Global Science Academies Call for "Low-Carbon Societies."

Science Academies from around the world have signed a statement calling for the control of carbon emissions and collaboration on fighting infectious diseases, hunger, and other increasing global health problems.

Senator Boxer Introduces Amendment to Climate Security Act

Senator Barbara Boxer introduced an amendment to the Lieberman-Warner Climate Security Act (S. 2191).

US Climate Change Program Finally Releases Reports

The US Climate Change Science Program finally released several long-awaited reports on global climate change.

1. "Scientific Assessment of the Effects of Global Change on the United States."

2. "Preliminary review of adaptation options for climate-sensitive ecosystems and resources," Final Report, Synthesis and Assessment Product 4.4.

3. "Weather and Climate Extremes in a Changing Climate," Final Report, Synthesis and Assessment Product 3.3.

4. "The effects of climate change on agriculture, land resources, water resources, and biodiversity in the United States," Final Report, Synthesis and Assessment Product 4.3.

Climate Change Effecting Global Physical and Biological Systems

An article in Nature attributes changes in physical and biological systems to climate change.

Rosenzweig C, et al. (2008 May 15). Attributing physical and biological impacts to anthropogenic climate change. Nature;453(7193): 353-357. doi:10.1038/nature06937.

Atlantic Hurricane Frequency Will Not Increase Under Rising CO2

A recent article by Tom Knutson et al of Princeton, published in Nature Geoscience, projects no increase in Atlantic hurricane frequency under rising CO2 levels. This article is being widely discussed on the web, particularly at Real Climate.

Knutson TR, et al. (2008 May 18 published online). Simulated reduction in Atlantic hurricane frequency under m twenty-first-century warming conditions. Nature Geoscience; doi:10.1038/ngeo202

"Understanding and Responding to Climate Change"

The National Academies of Science released the 2008 edition of its booklet titled, "Understanding and Responding to Climate Change."

Climate Change Accelerating Bird Extinctions

The IUCN has issued its 2008 Red List of threatened birds. The IUCN notes climate change as one of the accelerating factors for placing birds at risk of extinction. See: http://cms.iucn.org/index.cfm?uNewsID=947

Some Global Cooling Expected?

An article published recently in Nature is creating quite a bit of buzz amongst the climate change community. The following research projects that surface temperatures in Europe and North America may not increase over the next decade. This has led to predictions of "global cooling:"

Keenlyside NS, et al. (2008 May 1). Advancing decadal-scale climate prediction in the North Atlantic sector. Nature;453:84-88. doi:10.1038/nature06921

Physical & Biological Changes Due to Climate Change

A team of scientists, led by Cynthia Rosenzweig at NASA's Goddard Institute for Space Studies, has linked physical and biological system changes to the warming of surface and ocean temperatures. Their study is published in Nature:

Rosenzweig C, et al. (2008 May 15). Attributing physical and biological impacts to anthropogenic climate change. Nature; 453(7193): 353-357. doi:10.1038/nature06937

Price on CO2 Emissions Would Immediately Reduce CO2 Emissions

A new study from Carnegie Mellon, published in Environmental Science and Technology, claims that the immediate imposition of a price on CO2 emissions of the largers generators of electricity in the US would lead to an immediate reduction in CO2 emissions in the short term:

Newcomer A, Blumsack SA, et al. (2008). Short Run Effects of a Price on Carbon Dioxide Emissions from U.S. Electric Generators.Environ. Sci. Technol., 42 (9), 3139-3144. DOI: 10.1021/es071749d

Benchmarking Air Emissions

The Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) released its 2006 report titled, "Benchmarking Air Emissions of the 100 Largest Power Produces in the United States - 2006." This report not only compares and contrasts emissions from US electric power producers, but it estimates the financial impacts from proposed federal global warming legislation (e.g. Lieberman-Warner Climate Security Act, Global Warming Pollution Reduction Act, Low Carbon Economy Act).

Vulcan Project Tracks US CO2 Emissions

The Vulcan project of the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences at Purdue sheds a new light on US CO2 emissions by providing a level of detail previously unavailable: individual factories, roadways, powerplants, etc.

UNICEF Assesses Impacts to Children from Climate Change

UNICEF has issued a report on the effects of climate change on children: "Our Climate, Our Children, Our Responsibility: The Implications of Climate Change for the World's Children."

Injecting Sulfates Into Atmosphere Could Destroy Ozone Layer

A scientific debate is brewing over a proposal to inject sulfates into the atmosphere in order to cool the planet. A current article in Science Express argues that this proposal could destroy the ozone layer by activating the release of chlorine:

Tilmes S, et al. (2008 April 24). The Sensitivity of Polar Ozone Depletion to Proposed Geoengineering Schemes. Science Express. DOI: 10.1126/science.1153966.

Melting of Arctic Ice has Accelerated

The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) released the following report today, "Arctic Climate Impact Science – An Update Since ACIA." This report indicates accelerated rates of melting of both the arctic sea ice and the Greenland ice sheet. WWF states that arctic sea ice is at its lowest level in the 20th century.

Global CO2 at all-time high

The Earth System Research Lab of the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration reported global atmospheric carbon dioxide levels at nearly 385ppm for 2007 and rising so far for 2008. In addition, methane emissions have increased for the first time since 1998.

Is Nuclear Energy Environmentally Sustainable?

A current journal article in Environmental Science and Technology claims that the economic, energy, and environmental costs of nuclear energy are substantial and, thereby, questions its environmental sustainability. See:

Mudd GM, et al. (2008). Sustainability of uranium mining and milling: Toward quantifying resources and eco-efficiency. Environmental Science and Technology;42(7):2624-2630. DOI: 10/1021/es702249v.

Carbon Emissions Cap Would Cost Households Little

The Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) released a report today titled, "What Will it Cost to Protect Ourselves from Global Warming?" This report refutes the critics who claim that capping greenhouse gas emissions would damage the US economy.

Jet Streams Shifting

Scientits from the Carnegie Institution of Washington at Stanford report that the altitude of the streams has increased and that they have moved poleward in both the northern and southern hemispheres. Whether or not this is attributable to climate change is discussed. The citation is:

Archer CL, et al. (2008). Historical trends in the jet streams. Geophysical Research Letters;35:L08803. DOI: 10.1029/2008GL033614.

Global Surface Temperature in March '08 Warmest on Record

ScienceDaily reports on National Climatic Data Center (NCDC) data that indicates global surface temperature in March 2008 was the warmest on record. They include the following NCDC reports:

1. Climate of 2008: March in Historical Perspective. NCDC, NOAA. April 15, 2008.

2. US Temperature and Precipitation - 2008. NCDC, NOAA. Last updated April 16, 2008.

3. Global Temperature and Precipitation - 2008. NCDC, NOAA. Last updated April 16, 2008.

4. US National Overview: March 2008. NCDC, NOAA. Updated April 11, 2008.

IPCC has Underestimated Sea Level Projections

The BBC News reports on new research that indicates the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)'s sea level rise projections are underestimated. At the meeting of the European Geosciences Union this week, Svetlana Jevrejeva, from the Proudman Oceanographic Laboratory (POL), near Liverpool, UK, says her models project a 1.5 metre rise in sea level by the end of this century.

Link between Global Warming and Hurricane Intensity

Kerry Emanuel, a hurricane and climate expert from the Program in Atmospheres, Oceans, and Climate of MIT, has published the following journal article which verifies his previous hypothesis that there is a connection between the intensity of hurricanes and global warming.

Emanuel K, et al. (2008 March). Hurricanes and Global Warming: Results from Downscaling IPCC AR4
Simulations. Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society;89(3): 347-367. DOI: 10.1175/BAMS-89-3-347

UN's 4th Global Environment Outlook

The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) issued its 4th Global
Environment Outlook Report.

China is Now Top Global Emitter of CO2

The BBC news reports that China has surpassed the US as the largest emitter of greenhouse gases. This report is based on research soon-to-be-published in the Journal of Environmental Economics and Management. When this article is posted, I will post the citation. The BBC news story is online at http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7347638.stm

World Health Organization Assesses Climate Change Impacts to Human Health

The World Health Organization (WHO) has selected climate change as the subject for its 2008 World Health Day. WHO has identified major health consequences of climate change in its report titled, "Protecting Human Health from Climate Change: World Health Day 2008."

Measuring Forest Carbon Sequestration

The ability to measure accurately a forest's capacity to store carbon is a point of great debate. The Wilderness Society just issued a report on its assessment of the techniques used to analyze the carbon sequestration potential of forests titled, "Measuring Forest Carbon: Strengths and Weaknesses of Available Tools."

IPCC Issues New Report on Climate Change and Water

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change just issued a new report on the impacts to global water resources from climate change titled, "Climate Change and Water."

Technology Changes Needed to Stabilize CO2 Emissions Are Underestimated

In a current issue of Nature, three scientists (Roger Pielke Jr, Tom Wigley and Christopher Green) argue that the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) underestimated the technological advances needed to stabilize carbon dioxide emissions. The authors argue that global energy use is increasing dramatically and cannot be addressed spontaneously, as suggested by the IPCC.

Nature 452, 531-532 (3 April 2008). doi:10.1038/452531a

EPA Water Program and Climate Change

The EPA released a draft report titled, "National Water Program Strategy: Response to Climate Change." The deadline for comments is May 27, 2008.

Antarctic Ice Shelf Is Collapsing

The British Antarctic Survey reports today that a large part of the Wilkins Ice Shelf in western Antarctica is on the verge of collapse.

Black Carbon contributes to Global Warming

An early-release article in Nature-GeoScience reports on the contribution of ambient black carbon to global warming processes.

Nature Geoscience. Published online: 23 March 2008. doi:10.1038/ngeo156


Global and regional climate changes due to black carbon
V. Ramanathan1 & G. Carmichael2

Ozone Pollution Affected by Climate Change

A current study in the Journal of Geophysical Research - Atmospheres reports that ozone pollution episodes in the Midwest and Northeastern US are affected by climate change.

See: Wu S, Mickley LJ, et al. (2008). Effects of 2000–2050 global change on ozone air quality in the United States. Journal of Geophysical Research - Atmospheres;113:D06302. doi:10.1029/2007JD008917

Climate Risks to Food Crops

A recent article published in Science examines climate risks for food-insecure regions of the world. South Asia and Southern Africa are identified as the two regions whose crops are most at risk.

See: Lobell DB, Burke MB, et al. (2008 Feb 1). Prioritizing Climate Change Adaptation Needs for Food Security in 2030; Science;
319(5863):607 – 610.
DOI: 10.1126/science.1152339

World's Glaciers Melting at Unprecedented Rates

The World Glacier Monitoring Service of the UN Environment Programme reported 2006 data on the rate of melting of the world's glaciers. They note that the glaciers are melting at unprecedented rates. They state: "The average mass balance of the glaciers with available long-term mass balance series around the world continues to decrease,..."

EPA Analysis of Climate Security Act of 2008

On March 14th, the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released its long-awaited analysis of the Climate Security Act of 2008 (S. 2191) introduced in the 110th Congress by Senators Lieberman and Warner. Click here to link to the EPA Analysis. Click here for S.2191.

Oceans' Dead Zones

According to a recent journal article, the oceans' low chlorophyl waters are expanding.

See: Polovina J. J., E. A. Howell, M. Abecassis (2008), Ocean's least productive waters are expanding, Geophys. Res. Lett., 35, L03618. doi:10.1029/2007GL031745.

Biofuels debate

Two articles recently published in the journal, Science, continue the debate over whether biofuels contribute to increased or decreased greenhouse gas emissions. See:

Searchinger T, Heimlich R, et al. (2008). Use of Use of U.S. Croplands for Biofuels Increases Greenhouse Gases Through Emissions from Land-Use Change. Science; 319(5867): 1238 – 1240. DOI: 10.1126/science.1151861

Fargione J, Hill J, et al. (2008). Land clearning and the biofuel carbon debt. Science;319(5867): 1235 – 1238. DOI: 10.1126/science.1152747