, what should we do about it? BBC News website gathers a range of views.
Viewpoint: Kyoto (BBC News | In Depth | 2004 | climate_change | UK Edition)
Former British environment secretary John Gummer argues that there is still much momentum in the climate change treaty - even without US backing.
Uncharted waters? (BBC News | In Depth | 2004 | climate_change | UK Edition)
Alex Kirby explores the implications of climate change, as part of the Planet Under Pressure series.
Study highlights global decline (BBC News | In Depth | 2004 | climate_change | UK Edition)
Human activities are causing irreversible damage to the natural world, a major study finds.
Q&A: The Kyoto Protocol (BBC News | In Depth | 2004 | climate_change | UK Edition)
BBC News Online looks at the ailing international treaty which many say remains humanity's best hope for international action on climate change.
Q&A: Climate change (BBC News | In Depth | 2004 | climate_change | UK Edition)
Key questions answered on global warming, its causes and potential effects.
Q&A: Blair's climate strategy (BBC News | In Depth | 2004 | climate_change | UK Edition)
BBC environment correspondent Roger Harrabin discusses the UK government's climate strategy.
Planet under pressure (BBC News | In Depth | 2004 | climate_change | UK Edition)
A six-part series exploring the planet's environmental problems.
Ice cores unlock climate secrets (BBC News | In Depth | 2004 | climate_change | UK Edition)
A three-kilometre long column of ice drilled from the Antarctic has revealed climate patterns for the last 740,000 years of Earth's history.
Guide to climate change (BBC News | In Depth | 2004 | climate_change | UK Edition)
Find out how the greenhouse effect works, why the Gulf Stream might change and how hot experts think it might get.
Expert reaction to Stern review (BBC News | In Depth | 2004 | climate_change | UK Edition)
Scientists, politicians and economists give their reactions to the report by Sir Nicholas Stern.
Earth is too crowded for Utopia (BBC News | In Depth | 2004 | climate_change | UK Edition)
Climate change can't be solved without reducing world population, the UK's Antarctic chief argues.
Earth - melting in the heat? (BBC News | In Depth | 2004 | climate_change | UK Edition)
Are the poles melting? Are glaciers disappearing? We take the temperature of the planet's ice.
Climate warning from the deep (BBC News | In Depth | 2004 | climate_change | UK Edition)
The BBC explores the mystery of the North Sea's dying fish and shifting plankton.
Climate deal plays on language (BBC News | In Depth | 2004 | climate_change | UK Edition)
Our environment correspondent Richard Black looks for the winners and losers in the climate section of the final G8 communiqué.
Climate change: The big emitters (BBC News | In Depth | 2004 | climate_change | UK Edition)
BBC News Online looks at the countries which contribute most to greenhouse gas emissions and examines where they stand on the Kyoto Protocol on climate change.
Climate change fight 'can't wait' (BBC News | In Depth | 2004 | climate_change | UK Edition)
Tony Blair urges immediate action as a report warns climate change could shrink the global economy by 20%.
Climate change 'hitting Africa' (BBC News | In Depth | 2004 | climate_change | UK Edition)
Climate change is already hitting Africa and will wipe out anti-poverty efforts unless action is taken, a report says.
Climate change (BBC News | In Depth | 2004 | climate_change | UK Edition)
Climate change
Cheers, yet concern for climate (BBC News | In Depth | 2004 | climate_change | UK Edition)
While the climate talks in Montreal have made progress on some issues, big questions remain unresolved.
CO2 'highest for 650,000 years' (BBC News | In Depth | 2004 | climate_change | UK Edition)
Antarctic ice shows current levels of carbon dioxide are 30% higher than at any time in the past 650,000 years.
Business deal or bright idea? (BBC News | In Depth | 2004 | climate_change | UK Edition)
The BBC's Richard Black assesses whether the Asia-Pacific climate partnership can rival the Kyoto Protocol.
At-a-glance: The Stern Review (BBC News | In Depth | 2004 | climate_change | UK Edition)
The key points from Sir Nicholas Stern's report into the economic impact of climate change.
Arctic ice 'disappearing quickly' (BBC News | In Depth | 2004 | climate_change | UK Edition)
The area covered by Arctic sea ice has shrunk for a fourth consecutive year, according to a new study.
Arctic heads into warmer future (BBC News | In Depth | 2004 | climate_change | UK Edition)
The Arctic is undergoing rapid and possibly irreversible climate change, says a major report.
Antarctic glaciers show retreat (BBC News | In Depth | 2004 | climate_change | UK Edition)
The first comprehensive study of marine glaciers on the Antarctic Peninsula shows most are in rapid retreat.
Analysis: Stern's impact (BBC News | In Depth | 2004 | climate_change | UK Edition)
The Stern report urges climate action now as the cheapest option; what are the chances it will be heeded?
Analysis: Stark warning (BBC News | In Depth | 2004 | climate_change | UK Edition)
BBC Business Editor Robert Peston says the Stern report on climate change presents a challenge to governments and individuals across the globe.
PHP Board Maintenance, 15th August (climateprediction.net)
The CPDN PHP board may experience some disruption on Friday the 15th of August due to moving to a new server. The CPDN BOINC board will not be affected.Thanks in advance for your patience during this process.
New Application Added (climateprediction.net)
We've added the UK Met Office HADSM3 Mid-Holocene (hadsm3mh) application. Read more about it here
National Science Week: CPDN forms part of Oxford University Science Roadshow (climateprediction.net)
As part of National Science Week Climateprediction.net was delighted to form part of a new Oxford University initiative, the Oxford University Science Roadshow. Representatives from various of the University's science departments went on tour to several venues around Oxfordshire. Climateprediction.net visited King Alfred's School in Wantage, where Coordinator Suzanne Rosier led two hours of workshops for Year 11 students and Principal Investigator Myles Allen delivered an evening public lecture entitled `Climate Change: Where To From Here?'.
Geoengineering Experiment released (climateprediction.net)
A new batch of HADCM3L workunits has been dispatched. Read more about it here.
Climateprediction.net at the Royal Society, London (climateprediction.net)
CPDN was well represented at the Royal Society Discussion Meeting `The Environmental e-Science Revolution'. Principal Investigator Dr. Myles Allen's presentation at this well-attended meeting was accompanied by a demonstration booth showcasing CPDN's results and capabilities.
CPDN receives plug at IOP workshop for Physics teachers (climateprediction.net)
Climateprediction.net received a big plug when Coordinator Suzanne Rosier spoke on climate change at an Institute of Physics workshop for Physics teachers held in the Physics Department of Oxford University. Around a hundred teachers attended the presentation, in which CPDN results were shown and the capabilities of the project highlighted. In particular new links were forged which it is hoped will facilitate the planned expansion of CPDN's schools outreach programme.
CPDN at Matthew Arnold School Environment Day (climateprediction.net)
Matthew Arnold School in Cumnor, Oxford, held its first Environment Day, in which various activities encouraged students to think about their impact on the environment and ways in which they could minimise consumption and help us move towards a more sustainable future. The day began with a general presentation by CPDN Coordinator Suzanne Rosier, in which the climateprediction.net project featured. The day was rounded off with the presentation of prizes and a talk on future energy use by Dr. Katherine Blundell, also of Oxford University's Physics Department.
5th Anniversary of CPDN Launch (climateprediction.net)
Five years ago today CPDN was launched. Since that time the number of users has grown enormously and over 10TB of valuable climate model data have been produced. We'd like to thank everyone who has made this possible.
33 million model years and counting ... (climateprediction.net)
CPDN recently passed the impressive milestone of 33 million model years. Continued thanks to all participants for making this tremendously valuable resource possible.