Archive by date | February 2009

Jungle Fit!

“Lewis.jpg”Tropical forests which (still) cover around 10% of the global land area contain more carbon per hectare than any other form of vegetation. It’s obvious from that that their growth or decline has a huge impact on the global carbon budget.  Read more

Greenhouse gases up for a rethink at the EPA

Last week I noted that the new bosses in Washington DC, in their swift stride towards distinctly post-Bush environmental policies, had yet to touch the outgoing administration’s 11th-hour battle against applying the Clear Air Act to greenhouse gas emissions from power plants.  Read more

New Arctic feedback: vicious peat circles

New Arctic feedback: vicious peat circles

Researchers have discovered new hot spots for emissions of the greenhouse gas nitrous oxide: barren patches of peat dotted across northern tundra. And warming in the Arctic – just as it threatens to multiply emissions of carbon dioxide and methane from thawing permafrost and drying bogs – could accelerate the output of this lesser-known climate change culprit, according to a study in Nature Geoscience this week (subscription).  Read more

Picture post: ‘thermal microhabitats’

Picture post: 'thermal microhabitats'

Cross-posted from The Great Beyond At a talk yesterday in Washington, plant ecologist Christian Körner showed just how variable temperatures can be in the mountains, even between patches of land that are close together. This could offer possible escape routes for animals impacted by global warming, as potentially they wouldn’t have to move as far as people think to reach a cooler place to live, he says. Korner’s lab explains the image as follows: Using a high resolution thermal imaging camera, this picture illustrates the large variation of temperatures in an alpine landscape at 2500m elevation in the Swiss Alps.  Read more

European cities sign climate change covenant

European cities sign climate change covenant

Cross-posted from The Great Beyond Around 400 cities across Europe have signed up to an agreement to reduce their carbon dioxide emissions by more than the EU’s overall target of 20% by 2020 (from 1990 levels). The ‘covenant of mayors’ initiative, ceremonially launched on 10 February in Brussels, is the brainchild of the European Commission. Participating cities – so far including London, Paris, and Madrid – will submit action plans within a year, including an inventory of baseline CO2 emissions. They’ll have to publicly report once every two years on progress, and will get kicked out of the covenant if  … Read more

Lessons from the blaze

Lessons from the blaze

It is common by now: Every time the weather goes crazy in one part of the world or another, bringing death and destruction through storms, floods or wildfires – such as those still raging in Australia – speculations run wild as to whether it is due to climate change. My Briefing over at Nature news has sparked another such debate.  Read more